godcity wrote:
to answer everyone's questions....

a) i don't fault the designer. i already owned the speakers before
building this studio. they came along for a few hundred so i grabbed
them. i told him i was thinking about changing and he said that i
would like them much better once they were soffit mounted.

If you don't like them up against a wall, you probably won't like them
soffit-mounted either. They are very forward. On the other hand, your
clients might like them even if you hate them, which is a reason to keep
them anyway.

b) the designer designed MDF speaker boxes much larger than the 809's.
then i did some internal carpentry inside the MDF and put a bunch of
705 in there, mounted the 809's in their original inside of my
carpentry and did the sheetrock flush to the edge of the 809 cabinets.
i can cut out the sheet rock and redo the framing inside the MDF boxes.
but that is a lot of labor and requires moving the console. wondering
if there's an easier short term solution.

To get the Urei cabinets out, or something else?

c) the speakers have some small tears at the radiused section at the
end of the voice coil where it connects to the gasket. the tapered
part of the coil is intact.

This makes them useless. Your low end is going to be totally screwed up.
Get them fixed before you make any decision.

d) this is the only pair of 809's i've ever heard. they sound sort of
ns10ish to me. very forward, but slightly cloudy top and fairly rolled
off bottom. somewhat fatiguing to listen to.

If you put Radian diaphragms in there instead of the probably worn-out
diaphragms in there, and new caps in the crossover, the top end will tighten
up. If you fix the cones, the bottom end will not be rolled-off. But, they
will still sound very forward and with some upper midrange honk.

They do not sound like they have been properly maintained and it is time to
get a complete overhaul, I suspect.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."