James wrote:
I surely appreciate all of the responses, and will take a while to digest it
all.


My quote is indeed from Miller Sound Labs. They were recommended by several
sources, and of course they are all JBL certified. As far as I can tell,
the price is pretty much the same if you have it done with a JBL certified
shope and JBL reconing kit.


I don't fully understand about the "surrounds" and the issue of whether I
need reconing. The rubber outer ring on the outer edge of the entire
woofer is completely gone, and the woofer paper is torn quite a bit. I
don't think the voice coils are blown/

BTW, I would remove the woofers myself and just ship them if I decide to do
it.


I appreciate all the input.


--James--


Now it all becomes a little more clear as to what you have...and bit
hazier as to how to fix it.

Did you bid on the Ebay woofers I referenced? I have no idea what
they're worth, but should bring considerably less than $450. Assuming
they're a drop-in replacement, and further assuming they're in good
shape (check the poster's feedback, ask questions), that would be your
cheapest (probably) easiest fix. A lot of really nice speakers are
being parted out these days because of the cost of shipping heavy
speaker boxes.

The foam surround is one of the main suspension components of your
woofer. It's (supposed to be) a continuous ring of foam that acts as a
spring, both centering cone and sealing the box. When the cone moves in
and out, the surround allows it to do so in a controlled manner.

You say yours is completely gone. That's not fatal in and of itself.
Operating the speaker with the surround in that condition 'could' well
be, however. You further state the cone itself is torn. How did that
happen? Never mind. It still 'could be' fixed, depending on the extent
of the damage; but now you're getting into a judgement area where it
does not sound like you are qualified to operate. Any repairs to the
cone are likely to be visible, and will possibly affect the sound to
some degree.

If you replace the woofers (my recomendation), I'd be interested in
purchasing the old ones. Otherwise, either a recone or a careful
rebuilding of what you have--by an experienced technician--is warranted.

jak