# Spray painting speaker cones



## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

Hi Guys,

Does anyone on here see a problem with spray painting the cone of a speaker? Specifically a set of AP NZ3a midrange drivers as they have discoloured and I'm thinking of painting them with a very light coat of silver spray paint. Also will the paint stick to the alloy cone?

I realise that I would be adding mass to to the cone but would you really be able to hear a difference?


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

look up enABL or whatever, they put paint all over in little dots, haha...


I don't see an issue with a coat of paint adhering to the alloy, they most likely have some sort of coating already to prevent corrosion on the alloy already.

if you are worried you could apply an adhesion promoter primer first, then go at it with your silver metallic. I'd go with the big metal flake used in show car finishes, or bass boats. Or you could stencil some mirror reflective squares into it, and have an LED shining on it, so when the driver moves from excursion it gives some kind of illusory floating effect.

or, you could paint on a gecko, NZ reminds me of New Zealand.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

i would make sure to tape off the surround. then properly scuff with a red scotch brite pad, clean it, one light coat, and one more coat just to fill it in. should be fine


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

I wouldn't do it. Any sort of spray paint that you're going to apply to that cone will likely double the cone mass. Those alloy cones are really light. I would expect it to have a very noticeable effect on the sound.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Jim85IROC said:


> I wouldn't do it. Any sort of spray paint that you're going to apply to that cone will likely double the cone mass. Those alloy cones are really light. I would expect it to have a very noticeable effect on the sound.


double the cone mass? not even close


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## DDfusion (Apr 23, 2015)

I was going to get my sub airbrushed to look like Boba Fett's helmet. Still might


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Jim85IROC said:


> I wouldn't do it. Any sort of spray paint that you're going to apply to that cone will likely double the cone mass. Those alloy cones are really light. I would expect it to have a very noticeable effect on the sound.


not true.

if you want to know how much spray paint weighs, spray it on glass then scrape it off.

that little pile of paint shavings is next to nothing, there's almost no effect whatsoever unless the cone is previously porous and the paint seals it off, you won't notice a couple of paint layers at all, and definitely fall within a tolerance window for drivers that "pass/fail" testing at their assembly line end.


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

cajunner said:


> not true.
> 
> if you want to know how much spray paint weighs, spray it on glass then scrape it off.
> 
> that little pile of paint shavings is next to nothing, there's almost no effect whatsoever unless the cone is previously porous and the paint seals it off, you won't notice a couple of paint layers at all, and definitely fall within a tolerance window for drivers that "pass/fail" testing at their assembly line end.


How heavy do you think a small aluminum cone is? Probably about the same as that little pile of paint shavings.

Even if it only adds 25% to the cone mass, that's still going to have a major impact on the t/s parameters, cone breakup characteristics, and upper frequency extension.

Edit: The spec sheet for the driver states that the moving mass is 2.61 grams. That's about the same weight as 5 paper clips. You think a couple coats of paint weighs a lot less than a couple paper clips?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

1 light coat and one more thats enough for complete coverage is hardly going to be enough to make a difference, if any at all. the mms on this speaker is 2.61 grams. how much do you think a very thin layer of spray paint is going to weigh?


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

Rather than useless guessing, let's figure it out.

A typical 12oz can of spray paint can cover roughly 25 square feet. Since we're planning on 2 coats for good coverage, we can assume that a 12oz can can cover 12.5 square feet. Let's say 12 so that the math is easier.

therefore 12oz covers 11148cm^2

12 ounces equals 340 grams. 340 grams of paint covers 11148cm^2

The driver in question has a published SD of 24.63 cm^2.

Divide the total area of paint by the surface area of the cone to find a ratio:
11148/24.63 = 452.6

Now divide the mass of the paint by this ratio to determine the weight of the paint on the cone:
340 grams / 452.6 = .75 grams of paint for a 24.63cm^2 surface area. Less than I thought, but still about 30% of the original mass of the cone. That's not insignificant.

The one thing this doesn't account for is the percentage of mass that's lost to evaporation. I believe that this is a relatively small percentage of the mass, but I'll see if I can find it.

Edit: Rustoleum lists the VOC content for metallic paints at a maximum of 500g/l. Since 1 liter of water weighs 1000g, we can estimate that the VOC content to a typical metallic spray paint is about 50%. If that's the case, half of the calculated weight will evaporate, leaving .37g of mass. That's still 15% of the cone weight.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I airbrushed the cones of some Hertz 4" mids, and 1 small drop of paint in the airbrush reservoir was enough to paint both speakers.. and that was wet paint, about 80-90% of that is moisture that evaporates, leaving just the paint pigments in the end..

I'd say the added mass is way less than even the tolerances/differences in the weight of the glue used to bond the cone to the vc former..


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Jim85IROC said:


> How heavy do you think a small aluminum cone is? Probably about the same as that little pile of paint shavings.
> 
> Even if it only adds 25% to the cone mass, that's still going to have a major impact on the t/s parameters, cone breakup characteristics, and upper frequency extension.
> 
> Edit: The spec sheet for the driver states that the moving mass is 2.61 grams. That's about the same weight as 5 paper clips. You think a couple coats of paint weighs a lot less than a couple paper clips?


I think a couple of coats of paint weighs a lot less than half a paper clip.

like, 1/100 less.

I mean, paint is extremely thin layers, it could be made of lead or gold and still not weigh that much, but it's made of much lighter stuff.

you may not realize how small an area he's trying to cover, the amount of paint on 3.5 square inches of area is so slight you aren't even going to resolve the difference in the weight of the glue used to attach the voice coil former to the cone, it's going to fall within any make or break tolerances used in the factory, even matching cones.


and get this, he could use several coats to make one speaker match closer to another if he does it while testing both drivers, making the end result even better than factory, it could actually improve the system output by painting the cones!

of course, he might have to use a couple dozen layers, to get enough weight in there to do any good...


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Jim85IROC said:


> A typical 12oz can of spray paint can cover roughly 25 square feet.
> .


maybe with really heavy coverage..


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Jim85IROC said:


> Rather than useless guessing, let's figure it out.
> 
> A typical 12oz can of spray paint can cover roughly 25 square feet. Since we're planning on 2 coats for good coverage, we can assume that a 12oz can can cover 12.5 square feet. Let's say 12 so that the math is easier.
> 
> ...


and once that paint dries?


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

cajunner said:


> and once that paint dries?


Added above. It looks like 50% of the mass will evaporate, leaving you with a weight that still adds 15% to the original moving mass.


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

Painting will not add any significant mass to the cone. I do a lot of painting, both rattle can and airbrush, a significant portion of the paint is solvent or propellant that evaporates either immediately (propellant) or very quickly (solvent). It'll be important to use proper technique, meaning a light mist coat, then probably only one wet coat. I honestly don't know the objective mass of a coat of paint, but it will be very small. I can even get some real data. I work in a chemistry lab with very sensitive scales for measuring very tiny amounts of powdered chemicals. I can easily put down a coat of paint onto a piece of glass approximately the size of the cone, scrape it off, and precisely weight it. Although, I am so confident that the weight of the paint will be insignificant that I'm not sure it's worth my time. 

I realize this is all purely anecdotal at this point, but my experience tells me that unless you put down a huge amount of paint, there won't be a significant difference. Get a good, thin, paint from a hobby store, don't use a spray bomb like Krylon. Give the cone a good wipe down, and a quick scuff (toothpaste is perfect if you can do it without making a mess and getting everything really wet), wipe clean again, apply one mist coat that doesn't even cover the entire area, let dry, apply a slightly thicker wet coat, let dry, and enjoy.


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## axipher (Oct 7, 2015)

gijoe said:


> Painting will not add any significant mass to the cone. I do a lot of painting, both rattle can and airbrush, a significant portion of the paint is solvent or propellant that evaporates either immediately (propellant) or very quickly (solvent). It'll be important to use proper technique, meaning a light mist coat, then probably only one wet coat. I honestly don't know the objective mass of a coat of paint, but it will be very small. I can even get some real data. I work in a chemistry lab with very sensitive scales for measuring very tiny amounts of powdered chemicals. I can easily put down a coat of paint onto a piece of glass approximately the size of the cone, scrape it off, and precisely weight it. Although, I am so confident that the weight of the paint will be insignificant that I'm not sure it's worth my time.
> 
> I realize this is all purely anecdotal at this point, but my experience tells me that unless you put down a huge amount of paint, there won't be a significant difference. Get a good, thin, paint from a hobby store, don't use a spray bomb like Krylon. Give the cone a good wipe down, and a quick scuff (toothpaste is perfect if you can do it without making a mess and getting everything really wet), wipe clean again, apply one mist coat that doesn't even cover the entire area, let dry, apply a slightly thicker wet coat, let dry, and enjoy.


your comment of wiping the cone clean made me think of something else. The build up over time of dust and oils in the air will probably add as much weight to the cone as a thin layer of good paint.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

even easier, just spray paint a scale envelope, you know the kind that you tare your scale with, and that holds the substrate from dirtying the scale bed.


this discussion is funny, in a way.


when it comes to light how little a coat of spray paint actually is, and how much paint it would take to audibly alter the physical character of a speaker, it should help debunk a lot of theorists' takes on things as they are, in the world...


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

cajunner said:


> even easier, just spray paint a scale envelope, you know the kind that you tare your scale with, and that holds the substrate from dirtying the scale bed.
> 
> 
> this discussion is funny, in a way.
> ...


Certainly an option, but our weigh dishes are probably much smaller than the cone in question. I could probably get a good idea of the surface area of the weigh dishes and paint as many as needed to get close, then tare the scale using that many empty dishes.


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

Keep in mind, that the added mass is only one of the considerations. The added material will change the damping characteristics of the cone, which will shift the resonant frequency lower, but it's also going to change the breakup characteristics. It's going to likely damp some of the upper frequency breakup, but will cause that breakup to occur at lower frequencies and probably across a wider range of frequencies. What this translates into is a very different distortion profile for the driver, which will change it's sonic signature.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

it's the area of a washer, 3.14 inches outside diameter square inches, minus 1.22 inches inside diameter circle.

or, roughly 1.9 square inches.

how big are those scale dishes?


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Jim85IROC said:


> Keep in mind, that the added mass is only one of the considerations. The added material will change the damping characteristics of the cone, which will shift the resonant frequency lower, but it's also going to change the breakup characteristics. It's going to likely damp some of the upper frequency breakup, but will cause that breakup to occur at lower frequencies and probably across a wider range of frequencies. What this translates into is a very different distortion profile for the driver, which will change it's sonic signature.


highly unlikely, even in the case of non-metallic cone properties.

the amount of damping provided by a layer of paint will be hardly measurable against the tolerances of assembly line "reject" points of failure.


you won't hear it.


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## hot9dog (Mar 23, 2013)

I don't think the added mass (if any) would be an issue.
The issue would be on how the paint will effect the adhesives where the cone attaches to the surround. Most over the counter paints have a strong drying agent to them, this might attack the adhesives (might). 
This would be my only concern.


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

cajunner said:


> it's the area of a washer, 3.14 inches outside diameter square inches, minus 1.22 inches inside diameter circle.
> 
> or, roughly 1.9 square inches.
> 
> how big are those scale dishes?


Honestly, I'd have to check. Our scales are very sensitive, and calibrated for very small amounts. I could probably get a pretty close surface area with what I have here. I'll look into it, now I'm curious.


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

cajunner said:


> highly unlikely, even in the case of non-metallic cone properties.
> 
> the amount of damping provided by a layer of paint will be hardly measurable against the tolerances of assembly line "reject" points of failure.
> 
> ...


Have you ever experimented with cone treatments?


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Jim85IROC said:


> Have you ever experimented with cone treatments?


hahahahahahaha..


er, sorry. I know it's rather inconsiderate to suppose that you would no longer engage based on a mutual answer grouping of internet 'experts' and call into question their experience as the fall back, but seriously?

I've painted on cones, made no difference.

I've probably not "treated" my cones fairly, though. I mean I abuse them, is what I'm trying not to say since abuse, well...


it connotes an unpleasantness, an impolite air arises in the room where I beat my speakers senseless, using electrical impulses and amplifiers that jolt them in their beating hearts...


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## hot9dog (Mar 23, 2013)

I buy them, I beat them within an inch of their mechanical lives, I then have sympathy. ..caress them, tell them that they are special..... and then I widen the crossover point and give them hell - and then dispose of them like the garbage that they are. One last caress as I toss them in the trash... 
Then go onto the Internet and look for my next victim.


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

cajunner said:


> hahahahahahaha..
> 
> 
> er, sorry. I know it's rather inconsiderate to suppose that you would no longer engage based on a mutual answer grouping of internet 'experts' and call into question their experience as the fall back, but seriously?
> ...


I didn't ask you if you painted cones. I asked you if you've experimented with cone treatments, i.e. doping a cone with something and taking frequency response and distortion measurements before and after. Obviously you haven't.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Jim85IROC said:


> I didn't ask you if you painted cones. I asked you if you've experimented with cone treatments, i.e. doping a cone with something and taking frequency response and distortion measurements before and after. Obviously you haven't.


have you? got any measurements of the differences?


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## hot9dog (Mar 23, 2013)

:snacks:


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Jim85IROC said:


> I didn't ask you if you painted cones. I asked you if you've experimented with cone treatments, i.e. doping a cone with something and taking frequency response and distortion measurements before and after. Obviously you haven't.


I have, done things.

to my speakers, I have done terrible things, I have done this in the name of science, and I stand by my conclusions.

I also have read about it.

I have a set of titanium cone drivers, they have been all rubbered up on their back sides, and although I don't know what they would have sounded like bare, I can say that I appreciate what the person doing the doping, did for me...


haha..

no, I am not in the business of refuting internet opinion, masquerading as fact.

I am however, in the business of distributing opinion, even in direct opposition to the opinions of others.

I stand by my opinion, that a spray paint coating for color change purposes and not for any other reasons such as cone damping or other concerns dealing with mass-added correction and what not, to be virtually undetectable if the margin is the 20% industry average for tolerances in both mass and output, motor strength, suspension compliance, etc.


can someone actually verify if a spray-painted speaker is identifiable from the measurements of an assembly line?

I don't believe so, I think the changes are so infinitesimal that they won't skew the results on testing so as to reject the speaker on even a stringent testing regimen of 10% or perhaps even less.

We're talking about enough pigment to black out a half-dollar sized circle, come on...


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

hot9dog said:


> I buy them, I beat them within an inch of their mechanical lives, I then have sympathy. ..caress them, tell them that they are special..... and then I widen the crossover point and give them hell - and then dispose of them like the garbage that they are. One last caress as I toss them in the trash...
> Then go onto the Internet and look for my next victim.


that's poetry, pure poetry.


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## iamstubb (Sep 6, 2013)

Do us a favor and measure a before and after! On the other hand, I too am enjoying the poetry!


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

I'm sure there are plenty of people here (Andy, Patrick?) who can give first hand information regarding the changes, if any, a light coat of paint would do. I think cajunner is probably right that the tolerances are already such that a light coat of paint wouldn't make a significant enough of a difference to the final product to make an audible difference. In reality, I think it's just as possible for it to be an improvement as it is for it to be a hindrance.


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

SkizeR said:


> have you? got any measurements of the differences?


Not with aluminum, but with paper, and the results were quite noticeable. 

Here are some similar measurements from somebody who's far better equipped and much more talented than I am: KEF (Celestion) F15 2-Way Mid-Woofer Modifications/Tweaks

As you can see, his experiments resulted in some very real changes. While his goal was to improve some deficiencies in the driver, it's clear that making minor changes to the cone can have very real, and very measurable effects.


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## Jim85IROC (Jun 8, 2005)

gijoe said:


> In reality, I think it's just as possible for it to be an improvement as it is for it to be a hindrance.


I absolutely agree. It's probably a 50/50 as to whether it would help or hurt, and a lot of that would depend on how the driver is used.


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## axipher (Oct 7, 2015)

Couldn't someone just take some scotch tape or painters tape, stick a few pieces of that evenly on the cone, and measure the response in REW before and after?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

axipher said:


> Couldn't someone just take some scotch tape or painters tape, stick a few pieces of that evenly on the cone, and measure the response in REW before and after?


hoenstly, that would probably be heavier than the paint if painted right


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Jim85IROC said:


> Not with aluminum, but with paper, and the results were quite noticeable.
> 
> Here are some similar measurements from somebody who's far better equipped and much more talented than I am: KEF (Celestion) F15 2-Way Mid-Woofer Modifications/Tweaks
> 
> As you can see, his experiments resulted in some very real changes. While his goal was to improve some deficiencies in the driver, it's clear that making minor changes to the cone can have very real, and very measurable effects.


the guy is using globs of butyl in various areas over the cone. not practically weightless pain spread evenly over the whole surface. apples to oranges


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## axipher (Oct 7, 2015)

SkizeR said:


> hoenstly, that would probably be heavier than the paint if painted right



I'm thinking four 1" long pieces of scotch tape or painter's tape, just enough to simulate worst case medium coat of paint.


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## I800C0LLECT (Jan 26, 2009)

SkizeR said:


> maybe with really heavy coverage..


I like to add Second Skin Audio's Spectrum sludge to the paint I put on my cones. It keeps me from having to add it to the doors. Really tames the reflections and way cheaper than anything else you chumps do.


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

axipher said:


> I'm thinking four 1" long pieces of scotch tape or painter's tape, just enough to simulate worst case medium coat of paint.


It would probably be easy to make a stencil and cut it out of packaging tape. Although, I still think it would be much heavier than paint, but if we knew the affects of a layer of tape, we could estimate the affects of a layer of paint.


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

hot9dog said:


> I buy them, I beat them within an inch of their mechanical lives, I then have sympathy. ..caress them, tell them that they are special..... and then I widen the crossover point and give them hell - and then dispose of them like the garbage that they are. One last caress as I toss them in the trash...
> Then go onto the Internet and look for my next victim.


Sigworthy. 


Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## High Resolution Audio (Sep 12, 2014)

If you put a very thin layer of spray paint on your ear drums, do you think your hearing will be affected? I can't believe this discussion.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

I800C0LLECT said:


> I like to add Second Skin Audio's Spectrum sludge to the paint I put on my cones. It keeps me from having to add it to the doors. Really tames the reflections and way cheaper than anything else you chumps do.


remarkable.

so adding Spectrum from Second Skin Audio directly to the cones, affects reflections at the source, damping those pesky out-of-band peaks by attenuation off the cone surface, I suspect we're in a new enlightened era of speaker treatments...

I bet if you just tarred it up a bit using tar and then feather it using feathers, you could end up with a new paradigm of speaker behavior, no truly resonant beast could go without his/her own coat of tar and feathers...


and think of the new vocabulary, feathery sounding vocals can be exactly that. Muddy midrange is exactly what the driver ordered and delivers with a tar layer 1/4" thick around the voice coil to dust cap juncture, you can get all the qualities of a loudness wars derivative, embrace those recording levels clipped to the moon...


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

Thanks for the replies guys. Unfortunately I'll be painting them prior to installing them (I bought them 2nd hand) so I won't be able to tell you if I can hear an audible difference or not.

If anything, after spraying the cones it may affect the higher frequencies...maybe, but I'll be using KRX2 TN53K tweeters to take care of those frequencies anyway.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

High Resolution Audio said:


> If you put a very thin layer of spray paint on your ear drums, do you think your hearing will be affected? I can't believe this discussion.


Not even close to the same

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

SkizeR said:


> Not even close to the same
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



I was thinking exactly the same thing. That's the best apples to oranges comparison you'll see all day


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## mmiller (Mar 7, 2008)

Ok, setting aside of the argument added mass, once the paint flashes the weight of the paint isn't even worth talking about.... Or what it may do sonically to the driver.. They look a worse for wear already. I'd say the UV damage from the sun has/will do more damage to the driver than a coat of paint.

You need to make sure you use a grease and oil remover, WEAR rubber gloves, the one without the baby powder **** on them. Then I would use steel wool and very GENTLY rub it in a circular direction, very fine marks is all you need, the reason I'm saying not to use the Scotch bright pad is because I feel you need to apply to much pressure to the cone, those cones are very easily dented and deformed. 

Imo you're better to used something more abrasive and use far less pressure reducing the risk of damaging the cone.. Circular motion is again for the same reason, simplicity and not risking damage to the cone. You're not painting a car..... 

After this wipe it down with the grease and oil remover again... One spec of a finger print will cause the paint to not adhere properly. after this use a tack cloth, then spray a light coat let the solvents flash off probably 15-20 mins, but read the instructions it depends on the reducer used, etc.. Not all paints are the same, not even close actually.. then give it another coat, which should give you full coverage.

Post some picks after I'd like to see how it turns out. And anodized red, or blue would look cool. Good Luck!


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

That's great info mmiller, thank you.
As for colour I'm going to be boring and paint the cone and dust cap all silver. They'll most likely end up looking like Foundtek FR88EX drivers after being painted


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

The painted Hertz mids I mentioned earlier in the thread:



























Comparing adding a layer of paint to a speaker cone to painting your eardrums is possibly the most far fetched and irrelevant comparison I've ever read on this forum, congrats!


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

haakono said:


> The painted Hertz mids I mentioned earlier in the thread:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Good job on the mids mate. They look quite good yellow


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## 14642 (May 19, 2008)

Be careful that the solvent in the paint doesn't soften any of the glues used to hold the speaker together.


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## High Resolution Audio (Sep 12, 2014)

haakono said:


> The painted Hertz mids I mentioned earlier in the thread:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A speakers job is to take an electrical signal and convert it into vibrations. An eardrums job is to take vibrations and convert it into electrical impulses. Pretty much the exact same thing in inverse. Painting a speaker will not only add mass it will undoubtably change the characteristics and properties of the speaker itself and the way it makes vibrations. Stiffness and rigidity will change, Resonant Frequency will change, Efficiency will change, Tonal accuracy will change, and a myriad of other characteristics will be different. It will be impossible to get even coverage across the entire surface unless you use a computerized robot. Varying thicknesses of paint is going to change the properties of how it vibrates and the patterns of sound that radiate from the driver. Speaker selection is the number one most important thing when trying to accurately produce sound. My point being that the painting a speaker will without any doubt change the way it will sound. It's just a matter of how much. And it wont be an improvement for sure when it comes to sound quality.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

High Resolution Audio said:


> A speakers job is to take an electrical signal and convert it into vibrations. An eardrums job is to take vibrations and convert it into electrical impulses. Pretty much the exact same thing in inverse. Painting a speaker will not only add mass it will undoubtably change the characteristics and properties of the speaker itself and the way it makes vibrations. Stiffness and rigidity will change, Resonant Frequency will change, Efficiency will change, Tonal accuracy will change, and a myriad of other characteristics will be different. It will be impossible to get even coverage across the entire surface unless you use a computerized robot. Varying thicknesses of paint is going to change the properties of how it vibrates and the patterns of sound that radiate from the driver. Speaker selection is the number one most important thing when trying to accurately produce sound. My point being that the painting a speaker will without any doubt change the way it will sound. It's just a matter of how much. And it wont be an improvement for sure when it comes to sound quality.


I'm willing to bet otherwise.. 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## High Resolution Audio (Sep 12, 2014)

SkizeR said:


> I'm willing to bet otherwise..
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


So are you going to be color matching your drivers on the 300ZX to the exterior color?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

High Resolution Audio said:


> So are you going to be color matching your drivers on the 300ZX to the exterior color?


Can you give tell me what happens then when you sprint the cone? 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## High Resolution Audio (Sep 12, 2014)

SkizeR said:


> Can you give tell me what happens then when you sprint the cone?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


I have no idea what "sprint the cone" means. But what color are you going to paint your speakers?


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## hurrication (Dec 19, 2011)

High Resolution Audio said:


> A speakers job is to take an electrical signal and convert it into vibrations. An eardrums job is to take vibrations and convert it into electrical impulses. Pretty much the exact same thing in inverse. Painting a speaker will not only add mass it will undoubtably change the characteristics and properties of the speaker itself and the way it makes vibrations. Stiffness and rigidity will change, Resonant Frequency will change, Efficiency will change, Tonal accuracy will change, and a myriad of other characteristics will be different. It will be impossible to get even coverage across the entire surface unless you use a computerized robot. Varying thicknesses of paint is going to change the properties of how it vibrates and the patterns of sound that radiate from the driver. Speaker selection is the number one most important thing when trying to accurately produce sound. My point being that the painting a speaker will without any doubt change the way it will sound. It's just a matter of how much. And it wont be an improvement for sure when it comes to sound quality.


This isn't NASA, speaker soft parts aren't held to any kind of high tolerance for what you're talking about to matter in the slightest. There's probably more manufacturing variance between weights of just the soft parts than the weight of some spray paint alone. 

I hate to be blunt, but this is nothing but a bunch of Audiophile BS.


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## High Resolution Audio (Sep 12, 2014)

hurrication said:


> This isn't NASA, speaker soft parts aren't held to any kind of high tolerance for what you're talking about to matter in the slightest. There's probably more manufacturing variance between weights of just the soft parts than the weight of some spray paint alone.
> 
> I hate to be blunt, but this is nothing but a bunch of Audiophile BS.


So what color did you paint your speakers?


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## hurrication (Dec 19, 2011)

Are you going to ask that to every person who disagrees?


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

Powder coat that cone.
It's the only way to be sure of good, even coverage. 


Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

High Resolution Audio said:


> I have no idea what "sprint the cone" means. But what color are you going to paint your speakers?


sorry. autocorrect. meant to say "paint"


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## I800C0LLECT (Jan 26, 2009)

I feel like the perception is that perfection breeds quality. We need people who think like that but conversely we need the combination of each others mindsets to offset each others weaknesses.

Audiophilia seems to be the extreme of one approach to audio fidelity. Hrmmm. The "feelya" part just seems creepy. Maybe I shouldn't make up words.

Anyways...yeah, worrying about a couple mils worth of paint on a cone is probably time well spent in other areas of an installation. But..."The little things add up"...true. Um, I also have an EQ if you could prove it alters the response. Oh wait...what if it ADDS to the response and doesn't TAKE away?

Lots of arguments that could be made. I don't think any of them are worth anybody's time.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Yep. far more important issues to discuss, like how much improvement in sound you get incar with going from this hairstyle (Telly Savalas):








where the sound waves bounce back and forth between the head and the glass in the car, to this (Bob Ross):








where the sound waves are diffused and absorbed before reaching the ear canals.


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## seafish (Aug 1, 2012)

^^^ now that's FUNNY!!! no wonder SQ in my car has suffered as I am getting older…it's cuz I'm going bald!!!


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

So the cones of my NZ3A drivers are now silver. A good mate of mine, sprayed them for me with a bit of primer and some "Silver Leaf" spray paint used on the bodies of RC cars. We decided to use this type of paint as it's generally a more flexible paint.

Before:









After:


















In the sun the silver paint almost looks like a pearl jewel. I'm absolutely over the moon with the outcome


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## hot9dog (Mar 23, 2013)

Looks good man!! Very cool.


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## mmiller (Mar 7, 2008)

They look awesome! Glad it worked out for you!!


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

Thanks guys. They turned out exactly how I wanted them to. So happy


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

BUT THE SOUND! IT'LL BE RUINED!


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

SkizeR said:


> BUT THE SOUND! IT'LL BE RUINED!



Ahahahaha


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

mechatron said:


> Ahahahaha


but really, let us know what you hear


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## mechatron (Sep 26, 2013)

SkizeR said:


> but really, let us know what you hear



Yes no worries. Hopefully they'll be installed before the end of the year along with a pair of Stereo Integrity TM65s


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

mechatron said:


> So the cones of my NZ3A drivers are now silver. A good mate of mine, sprayed them for me with a bit of primer and some "Silver Leaf" spray paint used on the bodies of RC cars. We decided to use this type of paint as it's generally a more flexible paint.
> 
> Before:
> 
> ...


:thumbsup:


Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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