B&W P4's, faded cabinet and a ruined tweeter (damned child!)

[jtonthebike]

Hi All,

Great site and seems I'll be able to learn a lot while I'm her!

I've got a Cyrus 6, Power Amp, Dad7 cd player (also tired!) and a trusty apple tv (modified with CrystalHD and running XBMC on top of Ubuntu) hooked up via some Belden speaker cables I assembled (4x1.5mm, two for HF & LF) .... Anyway...

My trust 'ol p4's have suffered a little in the last year. The cabinet has faded a little from sunlight, and a water drip mark from an overfilled plant nearby, then to add the cherry to the cake, my friends little lad just *had* to press the tweeter on one speaker, putting a dint in it, and now, it's ripped ;o(((((. Thanks child. I spoke with the folks at B&W who said it would be approx £70 for a new tweeter.

I'm fairly comfortable /competent DIY'er, and rebuild laptops down to basic component repair/jack failure, etc (as a hobby), have done a little furniture restoration too, so I'm happy with doing it myself.

My questions are: is there another tweeter which I could use, perhaps replace the pair of them, as a suitable upgrade/replacement? And re the veneer, is this something I should be thinking of? Budget is of concern as there is very little available (isn't there always?)

Regards,
Jonathan.

[DSJR]

Hi and welcome.

B&W make their own drivers and I'd either use your home insurance or just bite the bullet and get the proper replacement. The cabinet should be easy enough to restore I hope.

P4's are a bit fruity in the bass as I remember, so care should be taken with positioning.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Contact http://www.audiocomponents.nl/ they supply the UK guys like Wilmslow audio, so have best prices, and stock just about anything made, and he is a mine of information but don't waste his time - he gets pretty pissed off with it, but genuine customers and people who require help, then he is an asset. Ask first, then if needed send picture of driver. You wont save that much as it will still be £40 - £50.

The only other option is watch ebay until a driver comes up (put it as a fixed search and they will then notify you if one comes up). Until then get the dome into the nearest to original shape, then get a rubber based glue (Bison from Rapid Electronics is best) put some on your finger and smear it along the split. This will give temp repair and will work pretty well as most of the sound from the dome comes from the edge and all you need to do is stop the split adding harmonic and resonance.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Hi and welcome.

B&W make their own drivers and I'd either use your home insurance or just bite the bullet and get the proper replacement. The cabinet should be easy enough to restore I hope.

P4's are a bit fruity in the bass as I remember, so care should be taken with positioning.
Surely you mean they have them made for them!(probably in China) or are you saying they have a speaker drive unit production line here in the UK?

[Stratmangler]

Any spares B&W have will be NOS, as production of this model will have long since ceased.
Unless you fancy hacking the cabs you're better off buying the replacement unit from B&W.

These are on Ebay atm http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOWERS-WILKINS-B-W-P4-FLOOR-STANDING-SPEAKERS-/400220348283?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item5d2efddf7b

[jtonthebike]

Surely you mean they have them made for them!(probably in China) or are you saying they have a speaker drive unit production line here in the UK?

Thanks all for your speedy replies, appreciated.

nice to hear i could buy elsewhere if needed.

With regards to the cabinets, I haven't managed to find any 'good' information on getting them dealt with, it seems as though a light sanding with a medium grade paper and then re-staining.

I did see the P4's on the 'bay, but "better the devil you know" springs to mind!

cheers,
jt

[Stratmangler]

Thanks all for your speedy replies, appreciated.

nice to hear i could buy elsewhere if needed.

With regards to the cabinets, I haven't managed to find any 'good' information on getting them dealt with, it seems as though a light sanding with a medium grade paper and then re-staining.

I did see the P4's on the 'bay, but "better the devil you know" springs to mind!

cheers,
jt

If you're talking a replacement diaphragm then B&W are your only option.