Gaskets need checking too

[VantheMan]

Just thought I´d start a new thread to celebrate the summer and we´re all guilty insofar as we never give gaskets a moment´s thought just as I discovered was the case with my aperiodic foam. But sealed boxes, as is the case of WD25T, are different..........
When I built my boxes I just grabbed a self adhesive window seal tape and used that to make a gasket. Now I admit that over the past year or so I have extracted my woofers quite a few times for various crackpot reasons (to check the aperiodic foam, drill extra holes in my main brace because I suspected it was too close to the driver cone, then rethink the stuffing material I had used originally inside my boxes and later refill the extra holes previously drilled out because, although detail was improved I think it was at the expense of balance between bass and mids. Whatever......

Finally I bought a 2mm thick sheet of EWA rubber from a crafts shop to cut out some gaskets because although seemingly airtight I noticed that, after so much activity, the fleecy material on one side of the tape had become de-fuzzed. Dead easy to use the driver basket as an external template and then the circumference of the box hole itself for the internal circumference.

Yes, sorry to inform you that my efforts have been rewarded by tighter sound all round so get your fingers out. Gaskets do matter.......

[VantheMan]

And this afternoon I shall be cutting out some gaskets for my Tweeters which never had gaskets as I understand they will do nothing for the tweeters because, in themselves, they are sealed units but there just might be leakage there too for the general box pressure.

All this started because I read somewhere that there´s no such thing as a truly sealed speaker box inless made from one-piece moulded plastic as in ghetto blasters or Bluetooth speakers.

[bob orbell]

So please let us know if there is any change in sound when you fit the gaskets to the tweeters, if there is and you can hear the difference, then you must have super human hearing that no one else posseses, I will be very envious . Bob

[Greg.]

I suppose it’s not so much about the treble response generated by the tweeter, but more about sealing (as designed) a leaky main enclosure which may have an impact on the bass response delivered by the Seas midwoofer.

[VantheMan]

Hi Greg and Bob, yes I was referring to the box working correctly with regard to the woofer. I was told years ago by Peter that the Millennium is a sealed container in itself and having a seperate compartment for it alone was a waste of time.
With regard to my hearing, I would describe it as infrahuman - one auditory nerve completely dead, and the other dodgy so don’talk to me about stereo but quick to notice the slightest change in tone , rhythm and tightness. Not often successful in transmitting it to others either but it enables me still to enjoy / moan about this hobby.

I just think that anything that can increase the tightness / definition of what little/much bass the WD25T can give us is worth looking after. Hence my going on about vent foam and gaskets. It works for me anyway.

Be good !

[VantheMan]

After a whole day’s listening, and assuming you have taken your WD25T woofers out at least once and put them back again without inspecting your gaskets and still have doubts about their bass power response ( not overtly deep, but growlingly menacing), Buy some Eva foam rubber sheet and just do it.
This is a big deal for me
I’ll shut up now.