I've just replaced the foam surrounds on my pair of LX5's with one slight difference. Instead of replacing the surrounds with foam, I've opted to use rubber surrounds. Let me tell you folks, the bass response is way better than before. I put this down to the stiffnes of foam vs rubber. I bought both foam and rubber surrounds off EBay and was able to make a side-by-side comparison before replacement, the rubber surrounds were way more pliable so on they went.

@new2uspeakers

5 ай бұрын

Congratulations on a helpful solution. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't think to check on using a rubber surround instead of foam, as I know they are often sized differently. Thanks for watching and commenting. If you enjoy them, it doesn't matter if they are not like the OEM.

@claddagh1000

Ай бұрын

I just ordered some. Did they go under the cone or on top like in this video for the inner diameter?

@evanleebodies

Ай бұрын

@@claddagh1000 I put mine under the cone

@stevegood1943

20 күн бұрын

I also replaced foam with rubber, and the sound is much cleaner. I also bought a pool noodle at dollar tree, and cut it slightly larger than the case, and jammed it in horizontal to reduce the metal case vibrations. I didn't test them separate, so I don't know if it is the rubber surrounds, or the pool noodle, or both, but the muddy reverb is greatly reduced.

Nice work, and great tips! I've got this work ahead of me (re-foaming, that is) for the two pairs I purchased as the original owner years ago. The cosmetics are still like-new as I've taken good care of them, so that work won't be needed. One set of speakers hangs over my electronics workbench, and I recall having to reposition them just-so in relation to where I sit at the workbench, as they are very directional off-axis vertically in the high frequencies. But angled properly in that way they are wonderfully balanced and enjoyable to listen to as I toil away on more audio stuff! Subscribed.

@new2uspeakers

7 ай бұрын

I’m so happy you kept them around for all these years. I’ve been enjoying them while I have them as well. We all need a little tips in life to make things go better for us , so I’m glad you picked up a couple. Thanks for watching and commenting.

I remember seeing these on the shelfs at my local radio shack about 1992. they had some great gear then still some realistic but the optimus label was taking over, mostly rebranded pioneer I think at that time....these were heavily marketed seemed cool pretty expensive at the time for bookshelf speakers.

@new2uspeakers

7 ай бұрын

I’m so glad the video brought back some good memories for you. These certainly are a very interesting Speaker in a couple of different ways. Thanks for watching and commenting.

Just wondering, why didn't you show the complete removal of the tweeters before painting the boxes? How does that work with these?

@new2uspeakers

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for your question. As I mentioned in the video, the tweeter is connected to a soldered spade terminal, and that spade lug goes down to the crossover. I had extreme difficulty removing this female spade, lug from the terminal, and I did not want to risk breaking the soldered wire, so I actually did not fully remove the tweeter prior to painting the boxes I just Masked off the parts that I didn’t want to get painted. It was a compromise, but the tweeters are costly item to replace, and I did not want to risk it for this pair. Thanks for watching and commenting. If you have a pair and you need to fully remove everything, then you need to disconnect that spade lug, and then pry up the dipole And the sub plate has to also be removed from the box. Good luck!

Wooden clothe pins do a good job to attach your cone and let it dry

@new2uspeakers

2 ай бұрын

Agreed, I use them often. It can depend on the type of basket frame that the manufacturer has used and the type of clothes pin you have, but for many they do work quite nicely. I know, professional refoamers that use them exclusively and have different sizes and Gap spanning reach to be able to clamp onto just about any design.

@new2uspeakers

2 ай бұрын

It’s actually a good idea to show that in a future video. Thanks for watching and commenting.

I have a pair of those I am considering replacing the woofers with the FaitalPRO 5FE120 5" (about $50 each as of 2023). I predict they will improve the low end of these speakers to 69Hz 3db down. The internal volume of these speakers is around 0.13ft3

@new2uspeakers

7 ай бұрын

The Faital drivers have a good reputation, so it’s certainly worth a try to see what else you can do with the Optimus Pro LX5’s. If you’re gonna open them up, I would encourage you strongly to put some vibration dampening mat on the inner walls of the box before re-assembly. It will do a lot to take out resonance from that aluminum can. Thanks for watching and commenting.

@kennyg-zx4sp

6 ай бұрын

Does the 5" fit OK? I thought the original speaker was a 4.5 inch?

@new2uspeakers

6 ай бұрын

You do have to be very careful on what you order. Don’t go by the marketing name of the driver size or the marketing name of the replacements surround size. Get out of metric ruler and take millimeter based measurements for the OD and the ID of the foam surround. The ones I used were 116 mm OD and 72 mm ID. Even these measurements are a bit subjective because the inner diameter is usually based on a angled measurement. Not a flat measurement. So be careful.

I have a pair of these in like new condition, but the foam is falling apart on one speaker. Can I replace one speaker or am I better off replacing both?

@new2uspeakers

6 ай бұрын

Unless the other Speaker was already refoamed, it’s likely that its lifespan is short and it is going to degrade shortly as well,. Therefore, I’d suggest you replace the foam surrounds in both speakers once you sit down to do it , since that will ensure that they’re both returned to optimal condition. The video should give you everything you need, once you get your hands on some surround foams. Thanks for watching and commenting.

I'd like to replace the crossover in my POLK bookshelf, what ya got on that?

@new2uspeakers

7 ай бұрын

Well, I have done some crossover capacitor updates in my other videos. But what I really need to know is what model do you have and whether or not the crossover is currently working or not working at all. Then I can give you some guidance.

I have 4 of them that I bought new. I had to refoam mine and I did them under the cone. I still use them.

@new2uspeakers

7 ай бұрын

What a treat to have four originals of your own. Glad you took the time to stay “under the cone”. That’s the right thing to do. Thanks for watching and commenting.