Matching Replacement Woofers

Rod,how can you say ALL reconers use Waldom Electronics parts?Just curious.

Mr T- Because Waldom is the only manufacturer of reconing parts, outside of the companies that distribute kits to their warranty stations(mostly just for pro drivers; ie: Gauss Cetec, JBL, EV, Altec, etc.). At least; that's the way it was when I had my shoppe. As far as I know; no one else has ever given Waldom any reconing parts supply competition, at least in this country. Then again- it's been a while.

Many of the companies out there are using drivers from just a few companies such as Vifa or Seas. Ask Madisound or speakercity for a replacement. You should either recone both or replace both.

Hmmm, some food for thought, thanks. However, I may have led you a bit astray by failing to mention that the blown woofer is no longer present, i.e. I don't have it any more. Also, the woofer is proprietary, made by the speaker company and not purchased by them from a supplier.

Reading your responses, it seems the consensus is that the sound and sensitivity of replacement woofers would vary from the original, but with luck and careful matching it may be possible to find a replacement close enough to be suitable. Fair?

In any case, the suggestion of speaking to Madisound sounds like a reasonable place to start. Would the specs of the existing good woofer be printed on the back of the driver? I'd prefer not to remove it from the cabinet to check unnecessarily. (Just guessing the speaker company may not be too forthcoming about their woofer specs, since I'd be using them to purchase a replacement from someone else!)

Just f.y.i., not to be too mysterious about this, but I do prefer not to mention the brand of speaker, as my experience is that any remarks voiced on audiogon about an audio product that can be construed (or misconstrued) as critical can have quite serious consequences for the company, especially if it is a small one. And also for the owners of their products. I like the speakers, don't blame the company for the woofer failure, and prefer not to have their name brought up in a negative context not of their making. Whew, that was a mouthful!

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Would the specs of the existing good woofer be printed on the back of the driver?

Probably not. Its ref number might be.
Please note that there are very few companies that make their own drivers; especially small companies.
If the company still exists, by all means access their d-base, or ask, for the driver specs. These are necessary to find a suitably matching product in the market.
Failing that, you have to get the driver measured -- not simple. You might as well mention the spkrs name & model, maybe someone else has already been there, done that!