Speaker Dimple

I just used the vacuum method on a pair of Totem Mites I picked up in a thrift store for $35.00. I put two fingers in front of the hose to prevent a perfect seal should the nozzle come in contact with the dimple. Worked perfectly and after running them in for a while any sign of a crease was gone.

Not true in my system. Imaging is spot-on.

It would indeed be more subtle than that.The dimple is a weak point that will succumb to flexure. The other issue will be dispersion. Think of how a phase plug or a waveguide changes the off axis response of a driver - same thing with a tweeter.

It is easy to show there will be a difference. For example, if your dimple is 1 cm deep right in the center of the tweeter then you will have quarter wavelength cancellation and a dip in the on axis response centered around 8500 Hz. This is probably not as bad as increased breakup or flexure though - as it may simply resonate/flex rather than behave as a piston and lose high frequency output/efficiency.

Remember that ring radiators do behave differently - so a dimpled tweeter will too.

Once you fix a soft dome then provided there is no permanent damage or crease then it should be as good as new (not unfortunately the case for a metal dome which will be toast)

Appreciate the responds. Guess I'll try to vacuum method this weekend.

One other suggestion, in case the tape or vacuum methods don't work but you really want to get rid of the dimple: get the smallest sewing needle you can find and carefully pierce the area of the dimple with the very tip. Angle the needle about 45 degrees to the surface of the dome and very carefully pull the dimpled area outward. Then heat the dome with a hair dryer on the low setting to finish the job.