Dude, where's my bass? Oh, lost to stiffened rubber surrounds...who knew?

Get the surround repaired rubbers lucky if it lasts 10-15 years system I am running as I type uses drivers from the 1950s 60s 70s all are orignal all are in spec. They sure dont make it like they use to.

I've had several friends get speaker surrounds fixed they will sound good as new once broken in.
It maybe a good time to check crossover components too .

The most difficult to replace surrounds are on the midbas and mid drivers.

Difficult as matching back to the original sonic presentation, as it was originally designed to be...becomes very difficult.

Not so bad with generic drivers but B&W would not be generic drivers or generic surrounds attached and glued and built in a generic way. The opposite in fact. at least in modern designs. Some surround types are not made for nor available to the repair market. For older drivers this is not as much of a problem, as some of those cone/surround considerations have become mainstream. But not always. Cases are individual, and require individual investigation.

On the high end midbass and mid drivers this becomes the core issue.

In the best cases it is minor, as problems go and in the worst cases, it can be undoable or so sonically shifting... that it is no longer like the original speaker.

Someone who can judge that correctly in a mid bass or mid scenario, is almost (partially, at least) a driver designer in their own right.

So you can’t just and should not simply buy a surround anywhere, from mister reseller who sells surrounds that ’fit’.

Look to matching things up correctly, via a specialist who knows what is what. And research the specialist. Make sure the research results of people’s satisfaction is built out of people who can understand the subtleties in difference. Look for the intelligent and learned opinions and feedback.

Ie, a pile of opinions without data on the intelligence and learned aspects of the opinions means exactly squat, but most people don’t look close enough for that, and so..mediocrity ends up ruling the day. Quantification and qualification of the given data leads to the better conclusion, as it does in all analysis...

Another +vote for Millersound.

Thanks all for your suggestions...will contact Millersound to arrange for refoaming...cheers.