Have you tried "doping" your speaker cones?


I recently "doped" my cones. I had read several discussions on it, on the Single Driver Website. It seems Damar varnish is the "dope" of choice. I couldn't find that brand so I used another. I thought it made a fantastic difference. The cones are much stiffer and there is better definition and smoother high end. Bass tightened up too. Had to make a slight adjustment in the "stuffing" in my transmission line tube to cut the bass back a little. They recommend two coats, so that's what I did. Anyone else tried it?
twl
Herman, I've doped the Fostex FE-103's in my full range single driver speaker system. After numerous adjustments to the T-lines and other aspects, I've refined them quite well. The upper midrange peak and sibilance problems were about the only things I hadn't overcome. This helped, not only for those things, but improved the sound overall by reducing cone breakup modes.
I know that Nancy Reagan isn't around to remind us but shouldnn't we still just say NO!?!
Doping means applying any kind of liquid to the speaker cones to change their performance characteristics, not using airplane dope. Airplane dope is nitrocellulose dissolved in ether or other highly volatile solvent. It isn't stiff and the solvent would be hell on surrounds. Stay out of the hobby shop. Damar varnish is fir tree resin dissolved in turpentine. Very, very different from airplane dope, which was formerly used to coat fabric-covered wings and tail surfaces and, more recently, to coat fine silk for model airplanes. Dope-and-silk has been almost entirely replaced with heat-shrinkable plastic.

Will