# Speaker Packing



## AsRock (Nov 12, 2016)

Well ordered some speakers online and i just had to ask my personal dreaded question, how do you pack it ?.

Now unless it's from a manufacture or some one  got it in a nice cool box with magnet support you find that most just put cardboard over the cone or if 2 jam them both together.

Now this is were my issue comes in that it's not alright to pack 2 speakers against each other or cardboard directly over the speaker in most foam \ rubber reflex speakers.

This can do all sorts of damage to the speakers from stretching the web folding the reflex\ surround to even breaking the foam at a fold.

So here's a few pictures, and of course you have to be careful all the same and make sure you have some free space were the reflex\surround is but making sure that it cannot move after.  This is with thick cardboard as the reflex\surround sticks out a lot, the corners are scored to fold around but you can bend it too just be careful.

Anyways hopefully the pics will explain the rest, like to add that the cardboard that goes over the magnet should be the same kind of size this will help greatly stopping it from all moving.
















P.S if packing speakers in there cabinets if the fronts a flush better to leave the covers on not not do what the typical Fedex does when you have them packed by them, which damaged my last pair.   Lets face it better to have damaged covers than damaged drive units.

IF you do have to remove the covers or have no covers  and they are flush there should be some thing like some foam blocks taped to the cardboard to stop it from pushing against the drive units.


 interested in other idea's ?, please post them.

Thanks for looking.


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## Bill_Bright (Nov 12, 2016)

I think the cardboard piece on top in your 1st and 3rd images was poorly cut. First, why cut out the middle? ??? That makes no sense to me. You don't want anything poking a hole in the cone so exposing the cone like that provides zero protection.

Second, by trimming the edges of the that piece of cardboard to the contours of the round speaker, that piece of cardboard provides absolutely zero protection from dents to speaker's edges, except in the bits where the cardboard is folded over.

I would not use any magnetic support and I have never seen a manufacturers custom box that used magnetic supports either. For one, that would add a lot of unnecessary weight increasing shipping costs. For another, if dropped hard, there might be a chance that magnet might come loose and poke a hole in the cone. Lastly, you should NEVER put two magnets together unless you want to weaken the stronger one as the fields will try to even out.

In shipping two identical speakers, what I did was place the speakers facing each other (cone to cone) with a thick piece of styrofoam between them. Then I bolted the two speakers together through their mounting holes. Then I wrapped the combined speakers with a bunch of bubble-wrap and stuffed it in heavy duty shipping carton. And I mean totally stuffed so there was absolutely no wiggle room once the box was thoroughly taped shut with heavy duty shipping tape.

Note these were very heavy Acoustic Research AR-3a 12" acoustic suspension woofers and they arrived unscathed.


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## Jetster (Nov 12, 2016)

I would box the speakers separately then put the two boxes together in a bigger box.


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## Bill_Bright (Nov 12, 2016)

Jetster said:


> I would box the speakers separately then put the two boxes together in a bigger box.


That will work but the problem is, speakers like this are lopsided in terms of weight. That is, gravity will always try to turn the heavy magnet side down. Not a problem if you pack the box with the magnet down AND the shipper always orients the box with the proper side up, but what ensures that? Nothing - unless you are the shipper and never let the box out of your control.

So connecting the two speakers together in the manner I mentioned above and putting the two speakers as one unit in the same box makes the whole package symmetrical in terms of weight. Also, with the two cones facing each other, the fragile cones are, in effect, protected from puncture by being in their own shell. It also makes for a smaller over all box size.


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## AsRock (Nov 14, 2016)

Bill_Bright said:


> I think the cardboard piece on top in your 1st and 3rd images was poorly cut. First, why cut out the middle? ??? That makes no sense to me. You don't want anything poking a hole in the cone so exposing the cone like that provides zero protection.
> 
> Second, by trimming the edges of the that piece of cardboard to the contours of the round speaker, that piece of cardboard provides absolutely zero protection from dents to speaker's edges, except in the bits where the cardboard is folded over.
> 
> ...



A dremel solves the ruff edges, Cutting out the middle in this case stops the surround getting pushed back which can crease \crack(s) in the foam on top of that it pushes contentiously on the web which stretches it.

I have sent a few dozen how i do but it's never been a pair as it's always been some one who needs a replacement.

The second piece that goes over the cutout covers the cone. The edge of the speakers other packing is used to protect that for example bunch of layers of bubble wrap

I was not on about them using metal supports, in my experience they have used cardboard support which there is a cutout for were the magnet fits..

Thanks for the point on the magnets getting weakened if there is 2 packed.

Thing is Bill most will not put any thing in between two speakers and just jam them together.  I have a feeling the pair i am getting today are going be just like that .


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## Bill_Bright (Nov 14, 2016)

AsRock said:


> A dremel solves the ruff edges,


A dremel will not unbend a bent rim.

If the foam protrudes above the rim, then I agree, you want to protect the foam too. But not all drivers are built that way so I say if shipping two replacements and you can safely temporarily bolt them face to face, then go for it. If you cannot, then in two separate boxes may be best.


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## AsRock (Nov 14, 2016)

Well a mock up is just just that though, just wanted to see if there were more idea's out there.  If the surround is reversed you may want to put some thing there depending on the frame and all. Just depends on how it's built.


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