vintage HITACHI 8" wide-range woofers, Japan c.1983—new foam surrounds

Description: Offered for your consideration is a pair of HITACHI part number Lo-D 2401941 8 inch wide-range woofers removed from my HITACHI HS-31 two-way speakers, manufactured in Japan c.1983. These 8” mid/bass woofers were possibly used in other period speakers from HITACHI, but the buyer is ultimately responsible for determining their suitability for any model other than the HS-31. So, please see my large photos, the measurements, and read the remainder of the description to decide if these capable HITACHI woofers should be yours. This pair of HITACHI 8” woofers is in clean, excellent condition. They have sturdy ribbed paper cones that are structurally flawless and the fabric voice coil dust caps are dimple-free perfect. Also, the steel baskets are also in great shape with no dings, undue finish wear, or oxidation noted. Most importantly, the aged original factory foam surrounds were just replaced. The main drawback to many domestic and foreign-made speakers from the early 1970’s through 1990’s was the use of foam surrounds for woofer cone suspension. Though foam offers better excursion than coated linen and rubber, it invariably rots and/or disintegrates in 15-20 years. These HITACHI woofers were no exception—the surrounds had dried out and fallen apart years ago. Some of you have replaced speaker surrounds before, so you know that it’s a time-consuming process that takes a great deal of patience and a steady hand. First, I carefully removed the dense paper flange gaskets. Then, I carefully cleaned the cone edge/basket flanges to remove the old gummy foam and stubborn factory adhesives, which takes some time to do thoroughly, and glued the inner surrounds to the cones. Unlike most woofers, this design has the surrounds attaching to the underside of the cone instead of on top as is typical. That necessitates stretching the surround, with glue spread throughout on the lip, and positioning it accurately under the cone. This can make a mess at the cone edges if not done with an abundance of care and a practiced hand! Next, I glued the outer surround lips to the basket flanges after careful voice coil centering to verify no rubs or distortion during play. Lastly, the factory flange covers were neatly reapplied. Now these woofers are in great shape once again; perhaps even better than new with the improved polyether foam surrounds of today! Most importantly, they’ve been fully tested after the new surrounds were installed and sound terrific—strong and clear with fast, detailed midrange extending deep into treble, and solid bass response for the platform size. I also tested their DC resistance at a perfectly-matched 7.1Ω each, consistent with a nominal 8 ohm driver rating. Lastly, the basket flanges measure 8⅝” square, 10” from rounded corners, they stand about 3¾”, and the four mount holes are spaced 6½” adjacent / 9⅜” on the diagonal apart, c-t-c. These are a nice find if your HS-31 speakers, or other suitable HITACHI’s, have been sitting idle with woofers that are blown or unplayable due to decayed surrounds—your speakers will be sounding their finest again!As pictured and described, this pair of HITACHI 8” woofers with painstakingly refurbished surrounds is offered at a competitive price. Terms of Sale: I encourage prospective buyers to ask any questions they may have about this pair of HITACHI woofers before committing to purchase. Payment is due at checkout by PayPal or other accepted methods. U.S. mailing addresses will pay $15.95 for very carefully packed shipping via U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS with tracking and delivery confirmation. International purchases accepted only from those who are able to pay with PayPal including shipping by U.S. Postal Service Global Priority Air Mail. Thanks for looking! *the product label photo above is presented only for donor model reference

Price: 69.95 USD

Location: Libertyville, Illinois

End Time: 2025-01-26T15:00:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: 15.95 USD