Thanks Neil
That’s very useful to me - and hopefully also other SL2 owners.
Best wishes
Jim
Hi Neil, You have explained perfectly the problem I am having with the mid range. As you say a “fizzing” at certain frequencies. As I mentioned previously, I can overcome it for a while, but unfortunately it does not last. I was wondering if there are any exploded diagrams or construction details available in the archives and can you advise how the black piece on the front is attached. Does it just pull out or is it not possible to remove it so that I can try and see what is occurring.
There’s a company “DC Boultons” I came across on one of my internet walkabouts. Would probably be the first port of call if my midrange drivers ever needed attention.
Willy.
Thank you for your suggestion. I did try several companies a while back, but could not find anyone that was even remotely interested. I can`t remember trying Boultons though, but looking them up on line there seems to be some adverse comments and I know that some people seem to take great enjoyment out of dissing others on these forums, but it does worry me what sort of job I would get back. It is not like having a Guitar Amp speaker repaired this is a job for someone that would give it the care and attention it needs.
With most things I like to have a go myself and if there is anything available for guidance that would make it so much easier.
I have been so grateful to Charlie for all his advice, as I am sure others have.
1 Like
I hadn’t researched Boultons, beyond what I’d read on their website. Their website narrative was the most encouraging of any I’d found. Like yourself (and indeed any DBL owner) I’d be somewhat neurotic about my “mids” and would certainly have a long conversation with anyone before letting them loose.
Maybe we need to find a college running an evening course in loudspeaker repair. 
Replaced my tweeters a couple of months ago with a matched pair from willys hifi. I’ll eventually get around to doing a write-up, with some photos, of the horrors I uncovered!
Willy.
1 Like
After another full afternoon /evenings hard work getting the dbls back to their full bloom … off their transit wheels … perfectly aligned spikes, Hylomar sealed pillar ports, resealed bass cabinets, correct torque settings and their new grills on… sounding really quite impressive now with reconed bass drivers and new foaming inside …can’t recall having heard them at that level. If I had to choose one attribute it be “sheer unbound effortlessness” …
…
With respect to 808s which I had around for a few weeks - as good as they are I most definitely prefer the immediate emotional involvement the dbls are so much capable of …
16 Likes
They are magnificent speakers, for sure.
Congratulations on your newly restored DBLs. I’ve enjoyed following your journey on this thread. You’ve done a superb job and should now be able to enjoy those exceptional speakers for another 20 years.
1 Like
“Being neurotic about the mids”… pretty much says it all, and it’s exactly what I feel. Peter from Cymbiosis managed to source a pair of tweeters for me… really made my day. Although I honestly can’t hear any shortcomings in the high registers now it may well be that they undergo some aging and degradation as well. So I will replace them in the foreseeable future, but definitely keep the replaced ones and maybe even see if skan speak the original manufacturer can refurbish them.
But the mids remain the weak link and it really would be great to have a solution for them as well.
Maybe we all DBL affucandos can get naim to help in that respect … how and where we can get them refurbished or replaced .
Neil
Could you pleeeease find out everything you can with respect to these enigmatic dbl mid range drivers as to how refurbish replace them …
Thanks Clive
Yes, it’s been quite an Odyssee, but now looking back really worth the effort.
I have them now on song again since a couple of days and it really really IS unbelievable what they deliver now. It’s so delicate detailed, transparent, so instrumentally real, at the same time so realistic and ruthlessly forceful with sheer unbound effortlessness.
As good as the 808s are - I had them for a few weeks here while the bass drivers were gone - but I have to say imho at least in my 500dr active setting they dont match up with the refurbished DBLs. 
1 Like
As far as I know, the phase plug (the cylindrical black aluminium bit in the centre) is in two pieces. There is a dowel pin between the two parts & a self adhesive washer between the mating surfaces. I wouldn’t go pulling on it, as you will break the washer. The whole assembly is then glued to the pole piece of the magnet.
We used to sell phase plug repair kits for SBL (not sure if stocks are exhausted now). But it contained a plastic shim, similar to the material used for fizzy soft drinks bottles, to wrap around the plug to centre the plug in the voice coil for re-glueing.
If you were VERY confident, you could fashion a piece of plastic to VERY carefully slide around the phase plug in an effort to provide the required clearance.
I must emphasise that it would be easy to make the situation worse if your makeshift “tool” caught the corners of the seam & dog eared them!
You also don’t want to push any dust or detritus in there, so clean the area meticulously first.
Do so entirely at your own risk!
Regards
Neil.
As Neil says, the phase plug is in two pieces. As it acts as a heatsink too, the adhesive ring and plastic dowel that hold the two parts together can dry out and shrink with time. It’s worth checking whether the end part is in any way loose as this may be resonating.
If it’s fine then I guess it could be the coil. In which case try turning the driver around 180 degrees.
Morning Neil, Thank you for your reply.
Did the phase plug repair kit come with instructions? If so that could be useful and can you check if there are any in stock still.
Hi Richard, there is no movement with the phase plug so I will try your suggestion of turning the driver 180 degrees, but that may be some time while I wait for ATC to refurbish my Drivers.
I’m not surprised. There was something magic about the DBLs.
Come on, Naim - make some speakers like the DBLs again!
4 Likes
Yes, I’m pretty sure it did - I’ll see what I can find out on Tuesday.
Regards
Neil.
Hi Charlie, I am pleased to hear that this marathon that you have been through and I am now going through will all be worth it in the end.
I listened to the 808s up at Cymbiosis and even though my DBLs were not at their best they still to me sounded so much more engaging. As soon as I returned home and fired up my system I was in the zone.
I remember Audio T in Brighton along with Naim putting on a Demo of the new Statement Amps and using the Top of the range Focal speakers. I was there with my Son who is a Recording Engineer and we both looked at one another and both agreed that it sounded dreadful, it was just so painful on the ears and yet there were people in the Audience that thought it sounded amazing. The sound was so harsh.
2 Likes
Can you indicate what you mean by ‘horrors’?
Is that horrors of the replacement process?
Or of the replacement tweeters?
Or horrors of the state of the original tweeters when you removed them?
Or something else?