Transporting vintage speakers

[Essexsteve]

Hi all. Sorry if this is a daft question but I am moving soon and am taking my beloved Leak 2060s with me. Last time a moved, 25 years ago, one of the bass units didn't survive the move. I'm just wondering as the cones will move around on the journey, do I put them on the van upright, or on their back? Don't want to damage them as I'd never get spares for them now!
Thanks!

[AC/HL]

Shorting the terminals works for meters, may help here?

[Ted Kendall]

Won't hurt, that's for sure - it will just make the coil dead beat towards centre and stop it flapping about. Probably can't do much about the direct effect of road shocks or careless handling, though. If pushed, I'd say that on their backs is preferable to upright, always assuming that nothing rests or drops on them. Some removal firms are less than ideally careful, and are there have been cases of downright vandalism, although this is usually in storage...

[Lance G]

If you are seriously concerned, and are not personally moving the complete speakers, perhaps remove the individual drivers you are most concerned about and delicately transport them yourself in your own vehicle ?

Possibly only a few screws to remove and re-insert later ?

[Reelman]

I would transport them yourself in your own vehicle.

When we moved up here from Coventry in ‘87 I had a friend with spare room nearby. Returning home on Fridays I would load the boot with the most valued gear and drop it off at my mate’s on the Monday evening after work. Since we were working here for 4 months before we permanently left Coventry I shifted quite a bit! The only disaster was one night it was icy when unloading. I slipped and dropped my Philips N4504 recorder. It was ok but the lid (which was an optional extra) was smashed beyond repair
Anyone have a spare?

Peter

[Refugee]

I would strap them together with the backs facing outwards.
Shipping companies always smash something so just leave them something of low value that will smash nicely as a decoy.

[Essexsteve]

Thanks for all the advice. We are moving everything ourselves so I will put them on and take them off the van myself. Don't trust anyone else with me hi-fi equipment!

[Lance G]

Maybe wrap them in an old duvet and seat them on a thick piece of foam, or some cushions ? This should reduce the shock from the potholes !

[rontech]

My advice in general for hifi equipment is to move using your own transport. When I relocated many years ago a friend kindly let me move all my hifi stuff to his spare bedroom whilst I put the rest of my effects in temporary storage at the removal firm ( The legal complexities took about 2 months!)

[ajgriff]

Whenever I've transported speakers the grilles have been fitted and the they've been packed/loaded with the grilles facing each other. That way if someone swings the garden rake carelessly it hits the back of a speaker and not the front. Have always wrapped them in blankets for added protection.

Alan

[joebog1]

Well, I would lay them FACE DOWN on an old blanket doubled up. That way the magnets are not hanging in mid air waiting for a big bump to break the glue. If speakers are phased correctly the move forward so if the cones move they move in the "normal" direction. Screws are not going to pull out of chipboard ( aka cornflakes) or even plywood if the bump is large enough.

Roadying teaches lots of things

Joe

[ajgriff]

Joe's advice makes a lot of sense. Must admit I've never done 'roadying'.

Alan

[Diabolical Artificer]

I'd get some thick cardboard or ply and tie it on the fronts then wrap in blankets or old duvets tied with more string with a carrying handle loop or similar. It's easy to slip when your tired or have something shift and put a hole in a cone, sods law an all that.

Andy.

[joebog1]

Och eye Andy!! I have a couple of Leslie 147's that regularly need transport,
Can yee just tie a bitta string around and cart em one each hand please?

Joe

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by Diabolical Artificer

I'd get some thick cardboard or ply and tie it on the fronts then wrap in blankets ...

I think that's more or less what I did a year ago with my Leak Sandwiches and Hacker LS1300s: I'll admit it hadn't occurred to me that bass unit cones could be under any threat comparable to what they may have to endure in daily service. There wasn't the option of using my own transport as that's never been anything more sophisticated than a bicycle, but the 'speakers came through the journey still in good fettle.

Paul

[Radio Wrangler]

The sorts of loudspeakers roadies routinely transport are ruggedised ones woth metal corner protectors, recessed handles and recessed connectors and covered in tough stuff like Tolex. It's important that they work at their destination, less important that they look good.

Domestic hifi speakers are covered in fine and fragile veneers. They have to look good or else someone will dictate they're not going in the living room. So you don't just have to worry about something going through the fret material and damaging a cone, you also have to protect corners and edges from getting crunched. Padding all around is good. If there's nothing loose around them, then blocks of padding will be OK, if the blocks can't move around.

My speakers, when necessary, travel in the back of the range rover with the rear seats folded, resting on their backs. The drive units are open on the top. I make sure there is nothing loose that could land on them in case of a bit of a 'yump'. Old coats etc are stuffed between the speakers and between them and the sides and front of the load area.

No-one else will take as much care over them as you may later come to wish they had.

David