Damaged 511b

**gil393** · January 24th, 2013, 09:03 PM

I recently purchased 2 511b horns for use in a new home theater I am putting together (24x48x10). The goal is to do a "decent" job at a reasonable price and trying to use as few parts from China as possible. As such I decided on making a "homebrew" A7-500. Everything was going well until I received the horns. They were pristine but were not packed well. UPS must of dropped them because the bottom of the packaging, thin cardboard, was torn. Inside were two horns wrapped in bubble wrap and a few peanuts. Alas, both horns suffered damage to the corners. One looks rather superficial the other not as much. Can these still be used? Will it effect the sound and what if anything does it do to the value. I paid a decent price for these and am a bit miffed.

Thanks you for any advice on the horns.

Regards,
Greg

horn5_small.jpg

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**bowtie427ss** · January 24th, 2013, 09:17 PM

If you have a competent welding shop in your area that works with aluminum, it's not a difficult repair. But you'll have to re-paint.

If you have any recourse in the way of returning them for a full refund, seek that option and buy a pair from a seller who is familiar with adequate and proper packing. Perhaps seek a partial refund to cover repair cost/value.

All that said, the damage is purely cosmetic for an A7-500 set-up and won't affect the sound.

**gil393** · January 24th, 2013, 09:31 PM

Thanks. I will work with the seller (ebay) to resolve the issue. They will be up in the air behind a screen so I guess its not the end of the world as long as they sound good.

**Altec Best** · January 24th, 2013, 09:48 PM

It still irks me to no end, when you still see sellers that pack their, (I Mean Buyers) goods so carelessly !

Yes it looks like the damage is to the mounting flange and not the bell of the horn which won't affect the sound..

As for value it will lessen their value a lot.Most buyers will look for horns that are undamaged so you may have a hard time selling at the price you paid.

You should always get insurance when buying items like this..For the small cost it is worth it IMHO.

**VolvoHeretic** · January 24th, 2013, 10:41 PM

Find a boat propeller repair shop. They will weld the broken flange back on and they will look like new.

**zelgall** · January 24th, 2013, 10:41 PM

It's amazing how many more 511's than 811's have damaged corners. Might be the weight difference. On a more positive note, it does make the 511's cheaper and if it doesn't matter for visuals....

**Old Guy** · January 25th, 2013, 05:50 AM

One 'quick and dirty' cosmetic solution if mounted in cabs..the foam used for speaker grilles can be cut and placed on the sides. Kinda like the 19, but you can actually cover the broken flange...won't hurt and may even slightly help sonically.

Air conditioner filters are the same stuff and only about 1/4" thick.

**Audio_by_Goodwill** · January 25th, 2013, 08:19 AM

Sorry about the horns. I picked mine up in person to solve that problem.

**Altec Best** · January 25th, 2013, 03:20 PM

If those were mine I would try to return them.. They are on eBay all the time.And hopefully the next seller will take the time to pack them right for you..

FWIW Cast Aluminum isn't one of the easiest metals to weld..Have to be Tig welded.And is very tricky, the metal doesn't turn red so controlling the heat is difficult to say the least..You go from metal to a puddle on your floor in no time...I would look for someone who has lots of experience in this.If you decide to go this route..Do you still have the broken pieces ?