Subwoofer Recone Kits: How Reconing Works & When It's Worth It

A blown subwoofer isn't always a dead subwoofer. If the frame and motor are healthy, a subwoofer recone kit replaces every moving part — cone, voice coil, spider, surround, leads — and returns the sub to factory-fresh condition for a fraction of replacement cost. Here's when reconing makes sense and how it works.

What is a recone kit?

A recone kit is the complete soft-parts assembly of a subwoofer, pre-glued as one unit: cone, dust cap, surround, spider(s), voice coil, and tinsel leads. Reconing strips the old assembly out of the basket and drops the new one in, centered in the motor gap. The motor (magnet) and basket — the expensive parts of a premium sub — get reused.

When reconing is worth it (and when it isn't)

• Worth it: higher-end subwoofers where the driver cost is $300+ — competition and SPL subs are designed to be reconed, because pushing limits occasionally costs a coil. A $100–200 kit revives a $500+ sub.
• Worth it: burned voice coil (the classic smell-then-silence failure), torn spider, damaged cone — with an undamaged basket and motor.
• Not worth it: entry-level subs where a kit costs nearly as much as a new driver, or any sub with a cracked basket, shifted magnet, or damaged gap (debris scraping sounds).

What does reconing cost?

How the recone process works

1. Cut out the old cone assembly and clean every trace of adhesive from the basket.
2. Clear the motor gap completely — one steel filing in the gap ruins the new coil. Tape and shims, patience over speed.
3. Dry-fit the new assembly with shims centering the coil in the gap.
4. Glue spider landing and surround, keeping the coil shimmed until cured.
5. Solder tinsel leads, cure fully per the adhesive's schedule, then test at low power before reinstalling.

It's a careful afternoon of work, not a dark art — but if you've never done one, a local shop will install your kit for modest labor, and you still save versus replacement.

Factory recone kits we stock

We carry genuine factory kits — matched cones, coils, and impedances, not generic parts:

• Orion HCCA series (10", 12", 15" in various coil configs) — e.g. the HCCA122-RK and HCCA121SPLX-RK for the 12s, and HCCA152-RK / HCCA154-RK for the 15s
• American Bass XFL and other lines — see the full recone kit collection for current stock

Ordering tip: match the exact model AND coil configuration (dual 2-ohm vs dual 4-ohm) stamped on your sub — a mismatched-impedance recone changes what your amp sees. Not sure which kit fits? Send us a photo of your sub's motor sticker and we'll confirm the right part.

Prevent the next blown coil

Most burned coils come from clipping, not overpowering. After your recone, spend 20 minutes with our amp tuning guide — proper gain and subsonic settings are the cheapest insurance a rebuilt sub can get.