Here's a test run just to see how black turns out. I like it and will use this as a guide-coat for the final paint.

Not that I feel the need to fulfill other peoples needs, because I'm working on these speakers for myself, but I just started wondering: In the opinion of other users on this board, who are obviously dazzled by old-school equipment, would it have been more interesting to restore these speakers to their factory condition, at least cosmetically?

I personally wouldn't spend any time restoring plastic speakers... and I'm not an Apple fan either. But each to their own, of course.

If I had to give an opinion I'd say white would fit better with old computer gear. Unless your PC is also black.

Did these speakers have foam surrounds? Good luck fixing that, it's kinda tricky to get it all aligned again. See if you can find rubber ones, they'lll last forever.

I understand where you are coming from; plastic speakers are hardly an ideal platform for high-fidelity audio. But I enjoy working with what's there. However, I will likely devise a way to properly seal them so they function the way a speaker should. Although, I can hardly suggest that these enclosures contain the proper volume to work most efficiently with these speakers. But again, working with what we've got.

In this case, my computer and monitor are also shades of black. But I had considered unloading these after I am finished, and I'm only going to use the black as a guide-coat, even if I decide to finalize the finish with an industrial gray... and I do have a MIL-Spec gray which is almost identical to the original gray. I'll wait for a little more input, but I can give them a factory finish. I can't replace the silk-screening, though; I'll have to replace the graphics by hand.

Yes, the foam surrounds were rotten. I'm not entirely intimidated by the process of re-foaming speakers, but I've never tried it. I'm confident I can do it. As far as surrounds, I've only found two different 3.5" surrounds, both on eBay. Both surrounds are foam, but one has a larger roll than the other. I am considering the one with the smaller roll as I doubt these drivers were really meant for large xmax, and it's from Greece, and looks a lot tidier than the one from China. If I knew how to make my own, I would.

I was recently given a set of these that had been well-preserved in a closet since the late 90s. They've been my go to retro speakers ever since. I would have gone with a restoration myself, but I still like biege for old stuff...