Is there any point to keeping these old speakers?

And, too, a new driver isn't all that expensive. Check Part Express. A sub, to be effective, needs to be driven with some power to also move air as well as the somewhat higher frequencies that you can hear. IMHO, attempting to repair a torn speaker cone is a waste of time. I've tried it several times, and never was successful. OTOH, re-coning is a different matter.

Rgds,
Ed

IMHO, attempting to repair a torn speaker cone is a waste of time. I've tried it several times, and never was successful. OTOH, re-coning is a different matter.

I hate to sound like an ignoramus, but what is the difference between repairing a torn speaker cone (I assume the cone is the cone-shaped paper that has the tear in it) and "re-coning".

Is that just the word for buying a new speaker and bolting it into the cabinet?

No- that's having a company cut out the cone, recreate a similar new one and install it on the same driver. (Think-- taking an antique piano and in stead of just repairing the cracks in the soundboard, simply installing a whole new soundboard, but then using the rest of the vintage components (which is very common.).

edit- I suppose this is done at home too as Ed suggests below. I for my part wouldn't attempt it lol. But I'm not overly savvy that way.

I wasn't trying to be overly negative in my above comment, just a reality of my efforts. I thought I had done a careful job in several of the spkr repairs I attempted, but then if you listened closely, you could hear something wasn't right. Very frustrating. So it's a matter of accepting less than good, or doing a replacement (new) and not have that something isn't quite right situation. Your call.

And re-coning is a delicate, at best, procedure, even time consuming. That isn't how I want to spend the extra time that it takes to do it properly. Voice coil alignment is a critical part of how the speaker performs.

OTOH, I have (IMHO) replaced surrounds with some degree of success. That, too, isn't a rush to finish project.

Rgds,
Ed

Thank you for the replies, guys. I think I'll take a little paper and glue and do a temporary patch job. Assuming that works, I'll make do with that for a very short while - just until I get Hauptwerk all set up and functioning. Then I'll ask for some recommendations on high quality replacement speakers (I think these are two 15 inchers, or are they 17? I don't have the sub here with me at the moment) ... and I'll swap the old ones out and install new ones into the new cabinet.

I suspect for the $1000 that I would spend on a decent turn-key sub with its fancy cabinet and all that, I can probably buy two very good speakers to install into the cabinet I already have.

I'm also not too refined to say that I would enjoy even just the look of such a massive sub in the living room, assuming it was all cleaned up and painted and shiny, of course. Almost five feet all and those two massive speakers visibly throbbing back and forth to the bassline ... oh, don't get me started.

If you keep an eye on eBay, there have been several of the P32 subs come p for sale in the past. Might make a dal for the speakers without the cabinet.
The residual noise I referred to in my previous post was from the analog 340. Crosstalk or hash and dependent on the volume level. I was using 6 ea. LaScalas (and several other full range speakers) and after replacing the amps then the noise was obvious. Have never had any noise with Hauptwerk...

I got rid of most of all my old speakers; I use Behringer 2031As in HW4 setup; your old speakers would be handy for the traps and effects, so I would keep them for that reason.