defective RM series II center speaker

Jeff E

I just received a shipment of a pair of RM series II satellites and a RM series II center speaker that I won on ebay. YEAH!
Unfortunately the center speaker is defective. BOO!

The center speaker sounds very muffled and has no highs. If you remove the grille you can clearly see that there is no blue cone where the tweeter should be in the upper center hole. The lower center just has a smooth round hole. I have no idea whether this lower hole is a defect. The midrange drivers appear to work as far as I can tell.

I would like to fix this center speaker if it is feasible.

Obviously I need a tweeter. If this is all, is this tweeter user replaceable?

How do I tell whether I need to order anything else, e.g. a crossover, or if I need to send it to Polk for repairs. Alternatively, this may not be worth fixing. How can I tell whether if I should send it back to the seller & request a refund.

THanks in advance.

F1nut

Please, only post the same question once. The forum thanks you!:)

Jeff E

Here was my thinking: The post here was intended to solicit more technical help. In this forum I was trying to ascertain whether there is any way to diagnose whether the problem is confined to the missing tweeter. The post on the speaker forum was directed toward getting consumer opinions.

I offer my apologies for violating forum protocol by posting the same situation twice.

[Deleted User]

Hello Jeff,
Thanks for posting on the Forum, sorry you had problems with the ebay purchase. There should be four Phillips head screws found on the back of the enclosure that are in fairly deep recesses. Once these are taken out the front baffle should come away from the cabinet. In all likelihood the tweeter has become dislodged from the inside of the baffle. Hopefully, the tweeter is loose inside but still operating. In that series the tweeter was held in position by four plastic posts that were heated and slightly bent to support the tweeter. You should be able to heat the posts, using a low wattage soldering iron, and carefully re-position them. If you need a replacement tweeter you can telephone us at 1-800-377-7655 and mention your Club Polk membership for a reduced price.
You may also send the center channel to us at Polk Audio, 2550 Britannia Blvd., Suite D, San Diego, CA. 92154 please include a short note giving us your name and address and a daytime telephone number. The service department will examine the speaker and telephone you with what they find.
Regards, Ken Swauger

Jeff E

Ken hit the nail squarely on the head. Once I removed the front (the screws were in the front, not the back), I could see the tweeter hanging on its wires.

I will test the tweeter before I try to bend the posts.

[Deleted User]

Good, I hope all that's needed is returning the tweeter to it's place.
Ken

Jeff E

Ken,

A dislodged tweeter was the problem. After putting it back, the speaker works as it is intended to.

I must say that I am very disatisfied with the timbre match between the center and the satellites. Playing a pink noise test tone shows the center speaker to be quite different in tonal character from the "matching" satellites. I already had a center speaker, the Polk CS250-s. It sounds as similar to the RM series II satellites as the RM series II center. Is this mismatch well known? Is this why at least one subsequent version used another satellite as center?

Oh well, I'm sure there's a lesson in this experience. Just gotta figure out what it is.

[Deleted User]

Hello Jeff,
I'm sorry there seems to be a mismatch, to be honest I believe this is the first time I've heard of that problem. It leads me to suspect that maybe the center channel is not truly back in correct operation. Maybe it would be a good idea to send it to the address I gave, it should match very well with the satellites.
Regards, Ken