Monitor 7 Replacement Parts

Taowolf51
Taowolf51 Posts: 10
edited June 2012 in Vintage Speakers
Hey everyone, new member here! Unfortunately, I don't come under the best circumstances.
I purchased a pair of Monitor 7C (1985) speakers awhile ago and unfortunately a friend of mine knocked my right speaker over, breaking both my woofer and tweeter (sl2500). I've been looking into picking up some replacement parts from Polk, but the new designations are a bit confusing. I do know that I need to pick up a specific tweeter replacement that will work with the SL2500 crossover, but I'm not quite sure which one that is. And I do know that I'll have to pick up two as they sound different than the SL2500s. Also, with the woofer, are the replacement woofers sonically identical to the older woofers, or would I need to replace both woofers to have the left and right properly match up?

Where do I call to order these parts? Is there a special number?

Lastly, is there anyone that knows a speaker repair place in Philadelphia that they would recommend? The place I normally go to is in New Jersey and may be a bit difficult reaching at the moment.

Thanks guys, hopefully I can get these guys working ASAP! I really have fallen in love with these speakers!
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  • vstarkwell
    vstarkwell Posts: 328
    edited June 2012
    Taowolf51 wrote: »
    Also, with the woofer, are the replacement woofers sonically identical to the older woofers, or would I need to replace both woofers to have the left and right properly match up?

    Where do I call to order these parts? Is there a special number?

    Thanks guys, hopefully I can get these guys working ASAP! I really have fallen in love with these speakers!

    Welcome aboard!!!

    Regarding woofers: I'm gonna say yes but I'm not sure.That's a good question and I'm sure the more knowledgeable will be along shortly to clarify.

    Call Polk customer service, not sure if they are still selling replacement woofers if not the one you'll want to look for are called "MW6502" and you might find someone here selling them or possibly eBay. As for telephone # for Polk look in upper right hand corner and you'll see a toll free #, tell them you're a CP member and I believe that entitles you to a discount.

    The replacement tweeter would be the RDO-194

    Great speaker here's hoping you get them back up and running soon. Then you'll have to redo the cross overs but that's a little down the road.:cheesygrin:
    Monitor 7C's With Tubes
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    Thanks, I'll definitely give them a call. I may ask them if the woofers match up as well (not sure how much they know).

    Edit: Well, I don't think I'll know until Monday, then. They're not open on the weekends.

    Does anyone here know anything about whether the replacement woofers match up? I might as well get the replacement woofers, I guess, so that I don't end up with one broken woofer in the future.
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  • kcoc321
    kcoc321 Posts: 1,788
    edited June 2012
    Actually, since you have the 2500 tweeters, you will need the RDO-198 replacement.
    When you call Polk CS, remember to tell them you are a CP member and they give you a break on shipping $$.

    For the woofer, MW6502, I would recommend just getting one from the FS thread here, (or put up your own WTB thread) unless you want and have the $$ to replace both woofers with brand new ones. One old and one new might not sound exactly the same.
    Another place I have gotten them is by watchin CL for other Monitors like the 4's that show up from time to time for $20.
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    Unfortunately my area craigslist never seems to have much in the way of older polk gear (the only monitor 7s I've ever seen were the ones I picked up), and usually the polk gear is being sold for far more than it should be. I will keep a look out, though. I'll look around online as well.
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    Also, just for clarification, if I pick up the RDO-198, I would not need to alter the crossover, correct? Is it simply a drop-in part?
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,243
    edited June 2012
    They will be a drop in replacement.. I'm sure you can find a woofer on eBay 6502's come up regularly..
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    I ran into one. After thinking about it, I'm probably going to go for the used replacement woofer (6502). I'd be willing to bet that the older woofers are somewhat of a higher quality than the older ones.

    Though, do the newer woofers have the issue of not enough glue? I believe mine froze because the glue snapped during the fall. Would the newer ones be more resilient just in case this happens again?

    By the way, thank you all for the help! Having my Polks out of commission has not been a fun experience, and all the help helps them come back to life all the sooner! :D
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  • kcoc321
    kcoc321 Posts: 1,788
    edited June 2012
    Tao.. you can just do the JB weld upgrade and then no worries ;)
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    I looked up the JB weld, and that may work. Is there any very simple step-by-step guide on how to do this? Also, do I have to open up the driver at all, or would I just have to squeeze some JB on specific parts of the exterior of the woofer? I'm not very handy, and I don't think I could disassemble a woofer. (If I buy a used 6502, I wouldn't be able to unfreeze my current one.)

    I am most likely going to have a repair guy I trust do this, so if I can find very clear instructions on how to do this, I may be able to ask if he'd be willing to attempt it.
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    You can, with a bit of effort, salvage the 6.5" MW driver. You can also sell the single MW & tweeter to help underwrite the cost of buying the new replacement drivers.
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?79649-DIY-magnet-re-centering-info&highlight=repair+magnet
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    Oh god! I'm an idiot!
    After removing the tweeter, I realized I have a pair of SL2000's, not 2500's. Awhile back I looked up which tweeter was which and "learned" that the "silver dome tweeter" was the SL2500. Apparently that was wrong.

    So now that I know I actually have an SL2000, what would be the proper replacement tweeter? Is it the RD0-194-1?

    And after removing the tweeter, I was able to find out what was wrong with it. The entire back side popped off! I was able to get it back on again, and while it technically works, it seems to be buzzing at specific ranges, so it still needs replacing. :/
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  • kcoc321
    kcoc321 Posts: 1,788
    edited June 2012
    yep...RDO-194 replace the SL-2000....

    Even if this had not happened, you would have wanted to replace the SL-2000's anyway....
    So really you are just ahead of the game :)
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    True, true. I do actually kind of like the SL2000's, though. That 12kHz spike makes it sound somewhat sparkly. However, I am more and more finding that I prefer a more accurate sound, and in a rare occasion, I do notice that spike in a bad way, so the new tweeters should be a nice addition (once I get readjusted to them).
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    Some people actually buy the silver tweeters. That's good, cause I almost have a bushel basket full of em !! I was tempted to try sighting in a new scope on a .22 with them once upon a time.:lol:
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  • PhotonDon
    PhotonDon Posts: 13
    edited June 2012
    Welcome to the Club. I am fairly new here and it is an easy place to get correct help. Replacing the SL2000 tweets are a big no-
    brainer to most folks here. My !0bs sounded fine before, but since dropping in the RDO-194 replacements I WANT to listen to these speakers, and they are still breaking in. Enjoy and post your findings..
    Don
    Spending way too much on audio for over thirty years.
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    Thanks!

    Speaking of the 194's, my SL2000's failed because of the glue not being strong enough (between the magnet and front plate). Should I KB Weld the new tweeters too? Or are they more durable?
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  • kcoc321
    kcoc321 Posts: 1,788
    edited June 2012
    You can if you want...
    Not really something to worry about for the next, oh, 20 years or so :)

    Unless you plan on bouncing them off the floor...LOL
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  • hco
    hco Posts: 2
    edited June 2012
    Hey everybody, first post on here but this threads seems the most relevant to my current issue. Have an old pair of polk monitor 5jr's that a bad roommate a few years ago blew the drivers on. Looked on ebay and currently hunting on craigslist, but anyone know of any other good places to try to hunt down a pair of 6502 drivers? Or can anyone recommend any good substitutes that I might be able to drop in? Lastly, anyone know what fuse size is the proper one so I can avoid blowing a second pair of drivers?
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  • Oldfatdogs
    Oldfatdogs Posts: 1,874
    edited June 2012
    Hello hco,If this list is correct polk may have them.
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?118471-Current-Production-Vintage-Support
    Call customer service # top of page,they have excellent service.
    If not try a add in the wanted section, ya never know what these guys are hording.
    Hope this helps.Dan
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  • Oldfatdogs
    Oldfatdogs Posts: 1,874
    edited June 2012
    The fuses are 1amp 250 volt,for monitor 7s should be the same for 5s,they are to protect the tweeter.
    Keep an eye on ebay they had some last week,they pop up now and then.
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  • hco
    hco Posts: 2
    edited June 2012
    Thanks for the quick responses guys you have been awesome.
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  • Taowolf51
    Taowolf51 Posts: 10
    edited June 2012
    Will I need to soldier to replace the woofer and tweeters? I know some speakers don't need to be soldiered to remove/replace the speaker, but I'm not sure if these polks are one of those.
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited June 2012
    You should not need to Solder anything. Unless someone already soldered your speakers. But from the factory they were not soldered.
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