Original Tweeters for First Model Monitor 7s

Scimitar12

I recently picked a pair of, what I believe, is a very old pair of Monitor 7s. They have the uncoated 8" passives. I wish to replace the current tweeters with a newer appropriate set of Polk tweeters suitable for this model. I have no idea what the current tweeters are as they have no ID on the front of them. BTW, there is no fuse any where on the back of these speakers.

The serial number of one of the speakers is 00523. The number is on a paper tag on the back of the speaker. The other speaker's paper tag is partially ripped off so I do not know that number, but I think these are a matched set. I guess I need to know what the original tweeters were that went with is specific early Monitor 7 model. I have been told by some that the tweeter used for this model was the Peerless HF1000. If this is true are they difficult to find? If I choose not to go that route what tweeter would you all recommend as a good replacement? Would there be any mods needed to be done to the speaker cab or wiring? I strongly prefer not to go that route if possible.

The speakers work quite well, but I feel the current tweeters are somewhat dim and that better or suitable replacements will improve performance along with having the speakers recapped.

rromeo923

Hi!
Here is a thread about your speakers that has some info you may be interested in.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?130488-More-Speakers
I believe you are going to want RDO-194's as a replacement. They are an improvement over the SL2000's or the Peerless.
I have had 7's w/ peerless and also the pair that you have now. I didnt think that the peerless sounded any better if at all.
You can get the RDO194's direct from Polk. Tell them that you are Club Polk Member and you get a discount. They run about $100 for a pair. I replaced the SL2000's w/ the RDO's in my SDA 1C's. The RDO's are a significant improvement.

Others can chime in that may know more.

skrol

If your tweeters are functioning and in good condition, you might consider refurbishing (upgrading) your crossover components. They electrolytic capacitors are likely dried out and out of spec by now. This very well could be the source of them sounding dim.

The RDO-194 is a little different in size and there may be some cabinet modification needed. Crossover wise, the RDO-194 is a direct replacement for the SL-2000 but I am not sure about the Peerless. I know that there was some crossover changes between the Peerless and the SL-2000 but there were other changes to the speakers as well that may have driven the re-tuning.

Stan

Scimitar12

Thanks guys. The tweeters do sound fine, but they do sound a bit dim. Actually, I like my 7s as they still deliver a nice deep sound and more balanced than my 5Jrs which have louder and clearer sounding tweeters. I have been told the capacitors probably need to be upgraded. Is this the same thing as upgrading the crossovers?

westmassguy

Scimitar12 wrote: »

I recently picked a pair of, what I believe, is a very old pair of Monitor 7s. They have the uncoated 8" passives. I wish to replace the current tweeters with a newer appropriate set of Polk tweeters suitable for this model. I have no idea what the current tweeters are as they have no ID on the front of them. BTW, there is no fuse any where on the back of these speakers.

The serial number of one of the speakers is 00523. The number is on a paper tag on the back of the speaker. The other speaker's paper tag is partially ripped off so I do not know that number, but I think these are a matched set. I guess I need to know what the original tweeters were that went with is specific early Monitor 7 model. I have been told by some that the tweeter used for this model was the Peerless HF1000. If this is true are they difficult to find? If I choose not to go that route what tweeter would you all recommend as a good replacement? Would there be any mods needed to be done to the speaker cab or wiring? I strongly prefer not to go that route if possible.

The speakers work quite well, but I feel the current tweeters are somewhat dim and that better or suitable replacements will improve performance along with having the speakers recapped.

The RDO-194 is NOT a drop-in replacement for the Peerless. It was designed as a direct replacement/upgrade for the Polk SL1000, and SL2000. If your Peerless Tweeters are functioning correctly, I would leave them be, untill you upgrade the crossovers with some good quality Metalized Polypropylene caps, and Mills Resistors. The Peerless are very nice Tweeters in their own right, very smooth and detailed, but a bit laidback for some. The only way to really appreciate them is with rebuilt crossovers.
The Monitor 7s are considered by many, myself included, as the best of all the Monitors.

drumminman

Before changing out the tweeters I would definitely rebuild the Xovers: new film caps and resistors. If you're not comfortable doing that there are several folks here on the boards that will do it for a fee (VR3 comes to mind).

It's not that difficult if you have an eye for detail. Mainly it's removing the old components and swapping in the new ones.

Good luck!

westmassguy

drumminman wrote: »

Before changing out the tweeters I would definitely rebuild the Xovers: new film caps and resistors. If you're not comfortable doing that there are several folks here on the boards that will do it for a fee (VR3 comes to mind).

It's not that difficult if you have an eye for detail. Mainly it's removing the old components and swapping in the new ones.

Good luck!

I own a small speaker repair business, and can do the upgrades for him as well.
To the OP, if you're comfortable with a soldering iron, you can certainly do the work yourself. Most of us here can give you recommendations on which replacement components to use.

soundfreak1

+1 on the 7's most musical of the monitor series by far.