Help: Blown SL-2500 tweeter for Polk Monitor 4.6 Series 2

Schades

Hello to everyone. I just joined this forum and this is my first post. I hope someone can advise (or help) me. Also, I hope this is the right place to post this problem. Recently I bought a pair of Polk Monitor 4.6 Series 2 speakers without hearing them first. I finally got around to hooking them up yesterday and discovered that one of the tweeters is blown. I took the speaker into an audio repair shop and the owner/tech confirmed it. The tweeter is the SL-2500. I called Polk customer service today and they want to sell me a replacement tweeter (RDO-198-1) which includes the driver plus the black rectangular faceplate it's attached to for $60 (plus shipping?). That's all I paid for the 2 speakers and I hate to sink another $60 into them, although they do sound very nice and they're in perfect condition. And so my questions are
1) Would this new tweeter sound the same or close enough to the other SL-2500 so as to give a pleasant sound when playing the set of Polks or would you strongly recommend buying a complete set of new RDO tweeters (one for each speaker)? Would they sound bad if only one tweeter were replaced?
2) Does anyone out there have a spare SL-2500 tweeter in good condition they would be willing to sell me for a reasonable price? This would be my first choice.
3) How much better is the RDO-198-1 than the SL-2500, if at all?
4) How much could I sell my Polks for "as is" with one blown tweeter, and how much could I get for them if both tweeters were replaced with new RDOs? The speakers are black ash in VG condition.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to respond to my questions. Richard, St. Louis

zarrdoss

Personally I would find a used sl 2500 for those, they show up sometimes on e-bay. IMO theyre not worth the $100 for upgrading to 198's. The 198's do sound better and if you were going to replace them I would do both but you never really get your money back for upgrades when you sell.

Polk will give you a price break and free shipping when you mention you are a member of this forum.

westmassguy

zarrdoss wrote: »

Personally I would find a used sl 2500 for those, they show up sometimes on e-bay. IMO theyre not worth the $100 for upgrading to 198's. The 198's do sound better and if you were going to replace them I would do both but you never really get your money back for upgrades when you sell.

Polk will give you a price break and free shipping when you mention you are a member of this forum.

This^^^^^^
I spotted a few SL2500s on eBay last week as I recall. You could also use a pair of salvaged/used SL3000s in them, without having to alter the crossover. They're actually very nice little Monitors, similar to the Monitor 5

Schades

Thanks to the 2 gentlemen who responded to my Polk Monitor 4.6 Series 2 questions of several days ago (blown sl-2500 tweeter-I need a replacement). 2 additional questions (for anyone out there):
1) If I replace the blown tweeter with the 198 replacement, but leave the other sl-2500 tweeter in the other speaker, will it sound ok?
2) What niche were these speakers supposed to fill: Surround sound satellites (part of a home theater setup)? Full-range bookshelf speakers? What? Why did people buy them back in 1990? What was their primary use?
3) Do they only have a tweeter and midrange (no woofer)? I've read that some people like their mids and tweeters, but not their bass. Were they meant to be used with a subwoofer?

Thanks again, and I'd love it if someone could further shed light on these small speakers that I'm only now giving a listen to (after purchasing them used off CL almost 4 years ago). The one I'm listening to sounds awfully nice.

PolkieMan

If you told them you were a club polk member the price would have been $48.
Full-range affordable bookshelf speakers for a small room, or a study.
They have a turned bass port
You could use a sub woofer.
My 2.3tls only have active 6.5" drivers but there is 12 of them
Yea they will sound a little different, be patience and watch the net
for a used one is my advice

http://www.ebay.com/itm/polk-sl-2500-tweeter-pair-used-for-Polk-m4-m4-5-m5-m5jr-m7-cabinets-/290874697471?pt=US_Speaker_Parts_Components&hash=item43b97ba6ff

offer him $60 shipped then you will have a spare or one to flip

westmassguy

Schades wrote: »

Thanks to the 2 gentlemen who responded to my Polk Monitor 4.6 Series 2 questions of several days ago (blown sl-2500 tweeter-I need a replacement). 2 additional questions (for anyone out there):
1) If I replace the blown tweeter with the 198 replacement, but leave the other sl-2500 tweeter in the other speaker, will it sound ok?
2) What niche were these speakers supposed to fill: Surround sound satellites (part of a home theater setup)? Full-range bookshelf speakers? What? Why did people buy them back in 1990? What was their primary use?
3) Do they only have a tweeter and midrange (no woofer)? I've read that some people like their mids and tweeters, but not their bass. Were they meant to be used with a subwoofer?

Thanks again, and I'd love it if someone could further shed light on these small speakers that I'm only now giving a listen to (after purchasing them used off CL almost 4 years ago). The one I'm listening to sounds awfully nice.

1. The RDO-198 will not sound the same or blend well with the SL2500. Keep an eye on eBay for a SL2500, or a pair of SL3000 which are also compatible, or buy a pair of RDO-198s from Polk. Tell them you're a member of Club Polk, and they're $48.00 each.
2. They're a small "Book Shelf" speaker. Use them in a smallish room, or add a sub for a 3 piece system, or use them as surrounds in a HT system.
3. It's a two way design, a woofer and a tweeter, not a midrange. They can be used by themselves, or add a subwoofer.

bsoko2

I just parted out a pair of Monitor II's with the tweets, speakers, radiators, crossovers and cabinat stuffing. I have boxed it all up and somebody can buy it for $25 plus shipping. I also have a set of Polk stands for the Monitor 10's, PM me if interested.

Bill

Mystery

I had 4.6's and while they are nice speakers, they are not worth spending $100 just on new tweeters.
I'd look for used SL2500 or SL3000.

Schades

Again, thanks to all who have responded to my original question. You gentlemen have been EXTREMELY helpful. You've answered ALL my questions. PolkieMan, thanks for the eBay link. I'm considering your idea to offer to buy both at a little less than his asking price of $70 for the pair of tweeters. I don't know if or when I'll come across a single for sale. Does a single sl-2500 ever appear anywhere for sale? If any of you have a spare single sl-2500 laying around collecting dust that you'd be willing to part with at a reasonable price please let me know (or even a spare unused speaker with an sl-2500 in it). bosoko2, does the Monitor II you're willing to sell contain the sl-2500? If it does I'd be very interested. Basically I'm trying to get the speaker repaired for under $50 if possible. If I can't I may seriously consider selling them "as is" on craigslist here in St. Louis, although I really do like their sound. Thanks again to everyone for your help. Schades (St. Louis)

Schades

I forgot to mention sl-3000 (Westmassguy says it would have a similar sound to the 2500 and be compatible with it). If anyone has a spare sl-3000 laying around I'd be interested in taking that off your hands as well. Thanks again, Schades

westmassguy

Schades wrote: »

I forgot to mention sl-3000 (Westmassguy says it would have a similar sound to the 2500 and be compatible with it). If anyone has a spare sl-3000 laying around I'd be interested in taking that off your hands as well. Thanks again, Schades

Actually, that's not what I said. You need a single SL2500 to match what you have, or a pair of SL30000s, or a new pair of RDO-198s. You can't mix and match.

Schades

To Westmassguy:
You're right. I had it wrong. Sorry about that. Thanks again for your input. By the way, I just installed the good tweeter into the other speaker and it works great in that speaker as well, so it definitely was a blown tweeter. The more I hear this speaker the more I like it. I'm most likely going to hang onto them and keep my eyes and ears open for another single sl-2500.
I'm new to Polk--this is the first pair of Polks I've ever owned or listened to. I have a couple dozen vintage speakers but mostly older Advent, Fisher, KLH, Utah, BIC, Pioneer, Boston Acoustic, Realistic, etc. (Goodwill, yard sales, thrifts, Craigslist, etc--nothing too expensive.) Most recently bought a 1964 pair of Bozaks. What's your general opinion of Polks? Have you had any experience with Monitor 4.6 Series 2 (my set)? What Polks do you own? What would you recommend for $200 or less (vintage or newer)? Thanks again for your time.

goofyGAguy

Schades wrote: »

What would you recommend for $200 or less (vintage or newer)?

RT16
RT55
RTi70

Mystery

Schades wrote: »

To Westmassguy:
...What's your general opinion of Polks? Have you had any experience with Monitor 4.6 Series 2 (my set)? What Polks do you own? What would you recommend for $200 or less (vintage or newer)? Thanks again for your time.

I will chime in.
Since this is Polkaudio forum, we are somewhat biased.
I've had many Polks and still have too many.
4.6's didn't last long in my house but they are not bad speakers.

Monitor 5's, 7's, 10's, 12's are all very good.
SDA CRS+ and SDA-2B are very good but lack some mid range when compared to Boston A400 and JBL L100T.
I haven't upgraded crossover so that may bring out more range in them.

My best speaker so far is Boston A400 and toss up on L100t and few other Polks as they sound different but both are likeable.
Polks have very nice sound so I'm holding on as many pairs as I can.
I'd keep all but not enough space so can't keep all the big boys.
I haven't heard biggest SRS models but I don't think you will be getting those soon or easily.

As for Advents, I have NLA, smaller advents and Polks are better.
If you have lower model Bostons, Polks will be better depending upon Polk's model.
Smaller Polks are better than same sized Bostons.

westmassguy

Schades wrote: »

To Westmassguy:
You're right. I had it wrong. Sorry about that. Thanks again for your input. By the way, I just installed the good tweeter into the other speaker and it works great in that speaker as well, so it definitely was a blown tweeter. The more I hear this speaker the more I like it. I'm most likely going to hang onto them and keep my eyes and ears open for another single sl-2500.
I'm new to Polk--this is the first pair of Polks I've ever owned or listened to. I have a couple dozen vintage speakers but mostly older Advent, Fisher, KLH, Utah, BIC, Pioneer, Boston Acoustic, Realistic, etc. (Goodwill, yard sales, thrifts, Craigslist, etc--nothing too expensive.) Most recently bought a 1964 pair of Bozaks. What's your general opinion of Polks? Have you had any experience with Monitor 4.6 Series 2 (my set)? What Polks do you own? What would you recommend for $200 or less (vintage or newer)? Thanks again for your time.

As mentioned, most of the members of this forum are biased towards Polk to one degree of another. I'm strictly a vintage guy. My general opinion of Polk is that back in the day, say late 70s, all through the 80s and early 90s, you got a lot of speaker for the money. As a mass-market loudspeaker company, they produced a quality product at just about every price point. Their customer service was and still is one of the best in the industry. There are not many companies that still support their older products, and better yet, spend millions on R&D to develop replacement components for speakers that were discontinued decades ago.
Your 4.6s are fine speakers, very similar to the old Monitor 5 jr. As I said before, in a small room, or with a decent sub, they'll make a fine compact system, better than a lot of the crap that's out there today. If you're handy with a soldering iron, crossover upgrades on the 4.6 would be relatively easy and inexpensive.
My personal collection consists of SDA 2As, SDA CRS+s, Monitor 10s, Monitor 7s, Monitor 5s, mid 70s Bose 901 Series II Continentals, with upgraded Equalizer, and early 70s Bose 501s.
For $200.00 and under, there are many vintage Polks that can be found. SDAs, Monitor 7s or 10s, and the RTA series come to mind.

Schades

Mystery--My Boston's are the A-200. They are a little bass shy and I'm wondering how they'd sound with a nice musical subwoofer? Have you tried that with your S-400s? What do you think?

Does anyone out there in Polk land have an opinion as to what Polk sub would be the best for critical music listening (budget is $400)? 95% critical stereo listening (some of my speakers have great highs and mids but virtually no bass) / 5% HT. Perhaps I should post this question in another Polk forum.

Mystery

Schades wrote: »

Mystery--My Boston's are the A-200. They are a little bass shy and I'm wondering how they'd sound with a nice musical subwoofer? Have you tried that with your S-400s? What do you think?

I live in a townhouse so I can't make it loud.
Also, I never heard A200's so not sure how the bass is but I have to turn down bass on A400's.
They have really good and enough bass to rattle everything.