What should I do with these Monitor 5 Series IIs?
divertiti
Posts: 5
I just picked up a pair of Monitor 5 Series IIs off of Craigslist for $25. The drivers seem to be in good condition, however the cabinet is cracked at the bottom, so it's definitely no longer air tight. The tweeters also have been changed from original to a smaller after market one. Whoever did it drilled new holes for the smaller tweeter mounting plates, which doesn't cover the whole cut out and has gaps where air comes out when the speakers play.
They sound ok but since I'm pretty new to audio, I don't have good points of reference. The tweeters were obviously not designed for this crossover as it is extremely harsh and has distortion when loud parts play. My question is how important is it to have a sealed cabin on these? I could replace the tweeters with RD0198 for $100 for the pair, but is it even worth it? I also have the option to refund these to the seller for the $25...any thoughts?
They sound ok but since I'm pretty new to audio, I don't have good points of reference. The tweeters were obviously not designed for this crossover as it is extremely harsh and has distortion when loud parts play. My question is how important is it to have a sealed cabin on these? I could replace the tweeters with RD0198 for $100 for the pair, but is it even worth it? I also have the option to refund these to the seller for the $25...any thoughts?
Post edited by divertiti on
Comments
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Thanks for the reply. The tweeters in them right now are clearly wrong for them, they are very harsh and distorts, so the RD0198 isn't going to be just an upgrade, more like to get it to sound normal again. However after reading your post, I guess sounding normal is no longer possible. Perhaps I will just return them...
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Return them, or if the midwoofers are good, you could probably get $25 apiece for them on that auction site. Same goes for the passive radiators at $10 - $15 apiece, crossovers/binding post cups will each bring something and the tweeters might bring something each if you can find out what their "right" speaker is and they're in good shape.
Alternatively, you could hang onto the parts that are in good-to-great shape as spares and look for another pair of nice Monitor 5s. They're a very well liked speaker here and a lot of people around here have done lots of modifications/upgrades to make them sound and look their best. Twenty-five bucks for what you've got in spare parts isn't a bad price.
Just stick around and join in the fun here. Before you know it, lots of people will be helping you part with your money as you learn more about Polk and audio, in general.
Welcome to Club Polk!
