Pair of never-used Monitor 5Bs - potential problems?

lambopolk
lambopolk Posts: 3
edited November 2013 in Vintage Speakers
New to forum. Just bought 5Bs that have been in climate-controlled storage since 1984. Never used. Waiting on the delivery via UPS. Question is, what potential problems might I find? Since the storage unit was humidity-controlled I don't expect warping. Any mods I should do right away? Thanks.
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  • lambopolk
    lambopolk Posts: 3
    edited November 2013
    Plan to pair with a CR 620 Yammy.
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  • Mikey081057
    Mikey081057 Posts: 7,127
    edited November 2013
    You may want to upgrade the tweets anyway... depending on what is in there.... they may be dried out, but could be ok... they just are a little harsh anyway. I upgraded the sl2000's that were in my 5B's with the RDO-104's and they are really smooth now.
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  • gmjungbluth
    gmjungbluth Posts: 232
    edited November 2013
    You should inspect the mid-bass woofers to confirm that the magnets have not slipped, seizing the voice coil. There are plenty of threads on this forum on this issue. Bottom line -the glue that holds the magnets in place fails and the magnet slips. This pretty much ruins the driver. Delivery via UPS could shake them enough to kill them. If you still have time make sure they are really well packed.

    How to test - when you get the speakers, lightly push on the woofer. It should travel in and out freely 1/2". If there is no play they're seized.

    The prevention is to use JB Weld or another epoxy to run a bead around the magnets to fix them in place. That would be the first thing I do after testing them.

    Good luck and enjoy!

    G
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited November 2013
    Electrolytic caps may have dried out, but other than what's mentioned above, shouldn't be too many issues. Congrats!
    Jake
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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    edited November 2013
    Welcome to CP, and congratulations, nice find. As other have noted, check the woofers, make sure they move easily without any rubbing noise. There may be some oxidation on the rubber surrounds, which can be cleaned with Windex, and a Lint Free Microfiber Cloth. Also, inspect the surrounds for any age cracking. As noted the crossovers do have electrolytic Caps in them. Electolytics don't like sitting around unused. When you do fire them up, be sure to start at a low volume, and let them run for a while. The crossovers will need to be upgraded at some point, and as noted the RDO-194-1 Tweeters are drop-in replacements for the SL2000s. Your 5Bs can also be upgraded to the even better RDO-198-1, with some modifications to the crossovers. Whatever you decide, enjoy them.
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  • lambopolk
    lambopolk Posts: 3
    edited November 2013
    Thanks, everyone, for the advice. Will read up on magnet slippage issue, for sure. Will think about the tweeter upgrade after I've given them a chance in my room for a while.
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