Newbie. Polk Monitor 5 - 6.5" Woofers? Not Working.

krowfeather

Got the for free. Speakers are in excellent shape but the 6.5" "woofers" - they are mot wired to anything - produce no sound or vibration. The tweeter and mid-range sound fine. Never owned Polk before. Any help would be appreciated.

Nightfall

Plug the wires back on and screw them back in?

krowfeather

Thanks! Rather, there are no wires to connect.

Nightfall

Those are 8" passive radiators, they don't plug into anything. They act as a port for the speaker without the port noise or "chuffing".

Press gently and evenly on the 6.5" drivers with your fingers. Do they move freely? Is there any scratching noises or "feel" to it as you move them?

krowfeather

Yes, sorry, they are 8" - probably should have measured first. I've never heard of a passive "radiator." Still relatively new to audio components. So there is a tweeter, then the 6.5" drivers and the 8" passive radiator. When I press on the 6.5" driver, it's not super easy to move but I don't hear any scratchiness in feeling or sound. There is just absolutely no bass from either speaker.

pkquat

krowfeather wrote: »

Yes, sorry, they are 8" - probably should have measured first. I've never heard of a passive "radiator." Still relatively new to audio components. So there is a tweeter, then the 6.5" drivers and the 8" passive radiator. When I press on the 6.5" driver, it's not super easy to move but I don't hear any scratchiness in feeling or sound. There is just absolutely no bass from either speaker.

If they don't move at all, or there is scratchiness then then magnets have shifted. It sounds like they do move, and they should also visibly move when connected to an amp. The easiest test with the passive radiators (PR) installed is to lightly press on the passive radiator a little and hold. The 6.5 mid woofer (MW) should move in the opposite direction and then settle back down within 1-3 seconds. The faster it returns to normal, then it is likely there are air leaks, which would reduce bass. If you have taken the passive radiators out, there is some poly-fill in the speaker (white fuzzy blanket). This should be rolled up and be behind the tweeter and MW, not be behind the PR. The screws should also tighten fairly snug and there should be a thin foam gasket between the speaker and the cabinet. If screws are stripped then there are air leaks which can result in lost bass.

These are also Monitor 5's which are not bass heavy either. They start to roll off around 50-60 Hz.

A picture of the front of the speakers without the grills, will help identify which version of Monitor 5's you have and help diagnose further and present options moving forward.

westmassguy

The 6.5" woofers from that era should be very easy to move. Most likely shifted magnets as @pkquat stated.

krowfeather

Thanks for the responses. Here are some pictures. Upon further testing, I think the 6.5" mid-range speakers are non functional. They don't seem to move at all. Shifted magnets?

Nightfall

Most likely.

krowfeather

Thanks for all the responses. How likely is it that both 6.5" mid-ranges would have shifted magnets?

lawdogg

Very likely. You can remove them by taking out the 4 philips head screws each and just look at them. The grey magnet will likely look clearly out of center.

As long as the voice coil is OK they will be easy to repair!

Thanks @la2vegas for the mention!

boston1450

If you replace them. Before installing others put some Loctite Power Grab around each magnet & let em dry & install them & this will help prevent it happening again. 1 tube 3.00 is plenty. WalMart HomeDepot etc