SRS 3.1TL Rebuild

jayu969

I purchased a set of 3.1TL's as part of a set with some other 2-channel equipment. Overall the speakers are in nice shape. One pair of the lower binding posts were broken off and I replaced those.

One other other is that one of the Left/Right Mid-bass drivers (MW6511) is not working properly. I do hear some sound however hear a considerable amount of buzzing along with the music.

I will either need to replace (hard to find) or try and fix. Any one have experience fixing the MW6511's?

I may be getting into more than I expected so may even consider selling them if someone in the Milwaukee-Chicago area is interested.

machone

Welcome to the forum. I don't have personal experience with the 3.1's but I understand that they are great speakers. They deserve a little TLC and I am sure you will be pleased. We are all here to help you get things squared away so don't worry about getting support.

Mike Reeter

Congrats on your 3.1TL's.

The 6511's are the Dimensional Drivers, or SDA Drivers. They do come up for sale on eBay occasionally, do a saved search there and eBay will alert you when one becomes available. Or, you can buy a new replacement from Polk, let them know that you are a Forum Member and receive a discount on price+shipping.

btw, I have a complete set of Clarity Capacitors and Mundorf Resistors for sale, on the cheap, if you're interested in hearing what the 3.1's are truly capable of.

Caps/Resistors and a pair of new RDO Tweeters and you have a NEW pair of SDA's.

gimpod

^^+++

Plus a new set of PCB's to go with those new caps & resistors. (Shameful plug )

Here's a link to the parts @Mike Reeter is talking about and a pic of the new PCB.

Here are a couple links on how to fix a frozen driver. ( This only has about a 50% chance of working, the biggest problem is getting the magnet and pole/end cap off and back on without damaging the voice coil )

Resetting a Loose Magnet with Pictures


Pics of the Magnet Jig

jayu969

Thanks everyone. Didn't know that I could still purchase a replacement MW6511 from Polk. Will check that out.

ptrooper

Interesting. I am also chasing two. Looking forward to your findings

jayu969

I emailed customer service this weekend...hopefully get a response early this week.

gimpod

jayu969 wrote: »

I emailed customer service this weekend...hopefully get a response early this week.

Just call them @ 1-800-377-7655 Option 1. 10AM - 6PM EST Mon-Fri, It's easier and faster.

surferraven

New owner here. I got two new 6511's from Polk (they had 300+ in stock) and RDO-198's installed. I'm powering them with a recently rebuilt TFM-55X. A rebuilt TFM-35X is powering my 2B's.

I tested them last night with the new drivers. Holy cow! Lights in the house were dimming on the bass beats (Pink Floyd The Wall Remastered version) and drivers were hardly moving compared to my 2B's. I'm going to rebuild the crossovers and spike them for starters. Question: Is it normal for the 2 drivers closest to the tweeter to produce more midrange than the top and bottom drivers? Right now they are a bit harsh in the midrange vs my 2B's. The sub bass seems stronger than the 2B's but the midbass seems a bit lacking (might be because the mids are more forward). Also, the right speaker seems to be slightly louder than the left. I'll have to take some measurements to verify. Hopefully the crossover upgrade will address these issues.

Am I better off going with 1.375" spikes or 2.15"? They're on thick carpet - the 1.375" should leave the bottoms close to the top of the carpet and the taller ones would raise them higher than it. Would this impact bass response at all?

The the air leaks were caused by what looked like drill holes but it turns out that they were not related to the feet. They were in all 4 corners of the base cap. Also, the left speaker had a cross brace loose in the bottom. It had glue on it but I compared the left and right internals with all the drivers out and couldn't find/feel anything that was missing. There is one between each set of drivers. Is there a diagram of where the braces should be in the cabinet?

I can start a new thread with these questions if that would be better.

I'd like give a shout out to Jay. He helped me out and took care of the 6511's for me. He's a great guy. I'd buy equipment from him again without hesitation.

F1nut

The thing with spikes on carpet is you want spikes that will pierce through to the hard surface below. Wide tapered spikes have trouble with that, so tall and skinny are a better choice. Yes, spikes will tighten up the bass.

No idea about the bracing in that model.

surferraven

I'm trying to decide between these two.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/tiptoes/feet/feet-yung-yblc-black-chrome-tiptoe-2.15/
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/tiptoes/feet/feet-yung-ylc-black-chrome-1-3/8-tall-1/4-20-insert/

I'm leaning toward the shorter ones since they are so much cheaper.

txcoastal1

those would do great

pitdogg2

Go with the bigger the tip will be the same. So if need be you can take tip off and just use it.
Glad to see they are 1/4×20 that opens you up for different down the line. A lot are a metric pitch now.
I've used and am using them right now you won't be disappointed. The only thing i did different was throw away the insert and used bolt through from inside cabinet with a large fender washer under the bolt head. Thghtened down they are air tight. I just drilled 1/4 hole through from inside my SDA's
If you go with bolt from inside you will have to use the whole thing because there will not be an insert for the tip to screw into.