LSiM 703 Issues F.Y.I.
Cold_Forged
Posts: 10
I just connected my new LSiM 703s, and even though they are not fully broken in, I am quite pleased so far. I could literally hear them improve over a period of a few hours as the frequency response opened up and the imaging started to coalesce.
However, one of them started buzzing with the deep bass on Into the Labyrinth by Dead Can Dance. After practically disassembling everything but the cross-over, the culprit seems to have been a loose woofer and a shifted woofer flange gasket. I added some more foam gasket tape where the flange was directly contacting the cabinet and properly torqued the screws. There was some rough/lumpy overspray on the routed woofer pocket preventing the woofer flange from seating properly. I'm also not impressed with Polk's choice of short, coarse wood screws. I can see that I will be periodically checking all of the screws on both speakers as they will likely loosen over time. By comparison, my vintage PSB Stratus Gold i cabinets have nutserts and long machine screws to more effectively captivate the drivers providing less chance of loosening over time.
However, one of them started buzzing with the deep bass on Into the Labyrinth by Dead Can Dance. After practically disassembling everything but the cross-over, the culprit seems to have been a loose woofer and a shifted woofer flange gasket. I added some more foam gasket tape where the flange was directly contacting the cabinet and properly torqued the screws. There was some rough/lumpy overspray on the routed woofer pocket preventing the woofer flange from seating properly. I'm also not impressed with Polk's choice of short, coarse wood screws. I can see that I will be periodically checking all of the screws on both speakers as they will likely loosen over time. By comparison, my vintage PSB Stratus Gold i cabinets have nutserts and long machine screws to more effectively captivate the drivers providing less chance of loosening over time.
Comments
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Were the 703s purchased new or used?
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They were brand new from Best Buy Canada and shipped by Canada Post. Packaging was pristine, and it does not appear that they were ever opened or dropped.
I ordered them last week as soon as they went on sale for $800 CDN / $600 USD for the pair.
Am I correct in assuming that they would have been tested at the factory after assembly? If so, they may not have been tested with any deep repetitive bass source material (like the ultra deep bass and subsonics on Into the Labyrinth). They were fine with random accoustic bass material, but as soon as they were hit with deep, repetitive electronic bass the resonance started.
They seem fine now after I tweaked the buzzing cabinet and some careful testing/listening. Perhaps the record cold, dry air we've had recently could have caused the woofer screws to loosen while in transit. -
I'm sorry to hear that you experienced build quality issues with Polks TOTL bookie, but if you purchased them new then you could have followed up with the retailer that you purchased them from for post-sale support.
I'm just surprised to read that you decided to take matters into your own hands, instead of bringing the manufacturing defect to the retailers attention and getting it swapped out for a brand new speaker. -
They were not in-stock at my local Best Buy and I didn't want to deal with the hassle and delays involved with arranging a return and replacement.
However, if anything further happens, I will bring it/them back to the local Best Buy and patiently wait for replacement. -
I think you are very brave for handling the issue yourself. I know it’s not the typical course of action, but it is one that gets results fast.
Good job! -
My fear is by taking them apart you may have voided the warranty. Not really sure how that works. Glad you got it worked out though and welcome to the forum.
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My fear is by taking them apart you may have voided the warranty. Not really sure how that works. Glad you got it worked out though and welcome to the forum.
Thanks! You are the first to recognize my newbie status.
I left no outward visible signs of my exploratory surgery, and Best Buy normally doesn't ask many questions when defective products are exchanged. As long as no-one on this forum rats me out, I should be OK
I believe that during the warranty period Best Buy generally just takes a new replacement out of stock and sends the bad one back to Polk for eventual repair/refurbishing. Barring any unforeseen future issues, I'm hoping that the 703s remain trouble free and that I don't need to take that route. -
I think you'll be fine. It's obvious that what you did wasn't purposely fraudulent, like breaking it yourself.
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yeah - not like what i did - but I did get permission for warranty coverage (after i did it heh)
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Exactly what I would have done.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
