Polk 5a woofer issue

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ORTO
ORTO Posts: 3
in Vintage Speakers
I have a pair of 5a speakers. woofer in cabinet A was not working.After troubleshooting a bit, I swapped woofers and found the other woofer was not working in cabinet A. Woofers placed in cabinet B work fine.....Ideas?
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  • SeleniumFalcon
    SeleniumFalcon Posts: 3,508
    Answer ✓
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    The 8" passive radiators operate because of the compression caused by the mid/bass driver. In all likelihood the 6.5" driver isn't working in speaker A.
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  • SeleniumFalcon
    SeleniumFalcon Posts: 3,508
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    The 6.5" driver is fairly easy to replace, just take out the screws holding it into the cabinet and gently pry it out of the cabinet. The best tool for this is a dental pick inserted into the mounting holes. Just pry a little bit at each opening breaking the seal and lift the driver out of the enclosure. The two wires should be attached with Fastons, metal sleeves gripping the driver's terminal. Replacement drivers should be available on eBay, I'm told.
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  • ORTO
    ORTO Posts: 3
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    Thanks so much...6.5 driver easy to replace?
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  • Gardenstater
    Gardenstater Posts: 4,187
    edited May 2021
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    If I'm understanding correctly it may be a wiring or crossover issue with Speaker A. Neither midwoofer works when in cabinet A and both midwoofers work when in cabinet B. Correct? It couldn't hurt to try swapping speaker cables also and make sure that the problem doesn't switch to speaker B. Then it could be a problem with your upstream audio chain.

    If by woofer you mean passive radiator, then disregard my answer.
    George / NJ

    Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
    Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
    Crown D150 amp
    Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
    iFi nano iDSD DAC
    iPurifier3
    iDefender w/ iPower PS
    Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
    iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
    Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
    Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,339
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    As I recall, my 5A's are stuffed with polyfill even behind the PR. My 5B's only have the polyfill in the upper section, behind the MW and tweeter.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • Gardenstater
    Gardenstater Posts: 4,187
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    skrol - are you the original owner of both of them? What is the mfg year of your 5As? Just wondering if somebody could've altered them. My 79 vintage 7Bs definitely only had polyfill in upper area like your 5Bs
    George / NJ

    Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
    Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
    Crown D150 amp
    Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
    iFi nano iDSD DAC
    iPurifier3
    iDefender w/ iPower PS
    Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
    iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
    Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
    Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,339
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    They are stamped 1983 and I'm the 2nd owner. I don't believe that anyone had them open previously. When I got them, they had a crap-load of cabinet glue fragments inside the cabinets that I am sure someone would have cleaned out.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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