Any chance of fixing this speaker?
I know nothing about speaker repair but I believe this speaker was damaged by a drop by a mover. The two speakers below the tweeter don’t work. I always loved these speakers and am interested in fixing if it is possible. If it is not cost effective maybe someone has a recommendation for a replacement pair. Not even sure what model they are, since I bought them used. Wait, I just figured out from the label they are RT55i. Would the new Elac Uni Fi UB52 be better? 
Comments
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Do you have a DMM or a VOM? I don't think anyone can answer until you remove screws and do some exploration.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
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 -
Call Polk CS. They did have replacement tweeters. They are a bear to change fyi. They snap in and out.
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Gardenstater wrote: »Do you have a DMM or a VOM? I don't think anyone can answer until you remove screws and do some exploration.
I did remove screws and pried the two larger speakers off and pulled out the batting to see if there were any loose wired but noticed nothing loose. I dont know what a VOM or DMM is but I’ll do it again and take a picture. Thanks. Is it worth trying to fix? -
VOM= Volt ohm meter
DMM= Digital multimeter -
Gardenstater wrote: »Do you have a DMM or a VOM? I don't think anyone can answer until you remove screws and do some exploration.
I did remove screws and pried the two larger speakers off and pulled out the batting to see if there were any loose wired but noticed nothing loose. I dont know what a VOM or DMM is but I’ll do it again and take a picture. Thanks. Is it worth trying to fix?
Make sure you also photograph the crossover components. One thing that seems to happen a lot during rough handling incidents is the large inductor can get dislodged/damaged.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
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 -
Are the main drivers frozen? If you spread your fingers and push gently on the blue part of the drivers (not the center dome) they should move freely back and forth. If they seem stuck, they will not work.
The tweeter (top silver dome) frequently survives falls better. An easy way to test that easily is to use something like an empty kitchen roll and place it over the tweeter (without touching it) to see if it emits sound by placing your ear on the other end of the empty roll. The sound is usually faint (not as loud as the main drivers) but obvious enough. Make sure the jumper bars on the rear, connecting the top and bottom speaker terminals, are firmly in place and tightened down.
You could find those drivers on eBay, but YMMV — caveat emptor. RT55’s and RT55i are well worth saving. Some of the pins are broken on the grille. Not a huge deal if they stay on and don’t rattle — or you could just use the speakers without the grilles.Alea jacta est! -
Gardenstater wrote: »Gardenstater wrote: »Do you have a DMM or a VOM? I don't think anyone can answer until you remove screws and do some exploration.
I did remove screws and pried the two larger speakers off and pulled out the batting to see if there were any loose wired but noticed nothing loose. I dont know what a VOM or DMM is but I’ll do it again and take a picture. Thanks. Is it worth trying to fix?
Make sure you also photograph the crossover components. One thing that seems to happen a lot during rough handling incidents is the large inductor can get dislodged/damaged.
Best photo I can take of the guts. Nothing seems to be loose. The tweeter works fine. The two mid ranges just aren’t working. They are supple and not frozen.
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Are the jumpers in place on the binding posts?
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If you are referring to the copper wire running from the colored wires into the speaker neck between the diaphragm and the magnet, they do seem to be. They’re not loose and hanging out, though I was careful with them.
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No on the back of the speaker, they're binding posts for both tweeter and woofers. There should be a brass plate the goes between them so one set of cables can be used.
Post a picture of the binding posts if you're uncertain -
[No on the back of the speaker, they're binding posts for both tweeter and woofers. There should be a brass plate the goes between them so one set of cables can be used.
Post a picture of the binding posts if you're uncertain
Had the bottom ground one all the way open. I thought it was stuck but it was stuck open. So I connected the wires to the bottom post and damn the mid ranges work! But for some reason now the tweeter doesn’t. Hope I didn’t pull it loose with the front open. Forgot to put the batting in anyway so back open it is!
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So did you take out that left jumper plate just for the photo or was it not in there? You need them on both sides.
Alternatively, you can put a short length of speaker cable in instead of those plates. Black to Black, Red to Red.I disabled signatures. -
Yep need to install a wire from the bottom post to the top- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Jesus God in Heaven. All this trouble simply because I dropped one of those gold connections somewhere in that move. I never knew what those double connections were for. And the one that is working right did have both. Thank you !!! Thank you!!! It sounds great now!!!! You guys saved me $1200 on new speakers!!!
Post edited by johnx on -
I wouldn't put raw cable there. Use a piece with insulation around it. Try to keep it twisted closely at the ends.I disabled signatures.
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Some people like to replace the stock jumpers with speaker wire anyway, but maybe something a bit tidier that your temporary fix?
Something like this, using spades, or whatever.
Alea jacta est! -
Good idea. Thanks again for all your suggestions.
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One final question. I bought four spade on both end connectors. I have the wire from the receiver run through the bottom connector on each speaker and then I tightened it loosely and then ran the spade around it and tightened it the rest of the way. Seems to work fine; I feel like it is getting a better bass. Is that the proper way to hook up spade connectors with the wire from the receiver? Or is one end supposed to be a banana connector run through the middle of the post?
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If it worries you get a set of bananas for the speaker wire from the amp/receiver.
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Use banana plugs.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 -
I would purchase some quality speaker wire with banana ends. Used will save you some dough.
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I bought myself a pair of worn-out Polk RT55i's almost a year ago. The Ebay seller didn't really test the speakers and one of the woofers was blown. They gave me a partial refund, enough to get a used replacement, If you wondering the replacement had the same ohms as the OG woofer. Polk doesn't make the woofers anymore sadly, and I think they don't make the tweeters anymore too.
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The tweeters did have a replacement(from Polk) but the woofers are a used item only. I have it on good authority that the RT55 and RT55i woofers are the same and can be interchanged, if you do not mind two different colors.
