5jr Magnet Shift ...newbie

Sigfried

Howdy folks. Well reading through the forums about the magnet shift issue has definitely put some worry/concern in me. I had purchased 5jr's with the front port for my mother in 1984. For the most (99%) of that time they ended up being unused by her. They have always been in a temperature controlled environment. So no stress that way was ever put on them. She recently passed and I now have them. Currently listening to them as i type this. They sound PHENOMENAL! Desktop Mac Mini t> Ifi Zen Dac > Tube Buffer > Amp > 5jr's

So is it still as bad an issue with the magnet shift if they were mostly unused, and in a sound environment, or does that not even matter? I am left feeling like this is almost a MUST DO procedure after reading through these threads. I am not that handy with this sort of thing. They sound so absolutely gorgeous right now that i feel like i want to be on the safe side. Can't believe the soundstage, great imaging and warmth. Previously had Mackie HR824's at my desk. These sound better for me. More organic sounding.

Anyway....what's a percentage you think i would be ok not doing anything and being ok?....lol. Guess i am going to have to do this or have this done aren't I?

Enjoying the information and cordiality on these forums by the way. Welcome breath!
Thanks

xschop

If They're working, just glue the magnet perimeters.

pitdogg2

The glue fails from age, so even though she used them very sparingly they are still the same age.

I'd recommend JB weld liquid steel epoxy. Get some craft sticks and get a good bead around top and bottom of magnet.

F1nut

^ This ^

Sigfried

Thanks! Yes, working great at the moment. Don't want to jeopardize that so looks like i have to get on that. Will i need a soldering iron (which i currently do not have) for that speaker or are the terminal ends push on and off?

F1nut

The mid-driver terminals are fastons, no soldering involved.

StantonZ

Thought I'd add my 2 cents since I recently did the "JB Weld thing" (as described above) on all my 10B's a few months ago...after owning them over 30 years! Why now? They basically sat in the same place (in my home theater/family) room for the last 25, but we have since sold our house and moved into an apartment. My large Polks went into storage to wait for the subsequent move into another house, while my small Polks went to the apartment as my (temporary) mains. I didn't want to take a chance with all the moving/storage, so I "bit the bullet" and did the magnets (it wasn't fun). Long story short: if you are going to be moving these things around at all, or they are in an environment where they are likely to be "bumped", I would do the magnets sooner than later.

Sigfried

Great to know F1nut that they are fastons...thank you! Don't have to borrow a soldering iron. Also thanks Stanton for your words. Yeah looks like i will be getting after this! Just ordered the goods. Hope the screws don't come out to hard. Is it safe to lay it on it's back for that or is the side better? Don't have a power screw driver so i have to be careful to not put it through the driver....UGH!!!! Bad wrist too. Maybe i need to get a powered one before i try this.

StantonZ

Sigfried wrote: »

Hope the screws don't come out to hard. Is it safe to lay it on it's back for that or is the side better?

Removing the screws are the easy part; in fact, I would recommend not using any power tools. I removed all the drivers with the speakers standing up (that's the easy part). The hard part is epoxying both sides of the driver magnets; my wife helped me when I had to turn them over.

pitdogg2

lay it on its back. use a screwdriver go slow.

Do one side of the magnets come back tomorrow do the other.

Sigfried

Yeah ...Stanton it does look like the magnet side closest to the basket is going to be the trickier one for sure. I have some gorilla gloves (not glue) that i will be using to glide along after i masking tape the magnet. Someone mentioned chopsticks also to help get as close as possible before running the finger along. Think i will try that. Everything is here now so i will give this a go very shortly!
Thanks Pitdogg....yeah i think i will be laying these flat then. Was just a bit concerned of how tight the screws may actually be to break the hold. Guess i will find out. Cheers guys and Happy Holidays!

Sigfried

Yes and thanks Pitdogg.....do one side, let it set for a day and then do the other. Great advice! Will do.

Sigfried

Happy Holidays everyone!! Our family is celebrating tomorrow so I took the opportunity today to finish glueing up the magnets. All went very smoothly and now just waiting for them to set before reinstalling in a few days. Thanks again for your help!

Another question though regarding the tweeter. Is there anything I should be concerned about with the tweeter going bad due to it's age? Do not play at loud volumes. When I am rocking out probably hitting 80/85db peaks maybe. So no stress should be going on in that regard. Just am not sure if there is any other structural integrity to be concerned about since they are 37yrs old now? I am aware of getting the crossover recapping etc., but I am just referring to the tweeter itself.

The SL1000 tweeter that is in my 5jr is indeed very bright. Fortunately i had purchased a inexpensive (but excellent) tube buffer that has both treble and bass controls. It is very effective at dialing that brightness out and leaving good things intact. Must be set very close to the offensive frequency of that tweeter. So no issue there. Plus i have both tweeters blowing past my shoulders respectively so not aimed right at my ears. Using them nearfield.

I know that people recommend the RD094's for this but i see that they are probably all gone. Think that tweeter required a slight mod to my cabinet to fit too which i wasn't interested in doing. So i see that Midwest offers the MT-4115 as a replacement if i would need one or if you think i should get a pair to have on reserve? These 5jr's are 4ohm and the tweeters Midwest say are a match for mine are 8ohm so i am a bit ignorant if they would be safe to just drop in...??

Any guidance is much appreciated! Cheers all

StantonZ

Sigfried wrote: »

I know that people recommend the RD094's for this but i see that they are probably all gone. Think that tweeter required a slight mod to my cabinet to fit too which i wasn't interested in doing. So i see that Midwest offers the MT-4115 as a replacement if i would need one or if you think i should get a pair to have on reserve? These 5jr's are 4ohm and the tweeters Midwest say are a match for mine are 8ohm so i am a bit ignorant if they would be safe to just drop in...??

While I replaced all my SL2000 tweets (with 194's) years ago, I still have the same Peerless tweets in my 4's, which are now over 40 years old...so there's no "expiration date" so to speak. Unfortunately, your options are limited for replacing the SL1000's, and Midwest has a 4 Ohm option on the tweeter you mentioned...so the worst that can happen is you're out ~$100. I sold my old tweets on eBay, so that's always worth checking out.
Good luck!

Sigfried

[/quote]
While I replaced all my SL2000 tweets (with 194's) years ago, I still have the same Peerless tweets in my 4's, which are now over 40 years old...so there's no "expiration date" so to speak. Unfortunately, your options are limited for replacing the SL1000's, and Midwest has a 4 Ohm option on the tweeter you mentioned...so the worst that can happen is you're out ~$100. I sold my old tweets on eBay, so that's always worth checking out.
Good luck!
[/quote]

Thanks Stanton! Excellent to know about the no expiration date for sure! Regarding the 4 Ohm at Midwest, what had me confused is that they had the 5jr (not the 5jr+) listed under the 8 Ohm list. I did see that they had a separate 4 Ohm list of acceptable speakers but this 5jr was not listed there. Hence the confusion and still tentativeness.

Sigfried

Well i have the 5jr's put back together now and am listening to them. Can't believe how good these speakers sound! Does sticking a nice amount of glue around those magnet areas improve the mid/woofer's sound at all? Maybe not but dang these are sounding GOOD! Definitely have to dial that tweeter back to around 10 o'clock on the tube buffer or else it is unpleasant. That being done, the sound is even and phenomenal. Man.... would love to hear what those larger SDA speakers you folks have, with all the updates, and nice front ends, must sound like. Must be a glimpse of sonic heaven.

I purchased 4 of the large advents when they first came out and had them stacked upside down. They were powered by the Sansuii AU717 integrated. Didn't even know the Polks existed at the time or I definitely would have been looking in that direction. The Advent's served me well but a pair of those SDA's would have been incredible me thinks. Don't know how much they cost comparatively though. Cheers!

Sigfried

Oh and i sprayed all connectors with Caigs Deoxit D5 so that probably improved sonic performance more than the glue on the magnets...? Have been listening all afternoon and it just sounds sooo good. I know sonic memory is not that great as i remember it sounding really good before i did this. Just sounds really good now. Also, so glad to know i have some peace of mind in knowing the magnets will not be making that magnetic sheit dance anytime soon.