An intro and I have a couple of questions.
62vauxhall
Posts: 20
Firstly, I am new to this forum.
My exposure to Polk products began in 1988, but not as an owner, it was when I became employed by a multi-store audio/video/music retailer. At that time, and for several years afterwards, Polk speakers were that company's best selling speaker brand.
Most customers were average consumers so most sales were at the lower end of the price spectrum. Consequently I became quite fond of the Monitor 5jr+ model.
Skip ahead 32 years and I acquired my first pair of Polk speakers which were SDA2 Studio. Some weeks ago it became necessary to sell those, size being one of the reasons. But very shortly thereafter, I encountered a pair of Monitor 5jr+ for the price of a McDonald's coffee. They were included in a garage sale and I was not able to give them any real sort of examination. The gamble was low risk so I brought them home. All I knew at the time was that the grille posts on one cabinet were broken.
Once I could see them in good light, I noticed one woofer was different. Turned out to be a Radio Shack substitute. I have a salvaged WM6502 in transit with an ETA of 2 to 3 weeks. There is also a dozen replacement speaker pegs on the way.
Even though the original bi-polar electrolytic capacitors were within +/- 20% of spec, I went ahead and recapped the crossovers with film caps. The 34uF was replaced by a 33uF AXON and the 12uF replaced by a 12uF Clarity. FWIW, even though it too was within spec, I replaced the 5W 2.7 ohm Cermet resistor with like kind/quality.
These crossover are more sophisticated than I was expecting so my notion that Monitor 5jr+ speakers were a budget model might not necessarily be accurate.
I have two initial questions.
How likely is it for magnets to shift or fall off of WM6502 woofers?
The original woofer still present in one of my cabinets is dated 1985 and the one in transit is dated 1986. Did this magnet problem exist only for a certain date of manufacture range or was it all of them?
The other question may be mundane but how should I clean the grille cloth?
These grille frames look like MDF and I suspect they would react with water if I attempted to wash them say in a bathtub. The grille cloth is intact, not stained, just old and dusty.
I am well past retirement age and life's circumstances have changed in ways I did not anticipate, One change has been and will be for a while, the substantial paring down of audio gear I accumulated over time along with recordings amassed over my lifetime.
I must eliminate and forgo large speakers so am looking forward to using this pair of 5jr+
My exposure to Polk products began in 1988, but not as an owner, it was when I became employed by a multi-store audio/video/music retailer. At that time, and for several years afterwards, Polk speakers were that company's best selling speaker brand.
Most customers were average consumers so most sales were at the lower end of the price spectrum. Consequently I became quite fond of the Monitor 5jr+ model.
Skip ahead 32 years and I acquired my first pair of Polk speakers which were SDA2 Studio. Some weeks ago it became necessary to sell those, size being one of the reasons. But very shortly thereafter, I encountered a pair of Monitor 5jr+ for the price of a McDonald's coffee. They were included in a garage sale and I was not able to give them any real sort of examination. The gamble was low risk so I brought them home. All I knew at the time was that the grille posts on one cabinet were broken.
Once I could see them in good light, I noticed one woofer was different. Turned out to be a Radio Shack substitute. I have a salvaged WM6502 in transit with an ETA of 2 to 3 weeks. There is also a dozen replacement speaker pegs on the way.
Even though the original bi-polar electrolytic capacitors were within +/- 20% of spec, I went ahead and recapped the crossovers with film caps. The 34uF was replaced by a 33uF AXON and the 12uF replaced by a 12uF Clarity. FWIW, even though it too was within spec, I replaced the 5W 2.7 ohm Cermet resistor with like kind/quality.
These crossover are more sophisticated than I was expecting so my notion that Monitor 5jr+ speakers were a budget model might not necessarily be accurate.
I have two initial questions.
How likely is it for magnets to shift or fall off of WM6502 woofers?
The original woofer still present in one of my cabinets is dated 1985 and the one in transit is dated 1986. Did this magnet problem exist only for a certain date of manufacture range or was it all of them?
The other question may be mundane but how should I clean the grille cloth?
These grille frames look like MDF and I suspect they would react with water if I attempted to wash them say in a bathtub. The grille cloth is intact, not stained, just old and dusty.
I am well past retirement age and life's circumstances have changed in ways I did not anticipate, One change has been and will be for a while, the substantial paring down of audio gear I accumulated over time along with recordings amassed over my lifetime.
I must eliminate and forgo large speakers so am looking forward to using this pair of 5jr+
Comments
-
Welcome to the forum!
I’m sure you’ll get some feedback from the more knowledgeable folks here than myself, but my understanding is all the vintage MWs are susceptible to magnet shift. It’s pretty tedious work, but it is worth the peace of mind to J-B Weld the magnets as is suggested and shown in many threads here. With only two drivers, it’ll be pretty short work.
I vacuum my grills occasionally using a brush attachment. If they are really nasty, you could use a slightly damp, lint-free cloth and wipe them down. I wouldn’t submerge them in water, though.
Looks like you did a nice job on the crossovers.
Brian
One-owner Polk Audio RTA 15TL speakers refreshed w/ Sonicap, Vishay/Mills and Cardas components by "pitdogg2," "xschop" billet tweeter plates and BH5 | Stereo REL Acoustics T/5x subwoofers w/ Bassline Blue cables | Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III integrated tube amp | Technics SL-1210G turntable w/ Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 MM cart | Sony CDP-508ESD CD player (as a transport) | LampizatOr Baltic 4 tube DAC | Nordost & DH Labs cables/interconnects | APC H15 Power Conditioner | GIK Acoustics room treatments | Degritter RCM -
DO NOT wash the grills in a tub. IF you must, a damp sponge works pretty darn good after a good vacuum.
-
All of the vintage MWxxxx mid-drivers are prone to magnet shift, so glue them.
Spray the grill covers with Resolve fabric cleaner following the directions. Works like a charm.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 -
All of the vintage MWxxxx mid-drivers are prone to magnet shift, so glue them.
Spray the grill covers with Resolve fabric cleaner following the directions. Works like a charm.
I'll take the advice and use JB weld on the woofers.
The Resolve product you mentioned....is that a spray for laundry purposes or for upholstery/carpet stains? Or does it matter? I haven't seen one labeled "Fabric Cleaner". -
The upholstery/carpet cleaner, both are fabric.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 -
Check.
-
It seems I was in error on identifying which model of Polk speaker I am posting about.
I thought they were 5jr+ but it puzzled me why online images of 5jr+ speakers all had a PR smaller than those in these speakers I have. These have an 8" PR and SL2000 tweeter so I guess that makes them Monitor 5B.
EDIT: Assuming that these are Monitor 5B's, what years were they made?
It feels better to know that what I got for the initial $2 purchase price was a better value that I thought.
Maybe not so much though once the $200 or so that I've spent on a woofer, capacitors and grille pegs are factored in.
Post edited by 62vauxhall on -
Remove the mid-driver, date is on the back of it.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 -
The Monitor 5B was probably released in 1984 and actually had the SL1000 tweeter at first. From the Oct. 1984 issue of Audio Magazine:
In 1985 it had the SL2000 tweeter. Audio Oct 1985:
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
