RTi4 crossovers
Answers
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Ive had unbelievable good luck with kijiji even though I'm the doubting thomas type. Mind you, I've always inspected the goods in person. mostly automotive related stuff or tools. Those XT15's seem like a suitable replacement provided they're not blown. I don't care about the mfg warranty in any case.
If your tweeter and midwoofer are blown, along with needing some crossover work, I'd say you'd probably end up spending $125 CAD on the RTi4s. Now mind you, I'd totally fix the RTi4s, but my personally, I'd buy the XT15s and keep the RTi4s as a project. You could also sell them as parts units. -
Those RT35's would be overkill for my old ears haha Awesome deal you got.Polk RTIA3 Fronts
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Those RT35's would be overkill for my old ears haha Awesome deal you got.
Pretty happy about it. Trying to source a 3rd pair to complete my matched HT setup. I tend to get bored during the summer and go crazy on my audio addiction hobby then. -
I typically don't throw anything out until it's a heaping pile of ashes, but as you said, rebuilding these with aftermarket drivers (likely doing both L and R speakers) and upgrading the crossovers is hard to justify. I know resistors and caps are cheap as dirt, and comparable drivers could run $50+ per unit, so I'd be in the $125 range and still have 20 yr old speakers, which I bought as demo from Future Shop on impulse for about $80. Know any place selling oe polk drivers or comparable for cheap?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
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I know it can be an addiction from my earlier days but I've been out of the loop since they stopped sell 8 tracks lol I just got these and a Polk 8" sub (PSW 101?) as big screen tvs kinda demand bigger sound than the tiny built in speaker. I seldom crank it past conversation level.Polk RTIA3 Fronts
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I typically don't throw anything out until it's a heaping pile of ashes, but as you said, rebuilding these with aftermarket drivers (likely doing both L and R speakers) and upgrading the crossovers is hard to justify. I know resistors and caps are cheap as dirt, and comparable drivers could run $50+ per unit, so I'd be in the $125 range and still have 20 yr old speakers, which I bought as demo from Future Shop on impulse for about $80. Know any place selling oe polk drivers or comparable for cheap?
I wouldn't buy aftermarket. Polk designed the cabinets around the drivers.
Places to buy parts? Midwest Speaker Repair, Ebay, Kijiji, and even Canuck Audio Mart.
Parts you'll need include the RD0690-3 tweeter (RD0690-1 works too), and the RD5537-2 woofer.
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-speakers/ottawa/polk-audio-1-silk-dome-tweeter-rd0690-1/1667340641
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-speakers/ottawa/polk-audio-5-1-4-woofer-rd5537-2/1667437586
^^^^^ This guy Tuan Tran is the guy who sold me my RT35 woofer. He's phenomenal to deal with. Packs the parts very well, tests them, fair prices, ships them ASAP, and will make sure they arrived in one piece! The tweeter and woofer would work perfectly as replacements.
For the crossover, I'd buy some Mills MRA-12 from PartsConexxion who is based on Ontario in the correct values and solder em in. That's really all I'd do unless the inductors and caps are bad, unless you want to upgrade the caps for better sound rather than just repair the speakers to working order. I'd replace the other speakers' resistors too even if they're fine.
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Oh yeah, and the fact you said FutureShop is wild. I was 9 years old when they closed, my Dad used to work there and it's where he bought his Polk Audio RT600i from (what spiralled me here lol)
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It was just an impulse buy, as was the big screen. just went in to kill time and the offers were too good to pass up. Otherwise I'd still be watching my 27" old tv which I was preying to die so I could upgrade lol As I said, unless its a pile of smoking ashes, I won't part with it. I will check out those places u mentioned as I'm quite handy with the very basics of electronics and soldering and chasing parts down, and dealing with the challenges. I was still in the diagnostic phase until discovering (thanks to you guys) that my drivers are likely fried as well. Still curious what caused it as I typically dont leave my system on when I leave, and there was no "event" I can pin it to. maybe just a glitch. Oops, just saw a kijiji listing for TSI200's for $175. Damn, I better quit while I still can. lolPolk RTIA3 Fronts
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It was just an impulse buy, as was the big screen. just went in to kill time and the offers were too good to pass up. Otherwise I'd still be watching my 27" old tv which I was preying to die so I could upgrade lol As I said, unless its a pile of smoking ashes, I won't part with it. I will check out those places u mentioned as I'm quite handy with the very basics of electronics and soldering and chasing parts down, and dealing with the challenges. I was still in the diagnostic phase until discovering (thanks to you guys) that my drivers are likely fried as well. Still curious what caused it as I typically dont leave my system on when I leave, and there was no "event" I can pin it to. maybe just a glitch. Oops, just saw a kijiji listing for TSI200's for $175. Damn, I better quit while I still can. lol
Pro tip: Don't browse Kijiji for audio gear because it's too tempting.
Another pro tip: Do as I say, not as I do.
I'm personally keep things until they fall apart as well. I enjoy owning something and maintaining it for a long time rather than buying something new all the time. It's just less work and money and it's nice to have a reliable piece of tech with no hassle.
I also am baffled as to why it suddenly died. Any chance you had a power surge recently? Otherwise I think the amp just had an 'oops' moment with that specific channel and as Gardenstater said, definitely get it looked at before it takes another piece of gear. -
Sometimes **** just happens. Maybe being 20 yrs old, it just got tired. Maybe it's been failing for awhile and I didn't notice until in completely crapped out. I've had my good speaker on that same channel for two days and no issues whatsoever. I've never had a piece of audio/video ever fail on me in over 4 decades. Maybe they don't make em like they used to?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
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Sometimes **** just happens. Maybe being 20 yrs old, it just got tired. Maybe it's been failing for awhile and I didn't notice until in completely crapped out. I've had my good speaker on that same channel for two days and no issues whatsoever. I've never had a piece of audio/video ever fail on me in over 4 decades. Maybe they don't make em like they used to?
Doesn't hurt to have a tech take a gander anyhow, but you never know, maybe it was a fluke.
I dunno if things aren't made like they used to. Wasn't around before the early 2000s but I have a few (LOT) of 70s/80s/90s electronics and they definitely feel better quality than newer stuff and have been running for decades with zero issues compared to modern stuff which in my experience needs maintenance after only a couple years. -
I will monitor the situation closely. still might try swapping a driver just to see but not holding my breath at this point. Having difficulties visiting the Connexion website. maybe its down for maintenance. will definitely consider them.Polk RTIA3 Fronts
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Doubt it'll work but if it does then, well, awesome!
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The 2.5 ohm resistor and the 10uF cap are bad.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."
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If the amp puked once it'll most likely do it again. In the meantime I'd do something like either of these, with ......maybe.......a 2.5 A fast blo fuse, in the speaker input:
George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
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The 2.5 ohm resistor and the 10uF cap are bad.
Does the cap look swollen or something?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
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Gardenstater wrote: »If the amp puked once it'll most likely do it again. In the meantime I'd do something like either of these, with ......maybe.......a 2.5 A fast blo fuse, in the speaker input:
So I could just put a simple inline fuse on the speaker (+) wire? And by puked, do you mean a random pop signal or power surge? If it happened while in use, would there be an audible symptom?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
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You could snag a crossover on eBay and add inline fuses to both of yours. You will also need a couple drivers from eBay though. Do a saved search.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234238281496
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285197053097George / 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 -
@toolbelt Here ya go man. One whole functional RTI4 speaker. Exactly what you need. Jump on it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285409994225George / 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 -
Dang, it doesn't ship to Canada.
Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
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And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
Send the seller a message and ask for them to make an exception, perhaps for a few additional $s.
Edit - Since it is also "make offer" the price is negotiable and you could theoretically offer a bit more than the "buy it now" price.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 -
I suspect that may add $50 to the cost. I was hoping for a quick painless fix here but it is turning into a labour of love. I was happy with the RTI4's but I'm not sure if they're a legacy type model worthy of keeping at all costs? Brand new today, they'd likely be in the $250 range I'm guessing?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
You should be able to check shipping rates from seller's location to yours online with various carriers? I've never tried it between Canada and US so I'm not sure.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 -
YesPolitical 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 -
Well I solved one issue by grabbing these (below). I think my other RTI4 may need work, as the highs sounded off as well. So at what point do I decide whether to fix these or just call it a day? So far, I know I need (1)tweeter, (1) woofer, (1) resistor and possibly (1) Cap at the very minimum, plus it would likely make sense to replace other resistors and caps to get them good as new. And even if I do restore them, I have no immediate use for them in my current setup. I saw a listing for a pair at $100, but shipping would likely add another $50+. Are these RTA's collector items or just average bookshelfs by today's standards?
Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
Well I solved one issue by grabbing these (below). I think my other RTI4 may need work, as the highs sounded off as well. So at what point do I decide whether to fix these or just call it a day? So far, I know I need (1)tweeter, (1) woofer, (1) resistor and possibly (1) Cap at the very minimum, plus it would likely make sense to replace other resistors and caps to get them good as new. And even if I do restore them, I have no immediate use for them in my current setup. I saw a listing for a pair at $100, but shipping would likely add another $50+. Are these RTA's collector items or just average bookshelfs by today's standards?
I've not known people to collect the RTi4, however I've known people on the Polk Enthusiast Facebook page to really like the RTi4 and RTi6 for 2 channel music. Honestly, I think it's up to you.
If you choose to rebuild them, you should consider Dayton (cheap) or ClarityCap (quality) film capacitors and Mills MRA-12 resistors for the crossovers. It'd end up improving the sound though so be prepared to ditch those XT15 for the RTi4.
That money for the RTi4 crossovers could ALSO go to rebuilding the XT15 crossovers using the parts I listed above. Then you're not worrying about replacement parts. You'd also make like $60 parting out the RTi4 at minimum.
If you get Dayton caps btw, try to prepare yourself for the ridiculous shipping prices on Parts Express. Not friendly for us Canucks. -
I read on FB that PartsConnexxion place is in the process of completely revamping their website, hence the problem I had connecting on Saturday. I will check what they have as far as price/availability and go from there. While these XT-15's are fairly good, my first impression is that they don't have the same depth and pop as the RTA's, but quite close. They feel about half the weight and are about 25% smaller. Did you see those TSI400's on Kijiji for $220 for the pair??? Damn, pull me outta this rabbit hole. lolPolk RTIA3 Fronts
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Speculation…Gardenstater wrote: »If it is a typical 2nd order crossover, there wouldn't be any components in common. But who knows, there might be a resistor in common; that bad one.
High & Low pass filtering likely 2nd order as the RTi 4 is the ancestor to the RTi A3*. Further they’re independent - two sets of binding posts. I own a pair of “sons*” and have studied them enough to determine the above though the “Dad” likely uses different spec components likely resulting in a different XO characteristics.
I’m confident you can test resistor continuity installed.
Now I’ll return to where I stopped reading to possibly remove my size 10 1/2 - 😂
Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED, Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga: LCR mids “Foamed & Plugged**”, inside* & out
8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out
*soldered **Rob the Man (Xschop) LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & Mids - 981, connected w/Monoprice Premiere ICs
Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s -
Good call George. I hope he saw your advice BEFORE using the 9V on the tweeterGardenstater wrote: »A 9V battery on the midwoofer (AA for tweeter*)would be a good test for functionality but in this case it is redundant because didn't you say that there is no continuity in the voice coil when you test with an ohmmeter?Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED, Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga: LCR mids “Foamed & Plugged**”, inside* & out
8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out
*soldered **Rob the Man (Xschop) LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & Mids - 981, connected w/Monoprice Premiere ICs
Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s -
I read on FB that PartsConnexxion place is in the process of completely revamping their website, hence the problem I had connecting on Saturday. I will check what they have as far as price/availability and go from there. While these XT-15's are fairly good, my first impression is that they don't have the same depth and pop as the RTA's, but quite close. They feel about half the weight and are about 25% smaller. Did you see those TSI400's on Kijiji for $220 for the pair??? Damn, pull me outta this rabbit hole. lol
Parts Connexion is switching to Shopify, so they'll be down for a while.
I'd not get the TSI400s, considering you could nab a pair of vintage Monitors for cheaper and they'd sound better.
