RTi4 crossovers
Answers
-
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 - 😂
Well after determining both drivers are dead, the situation has become a dog's breakfast. There was no continuity on that one resistor so likely that's bad for sure. Not sure if bad drivers caused xover components to fail or visca versa. It's now become a hobby as I purchased some almost brand new XT-15's. When I get a chance, I'll pull the board from the post panel and take readings of what's good and what's bad and proceed from there. Can I check capacitors in place, or do I need to remove at least one leg from the board?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
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.
Based on my photo, and assuming I would just replace xover components with equal quality parts, is there a common name for my resistors (wire wound ceramic?) and capacitors? You mentioned film type capacitors. Is that what mine are? Is there a big jump in component parts for upgrading? Are we talking like $20 more for upgraded components?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
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.
Based on my photo, and assuming I would just replace xover components with equal quality parts, is there a common name for my resistors (wire wound ceramic?) and capacitors? You mentioned film type capacitors. Is that what mine are? Is there a big jump in component parts for upgrading? Are we talking like $20 more for upgraded components?
Not sure on the resistors but I think they're ceramic and the caps are electrolytic, however you do have one film but it's not very high end.
The price difference would be more than $20. An electrolytic would cost you like 80 cents, a film would cost over $10. A ceramic resistor is about half the price (?) of a Mills. The quality and tolerance of the components is worth it though.
You can replace the parts for dirt cheap and continue to enjoy their stock sound, or you can rebuild with some better quality parts. -
Ok so in the grand scheme of things, upgrading quality is good use of money and still reasonable. Of course if I upgrade the components on the bad speaker, I would need to do both, vs just the bad speaker if I stick with comparable. I'll keep checking Parts Connexion once active and make a list, and if I decide to repair/upgrade these, I'll also hunt down the drivers. That guy in Ottawa you mentioned has both. Coincidentally, the price of the tweeter is double that of the woofer/midrange.
Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
"I'd not get the TSI400s, considering you could nab a pair of vintage Monitors for cheaper and they'd sound better."
A vintage Polk? What would be a comparable "vintage monitor" to TSI400's?Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
"I'd not get the TSI400s, considering you could nab a pair of vintage Monitors for cheaper and they'd sound better."
A vintage Polk? What would be a comparable "vintage monitor" to TSI400's?
I wouldn't call them comparable honestly. You've gotta experience them to really understand.
I have the RT3000p which are massive speakers, and you'd think they'd sound amazing. I picked up a pair of Monitor 5 Junior Plus and they best the RT3000p for music in every way. The Monitors were $100 and the RT3000p were $1000 -
Chris how did you learn so much about speakers and stereo equipment?
-
-
"Telekinesis is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person to influence a physical system without physical interaction."
So you're saying you can adjust the volume of your stereo without a remote, just by using your mind? -
Well then fix my damn speakers. lolPolk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
"I'd not get the TSI400s, considering you could nab a pair of vintage Monitors for cheaper and they'd sound better."
A vintage Polk? What would be a comparable "vintage monitor" to TSI400's?
I wouldn't call them comparable honestly. You've gotta experience them to really understand.
I have the RT3000p which are massive speakers, and you'd think they'd sound amazing. I picked up a pair of Monitor 5 Junior Plus and they best the RT3000p for music in every way. The Monitors were $100 and the RT3000p were $1000
Those Monitors remind me of my Cerwin Vega U12's that have been in a box in my basement since the mid 90's. I had planned on using one room down there for entertainment, however I have an unused living room upstairs, along with my every day family room. My family room can only accommodate my bookshelfs, centre channel and sub, and even that's a tight squeeze.Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
"Telekinesis is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person to influence a physical system without physical interaction."
So you're saying you can adjust the volume of your stereo without a remote, just by using your mind?
I thought you were asking sarcastically, sorry. I've noticed it's a trend here.
But to answer your question, I can adjust the volume using my mind... in my dreams.
I learned about stereo gear the same way I'd assume anyone else has. Now I experiment with my own gear and do research online of objective stuff. I've also been reading The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook by Vance Dickason in preparation for my next big project. -
In true psychic form, pay me first and then prepare to be disappointed. -
"I'd not get the TSI400s, considering you could nab a pair of vintage Monitors for cheaper and they'd sound better."
A vintage Polk? What would be a comparable "vintage monitor" to TSI400's?
I wouldn't call them comparable honestly. You've gotta experience them to really understand.
I have the RT3000p which are massive speakers, and you'd think they'd sound amazing. I picked up a pair of Monitor 5 Junior Plus and they best the RT3000p for music in every way. The Monitors were $100 and the RT3000p were $1000
Those Monitors remind me of my Cerwin Vega U12's that have been in a box in my basement since the mid 90's. I had planned on using one room down there for entertainment, however I have an unused living room upstairs, along with my every day family room. My family room can only accommodate my bookshelfs, centre channel and sub, and even that's a tight squeeze.
Bah, some of the smaller Polk Monitors would fit fine as bookshelves. There's a pair of SDA CRS+ for sale on Reverb (or was it Kijiji?) He wants $275 and I almost did it but the magnets would shift in shipping for sure. -
I kinesised you the funds last week. lolPolk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
I kinesised you the funds last week. lol
I must be using the wrong crystal... -
I kinesised you the funds last week. lol
I must be using the wrong crystal...
You may need to upgrade your flux capacitor.
Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
Well apparently partsconnexion in Burlington has a parts counter, so I may just take a crossover in and let them make some suggestions. In the meantime, I'll keep my eyes open for a pair of drivers to replace my bad ones, or somebody selling a single RTI4, and either scavenge it for the drivers, or upgrade both the crossovers. Still no indication my Pioneer VSX 521 was the cause. It works flawlessly. The XT15's are ok, but not as nice as my RTA's as their midrange lacks depth.Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
Well apparently partsconnexion in Burlington has a parts counter, so I may just take a crossover in and let them make some suggestions.
Smart ideaI'll keep my eyes open for a pair of drivers to replace my bad ones, or somebody selling a single RTI4
What about the guy on Kijiji? He'd probably give you a deal if you buy both the woofer and the tweeter. If you do replace the single unit, sell off the old one for parts. -
Well apparently partsconnexion in Burlington has a parts counter, so I may just take a crossover in and let them make some suggestions.
Smart ideaI'll keep my eyes open for a pair of drivers to replace my bad ones, or somebody selling a single RTI4
What about the guy on Kijiji? He'd probably give you a deal if you buy both the woofer and the tweeter. If you do replace the single unit, sell off the old one for parts.
Yes I've seen his listings, but until I make a final decision, I want to see what I can do with the crossovers first. I've seen a few RTI's listed. A guy near Kingston was offering a pair in perfect shape for $100. Had he been in the GTA west region, I likely would have just snapped them up. I'm pretty sure I want to upgrade my old crossovers purely out of curiosity for a fun project. In no rush as the XT's will serve the purpose in the near-term. But dayem, I find myself checking out Kijiji far too often lately. lolPolk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
Well apparently partsconnexion in Burlington has a parts counter, so I may just take a crossover in and let them make some suggestions.
Smart ideaI'll keep my eyes open for a pair of drivers to replace my bad ones, or somebody selling a single RTI4
What about the guy on Kijiji? He'd probably give you a deal if you buy both the woofer and the tweeter. If you do replace the single unit, sell off the old one for parts.
Yes I've seen his listings, but until I make a final decision, I want to see what I can do with the crossovers first. I've seen a few RTI's listed. A guy near Kingston was offering a pair in perfect shape for $100. Had he been in the GTA west region, I likely would have just snapped them up. I'm pretty sure I want to upgrade my old crossovers purely out of curiosity for a fun project. In no rush as the XT's will serve the purpose in the near-term. But dayem, I find myself checking out Kijiji far too often lately. lol
Gotcha. On a side note, I used to live about 30 minutes from Kingston in Trenton. Moved to Halifax in 2015 though. How are the summers there, have you guys been hit by the heat like the East and West coast have? -
This summer has actually been cooler and less humid on average, with spots of rain every couple of days. We've had a few days close to 100f (sorry, I'm old school. lol) mixed in. We haven't had a typical 3 week heat wave, and normally we don't see any appreciable rain from May to September. Not complaining.
Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
This summer has actually been cooler and less humid on average, with spots of rain every couple of days. We've had a few days close to 100f (sorry, I'm old school. lol) mixed in. We haven't had a typical 3 week heat wave, and normally we don't see any appreciable rain from May to September. Not complaining.
Really? Man the weather out in NS has been balls. 35°C humid as hell, or 30°C dry as hell. Then every week or so it rains for 4 days and causes flash floods.
We've had wildfires, floods, wildfires, floods, and it keeps going and going LOL. -
Your telekinesis powers appear to have some limitations? lolPolk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
Your telekinesis powers appear to have some limitations? lol
Unfortunately I lost my red topaz-quartz crystal and can no longer communicate with the weather gods 😔 -
Ok after being tied up for awhile, I finally got around to testing my "working" speaker just to make sure, before ordering a used woofer and tweeter from that fellow in Ottawa for my known "not working" speaker. Then I was going to bring my crossover to PartsConnexion to figure out my options as far as replacing a blown resistor and possibly upgrading the Caps. Turns out the other tweeter is also shot, reading OL resistance, and no sound when connecting directly to my speaker wire. So at this point, I will need 2 used tweeters and 1 woofer. plus crossover work. I can likely get the speakers, plus delivery, under $100, plus whatever I spend fixing/upgrading the crossovers. The speakers are over 20 yrs old, and the XT15's I picked up are serving my limited purposes. At what point should I call it a day with these RTI4's, considering sites like Kijiji always have a great selection of better speakers for sale at reasonable prices costing not much more than repairing these? Its likely both tweeters have failed over time, and the woofers and centre channel offered enough high end sound for my non-audiophile ears to even notice, until the woofer also blew.Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
Time to move on.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 -
Common sense say's you're right, so at this point it would only be for a hobby. Can honestly say I've never worn out a speaker before, including my teen and twenties where I used to crank out sound to the point of distortion for hours at a time. Even my 1978 Cerwin Vegas work perfectly. I guess they don't make em like the the good ole days.Polk RTIA3 Fronts
Polk CSIA4 Center
Polk PSW Sub
Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR
And a friendly Labrador Retriever -
That damage doesn't occur because you wore out the speakers. It happens when the speakers are overdriven or the power source has a problem.
Bottom line, it ain't da speakers.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 -
Most Cerwin Vega speakers were fused. They also were made to be abused, voice coils seem to have more space in the former area. I've refoamed many of the woofers and not once did I need to remove the dust caps and shim. Infinity and JBL's were a vastly different experience, those needed shims for sure. They had much less clearance in the voice coil area.
Good clean power is important, nasty clipped signals sends really bad distorted power at the edges of that signal. That cooks speakers quickly.
