Are RD0194-1 Voice Coils repairable?

Karn

Recently received a quad of RD0194-1's for swapping into my SDAs. Got them from a reputable seller via eBay, but they were poorly packaged and two arrived DOA. I am currently working with the seller, but in the meantime, I wanted to see if anyone had any joy repairing the coils in these tweeters and maybe had/have a guide on how to?

I know the older Peerless and the SL2000's can be very difficult to repair, so just was curious regarding the more modern RD0194-1's.

Thanks in advance all.

J.

Gardenstater

Not enough information. What does "DOA" mean in this case? What do you get when you measure the DC Resistance with a meter?

pitdogg2

DOA
Dead on Arrival.

Gardenstater

I know what DOA means, but why are they not playing? Did the domes get squashed? Did the magnets shift? Are the voice coils open circuit? Need more info.

pitdogg2

I wouldn't touch them with a 10' pole, The seller needs to refund or replace period.
Then go to Polk to buy them and not EBAY. Polk, Midwest speaker or Speaker Exchange all know how to ship properly.

F1nut

^THIS^

Karn

Gardenstater wrote: »

I know what DOA means, but why are they not playing? Did the domes get squashed? Did the magnets shift? Are the voice coils open circuit? Need more info.

Infinite Resistance = DOA

Karn

pitdogg2 wrote: »

I wouldn't touch them with a 10' pole, The seller needs to refund or replace period.
Then go to Polk to buy them and not EBAY. Polk, Midwest speaker or Speaker Exchange all know how to ship properly.

I was under the assumption as of 2021 Polk no longer made/discontinued the RD0194-1, so all purchases are now third-party (MSR/SE or Resellers).

Yes, as soon as I settle up with the eBay seller I will go with SE or MSR. Just wondering in the meantime if anyone has ever attempted or succeeded in repairing one of these tweeters (there are no YouTube DIY videos for this tweeter model that I can find).

It would be nice to know in the future, considering there's no one that's going to tell you to repair a SL2x00 tweeter, and will instead advise a replacement RD0198 or RD0194... So.. It may be a good idea to know how to fix some of the examples in the RD0 series.

Buying used electronics/replacement components has never been a problem for me before, but these happened to arrive in basically the equivalent of a grocery bag and duct tape.

pitdogg2

Polk is still selling them. Call customer service and ask to buy some RD0194-1, Mention you're a member here and you will get a small discount. Yes Polk runs out from time to time but they have not pulled the plug on them AFAIK yet.

Gardenstater

Polk tweeter *parts* are probably not available, only whole tweeters. But I don't know if anyone has ever asked them. Doubt it though.

The voice coil and dome are one unit.

People here have experimented with replacing SL2000 voice coil/domes with made in China ones available on eBay with reportedly good results. One that I tried in a Peerless tweeter wasn't up to par with the stock one and was missing air and transparency in the upper harmonics.

You haven't been very specific about what kind of visible damage there was to the tweeters that you attribute to shipping damage. Maybe the seller sold you bad tweeters even if the package showed damage?

Karn

Gardenstater wrote: »

Polk tweeter parts are probably not available. But I don't know if anyone has ever asked them. Doubt it though.

The voice coil and dome are one unit.

People here have experimented with replacing SL2000 voice coil/domes with made in China ones available on eBay with reportedly good results. One that I tried in a Peerless tweeter wasn't up to par with the stock one and was missing air and transparency in the upper harmonics.

You haven't been very specific about what kind of visible damage there was to the tweeters that you attribute to shipping damage. Maybe the seller sold you bad tweeters even if the package showed damage?

There was no visible damage, just open coils. eBay is so buyer-focused I'd comfortably assume a seller wouldn't intentionally sell a failed item.

I've seen coils go open from drops/shock before, so I wouldn't consider that out of the question.

In any case I think you've answered my question, and it appears that while there isn't a public guide out there, Speaker Exchange does offer repair service if I am reading their webpage right, so if I have any fail on me in the future I can just send them in (these are going back to the seller).

J.

Gardenstater

I suppose it is possible the lead wires connections could be broken from a bad enough shock. One would think that shock would also entail some visible damage to the magnet or tweeter bezel too.

Always insist that the eBay seller check the resistance of the drivers and voice coil rubbing (with midwoofers it is easy) and that they pack with lots of cushioning and protect the domes from crush. You can do that with a private message saying that your payment is contingent upon them agreeing to those terms.

Karn

Would like to post here for any future readers that as of this date and according to Pitdogg22, indeed yes Polk is still selling RD0194-1 (SL-2000) tweeters for .... plus tax+shipping.

I called today and got a quote.

Thank you all for your input.

J.

pitdogg2

@pitdogg2

F1nut

Karn wrote: »

Would like to post here for any future readers that as of this date and according to Pitdogg22, indeed yes Polk is still selling RD0194-1 (SL-2000) tweeters for **** plus tax+shipping.

I called today and got a quote.

Thank you all for your input.

J.

That price is for members only. The non-member price is higher and you're not doing Polk any favors by posting the member price.

boston1450

Karn wrote: »

Would like to post here for any future readers that as of this date and according to Pitdogg22, indeed yes Polk is still selling RD0194-1 (SL-2000) tweeters for .... plus tax+shipping.

I called today and got a quote.

Thank you all for your input.

J.

Just curious. Is Polk still selling the SL-2000 tweeter ?

pitdogg2

boston1450 wrote: »

Karn wrote: »

Would like to post here for any future readers that as of this date and according to Pitdogg22, indeed yes Polk is still selling RD0194-1 (SL-2000) tweeters for .... plus tax+shipping.

I called today and got a quote.

Thank you all for your input.

J.

Just curious. Is Polk still selling the SL-2000 tweeter ?

No. They seem to call the RD-0194-1 a SL2000.

boston1450

Got ya. It's a different tweeter. A upgrade/better tweeter over the SL2000. Drop in ready

Karn

F1nut wrote: »

Karn wrote: »

Would like to post here for any future readers that as of this date and according to Pitdogg22, indeed yes Polk is still selling RD0194-1 (SL-2000) tweeters for **** plus tax+shipping.

I called today and got a quote.

Thank you all for your input.

J.

That price is for members only. The non-member price is higher and you're not doing Polk any favors by posting the member price.

Apologies, I actually had read that price elsewhere on forums (maybe AK and even here), so I knew about the discount but thought as previously mentioned they were NLA/OOS. What I found nice was that the previous posts I had read from a few years ago stated the same price, so it's nice that replacement parts from Polk haven't yet suffered from inflation!

EDIT: Found it, in case anyone wanted to go edit it out. Seen it a couple other places too but can't recall: https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/200168/change-to-club-polk-discount

Karn

pitdogg2 wrote: »

boston1450 wrote: »

Karn wrote: »

Would like to post here for any future readers that as of this date and according to Pitdogg22, indeed yes Polk is still selling RD0194-1 (SL-2000) tweeters for .... plus tax+shipping.

I called today and got a quote.

Thank you all for your input.

J.

Just curious. Is Polk still selling the SL-2000 tweeter ?

No. They seem to call the RD-0194-1 a SL2000.

Yes I noticed this too; made for a mildly confusing phone call for the product support lady. I kept saying RD0-194 and she kept saying "Do you mean the SL2000?". No ma'am please don't send me any SL2000 tweeters.

Karn

boston1450 wrote: »

Got ya. It's a different tweeter. A upgrade/better tweeter over the SL2000. Drop in ready

A little off topic but:

I wish they sold a modernized Peerless tweeter drop-in as well, since the RD0-194 doesn't fit.. I have 7Bs and 10As that I would really like to hear what fresh ferrofluid sounds like in those. The Peerless sound amazing to me still, but I can't even imagine what they sounded like to the original owners back in the 80's.

I can confirm that even with my (probably) tin ears, the Chinese Peerless replacements sound noticeably harsher and inferior. I don't know how much of that also has to do with their lack of pressure relief in the center of the dome. I'm morbidly curious what they would sound like if I went after the pair I do have with a soldering pencil.

With the few phone calls I've done regarding Peerless tweeter repair, they all just recommend the aftermarket drop-ins, sadly. I can't find anyone who has/wants to refresh a Peerless tweeter.

Gardenstater

That's interesting to hear your feedback on the Chinese copies.

The Peerless tweeter does not have ferrofluid. My 1979 vintage ones that came with my speakers from Polk sound excellent.

Karn

Gardenstater wrote: »

That's interesting to hear your feedback on the Chinese copies.

The Peerless tweeter does not have ferrofluid. My 1979 vintage ones that came with my speakers from Polk sound excellent.

This is wonderful to hear, I always thought/read they had FF. Thank you for clarifying this! Glad to know your 79's still sound great, makes me happy to know mine might still perhaps be performing almost like new!!

Gardenstater

In the interest of complete disclosure mine were in storage for about a 25 year stint, part of the time temp. controlled and part unheated garage, and in play for the last 6 years or so.