Speaker Polarity?

KCF
KCF Posts: 58
edited January 2005 in Vintage Speakers
Replacing a driver in monitor 7s. There's a white and black wire, but no indications on the driver connects themselves to indicate polarity. Do it matter? Also, there's a big hunk 'o mattress stuffing kind of flopping around inside the cab. Is it intended to go in the top section (looks like) and does it get anchored or just hang loose?

Thanks,

Kevin
Post edited by KCF on
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2004
    Black/Blue = +

    White/Green = -
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • KCF
    KCF Posts: 58
    edited December 2004
    Uh..., the old speak had a red dot on the metal under the post(+). The replacement has no marking of any kind that I can detect....
    Hmmm, makes it fifty fifty but I'd hate to blow up a brand new one...

    K.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2004
    There should be a marking or one post will be smaller/larger than the other.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    edited December 2004
    i didnt think it mattered as long as u were consitsant with how you have it hooked up to the amp....and i didnt think you could blow up a pair by wiring them wrong, i thought theyd just be out of phase....am i wrong?
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  • amulford
    amulford Posts: 5,020
    edited December 2004
    You're right. You might not blow them, but they'll sure sound funny...
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  • KCF
    KCF Posts: 58
    edited December 2004
    I called Polk, and the guy was surprised the speakers weren't marked with a red dot... He then suggested I hook up the speaker and listen for phasing.
    From my best reckoning, after switching the leads, I believe I have it right, given that the "stereo effect" seems to be in place. Could have been simpler with marking, but hey... they gave me the "club" price shipping included.
    Thanks,
    K.
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  • patwhite
    patwhite Posts: 9
    edited December 2004
    the best way to check to see if the driver is correct is to take a battery like a d cell...connect a wire to the negative side and one to the positive side of the battery and then connect the wires to the speaker terminals...correct plus and minus will make the speaker cone move forward..incorrect will make the speaker cone move backwards.
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  • Polkapops
    Polkapops Posts: 267
    edited December 2004
    Wow! That's cool -
    I knew you could test a speaker w/a battery but I never knew about the cone movement.......Thanks Pat!

    .........learn sump'n new everyday.....
    HT & Music System:
    Receiver - Denon AVR-3805
    DVD/SACD Player - Denon DVD-2900
    Outlaw 770 amp
    Polk LSi 15's up front
    Polk LSiC center
    Polk LSi F/X surrounds
    SVS 16-46 PC+ Subwoofer
    Sony Wega KDF-50WE655
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  • PolkFreak
    PolkFreak Posts: 91
    edited December 2004
    Hello, I'd like to speak of my own experience with the old and new drivers. When you lay the speaker on the magnet with the driver pointing toward the (SKY) if you will, the positive terminal is to the left and the negative to the right on the old original drivers.
    All of the replacement drivers I have bought from Polk have had the red dot on the right side instead of the left which is incorrectly marked. So the black wire being positive belongs on the left, again just as long as you are thinking of the driver sitting
    on it's magnet with the cone pointing toward the sky. The white
    wire being negative belongs on the right. You could think of the new drivers that have the red dot on the right (which is wrong) as an indicator to have the lighter colored wire connected to the bright (RED) indicator. I've tried the wires both ways and having them the same as the original wires were is proper and you will notice more bass.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited December 2004
    NEVER USE A BATTERY on a tweeter.

    Triple a (AAA) at most, and only for very brief touches on midwoofs.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • patwhite
    patwhite Posts: 9
    edited December 2004
    russmann....you'll never find out the polarity of a tweeter using a battery... the method works for cone drivers other than tweeters.
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  • PolkFreak
    PolkFreak Posts: 91
    edited December 2004
    Patwhite, RussMan was speaking out AGAINST the use of a battery on a tweeter. So that would mean you guys are on the same page:D
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  • egp823
    egp823 Posts: 74
    edited January 2005
    confused? my old sl 2000 had the white wire connected to the terminal with the red dot. now if what you say is that the balck wire goes to the positive , should i follow this or should i solder the white wire to the terminal with the red dot on my RDO 194 rplacement? Pls advise
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  • egp823
    egp823 Posts: 74
    edited January 2005
    dorokusai,

    got this message from ken re my query on wiring for tweeters (CRS+) but am not sure if wiring for drivers are different

    Hello Edwin,
    The white wire would go with the red terminal and the black to the negative terminal.
    Regards, Ken, Polk Audio

    If this is the case then the black wire would not go to all the positive terminals of polk speakers. tks
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,539
    edited January 2005
    I hate to second quess Ken, but on all the SDA's I've seen the Black or Blue leads are positve and the White or Green leads are negative as Doro stated.
    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

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  • egp823
    egp823 Posts: 74
    edited January 2005
    What happens to sound quality if polarity is reversed? What should I look out for to check that wires are correctly connected? tks
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,539
    edited January 2005
    No idea, never did it.

    Check the leads from the crossover to the tweeter with a VOM and that way you'll be 100% sure.
    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

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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2005
    I have two pairs of SDA's wired just as I stated, so that's my given.

    The schematics I have specifically address this same color code for multiple models.

    The schematic for the SDA CRS and SDA CRS+ states Blue/Black = Positive, Green/White = Negative.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • Joey Ward
    Joey Ward Posts: 120
    Good info. Thanks
    Joey Ward
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,757
    Joey Ward wrote: »
    Good info. Thanks

    Dude, this is 10 years old...

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  • 4DeadinOhio
    4DeadinOhio Posts: 15
    Good info. Thanks
    🤗
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  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,281
    edited October 2021
    4DeadinOhio wrote: »
    Good info. Thanks
    🤗

    OOOHHH You so Funny!!

    lmd8el8y929o.png
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,636
    That's good info
    ..
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