Blown out RTA15TL?

mpatenio
mpatenio Posts: 5
edited March 2005 in Troubleshooting
Help! My two RTA15TL speakers are sick. No "highs" or treble sound at all. The tweeters are not crunched up nor sucked in. No burnt smell nor burnt wire at all. It just produces flat sound with a lackluster bass. I thought it was my amp, so I bought a new one but with the same result. If it is the crossover network, can it be fixed? I cannot mail my speakers for repair (large and heavy) I will attempt to fix it myself or home repaired. I love these speakers. Help!
Post edited by mpatenio on
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited March 2005
    Place an ear to each tweeter and compare what you hear. It's sounds like your tweeter(s) is bad, an under powered amp can cause this. Q is how old are your speakers.

    Speakers
    Carver Amazing Fronts
    CS400i Center
    RT800i's Rears
    Sub Paradigm Servo 15

    Electronics
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
    Parasound Halo A23
    Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
    Pioneer 79Avi DVD
    Sony CX400 CD changer
    Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
    WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR


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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited March 2005
    Welcome to the forum.

    Did you notice this with both speakers at the same time?

    It's possible that you cooked both tweeters in which case you can order the new replacement version from Polk. It's also possible that your polyswitches are shot in which case you can order new ones from Polk. What I'm wondering about is your lackluster bass issue. Is this in both speakers too?

    Some more info about your gear and how loud you turn it up might help too.
    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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  • mpatenio
    mpatenio Posts: 5
    edited March 2005
    Thanks to couple of replies to my speaker dilemna. Here are few specs on my system: My RTA15TL's are tower speakers with titanium tweeters rated at max 200w and approx 12 years old.
    I am using a Nakamichi MA5 preamp and PA5 amp series II system which pumps out nom 150 per ch. The rest are "players."
    To answer one of the questions; no sound coming from the tweeters. The term I used "lackluster" (too emotional I guess) meant lacking the "ooomph" deep thump on the subwoofers. The sound I used to hear were very crisp with amazing dynamic range. Let me know if you need more info.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited March 2005
    I know what speakers you have and fyi the tweeter is not titanium. It's a tri-lam composite made of stainless steel dust and aluminum dust bonded to a polymide surface. Each speaker has one tweeter, four 6.5 inch mid-drivers and two 8 inch passive radiators, one in front and the other in back.

    I also understand what lackluster means. So, let's get back to my questions. Did both tweeters die at the same time? Did you notice the lackluster bass at the same time? How high do you turn the volume up, over halfway?
    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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  • mpatenio
    mpatenio Posts: 5
    edited March 2005
    You're absolutely right about the speaker specs. To answer your questions: yes, both tweeters died the same time. The lackluster bass also at the same time. I only crank up the volume approx a quarter (don't know if someone else played with my system). Can you teach me a little troubleshooting to isolate the problem?
    If the tweeters are dead, can I get replacement ones and how much? What are the symptoms of defective crossover? Thanks in advance for all your expert advice.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited March 2005
    All right, now we're getting somewhere. :)

    Did you buy a new pre amp too? If not, that could be the problem. Can you borrow one? I can't believe both speakers would just die at the same time, defies logic. Are you 100% sure you have the positive and negative interconnect/speaker wires in the right place?

    Check the mid-drivers by gently pushing them in evenly with your hand close to the surround. Do they move freely? Any scratching noise? You can check the tweeters with a VOM set to ohms. Remove the connecting wires and test, they should read about 5 ohms. In the event you need new tweeters, yes Polk has a new style replacement at $48.00 each, Club Polk price.
    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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  • mpatenio
    mpatenio Posts: 5
    edited March 2005
    I did buy a new amp and tried it out with same sound. I removed both tweeters and tested them and got infinity reading even at 1 ohm, 10 ohm or 1 kohm VOM setting. Can I safely assume they are bad?
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited March 2005
    Yes, they are cooked.

    My question was did you buy a new pre amp?
    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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  • mpatenio
    mpatenio Posts: 5
    edited March 2005
    No, not a pre amp. I actually bought a Yamaha receiver / amp. I don't know where I can borrow a Nakamichi pre amp. Also, my mid-drivers move freely, no binding nor scratching sound. My interconnect cables are connected right. I will be ordering the replacement tweeters today.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited March 2005
    The suggestion just meant ANY other pre-amp, not neccesarily a Nakamichi.

    Here's one for you if you want to stick with that brand:

    http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatran&1114464998

    Solid A'Gon dealer, original box and manual. They also are pretty common on Ebay. Good luck.
    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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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2005
    Tri-lam, ie Three Laminates.

    Aluminum
    Magnesium
    Titanium

    The RTA15 sports two 10" pr's, not 8's, both tuned to different freq's.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    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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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited March 2005
    FYI

    Technical Information from Matthew Polk and the Design/Engineering Team

    "Ultimately, the best performance was obtained from one layer each of stainless steel and aluminum applied directly to the polymide"

    1. Stainless Steel (0.00000394")
    2. Aluminum (0.00000394")
    3. Polymide (0.004")


    You could be right about the PR's, I honestly don't remember the exact size.

    Cheers,
    Jesse
    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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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited March 2005
    Mpatenio,

    Ok, at this point I'm not sure what to say about the lackluster bass issue. Give Ken Swauger at Polk a call, perhaps he can shed some light on 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

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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2005
    What does your techincal information say about the pr's?

    If the dacron inside those things have shifted, blocking or obstructing a clear path from the rear of the 6.5's, it can affect bass performance.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    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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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited March 2005
    "....have the ability to produce powerful, deep bass with virtually no distortion."

    What else do you need to know???




    If the dacron inside those things have shifted, blocking or obstructing a clear path from the rear of the 6.5's, it can affect bass performance.

    Good point, but do you think that could happen to both speakers at the same time?
    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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