i think i blew my sr tweeter with 30 watts?

killerb

i think i blew my tweeter. it cuts in and out and sounds scratchy. i switched the rca from left to right and it still sounds like crap. this sucks because i just got my second sr12 in my new box last night and now this. i think im out of car audio, too many problems. i also just got my new planet audio tube amp installed thursday. i put my carver amp back in to see if the tuber was the problem and it wasnt. how much does a sr tweeter go for? im going to think of what to do. if im really out look for some really good deals on sr124-dvc, sr components, audiocontrol dqsx etc.... soon. my mb quart speakers from 12 years ago are still in my other car with no problems, these didnt last a summer. they dont make them like they used to.:(

spwuinmk67

I had a similar problem in my system. Try switching to a different set of rca's, try running a different set of speaker wires, doesnt have to be all neat and hidden, just straight from point a to point b, to narrow it down. My problem wound up being with the amp, something with the rca connection inside the amp

killerb

ill try running a new rca.

MacLeod

Check the crossover. Make sure the protection bulb is not blown.

Did you buy them off Ebay or thru an authorized retailer? If you got them from Ebay its likely you got crap. If not, give Polk CS a call and Im sure theyll take care of you.

Customer Service:
polkcs@polkaudio.com
9am - 6pm, M-F, EST (USA)
800-377-7655 toll free phone
410-764-5470 fax

exalted512

try switching your tweeter protection light with your other crossover
-Cody

1996blackmax

That sucks.... hopefully it's an easy fix. If not if you purchased authorized, Polk should take care of you.

killerb

im running an audiocontrol active crossover crossed at 3300hz at 24db/oct. i got them off of ebay brand new in the box all sealed up so im screwed.

Toxis

get more power if you want to crank it. 30w? Yeah distortion kills.

RuSsMaN

Tox, the SR series is fairly efficient. Even in a CA application, 30w continuous should be fine.

Cheers,
Russ

killerb

i had 30w to the tweeters and 70w to the mids.there was zero distortion. i was running a 120w x 4 carver amp that i detuned down to 30w by putting only one volt to the input at max volume. no chance of clipping that amp at all. i put 2 volts to the input to get the 60w for the mids.

audiobliss

And this new amp you were using is a tube amp? A tube amp for car audio? I wanna see some links on that!!!

1996blackmax

Tube amps have been used in car audio for years.

Meeks32

Heh, whats it matter if he got them new off Ebay or through a retailer? Does that mean they have a flaw & are "Outlet" material?:)

killerb

i have the tube amp for sale on ebay right now. search under planet audio for the pictures. my ebay name is tashai, dont laugh its my girls name. i think im done with car audio. too much money and too much of my time. ill decide when i se how much a new tweeter will cost. im thinking it will be a fortune!

killerb

just because i got them off of ebay doesnt mean that they were crap. i have gotten plenty of things off of ebay and this is the first time i had any problems.

1996blackmax

Meeks32 wrote:

Heh, whats it matter if he got them new off Ebay or through a retailer? Does that mean they have a flaw & are "Outlet" material?:)

It just means that if something were to go wrong & if you did not purchase them from an authorized dealer, your product will not be covered under the manufaturer's warranty.

killerb wrote:

i think im done with car audio. too much money and too much of my time. ill decide when i se how much a new tweeter will cost. im thinking it will be a fortune!

Don't let this put an end to getting good sound in your car. Once you get it dialed in, you can just enjoy the tunes.

killerb wrote:

just because i got them off of ebay doesnt mean that they were crap. i have gotten plenty of things off of ebay and this is the first time i had any problems.

I agree with you. On newer and available items I just like to go the authorized way when I can, just in case I have problems.

There are gray market items on Ebay floating around, and you do have to be careful with them. Some may be counterfits. Other products may be "B" stock, or refurbished. Just as long as you know what you are getting.


I have made several purchases of car audio products through ebay. That is how I bought my very hard to get Alpine PXA-H600 processor a few years back. Now you see them once in a while, but back then they were very hard to come by. I got mine from a guy in Australia. I have also purchased HU's and amplifiers on there. They were all older and used models, but all worked great. If I want a good deal on an older product, that is where I will continue to go.

killerb

on the sr purchase i only payed $400 for them. i knew i was taking a risk but thats a hell of a discount. i rolled the dice and came out on the wrong side. im hopeing the tweeter will not cost a lot so i can continue this hobby. the sr12's sound SO good and i want to hear them broken in. 2 sr-12dvc + 1500watts= whats everybodys guess on the price of the tweeter. im guessing $150. so even though i have a broken tweeter if the tweeter cost me $150 im at $550 for the set. not bad unless something else goes. i might buy a new set from tweeter and sell mine on ebay, telling of the tweeter problem of course. this way i have a warranty.

MacLeod

killerb wrote:

just because i got them off of ebay doesnt mean that they were crap.

Yeah it kinda does.

Ebay is a good place to get a good price but youre also taking a big gamble that youre not getting crap. This is something Ive been preaching for years. Like they old saying "the sweetness of a low price soon fades while the bitterness of poor quality remains".

As for getting out of car audio well thats up to you. If you really enjoy this then you should stay but if youre going to stay just make sure youre buying quality gear from an authorized dealer. Ive never bought anything off Ebay and in 15 years have only had 1 piece of equipment, an Alpine amp, crap out on me but since I bought it authorized, I exchanged it the next day.

You dont have to buy $800 speakers to have great quality sound. A set of $300 MMC6500's properly powered and installed will sound awesome and give you plenty of enjoyment.

killerb

i disagree. i have purchased many things off of ebay with no complications. the sr set is not crap. one peice of the set failed. thats the nature of electronics. just because they were purchased on ebay has no bearing on the quality of the product. you just have to buy from reputable buyers. i will be out some money for the tweeter but thats life i guess. im not the first to blow a tweeter and i wont be the last. if the sr set was new in the box what makes them crap? do they have an inferiority complex because they were on ebay? i took a gamble with no warranty, but im willing to pay for a new tweeter. i got a hell of a price and with the new tweeter it will still be a great price. now im going to eat with my wustoff knives i got off of ebay.

1996blackmax

I've gotten alot of great older gear on ebay and will continue to do so. That processor I picked up on there combined with my older Alpine HU (before they went down the tubes) sounded better than anything Iv'e had since, and I've had alot of top end HU's within that time.

spwuinmk67

Back to the topic at hand, If it were the tweeter protection blub that blew, he'd have no tweeter at all. Try the rca's and speaker wire. As I said, I had the same problem, and it was my amp, which was only maybe 3 months old when it started happening.

bknauss

Cutting in and out is most likely an issue with speaker wires or RCAs. Make sure your speaker wires aren't touching each other at the amp or x-over and that the connections are nice and tight.

killerb

i tried new speaker wire and switched the rca with the tweeter that works and still the tweeter has the same problem. i checked the resistance and it was 2.7 ohms. the other tweeter is the same. im going to order a tweeter today.

exalted512

before you buy another one. Take the tweeter out and hook it directly up to the crossover of your good tweeter. Of course take the other one off and put this one on. If it still happens, its def. the tweeter
-Cody

killerb

im running an active crossover. i took the known clean signal and ran it to that side when i switched the rca. im 99% sure its the tweeter. i called polk and ordered the tweeter. it was only $60 with $5 to ship. i was surprised how low the price was. it should be here in a couple of days.

unrealii

Im running 85 watts actively to my tweeters. No problems here :-D

killerb

alot of people are running a lot of power. maybe the tweeter was just a lemon from the factory. thats alot of power your running. it seems its probably cheaper to buy the sr6500 by the piece.

unrealii

killerb wrote:

alot of people are running a lot of power. maybe the tweeter was just a lemon from the factory. thats alot of power your running. it seems its probably cheaper to buy the sr6500 by the piece.

I went that route. You will save about $2 once its all over with. Not worth it because of the hassle.

killerb

for me all i needed was the drivers. the tweeters are $60 apiece and the mids are $80 apiece for a grand total of $280 dollars. i wish i would have went that route. if anybody is going active, this is the way to go.

unrealii

Those are for drivers only. You forgot to include phase plugs, the mounting part for the phase plugs (which polk does not sell separately), etc. Every single little piece in that SR box is a separate part no. You are better off buying the whole set then selling the xovers if you want active.

killerb

oh, that sucks.