Is there a crossover mod for the Polk R15 speakers?

Phasearray

It just really irritates me that Polk would put out a product with a single capacitor as the crossover and then slap on a suggest retail price of $179.95. After spending several minutes over at the AVS forum and reading a thread about how the $50(when on sale) Insignia http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&type=product&id=1138085354138 ($29 a pair last year) is way better than the Polk R15, it really bothers me.

Are there mods that can be done to the R15 to make them sound better?

F1nut

Don't believe everything you read, trust your ears.

zingo

Why would a single cap make the R15 a bad speaker? I've had two pairs of R15 and always thought they were a great sounding speaker for the price.

jcaut

I've never heard the R15's or the Insignia, so I can't comment on how they stack up against each other. But, there's nothing wrong with a first order crossover on the tweeter and running the woofer full range, provided that the drivers cooperate. In fact, especially in a small speaker like that, the less crossover the better IMO. Crossover parts soak up power and hurt efficiency.

zingo

Amen brother.

ben62670

jcaut wrote: »

I've never heard the R15's or the Insignia, so I can't comment on how they stack up against each other. But, there's nothing wrong with a first order crossover on the tweeter and running the woofer full range, provided that the drivers cooperate. In fact, especially in a small speaker like that, the less crossover the better IMO. Crossover parts soak up power and hurt efficiency.

Well said. I wouldn't consider an R15 a flagship model, but more of an entry level that is better than many speakers in its class.

Ben

Face

The others beat me to it. Nothing wrong with that design. I wish my speakers had a crossover that simple.

zingo

For example, one large difference between the "older" SDAs and the "newer" SDAs is a x-over with less components. This really helped with the sound as the SDAs progressed. The only time I have been impressed by complex x-overs was a pair of KEF Q70s that I had. They were a four-way system, with over 30 components in the x-overs. But, I think a lot of people would agree; the simpler the better.

Face

zingo wrote: »

The only time I have been impressed by complex x-overs was a pair of KEF Q70s that I had. They were a four-way system, with over 30 components in the x-overs. But, I think a lot of people would agree; the simpler the better.

Sounds like what I'm dealing with, this is only a two way crossover. http://a290.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/82/l_98b7165a517648731eed907124eaa7f9.gif

jakelm

I have the m10 as surround back. Cant beat the speaker for the price, but they are not too efficient.

jakelm

Face wrote: »

Sounds like what I'm dealing with, this is only a two way crossover. http://a290.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/82/l_98b7165a517648731eed907124eaa7f9.gif

Ouch!!!!,,, Screw that ****. I 'm perfectly happy with my 2nd order xover in my 7's and 4's. You can keep that one.

mojo_13

Just wondering if anyone has listened to both the insignias with the xover mod and the r15's? I have only heard the r15's and thought that they sounded pretty good for the money.

zingo

I would go with the R15 over the Insignias just based upon the fact that they are a BestBuy brand. That may not mean anything, but I haven't had a lot of hifi success with their equipment.

Mazeroth

Some tweeters can get away with a single capacitor if they're mated with a relatively flat woofer that's crossed over high, although, not many can pull it off. Polk definitely did this to save money.

Now, if you want to see a real man's crossover check out some of the work over at HTGuide.com's Mission Possible forum. For example, here's a pic of a crossover Jon Marsh designed, who happens to be one of the best crossover designers ever. He's even "invented" a new type of crossover, which he calls a cauer-elliptical with an 8th order roll-off.





Yes, those are passive crossover parts, not an active crossover layout. Here's the thread I pulled it from:

http://htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=27218

Face

That's insane.

Just think I was intimidated by this.

Mazeroth

28 parts versus 12. Yeah, a whole different story :eek:

zingo

That's nuts, but might be fun to build!