New Polk Monitor 50's, static noise.

Vaant

Hi, I just ordered, and received today a couple of Polk Monitor 50's. These are my first 'proper' speakers, going from my old Sony HTiB speakers.

My problem is that from one of the speakers i get a strange, low, hissing/crackly noise which is distorting the sound. I can only really hear it if i put my ear up to the speaker and notice that it's only coming out of the very top 'cone' part, the sound is beautiful from the middle and bottom of the speaker.

I'm pretty sure it's not my cabling as I tried hooking up my other Monitor 50 to the same cable and the same input from my receiver and that one sounds fine.

Pretty upset, don't want to have to pay for shipping this thing back to get it replaced... any ideas what could be wrong and if I could fix it myself? Just as a warning though, I'm a complete n00b when it comes to speakers I'm afraid.

My receiver is a Sony STR-DH700 by the way.

pablo_rodz

Where did you buy this from? If it is under warranty contact the PolkAudio Customer Service, they are great!

Vaant

I got them from Newegg, they're brand new so they're under warranty i guess

Vaant

Sorry for double post, i can't find the edit button... But I'm wondering, would Polk provide me with a shipping label if i sent it to them for repairs? This speaker would cost a lot for shipping...

wutadumsn23

The edit option is only available for I think like 5 minutes after you post and then it is not an option anymore. Hopefully Ken or Eric will see this thread and be able to help you out on the shipping issue. Polk CS is the bees knees though, so I wouldn't sweat it.

-Jeff

[Deleted User]

Hello Vaant,
Thanks foir posting on the Forum, I'm sorry you're having problems with the Monitor 50 speaker. It should be easy to replace the tweeter the only tool you would need would be a 9/64th Allen wrench. Just telephone us at 1-800-377-7655 or email us at polkcs@polkaudio.com and we can help get a replacement to you.
Regards, Ken

wutadumsn23

Man Ken, you are all over the Forum this morning, lol. I told you Vaant, Eric or Ken would be all over it.

-Jeff

Vaant

Thanks Ken, I'd read on these forums that Polk has one of the best customer services, and that was one of the reasons I chose Polk. You guys sure were right! But what i'm wondering is which of the cones on my speaker is the one that's not sounding good?

This is the speaker I have http://tiny.cc/aZaSK and it's the 'cone' on the very top which isn't sounding good, I followed Ken's advice and covered the other cone with a small pillow to isolate the sound to ensure that that's the one that's not working right. Is that the Tweeter? or the mid range driver? And once I get a replacement, how do I go about replacing it? I've used an Allen Key to take it out to look at it but it seems stuck, I don't want to force it even if it is broken... you could say I'm very delicate when it comes to DIY!

Jed Leland

Hello,
The approved tweeter removal method is to, after taking out the screws, use a putty knife to gently pry up the tweeter. Go around the complete edge of the tweeter's faceplate and put a couple layers of heavy paper behind the putty knife to prevent scratches. Go gently and take your time and it will come out.
Cheers, Jed

Vaant

Thanks jed, i managed to get it out. Now there are two cables plugged into it. I could take out one, but the Yellow cable seemed attached? Am i supposed to remove it at the tweeter itself? I just want to practice removing it and putting it back together so as i don't damage my replacement when i'm installing it. Also, are there any precautions I should follow as to looking after the speakers? Like not touching the front of the tweeter or applying pressure to it?

Vaant

Well I guess it's actually not the Tweeter that's broken but the top mid range driver? Are the two bigger cones mid range drivers and the smaller one in the middle (the one that says dynamic balance) the Tweeter?

kawizx9r

Vaant wrote: »

Well I guess it's actually not the Tweeter that's broken but the top mid range driver? Are the two bigger cones mid range drivers and the smaller one in the middle (the one that says dynamic balance) the Tweeter?

Yes, the smallest one is in fact the tweeter and the larger drivers are the mid range/bass drivers. They are all dynamic balance drivers

Vaant

Alright! I'm learning! So does the Tweeter actually output sound? It's hard to tell, even with covering the mid range/bass drivers with a cushion. And is it easy replacing a mid range/bass driver? I've managed to take it out but there are two wires and one seems to be attached...

kawizx9r

Hmm, if it wasn't playing earlier that might just be the reason! One of the cables (+) goes to the (+) end of the speaker and same thing with the (-) on the speaker cable and speaker itself. Try connecting it and playing them.

Vaant

Well, they're both plugged into the mid range/bass driver, but one (the yellow cable) seems physically attached (the other cable i can just unplug). It might not be, but I don't want to force it and end up breaking it. Surely I'm going to need to unplug the cable to replace the driver?

kawizx9r

Vaant wrote: »

Well, they're both plugged into the mid range/bass driver, but one (the yellow cable) seems physically attached (the other cable i can just unplug). It might not be, but I don't want to force it and end up breaking it. Surely I'm going to need to unplug the cable to replace the driver?

Yes, in order to pull out any driver you need to always disconnect both cables going to the speaker itself.

But you say its attached....I'm curious. Can you post a picture of this? Usually you can pry them off in order to remove said driver.

Vaant

Well, i'll go take another look. Maybe it's not attached and i'm just being ~too~ careful, but the way it plugs into the speaker is different form the other cable and it certainly is tight.

kawizx9r

Vaant wrote: »

Well, i'll go take another look. Maybe it's not attached and i'm just being ~too~ careful, but the way it plugs into the speaker is different form the other cable and it certainly is tight.

I'll take or look for a pic of what you should be looking at. It can be a bit tight fitting and difficult to pull apart, I generally hold onto the cable itself as to not pry the metal connector from the cable when disconnecting drivers. If you look closely, theres a small "bump" that keeps it from being pulled apart easily.

Edit: Here we go, hopefully you can see what I'm talking about


You can see it on the left terminal as well if you look closely.

Vaant

Wow, thanks for the picture, that really helped me! You are right about the bump, I've now been able to unplug the wires.

Is it safe to use the speaker with the top mid range driver unplugged? The sound is fine through the tweeter and bottom mid range driver.

treitz3

Vaant wrote: »

Is it safe to use the speaker with the top mid range driver unplugged? The sound is fine through the tweeter and bottom mid range driver.

No.

The ONLY way it would be safe is if the contacts going to the driver never touch each other. Still, it's best just to leave things alone until the new driver is properly installed. Why? **** happens.

kawizx9r

I would say, test the removed driver by itself. Plug it in to the speaker cable thats coming from your receiver and play it at a low volume and check how it sounds. If there is an issue, it may have been caused during shipping and the magnet or pole piece may have shifted (just an educated guess but I'm no technical guru by any means).

Vaant

I don't know how I'd go about connecting the speaker wires from my receiver to the driver, but I'm positive it's the driver that's the problem the cable looks fine and the tweeter and the other driver sound nice. You could be right about it being damaged during shipping or in the warehouse but the box looked fine and the cabinet is pristine so i don't know.

treitz3

You can [at a LOW volume] check the individual driver in question by taking the speaker wires that you would normally hook up to the speaker and gingerly touch them to said driver. + to + and - to -. If the issue persists, then you have found your problem.