So I Found A Pair Of 2.3's Locally And.....

flason

they were a steal. They were advertised as "music speakers" on Craigslist and I called on them. A buddy recently purchased my RTA 12's and I was jonesing for some "new" to me Polks. Anyhow, listened to them for a few on his receiver and all drivers were working. Got them home and connected to my McIntosh 2205 and although very sweet, it wasn't all I thought them to be. Not sond wise mind you but the increased amps showed flaws in the drivers. May need to get 2 drivers replaced on the left channel and the tweeters will cut out at prolonged higher volumes. Tweets come back to life when you lower the volume and then can turn them up again. Must do more investigation on this but will also try my Onkyo Grand Integra 508 to see if there's any difference. Also don't have the interconnect cable but I guess they're available here for $45 so no big deal. Anyone have the current prices on replacement tweeters and drivers. I only paid $200 for these so I really have nothing to lose. Thanks for any help.

zarrdoss

well you got a smookin deal the polyswitches are probably going bad and need to be replaced or removed, new tweets will sound better and cost 48 each with free shipping from Polk

zarrdoss

are these the 2.3 or 2.3tl? The IC cable makes a huge difference.

flason

These are the older 2.3's with the donuts. Grills and tops in great shape although smell somewhat of dog. A little Fabreeze should cure that. Are the polyswitches on the tweeter itself? Or is it better to go ahead and replace all 6 tweets?

zarrdoss

The polyswitches are on the x-overs and look like a little round yellow disk with two legs on it, sometimes I understand they're blue and over time they get weak and cut out causing what is happening to yours. Polk use to have them but I understand they no longer do, you can get them at parts express or other places I'm sure others will recommend. also they can be removed entirely as long as you are careful with your volume. Also you can replace the cloth on the sides and grill, just make sure you use actual grill cloth for the grills and whatever you want for the sides. the two outside drivers will not work correctly without the IC between the speakers. you can use a rca minus the collar connected to speaker wire for now and get a IC latter. yes the RDO 194's sound much better than the sl-2000 in those, I know because thats exactly what I did with mine. congrats!

also correct set up it critical to achieve optimal sound quality. PM me your addy and I will send you a manual on these and a wire schematic

flason

Anyone on the forum rebuild the x-overs? That is if they are removable?

zarrdoss

flason wrote: »

Anyone on the forum rebuild the x-overs? That is if they are removable?

most people do, you have to remove the passive radiator and unbolt them from the back, be careful they're heavy.

flason

The speakers themselves are a beast! I was putting them in the truck yesterday and my back started to spasm. Luckily I set them gently down before i was laying on the ground. So if the poly switches are replaced, will there be a need to replace the tweeters? I have Dire Straits on right now and all drivers are working really nicely. No cracking from the L 6510's and all tweeters are sounding just great.

zarrdoss

heres the wiring schematic and pm me if you want the manual

Attachment not found.

zarrdoss

if you replace/remove the polyswitches then you should be fine, if you want to put some money in these and upgrade tweets and x-overs and other mods they will only get better. but remember these are over 20 years old and probably need some maintenance. but it will all be worth it. Even if yo put $800 in mods and upgrades you will still only have $1000 into them and they're is NOTHING out there new that will come close for $1000

flason

Thanks Zarrdoss. I seem to remember a pair of 1B's I had 7 years back and taking them to a local speaker shop to have those replaced. I do think I'll need one tweeter. Left bottom has no output. So Polk no longer makes the switches? I also remember Ken S. sending me those switches for free. I was really impressed with that level of customer service.

zarrdoss

flason wrote: »

Thanks Zarrdoss. I seem to remember a pair of 1B's I had 7 years back and taking them to a local speaker shop to have those replaced. I do think I'll need one tweeter. Left bottom has no output. So Polk no longer makes the switches? I also remember Ken S. sending me those switches for free. I was really impressed with that level of customer service.

yes for something over 20 years old, impressive. Polk does not have anything on they're web sight but if you call they will take care of you. they don't make the sl-2000's anymore but the upgrade is the RDO 194-1 and I would suggest replacing all of them and not mix and match. Or the sl-2000's are pretty plentiful on here or e-bay.

flason

I'm going to try the used SL2000 and some poly switches first. May meed a driver or 2 also. Put some bass heavy stuff on and heard a bit of driver bottom out. Will still try the Onkyo on there before swapping out drivers but the Mac is no slouch.

inspiredsports

Someone else with more experience can chime in, but I believe the polyswithces have an impedance of .5 ohms. If you direct replace with polyswitches from Polk, there is no problem, but if you elect to bypass, technically, a .5 ohm resistor should be substituted or the tweeter levels will be a bit louder.

If you have a decent high-current amp that will not clip at your highest listening levels, most elect to remove the polys as they do impart noise to the high-pass circuit

I know funds are tight for most right now, but the RDO194-1 (in my opinion) is a vast improvement over the SL2000. Additionally (in my opinion), used SL2000's seem to become even harsher with age.

The 2.3 is a mighty fine speaker and certainly worthy of $300 of upgraded tweets to bring it up to 2009 standards.

gdb

No IC Cable= No SDA !