RTA 15TL's on Craigslist/Milwaukee

smglbrth

Hello All. I'm thinking of looking at these 15TL's. As far as I have read persons either love them or hate them so I don't need advice on sound I guess. They do have a smaller foot print, which makes the wife happy.

However, in the listing he states that the wood is "separating" at one top edge (1/16"). Is this a big deal that I should question/worry about? I've never dealt with separations of wood on older Polks before and don't know what it would actually take to fix, or if one could fix it. A few minor scratches could mean anything.

You don't see these for sale often so I thought, what the heck, maybe try them out.

They are kind of local, about an hour or so away. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

concealer404

You may be able to reglue it or just fill it if you aren't really worried about it looking like it just came from the factory. If it's affecting the seal, it will affect the sound, but without seeing pictures, can't tell to what extent it's an issue.

jimbo1421

Yes, this could be a big deal. The passive bass radiators require a sealed volume of air to work against. Try the "press test". Press gently and hold in the PR. The mid woofer should extend outward then slowly return to its original position. Anything over three seconds is probably OK.

I bought a pair of Monitor 10s last summer with the same problem. I thought I would be able to fix the problem by filling the gaps with injections of epoxy. It worked for a while, but later lost its seal. I now wish I had passed on them.

Regards,
Jim

leroyjr1

I could take a look at them for you.

smglbrth

I received an email back from the seller on these and he sent me a pic of the separation, which I've attached. It looks to me that the whole side is separating and that it would take some "ugly" work to get back into shape. I think I might pass on these. Looks like some major "separating". Of course, I could be wrong... (any other thoughts?)

Seller was genuinely nice, however, and understood my concern.

Thanks for the offer Lee, if anything changes I'll let you know.

leroyjr1

Doesn't look too bad. I've thought about having a listen but like you the speaker gap had me worried.

jimbo1421

Injecting glue into the gap and drawing the open joint back together with clamps looks like it would be pretty easy and would look good. Making sure that the joint is airtight for its entire length is more problematic. Inside the box, the assemblers slop glue all over the inside corners to assure a seal. If that glue is cracked or loose one would probably have to chisel all of it off and re-seal the corner joints from the inside. That's the worst case scenario. Best case: the repair I described first works and you have a great pair of speakers. I don't think I would pay $350 for them, though.

Good luck,
Jim

concealer404

What's the asking price?

leroyjr1

concealer404 wrote: »

What's the asking price?

$350

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/ele/1530584092.html

kcoc321

+1 on what Jimbo said. I would not be too afraid of repairing them, but then I have the clamps and carpentry experience. That said, it could be a good opportunity to pick them up for a pretty good deal, considering they go for upwards of $500, for a pristine pair. Since he is well aware of the issue, maybe offer him $300??
Seller does say it has not effected the sound, so maybe they still have their seal..??

smglbrth

I thought about the glue and clamping, that would be easy enough (although I get along with wood best with matches). The whole entire length is what bothers me. Looks like the separation goes farther than just the top corner. What I do know of wood is that once it starts bowing it likes to continue. Since they obviously weren't dropped at some point my guess is they were in a damp environment or the factory didn't put enough glue on the inside.

Lee, he did state that he would hook them back up in his home if I wanted someone to come and take a look for me, and listen to them. Said the weekend would be best.

So..., guess I'll be out on these. Lee, if you want to check them out of your own accord go ahead. I'd hate to spend decent money and have a project right away..., that would suck...