Should I Update RT1000p crossover to RT1000i?

egr13

Newbie here; I just bought a pair of RT1000p's; one of the SL6502 tweets was blown, and the other had obviously been poked at too many times by someones kid, some wasted partygoer, or possiby both.
I've now got a pair of SL6506 tweeters on the way from Polk. Seems like the 6506 tweeters were the same ones that the RT1000i's used, and I just got the schematics for both the 1000p and 1000i crossovers from polk as well, in case I want to update the crossover and covnert the speakers to i's completely.

So....do I bother changing the crossover? I can't really do a comparison test without actually converting at least one crossover, and I'd rather not mess with them if I wouldn't hear the difference, or if I prefer the sound of the 1000p crossover.

Anyone out there have both versions, or has had both versions at soem point in time? Any appreciable difference? Good/Bad/Ugly?
What kind of change was it (different crossover point...changed attenuation on a driver...etc.)?

Thanks!

F1nut

If anything, you should upgrade the caps and resistors in your RT1000p's, although the cost to upgrade those parts will likely exceed what you paid for the speakers.

egr13

That price is kind of what I'm worried about. And I'm fairly sure the existing crossovers aren't damaged or anything.

@F1nut; when you say "upgrade", are you suggesting better components but keeping the RT1000P crossover schematic, or going to the RT1000i crossover?

To convert to the 1000i crossover, I would need 2 each of: 1.5Ω res., 4Ω res., 9μF cap, and 20μF cap.

Although I've done plenty of tinkering with circuits and electronics, I have no experience in selecting crossover components for audio, so I've just been digging into it. Lots of info, various opinions on brand differences and value.

Regardless of the "preferred" brand of caps are for replacing these things, does anyone know what level/quality the Polk OEM caps are? Their specs are fine and all, but, it seems that the differences in caps are barely touched by what's in the spec, which most manufacturer's seem to meet. (±5%, 100V, Mylar Film, DF≤ 1%, etc.)

Although I do love music, I do not consider myself an "audiophile", and my listening environment is far from optimal anyway. I'm honestly not sure how much I would benefit or be able to appreciate a better than Polk OEM sound; just looking to possibly re-create the factory sound from the 1000i's.

What replacement caps would be considered an equivalent to the existing?
If there's a significantly better product for a little bit more, what would that be?

mantis

When I owned the Rt1000p's I upgraded the crossovers and Tweeters. It made a nice upgrade and a solid difference in overall sound quality. I was very please with the results. I used the RT1000i's tweeters and crossovers.

F1nut

egr13 wrote: »

@F1nut; when you say "upgrade", are you suggesting better components but keeping the RT1000P crossover schematic, or going to the RT1000i crossover?

I should say that I've never heard either of the speakers in question. That said, I'd still suggest going with better components rather than a stock RT1000i crossover.

Regardless of the "preferred" brand of caps are for replacing these things, does anyone know what level/quality the Polk OEM caps are? Their specs are fine and all, but, it seems that the differences in caps are barely touched by what's in the spec, which most manufacturer's seem to meet. (±5%, 100V, Mylar Film, DF≤ 1%, etc.)

Polk OEM caps are electrolytic with mylar for the tweeter(s) and are going to be +/-10%.

Although I do love music, I do not consider myself an "audiophile", and my listening environment is far from optimal anyway. I'm honestly not sure how much I would benefit or be able to appreciate a better than Polk OEM sound; just looking to possibly re-create the factory sound from the 1000i's.

Ok then, why didn't you simply purchase the RT1000i's?

What replacement caps would be considered an equivalent to the existing?

The ones that cost a quarter...maybe a buck or two for the mylar.

If there's a significantly better product for a little bit more, what would that be?

Define a little bit more.

egr13

Originally Posted by egr13
@F1nut; when you say "upgrade", are you suggesting better components but keeping the RT1000P crossover schematic, or going to the RT1000i crossover?

I should say that I've never heard either of the speakers in question. That said, I'd still suggest going with better components rather than a stock RT1000i crossover.

Sorry, should have been more clear; the two options I am considering are:
1) keep the current 1000p crossovers as they are.
2) modifying the crossovers to be the 1000i crossovers.
Although the 1000i series are supposed to be the "upgrade", the 1000p crossover actually uses 2 more caps on the tweeter circuit than the 1000i crossover. So, from a purely financial standpoint, if I do any component upgrades, I might as well modify it to the 1000i, since I'd have to buy less caps to do that anyway.

Regardless of the "preferred" brand of caps are for replacing these things, does anyone know what level/quality the Polk OEM caps are? Their specs are fine and all, but, it seems that the differences in caps are barely touched by what's in the spec, which most manufacturer's seem to meet. (±5%, 100V, Mylar Film, DF≤ 1%, etc.)

Polk OEM caps are electrolytic with mylar for the tweeter(s) and are going to be +/-10%.

Again, I should have clarified: The specs I quoted above (±5%, 100V, Mylar Film, DF≤ 1%, etc.) were actually taken from the Polk engineering drawing for these crossovers. I was trying to say that there seem to be many capacitors out there that meet or exceed these specs, but there are extremely large variances in price between them.
It appears to me that there are some very important qualities that are not captured in the specifications, that in turn, affect the price. It would appear that I can purchase parts fairly cheaply that meet the OEM Polk spec, but that that's not the "full story".

Although I do love music, I do not consider myself an "audiophile", and my listening environment is far from optimal anyway. I'm honestly not sure how much I would benefit or be able to appreciate a better than Polk OEM sound; just looking to possibly re-create the factory sound from the 1000i's.

Ok then, why didn't you simply purchase the RT1000i's?

Wasn't looking for a particular set; just saw these 1000p's on craigslist couple weeks ago, and talked the guy down to $180/pair when I found out the tweeters were blown/damaged. Good thing, too, because those replacement SL6506tweeters are $140ish/pair even @member prices!

What replacement caps would be considered an equivalent to the existing?

The ones that cost a quarter...maybe a buck or two for the mylar.

Lol; are you being sarcastic, or is that really about right? if that's the case, then it sounds like just about anything would be an upgrade!

If there's a significantly better product for a little bit more, what would that be?

Define a little bit more.

I'd love to stay around $60ish total for all the upgrade parts: 2 each of: 1.5Ω res., 4Ω res., 9μF cap, and 20μF cap.
Many of the caps I've seen cost more than that individually though. If I spent $60ish for new components, would that actually be better parts, or would I have the 1000i crossover, but with lesser quality components?

Thanks!

egr13

@mantis-
What particularly did you hear different when you went to the 1000i's?

Deepc6

Is there a vast difference between the 1000i and 1000p? I have 2 sets and I am wondering the benefits of doing so.

Davino1

I'm also curious about upgrading my 1000p's!

pitdogg2

Do both speakers use the same driver and tweeter? Did you check the schematic here?
Might be more to it than just a cap change.

Davino1

The same, haven't changed anything, yet.