Polk RT25i WOOFERS NON-FUNCTIONAL. HELP!

corinthos · September 2003

Hello. I was wondering if anyone might know what the possible causes of both WOOFERS on a pair of RT25i speakers being non-functional? The tweeters are producing sound though. I have never heard speakers with just tweeters active so I don't know how they're supposed to sound, but what I hear is the higher end and it's not very full and a bit harsh. Sort of like how a really cheap pair of $5 toy speakers might sound. The woofers aren't producing sound at all and not moving. the woofer on each speaker is out, not just one. I received the speakers this way. what are the odds.

At first I thought maybe my 30W amp isn't powerful enough or the 12-gauge Lowes 6' pair speaker wire i'm using was the cause.

Is there anyway to fix this on my own? perhaps a loose connector? I looked inside and i'm not exactly sure what to look for. All of the wires appear to be connected however. Except there is a red wire and a black wire that connects to a 3"x3" breadboard and the woofer. The red wire is easily disconnected but stays on just fine, the black one is connected pretty good.

Someone told me that perhaps, during shipping, the speakers dropped and magnets became loose, locking the woofer. he suggested i gently push the woofer in to see if it freely moves in and out, if it doesn't he said the magnet probably got loose.
I am wondering in either case, what are my options/possiblities.

If anyone has some helpful info it would certainly be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

RuSsMaN · September 2003

Well, the wire/amp combo has nothing to do with the issue first of all.

Second, DO the mid-bass drivers 'give' easily under gentle pressure, or are they firm? (the surround begins to deform under light pressure)

Cheers,
Rooster

corinthos · September 2003

if i recall correctly i gently pushed on the woofer and it did move but not much. So I don't know how much "give" it should have.
Seemed like if pushed the other direction from behind it was a little easier to move.

if it does "give" properly, then what might the problem be?
and what if it doesn't "give" properly?

VR3 · September 2003

take a strand of speaker wire, and hold the positive and negative to the terminals on the driver and see if it will make sound that way......

*Just an idea* - Dad has done it before....so......

If it does make a sound that way, it could be a crossover problem.

Tour2ma · September 2003

Originally posted by corinthos
a red wire and a black wire that connects to a 3"x3" breadboard and the woofer. The red wire is easily disconnected but stays on just fine, the black one is connected pretty good.

gently push the woofer in to see if it freely moves in and out, if it doesn't he said the magnet probably got loose.

Do the boxes and/ or packing show any signs of damage from a drop?

I assume the "breadboard" is the cross over...
Also assume the wires are soldered to clips that push on the terminal.... yes?
Is the red wire "loose" in both? Possible cause, but not likely. Even with poor contact you should get some sound...

In doing the "push" test of the woofer, spread your thumb and fingers evenly around the circumfereence of the cone (not the surrounds) and gently push as Russ instructed. Should easily and freely move 1/4" or so if they are OK.

If they are OK, double check all your wiring, IC's and speaker, and your receiver selections. Almost sounds like what you are hearing is bleed through from an alternate source, e.g., you intend to play a CD and have selected "CD", but the CD output is patched into the DVD inputs, or similar.

corinthos · September 2003

the packing doesn't show any damage from shipping.. no dents or anything in the shipping box. someone said a drop could have caused magnets to go loose.

yes i believe those loose red connectors i mention are the same ones you described. and i think the same thing you do that it shouldn't cause no sound from woofers since it is connected just loose.

i'll try the "push" test on the woofer. let's say it moves 1/4" or so in and out, what could I conclude from that about the problem?
similar question in the event it doesn't move.

Thanks.

Tour2ma · September 2003

Not moving freely means the voice coil and magnet are making contact, and they should not. Should take no effort whatsoever to move the cone...

If it moves freely you can disconnec the woofer from the crossover and wire a battery, D cell or transistor to the woofer. Cone should suck in or push out, depending on the polarity. Reversing the leads should produce movement in the opposite direction.

corinthos · September 2003

so if it doesn't move freely what does that mean for these speakers? does it mean it'll have to be repaired by a pro?

and if it does move freely using battery test, does that mean
the problem could be with the crossover?

thanks

Polk RT25i WOOFERS NON-FUNCTIONAL. HELP!

Comments