Best Polk speaker drivers?

The LS90's had some great woofers and a nice tweeter.

You could take those components and include a Polk audio powered 12" subwoofer into a bottom
cabinet.

The S series had some nice woofers too.

Now...like @emlyn said above and I've read this over many years, Polk audio has kept getting better and better. With the exception of plainly obvious budget lines, their upper-level lines used very fine drivers and cross-overs per price point targets.

So...maybe see what might be for sale (at used pricing) locally with Polk speakers and subs and come here again and ask some more questions about "them". Maybe you could score some "FINE" polks you can part out for your builds.

Polk's classic Monitor 10's got me back into stereo collecting and music listening again. I like classic rock a lot and Motown. Piano music not so much. These Monitor 10's sound like I think classic rock and Motown should sound like. I like the Monitor 10's with Peerless Tweeters. The Polk RD-0194 replacement tweeters sound pretty good too. They're about 60.00 ea.. Members with more knowledge than I like the RD-0198 replacements better. Each replacement tweeter is designed for specific cross-overs in specific polk classic speakers.

I've never heard the RD-0198 yet.

Good luck.

ChrisD06 wrote: »

@Tony M

I listen to rock quite a bit, but I also enjoy the occasional rap music or piano music.

I love Polk, thought I'd make the ultimate Polk speaker by taking their drivers, combining them, and putting them in a custom cabinet.

I would probably suggest one of those kits where the crossover and the cabinet dimensions are already correct.

I've owned Rt3000P's for 10+ years and the bigger brothers to the top speakers of the RT3000p, the RT55's.

Here's some experience I just had over the last 6 months;

I put a few book-self and a few tower speaker sets in my back room of the cottage and hooked them all up. I needed to re-test a lot of receivers I had stored for years.

Of all the speakers, the RT55's produce the best bass 21' away on the opposite wall. THEY SOUND PERFECT and balanced.

These RT55s were sold when I needed some spare spending money. The man called me back and said his bose 301's sounded a lot better in the bass area. Ok, bring them back. I know very well how 301's sound and the RT55's beat the bose 301's in every way. I know it.

I asked the man if I could hook them up to see and hear what he was saying. I hooked them up and damn if he wasn't right, they had no bass. I returned his money and left. I was glad to have them back, sellers' remorse and all. Later that night, laying in bed, I thought about the polarity. I'm human and couldn't wait to see if I in fact wired one backwards.

The next morn came and out I went.

YEA! I wired one wrong. I corrected it and WOW, kick-a** speakers were back home where they belong. I still own them and I hope to forever now. I did try and sell them years ago to a very nice guy and he declined thank God.

The man had to have wired one backwards too.

No such thing as best. You can combine the "best" of anything and end up with something that sounds like complete crap. It's the synergy of blending the right drivers, crossover components/design, and cabinet construction that makes a speaker the "best". And even that is subjective.

ChrisD06 wrote: »

Hey all, thanks for the replies!

I think I'll get some LS90 woofer as @Tony M suggested, and for the midrange driver I think I may give the LSi series ones a try along with their ring radiator.

As for @Emlyn asking why not R200s? Simple. Why not try to build custom ones?
Point of the project is fun not budget. I don't really care if they sound worse than R200s, I just want them to sound better than the RT3000p satellites in music and I'll be happy.

So, how are you going to implement the 8 ohm woofer with the 4 ohm tweeter and the mid-driver of unknown ohms?

Ohm's law is of no concern here at the CCP.
'Trans'ducers are accepted for whatever ohm they identify with.

Meniscus audio also has a ton of great kits

The LSi is a good place to start. I wish there was an LSi 8. The 7 was just a tad light on the bass and the 9 was just slightly "tubby" for lack of better terms.

However for their size they could fill a small to medium size room....very musical.

The LSiM 705 is a great speaker, not sure how you turn it into a bookie but would have to sacrifice the bass.

gp4jesus wrote: »

Someone correct me, but aren’t those RD-0198 made by Peerless?

They could be, I've not found any manufacturer name/number on any of mine.

gp4jesus wrote: »

Avoid the RTi/RTi A series tweeters (RD-690, I believe) at all costs. Not even as a gift.

Someone correct me, but aren’t those RD-0198 made by Peerless?

What?? Those are decent tweeters!

They just need a bit of resistance to put them at the proper level.

Most all of them are peerless/vifas....yes....including the RTi/RtiA lines.

gp4jesus wrote: »

F1nut wrote: »

Made in China.

By Peerless?

Peerless makes some of their products in Denmark and some in China under the Tympany HK brand. I have no idea if Peerless makes the RDO tweeters for Polk. Not even sure were that notion came from.

F1nut wrote: »

I have no idea if Peerless* makes* the RDO* tweeters for Polk. Not even sure were that notion came from.

Hansvelton seems to believe that* but we both know you’ve been around.

To be fair, PE carries an inexpensive ($13.48) Peerless tweeter that, except for color, looks* remarkably like an RD0690** tweeter minus the heat sink, free of the Polk RTi/RTiA series bezel.
*I compared one** to PE’s images

Peerless by Tymphany OC25SC65-04 1" Textile Dome Tweeter

Whatever… Tony
https://www.parts-express.com/Peerless-OC25SC65-04-1-Textile-Dome-Tweeter-264-1018?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIopyumoak9wIVxYBbCh2OQQFxEAQYCiABEgIFIvD_BwE