Polk SRT Support Group (A Gathering Of People Who Share A Common Addiction)

If you are an SRT owner or fan of them, you are encouraged to participate constructively in this thread my friend.

Do you have SRTs?

Well I have two sets of SRTs that I use as a 10.2 surround setup with my Pioneer SC-09TX AVR. I bought both sets used about 15 years ago or so. I remember when they came out in the 1990s and drooled over them but they were way out of my league financially. I later ended-up buying a brand-new RT5000 system (the baby brother to the SRT) and had it for several years until I saw a used SRT system for sale.

They were in decent shape cosmetically but had a "rattle" in both subs which was why the seller was getting rid of them. The system was complete except for the rear surround speakers. It had the two mains and the center speakers and the control center with remote. I paid less than $3,000 for it.

So I sold the two RT5000 systems I had. Some of it I sold on this forum 15 years ago. I decided to contact Polk Audio about any options I might have with repairing the subs. I didn't know if the drivers were blown or what exactly was wrong with them. I just knew they sounded like crap. The top satellites were fine. No shifted magnets or damaged surrounds. Excellent condition. Neither of my two sets have ever had any issues with the drivers in the satellites. I think those issues might come from some serious abuse or being left exposed to the elements or something like that. Most of the SRTs I've seen with the rubber surrounds torn and damaged also had cabinets that looked like they sat out in someone's back yard or were severely abused. While my cabinets aren't perfect, they don't look bad.

Here's where I get into the story I mentioned earlier about my experience with Polk Customer Service. It's a good story.

I contacted Polk in Baltimore and asked them what my options were with getting the subs fixed. After I described what they sounded like they immediately told me that there was a known problem with the SRT sub drivers. The spiders were known to separate and when they did the speakers "rattled" loudly. They told me if I were to remove the drivers from the cabinets and ship them to Baltimore, they would repair them for free. All I would need to do is pay for the shipping. I gladly took them up on their offer.

I removed the 4 sub drivers and made a wooden box to ship them in so they wouldn't get damaged. About 2 weeks later I got an email saying they were repaired and on their way back to me. They not only fixed them for free, they paid for the return shipping! That's what I call "customer service"! I don't think too many other companies would have done something like that.

The guy who repaired them was Freeman E. Stills. An awesome dude!



While the drivers were out, I had the amps re-capped and checked-out real good. When the drivers came back everything was ready to re-install. They were like brand-new. Actually, Freeman said after he re-glued the spiders they were "better than new" and should last a long time. He was right! They sounded awesome and still do. Polk customer service really came through for me. I had the system of my dreams for a fraction of the original cost and was very happy.

A few months later I bought a 2nd used SRT system from Craigslist. It was in pretty-much the same shape the 1st one was in and yes, it had the exact same rattle in the subs. So I did the same thing with it as I did with the 1st set. Removed the sub drivers and shipped them to Freeman to get repaired. Re-used the same wooden crate I made and then rebuilt those amps too. Same result. Amazing sound!

So then I had four mains & two center speakers with two control centers. I added four brand-new f/x1000 bipole/dipole surround speakers, two at the sides and two in the rear. Last but not least I have two PSW1200 subs at each side. They are a perfect match for the SRT system and share the same plastic bases the SRT uses. They pack a nice extra seismic punch.

So that's my setup (or at least what it will utlimately look like in my new home). Not a true "Seismic System" per say but an all-Polk facsimile that really kicks! I'll post-up some pics when I get it all set up.

Ever since I got these I've also been accumulating as many spare parts as I can find over the years. I have a nice selection of stuff to keep these in top shape going forward barring any extraordinary event. Spare NOS mid drivers (MW5804 & MW5805), spare NOS tweeters (SL-6501). I also scored an NOS remote and have it as a spare. One of the best finds for these were two brand-new NOS SRT amplifiers. I couldn't believe I got them. All of the NOS parts came from sellers in the Baltimore area. I have some other used parts too like a couple spare bases, feet and miscellaneous hardware for them. The stuff was hard to come by and wasn't cheap either but I wanted the insurance.

You can send the drivers out and have them professionally repaired too. Replacements are pretty-hard to come by so it is worth getting them repaired if you need to but if your repairs work, who cares what it looks like. The grilles cover them.

NOS drivers for the SRTs are very hard to come by and I haven't seen any for sale for quite a while. I think I paid $87 for the last MW5805 driver I saw for sale.