5 JR tweeter replacement, which is better?

Options
wbz
wbz Posts: 18
edited January 2006 in Vintage Speakers
I have a pair of 5JR speakers with missing tweeters. I have come to learn that the originals, SL2000, were a bit "peaky" at 5 kHz. I'm not sure that I want to invest the nearly $100 for the new improved SL2000 or stick with the original which can be had for $30 - $50 a pair.
If anyone has the 5Jr's and upgraded the tweeters, was it worth it? What gain did you percieve? If you had a positive experience, what kind of music do you listen to?
If you own the 5 Jrs and haven't upgraded, why not?

Also, If anyone has the Polk spec sheet for the 5 Jrs could they scan it and upload for me? It doesn't seem to be available on the Polk site.
Post edited by wbz on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Here's a sheet.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited January 2006
    Options
    That one sucked. Try this one.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • wbz
    wbz Posts: 18
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Thanks but the Monitor 5 Jr. isn't there. Just the 5 Jr+.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited January 2006
    Options
    wbz wrote:
    Thanks but the Monitor 5 Jr. isn't there. Just the 5 Jr+.

    Sorry but the best I can do is spec sheets on the Original Monitor 5, the 5jr+ and the 5jr+ series2. I figured something was better than nothing.

    Monitor 5 = Peerless tweeter
    " " 5jr = SL1000? I believe.
    " " 5jr+ = SL2000
    " " 5jr+2 = SL2500
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • wbz
    wbz Posts: 18
    edited January 2006
    Options
    BobMcG > didn't intend to be negative. I do very much appreciate the info. I suspect the 5 Jr. had about the same specs as the 4.5.

    anon > Thanks for the input.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Agree w/ mouse...

    5jr's don't rate that kind of investment. Figure out which exact model you have and look for the right used tweeter. Should put them back in action for about half the cost.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Ok, I forgot I had this whole other old Polk booklet so here's a look at some of the spec page with the 5jr.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • wbz
    wbz Posts: 18
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Thanks for re-posting! Now I can rest at night.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,092
    edited January 2006
    Options
    As I've stated many times before, I really like the 5b's and for that matter the slightly lesser 5jr. It's a tough call. Certainly you won't get your ROI IF you are planning on selling them soon. The sl2000 will certainly be cheaper as it's used.

    IMO, if you plan on keeping them for a long while go for the RDO replacements. If they are relegated to a system that gets little use or if you may be selling them in the next few months/years just get the used sl2000.

    FWIW

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited January 2006
    Options
    wbz wrote:
    Thanks for re-posting! Now I can rest at night.

    No problee-mo. :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mlhm5
    mlhm5 Posts: 217
    edited January 2006
    Options
    anonymouse wrote:
    My opinion on this is that the ROI for the upgrade defeats the exercise. You will spend $100 on the upgrade to the new RD0 tweeters. Put in a little chump change more and you will get a pair of good condition RT25 or if lucky RTi4 speakers. These new speakers are smaller, look sleeker and have upgraded silk tweeters. And you get the full speaker. The 5jr may give you a bit more bass extension but not much. IMHO, the 5JRs sound great with the original SL2000's. I do not like them as much as the RTi6's, but they are definitely nice speaks.

    For around $100 plus shipping you can buy the following from ebay and craigslist:

    RT7s, RT5, RT25, RTi28, RT35i, SDA CRS w/stands and if you are very lucky RT55s (well mabye $150) Add to that the Monitor 5s with Peerless tweeters, Monitor 7s with the peerless tweeters, Monitor 10's with the peerless.

    I just bought a pair of RT7s off ebay for $117 shipped.

    - Someone else jump in - What else can you buy for $100 plus shipping?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,092
    edited January 2006
    Options
    mlhm5 wrote:
    For around $100 plus shipping you can buy the following from ebay and craigslist:

    RT7s, RT5, RT25, RTi28, RT35i, SDA CRS w/stands and if you are very lucky RT55s (well mabye $150) Add to that the Monitor 5s with Peerless tweeters, Monitor 7s with the peerless tweeters, Monitor 10's with the peerless.

    I just bought a pair of RT7s off ebay for $117 shipped.

    - Someone else jump in - What else can you buy for $100 plus shipping?

    The next time you find a pair of SDA-CRS for $100, with or without stands, let me know :p . That would be the bargain of the year!!! Certainly someone with great patience could find the deals you mention, but the above models for $100 are not very common, not impossible, but rare. Sorry I have no others to add :o.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mlhm5
    mlhm5 Posts: 217
    edited January 2006
    Options
    anonymouse wrote:
    My opinion on this is that the ROI for the upgrade defeats the exercise. You will spend $100 on the upgrade to the new RD0 tweeters. Put in a little chump change more and you will get a pair of good condition RT25 or if lucky RTi4 speakers. These new speakers are smaller, look sleeker and have upgraded silk tweeters. And you get the full speaker. The 5jr may give you a bit more bass extension but not much. IMHO, the 5JRs sound great with the original SL2000's. I do not like them as much as the RTi6's, but they are definitely nice speaks.

    For around $100 plus shipping you can buy the following from ebay and craigslist:

    RT7s, RT5, RT25, RTi28, RT35i, SDA CRS w/stands and if you are very lucky RT55s (well mabye $150) Add to that the Monitor 5s with Peerless tweeters, Monitor 7s with the peerless tweeters, Monitor 10's with the peerless.

    I just bought a pair of RT7s off ebay for $117 shipped.

    - Someone else jump in - What else can you buy for $100 plus shipping?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mlhm5
    mlhm5 Posts: 217
    edited January 2006
    Options
    heiney9 wrote:
    The next time you find a pair of SDA-CRS for $100, with or without stands, let me know :p . That would be the bargain of the year!!! Certainly someone with great patience could find the deals you mention, but the above models for $100 are not very common, not impossible, but rare. Sorry I have no others to add :o.

    H9

    Hi,

    These just sold on ebay and there is a pair on ebay right now at $149. Act fast gone in 6 hours.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5851682600&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

    Available now
    http://cgi.ebay.com/Classic-Polk-SDA-CRS-Speaker-Pair-Nice_W0QQitemZ5857975523QQcategoryZ71572QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,092
    edited January 2006
    Options
    ^Thanks for the heads-up
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Wow a budding statistician... Often when a data point falls well outside the established normal range, there are reasons...

    On the $100 pair:
    1. They were local p/u only.
    2. "There seems to be something wrong with the left channel (I think it's the left, they've been unplugged so long I forget). It's not blown, it seems like certain tones cause static or some kind of interference."

    On the now available:
    How much do you want to bet they are over $200, i.e., in the normal range, at auction's end?
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mlhm5
    mlhm5 Posts: 217
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Tour2ma wrote:
    Wow a budding statistician... Often when a data point falls well outside the established normal range, there are reasons...

    On the $100 pair:
    1. They were local p/u only.
    2. "There seems to be something wrong with the left channel (I think it's the left, they've been unplugged so long I forget). It's not blown, it seems like certain tones cause static or some kind of interference."

    On the now available:
    How much do you want to bet they are over $200, i.e., in the normal range, at auction's end?

    For $100 what did you expect? NOS? Dream on. Here is a pair where you don't have to replace the SL2000's tweeters. BIN for $300 or take your chances.
    http://cgi.ebay.com/polk-audio-sda-compact-bookshelf_W0QQitemZ5858814127QQcategoryZ71572QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,211
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Tour2ma wrote:
    Wow a budding statistician... Often when a data point falls well outside the established normal range, there are reasons...

    On the $100 pair:
    1. They were local p/u only.
    2. "There seems to be something wrong with the left channel (I think it's the left, they've been unplugged so long I forget). It's not blown, it seems like certain tones cause static or some kind of interference."

    On the now available:
    How much do you want to bet they are over $200, i.e., in the normal range, at auction's end?

    Yeah,
    And that pair of CRS doesn't have shiping cost listed. The seller could charge just about whatever they want at the auctions end and chalk it up to UPS Store packaging cost.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,211
    edited January 2006
    Options
    mlhm5 wrote:
    For $100 what did you expect? NOS? Dream on.

    Dude, when you start telling people that they can get a set of speakers for a certain price, its assumed that they are in working order. Effed up sets shouldn't be part of your "database". Craigslist is also very localized since 90% of the sellers on CL won't ship.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mlhm5
    mlhm5 Posts: 217
    edited January 2006
    Options
    billbillw wrote:
    Dude, when you start telling people that they can get a set of speakers for a certain price, its assumed that they are in working order. Effed up sets shouldn't be part of your "database". Craigslist is also very localized since 90% of the sellers on CL won't ship.

    Look, most of the SDA CRS I have seen for sale recently have the SL2000 tweeter which most people want to replace. So even if you got a real deal ie. $100 you have to replace a single woofer or tweeter, you still are ahead of the game by replacing both or 4 SL2000's. Additionally most of these old speakers would like old amps, receivers and tuners sound a lot better if they were recapped.

    So if you are into a collectable like the 20+ year old SDA CRS, and you want them to sound as good as the day they were made, figure on recapping and changing out the SL2000s.

    Personally I think the RT55's and RT7s are as good a value speaker as you can buy if you are not into big or updating.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mlhm5
    mlhm5 Posts: 217
    edited January 2006
    Options
    billbillw wrote:
    Yeah,
    And that pair of CRS doesn't have shiping cost listed. The seller could charge just about whatever they want at the auctions end and chalk it up to UPS Store packaging cost.

    No one is telling you to buy them. I am pointing out that that unlike some offered for sale here at $500, there are deals out there, especially if you don't mind replacing a tweeter or woofer. Big deal.

    I encourage you to buy local if you do not want to pay for shipping or are afraid shipping will harm the speaker.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • amertalk
    amertalk Posts: 6
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Hi...Can someone please tell me the easiest way to change out the Sl1000 tweeters I have in Sda2s...to the new silk dome. I am not very handy with tools....how much modification will be needed? what is the easiest way to do this? Many thanks!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2006
    Options
    ^^ Which is more likely with the CRS's than any other Polk speaker. And if you'd been around here more than a month you'd know why...

    All I was saying is that to post low prices with no explanation give folks artificially low expectations.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Welcome, amertalk...
    Best idea is to first do a forum-wide search on "tweeter replacement". If that fails to turn up what you need, start a thread in the Troubleshooting or Vintage Speaker area of the forum.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mlhm5
    mlhm5 Posts: 217
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Tour2ma wrote:
    ^^ Which is more likely with the CRS's than any other Polk speaker. And if you'd been around here more than a month you'd know why...

    All I was saying is that to post low prices with no explanation give folks artificially low expectations.

    As always Caveat Emptor!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Ah, but caveat venditor also applies....

    Did you happen to check the closing price on the "$149" CRS+'s?
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jtgranby
    jtgranby Posts: 887
    edited January 2006
    Options
    mlhm5 wrote:
    For $100 what did you expect? NOS? Dream on. Here is a pair where you don't have to replace the SL2000's tweeters. BIN for $300 or take your chances.
    http://cgi.ebay.com/polk-audio-sda-compact-bookshelf_W0QQitemZ5858814127QQcategoryZ71572QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
    Just FYI those tweeters are SL1000's.
    JT
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2006
    Options
    Lol...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter