Monitor 5b's x-over upgrade w/pics

Well, I’ve had some time to get the new tweets and x-over broken in as well as some decent listening time. All I can say is, “I have a big fat grin from ear to ear”. These speakers have been completely transformed. The RD0’s are every bit as good as everyone says. These are still lively on the top end and the vocals have a forwardness that put them right out front, but not in a cardboard cut-out type presentation.

Vocals and upper frequencies are so smooth and effortless and not a hint of harshness or grain compared to the original tweeters. The depth for and aft is simply amazing. The soundstage is simply awesome and has so much realism when it’s in the recording; especially live piano. The natural tone and resonance can be startling.

These are not bass mongers, the bass is tight and taught and very solid, but they don’t dig deep, probably not too much below about 45Hz., convincing nonetheless and, there is a naturalness to the bass that’s hard to explain. It doesn’t sound forced or like it’s trying to “fake” it, like many other inexpensive ported speakers. (my Athena AS-B1’s come to mind).

It’s amazing how different these sound from my LSi 9’s, but at the same time I can now live with both of them. The 5b’s aren’t in the most listener friendly environment, but even so they sound remarkable. My 2 favorite audio adjectives now apply; completely open and effortless sound.

I picked these up from dkg999 for $35. The cabinets have a few very minor chips on the back edges where the veneer meet the particle board, a few scratches on the bottom and the grills need to cleaned a bit, but overall they are a solid 7. I spent $48 for x-over parts and $102 for the new tweets. I sold the sl2000’s for a net of about $40 after shipping, so the total cost for these speakers is about $150. A complete and utter bargain for the sound these produce. Classic Polk sound doesn’t get any better than this.

For the record here’s what I’m driving them with. It’s a PC based system in my office/computer room. Chaintech AV710 soundcard for its direct digital output capabilities; Harmonic Technologies-Sonic Impact glass toslink; AMC DAC-8 digital to analog converter; Yamaha AX-900U integrated rated at 130 wpc using the CD direct input. I use a program called Foobar to play regular cd’s and FLAC (lossless) files and yes, I play some mp3’s as well.

H9

jakelm wrote: »

Well congrates H9.

Take a pic for up to see what the new tweets look like in the cabinets. You did say no modification was need when replaceing the sl2000 with the RDO's?

Thanks, they really turned out well. I'll get some pics up. Yes, it's a straight forward drop in. Just remember to re-use the gasket from the old tweeter as the new ones don't come with the gasket.

H9

Man, you are really messing with the original speaker. The MCM is probably not going to be a good fit for the later model monitor's. The peerless models and the later models had a different x-over and you are really changing the original. I'm not sure what you are going to get and just throwing parts on the x-over to compensate for something you're not even sure how it will sound.

I'm all for experimenting but the RD0194-1 from Polk are the best ticket so far for the replacement of the sl1000 & sl2000 and the RD0198-1 for the sl2500. This is a tried and true replacement direct from the manufacturer. Upgrading the x-overs is also something I would highly recommend.

H9

Tin_ear_fool wrote: »

Whew, thanks for the advice on the MCM no workie for the SL2000. Just called and they cancelled my order.
Now, when I call CS, I just tell them I'm a ClubPolk member, and the price should be...? Of the 194-1, that is...

You are correct and to be safe I would mention the part number RD0194-1 just to be clear. Call and get Ken Swauger's extension and he'll set you up. $102 for a pair sent 2nd day (no charge for shipping). $48 x 2 plus tax.

H9

F1nut wrote: »

IMO, the price difference and more importantly, the sound quality of the Sonicap's is absolutely worth the money, but only if it doesn't exceed the value of the speaker, which in this case with the cost of new tweeters factored in, I'd say it does. Get the Solen's and be happy.

BINGO. You also have to consider the electronics you are running and where the speaks fit into your hierarchy. My 5b's are in a secondary system and the extra expense for the Sonic caps just wasn't worth it. However the Sonic caps are a superior sounding component compared to the Solens. I have LSi9's in the main system so that's where I do all my critical listening.

In my experience if you are going to do the x-overs it's probably a good idea to get the RD0's. For me personally after the x-over upgrade the sl2000 was just unlistenable. Keep in mind the sl2000 isn't the greatest to begin with, it has a nasty 6db spike at around 13kHZ and the new components just seem to make it worse. The Polk replacement RD0194-1 is a much more balanced, smoother, less fatiguing tweeter that works really well especially with the new x-over components.

Good luck

H9

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. I am really enthused about this project because it was a lot of fun and the results are off the charts. I expected some improvement but they turned out really well, better than expected. You don't realize how gradual the parts wear out or the benefit of using better than orignal spec parts until you actually do it.

I'm so stoked I might even consider doing my LSi 9's at some point. Although in looking over the x-over Polk used pretty high grade mylar caps on the tweets and all the other components seem to be above average. It would be fun to use some really high end caps and see what the results would be.

I wonder if it would be possible to get pre-drilled blank PC boards for the LSi 9 x-overs so I could just use my own new parts w/o the hassle of removing the old parts. Plus, it would be easier to swap them in and out for comparison. Kind of an unusual request, but I wonder if Ken could accomidate such a request.

H9