1986 speakers - Monitor 5's?
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uchuujin
Posts: 3
I'm a newbie to this forum, having come here to find out about replacing a bad driver in one of a pair of speakers I bought in 1986. This forum has revived an old passion, but I've forgotten a lot of the "technics", so I'd like to ask some questions... a little bit about history and a little bit about the technical stuff.
The original booklet that came with these speakers calls them the "Model 5", but I'm assuming that's what people call the "Monitor 5"... Right? On the label of the MW 6502 driver are 4 check boxes. These are "M4", "M5 jr.", "M5", and "M7". The M5 box is checked on mine. The date on the label says "Jan 28, 1985".
As for the MW 6502 driver that has frozen up, I order 2 new ones. One still works, but I wondered if it may be slow or have lost something, so in the interest of having a balanced pair, I bought two. Anyway, I figured it would also be good to have a spare.
As for the tweeters, these are SL2000's. I've read a lot of posts in this forum about people who have replaced these with the RD0194, and common consensus seems to be that this gives better results. (Anybody disagree?) I asked about ordering those too, but it seems they don't ship them anymore. The lady at Polk told me the general recommendation is to replace any component with the same thing and that, if a component is working, not to replace it at all. (Anybody disagree?) Anyway, if I were going to replace the SL2000's, what would be the ones to go with? I believe this also has a bearing on the crossover installed... Right?
On that topic... I shopped around a LOT when I bought these speakers (poor student days), and I remember that the guy in the shop told me he had improved the crossover network that the speakers were originally delivered with. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it seems to me that there may have been a slight flaw in the original ones. How can I know what I've got in there?
Also, how does one go about matching up all these components, especially with regard to the crossover?
The original booklet that came with these speakers calls them the "Model 5", but I'm assuming that's what people call the "Monitor 5"... Right? On the label of the MW 6502 driver are 4 check boxes. These are "M4", "M5 jr.", "M5", and "M7". The M5 box is checked on mine. The date on the label says "Jan 28, 1985".
As for the MW 6502 driver that has frozen up, I order 2 new ones. One still works, but I wondered if it may be slow or have lost something, so in the interest of having a balanced pair, I bought two. Anyway, I figured it would also be good to have a spare.
As for the tweeters, these are SL2000's. I've read a lot of posts in this forum about people who have replaced these with the RD0194, and common consensus seems to be that this gives better results. (Anybody disagree?) I asked about ordering those too, but it seems they don't ship them anymore. The lady at Polk told me the general recommendation is to replace any component with the same thing and that, if a component is working, not to replace it at all. (Anybody disagree?) Anyway, if I were going to replace the SL2000's, what would be the ones to go with? I believe this also has a bearing on the crossover installed... Right?
On that topic... I shopped around a LOT when I bought these speakers (poor student days), and I remember that the guy in the shop told me he had improved the crossover network that the speakers were originally delivered with. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it seems to me that there may have been a slight flaw in the original ones. How can I know what I've got in there?
Also, how does one go about matching up all these components, especially with regard to the crossover?
Post edited by uchuujin on
Comments
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Go with the RDO194's. SL2000 are not available anymore. I have the 194's in my Monitor 5's they are great. Search threads about crossovers, that has been done before. (heiney9) I believe did his but I am not sure.engtaz
I love how music can brighten up a bad day. -
I agree on the RD0-194's but I will be the first to say that they are 4 to 6 weeks out before having them back in stock again. I have 4 on backorder myself. At least if you redo the caps (and resistors?), you won't have too many parts to worry about compared to the SDA's!
Welcome to the forum! Enjoy!Richard? Who's your favorite Little Rascal? Alfalfa? Or is it........................Spanky?.................................Sinner. -
Yes, we have been giving avguytx a hard time about how well the RDO194's sound, only because we knew his were on back order. LOL
I would describe the RDO194's a silky smooth compared to the 2000's.engtaz
I love how music can brighten up a bad day. -
Sigh........Richard? Who's your favorite Little Rascal? Alfalfa? Or is it........................Spanky?.................................Sinner.
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Here you go. The thread w/pics of teh x-over upgrade and RD0's.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51420&highlight=xover
At the minimum you did the right thing by purchasing (2) drivers. It just makes sense to replace both of them given the age.
RD0's are the ticket even for those who seem to tolerate the sl2000 tweeter. if you ever put the 5's on nicer gear you'll really hear the sl2000's shortcomings.
I had a very positive experience upgrading my x-overs and it;s not terribly difficult. The speakers are at the 20 year mark and the newer caps and resistors really make them sound 100 times better. Smoother, more open, effortless, dynamic.
Some will state it's not nec., and that's OK, but I found it to be a very worthwhile project.
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! -
H9 did you ever come across Monitor 5A schematicsengtaz
I love how music can brighten up a bad day. -
I want to say "thanks" for all the great replies. heiney9, the "How to" document is great, and I can't wait to use it when all the supplies arrive!
