Installing RDO 194s

The RD0194 (SL2000 replacement) has two posts of equal size. It has a DC resistance of 7.5 ohms.

The RD0198 (SL3000 replacement) has two posts of different size. It has a DC resistance of 5.6 ohms.

There is usually a red dab of paint on the positive terminal of either tweeter. Sometimes there is a "+" sign scratched into the plastic next to the positive terminal.

For the RD0198, the smaller post is positive.

The RD0194 and RD0198 look identical from the front and it is easy to mistake one for the other.

It appears you have RD0198's rather than RD0194's. They are not interchangeable.

If one used these 198s instead of 194 it is not going to wreck anything but what effect will it have on the high end given the resitance difference?

So geppy in all your posts slamming the 194s did you not know they were 198s?

geppy1 wrote: »

I have to agree with Bob. One thing that really bothers me is before the poster even gets done talking about what the have the auto response comes out GET RDO 194s!!!!. Like it is the greatest thing since air. I agree with Bob. many like them but some do not. I have spent way to much time switching tweeters ( ROD194, SL1000, Peerless

I think you missed the point. Nobody is slamming them . Read the post agian. I am slamming the auto response. Here is the point. The attitude by some is YOU MUST GET THESE. Implying your an idiot if you do not use these. In some cases people do not even own the speakers they are looking at and are told change them before they have even listened to or own the speakers. There are some guys on here who have an even keel about it. They say you may want to look into these if you do not like what you here. That is a huge difference in approach. Bottom line 10s of thousands of speakers were sold by polk with SL1000 and SL2000 between 1982 and 1990. If they were so bad people would not have purchased them or still be hanging on to them. There is a handful of people who are into the 0194s which is great but the implication is if you do not chnage your stuff over to them you are an idiot. I guess there are 10s of thousands of us who are idiots. Its about choice. I even heard it called an upgrade. Does Polk describe it that way?? I thought the sheet said it was a replacement. I was assured the ones i had were 194s. I have no problem retrying the correct one. I am not agianst them its the attitude that the rest of us not using them are idiots. That is just wrong.

It's an easy, recommended fix for the speakers that do, for a lot of ears, give a more pleasing response with various types of music. I do admit that some ( ) do go a little overboard with it, though. I personally like mine more and more now that they've gotten more play time since I've had them. Some things seem a little subdued but the music that tended to me more dramatic in that peak region (female vocals, etc), have improved tremendously.

I guess I look at it like this. You buy a 20+ year old used car and there is a fix for something that could make it better. Maybe it had a bad vibration from 2000 to 4000 RPM and this could fix that. Would you do the upgrade or live with the vibration? Not trying to be a smart ****. I myself was leery at first of spending $200 on 4 tweeters but I am glad I did.

Just my $.02. YMMV.

Read, they came with a pair of 1981 12Bs which would have had the later Peerless made in the US. Another reason to believe they would be 194s. I sent pictures to a well known member on this site and he thought they were 194s. Neither of us knew about the post difference whch appears to be the only way to tell them apart. Everything pointed to them being 194s.. I have to take care of the customer now.
As for the spike. very few people can hear 5db and way up at 13 to 15KHZ it is even harder. I do know that the 2000s I have heard do sound somewhat thin and slightly bright so I understand what you are talking about. I do not deal with 2000s. I have the two different perless and the the silver faced SL1000. The SL1000 does not seem to be as bad as the SL2000 even though I know it does have a a peak at 15k.
I would really like to know if anyone has a response graph for the 1000 and the 2000. Are they different?
AV, You have it now. That is all I have been trying to say is that some go way over the top with you must get rid of what you have and get these. Nothing more and nothing less. As for the RPM comparo, well done but I say run er to 6500 and see if we can throw a valve. I had that happen on a 351Cleveland in our 70 Cougar coming out of first gear on the strip. The valve head seperated from the stem and broke off bounced around on the piston then got to the side and the piston went out the block and it bent the rod.NO GOOD. I still have the piston.

As a side note do I really want to get a pair of RTA 15s verse the RTA 12s I have I have a pair available to me 4 hours away.

I'd like to have a pair of the RTA15(TL's) myself just for the hell of it. There's a pair on "you know where" but they are too far from me to consider...in Illinois. One day a pair will come up around here. Hell, 3 pairs of SDA's in the last year alone isn't too bad!

I was hesitant for years to get the RD0's because my stuborness didn't believe it could make "that" much of a difference. How wrong I was. The old sl2000 ramps up and it's not so much the spike at 13kHZ, but it's a resonance at around that freq than make some piano notes and many femal vocals sound very thin and shrill.

The RD0's are extremely smooth and detailed without a hint of brightness, harshness, or edginess. The RD0's are the ticket and always will be and I'll continue to encourage new Polk users to swap them out. It would be a disservice not to.

H9