New Tweeters Installed, Smooooth At Last! [Archive]

Stew

10-29-2005, 02:29 AM

Installed new RD0194-1 tweeters in my SDA 2B's today. Finally as smooth as I remember the peerless tweeter from the original monitor series. :D Everything I've listened to sounds better. I had a couple of CD's that sounded so bright and harsh I couldn't listen to them. Now they sound great! The bass sounds much tighter and punchier too. Welcome surprise - I wasn't expecting that.

Gotta love Polk service. I ordered updated parts for 15 year old speakers on Wednesday morning, they gave me the Club Polk discount, shipped them for free, and they arrived Friday morning!

nadams

10-29-2005, 09:20 AM

Good to hear. I can't wait until I can afford to get 4 new tweeters for my SDA 2's. The bass firming up could've been an air leak around one or both of the old tweeters. There was a thread quite a while back about going around and "snugging" all the screws holding your drivers down, since the speaker cabinet is designed to be sealed. Any kind of air leak would reduce bass response, or just make it sloppy.

I'd have to agree on Polk CS. I ordered two 6503 drivers for my SDA's on Monday, and they were delivered on Wednesday, although we are in neighboring states. And these speakers are older than I am! I just hope I can get the tweeters before they decide to stop making them...

halo

10-29-2005, 11:17 AM

nadams - make sure you trim the rubber of the surrounds on the new drivers around the mounting holes (like the originals) before you install them. TRUST me on this & good luck. To me the replacement drivers dig a little deeper than the originals but that could be the air leak thing you mentioned.

schwarcw

10-29-2005, 02:51 PM

Glad you got your new tweeters, the difference is amazing. I'm going to do the crossover upgrade on my SDA-2s this weekend. I'll give you some feedback.

keith allen

10-30-2005, 10:50 AM

I have original sda 2's,is this the same tweeter I need for my upgrade?

ND13

10-30-2005, 11:22 AM

I'd have to agree on Polk CS. I ordered two 6503 drivers for my SDA's on Monday, and they were delivered on Wednesday, although we are in neighboring states. And these speakers are older than I am! I just hope I can get the tweeters before they decide to stop making them...

Check your boxes, I'll bet they came out of Cali. I have yet to get a replacement part from anywhere but Cali.

Polk CS ROCKS!!!!!

nadams

10-30-2005, 04:21 PM

I have original sda 2's,is this the same tweeter I need for my upgrade?

Yes, the original SDA 2's (three 6.5" drivers per cab, two tweeters per cab) had the SL2000 tweeters, which are replaced by the RD0194-1

madmax

10-30-2005, 05:14 PM

The bass sounds much tighter and punchier too. Welcome surprise - I wasn't expecting that.

I've heard this from a few others and noticed it myself. The proper treble will define the bass. I noticed way back in my car audio days that the bass always seemed to fall off if you lower the overall volume or quality of the highs. You could describe the sound as more muddy. The best part of bass is produced by the tweeter. :D

madmax

schwarcw

10-30-2005, 08:11 PM

Nadams - I disassembled my SDA-2s this weekend to perform the crossover upgrade, my woofers were all M6600s. The wiring schematic designated these as MW6501s. The woofers were all tested and dated by Polk QA on Feb. 1984, which is the date of assembly of my speakers. So I don't think these were replacements. What woofers did you have?

nadams

10-30-2005, 08:22 PM

My original drivers were MW6501's, not sure of the date. The replacements that polk sent me were MW6503's. ONE of the drivers I had to replace was a mw6600x, and it actually looked different than the rest of the drivers (larger dustcap). I'm not sure where that one came from, as I just bought these speakers and it was in there when I got it (but locked up, which is why I replaced it)

schwarcw

10-30-2005, 09:06 PM

Hmmmmm. I'm going to call Ken Swauger at Polk tomorrow to see what the scoop is

F1nut

10-31-2005, 02:04 AM

The MW6501 and the MW6600X are interchangeable drivers.

Stew

10-31-2005, 02:26 AM

There was a thread quite a while back about going around and "snugging" all the screws holding your drivers down, since the speaker cabinet is designed to be sealed. Any kind of air leak would reduce bass response, or just make it sloppy.

I checked for air leaks by gently pushing in the passive radiator and there didn't appear to be any leaks before or after the tweeter replacement. I'm going to snug the screws on all the drivers to be sure though. Thanks!

I've heard this from a few others and noticed it myself. The proper treble will define the bass. I noticed way back in my car audio days that the bass always seemed to fall off if you lower the overall volume or quality of the highs. You could describe the sound as more muddy. The best part of bass is produced by the tweeter.

I don't pretend to understand why but there's definitely more bass. I ended up moving the speakers 3/4" further away from the back wall. (Couldn't decide between 1/2" and 1" - split the difference) The bass level is back to where it was before - but it sounds better now. :D

Glad you got your new tweeters, the difference is amazing. I'm going to do the crossover upgrade on my SDA-2s this weekend. I'll give you some feedback.

Look forward to hearing about your crossover upgrade! My crossover upgrade may be a little further delayed as I discovered a leaking toilet seal this weekend -- and a rotten floor under the seal . :( Plan to get the caps before too long though. Hope dinner with your big eatin' brother and the crossover upgrade both go great!

go-go

10-31-2005, 02:45 AM

how much do these tweeters cost, and are they difficult to install? thanks.

nadams

10-31-2005, 09:12 AM

For club polk members (make sure you mention it when you call!) they are $48 each, shipped. Installation is a matter of pulling the + and - off of the old driver, and putting them on the new driver, and screwing the driver back into the cabinet. Simple! Make sure, first, that the tweeters you're replacing are the SL2000. There's a different replacement for SL1000/Sl25000...

go-go

11-01-2005, 03:47 PM

i'm a newbie, sooo. how much do these tweeter upgrades cost, and are they difficult to install?

go-go

11-01-2005, 03:51 PM

i'm a newbie, sooo. how much do these tweeter upgrades cost, and are they difficult to install? is the difference that much noticeable?

nadams

11-01-2005, 04:05 PM

I plainly posted above how much they cost, and how to install. I can't speak on the difference, as I don't have the replacements yet myself, but every one who's done the upgrade has heard a difference.

schwarcw

11-01-2005, 04:15 PM

The replacement silk dome tweeters will take the harshness out of the high end. Making it smoother, much less fatiguing. It is a very noticeable improvement and highly recommended.

Carl

cj4qts

11-01-2005, 10:09 PM

heiney9

11-02-2005, 10:14 AM

I have a set of RTA1tl's and want to rebuild the crossovers as I popped both SL3000's and now need to upgrade to the new replacement tweeters. I am not sure if I want to tackle this myself or have someone else do it.

Is there anyone out there who knows how to properly do this who might be willing to do this for me? Any idea on a price?

Andy

The SL-3000 tweeter uses replacement tweeter model # RD0198-1

Parts-enough for BOTH cross overs.

(2) 12 uF 400v PB Solen Caps (5%)
(2) 16 uF 400v PB Solen Caps (5%)
(2) 34 uF 400v PB Solen Caps (5%)
(2) 1.5 Ohm Mills Wire-wound Resistor (1%) 1R5-MRA5

www.partsconnexion.com

I'd also change the poly switches at this time since you have the x-overs out. If you don't have the talent to solder, I'd find someone to do it. My soldering skills are grotesque so I'm either getting together with other CP members or most likely will have a local friend do the parts swap.

Question for Jesse (F1NUT)
I have a schematic for both the 11T and 11TL. The TL has (1) less resistor across the tweeter. The (TL) has a 0.3mH inductor only, where as the (T) has a 0.4mH inductor amd 2.7 Ohm 5w resistor.

What would the difference be if I used the RD0198-1 to replace my sl2000 in my 11T's and then just used the proper parts for the TL cross-over. So in essence I'd change the (T) x-overs to (TL) and use the corresponding replacement tweeter for the sl3000. Would I gain anything? Is it worth it? What do you think Jesse?

P.s. This is assuming these schematic's I have are correct. I see on the 11TL schematic the poly switches aren't indicated so maybe there are more omissions on here :confused: .

F1nut

11-02-2005, 03:50 PM

The only changes between models appears to be the high frequency part of the crossover, so it would be easy enough to go from the "T" to the "TL" by changing those parts in addition to the new tweeters. Is it worth it? Yeah, I think so. I would check with Ken about the schematic omissions first.

heiney9

11-02-2005, 05:38 PM

Thanks for the advice F1. When I finally start this project I'll consullt Ken and ask some questions.

H9

halo

11-02-2005, 05:57 PM

Great H9 - Now I'm going to have to do the t < tl thing now. :p

What's the difference between the RDO194's & the RD0198-1's? :confused:

heiney9

11-02-2005, 06:11 PM

Great H9 - Now I'm going to have to do the t < tl thing now. :p

What's the difference between the RDO194's & the RD0198-1's? :confused:

RD0198-1 replaces the sl-3000 in the TL series
RD0194-1 replaces the sl-2000 in the T series.

As mentioned the "TL" series has a slightly different x-over config for the tweeter. The story goes that when the original "T" series with the sl-2000 was reviewed by Stereo Review or Stereophile they pretty much trashed the upper freq output. It has about 6db hump around 10-12K that makes it very annoying with most material. Polk quickly introduced the "TL" series which had a tamer tweeter (sl-3000) thus the slight difference in x-over parts. Still the sl-3000 was a improvement but still had its detractors.

As far as the diff between the current repalcements, I'm not sure how they rate against each other. But I know they are both big improvements over the older sl-2000 & sl-3000. If I'm going to refresh the x-over I might as well try upgrading to the last (most current) version of the RTA-11's. I'll check with Ken first to see what, if any, difference this will make. I have a hard copy of the "TL" schematic and if you want it I can have my brother scan it and e-mail it to you.

H9

halo

11-02-2005, 06:31 PM

I think both the original crossovers are still available from Polk. That might make upgrading a little easier :confused:

Let me know what Ken says.

Yes please send me the tl schematic. Thanks.

heiney9

11-02-2005, 06:39 PM

I think both the original crossovers are still available from Polk. That might make upgrading a little easier :confused:

Let me know what Ken says.

Yes please send me the tl schematic. Thanks.

That's good to know in case of a disaster on the current ones. By upgrading the components in the current x-over, w/ Jesse's parts list you sent me, you're getting a better x-over with higher quality/tighter tolerence parts. In some cases the parts might be "fresher" than the x-overs from POLK just because of age. Certainly for those of us, like you and me, who can't solder to a high degree just getting them from POLK is easier. But I think I'll swap out my current x-overs (with help) and see how that goes :) .

I'll get that schematic out this weekend. I won't see my brother until then and he's the one with the scanner.

H9

halo

11-02-2005, 06:50 PM

:cool: Thanks H9.

F1nut

11-02-2005, 08:59 PM

Hang on guys. You can NOT buy crossovers from Polk for these vintage speakers. The SL2000 was used from 1984 to 1989, a span of 5 years and had a 5dB spike at 13kHz.

heiney9

11-02-2005, 09:14 PM

Hang on guys. You can NOT buy crossovers from Polk for these vintage speakers. The SL2000 was used from 1984 to 1989, a span of 5 years and had a 5dB spike at 13kHz.

Well I was close about the spike (give or take 1db and 1kHz) :o . I had a feeling the x-over's weren't avail anymore. I'm going to redo my old ones, with help, as I don't solder very consistently. I'm just looking to freshen things up a bit and really make the new (replacement) tweets sound as good as they can. I figure if it worked for the SDA's, it should work for the RTA's.

I'm still going to check w/Ken about the "TL" x-over parts and the RD0198-1 tweet just for kicks to see if it will make any difference.

Thanks again F1 for clarifying some of the issues, and for providing Peersool with the upgraded parts list for his RTA-11t which he passed on to me.

H9

halo

11-02-2005, 09:34 PM

Hang on guys. You can NOT buy crossovers from Polk for these vintage speakers. The SL2000 was used from 1984 to 1989, a span of 5 years and had a 5dB spike at 13kHz.

I was referring to post #29 in this thread Jesse:LINK (http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32743&highlight=rta)

F1nut

11-03-2005, 12:51 AM

There are a lot of things listed on the parts/price lists that are not available. Polk hasn't changed those lists in years.

F1nut

11-06-2005, 01:52 AM

heiney9

11-06-2005, 10:42 AM

H9,

I've been looking over the RTA 11T schematic and it appears to be more than just, "the TL has (1) less resistor across the tweeter. The (TL) has a 0.3mH inductor only, where as the (T) has a 0.4mH inductor amd 2.7 Ohm 5w resistor."

The 11T uses two 12uF caps per board, no 16uF.

Yes that is correct. When I asked the question I was just speaking about eliminated parts or extra parts not specific values. I shouldn't have said "The only difference" because that was misleading. My bad. Both have the same # of caps, but different values. I guess I didn't make myself clear on that, sorry. In the parts list I posted for the 11TL you'll see the different value caps listed.

Yes, I was planning on replacing all parts in the 11T x-over with parts of the correct value for the 11TL. Do you see any other issues I should be concerned with? Before I start this project I will still check with Ken about the schematic I have and make sure it's 100% correct. It still bothers me that on the 11TL schem, the poly switches are not indicated and a resistor is eliminated/missing across the tweeter.

H9

F1nut

11-06-2005, 01:42 PM

Ok, just to clarify here's a side by side.

11T per board

(2) 12uF cap
(1) 34uF cap
(1) 2 ohm 5 watt resistor
(1) 2.7 ohm 5 watt resistor

11TL per board

(1) 12uF cap
(1) 16uF cap
(1) 34uF cap
(1) 1.5 ohm 5 watt resistor

The 11T uses a 0.4mH inductor while the 11TL uses a 0.3mH. The difference is slight, so it's up to you if you want to change that too. As noted, there is no polyswitch indicated on the 11TL schematic. A simple check would be to look at your crossover.

Personally, I think with the new tweeters the differences between the two models will be very slight and probably not worth fussing about.

heiney9

11-06-2005, 02:47 PM

Ok, just to clarify here's a side by side.

11T per board

(2) 12uF cap
(1) 34uF cap
(1) 2 ohm 5 watt resistor
(1) 2.7 ohm 5 watt resistor

11TL per board

(1) 12uF cap
(1) 16uF cap
(1) 34uF cap
(1) 1.5 ohm 5 watt resistor

As noted, there is no polyswitch indicated on the 11TL schematic. A simple check would be to look at your crossover.

Those parts are correct according to my schematic's. I don't have the TL model so I can't check the crossover for poly switches. I'm sure the TL's have poly switches, don't you think :confused: .

Does it make sense to you Jesse for them to omit the resistor across the tweeter in the "TL" model ?

Thanks
Brock

heiney9

11-06-2005, 03:01 PM

Alright I may be jumping a head here since I haven't talked to Ken, but suppose the schematic for the "TL" is correct and there is no resistor across the tweeter. My model "T" crossover board has a 2.7 ohm 5w resistor across the tweeter in series with a 0.4mH inductor. If I choose to update my "T" crossover to the "TL" what's the best way to jump/connect the resistor holes in the "T" crossover board to make it a complete circuit if a resistor is not needed (as indicated on the "TL" schematic)?

Jesse, maybe I'm making this way too much trouble. It's probably best just to keep it stock with the correct parts and tweeter for the upgrade. You already stated there will probably be very little difference between the two replacement tweeters anyways.

H9

F1nut

11-06-2005, 03:09 PM

Does it make sense to you Jesse for them to omit the resistor across the tweeter in the "TL" model ?

Who am I to question the Polk Gods!?!

what's the best way to jump/connect the resistor holes in the "T" crossover board to make it a complete circuit if a resistor is not needed (as indicated on the "TL" schematic)?

Use a wire jumper, just solder the ends in the holes.

I seem to recall someone else mentioning that the 11TL didn't have the polyswitches. Talk to Ken tomorrow.

heiney9

11-06-2005, 04:05 PM

Who am I to question the Polk Gods!?!

I thought you were one of the Polk Gods....or as close as could be :D .

Thanks for the input

H9

cj4qts

11-08-2005, 10:22 AM

I have a copy of the RTA-11tl schematics right from Polk if anyone wants them.

Andy

heiney9

11-08-2005, 10:52 AM

I have a copy of the RTA-11tl schematics right from Polk if anyone wants them.

Andy

Andy, thanks for the offer I have them ("T" & "TL") as well. Are you or did you already upgrade x-overs? I'd be interested in the results and post any info/pics you might have.

Thanks

H9

heiney9

11-08-2005, 10:55 AM

Also for the record and future reference. Peersool (Victor) talked to Ken and he felt nothing would be gained by upgrading the RTA-11T x-overs to RTA-11TL x-overs and using the corresponding replacement tweeter. So I'm leaving mine alone and just upgrading with the correct parts and replacement tweeter.

H9

halo

11-08-2005, 11:21 AM

Parts (Solen caps ,Mills resistors, RDO194-1 tweeters, and polyswitches) ordered yesterday. Thanks for your help Rich, Ken, & Jesse!

H9 - Add (2) 1.0uF 400V caps to your list fot the 11t upgrade. You will have to piggyback the 33 and 1.0 on the board. That means you tie (solder) the leads from both together to end up with the 34uF required - per Jesse's instructions

vanman

12-15-2005, 09:36 PM

Hi,

Got a reply from Ken:

Most enthusiasts have found that the new RD0194-1 sounds better than the original and will work with the 11T crossover, eliminating the need for crossover changes. In other words, you would have the same results as making the changes to the crossover and going to the RD0198-1 without needing to modify the crossover.

What do you gurus think? As I plan to buy the 11TL crossovers with the RD0198-1s. Or should I just stay with Ken's advice.

Thanks in advance...

halo

12-15-2005, 10:03 PM

vanman

12-15-2005, 10:07 PM

They don't sell the crossovers anymore. :( Just use the RDO194-1's and rebuild your crossovers. I did and I'm happy with the results. YMMV Good luck :)

Thanks for the reply. Do you have the part numbers and parts list for the 11TL crossovers. Perhaps i can get someone here to help do it for me. :)

halo

12-16-2005, 11:39 AM

Thanks for the reply. Do you have the part numbers and parts list for the 11TL crossovers. Perhaps i can get someone here to help do it for me. :)

I don't have a list for the 11tl crossover but you can ask Ken to send you a shematic for the 11tl or - if you know what to look for - unscrew the binding post plate on the back of the cabinet - the crossover is on the other side - and look at the values on the caps and resistor(s). My 11t's use polyswitches the 15tl's do not. The 11t's use two different 5 watt resistors the 15tl only uses one resistor. Good luck :)

heiney9

12-16-2005, 04:52 PM

I have a scan of the 11TL cross over if you need it. I scanned it full size so it's a big file. PM me with your e-mail if you want it Vanman.

H9

vanman

12-20-2005, 12:15 AM

F1nut

12-20-2005, 02:26 AM

Perhaps you could try the new RD0194-1 tweeters to see if the improvement is satisfactory to your ears before spending more money on the TL conversion.

heiney9

12-20-2005, 10:03 AM

What do you all think of the comments made to me :- "Most enthusiasts have found that the new RD0194-1 sounds better than the original and will work with the 11T crossover, eliminating the need for crossover changes. In other words, you would have the same results as making the changes to the crossover and going to the RD0198-1 without needing to modify the crossover."

Do you guys think it is worth it to just modify the 11T xovers to 11TL and get the RD0198-1 tweeters, or just stay with the 11T xovers and get the RD0194-1.

Thanks for your help :) Anyone able to do up 2 x 11TL xovers I can pay you :) of coz nothing is free hehe.

Since the comment came from Ken I would listen to his advice, he is Da Man :) . I was going to do the same thing you are thinking with my RTA-11t's but decided it wasn't going to be of any benefit. So, just rebuild your current x-overs and get the RD0194-1's and you'll be amazed at the transformation. (Got your e-mail) I'll send you the schematic for the "TL" tonight, then you can decide if you still want to persue the upgrade to the "TL". Follow Jesse's (F1Nut) advice as well, as he knows what he's talking about. He's helped walk many Polkers thru electronic upgrades.

Of course, if you like the way they sound now, just leave 'em alone and continue to enjoy. :)

H9

EDIT: For that matter just leave the x-overs alone and just replace the tweeters, that will amaze you as well!

halo

12-20-2005, 11:04 AM

EDIT: For that matter just leave the x-overs alone and just replace the tweeters, that will amaze you as well!I just replaced the sl3000's on my 15tl's with the RDO198-1's and the sound is much smoother. :D I haven't done the crossovers on the 15tl's yet but I did them on my 11t's after I replaced the sl2500's with the RDO194-1's. I noticed a bigger improvement with the tweeter upgrade than I did with the crossover upgrade. :eek: YMMV. Good luck :)

vanman

12-20-2005, 09:12 PM

Thanks all for your advice. I'll order the tweeters and see how it goes from there.

anonymouse

03-03-2006, 12:30 AM

When replacing the tweeters, is it advisable to change the rubber/felt layer under the original SL2000's?

Should I use weatherstripping instead to insure an airtight seal?

Have any of you changed the screws to a cone head instead of pan? Seems like the new ones are designed for a cone head.

F1nut

03-03-2006, 04:27 AM

As long as the original seal is in good condition there's no need to change it. All the tweeters screws that I've seen are "cone heads" as you say, so yes, change them.

anonymouse

03-04-2006, 12:00 AM

As long as the original seal is in good condition there's no need to change it. All the tweeters screws that I've seen are "cone heads" as you say, so yes, change them.

Thanks. The cone heads fit a lot better. The originals were all pan heads. These new tweets are sweet. I have no idea if they "break in", but just popping them in made a world of difference.