Speaker Advice

[quadjoe]

Okay folks, I would like to ask your advice on speakers. I currently own a pair of Polk Audio RT-10's which I love the sound of, but I have a driver going bad and it is driving me crazy (it buzzes in the midrange). I have already replaced one driver for the same problem, now the other is going. The Polks are part of my HT system (see my profile for the rest), but I also listen to music on it (usually selecting Stereo for CD's and Vinyl, I don't care for the digital effects on the receiver). My quandry is this, should I replace the driver ($100.00) or should I purchase new speakers? I'm thinking about Paradigm Monitor 70's and if I do this I'll buy four of them plus a voice matched center channel speaker and sub. I'm trying to keep my expense to around $2k. My goal is to eventually upgrade my whole system as finances permit, and I want speakers that will last a long time. What would you all do? I am happy with the Yamaha receiver for the time being. One other thought: Is it possible that the loud sound effects from DVD movies are damaging my speakers? Thanks for your advice.

[Gary]

Gee, QuadJoe, I have no idea. The sound effects damage sounds likely - if you play 'em loud!

Try replacing the driver and building (from scratch??) a dedicated 2 channel rig. If you have the room, of course.

Just an idea....

[quadjoe]

Originally posted by Gary
Gee, QuadJoe, I have no idea. The sound effects damage sounds likely - if you play 'em loud!

Try replacing the driver and building (from scratch??) a dedicated 2 channel rig. If you have the room, of course.

Just an idea....

And a very good one too. Space is a consideration, but what if I use a switching device that would allow me to connect two amps (or recievers) to the same set of speakers? I would love to have a really good 2-channel system, and it would be considerably more affordable than trying to build a HT system with Mac components (or something along those lines, I only mention MacIntosh because we have a dealer within 50 miles). What do you think?

[Gary]

I don't know of such a switchbox but the more stuff between you and the music source, the worse it is.

Consider repairing the speaker. Then try to design a multi purpose room!

Good luck!

I'm sure some other people out there also have ideas....

[quadjoe]

Thanks, Gary, for the info and advice. I've never seen such a switchbox either, and I was also concerned about how it would affect sound quality. Repairing the speaker is the most cost-effective route for now, unless I keep blowing them. Building a listening room is a great idea! Now if I can just talk my wife into it, after all we never use the garage! :)

[Clay]

If having the driver repaired, be sure a "good" place does it.
I had some ESS drivers reconed and the job was not that good so the new voice coil had loose tolerances and it blew very fast a second time.
This was a $50 per speaker job.

I suggest you try the factory first for an exchange or repair. They are usually cheaper and should be as good or better than most places.
If the factory does not offer replacements or service, I was thinking of trying http://www.simplyspeakers.com/

Usually only distortion at or below rated power or over driving speakers cause them to blow out (get the buzz).

If the Yamaha has discrete output transistors then it will play louder without distortion. The IC output stages in some new amps cannot handle the peaks without distoriton at higher volumes.

[Casino]

To expand on what Clay said, you're much more likely to damage speakers with an underpowered amp than a large amp with lots of clean power. Demanding more from an underpowered amp than it can deliver sends it into clipping, which damages speakers much more often than throwing lots of good, clean watts at them.

[quadjoe]

Thanks guys for the posts. I don't think the amp is clipping because I'm pretty sure I would have heard it, but I'll have it checked to be sure. I rarely turn up the volume control past 1/4 of its max. level, and I have never turned it past 1/2. At that setting it was very loud (uncomfortably so). I'll check out the links for the parts. Thanks again

[Casino]

It's quite possible your amp didn't clip, but it is very possible for a perfectly functioning amp to clip at half its max volume range. All depends on how much power the speakers are drawing from the amp at "whatever" given volume setting and whether the amp can handle it.

[-=Rudy=-]

Or to expand on what Casino writes, the volume control position is irrelevant to whether an amp clips or not. I think it's partly a marketing issue--if you are in a showroom and one receiver plays louder at the 11 O'clock position than another, Mr. Joe Sixpack, your average consumer, would think it's more powerful. I have noticed that receivers tend to get "louder" on their volume controls faster than any of the preamps I have owned. Or looking at it another way, a receiver's volume control is useless past the 12 o'clock position. I have a heck of a time getting a usable low volume out of my Sony ES receiver unless I use the muting button (-20dB).

You won't hear clipping initially either--the first stages of clipping you'd only see on an oscilloscope. When you actually hear clipping, it is at a higher level. The high-frequency spikes in clipping are what damage the speaker, and some of that type of clipping may be inaudible in the early stages.

All I know is, once I moved from a cheaper integrated amp to my separate Carver amp, I have never had to replace a blown driver. And I've pushed my M500t beyond the limits of sanity sometimes. :)

Polk will have the replacement driver for your speaker--I'm assuming that's what the $100 price is for. It should be just a simple unscrew/unplug, plug/screw-in repair, unless the leads are soldered to the driver. I have a pair of Boston A150's that I'm debating getting a pair of new woofers for--$120 for both, including shipping, from the factory. I refoamed the woofers, but the foam roll is not large enough. I'm wary of any company that recones speakers, since I once had a speaker reconed, and what came back sounded nothing like the original. (If they could guarantee factory-original replacement parts, that's one thing...but the factory would rather sell the complete driver.) I have refoamed a few pair of smaller Boston Acoustics speakers and for the most part have had no problems at all.

[quadjoe]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I guess replacing the driver is probably the best thing to do right now. Rudy, you were right, the $100 is for the driver from Polk. I have been very satisfied with the speakers, and I got them for a great price ($300 for the pair!) as they were the demo's from the showroom. I've been wanting to upgrade my system for a while now, and I was going to keep the speakers and upgrade from the receiver to separates in about a year. My biggest concern was that if the speakers couldn't handle the modest 80 watts from the Yamaha, what was likely to happen when I went to more power? Now that I understand clipping a little better, perhaps I'm right to go for the upgrade to separate components.

[RDK]

Quadjoe, have you had the speakers for less than five years? I think that's the warrenty period for Polks. Their customer service is terrific when it comes to replacing drivers. I had a pair of RT800s and had to replace a driver. I think i sent them the old one along with a copy of the receipt and a week later i got a new one in the mail. No charge. And they're easy to replace.

[quadjoe]

Ray,

Undfortunately, the speakers have been out of warranty for two years. I have dealt with their customer service dept., though, and they are excellent. Replacing the drivers is easy, less than 10 minutes.