Blew both tweeters on my Monitor Audio Silver RS-6... what to do now? :(

[fjhuerta]

It had to happen someday...

Someone moved my preamp slightly on my rack, and both output cables were ungrounded. When I turned on the amp... well... you know...

Bottom line is, I burned out - blew both tweeters.

I removed the tweeters today. By what I saw (I can't measure them now) they are the worst tweeters I've ever seen. Worse than the Hi-Vi TN-28s. They look like the little metallic "speakers" the old "Game & Watch" videogames had. The magnet must be 1 ~ 2 mm. thick and 1" in diameter. The whole tweeter can't be thicker than 4 mm., or so.

I will take a pic of them next to a Seas 27TBFC... promise you won't laugh..

But, those things were hideously expensive, so I really need to get them fixed.

I already e-mailed Monitor Audio, without any luck. My dealer says it'll take him a couple of months to get replacements (what?).

Does anyone know of any way to find these tweeters? I don't think I'll have any luck...

[joecarrow]

Do they have an identifying part numbers or markings on them? Unfortunately I don't have anything more helpful than that to offer. It's possible that there are some spares floating around without a manufacturer's name attached, but with whatever part number still associated.

[JRT]

It had to happen someday...

Someone moved my preamp slightly on my rack, and both output cables were ungrounded. When I turned on the amp... well... you know...

Bottom line is, I burned out - blew both tweeters.

I removed the tweeters today. By what I saw (I can't measure them now) they are the worst tweeters I've ever seen. Worse than the Hi-Vi TN-28s. They look like the little metallic "speakers" the old "Game & Watch" videogames had. The magnet must be 1 ~ 2 mm. thick and 1" in diameter. The whole tweeter can't be thicker than 4 mm., or so.

I will take a pic of them next to a Seas 27TBFC... promise you won't laugh..

But, those things were hideously expensive, so I really need to get them fixed.

I already e-mailed Monitor Audio, without any luck. My dealer says it'll take him a couple of months to get replacements (what?).

Does anyone know of any way to find these tweeters? I don't think I'll have any luck...

A phone call might get you further than an e-mail.

Customer Service
Monitor Audio Ltd.
Unit 2, 24 Brook Road
Rayleigh
Essex
SS6 7XL
England

Tel: 44 (0) 1268 740580
Fax: 44 (0) 1268 740589


Internet: www.monitoraudio.co.uk
Email: info@monitoraudio.co.uk

[fjhuerta]

Thanks for both tips! The tweeters do have a number. I'll try to do an Internet search on them, and call Monitor Audio...

As for the pics.. here they are.

[joetama]

OH WOW.... I thought you were exaggerating things...

Those are some cheesy looking little tweeters...

[fjhuerta]

OH WOW.... I thought you were exaggerating things...

Those are some cheesy looking little tweeters...

No, I wasn't exaggerating. They are truly awful looking. I can't imagine what kind of Fs they have.

No wonder they blew up so fast.

I think the Monitor Audios will be the last commercial speakers I'll ever buy. I got things wrong - I actually own the RS-8s (same tweeter as the rest of the range). They cost something like $1,200. Just to think what kind of drivers I could get if I had done it myself...

[joetama]

No joke man... Sorry about the blow up however...

[---k---]

And isn't it amazing how well reviewed those speakers are. Makes you wonder that either the reviewers have never heard good speakers (those who are jaded), or we're all doing way overkill (those that haven't heard a good diy design yet).

[Dennis H]

I wouldn't be so quick to write them off because of their size. Some of the Seas neo car tweeters are only about 1/2" thick and sound pretty good.

[Andy_G]

I wouldn't be so quick to write them off because of their size. Some of the Seas neo car tweeters are only about 1/2" thick and sound pretty good.

Maybe, but those don't look like Neo magnets !.

[fjhuerta]

Maybe, but those don't look like Neo magnets !.

I agree. And even then, the smallest Neo tweeter I've ever seen is far bigger than this one!

[fjhuerta]

Update...

I got 4 of those tweeters. A pair went into my RS-8s, which I sold a couple of months later. I kept the other pair.

I built a micro speaker using the Dayton ND105-4 woofer and the tweeter.

It performs pretty well... considering the Dayton limits. I could cross it over at 2.8 KHz, 6th order. It distorted when used below that. The break-up is too low, but (I think) it adds a bit of air, it doesn't sound that offensive.

It strikes me as odd the choices Monitor Audio took with these units. The RS8 was aggressive, tiresome to listen to for long periods and a bit shrill. The tweeters, when properly tamed (without the rising FR of the RS series) sound very different; they are neutral up to a point and unintrusive. As I said before, they are a bit too airy and tend to call attention upon themselves, but in no way as they did on the RS's.

If I bought them separately, I'd expect to pay around $14 for them. I'd say their performance falls between the 20 mm ~ 28 mm Dayton Neos (far closer to the 20 mm, in all honesty), and is clearly inferior to, say, the Vifa DQ25.

Now, consider they were used on a $1,500 per pair speaker. Yikes indeed! :E

[Johnloudb]

An update ... almost 5 years later. I love it!!! :T

[AdelaaR]

An update ... almost 5 years later. I love it!!! :T

Just "WOW"

[TheD]

Update...

I got 4 of those tweeters. A pair went into my RS-8s, which I sold a couple of months later. I kept the other pair.

I built a micro speaker using the Dayton ND105-4 woofer and the tweeter.

It performs pretty well... considering the Dayton limits. I could cross it over at 2.8 KHz, 6th order. It distorted when used below that. The break-up is too low, but (I think) it adds a bit of air, it doesn't sound that offensive.

It strikes me as odd the choices Monitor Audio took with these units. The RS8 was aggressive, tiresome to listen to for long periods and a bit shrill. The tweeters, when properly tamed (without the rising FR of the RS series) sound very different; they are neutral up to a point and unintrusive. As I said before, they are a bit too airy and tend to call attention upon themselves, but in no way as they did on the RS's.

If I bought them separately, I'd expect to pay around $14 for them. I'd say their performance falls between the 20 mm ~ 28 mm Dayton Neos (far closer to the 20 mm, in all honesty), and is clearly inferior to, say, the Vifa DQ25.

Now, consider they were used on a $1,500 per pair speaker. Yikes indeed! :E

Don't happen to have any measurements (FR and HD)?
Just for my curiosity.

[5th element]

I would also be interested in the FR and HD if they are available.

For what its worth I don't think these have a ferrite magnet otherwise you'd see other tiny tweeters with ferrite magnets I'd think.

I am however not surprised. A pair of retail speakers at $1500 = around $150 of raw parts. <$10 tweeter? Sounds about right.

The Vifa DQ is a bit of a stand out in this category though, low distortion, decent performance down where it counts and a price to shame many others.