Keep or Junk them?

[HTPC Newbie]

Hey,

I have a couple pair of speakers that have blown drivers in them and was wondering if you guys thought that they were worth keeping. If so I would prefer to put in other drivers but really don't know how to go about figuring which would be best. I have been searching for specs on the Wharfedale but am striking out. My next step is to email or call the company and see what I come up with.

Here are the two pair of speakers - ( I can get new drivers from the companies but they haven't (well the wharfedale) lasted too long as I guess I turn it up a little too high.... ops:

1) Wharfedale Modus Two - here is what they look like http://www.audiophilemania.com/forum...2&pictureid=12


2) Polk RT35s - Here is the link location to the manual of the rt35s http://www.polkaudio.com/downloads/m..._55iManual.pdf

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I remember the wharfedales being a little to bright for me and the polks more my style. All drivers on the wharfedale are shot and the polk have 2 good woofers and one good tweeter out of 4 drivers.

THANKS!

[ThomasW]

If they're available you'll find buying replacement drivers from mfgrs will be quite expensive...

[Mudjock]

Based on what I have heard about that line of Polks (Dennis Murphy, et al.), they have decent cabinets, so are probably worth salvaging. If you want to retain the original appearance (more-or-less), you will need to remove the front cover that sits over the driver flanges to see what constraints you have there. Then, you will need to look for a 6.5" woofer that will be happy in that size box (If you can estimate the internal volume of the box and the port dimensions, Unibox can be used to model the response of any woofer you can find T/S parameters for).

I don't really know about the Warfedales - but with those funky top mount tweeters, it seems like they might not be worth the effort.

[HTPC Newbie]

If they're available you'll find buying replacement drivers from mfgrs will be quite expensive...

Yup been that route already before.

[---k---]

If you search the internet and ask on various forums, you will find people that will tell you that they bought driver XYZ from PE and stuck it in and it sounded amazing. In my opinion, the only way this works is if the original speaker was cheap and had design compromises, which the new speaker will also, but likely different (more?) have and the person is not hearing the compromises in either design.

You have three options:

1. Replace the driver with a new driver from the manf. it will sound the same, be costly, and you'll need to control yourself and not blow them again.

2. Replace the driver with some misc. driver from PE. This could make them sound like garbage. It depends on a lot of things. Without the specs from the manf. for the existing, you're shooting in the dark. Even with them, it isn't straight forward.

3. Ditch the existing drivers and crossovers and try and find a DIY project that fits those boxes. Check here, zaphaudio, rjbaudio.com, PE, whatever. It probably won't be easy (No box design is going to be like the Wharfedale), and new drivers and crossovers could be just as much as the replacement drivers, but this would probably sound the best. You may have to make minor adjustments that change the sound a little. Again, who knows.

4. Sell them on ebay as is. morons will buy anything on ebay.

[Curt C]

Here are the two pair of speakers - ( I can get new drivers from the companies but they haven't (well the wharfedale) lasted too long as I guess I turn it up a little too high.... ops:

All drivers on the wharfedale are shot and the polk have 2 good woofers and one good tweeter out of 4 drivers.

Your commensts suggest that neither set may adequate for the SPL's you require. Running the amplifier into clipping is a sure way to burn out tweeters, and perhaps a larger amplifer is in order. -But if you are also burning out woofers, I suspect you just need to buy or build a speaker design capable of handling those high SPL's.

C

[Mudjock]

Sound advice by -K- and Curt. My suggestion was based on the idea that you would find a beefier woofer and tweeter than Polk used and design a new crossover.

As someone who is on more on the crossover design and listening side of the hobby, as opposed to the woodworking and finishing side - I try to take advantage of any opportunity to get a solid, useable cabinet without having to make it myself

[1Michael]

You also might want to consider having them reconed.