Help!! Dust cap torn of my Polks RTI A3

[dinesh1201]

Its definitely material failure.
Like I said earlier, if it does not impact the quality of sound coming out of them, live with it. It makes no sense whatsoever to spend over 11K on a speaker driver that is perfectly functional.
Next time, don't touch the caps at all. Photograph and send to the manufacturer. Right now, they can use the excuse that the situation worsened as a result of pushing the dust caps.

Thankyou! yes I'm thinking to use them as it is

 

[dinesh1201]

I haven't heard the difference if any. i simply removed the entire dust cap care fully and kept on using the speakers.

Now I've the same thought using them as it is...won't spend a penny on it.

 

[dinesh1201]

In my understanding, this may not be entirely true.
This also helps in keeping the Speaker Enclosure from any leakage , depending on the volume / ported/sealed ( including raw driver design ) i.e the pressure exerted by the diaphragm will change .
looking at the TS parameters from the original - there is a possibility of changing the frequency response a bit.
Vas(Air volume ) can change.
Moving mass can change.

of course - my opinion.

like the above article I already posted. may be there's a difference while a very keen listening, as of now I think to use these as they are. I will check for a 1.7" dust cap in the local market

 

[giddavr]

In my understanding, this may not be entirely true.
This also helps in keeping the Speaker Enclosure from any leakage , depending on the volume / ported/sealed ( including raw driver design ) i.e the pressure exerted by the diaphragm will change .
looking at the TS parameters from the original - there is a possibility of changing the frequency response a bit.
Vas(Air volume ) can change.
Moving mass can change.

of course - my opinion.

ofcourse, some speaker designs need the dust cap. and the parameters may change. only i didn't hear any difference.

 

[efernand1]

Now I've the same thought using them as it is...won't spend a penny on it.

If you are staying in a perfect DUST FREE environment then you perhaps can consider not putting the dust cap. Unfortunately, with the amount of micro dust in the air, eventually you will experience / hear some changes in sound which would make it unpleasant as cone motion gets affected!

 

[sandeepmohan]

may be there's a difference while a very keen listening, as of now I think to use these as they are.

The article will now make you listen even more keenly and force you to find fault, or, you are entirely oblivious to the knowledge of worn dust caps. Lets assume you did not take off the grills at all.

 

[giddavr]

i discovered my polks' suffering from the dust cap cracks some 3 months ago...side fronts RTi A5s and centre A6. i simply removed them carefully and have continued using them. frankly i cant hear any difference so i will continue to use them till i am able to buy new dust caps and stick them on. it is a simple job and the glue and new caps should cost may be 500/- or so. any small city will have many electronic spare parts shops selling all these items. but i wouldn't even think of spending that kind of money....

 

[dinesh1201]

i discovered my polks' suffering from the dust cap cracks some 3 months ago...side fronts RTi A5s and centre A6. i simply removed them carefully and have continued using them. frankly i cant hear any difference so i will continue to use them till i am able to buy new dust caps and stick them on. it is a simple job and the glue and new caps should cost may be 500/- or so. any small city will have many electronic spare parts shops selling all these items. but i wouldn't even think of spending that kind of money....

I'm shocked and sad at the same time to see this with another Polks, do you think if they have some serious material quality issues, my maudio is much older than my RTI but the drivers and caps are still soft and intact. Why these polks have dustcaps tearing.

 

[giddavr]

I'm shocked and sad at the same time to see this with another Polks, do you think if they have some serious material quality issues, my maudio is much older than my RTI but the drivers and caps are still soft and intact. Why these polks have dustcaps tearing.

i think this type of damage is due to a combination of high humidity and temperature coupled with poor ventilation. and paper caps are more prone. so a dedicated home theatre room in a coastal area in india if it lacks very good ventilation is a prime location.

 

[mbhangui]

I'm surprised. Maybe the quality has deterioted. These are my RTiA9 towers and CSiA6 centre speakers. I have the FXiA4 surrounds too and all of them are from 2012. Absolutely no sign of any deterioration. I thing I always do is to put on the dust covers when I'm not listening.

 

[mbhangui]

i discovered my polks' suffering from the dust cap cracks some 3 months ago...side fronts RTi A5s and centre A6. i simply removed them carefully and have continued using them. frankly i cant hear any difference so i will continue to use them till i am able to buy new dust caps and stick them on. it is a simple job and the glue and new caps should cost may be 500/- or so. any small city will have many electronic spare parts shops selling all these items. but i wouldn't even think of spending that kind of money....

Is this in a dark room? It looks like fungal growth. Just few minutes of sunlight (especially during the monsoon) will avoid fungal growth.

 

[giddavr]

Is this in a dark room? It looks like fungal growth. Just few minutes of sunlight (especially during the monsoon) will avoid fungal growth.

yes, it is mold. and as i said it is a dedicated HT and unfortunately the location has high humidity levels.

 

[sbg]

still good - since April/May 2009.
Just the usual dust. Also the duct caps seems cloth like - not hard when pushed. So , not sure these have changed over the years.
This will be A7s.

 

[AtheK]

Just got the same issue with my CSi A6, one side was torn, not sure how and when. Will find a replacement cap when I can, easily available in US.

@dinesh1201 were you able to find a dust cap, I will get otherwise get it from US later.

 

[Hari Iyer]

Adding few drops of acetone on the rim of the dustcap carefully and waiting for 2 minutes for it to soak. After that you can pull the dustcap from it's place easily. You can put a replacement cap by gluing it with a rubber or resin based glue. Hope that helps.

Dustcap can be purchased for as low as 5/- bucks