Pawn Shop Find: how to determine if speakers are blown

[velingara]

I found some decent speakers at a pawn shop at a great price- Polk RTi4 and RTi6. About $100 for the i4 pair- they have great reviews and went for around $360 a few years back.

They are hooked up to a cheap receiver- how can I tell if they are blown or damaged- what should I look for? They are in good cosmetic shape- a few scapes but nothing that bothers me. These will be used for near field listening on my desk.

[FallenAngel]

Originally Posted by velingara

I found some decent speakers at a pawn shop at a great price- Polk RTi4 and RTi6. About $100 for the i4 pair- they have great reviews and went for around $360 a few years back.

They are hooked up to a cheap receiver- how can I tell if they are blown or damaged- what should I look for? They are in good cosmetic shape- a few scapes but nothing that bothers me. These will be used for near field listening on my desk.

Just listen to them; play some bass-heavy songs as well as some with clear highs; if they both sound OK, they're not blown.

[Akathisia]

Originally Posted by FallenAngel

Just listen to them; play some bass-heavy songs as well as some with clear highs; if they both sound OK, they're not blown.

x2 a blown speaker will be painfully obvious. As for damage, look for any cracks or spots were wood broke and was repaired. Good luck!

[infinitesymphony]

Play some steady low frequency tones or sweeps. They'll reveal any unwanted resonances, even when the woofers themselves haven't blown. Tweeters usually work or don't, so if they appear to be playing with normal music, they're probably fine.

[JadeEast]

Blown voice coils in the woofer go crunch/crunch/crunch when you push them in slowly with your fingers.

[FallenAngel]

Originally Posted by JadeEast

Blown voice coils in the woofer go crunch/crunch/crunch when you push them in slowly with your fingers.

LOL, or AFTER you do.

[HighLife]

i wouldnt go pushing in the woofer just in case...thats just me though..

Trust me you will notice if their blown...there will be cracking type sound coming from them. It kinda sounds like if you listened to a speaker with your finger holding the woofer, tinny and scratchy would be the best way to describe it.

[krmathis]

Listen to them. With varied music and intensity.
If you hear no scratching/cracking then they are most probably not blown.

[velingara]

thanks for the help everyone- I'm going to keep my existing Infinity Entras and concentrate on upgrading my amp and headphones