How Janne's 1.2TL's finally got their stripes.

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Janne
Janne Posts: 139
edited October 2010 in DIY, Mods & Tweaks
Intro

The story of these speakers starts, a sunny February morning back in 1991, when Polk employee of the year Mollie Jones (Rumours says that she also built the space shuttle) lays the finishing touches of Polks finest the the 1.2TL's. Crafted to perfection the speakers were destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where they would be bought by a young and handsome Swede (Now unfortunately fat and middle aged). 12081 miles after they left the factory he and his beloved speakes end up in Shanghai where they continue to amaze people with their stunning sound.

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Designed by Matthew and built by Mollie

Chapter 1. The Awakening

In 2007, cruising the web, me and my unmodded 1.2TL's ended up in this forum. Starting with an XO upgrade and new tweeters I realized what I had missed out during the years. This upgrade was covered here http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53970

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Now with all components in place and in the right position.

Chapter 2. The Dynamating

Having ordered by far too much Dynamat and a wannabe girlfriend on hand, the mids and PR's were covered.

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Yes I still have more available.

Chapter 3. The Inductors

The Inductors were not touched when I did the initial XO upgrade and there seems to be two camps on CP when it comes to inductor upgrades. What convinced me to try was Mathew Polks words
"However, because of the DC resistance of the inductor, the system isn't perfect. I don't recall the DC resistance of these coils but it was high, at least several ohms depending on the model. This means that the SDA drivers will continue to produce some SDA signal even at very low frequencies. Decreasing the DC resistance will definitely improve the bass response of the system both qualitatively and quantitatively. However, before you rush out to buy those Hi-Q replacement inductors be aware of some concerns.
We chose the higher DC air core coils for a couple of good reasons. First, we were always on the edge of acceptability with the impedance of the SDA's. The DCR of these coils kept the minimum impedance high enough for the amps available in those days. Depending on the model, reducing the DC resistance of these coils may take the minimum impedance down to around 2 ohms. If your amp doesn't mind, you shouldn't either."
Two new 16 mH air core inductors were ordered from North Creek Music Systems. http://www.northcreekmusic.com/COILS.html I bought the largest ones they could manufacture in their winding machine with AWG 14 wires. The DCR was dropped from 3.5 Ohm stock to 1.5 Ohm with the new inductor. This is a big chunk of copper (2.7 kg) so it would not fit on the XO plate.

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Instead I mounted it on an existing reinforcement bar with some cable straps.

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The old coil was left in place as I was too lazy to make a new holder for the circuit board.
I was prepared to switch to the 2 Ohm setting on the amp as MP mentioned that the minimum impedance would be lowered, but thought I give it a try first with the existing 4 Ohm setting. I left the left channel with the existing inductor to get a direct comparison. The result was a much punchier bass from the new inductor. Visably the speaker movement is also larger. Standing in front of the stock speaker it sounds like the loudness is turned on while the upgraded has a clear and distinct bass. I pushed them up to clipping but no signs of the amp giving up so I kept the 4 ohm setting. I guess my McIntosh amps does not mind......

Chapter 4. The WBT's

The stock connectors were replaced with WBT's Topline. They look good with their WBT Germany gold plate. PE screwed up the delivery with some missing parts but "did me a favor!" by sending the parts instead of refunding me. Thank You PE for this exceptional treatment! 5 connectors would have been useless!

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Chapter 5. The Rings and Sealing caulk

Having stressed TOOLFORLIFEFAN Larry with the delivery of the rings, they ended up staying in the box for a couple of months (Chapter 6-347). Due to the high humidity in Shanghai I sent them in for black chrome. This is an electrolytic process used for corrosion protection. The drill rings were left unprotected in the box and already show signs of surface corrosion.

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The only thing I needed to add for the installation was some washers for the PR's as the holes were too big.

Sealing caulk was purchased from PE http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=269-300

Chapter 6-347. The Wet Sanding

I have never liked the oak look of the speakers and is more of a dark wood or piano black guy. So decision was taken to replace the grill cloth and give them a new appearance. Hawkeye Gordon had an idea of replacing the side board with aluminium so in order to complicate things I opted for piano black with an aluminium inlay. I decided to go for a 20x5 mm bar. Cutting the slot was a breeze with my new router. After some trial cutting I even managed to get the slot in the middle.

New Mellotone Premium Black Speaker Grill Cloth was ordered from PE http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-332 I ordered 4 yards and have probably 1 yard left. I could not find a normal stapler to drive through the board so I bought a carpet stapler and used a hammer.

When I removed the front cloth from the right channel I discovered a "spot"........ Two male suspects were quickly rounded up.

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Confronted with the evidence they both admitted to the crime. Eventhough none of them could be considered a first time offender I let them off with a slap on the paw. We have all been puppies ........

This was the easy part of the outside appearance upgrade........

Not being a painter I consulted the internet for some advice on piano black. Well, it did not seem so complicated only a few layers of black and clear coat with some wet sanding between......... To make a long story short. This took me 6 weeks to finish. I dont know how many layers of paint I have applied. I probably emptied the store on 2000 grit sand paper. If you want piano black. Find a healthy painter who likes to do it. Pay him whatever he asks for and give him a tip. I am happy when I see the result and I guess it was worth it. But I will NEVER NEVER again try to do piano black myself.

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Chapter 348. The Total Damage

SRS-SDA 1.2TL 2797.02 USD
RDO 198 384.00 USD Shipping 125.00 USD
WBT connectors 326.00 USD Shipping 32.47 USD
XO components 722.60 USD Shipping 33.92 USD
16 mH Inductors 228.00 USD Shipping 240.13 USD
Dynamat 201.75 USD Shipping 219.70 USD
Rings 126.96 USD Shipping 145.00 USD
Corrosion protection 29.63 USD
Grill cloth & Sealing caulk 116.75 USD Shipping 62.46 USD
Aluminium bar 5.93 USD

Speaker 2797.02 USD
Material 2111.99 USD
Shipping 858.68 USD (No I don't get Christmas cards from the courier companies)
Total 5767.68 USD

Thank You.
To all the fantastic CP members for ideas, support and parts!

Special Thank You to Bosch for this little tool.

03102010167.jpg
HT/2 CH
McIntosh MX120, MC500, MC206, MEN220
polkaudio SDA SRS 1.2TL, XO, Inductor, Tweeter, Larry's rings, WBT Binding posts, Moretite and Dynamat mod. Built by Mollie Jones 27:th of February 1991, CS350-LS XO mod, LS-f/x, DSW MicroPro 4000
MIT Shotgun S3.3 Bi-wire SC, Shotgun S3.3 SC, Shotgun S3.3 Proline IC, Shotgun S3.3 IC, Shotgun S3.3 Sub cable, AVT 1 Optical IC, EXP 3 Speaker interconnect.
Post edited by Janne on

Comments

  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited October 2010
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    WOW, nice work and they look really beautiful!
  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,408
    edited October 2010
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    nice write up, but what is going on in the first picture???? what is that, the front of the speaker?
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
    Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
    Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
    ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
    DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
    Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
    Outlaw ICBM - crossover
    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited October 2010
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    nice,, very nice indeed, :), how are they sounding?
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 16,964
    edited October 2010
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    hoosier21 wrote: »
    nice write up, but what is going on in the first picture???? what is that, the front of the speaker?


    It is the front of the speaker with one of the side panels leaning on the front of the speaker. your seeing the back side of the side panel...


    Nice Work indeed!!!!!!!

    I thought about making a set of caps out of 1" thick aluminum powder coated with a high gloss black smooth.....along with the side strips. It would cost me about $600 to do it, 1" thick aluminum is expensive:eek:
  • Janne
    Janne Posts: 139
    edited October 2010
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    nice,, very nice indeed, :), how are they sounding?

    Thanks! The main difference is in the bass. Inductors, Larry's rings and the sealing caulk is taking care of that. I wanted to try the inductors separately before I did the rest. The result was a cleaner bass with more punch. It looks like the mids are moving further. I guess the inductors will need a little time to burn in so I will wait with the final verdict. The oild coils are still there with a plug in connection so I will switch again after a few weeks.
    HT/2 CH
    McIntosh MX120, MC500, MC206, MEN220
    polkaudio SDA SRS 1.2TL, XO, Inductor, Tweeter, Larry's rings, WBT Binding posts, Moretite and Dynamat mod. Built by Mollie Jones 27:th of February 1991, CS350-LS XO mod, LS-f/x, DSW MicroPro 4000
    MIT Shotgun S3.3 Bi-wire SC, Shotgun S3.3 SC, Shotgun S3.3 Proline IC, Shotgun S3.3 IC, Shotgun S3.3 Sub cable, AVT 1 Optical IC, EXP 3 Speaker interconnect.
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited October 2010
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    You won't regret the inductors. I also used North Creek for that work. Enjoy.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,408
    edited October 2010
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    It is the front of the speaker with one of the side panels leaning on the front of the speaker. your seeing the back side of the side panel...QUOTE]

    Duh!! thanks for the clarification, I had not had my coffee yet
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
    Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
    Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
    ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
    DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
    Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
    Outlaw ICBM - crossover
    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
  • thsmith
    thsmith Posts: 6,082
    edited October 2010
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    Corrosion protection 29.63 USD
    Speakers: SDA-1C (most all the goodies)
    Preamp: Joule Electra LA-150 MKII SE
    Amp: Wright WPA 50-50 EAT KT88s
    Analog: Marantz TT-15S1 MBS Glider SL| Wright WPP100C Amperex BB 6er5 and 7316 & WPM-100 SUT
    Digital: Mac mini 2.3GHz dual-core i5 8g RAM 1.5 TB HDD Music Server Amarra (memory play) - USB - W4S DAC 2
    Cables: Mits S3 IC and Spk cables| PS Audio PCs
  • Ricardo
    Ricardo Posts: 10,636
    edited October 2010
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    Beautiful looking speakers. I always thought that my piano black SDA's looked better than the oak. Congrats!!!!
    _________________________________________________
    ***\\\\\........................... My Audio Journey ............................./////***

    2008 & 2010 Football Pool WINNER
    SOPA
    Thank God for different opinions. Imagine the world if we all wanted the same woman
  • Janne
    Janne Posts: 139
    edited October 2010
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    Lasareath wrote: »
    What did it cost to do that coating on the rings because my rings are starting to rust as well :(

    The coating was done in China. I guess you would have to add some to have it done in the US ;)
    HT/2 CH
    McIntosh MX120, MC500, MC206, MEN220
    polkaudio SDA SRS 1.2TL, XO, Inductor, Tweeter, Larry's rings, WBT Binding posts, Moretite and Dynamat mod. Built by Mollie Jones 27:th of February 1991, CS350-LS XO mod, LS-f/x, DSW MicroPro 4000
    MIT Shotgun S3.3 Bi-wire SC, Shotgun S3.3 SC, Shotgun S3.3 Proline IC, Shotgun S3.3 IC, Shotgun S3.3 Sub cable, AVT 1 Optical IC, EXP 3 Speaker interconnect.
  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 16,964
    edited October 2010
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    Just shoot some primer and paint on them that's what I did..
  • Osarion
    Osarion Posts: 180
    edited October 2010
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    Wow those are the sharpest pair of SDA's I've seen. The aluminum really pops against the piano black. Great job!
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited October 2010
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    Great write up. This was a further push to have my 1.2TL's refininshed in piano black.:)
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    edited October 2010
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    Okay, they look great...how do they sound, did the inductors help??
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
  • Hawkeye
    Hawkeye Posts: 1,313
    edited October 2010
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    I"ve been waiting for this post!! The Piano and Aluminum is great match to the rest of the gear. Let me know the next time your in MD!! You can do mine!!

    All joking aside, a beautiful piece of work!

    Gordon
    2 Channel -
    Martin Logan Spire, 2 JL Audio F112 subs
    McIntosh C1000 Controller with Tube pre amp, 2 MC501 amplifiers, MD1K Transport & DAC, MR-88 Tuner
    WireWorld Eclipse 6.0 speaker wire and jumpers, Eclipse 5^2 Squared Balanced IC's. Silver Eclipse PCs (5)
    Symposium Rollerblocks 2+ (16)Black Diamond Racing Mk 3 pits (8)
  • Janne
    Janne Posts: 139
    edited October 2010
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    Hawkeye wrote: »
    I"ve been waiting for this post!! The Piano and Aluminum is great match to the rest of the gear. Let me know the next time your in MD!! You can do mine!!

    All joking aside, a beautiful piece of work!

    Gordon

    Thanks Gordon, You are the one who gave me the inspiration to use the aluminium. Just let the professionals do the coating or go for Larry's idea of powder coated aluminium.
    HT/2 CH
    McIntosh MX120, MC500, MC206, MEN220
    polkaudio SDA SRS 1.2TL, XO, Inductor, Tweeter, Larry's rings, WBT Binding posts, Moretite and Dynamat mod. Built by Mollie Jones 27:th of February 1991, CS350-LS XO mod, LS-f/x, DSW MicroPro 4000
    MIT Shotgun S3.3 Bi-wire SC, Shotgun S3.3 SC, Shotgun S3.3 Proline IC, Shotgun S3.3 IC, Shotgun S3.3 Sub cable, AVT 1 Optical IC, EXP 3 Speaker interconnect.
  • BIZILL
    BIZILL Posts: 5,432
    edited October 2010
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    Great write up. This was a further push to have my 1.2TL's refininshed in piano black.:)

    no doubt. they sure do look very contemporary now, don't they?

    POLK SDA-SRS 1.2TL -- ADCOM GFA-5802
    PANASONIC PT-AE4000U -- DIY WILSONART DW 135" 2.35:1 SCREEN
    ONKYO TX-SR805
    CENTER: CSI5
    MAINS: RTI8'S
    SURROUNDS: RTI8'S
    7.1 SURROUNDS: RTI6'S
    SUB: SVS PB12-PLUS/2 (12.3 series)

    XBOX 360
    WiiPS3/blu-rayTOSHIBA HD-A35 hd dvd

    http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.php
    bobman1235 wrote:
    I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.
  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited October 2010
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    BIZILL wrote: »
    no doubt. they sure do look very contemporary now, don't they?

    You said it Brother! I wish I could have mine done like that . . . again they are beautiful pieces of art!
  • fishbones
    fishbones Posts: 947
    edited October 2010
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    Nice write up, excellent job, beautiful speakers!

    Looking forward to my Piano black SDA 1C's :)
    ..... ><////(*>
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited October 2010
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    Janne,

    Thanks again for publishing your results. I placed an order this morning for two of North Creek's 16 mH inductors. I measured the DCR of all the inductors in both of my 1.2TL's and the results are summarized in the attached table.

    The 1.2TL's cabinet opening for the crossover is 4-3/4" high by 14-3/16" wide. I asked North Creek if they could provide taller 16 mH inductors with a maximum diameter of 4.5". They said the height of the winding spindel limits the coil height to 2 inches and the diameter of the 16 mH inductors is in the range of 4-7/8" to 5".
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    edited October 2010
    Options
    Janne,

    Thanks again for publishing your results. I placed an order this morning for two of North Creek's 16 mH inductors. I measured the DCR of all the inductors in both of my 1.2TL's and the results are summarized in the attached table.

    The 1.2TL's cabinet opening for the crossover is 4-3/4" high by 14-3/16" wide. I asked North Creek if they could provide taller 16 mH inductors with a maximum diameter of 4.5". They said the height of the winding spindel limits the coil height to 2 inches and the diameter of the 16 mH inductors is in the range of 4-7/8" to 5".

    DK,

    Please post your thoughts after you install these. I have thought about doing it a few times, but wanted to hear some advise from others first. Thanks for the post!!

    Are you only replacing the large ones??
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited October 2010
    Options
    Yes, I am only replacing the big 16 mH inductors in the low frequency section for now. I am considering replacing the 1 mH and 2 mH inductors later.

    I do not plan to replace the inductors in the high frequency section.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited October 2010
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    They look absolutely wonderful. You obviously didn't spare any effort or expense in getting the most visually and sonically out of those stunners.
    Janne wrote: »
    The result was a much punchier bass from the new inductor.
    That would be expected as the reduced resistance will improve the damping giving the amp better control over the driver.However had you also replaced the coils in the low pass sections with ones of >50% lower DCR you might have altered the frequency balance a tad.(With the price of copper these days it must be considered a precious metal.):)
    Not being a painter I consulted the internet for some advice on piano black............ To make a long story short..... This took me 6 weeks to finish... . But I will NEVER NEVER again try to do piano black myself.
    I know what you mean.I atempted a piano black finish on a DIY speaker project but realized the effort was going to be far greater than I was willing to commit to.Instead it got a coat of textured black.From then on every project gets veneered,as it's much easier to get good looking results.:D
  • Janne
    Janne Posts: 139
    edited October 2010
    Options
    FTGV wrote: »
    I know what you mean.I atempted a piano black finish on a DIY speaker project but realized the effort was going to be far greater than I was willing to commit to.Instead it got a coat of textured black.From then on every project gets veneered,as it's much easier to get good looking results.:D

    I regretted it many times during the sanding but when I saw the gloss after I finished. It was worth it. Now I just have to touch them every day :p
    HT/2 CH
    McIntosh MX120, MC500, MC206, MEN220
    polkaudio SDA SRS 1.2TL, XO, Inductor, Tweeter, Larry's rings, WBT Binding posts, Moretite and Dynamat mod. Built by Mollie Jones 27:th of February 1991, CS350-LS XO mod, LS-f/x, DSW MicroPro 4000
    MIT Shotgun S3.3 Bi-wire SC, Shotgun S3.3 SC, Shotgun S3.3 Proline IC, Shotgun S3.3 IC, Shotgun S3.3 Sub cable, AVT 1 Optical IC, EXP 3 Speaker interconnect.