I love the speakers I thought were old junk!!!

ChrisPCritter

I read something on msn about mach 1 speakers from radio shack. I remembered wanting A pair of them really bad in the 70's as a kid but I couldn't remember what they looked like. I just remembered the name. So I googled them and I found myself on club polk, where someone had written about them. I was bored and read for awhile. I saw lots of post about SDA's and because I had a pair in my garage that were given to me years ago, along with some other equipment that I assumed was just old junk! which is the reason I had never bothered to hook them up before. One of things I was also given was an amp called McIntosh It has only one input, and no outputs. And no controls of any kind and weighs a ton! the model # for that is 2125. On the back of the speakers it says SDA I A the amplifier it sounded good but the controls were scratchy! after reading things in here about old Polk speakers and hearing them, I decided it would be worth it to spend a little money to fix the amp I was given to go with them. So I took it to a shop all they had to do was clean it up. Then it sounded much better! I looked it up it has 120 watts. The old stuff I thought was junk is so much louder than my neighbors Sony system that says it has 740 watts on the front of it! I carried my polks next door and hooked them up to that To see if my speakers sounded better with more power. But this test was not in favor of the much more powerful sony It was Like the difference between A brownie in A banquet tv dinner, and an double thick (covered in fudge) brownie from the cheese cake factory with whipped cream and a cherry! The old boat anchor amp Toasted the Sony! Equally the polks toasted the sony speakers Using the new amplifier that was designed for them. So much for thirty years of progress in electronics? The next thing I did was hook up some other speakers that were given to me with the rest of the stuff. They are about four inches wide and about a foot taller than the polks. They are made from a polished aluminum tube with a really heavy base that holds them up. they look like an exclamation point! They could be polks? but there is not an emblem on them, and I haven't seen them on club polk' so I don't know? they plug into the wall and have a plug for signal. But have no speaker terminals. So I plugged them in and ran signal to them. they sound great to! I have them sitting next to the SDA's Finally I plugged in my last piece of equipment I was given which is a subwoofer it is ten inches and says Velodyne SPL on the cabinet. My friend and neighbor helped me hook it up using my bathroom stereo because it has a subwoofer output in addition to an output for my old amp. It is called sound space five the brand is Nakamichi. I use one into two connectors from radio shack to split signal with amp running the SDA speakers and the other speakers. I also benefit from controls like bass, midrange and treble with this set up.

Can anyone tell me how to tweek this stuff and make it sound better? I am awed already Glad I am a pack rat or I would have chunked or what I considered to be crap a long time ago! I love this stuff! Due to the economy I can't really use my boat this year as much as I would like to, because of the cost gas and maintenance requirements! But I found sound in my garage and A new hobby.

I have so many questions about this stuff and I can't address them all now. I have already written more than anyone want's to read! And I just finished my 4th Martini!

seeclear

Nah, you were right to begin with, that stuff is a bunch of crap. You should box it all up and send it to me, I will do you a big favor and take it all off your hands, and I won't even charge you to take it.

Just kidding, those are some awesome gifts. Keep reading here and you should be able to get up to speed more about bringing out the full potential of that stuff you have. I really have no idea at all of what those "exclamation point" speakers are, but someone here surely will be able to give you more info. This is the best site in the world for audio help and insight. Welcome to the club.

ChrisPCritter

does anyone know how many ohms my polk speakers have?

George Grand

Son, you NEED a good book that teaches audio from the ground up.

Good Sound/Laura Dearborn. Maybe at your library.

Driver_King

That McIntosh amp you have could be sold for about $1k to put its' value into perspective. Your SDA's have an ohm rating of 4 ohms. Don't worry about that though. The McIntosh should be able to do wonders for the speakers. If you're trying to put together a home theater system and utilize the Velodyne, you will need a receiver with pre-out so you can use the McIntosh to power your SDA's and use the Velodyne as the subwoofer. The Sony amp is absolutely not anywhere near as powerful or as good as the McIntosh. The Sony amplifier may say it can do 700 watts but that's probably dynamic power at a high level distortion with all channels driven, and that may be a stretch. The 700 watts is more like 20 or 30 watts per channel driven, although that could take the SDA's to a decently elevated volume since they are efficient speakers. If you can, take pictures of what you have questions about. The Realistic Mach series speakers are good speakers but the SDA's are even better. We should be able to help.

ChrisPCritter

Thank you Driver king! I will try and get pictures soon. But 4 now I owe I owe it's off to work I go!

DollarDave

Do you have the cable that goes between the two SDA speakers?

ChrisPCritter

I have a long cable with a plug on either end that looks like a wall plug that was taped to one of the speakers.

Schurkey

ChrisPCritter wrote: »

So much for thirty years of progress in electronics?

That would be correct, if corporations had ethics.

What you're REALLY looking at is:

1. Thirty years of progress in PROFIT MARGINS

2. Thirty years of progress in MARKETING

3. Thirty years of progress in **** THE CONSUMER with progressively-inferior mainstream consumer products while the "watchdog" Federal Trade Commission (FTC) looks the other way; or actually assists in the deception.

Schurkey

ChrisPCritter wrote: »

I have a long cable with a plug on either end that looks like a wall plug that was taped to one of the speakers.

Looks like a wall plug only SMALLER???

That'd be the SDA interconnect; blade/blade style.

Should plug into a matching socket on the back of the speakers. If the Mac amp is common-ground; you're set.

I don't know Macintosh amps, though. Be careful.

nguyendot

Holy crap that was hard to read. Pleasssssse edit your posts before you do that.

Anyways your speakers and amp are great. You can't compare your speakers and amp to the neighbors system, it's not a fair comparison. 30 years of development? That's like saying your new pair of scissors is better than that 30 year old lawn mower.

Totally different.

ChrisPCritter

LOL Sorry Nguyengot I just read it again. It was tedious and hard to read! But in my own defense, please read the last sentence.

nguyendot

Yeah I saw the martini comment. You wrote it like I talk (which is pretty funny).

danger boy

ChrisPCritter wrote: »

And I just finished my 4th Martini!

hey congrats on being a pack rat.. sometimes it does pay off

you got some really good speakers and electronics in your possession... you should be on your way to putting together a good system.

whomever "gave" you all that stuff.. must have had more than 4 martini's when doing so.

jrgoswick

Schurkey wrote: »

That would be correct, if corporations had ethics.

What you're REALLY looking at is:

1. Thirty years of progress in PROFIT MARGINS

2. Thirty years of progress in MARKETING

3. Thirty years of progress in **** THE CONSUMER with progressively-inferior mainstream consumer products while the "watchdog" Federal Trade Commission (FTC) looks the other way; or actually assists in the deception.

PREACH IT BROTHER!! And what shall next weeks sermon be about?
For the OP-NOICE!!!! Polk SDA's with Mac power, LUCKY LUCKY YOU!!!

ChrisPCritter

Jrgoswick where in Arkansuck (ROF) are you? I grew up in the hillcrest part of little Rock by Mount St Marys. But I moved to Nashville TN 3 years ago.

woodsman10b

ChrisPCritter wrote: »

Can anyone tell me how to tweek this stuff and make it sound better?
I have so many questions about this stuff and I can't address them all now. I have already written more than anyone want's to read! And I just finished my 4th Martini!

1st thing I would do is get that Mcintosh cleaned, if there is scratching in the knobs then it needs it.

mmadden28

woodsman10b wrote: »

1st thing I would do is get that Mcintosh cleaned, if there is scratching in the knobs then it needs it.

He did...;)

ChrisPCritter wrote: »

...I decided it would be worth it to spend a little money to fix the amp I was given to go with them. So I took it to a shop all they had to do was clean it up. Then it sounded much better!...
...

Congrats Critter!!I would start searching in this forum on how to properly setup the SDA's (physical placement) to ensure that you are getting the proper SDA effect (esp in 2 channel stereo and 1st with no sub), then tweak from there.

Bobsama

Those sockets that look like a typical wall power socket is for the SDA cable. Look around; you should be able to find a cable (if you haven't already) that came with them. You probably have the blade/blade version; if you can't find the cable, you may be able to get one from Polk.