SDA SRS in Denver

grimmace19
grimmace19 Posts: 1,429
edited September 2010 in Vintage Speakers
Alright folks, I know there is a looking for SDA thread but these needed immediate attention. I just got back from someones place where he has a pair of SDA SRS's from either 85 or 86. Blade blade connection with the original cable.

The speakers are in overall excellent condition. The cloth is very presentable with some very minor blemishes. The wood is FANTASTIC with no touchups needed.

Here's the bad news though... 3 of the drivers have small holes in the rubber surrounds and 1 has a pushed in dust cap.

He's looking for around 1000 for them and doesn't seem too flexible.

Just wanted to get the word out if someone else in a different situation from me wants to snap them up.
Post edited by grimmace19 on
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  • zarrdoss
    zarrdoss Posts: 2,562
    edited September 2010
    like pin holes? or small tears?
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  • grimmace19
    grimmace19 Posts: 1,429
    edited September 2010
    I'd call 2 of them more or less "pin holes" but one driver had about a 1/3 inch tear and a pinhole in a different spot. Nothing that couldn't be "patched".

    I suppose I'm also willing to pick these up for someone and hold onto them if they planed to make a road trip (I'd need the money before hand though ;) )
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,254
    edited September 2010
    303-548-3212 is the guys phone #
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  • grimmace19
    grimmace19 Posts: 1,429
    edited September 2010
    My God Larry, are you actually interested in these? I suppose there might be a spot in your bathroom or something ;)
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,254
    edited September 2010
    Not interested :) If they were tl's maybe..
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    Hopefully I didn't step on anyone's toes (because I didn't see this thread until now), but I picked them up earlier today. I noticed the pushed in dust cap and the tear, but I guess I missed the pin holes on the other two speakers . Over-all, as grimmace mentioned, they are still in excellent condition.

    I plan on opening them up tonight and see what else is going on. Even if I need to drop a couple hundred into them (not counting tweeter/crossover upgrades), I think I still got a heck of a deal...
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    Almost forgot... pictures or it didn't happen. ;-)

    (Sorry, my phone doesn't take very good pictures...)
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited September 2010
    Nice looking speakers!!!! Enjoy.
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    Thanks Leroy. After a little work, I'm sure I'll enjoy them a lot!

    Regarding the pinholes/tear, what method would you guys suggest? Finger nail polish? Superglue or rubber cement? Special repair kits?
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited September 2010
    audio_alan wrote: »
    Thanks Leroy. After a little work, I'm sure I'll enjoy them a lot!

    Regarding the pinholes/tear, what method would you guys suggest? Finger nail polish? Superglue or rubber cement? Special repair kits?

    If it was me I'd skip trying to repair them and find some nice used replacements. They're easily found, usually in the $25 a piece range.
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    leroyjr1 wrote: »
    If it was me I'd skip trying to repair them and find some nice used replacements. They're easily found, usually in the $25 a piece range.

    Yeah, I wouldn't mind going that route either, especially after he dropped the asking price for me. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a few of them...
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited September 2010
    What's the number on the magnet? Like mw6503,6501,6510?
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  • grimmace19
    grimmace19 Posts: 1,429
    edited September 2010
    Glad someone was able to snap these up from our little group. When I went to look at them you could tell how much the guy loved the speakers so hopefully he knows they have made it to a good home.
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    leroyjr1 wrote: »
    What's the number on the magnet? Like mw6503,6501,6510?

    I removed one from each speaker. Both were 6503's, dated Nov 1st and Dec 12th, 1985.
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    Since my previous pictures were so lousy, here are a couple more...

    Hmmm, I think I need a bigger TV. :D Either that, or they are going down to my home theater. Not sure yet...
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  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    edited September 2010
    Congrats on the speakers Alan, hopefully you'll be able to find what you need to bring them up to par here at CP. I know what you mean about needing a bigger tv, lol, I'm still using a 22" lcd.
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    Update...

    The good news -- I noticed that the dust caps are a very fine metal mesh, so I just stuck a straight pin slightly into the cap and levered it out like a jack. Worked great, and it looks pretty good now.

    Now for the bad news -- Some of what I thought were "lines of dirt" or hair on the surrounds are actually cracks/tears/splits. Tricky to see, but carefully pushing on the surround reveals that they are actually tears in the rubber. Looks like a total of 7 of the drivers have tears. 6 minor, 1 major. Grrrr. I should have looked more carefully. :rolleyes:

    Looks like I'm in the market for SEVERAL 6503's now. Oh well, live and learn I suppose. At least the cabinets are in great shape, and they are still AWESOME to look at! :D
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,254
    edited September 2010
    Seven 6503's could be a chalenge. Originals anyways. Guess you could buy eight from Polk and put them on the SDA side of both speakers.

    If it was me I would try getting the originals..
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »
    Seven 6503's could be a chalenge. Originals anyways. Guess you could buy eight from Polk and put them on the SDA side of both speakers.

    If it was me I would try getting the originals..

    Yeah, I was thinking I'd hold out for all-original drivers as well, but I can see a long, uphill battle trying to find 7 of them (as you pointed out). I suppose it's not urgent since they actually do work right now. However, I assume the cracks in the rubber are letting air escape, robbing me of that extra-sweet bass I hear these things are capable of producing... and who knows how long it will be before the cracks become severe???

    I'm also kicking around the idea of 8 new-generation drivers. Even if the new drivers look different, at least putting 4 on each side would make them look "the same" across speakers, even if the drivers didn't exactly match within each cabinet (if you follow me...).

    On a positve note, despite all of my bitching and moaning :rolleyes:, I'm really enjoying them so far. I'm just concerned about the path to fully restoring them in a timely fashion before the damage gets worse. So currently I'm playing them softly.... not on Eleven, like Spinal Tap! (Like I want to do! :D)
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,254
    edited September 2010
    What's a drag Alan is I just sold 5 of them a week or so ago..
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited September 2010
    Try looking for a pair of RTA 15tl's.
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »
    What's a drag Alan is I just sold 5 of them a week or so ago..

    Isn't that the way it always goes? :) Oh well, luck will come around my way again...

    Regardless of the issues, I'm really excited to have these big boys in my house - even if they aren't tl's. What can I say, I'm a speaker guy, and these are SPEAKERS! :D

    Leroy- I saw a matrix of model/driver somewhere on the forum but I can't find it now (can someone repost?), so I'm not sure how many 6503's the 15tl's have. But actually, they are on my short list of speakers to add to my 7.1 system as well (to replace my DCM Time Windows), so I probably wouldn't gut them (as I assume you are suggesting). So many speakers and systems, so little time...
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,254
    edited September 2010
    Leroy is right 15tl's will give you 8 of them..
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited September 2010
    TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »
    Leroy is right 15tl's will give you 8 of them..

    And you just sold your pair.
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    Cool, thanks for the tips guys! I'm not looking to sacrifice a good speaker, but if the price is right, well.... :rolleyes: :D

    P.S. I've been listening to them more tonight and adjusting them in the room, and WOW, I love vintage Polk! Incredible sound stage!
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  • OldmanSRS
    OldmanSRS Posts: 419
    edited September 2010
    audio_alan wrote: »
    P.S. I've been listening to them more tonight and adjusting them in the room, and WOW, I love vintage Polk! Incredible sound stage!

    Congrats on your new speakers. Moving them a minimum of 3' from the side walls will vastly improve the imaging. If that's not possible, you can mount some 2" or thicker acoustic foam on the walls adjacent to the dimensional arrays.

    My setup benefited from this treatment not because of the close proximity but due to the unequal distance from the side walls. The SDA's soundstage is at least as wide as the room. Being in an L-shaped room made the soundstage wider on the side where the speaker is furthest from the wall.

    I built some metal tubing frames that support a pair of 4" acoustic pads. The frames are not mounted to the speakers. The result was a very balanced and amazingly wide and behind soundstage. This seems counter intuitive like it would limit the breadth of soundstage but eliminating the side reflections is the ticket. The white room divider on the right further balances the acoustic size of the room and isolates the L-portion.

    Another benefit of the foam is to tame the harshness of the SL-2000 tweeters by absorbing some of the energy. I placed a huge piece of 2" foam behind the speakers to damp the resonance of the back wall.

    414_o.jpg

    413_o.jpg
    '65 427 Shelby Cobra
    '72 Triumph TR-6
    __________________
    '88 Polk SDA SRS 1.2, with upgraded XO caps and Erse SDA inductors
    '86 Polk SDA CRS+
    '84 Polk Monitor 10A (Peerless tweeters)
    '05 HSU VTF-3 Sub (Original OEM)
    '20 HSU VTF-3 Sub (three more, 100% cloned)
    '93 Carver TFM-35
    '88 Carver M-1.0t
    '88 Adcom GFT-555
    '88 Adcom GFP-555
    '88 Adcom GFA-555 (upgraded/restored)
    '88 Adcom GFA-555 (a second one upgraded/restored)
    '05 Onkyo DV-555 media
    '89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix
    '89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix, internal surround amp bridged to drive only a center channel
    '91 Kenwood Basic M1D Amp
    '89 Pioneer Laser Disc media
    '89 Sony SuperBeta HiFi media
    One PGA2310 based custom built remote volume control
    Four Polk T-15's
    Four Polk TSi-200's
    Four Polk TSi-100's
    Two Polk CS-10's
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  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited September 2010
    Nice setup, OldmanSRS, and thanks for the suggestions. The placement that I have them in right now (in the picture a few posts ago) is only temporary. If I leave them in that room, I plan to move the equipment rack and subwoofer next to the walls, and pull the SDA-SRS's in closer to the TV. That should put them about 3-4 feet off the side walls. I just didn't feel like tearing apart my entire entertainment rack last night. It's a major PITA.

    I plan on adding some treatment to the room eventually also. I'm probably going to make them movable so I can hide them behind the speakers when not in use.

    On a similar note, behind the speakers are two large builtin recessed shelves in the wall. That prevents me from getting the speakers anywhere close to the rear wall. Any suggestions on how to fool the speakers into performing as if they were 6-8" away from a solid back wall?
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