Upgrade/ Mod necessary?

rromeo923
rromeo923 Posts: 1,513
edited July 2011 in Vintage Speakers
I have had my SDA 1C's about six months. The previous owner used them for about six months and then they sat in original boxes in a closet for 20yrs.

I have done the sl2000 swap out to rd 194's with awesome results.

I am wondering about caps and resistors. Do they need replacing/upgrading with only a years worth of play? Or are they just getting broken in. I probably have less than 50 hrs of listening myself.
I got static in my head
The reflected sound of everything
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,226
    edited July 2011
    The resistors will be fine. The caps, however, do have a shelf life. What that shelf life is, I do not know anymore. It has been a while since I have been in the industry. Maybe someone else can chime in on that one.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
    edited July 2011
    rromeo923 wrote: »
    I have had my SDA 1C's about six months. The previous owner used them for about six months and then they sat in original boxes in a closet for 20yrs.

    I have done the sl2000 swap out to rd 194's with awesome results.

    I am wondering about caps and resistors. Do they need replacing/upgrading with only a years worth of play? Or are they just getting broken in. I probably have less than 50 hrs of listening myself.

    You can do a search here - this has been discussed many times. Conventional wisdom is that the caps and resistors should be upgraded if you want to really hear what these speakers can do. Not asnecessary to change out the inductors, though some here do.

    Film caps and non inductive wire wound reistors are much higher quality today than they were 20-30 years ago. Also, you have some electrolytic caps in the crossovers, which have their values drift over time even if they sit unused.

    It's no a lot of money compared with the upgrade in sound you'll get. And if you're not handy with a soldering iron there are folks on the board who would offer to do it for you.
    "Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,338
    edited July 2011
    Are you happy with what your hearing??
    Do you want to spend around $300-$400 on upgrades to the crossovers?

    Just a couple questions to think about, Is it worth it? IMO "YES"!!!

    Do you have spikes on them? If not DO IT!!! you will be floored..

    Good Luck!! Soldering and upgrading crossovers is a lot of fun and addicting,,
    Polk Audio SDA 2.3tl Fully Hot Rodded. 😎

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,762
    edited July 2011
    Necessary? No. Advised? You bet.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • CoachP
    CoachP Posts: 8
    edited July 2011
    Any suggestions for the type of spikes to use? I am considering modding my SDA 2's.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,762
    edited July 2011
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/search.php?searchid=17644378
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • CoachP
    CoachP Posts: 8
    edited July 2011
    Thanks for the thread F1nut. Very informative and helpful.
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  • rromeo923
    rromeo923 Posts: 1,513
    edited July 2011
    Anyone in Maryland have a pair of SDA 1C's that have been modded that I could possibly listen to???
    I got static in my head
    The reflected sound of everything
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  • xoaphexox
    xoaphexox Posts: 246
    edited July 2011
    I picked up my SDA spikes here and have been very happy: http://www.myesound.com/

    Burson HA-160D > Adcom GFA-5802 > Polk SDA-SRS 1.2tl w/ Mye Sound Spikes, Mills/Sonicap XO, Larry's Rings, Dynamat Extreme, Cardas CCGR Binding Posts and Jumpers, Custom 10ga interconnect, Custom Gaskets, RDO-198
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited July 2011
    Components like caps, resistors, etc have a shelf life even if they aren't powered up. Also capacitor technology has come a long way in 20+ years, not to mention it's more affordable.

    It makes no difference how much a passive component like a cap or resistor is used as long at it's not abused it wears about the same as a component in a box unused.

    The answer is yes.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited July 2011
    heiney9 wrote: »
    . . . the answer is yes.

    H9

    +1

    It's a fact of life that capacitance drops as capacitors age. This will cause the crossover points to rise above originally designed values and it will affect sound quality. 20+ years is pushing it with the caps Polk used back then.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,226
    edited July 2011
    heiney9 wrote: »
    Components like caps, resistors, etc have a shelf life even if they aren't powered up.
    I'd like to kindly clarify this on one thing, if I may. Most common/standard resistors do not have a shelf life and common/standard resistors were most likely used in the production of these speakers. The ends may rust or corrode while sitting on a shelf or within a component, but the value does not change over time. Since these speakers were basically used for six months [according to the seller] and then stored for about twenty years, there was no current flowing through the resistors, thus no heat source to heat them up. Most failures I have encountered ended up as an open circuit over time or loss of value due to thermal [or current] overload and can even be caused by too much thermal heat upon installation. This is normally indicated by the tell-tale browning of the resistor and the board but may not always be the case. Now if moisture, weight, mechanical stress or excessive heat from storage has cracked the casing, that's another issue.

    One way to be certain that the resistors still hold the same value is to measure them, which wouldn't be a bad idea in case the previous owner swapped one out with the wrong value or if one has been excessively overheated, causing an abnormal value.

    That said, while I haven't tried it myself yet, positive things have been mentioned with upgraded or the use of tighter tolerance resistors [Mills, for example]. That may be something that you would want to research a bit.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited July 2011
    Ok Tom, I'll agree with you on resistor shelf life. The Mills are leaps and bounds better sounding. I'll take those over a .03c resistor new or 20 years old everytime.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Big Dawg
    Big Dawg Posts: 2,005
    edited July 2011
    xoaphexox wrote: »
    I picked up my SDA spikes here and have been very happy: http://www.myesound.com/

    Not sure when you bought yours, but they're no longer available from Myesound.
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