1985? SDA SRS connections WITH MONOPHONIC AMPS

ptrooper

Hello.
I have a set of SDA SRS from around 1985 ,they don't have black tweeters!Fxtremely good condition .In the manual it says must use with a common ground amplifiers but it also says that they can be used with monophonic amplifiers as long as the chasis is connected/wired between both amps!.

Can any one with further knowledge please simplify things so i don't make any exspensive mistakes . Most people here in Western Australia and my self havn't got a clue ?

I have been reading into the upgrading available for these speakers and i now know i definately won't be selling!Its nice to see so many people interested in the same product....pitty you'r all on the other side of the planet

Cheers and i will appreciate any information .
cheers Ptrooper

drumminman

To allow for use of non common ground amps Polk made a cable called the AI-1 interface.

You can make your own out of much higher quality parts, yielding an improvement in sound quality. Check this out:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?73304-AI-1-Dreadnought-Preliminary-Results&highlight=strapped%20ground

Darqueknight is one of the Polk master modders :cool:

Alternatively, you could call Polk and see if they have any in stock. And yes, after you become familiar with the sound of your SDA's do the mods - you'll be amazed.

Toolfan66

You can't use a AI-1 sda cable with the original SDA SRS's !!!!!!

You can tie the negitive post's together on a non common ground amp/or mono block amps if the manufacture allows it as not all amps can have the negitives tied..

heiney9

drumminman wrote: »

To allow for use of non common ground amps Polk made a cable called the AI-1 interface.

You can make your own out of much higher quality parts, yielding an improvement in sound quality.

CAN'T use the AI-1 with original SRS's so that's a no go.

It's rare that mono-block amps can have their grounds tied. The OP doesn't mention the brand. Check with the manufacturer, that's the only way to know for sure unless someone here runs the exact same amps with the same speakers and can help.

H9

drumminman

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

You can't use a AI-1 sda cable with the original SDA SRS's !!!!!!

You can tie the negitive post's together on a non common ground amp/or mono block amps if the manufacture allows it as not all amps can have the negitives tied..

Oops! :redface:

Sorry for the wrong info. I thought you needed that on all SDA's w/ non common ground amps. Still learning.

ptrooper

drumminman wrote: »

Oops! :redface:

Sorry for the wrong info. I thought you needed that on all SDA's w/ non common ground amps. Still learning.

No problemo drumminman ,I'm just starting to learn!.I hooked a non common ground amp up once!The rep for polk at Vince ross audio world laughed saying "bet you didn't F@R% up your sda srs nothing F@r%s them" ...lol he was right ..i blew the muting section on the pre and cooked something in my amp which was connected to the high frequency section.......cause....i shut the pre down before the poweramp. : (

The weekest point in my system at present are the amps and pre.I could run my wadia15 directly to my amps bypassing the pre/processor as a dedicated 2 channel system but it also sounds extremely good in my home theatre set up.

Reading through the forums , able to view the threads seeing upgrades with physical testing from enthusiasts and the qualified technicians who share the love of Polk is fantastic!....I will be doing something if not now then definately in the near future.

Back to the sda srs
1......upgrade tweeters interconnect caps etc
2......monoblock amps with common ground...connecting grounding posts or
3......Rebuild the srs's into 1.2TL's ...can this be done and at what cost?....<---<<< this is where my heart is!
then make the AI-1 dreadnaught.:razz:

Polk's co-founder and Polk's engineering department had a similar philosophy: "What we put on the market is great, but if you do these modifications you'll get what we originally designed."

Large, low DCR SDA inductors, premium film capacitors, higher grade resistors, additional mechanical damping, Mortite speaker seals, heavy duty AI-1 transformers, polyswitch removal, etc. are all Polk recommended tweaks. - Darqueknight

Can the above upgrades be bought madeup and for non Techs like myself be easily installed?
Thanks again and look forward to any information.
ptrooper

drumminman

ptrooper wrote: »

No problemo drumminman ,I'm just starting to learn!.I hooked a non common ground amp up once!The rep for polk at Vince ross audio world laughed saying "bet you didn't F@R% up your sda srs nothing F@r%s them" ...lol he was right ..i blew the muting section on the pre and cooked something in my amp which was connected to the high frequency section.......cause....i shut the pre down before the poweramp. : (

The weekest point in my system at present are the amps and pre.I could run my wadia15 directly to my amps bypassing the pre/processor as a dedicated 2 channel system but it also sounds extremely good in my home theatre set up.

Reading through the forums , able to view the threads seeing upgrades with physical testing from enthusiasts and the qualified technicians who share the love of Polk is fantastic!....I will be doing something if not now then definately in the near future.

Back to the sda srs
1......upgrade tweeters interconnect caps etc
2......monoblock amps with common ground...connecting grounding posts or
3......Rebuild the srs's into 1.2TL's ...can this be done and at what cost?....<---<<< this is where my heart is!
then make the AI-1 dreadnaught.:razz:

Polk's co-founder and Polk's engineering department had a similar philosophy: "What we put on the market is great, but if you do these modifications you'll get what we originally designed."

Large, low DCR SDA inductors, premium film capacitors, higher grade resistors, additional mechanical damping, Mortite speaker seals, heavy duty AI-1 transformers, polyswitch removal, etc. are all Polk recommended tweaks. - Darqueknight

Can the above upgrades be bought madeup and for non Techs like myself be easily installed?
Thanks again and look forward to any information.
ptrooper

There are members of the forum who rebuild Xovers for a fee + parts if you're not comfortable doing it. The other mods are pretty easy and others have usually posted "how to" instructions with pictorials. As good as your SDA's sound now, the mods improve them dramatically :cheesygrin: