All the Polk SDA upgrades located in one place!
Comments
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I nominate this modification as an upgrade and predict it will become a staple here...
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/195562/must-try-mod-foam-inside-the-stamped-steel-baskets-yes/p1Still modifying... -
^A very bad idea, to be avoided at all cost^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 -
I'm posting this here as well.
There's an aspect about doing modifications that hasn't been addressed yet and should be given serious consideration, reversibility.
Crossovers - can be easily reversed or the hack jobs that some do can be redone properly.
Spikes - easily reversed.
BH5 - easily reversed.
Rings - can be reversed by changing the mounting hole locations.
Gaskets - stock is still best, but damaged ones must be replaced. Avoid Mortite.
Binding posts - cannot be reversed, but there's no real reason to do so. Can be changed to ones you prefer.
Dynamat Xtreme - unless one has unnecessarily covered every square inch it can be removed with little effort.
Tweeter plates - easily reversed.
Gluing the magnets - should never be reversed.
Phase plugs - cannot be reversed.
Foam lining the basket - good luck getting that crap out. BTW, that foam will turn to dust one day and make a big mess.
External cabinet mods - may or may not be reversed depending on what was done.
Reasons to consider reversibility. You may not like the results and they don't make these anymore. You may wish or need to sell the speakers at some point and potential buyers may be put off by what you've done resulting in a serious negative impact on the value.
Post edited by F1nut onPolitical 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 -
I will put my 2c in. Life is short and the CIC says we are closer to Armageddon than ever before in history (I hope people read this 2 years from now and laugh). Why worry about what some nervous nellie in the future might be concerned about (before they do a listen test), when you could have X amount of years more of enjoying your music more than you ever have before. Even the high end vintage Polks go for dirt cheap in the aftermarket in my opinion, no matter what.
PS: When giving an opinion on a mod, one should disclose whether or not one has tried said mod. That's all I gots ta say bout that!
Post edited by Gardenstater onGeorge / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
As I have previously stated, that mod defies logic. One doesn't have to try jumping off a bridge to know it's a very bad idea.PS: When giving an opinion on a mod, one should disclose whether or not one has tried said mod. That's all I gots ta say bout that!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 -
Richard Vandersteen didn't advise jumping off a bridge in the patent I referenced previously. Or maybe I missed that part. I am losing track of how many have tried the mod now. So far no negatives, all positives. Some have PM'd me with strongly positive superlatives which I will leave to those individuals if they want to share their experiences on the forum or not.
PS: Most audiophiles prefer to avoid drama and enjoy their music peacefully.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
Exactly how many? Judging by what I've seen most to all are newbies that are blindly following bad advice.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 -
When I see bad advice I will call it out. The real question is why are you are pushing this idea so hard?!?Most audiophiles prefer to avoid drama and enjoy their music peacefully.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 -
They are not all "newbies" to the Polk forum. One of those is even a lifetime musician with a highly trained ear.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
How many?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 -
Not many yet, but as I said I don't have an accurate tally. It doesn't matter because you will discount all of their experiences lol. Not gonna argue bout this anymore. Everyone enjoy their hobby the way they see fit George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
When I see bad advice I will call it out. The real question is why are you are pushing this idea so hard?!?Most audiophiles prefer to avoid drama and enjoy their music peacefully.
My egregious behavior can only be explained by wanting other audiophiles to enjoy this very high bang for the buck mod. It is selfish of me to want to see them enjoy it like I am. Oh and I should disclose that I have thrown all my loose cash into foam manufacturers stocks (shhh!)
How can you be so certain that you are saving people from this, without trying it? Why are you so vociferously negative?
George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
I am losing track of how many have tried the mod now.
Losing track of how many indicates a large number.Not many yet, but as I said I don't have an accurate tally.
Not many shouldn't be hard to lose track of and to be fair, you didn't say that.
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 -
F1nut, you spoke too soon...The phase plugs ARE reverseable. I've reversed a set and will reverse another set soon to design a copper shorting ring pole-piece for the vintage MWs...a real LEGEND driver if you will.Post edited by xschop onStill modifying...
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You spoke too soon...The phase plugs ARE reverseable. I've reversed a set and will reverse another set soon to design a copper shorting ring pole-piece for the vintage MWs...a real LEGEND driver if you will.
Well, I stand corrected. I figured once glued on they weren't coming off.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 -
I thought so as well.
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When the drivers are taken apart there is nothing to prevent a threaded hole in both the pole piece and the phase plug, allowing it to be screwed on with a small threaded stud. The first one Rob made was built that way, as a matter of fact.
Rob, this will be another advantage of your driver mod service as an all in one solution set vs. people doing it themselves and needing to do the thread locker adhesive method.
The copper shorting rings is a really intriguing idea and should reduce distortion further at higher volumes, if it pans out.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
I have a method that doesn't require pole-piece removal
Still modifying... -
I'm posting this here as well.
There's an aspect about doing modifications that hasn't been addressed yet and should be given serious consideration, reversibility.
Crossovers - can be easily reversed or the hack jobs that some do can be redone properly.
Spikes - easily reversed.
BH5 - easily reversed.
Rings - can be reversed by changing the mounting hole locations.
Gaskets - stock is still best, but damaged ones must be replaced. Avoid Mortite.
Binding posts - cannot be reversed, but there's no real reason to do so. Can be changed to ones you prefer.
Dynamat Xtreme - unless one has unnecessarily covered every square inch it can be removed with little effort.
Tweeter plates - easily reversed.
Gluing the magnets - should never be reversed.
Phase plugs - cannot be reversed.
Foam lining the basket - good luck getting that crap out. BTW, that foam will turn to dust one day and make a big mess.
External cabinet mods - may or may not be reversed depending on what was done.
Reasons to consider reversibility. You may not like the results and they don't make these anymore. You may wish or need to sell the speakers at some point and potential buyers may be put off by what you've done resulting in a serious negative impact on the value.
Almost anything is reversible. I believe most people understand and accept modifications as it relates to these old speakers. I wont lose ANY sleep over anything I do to my own or other's speakers at their request. Value is what anybody perceives about anything, at any given time. The majority of the classic Porsches I've designed conversion parts for e.g. GM, Toyota, Ford, and an even a Honda engine, are still on the road today and even have tripled in their value according to their owners that I still have contact with.
Matt Polk said to experiment, therefore I feel obliged.
Still modifying... -
I have a method that doesn't require pole-piece removal
I might've known you'd come up with something like that 🤣George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
