SDA 1C speaker post polarity

ElCapo
ElCapo Posts: 1
edited April 2013 in Vintage Speakers
Forgive the newbie... =)

I recently picked up a very nice pair of SDA 1C's and I've got a very noob type of question. The plastic screw caps are not present on the speaker binding posts. It doesn't seem apparent what the polarity is on the speakers. I've looked for pictures or details, and all I can find are wiring diagrams (i'm not looking to do a tear down to answer this question).

I've seen pictures which have been posted with the connections both black(left), red(right) and the opposite.

Can anyone clarify how these should be connected?
Thanks!!
Post edited by ElCapo on

Comments

  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,101
    edited April 2013
    Pull four screws on each speaker, pop the terminal cups out. The post that's connected to a white wire is the negative.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited April 2013
    Looking from the rear on SDA's, red/positive is always on the left, black/negative is always on the right.
    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

  • Mr. Bubbles
    Mr. Bubbles Posts: 736
    edited April 2013
    welcome to the forums. hang around and you can learn a lot from these guys. Some really savvy Polk guys here.

    I would suggest pretty much what shurkey recommended: Pull the four screws from the terminal cups. No real need at this point to pull anything else. White wire is negative. Good luck ad enjoy.
    If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of Progress?!


    Monitor 5Jr, Monitor 5, RTA12, RTA 15TL, SDA 2A, 1c, SRS 2, 1.2TL, CRS, Atrium.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited April 2013
    This really savvy Polk guy already posted the answer.
    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

  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited April 2013
    F1nut wrote: »
    This really savvy Polk guy already posted the answer.

    and the past President of Club Polk, whose influence reaches to the far corners of the galaxy!
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,442
    edited April 2013
    and the past President of Club Polk, whose influence reaches to the far corners of the galaxy!

    Who's the new president?

    F1nut is right no need to pull anything. If you need the caps I sure we can come up with enough around here.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited April 2013
    I'm still the President of Club Polk. :cool:

    A certain someone's ego couldn't deal with it and convinced someone else to ask me to remove that from my sig.
    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

  • Mr. Bubbles
    Mr. Bubbles Posts: 736
    edited April 2013
    F1nut wrote: »
    This really savvy Polk guy already posted the answer.

    I have seen many pictures of polks that show the posts in either position. I can not say whether they are in correct position or not since it is just pictures. That is why I made the statement I did. It's not that i was saying you were wrong, just from what I have seen in the past, pulling the cups would be a better way for me to be 100% sure.
    If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of Progress?!


    Monitor 5Jr, Monitor 5, RTA12, RTA 15TL, SDA 2A, 1c, SRS 2, 1.2TL, CRS, Atrium.
  • Mr. Bubbles
    Mr. Bubbles Posts: 736
    edited April 2013
    F1nut wrote: »
    I'm still the President of Club Polk. :cool:

    A certain someone's ego couldn't deal with it and convinced someone else to ask me to remove that from my sig.

    That's pretty messed up. I have run into some ego's around here since I joined. Damn Napoleon complexes!
    If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of Progress?!


    Monitor 5Jr, Monitor 5, RTA12, RTA 15TL, SDA 2A, 1c, SRS 2, 1.2TL, CRS, Atrium.
  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited April 2013
    F1nut wrote: »
    I'm still the President of Club Polk. :cool:

    A certain someone's ego couldn't deal with it and convinced someone else to ask me to remove that from my sig.

    I humbly request that you put it back in your sig.
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
  • rromeo923
    rromeo923 Posts: 1,513
    edited April 2013
    F1nut wrote: »
    I'm still the President of Club Polk. :cool:

    A certain someone's ego couldn't deal with it and convinced someone else to ask me to remove that from my sig.

    Long live the Pres!!
    I got static in my head
    The reflected sound of everything
  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited April 2013
    Viva La Presidente'
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,442
    edited April 2013
    OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!!






    opps sorry got carried away...thought this was the Coconut cable thread
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,442
    edited April 2013
    I humbly request that you put it back in your sig.

    George you should DEMAND Jesse put it back into his sig.
    good to know we still have a great president.
  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited April 2013
    Okay,, I'll start a "bring back the president thread. To the OP,, I am sorry for derailing this thread. Please accept my apologizies, and enjoy your 1C's.
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,101
    edited April 2013
    Schurkey wrote: »
    Pull four screws on each speaker, pop the terminal cups out. The post that's connected to a white wire is the negative.
    F1nut wrote: »
    Looking from the rear on SDA's, red/positive is always on the left, black/negative is always on the right.
    Wasn't there a member of this forum warning us about incorrect binding-post wiring on SDA SRS speakers? I don't remember the details, but he reversed the speaker cable polarity, and heard the SDA effect for the first time since buying the speakers.

    These speakers are more than twenty years old. There's no telling what previous owners have done to them. Considering the complete lack of difficulty in popping our four screws per cabinet, I'd say it was time well-spent to assure the proper polarity.

    Of course, a person could simply connect the wires in various configurations and LISTEN, when the speakers sound "right" the speaker cables are installed properly. This will probably take more time than just pulling the cups, and I won't promise that every amp on the planet will appreciate mixing-and-matching cable positions.
  • TennMan
    TennMan Posts: 1,266
    edited April 2013
    You could connect a 1.5volt battery the the binding posts and observe polarity of the battery and the direction the MWs move. They should move forward (out) when the positive post of the battery is connected to the positive binding post. I hope this helps.
    • SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited April 2013
    Wasn't there a member of this forum warning us about incorrect binding-post wiring on SDA SRS speakers? I don't remember the details, but he reversed the speaker cable polarity, and heard the SDA effect for the first time since buying the speakers.

    That's correct. It was on the 1.2's (not TL) that Polk put the red binding post cap on the right instead of the left.
    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

  • michaeljhsda2
    michaeljhsda2 Posts: 2,184
    edited April 2013
    To further clarify, the original SDA SRS's are supposed to have the red positive binding post nuts on the right and the SDA SRS 1.2's and SDA SRS 1.2 TL's are supposed to be on the left. However, Polk is notorious for using up old stock and in my case, a leftover original SDA SRS sticker was placed on the back of the SDA SRS 1.2's. Although the 1.2's were correctly wired inside, if one were to look at the sticker and go by what it illustrated (red on the right), and then proceeded to move the red plastic binding post nuts to the right, they would have unwittingly wired their speakers out of phase.

    Note: The original SDA SRS's have a blade/blade interconnect socket and the SDA SRS 1.2's and SDA SRS 1.2TL's have a pin/blade interconnect socket. There is no such thing as a pin/blade original SDA SRS.
    SDA SRS 2.3TL's
    Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
    Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
    SDA 2B TL's
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited April 2013
    I stand corrected.
    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

  • PolkieMan
    PolkieMan Posts: 2,446
    edited April 2013
    Man that is a mess.
    Maybe the battery test and a wiring check is in order on any used Polk SDA purchase.
    Who knows, someone didn't like the idea of a interconnect cable and rewired the speakers inside to make them all play the same.
    To further clarify, the original SDA SRS's are supposed to have the red positive binding post nuts on the right and the SDA SRS 1.2's and SDA SRS 1.2 TL's are supposed to be on the left. However, Polk is notorious for using up old stock and in my case, a leftover original SDA SRS sticker was placed on the back of the SDA SRS 1.2's. Although the 1.2's were correctly wired inside, if one were to look at the sticker and go by what it illustrated (red on the right), and then proceeded to move the red plastic binding post nuts to the right, they would have unwittingly wired their speakers out of phase.

    Note: The original SDA SRS's have a blade/blade interconnect socket and the SDA SRS 1.2's and SDA SRS 1.2TL's have a pin/blade interconnect socket. There is no such thing as a pin/blade original SDA SRS.
    POLK SDA 2.3 TLS BOUGHT NEW IN 1990, Gimpod/Sonic Caps/Mills RDO-198
    POLK CSI-A6 POLK MONITOR 70'S ONKYO TX NR-808 SONY CDP-333ES
    PIONEER PL-510A SONY BDP S5100
    POLK SDA 1C BOUGHT USED 2011,Gimpod/Sonic Caps/Mills RDO-194
    ONKYO HT RC-360 SONY BDP S590 TECHNICS SL BD-1
  • Clownbaby
    Clownbaby Posts: 50
    edited April 2013
    the black wire goes to the red dot, isn't this correct? for the simplest explanation?
  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,243
    edited April 2013
    To further clarify, the original SDA SRS's are supposed to have the red positive binding post nuts on the right and the SDA SRS 1.2's and SDA SRS 1.2 TL's are supposed to be on the left. However, Polk is notorious for using up old stock and in my case, a leftover original SDA SRS sticker was placed on the back of the SDA SRS 1.2's. Although the 1.2's were correctly wired inside, if one were to look at the sticker and go by what it illustrated (red on the right), and then proceeded to move the red plastic binding post nuts to the right, they would have unwittingly wired their speakers out of phase.

    Note: The original SDA SRS's have a blade/blade interconnect socket and the SDA SRS 1.2's and SDA SRS 1.2TL's have a pin/blade interconnect socket. There is no such thing as a pin/blade original SDA SRS.


    Mine was that way..
  • michaeljhsda2
    michaeljhsda2 Posts: 2,184
    edited April 2013
    Clownbaby wrote: »
    the black wire goes to the red dot, isn't this correct? for the simplest explanation?
    Are you referring to the inside wiring at the binding post cup? The red dot represents positive and the black wire goes there. I'm pretty sure that any red, black, blue or green wire in a Polk speaker is positive. White and yellow are negative.
    SDA SRS 2.3TL's
    Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
    Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
    SDA 2B TL's
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited April 2013
    I'm pretty sure that any red, black, blue or green wire in a Polk speaker is positive. White and yellow are negative.

    Allow me to correct you this time. This is the wiring color code for all SDA and Monitor speakers except the SDA SRS.

    Black/Blue is positive.

    White/Green is negative.
    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