My New SDA-2Bs
mhanig
Posts: 10
Afternoon,
So last night I purchased my first pair of good speakers. Mainly due to the active and helpful nature of this forum, I decided that it had to be some sort of SDA. Well a pair popped up on my local Craigslist for $250. Upon viewing the speakers I did the passive radiator test for stuck drivers, and they all checked out. I had my receiver with me and tried them out for a few minutes, but we were in an active warehouse e.g forklifts were driving about, so it wasnt really an ideal auditioning environment.
Unfortunately the cabinets were in rough shape. These are the later 2Bs so they have real woon veneer on the top and bottom with cloth on the sides. The cloth was in good shape, but the veneer was cracked and worn all over. Even the MDF base had wear on the rear corners.
Additionally, one of the the pins was broken at the base, enough was left to screw onto, but just barely.
Finally, he was having trouble locating the SDA cable, but the seller knew that it was somewhere in the warehouse, and he was going to be going though its contents in it's entirety in the next week. (I came on the last day of his lease, so he was moving everything into semis.
Given all the problems, I managed to talk him down to $190, with the agreement that if he found the SDA cable I would give him another $10.
So, I am currently making repair plans and have several questions:
1: Are there binding posts that can be purchased that can replace the stock ones without modifying the hole size?
2: I was planning on having a local furniture maker make new MDF tops and bases for the speakers with some exotic veneer (thinking ebony). Has anyone ever replaced this part of the cabinet successfully? I couldn't tell if they were mainly decorative or if they were the top and bottom of the cabinet.
3: If I end up having to make a new interconnect cable and install binding posts for that, will any decent post and cabling do?
4: Just out of curiosity, did I overpay in my haste to get a pair of SDAs?
P.S. I have them hooked up and they sound great even without the SDA cable. Way better than the Pioneer Cs-66s they replaced.
P.P.S I do have some experience with soldering speaker crossovers, having recapped the 66s earlier this summer.
Thanks for the help.
-M
So last night I purchased my first pair of good speakers. Mainly due to the active and helpful nature of this forum, I decided that it had to be some sort of SDA. Well a pair popped up on my local Craigslist for $250. Upon viewing the speakers I did the passive radiator test for stuck drivers, and they all checked out. I had my receiver with me and tried them out for a few minutes, but we were in an active warehouse e.g forklifts were driving about, so it wasnt really an ideal auditioning environment.
Unfortunately the cabinets were in rough shape. These are the later 2Bs so they have real woon veneer on the top and bottom with cloth on the sides. The cloth was in good shape, but the veneer was cracked and worn all over. Even the MDF base had wear on the rear corners.
Additionally, one of the the pins was broken at the base, enough was left to screw onto, but just barely.
Finally, he was having trouble locating the SDA cable, but the seller knew that it was somewhere in the warehouse, and he was going to be going though its contents in it's entirety in the next week. (I came on the last day of his lease, so he was moving everything into semis.
Given all the problems, I managed to talk him down to $190, with the agreement that if he found the SDA cable I would give him another $10.
So, I am currently making repair plans and have several questions:
1: Are there binding posts that can be purchased that can replace the stock ones without modifying the hole size?
2: I was planning on having a local furniture maker make new MDF tops and bases for the speakers with some exotic veneer (thinking ebony). Has anyone ever replaced this part of the cabinet successfully? I couldn't tell if they were mainly decorative or if they were the top and bottom of the cabinet.
3: If I end up having to make a new interconnect cable and install binding posts for that, will any decent post and cabling do?
4: Just out of curiosity, did I overpay in my haste to get a pair of SDAs?
P.S. I have them hooked up and they sound great even without the SDA cable. Way better than the Pioneer Cs-66s they replaced.
P.P.S I do have some experience with soldering speaker crossovers, having recapped the 66s earlier this summer.
Thanks for the help.
-M
Post edited by mhanig on
Comments
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Congrats, and welcome to Club Polk.
Binding post: Cardas fit the holes, but are expensive. Parts Express has quite a few more cost effective posts to choose from as well.
Veneer top and bottom, F1nut would be the person to ask.
Do not use binding posts for the IC Cable, convert to Speakons. They're inexpensive, foolproof, and will accommodate just about any type of wire you may want to use.
Whether you overpaid or not is entirely subjective. Everything works, so you're mainly talking cosmetics. I'd say that's a fair price.Home Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
Congrats on the purchase!
There are many here who have original binding posts floating around, and probably would be willing to send them to you at little cost. The same may be true for an IC cable; do you need blade-blade, or pin-blade? -
Congrats and welcome to the forum Nothing but for real cats here. You now will get the polk bug and your house will become a polk showcase. Mine is!! lol The 2B's do their thing for sure!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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Thanks for the quick replies. I'm pretty sure the interconnect is the blade/blade, two flat holes with one being slightly larger than the other. My only concern is one of the SDA website, I forget which one, lists my model as having pin/blade. Is the pin on the pin/blade pretty clearly round? Also, if I was able to get some original binding posts would it be possible to just use one of them, as only one of the posts is broken, or are the original binding posts one single unit?
-M -
You could replace just the broken one; it will be secured with a nut, and maybe some glue on the back.
There was probably a pin-blade version of your speakers also, but it does look very different, and it would be hard to confuse the two. -
Thanks for the quick replies. I'm pretty sure the interconnect is the blade/blade, two flat holes with one being slightly larger than the other. My only concern is one of the SDA website, I forget which one, lists my model as having pin/blade. Is the pin on the pin/blade pretty clearly round? Also, if I was able to get some original binding posts would it be possible to just use one of them, as only one of the posts is broken, or are the original binding posts one single unit?
-M
If you could post a pick I'll see if I can match it. There are several versions that Polk usedHome Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
Here are some photos of the problem areas as well as one showing the incongruously clean grill cloth.
My current wiring solution.
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Here are some photos of the problem areas as well as one showing the incongruously clean grill cloth.
My current wiring solution.
[
I can send you two pairHome Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
westmassguy wrote: »Are you missing nuts on the other ones too?
I can send you two pair
Thanks for the offer.
The other speaker has both posts and nuts. I actually have the black nut for the speaker with the broken pin, you can see it in picture 3, but I took it off to show how the pin is broken. I am missing the red one for that speaker. Do you have a matching binding post? How much do you want for them? -
Thanks for the offer.
The other speaker has both posts and nuts. I actually have the black nut for the speaker with the broken pin, you can see it in picture 3, but I took it off to show how the pin is broken. I am missing the red one for that speaker. Do you have a matching binding post? How much do you want for them?Home Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
You do in fact have the blade-blade interconnect. Good news for you, as Polk still sells that one (and not the pin/blade). You can call them and they'll send one your way--mention you're a Club Polk member and you may be in line for a discount/discounted shipping.
I also have a pair of blade/blade 2Bs, so you're not alone!Jay
SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0 -
Congrats, I also am a new owner of SDA-2bs. Mine just had some deep water stains on the tops and w/ the help of F-1 a pro woodworker in his own right guided me through a process which turned water stained white oake tops into deep dark walnut.I think removing the tops was an iffy proposition for me so I did not take them off. I believe on the for sale side the IC cable comes up from time to time or there are threads on how to make your own.Good luck and again these are great speakers and I was a non believer for a long time and so converted now.Mine are blade/blade.2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E
H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-
Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc -
I decided to take westmassguy's advice and will be putting in a speakon port on the back and making a new interconnect. The biggest reason I want to make new "end pieces" is because the bottom ones have a lot of the veneer and what I assume is MDF worn off the bottom rear. There are also a few places where the veneer is missing. I was thinking of PMing F-1 to get his advice, unless that would be a breach of etiquette.
-M -
Your posts went out this morningHome Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
You won't be disappointed with the Speakon connectors. They lock in place tightly when you connect them but are still quick and easy to disconnect. Another good feature is they are keyed for proper alignment so you can't connect them wrong. westmassguy installed them for me when he did the TL upgrade on my 2B crossovers. BTW, if you need any crossover upgrades he does excellent work.
- SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
- Crossover upgrades by westmassguy
- Marantz 1504 AVR (front speaker pre-outs to Adcom 555)
- Adcom GFA-555 amp · Upgrades & speaker protection added by OldmanSRS
- Pioneer DV-610AV DVD/CD player
- SDA CRS+ · Hidden away in the closet
- SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
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Thanks RonnieHome Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
So today all of the parts came in. Thanks again, westmassguy. And I have begun replacing the binding post and mounting the new hardware . My question is this:
The SDA cable is already crimped at the mounting board (where the posts are), and slides off the rear of the SDA port now that the glue is removed. Is there any reason to make a new wire or can i just slide this one on the back of the Speakon?
-M -
So today all of the parts came in. Thanks again, westmassguy. And I have begun replacing the binding post and mounting the new hardware . My question is this:
The SDA cable is already crimped at the mounting board (where the posts are), and slides off the rear of the SDA port now that the glue is removed. Is there any reason to make a new wire or can i just slide this one on the back of the Speakon?
-MHome Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
Ok thanks. Here is a picture of what I was thinking.
Obviously I will be mounting the female speakon. -
Ok thanks. Here is a picture of what I was thinking.
Obviously I will be mounting the female speakon.Home Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
I just finished. I sort of bungled the enlargement of the hole where the SDA jack goes, but I put a bunch of hot glue on it, which seems to be working, and will have to due till I have the funds and motivation to replace the tweeters. I can definitely see why the speakon plugs are popular, though it was a bit of a pain to get the wire soldered to the little metal bracket. Went with some Mortite that I had laying around to reseal them.
I'm pretty happy with the results:
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Looks good. The caps and tweet upgrade is a must at some point. Especially since you have put so much work into them so far