Just purchased SDA-1C's and first post!

EkMotten

Hello all!

Just joined Club Polk and this is my first post here on the forum! I've been a recent lurker. Everyone here seems really great and helpful! I've already learned so much about these speakers (SDA-1C's) on the forum. I'm excited to finally be a part of the Polk community! I can't wait to experience what everyone else has been raving about and eventually start modifying. My first task will be building a Pin/Blade Interconnect, then I plan on applying Dynamat Extreme to the baskets of the MWs and PR and to the side walls of the inner cabinet. When/if I have more funding I'd love to replace the tweeter's with RDO-194's and rebuild the crossovers. The particle-board base on one of the speakers broke while carrying them, but I've read that people don't like these bases anyways. The base is repairable in my case. Any suggestions on what to put in their place if I take them off? Also, any suggestions on order of mods or other mods to do? I have just about a zero-budget right now. Thanks guys!

F1nut

then I plan on applying Dynamat Extreme to the baskets of the MWs and PR and to the side walls of the inner cabinet.

Do NOT put Dynamat Extreme on the interior walls of the speaker cabinet.

The particle-board base on one of the speakers broke while carrying them, but I've read that people don't like these bases anyways. The base is repairable in my case.

You must have Studio 1C's.

Any suggestions on what to put in their place if I take them off?

Tall spikes.

Moose68Bash

F1nut wrote: »

Do NOT put Dynamat Extreme on the interior walls of the speaker cabinet.

Yes, but you may want to apply Black Hole 5 behind the MWs and on the sides.

Several threads deal with how and where to apply it.

F1nut is a man of exceptionally good advice and very few words. Hence, I felt the need to augment his words in this case. I suspect he was respecting your budgetary constraints at this time. :-)

Welcome to Club Polk, and keep a tight reign on your wallet! Once you step into the rabbit hole, there is no end.

Enjoy those 1Cs! I love mine!

gimpod

Because it will deaden the natural resonance of the cabinet.

F1nut

Materials such as Blackhole 5 dampen (absorb) the sound waves bouncing around inside the cabinet. Dynamat Extreme would reflect the sound waves causing more bouncing. It's purpose is to keep sound waves out of something such as the stamped steel driver baskets.

Mike Reeter

Ek, Welcome, pay heed to what these gentleman speak of, they know what's up with these old classic SDA's. Enjoy your new 1C's, they are very good speaker with a lot of potential.

boston1450

Welcome to Club Polk & enjoy them fine speakers

hochpt21

Welcome and enjoy those SDA's!!

zane77

Glad you here and enjoy your new speaks, heed the advice of the elders.

westmassguy

Welcome to CP, and enjoy you're new toys

F1nut

DSkip wrote: »

This was my thought on the subject, so I'm glad I was on the same page. So, if you were to integrate the dynamat where its not internal, such as sandwiched between two pieces of MDF and applied to the internal layer of MDF, would that be a sufficient cabinet design? Just asking theoretically.

Seems like a pausible theory.

EkMotten

Thanks for the warm welcomes and feedback! I'm going to love this community, I didn't expect to have so many people chime in and so quickly too!

EkMotten

Thank you [insert member's names here] for the advice about lining the cabinet and adding spikes. I read that other members have put Dynamat on the cabinet sides but now I realize that they're wrong. Would a sheet of household fiberglass on the back wall of each cabinet be an option instead of the Blackhole5? I've dampened a pair of sealed Yamaha's with fiberglass and it made a great improvement, but it also had to do with the insulation properties of fg as well because the cabinet was barely a cubic foot so it helped to keep the air pressure more constant when things heated up.

Schurkey

EkMotten wrote: »

Would a sheet of household fiberglass on the back wall of each cabinet be an option instead of the Blackhole5?

Your 1Cs are already stuffed with fibrous damping material. You should, however, assure that it it is lifted up to the upper part of the cabinet. It tends to settle downward over time.

EkMotten

Oh! I thought I read that only the higher end models were dampened for some reason, the more you know Fiberglass wouldn't be an upgrade per se, would it?

F1nut

I read that other members have put Dynamat on the cabinet sides but now I realize that they're wrong.

Ya know, I don't recall anyone here doing that.

chandler9a

Welcome to the Club! Great SDAs you have there. I have never heard of folks here putting Dynamat on the cabs but most of us have put them on the baskets of the drivers.

Keep the questions coming, this is a great forum for information.

amb426amb1

Got yourself some great speakers. Bought some Polks 3 days ago and ordered up tweeter upgrade today. Its only money and I guess there is always more were that came from. Welcome to the forums.?

zane77

Just thought I would throw this in, it's the SDA bible.
http://vr3mods.com/LCSDAUpgrade.php

EkMotten

Thanks guys! I paid $200, they are in perfect working condition with just a tad bit of cosmetic damage to the outsides. It seems that the grilles have been on them most of their life so underneath that it's rather perfect. It must have been on another forum that I read about people putting Dynamat Extreme on the inner cabinet walls, but they were performing the mod to their SDA's. They need to join Club Polk and be enlightened!

EkMotten

Thank you zane77! Something else for me to read ;D If only I could read my textbooks as religiously as audio/video/PC forums

Oldfatdogs

Hello EK,you bought yourself a nice sounding speaker.I love mine.

Enjoy.

Dan

headrott

f1nut wrote: »

materials such as blackhole 5 dampen (absorb) the sound waves bouncing around inside the cabinet. Dynamat extreme would reflect the sound waves causing more bouncing. It's purpose is to keep sound waves out of something such as the stamped steel driver baskets.

b-i-n-g-o!!!

Mr. Bubbles

To the OP . welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase. be ready to perform any mods you can afford when you can. it will make a HUGE improvement.

To others on the cabinet dynamat issue; are you saying that the foil surface is more reflective than the actual inside wall of the cabinet? This would seem possible but of negligable difference. Or is it just not a great idea to cover over the factory grooves in thwe interior cabinet walls on later models? This would seem more logical but would not include earlier cabinets without the grooving. Also this could seemingly be negated by texturing the foil in any manner similar to other devices and surfaces used to break up reflections. What about using a sound damping material without the foil faceing that is NOT an absorbant type material? Or is it just not desired in these models due to changing the original voicing by killing the sympathetic vibrations inherent to the original deasign?

I have not tried this on any of my Polks at this point and am trying to understand the logic behind the discussion. As DSkip described; it would generally be considered best to dampen the cabinets as much as possible, but I also realize that can change the presentation of a vintage design that was built before much of the available current technology in speaker design. not that strong cabinets have not been desired for many years but until the past decade or so, extrememly damped cabinets were not considered necessary in commonplace.

leftwinger57

Welcome to CP and you made a nice purchase there w/ those SDAs. I know you have been already told Not to Dynamat the insides of the cabinets. This effect would be detremental and use it would lose all the sonic benifits that these cabinets are tuned for. They are a certain size and have this confiuration for a reason. Dynamatting the basket spars was a very inexpensive non technical mod that anyone w/ a screw driver and razor knife can do. Yes you can go all the way w/ mods but there is nothing wrong w/ going w/ 1 or 2 mods at a time and see if you like the results. I think the majority of club members have done it this way. I would think that priority one would to be getting the correct I/C cable so you do not miss out of the whole SDA experiance. Good luck to you and as you already have found out there is a wealth of information right here.

Schurkey

F1nut wrote: »

Materials such as Blackhole 5 dampen (absorb) the sound waves bouncing around inside the cabinet. Dynamat Extreme would reflect the sound waves causing more bouncing. It's purpose is to keep sound waves out of something such as the stamped steel driver baskets.

I don't accept this. Damping material is unlikely to reflect sound waves. Dynamat may not be appropriate for the inside of the cabinet, but not for the reason stated.

EkMotten wrote: »

Oh! I thought I read that only the higher end models were dampened for some reason, the more you know Fiberglass wouldn't be an upgrade per se, would it?

'Glass would not be an upgrade. It'd be an itchy disaster.

F1nut

Schurkey wrote: »

I don't accept this. Damping material is unlikely to reflect sound waves. Dynamat may not be appropriate for the inside of the cabinet, but not for the reason stated.

The aluminum skin would reflect the sound waves.

PolkieMan

Welcome EkMotten, I also have and love my 1C's.

Interesting, if the aluminum skin reflects the sounds waves then leaving in on the baskets should also have somewhat of a reflective effect so the best thing to do would find Dynamat type material without the aluminum but a thin clear plastic film.

F1nut wrote: »

The aluminum skin would reflect the sound waves.

teekay0007

Welcome to Club Polk, EkMotten. Stick around and you're bound to learn a lot and spend a lot.

EkMotten wrote: »

The particle-board base on one of the speakers broke while carrying them, but I've read that people don't like these bases anyways. The base is repairable in my case. Any suggestions on what to put in their place if I take them off?

When I put spikes on my SDA-2B Studios, I removed the particle board bases and replaced them with ones made out of solid oak "2x2's" (actually measure 1-1/2" x 1-1/2") that I painted to match the speaker cabinets. It worked very well, adding MUCH greater stability to the speakers. Also, the additional 1/2" of height gained from the new bases along with 1-1/2" spikes brought my tweeters up 2" which was more in line with ear level when I was seated in my normal listening spot.

For a pic of them, see post #9 here: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?135856-Speaker-floor-spikes& Not the best angle of a shot, but will give you the idea of what this "mod" will do for your speakers.

EkMotten

Thank you VERY much teekay! I was really wondering what to do about the base. I didn't know if people just put the spikes directly onto the cabinet or added a better base. I will definitely look at your pictures. Thanks again!

EkMotten

I just found the thread where one of the members suggested/modded his Polk's by adding Dynamat to the inner side walls of his cabinets. http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-131374.html? . The post was by Joe08867