I Got a free set of Polk SDA-1C's

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DangerDad
DangerDad Posts: 20
edited April 2015 in 2 Channel Audio
I was these speakers tucked away in the corners of my uncles house and drooled over them every time I was there. He gave them to me because he knows that I would truly appreciate them. I got them home not knowing anything more than they were older Polks and if nothing else they would make good shop speakers! Having done some homework on them I found out they are they are pretty desirable speakers. So I hooked them up to see if I had any blown drivers and wow... They sound great for something from the late 80's! I was wondering what difference the tweeter upgrades make and how much are they. What other best bang for the buck upgrades are there that would make these speakers sound even better for more years to come?

You can see how big they are next to my TriTrix mtm TL's!
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,658
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    Welcome to Club Polk. Check your wallet at the door :)

    Nice speaks, enjoy the ride...
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  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
    edited April 2015
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    If you use the search function, you will find many many threads and upgrades. 1c's are fine speakers but IMO amazing speakers with upgrades.

    On the low end (cheap side)
    Spike them
    Dynamat the drivers
    Remount drivers with hurricane nuts
    Replace any bad gaskets with armacell
    Locktite the magnets on your woofers
    Locktite the cabinets for a good seal/reinforcement
    Move the batting back where it belongs and staple (wouldn't do that till you decide crossovers)
    Use a more transparent grill cloth

    On the Medium side
    Add Blackhole 5 or NoRez behind the woofers
    Change binding posts to higher quality versions
    Upgrade SDA cable to better quality with SpeakOn connectors

    On the high end
    Upgrade the SL2000's to RDO-194's
    Upgrade the crossovers
    Build or buy a dreadnaught

    There are a myriad of threads here to describe all of the above, but I think that gives you a general lay of the land. Good luck, enjoy, you just got one heck of a giveaway!

    VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
    VA 2 Channel Focal Electra 926 speakers, Pass Labs X150.5 Amp, Eastern Electric MiniMax Preamp (Tutay mods), Eastern Electric Minimax CDP (Scott Nixon mods), Music Hall mmf 5.1 Turntable, Parks Audio Budgie Phono Pre , Audioengine B1 streamer, MIT S3 IC's / MIT Shotgun S3 Speaker Cables / PS Audio power cables
    Noggin Schiit Valhalla, Pangea, Phillips Fidelio X1, Polk UF8000

    Polk SDA1c modded
    Polk CRS+ 4.1TL modded (need veneer)
    Polk SDA2BTL (fully modded)
    A/L 1000VA Dreadnought Canare 4s11 SDA cable
    SACD Marantz DV8300
    Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD
    Yamaha YP-D6
    Soundcraftsmen PCR800
    Audible Illusions L1 Preamp
    Vincent MFA based Cocci Tube Preamp
    Pho-700 Phono Pre
    Signal Cable Silver Resolution IC's






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  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,842
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    DangerDad,

    Welcome to Club Polk, and hearty congratulations on a wonderful "find" and gift from a very good uncle.

    I bought a pair of 1Cs new in 1989 and have done just about all the modification to them that are done by the guys on this Forum.

    You can read about it in the following discussion, if you are interested:

    http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/147471/now-i-have-the-mods-completed-on-my-1cs#latest

    I hope you have the SDA interconnect cable that came stock with the speakers. If not, you should immediately either fabricate one or purchase one. You will not get the best out of your vintage gems without the SDA effect, and you don't get it without the interconnect. If you want to take this to the next level, you can build a Dreadnought to insert in the SDA circuit to further improve the effect.

    In my opinion, the first modification you should make is to install the RD0-194-1 tweeters that can be purchased from Polk. They are discounted for Club Polk members when you identify yourself.

    Many of the mods on these speakers can be done by anybody who is reasonable capable with simple tools -- in which category I place myself. You should definitely protect your drivers from magnet shift by applying JB Weld or a similar product to the magnets on the drivers, and you can improve the sound quality by applying Dynamat Xtreme to the metal baskets on the drivers and passive radiator. Black Hole 5 or a similar product applied to the inside of the cabinets will also reduce resonance and improve sound quality. Several discussion on the Forum deal with these topics.

    If you have the wherewithal to install spikes on the speakers, this mod will improve your bass noticeably.

    If you are handy with a soldering iron and electronics "repair," there is a lot you can do by upgrading your crossovers with a Gimpod circuit board, modern capacitors, resistors, inductors and wiring. Vr3Mods can also do this work for you with outstanding results. Trey -- dba Vr3 Mods -- has done four sets of crossovers for me. His work is superb, and he is reasonably "priced" and will work with you to fit your budget.

    Again, welcome to Club Polk. The guys on this Forum have virtually infinite wisdom and experience about vintage Polks and are very generous with their know how.

    Oh, by the way, the rabbit hole awaits thee, my friend! B)
    Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.

    Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One.

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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    Thanks MrBuhl! I will be doing all the low cost upgrades for sure! Im very good at soldering and was hoping to upgrade the crossovers but i'm not sure what to order and where to put them...any pictures would help a lot!
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    Yes I have the SDA interconnect cable that came stock with the speakers. Is it true that they play the outer drivers out of phase? Seems to go against everything I've learned...
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  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
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    DangerDad wrote: »
    Thanks MrBuhl! I will be doing all the low cost upgrades for sure! Im very good at soldering and was hoping to upgrade the crossovers but i'm not sure what to order and where to put them...any pictures would help a lot!

    If you're handy with an iron - there are lots of more senior members who can help you out here - plus some great threads describing the options - I had another member Westmassguy do mine because I'm not so talented! The Crossovers will make a big difference, as long as they are opened up for the other upgrades, I'd do those at the same time.
    VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
    VA 2 Channel Focal Electra 926 speakers, Pass Labs X150.5 Amp, Eastern Electric MiniMax Preamp (Tutay mods), Eastern Electric Minimax CDP (Scott Nixon mods), Music Hall mmf 5.1 Turntable, Parks Audio Budgie Phono Pre , Audioengine B1 streamer, MIT S3 IC's / MIT Shotgun S3 Speaker Cables / PS Audio power cables
    Noggin Schiit Valhalla, Pangea, Phillips Fidelio X1, Polk UF8000

    Polk SDA1c modded
    Polk CRS+ 4.1TL modded (need veneer)
    Polk SDA2BTL (fully modded)
    A/L 1000VA Dreadnought Canare 4s11 SDA cable
    SACD Marantz DV8300
    Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD
    Yamaha YP-D6
    Soundcraftsmen PCR800
    Audible Illusions L1 Preamp
    Vincent MFA based Cocci Tube Preamp
    Pho-700 Phono Pre
    Signal Cable Silver Resolution IC's






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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,848
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    SDA's don't like being close to things like side walls, which is exactly what you have with those other speakers, so get rid of them if you want to experience what SDA has to offer. Next, add spikes and not the cheap steel ones.
    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

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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,073
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    Am I blind? I don't see an amp, receiver, nothing?
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    Space is hard to come by in my house...I will only have one of these towers in this room. But for a side by side comparison this will have to do...I will be pulling the SDA's apart here soon to give them some TLC but as of right now they are growing on me in a big way! I kinda feel like I should offer to pay for them...
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    Its under the center channel...Its just a Pioneer VSX-520 for now, but I will be upgrading that and putting it out in the shop.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited April 2015
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    Welcome the the Polk "vanilla" forums; what about "chocolate" you say? Ask Polk! lol

    Be careful with that Pioneer, it can F-up your speakers if you push it at all and it will do it instantaneously! A 520 can't put out much power to begin with and only to 8 ohm speakers that are relatively efficient. I have some of the Andrew Jones bookies and the center on a 7XX series in my basement and I have to crank that up, carefully?

    You REALLY need some quality amplification for those. Stick around, lots of suggestions. And yes, the walls are a B.! SDAs do not like rooms that don't have at least 14' of continuous uninterrupted wall space on one side.

    FREE is GOOD!

    Enjoy!
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    My amp spec's say its guaranteed for 6-16 ohm's but at 6 ohms they might only put out 100wpc. I only run this in a 2.1 so hopefully I can get by for now. but if you think im going to F-up these vintage towers I will keep it on the low...not that I have a choice with a wife and two little girls in the house!
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
    edited April 2015
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    Thanks! I'm stoked that I finally have a nice set of vintage audio! All my friends can suck-it you can't have these! So what amp would be better for a good 2.1 system? these are 6ohm 50-500 watts but I don't need really any more that 300w I don't think...!?
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,073
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    You'd have to get a receiver with preouts or a pre/pro in order to use a real amp. One of the Pioneer SC's is about the cheapest viable route that has decent power. Upper echelon of Yamaha Aventage have decent (but not a lot) power too, my RX-A1020 was bench tested at 155 x 2.

    If you really want to get into mid-fi, the Parasound Halo Integrated looks quite nice.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    Mid-fi...haha! Im just getting into this home audio thing and I don't want to hurt these speakers!...Im looking for a solid setup not crazy exotic but worthy of my speakers.
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,073
    edited April 2015
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    If you're not cranking it loud you aren't going to hurt them with your current receiver. Especially with an old polyswitch that probably trips before it should.

    I played my speakers, which are 4 ohm and less in cases, on a Yamaha RX-V667 and never popped a fuse, and that AVR was gutless.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,848
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    My amp spec's say its guaranteed for 6-16 ohm's but at 6 ohms they might only put out 100wpc. I only run this in a 2.1

    You've got to get your terminology correct. It's not an amp, it's an AVR. I see it lists for $229.00, weighs 20lbs. and is rated at 80 watts, one channel driven. So, maybe 50 wpc, 2 channels driven. Don't crank it with the SDA's.
    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

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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    I can learn....been doing it the hard way all my life!
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited April 2015
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    A free set of SDA 1Cs? Nice! That's a hell of a score.

    As others have pointed out, you're going to want to be careful with the volume knob on your receiver. Receivers in that type of price range are typically designed to drive smaller speakers that are less power hungry and tend to run at 8 ohms. It'll be fine driving them at low to moderate volumes though. Just make sure you monitor the receiver to make sure it isn't getting too hot.
    The nirvana inducer-
    APC H10 Power Conditioner
    Marantz UD5005 universal player
    Parasound Halo P5 preamp
    Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
    PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
    Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,848
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    DangerDad wrote: »
    I can learn....been doing it the hard way all my life!

    Good response, I like you.

    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

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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
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    Welcome to CP, and the Rabbit Hole. Would you Uncle consider adopting a 58 year old Nephew?
    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/
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  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
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    Congrats on your free speaks DD. You'll be amazed at the sound quality improvement after doing the mods described above.
    "Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 10,716
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    welcome and nice speakers. U Lucky! :)
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  • leftwinger57
    leftwinger57 Posts: 2,917
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    Welcome to CP. Getting speakers gifted always better than paying for them. 1Cs look a bit more beefy for lack of a better word than my 2Bs with the double tweeters and double drivers. Dave could compare them to me. About the mods, since your way ahead of the game getting them for free then yes mods are in order and they do work. Stay focused, some say do it piecemeal and I have to disagree. I only wanted to take them apart the minimal amount of times so if you plan on doing mods, have all your parts, tools and time ready to go. Ask along the way many here will help and be glad to do so. Very nice gift, and believe me not all of us have that optimal room for every speaker and their best positioning. As told before SDAs like real power between 100/200 wpc of stand alone amplifier NOT avr ratings.
    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
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,317
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    If you do get an amp, please make sure its a common ground amp.

    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    Can anybody shoot me a link or website to shop for a good amp for these? What should I look for other than a common ground amp and watts?
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,073
    edited April 2015
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    You need an AVR with preouts or a preamp to use a stand alone amp.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    My current amp has a Preouts for surround back or front height speakers...Im guessing this isn't what I need right?
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,073
    edited April 2015
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    You don't have an amp, you have an AVR. You are correct, that isn't what you need.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • DangerDad
    DangerDad Posts: 20
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    Nightfall...Would you run these SDA's off your RX-A1020 AVR?
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