SDA 2
mxgirl75
Posts: 15
Rather than camp on someone else's post, thought I would start one of my own so I can keep track of replies..
I own a set of SDA 2 speakers with (two tweeters, three midranges), I have owned these since they were brand new. Bought them in like 85 or 86. A few years ago, on this forum I was talking with a few folks. I ended up replacing the tweeters in both speakers with the newer ones. I forget which ones.
I have wanted to rebuild the crossovers for some time, my soldering skills lack horribly as I was just trying to solder some leads to a capacitor on a 1973 Honda SL70 stator, needless to say it does not look good.
I am also a little worried about fitting new caps on the old Polk boards, but I am sure that is what will have to be done. Looks like from the schematics that there are two crossovers in each speaker??
I own a set of SDA 2 speakers with (two tweeters, three midranges), I have owned these since they were brand new. Bought them in like 85 or 86. A few years ago, on this forum I was talking with a few folks. I ended up replacing the tweeters in both speakers with the newer ones. I forget which ones.
I have wanted to rebuild the crossovers for some time, my soldering skills lack horribly as I was just trying to solder some leads to a capacitor on a 1973 Honda SL70 stator, needless to say it does not look good.
I am also a little worried about fitting new caps on the old Polk boards, but I am sure that is what will have to be done. Looks like from the schematics that there are two crossovers in each speaker??
Yamaha RX-A1000
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub
Comments
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Which caps will work best on them?Yamaha RX-A1000
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub -
Maybe I should just buy a pair of RTi9'sYamaha RX-A1000
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub -
Contact member westmassguy. He can do the job for 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 -
Hello and welcome to Club Polk!
Not too many folk modding the original SDA 2's, but if you generally like them as they are, some simple-ish modding can make them even better. As F1 indicates above, WMG can help you out.
New tweeters would be a good place to start. There is a decided preference among "the collective" here to disconnect the dimensional tweeter (the outer one) and to electrical tape the wire leads. This lessens a rather odd spacey/phasey sound that the 2nd tweeter brings. Polk did away with the dimensional tweeter pretty quickly... I have a pair of the older CRS models, and I like 'em considerably more with the dimensional tweeters disconnected.
Do you know which tweeter you have? Scan here for some pictures, to see which ones you have (It appears the SDA 2's came with both the SL1000 and the SL2000). If you have the SL2000, you can order the RD0-194 replacement tweeters from Polk--about $49 shipped (48 states) for forum members apiece. I'd recommend getting 2 only, and leaving the dimensional tweeters in place, unhooked and remounted as described above.
If you've got the SL1000, you're kind of stuck, IMO. No simple replacement options.
As far as crossover mods go, a person can go from mild to wild depending on the depths of their pockets and how deeply the madness of this hobby has sunk into their brains. Dave (Westmassguy) will steer you well in this regard.
Good luck, and report back with your choices and progress!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 -
Agfrost, the OP has already replaced the tweeters.
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According to my Polk manual I got with the speakers it did originally have SL1000 tweeters, but I think you will agree these are not SL1000's, if I remember right they are RD0194, but I can't find the sales info from Polk.
Yamaha RX-A1000
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub -
If it were me, if this has any value to you or not I don't know, I would keep my eye on Craigslist for a local set of latest gen SDA's. Something that is or can be TL'd.
2B's or 3.1TL's. 2.3TL if you have the room and equipment to accommodate them.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
@nightfall I have same receiver as you do, but I have a Rotel RMB-1095 amp I see a pair of SRS 2's for sale here...Yamaha RX-A1000
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub -
I also know where a pair of 1C's are for sale...Yamaha RX-A1000
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub -
If you don't want to solder, send the crossovers to westmassguy. If you're willing to learn--it's not hard--you could D-I-Y.
The new capacitors are larger than the existing ones. This is not the end of the world, it just means you may have to become creative in mounting the new caps to the boards.
ANY film caps will be a huge improvement over the original electrolytics. Dayton and ERSE are low-priced and plenty good. Other caps are "better" (I'm told) and more-expensive. Even fresh electrolytics will be an improvement over the original caps--although that's not a recommendation. -
How about SoniCaps?Yamaha RX-A1000
Rotel RMB-1095
Polk SDA 2
Polk Csi6 Center
Polk FXi8 Rear
B&W ASW 2500 Sub -
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 -
Ask questions here-there are plenty that can help you if you decide to upgrade those speakers. Or PM WestMassGuy & he can walk you through anything about your speakers & he does outstanding work...
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Your 2nd generation SDA-2s, once upgraded and modified, will be quite formidable.
I've done several pairs, and they held their own compared to my fully modified 2As
They do have a split crossover, and separate blade/blade interconnect sockets. The internal wiring can be confusing, but careful removal and labeling will aid in re-assembly.
As others have mentioned, I would strongly urge you to disconnect the outer dimensional tweeters, safe-off the wires, and re-install them. I think you'll like the soundstage better. If you do like it, then upgrade costs will be less, since you don't have to replace any of the components in the dimensional high-pass sections.
I'd be happy to help you with advice, and instruction for DIY, or further involvement if you wish.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/ -
^^^^^^ Man knows his stuff. And a swell fella to boot!
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^^^^^^ Man knows his stuff. And a swell fella to boot!
+1 Westmassguy has helped me many times.
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