SDA-CRS, 5jr Monitors ... Monitor 7? What am I looking for?

JesseS

Hi folks! I have been listening to a pair of 5jr monitors for years - got them for $8 at a yard sale in Illinois and have enjoyed them with my Kenwood KA-9100 amp. They are on small stands, angled slightly upward, which might be original? That said, recently, I've wanted something a bit bigger sounding, more body, more low end. I bought a pair of SDA-CRS speakers on Craigslist in Phoenix last night, $75. They are rough cosmetically with veneer issues, but the components are great. They sound much bigger than the 5jrs, obviously. However, I find the limited listener positioning to be annoying, as I can't walk around my home and enjoy the same full sound - must be seated in the sweet spot. (I have not yet tried the interconnect cable, but I imagine that will not change this issue.) Also, I find the low end unsatisfying on the CRS - kind of loose, even with the low-pass filter engaged on the amp, and the mid-woofer drivers are flabby with deep bass on hip-hop albums. I listen to hip-hop as much as anything else, classic rock, classical, jazz... Medium / low volume mostly, but I do enjoy bumping it up every once in a while for a dance party with my mini Dachshund. He loves the Beastie Boys.

So, here's the multi-part question for discussion. Any advice would be much appreciated:

-Should I get an IC cable? And if I do, will all worries flutter away?
-Without the IC cable, maybe I should treat the CRS speakers as normal monitors, stand them vertically, and move them around the room for the best, widest listening position?
-Or maybe I should recap the 5jr crossovers for a bit more low end response?
-Or is what I'm really looking for a pair of Monitor 7 speakers? Will those be more ideal as a bigger sound than the 5jr with more ample bass a wider sound stage for listening around the living room area?

Cheers!

FestYboy

You really want the IC cable, and be sure there are no air leaks, that will kill bass in a heartbeat. Distance to the back wall has a big affect as well.

For bigger sound, maybe monitor 10s would be more to your taste. 7s are neutral and balanced and will certainly add more bottom end than the 5jrs, but if you really want a kick, I think 10s are your go to.

boston1450

Placement is Vvery important with any SDA speakers. Read up on them https://www.manualslib.com/manual/362832/Polk-Audio-Sda-1c.html#product-SDA CRS+ .... Know which SDA CRS speaker you have. Single tweeter is the CRS+ .. IC cord as stated above is a must have & there are ways you can make one. The tweeters can be easily upgraded & sound much better with a drop in replacement from Polk.... Welcome to the forum & enjoy your new speakers...... Also Monitor 7 & 10's are outstanding speakers

pkquat

The above are good points. The CRS will have more bass, but it can seem booming depending on the placement from the wall. The drivers should not be that much more "flabby" than on the smaller speakers, unless as mentioned there are cabinet leaks. There may be more issues than just the veneer. There are differences in driver models too. Some will be, or appear more active to generate higher bass levels due to differences in the speaker / cabinet / passive radiator design, but overall the volume and bass should be greater, or at least deeper with more drivers and larger passive radiators.

Are you sure you have 5jr's? 5Jr's have a single 6.5" driver and port. There bass is only ok. The 5jr+ has a 6.5" passive radiator (looks like a 2nd speaker). These are taller than the 5jr. Both are narrow, only a little wider than the 6.5" driver. Neither had stands for them that I am aware of. There is the M5 which has an 8" passive radiator. These can have decent bass, but nothing really deep. These did have polk stands that tilted them back a few degrees. The imaging was very good within a range and a little speaker toe in, much like any good speaker. However walking around a room the imaging is lost, and they are more or less just producing accurate sound.

The CRS are meant to be placed with the drivers horizontal at about ear level in the preferred sitting or standing position. There should not be any tilt to these. Without the SDA cable they should sound similar to the 5's but the imaging will not be quite as good without the SDA cable. As mentioned it also depends on which model CRS they are. They should sound similar when walking around the room.

Before you make an SDA cable, check that the amp measures zero or very near zero resistance between the negative speaker terminals. I saw you checked on the amp over at AK. To be sure I would double check with someone here for confirmation. I want to say I recall it being common ground, but I am not sure. I was double checking and saw your AK post. I know there have been "dual mono" that were common ground, but there have been some that were not, or not common enough.

Provided you get or make an SDA cable, the CRS will have a "sweet area" where the sound stage appears much wider than the speakers provided they are placed correctly, about 6 feet between them and 3 feet from side walls. The listening spot will be about 6 - 10 feet back from the speakers. If you were to place the 5's about a foot or so too the outside of the CRS, you would think the 5's are the ones producing the sound. Outside of the sweet area they can sound strange because of the SDA sound cancellation. If the are closer than 3 feet to a side wall or pick up wall reflections they can sound a bit strange. But if you are turning up the volume to fill a room and not really going for critical listening they will do that just fine, but depending where you are their may be some odd sounding location. If you will be moving around the room, you may wish to disconnect the SDA cable.

K_M

5jr+ is our favourite of the older models.
Also really like the Rta11t's.

Not completely enamoured with the SDA models, although we own 2. (soon to be just one!)

pkquat

Here's a just in case for the Kenwood. https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/184940/al-1-non-common-ground-interface This is for non common ground amplifiers. These do not come up often, and its a decent price.
You need 100 posts to sell there, but not 100 to buy.

FestYboy

pkquat wrote: »

Here's a just in case for the Kenwood. https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/184940/al-1-non-common-ground-interface This is for non common ground amplifiers. These do not come up often, and its a decent price.
You need 100 posts to sell there, but not 100 to buy.

But we don't know which model of CRS he has yet... Could be blade-blade...

JesseS

Hellos - Thank you all so very much for the info! I have the original CRS with dual tweeters. They actually sound great. My 5jr pair is the older version with the single mid driver and tiny port, no passive radiator.

The 5jr tweeters and low end always seemed accurate but a bit underwhelming, but the same SL2000 tweeter on the CRS is bright and punchy. I do see what folks mean about disconnecting the outer tweeter on the CRS, as it tends to fill-in oddly with the IC cable running. I purchased the proper IC cable from a seller on eBay - blade/blade configuration. I also set the CRS speakers up about 25 inches on stands today, rather industrially built end tables, I think, but they work well, and I have a thin rubber pad on the top of each.

The SDA rig is impressive - imaging is deep and rich, and the sound is reminiscent of studio monitors I've heard before. The sound is also more evenly distributed in the room with the higher stands. That said, I still find bass lacking unless I use the loudness switch and gain boost on the Kenwood KA-9100. That's fine, but I was used to leaving those off. The CRS pair do rock at high volume. Houseparty!?

I will inspect the cabinets for air tightness soon. I bought some JB Weld to secure the magnets as a precaution, so that project will give me an excuse to look around inside.

I kind of feel that Monitor 10s might be the way to go, after reading the advice here, and those bad boys could sit back on the lower, tilted stands and get these end table eyesores out of my living room! The CRS are imposing, particularly with the awful laminate on the sides. If I keep them, I foresee a bigger project of redoing the veneer.


Weiner dog for scale...



There was a pair of 10s on the Craigslist for $200 recently, not too far away... A third pair here might start to look excessive though!

boston1450

200 isnt bad at all IMO. Throw the ones you dont use in the closet till u decide which ones to keep. That way you dont regret. Nice looking speakers

FestYboy

There are better deals out there, but depending on the model, condition, abd location, 200 may be a fair price.

BTW, a 3rd pair isn't excessive, it's a good start.... We'll talk again once you get into the double digits

Dr_Wu

I have those same CRS speakers. Try removing the dimensional fuse. You won't lose the imaging or soundstage, but might like the sound better. If they haven't already, consider the updates/upgrades set out in the SDA Handbook and various threads here. It's very manageable, and you'll love the improvements.

mhardy6647

FestYboy wrote: »

...
BTW, a 3rd pair isn't excessive, it's a good start.... We'll talk again once you get into the double digits

QFT, as they say.

F1nut

That zip cord speaker cable isn't doing you any favors transferring the low end from the amp to the speakers. That SDA cable looks rather suspect as well. Play with the distance to the back wall, a half inch will make or break the bass. The rubber pads need to go. They are too thick and your speakers are not sitting level. Use 4 small rubber bumpers at each corner.....done.

I think your end table stands look very good with the speakers. If possible, fill the metal legs with lead shot and dry sand. Drill and tap 4 holes at the bottom to add spikes.

The short tilted stands for the Monitor series were an effort by Polk to make the speakers seem smaller while aiming the tweeter at ear height. There's no reason they cannot be put on regular stands to get the tweeter at ear height. In fact, I think having them on regular stands is the right thing to do because they sound better that way.

JesseS

Thanks everyone!

I'll look into the fuse issue when I open to JB Weld the magnets

And I'm using 16awg wire, oxygen free copper, but the bare ends probably mark me as a nube. The connectors on the amp might require something special, but banana ends on the speaker side would be an upgrade, and maybe 14awg?

The IC cable was made with Audtek 16awg wire, and it seems well done, but I suppose I could upgrade that too, keeping the blade ends.

I'll also move the speakers a bit closer to the back wall for the bass - probably about 10 inches as they are now.

I looked back at the Monitor 10 listing - $150 but at least one damaged driver. Nothing to jump for I guess... Shipping costs are prohibitive, so I'll keep scouting the local classifieds.

tonyp063

One other thing to consider is the sidewall distance for the CRS.
Also.
$200 for a pair of Monitor 10s, with a faulty driver, is a bit rich.
Again, depending on location.