SDA SRS 3.1TL

ddog
ddog Posts: 230
in Vintage Speakers
Ok guys after a ton of back and forth on what model to get I finally pulled the trigger.
I scored a great deal on a set of 3.1tl's.

I have a question regarding the interconnect cable.

I know I cant use my XPA-1 mono blocks with these not being common ground.
I have two other amplifiers that I'm thinking of using.
XPA-2 or XPR-2....

Are these amplifiers going to work for me?

Thanks in advance..
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«1345

Comments

  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    Build a dreadnaught, problem solved.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    Okay..ill look into what it takes to make one.
    In the meantime does anyone know if the Emotiva 2 channel amps i listed above are common ground and ok to use with the SDA interconnect cable?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    They are common ground.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    Hey thanks guys... I hooked it up with no issues..YaY!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    Hey guys I'm thinking of rebuilding the crossovers in the speakers.
    I know I've seen something on the forum where to get the parts but I cant seam to find it anywhere.
    Does anyone know where I can find it or could point me in the right direction...

    Thinks
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    1st step get the replacement tweeters if you haven't yet. Polk still sells them. Make sure you tell them you are a member of the forum and you get a discount. I think both of mine shipped was $98

    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    ddog wrote: »
    Hey guys I'm thinking of rebuilding the crossovers in the speakers.
    I know I've seen something on the forum where to get the parts but I cant seam to find it anywhere.
    Does anyone know where I can find it or could point me in the right direction...

    Thinks

    @westmassguy, @VR3
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pkquat
    pkquat Posts: 748
    erniejade wrote: »
    1st step get the replacement tweeters if you haven't yet. Polk still sells them. Make sure you tell them you are a member of the forum and you get a discount. I think both of mine shipped was $98

    For TL's you will want RD0-198's. I believe mentioning you are a member gets you free shipping.

    FestYboy wrote: »
    ddog wrote: »
    Hey guys I'm thinking of rebuilding the crossovers in the speakers.
    I know I've seen something on the forum where to get the parts but I cant seam to find it anywhere.
    Does anyone know where I can find it or could point me in the right direction...

    Thinks

    @westmassguy, @VR3

    Those two offer a very good service for various levels of rebuilding crossovers if you do not feel up to the challenge. They can even verify the inductor values and adjust them if possible.

    If you plan up rebuilding them yourself most only replace the capacitors and resistors.
    The schematics are at the top of this vintage section or use this link:
    https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/55888/polk-audio-speaker-wiring-schematics-amp-more-stereo-dimensional-array-sda
    Specifically:
    https://us.v-cdn.net/5021930/uploads/attachments/1/8/5/1/1/26697.pdf

    I will let others confirm, but I believe when you use quality capacitors, you eliminate the 750pf capacitor.

    Sonicaps are preferred by many. http://www.soniccraft.com They have many of the exact values polk uses and you can order custom values if needed.
    Clarity CSA are next in line. https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/ or https://www.partsconnexion.com/

    If you are on budget, for the low pass, Solen and Clarity PX capacitors are options.

    Non wire wound, 10-15 watt resistors, Mills or Vishay Mills MRA are the preferred resistors and Mundorf MOX is a good alternate.

    I will let others comment on inductor choices if you want to completely rebuild them. Doing some searches here on the 3.1TL's should yield some options, opinions, and reviews of people preferred crossover components and build results.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    Personally I would go with the Clarity Cap CSA's. I have ESA's in my 2.3TL's along with Duelund Cast resistors. If you get the RD0-198's and rebult crossovers you will be happy. Use some hurricane nuts to fasten the drivers and passive(s) to the cabinets and that will greatly increase clarity and detail. Good luck on your audio journey. The 3.1TL's will offer a great audio experience (especially after you modify them).
    Relayer-Big-O-Poster.jpg
    Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
    "I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion." :\
    My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....

    "Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson

    "Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    Thanks guys for all the very helpful information. You guys are a wealth of info.
    I very much appreciate it.
    Heres some pictures of when I brought them home and now...still working on refinishing the cabinets. 81dxje36om63.jpg
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    And nowpzsqgexszmei.jpg
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    edited March 2019
    I'm still working on the other one..
    They are going to look sharp and fit in nicely with the colors of my theater.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    I took the speakers completely apart sanded and stained them black.
    Then I threw 3 coats of Hot Rod matte Polyurethane on there...
    I'm really happy with the way they came out..
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    la2vegas wrote: »
    ddog wrote: »
    I'm still working on the other one..
    They are going to look sharp and fit in nicely with the colors of my theater.

    Did you refinish the wood panels and tops by removing them from the cabinets? Or did you simply leave them on?

    I also have some 3.1tl's in the all black studio version.

    Sorry @la2vegas ... I just realized that I didn't really answer your question.
    I removed all the speakers, crossover, filling and side panels.
    I left the side grills on along with the top and bottom. acex9f4gbdzf.jpg
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JayMX
    JayMX Posts: 446
    edited March 2019
    ddog wrote: »
    I took the speakers completely apart sanded and stained them black.
    Curious what stain you used? I have a pair of 3.1's next on my list for refreshing. Yours look great!

    Also, I notice your tweeter flaps (waveguide thingies) have been removed. Mine have been too. Thinking about fabbing up a pair. Curious if anyone has recommendations on what the best method/materials would be to build a pair up? Thoughts?
    Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
    Pairs that have passed through: Monitor 4b (Peerless), Monitor 5a (Peerless), Monitor 5b (SL1000), Monitor 5b (SL2000) (4x pair), Monitor 7b (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7c’s (194’s), Monitor 10a (Peerless), Monitor 10b (5x pair), RTA8, RTA8TL, RTA 11T, RTA12c (194's), SDA CRS, SDA 2 (2x pair), SDA 2a, SDA 2b, SDA 1b, SDA 1c, SDA SRS 2 (2x pair), SDA SRS 3.1TL (198’s) (2x pair)...and more to come, it’s a sickness.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    edited March 2019
    Yeah I'm missing one. I do have the other to copy.
    I was thinking of stopping by House of Plastics to see what they have.
    I used Krylon satin black spray and then topped it with 3 coats of Rust-oleum from Home Depot waterborne matte polyurethane
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JayMX
    JayMX Posts: 446
    ddog wrote: »
    Yeah I'm missing one. I do have the other to copy.

    Are they made of plastic or metal? Dimensions? Thank you!
    Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
    Pairs that have passed through: Monitor 4b (Peerless), Monitor 5a (Peerless), Monitor 5b (SL1000), Monitor 5b (SL2000) (4x pair), Monitor 7b (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7c’s (194’s), Monitor 10a (Peerless), Monitor 10b (5x pair), RTA8, RTA8TL, RTA 11T, RTA12c (194's), SDA CRS, SDA 2 (2x pair), SDA 2a, SDA 2b, SDA 1b, SDA 1c, SDA SRS 2 (2x pair), SDA SRS 3.1TL (198’s) (2x pair)...and more to come, it’s a sickness.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    They are made of plastic. I'll get the dimensions for you when I get home.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    Wondering what others are doing for feet on these speakers. Mine don't have the feet or spikes but they do still have the threaded inserts.

    I'm kinda thinking using ball casters. I used these on a set of Vandersteen's and they worked perfectly....sure made vacuuming a lot easier. sanuqukexbuc.jpg
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,440
    they're your speakers.....
    Spike them for the best performance. 1/4x 20 TPI
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,101
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Spike them for the best performance. 1/4x 20 TPI
    ^^^ Winner.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • honestaquarian
    honestaquarian Posts: 3,186
    I bought some upgraded crossovers with upgraded internal wiring from @VR3. I cannot tell you how happy I am with that purchase. I did it at the same time as the last dreadnought group buy a couple of years ago. My 3.1’s have been singing like angels o:) ever since. I also reglued the magnets, installed blackhole 5, reglued the cabinets and put in some dynamat on the drivers and inside the dreadnought case.
    LOTTA WORK, but worth it sonically (and unless you plan on buying some more SDA’s and upgrading those-you only have to do it once!👍🏾)
    Before I did any of that I bought the RDO-198 tweeters from Polk.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,629
    We did some extra bracing on ours.
    Do not have pics of the changes, but it made the cabinet more solid feeling.
    Not sure, but think they used 5/8" particle board back then on some parts.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    honestaquarian wrote: »
    I bought some upgraded crossovers with upgraded internal wiring from @VR3. I cannot tell you how happy I am with that purchase. I did it at the same time as the last dreadnought group buy a couple of years ago. My 3.1’s have been singing like angels o:) ever since. I also reglued the magnets, installed blackhole 5, reglued the cabinets and put in some dynamat on the drivers and inside the dreadnought case.
    LOTTA WORK, but worth it sonically (and unless you plan on buying some more SDA’s and upgrading those-you only have to do it once!👍🏾)
    Before I did any of that I bought the RDO-198 tweeters from Polk.

    I'm starting to think maybe I should see what it will cost me to just buy a set of crossovers from @VR3 instead of going through all the trouble of acquiring all the parts needed. I'm sure in the long run itll save me a lot of time and hassle.

    I did reglue the cabinets and the drivers. I also ordered the 198 tweeters. I also sealed (new gaskets) all the drivers to the cabinet including the connection plate and crossover bolt.

    I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with these after they are finished. But first I'll put them in my theater and live with them for a while and if they can best my current Mirage om'5 they'll stay (just let go of a set of Vandersteen 2ce sig's that couldn't) but if they cant I'll try them in my 2 channel room. If they don't cut it in there they will be sold off.

    I'm thinking at this point it's a fun project and at the end of the day I brought back to life a beautiful set of speakers that someone will be glad to have.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • honestaquarian
    honestaquarian Posts: 3,186
    Those crossovers from Trey are not cheap, but they are amazing and make a world of difference. Also Larry’s rings as well as the case for the dreadnought transformer. I have pics of all of that in my now infamous SDA upgrade thread 2. I went all in when we did the dreadnought group buy last time.
    Once you get there crossovers from Trey, all ya gotta do is install them. The work that you did on the cabinets is WAY MORE DIFFICULT than installing the new crossovers and binding post plates.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    I reached out the @VR3 ... we'll see what he says.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,640
    Hey guys,
    Thank you for the shout out - if you wouldn't mind, please email me at vr3mods@gmail.com as the PM feature on this site is terrible for extended conversations.

    Thank you!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • honestaquarian
    honestaquarian Posts: 3,186
    edited March 2019
    I promise you WILL NOT REGRET purchasing crossovers from Trey.
    There is something about the broad soundstage that these loudspeakers project which seems to meld nicely with the side to side and front to back panning that goes on in movie soundtracks. Not to mention the up and down sounds. My living room is only about 14’x15’ if memory serves, but you’d never know when listening to the soundscape provided by my home theater setup with these upgraded 3.1’s in it.
    Yours will shine!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ddog
    ddog Posts: 230
    edited March 2019
    1r6515t9di80.jpg
    Ok so the new 198 tweets arrived this past week and I installed them in last night.
    They were a perfect fit and look much better than the 3000's.

    I fired them up and noticed right away how much better they sounded so being a Friday night movie night we all sat down for the movie of the night...
    Mortal Engine's! I have to say that the sound is amazing on this movie...

    I want to say thank you to all you guys for the heads up on the tweeter update it was a massive improvement...
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    I am glad you noticed the difference as well. It is amazing how big of a difference it is.
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter