Doro's Polk BBQ - Pics

dorokusai · July 2004

I organized a small gathering of the local Polkies for some food, bullsh*t and demo's yesterday. I found out in my coordination, that I did not know as many local Polkies as I thought Shell flew under the radar, and I apologize for not letting him know sooner.

If there is anyone else I missed, I apologize, and will have another local/extended BBQ, for the gang, in August/September to make up for my lack of thorough planning. Deal?

ANYWAYS.....those who said they would come...came, and that's always nice for the host. Thanks go out to the crew that came down, and I had a fantastic time. The wife even had some fun, and that's a bonus for me only.

Roster: Beekyman, Dorokusai, F1Nut, John Strong, Madmax, Warlocks1.

On Deck: Polk Monitor 10A, Polk RTA-12C, Polk SDA 1C, Polk LSi7 and Dahlquist DQ-10.

Front End: Sony SCD-C555ES(SACD Changer)

Back End: Anthem Pre-2L(PreAmp - Mullard Tube), CTC BBQ(Amp)

Interconnects: MIT Shotgun S3(IC)/ Signal Cable(IC-Power)/ PS Audio Juice Bar(Power)

Material: VARIED - Maxwell(RB)/ Alice in Chains(RB-Unplugged)/ Beck(SACD)/ Pink Floyd(SACD)/ Maceo Parker(RB)/ NIN(RB)/ Keb Mo'(RB)....I may be forgetting a couple, but it was fairly simple as the point was to keep it short in order to demo different speakers with the same material.

Summary: We really were informal, as just talking about things audio and non-audio were as cool as anything present for listening. I finally met Warlocks(Jeff), and he is a really nice guy, which differs from his reputation Just kidding. I already knew the others, and Beekyman(Ervin) is a friend from work. He is a new Polkie, so be nice to him, ha-ha. He recently purchased RTi8's from CC, so please feel free to get on him about getting more and more Polk's.

I will let the crew comment on what they were able to hear and their thoughts upon the gear as they see fit to do so.

I think it worked out pretty good, and MY pick of the BBQ is the RTA-12C's. I love my SDA's, but I picked these up from a very cool member, TroyD some time ago....and had never taken the time to listen to them until recently. Shame on me. They sound really great.

Monitor 10A: This is a classic Polk design if there ever was one. Generic design...nothing that really stands out for this child except the sound. I found these with original stands, so that made placement pretty easy. The Peerless tweeter really has something special in the early Polk's. It is not the most expressive speaker in the high end, but the midrange is so warm you want to snuggle up with a blanket. Bass is square in the M10, tight and accurate....a Polk trademark in my eyes, not much has changed aside from the love of vintage Polk for me.

RTA-12C: This array has alot more extension than the M10A in the high end, and carries ALOT of nice tight bass. There are design differences, which is a no brainer, but the comment is meant as an FYI. I feel it has a moderate, defined midrange....but highs that extend beyond the typical soundstage....and a low end that is accurate, powerful and tight. Aside from the robot like look of it sans grills, it's a very un-assuming speaker. It isn't pretty, but sonically, is one of the better vintage Polk's, I have heard.

LSi7: We did not listen to them. I like these speakers, but the vintage gear took precedence. I picked these up from another member, Brett22, and they are solid. The certainly are much more than they appear, and need some break in time to really start singing. I think you would be insane, NOT to pick a pair of these up from Brett....at the very least, you can get your hands on the entry LSi line....and form a REAL opinion on it's performance. I will post some thoughts later when they are burned in more.

Dahlquist DQ-10: This was a late addition, as they are in a "rebuild" status, but Madmax was invigorated by the offer of a demo, so I dug them out. I really like these speakers, again, another member SOLID hookup TroyD, YOU ROCK!
These speakers really define vintage audio. Do yourself a favor and find a pair of these at some point in your life, as they are much more than they appear. They are not Rock or Techno speakers....as by design, and age, they are not ready for that genre.
The DQ10 is very unique in its sound, and they have an airy, 3D image that is UNBELIEVABLE for that time...and even now, sounds fresh and smooth. It really approaches SDA IMO.
Acoustic music is outstanding....that's all I need to say.
When you think about the drivers involved....specifically a "Super" Piezo tweeter! Are you kidding me...the cheapest thing you could possibly buy EVER, even at that time! It all works folks, seriously. The treble has some grain, duh, but the midrange is as solid as any speaker I have ever heard. Don't ever pass up, or sell on Ebay, a pair of these speakers....it's true audio, true vintage, and at LEAST keep them long enough to find out more about what makes them as sought after and loved as Polk SDA's.

SDA 1C: These speakers came via forum hookup by way of Hoosier21....do you feel a pattern here? These smoke everything IMO, screw these other speakers I love these speakers like no other SDA's. I mean that as NO slight to other SDA owners.
I'll put it this way....you know when you find that all the pieces fit...and everything works...and that you are floored by what comes out of something you have worked so hard to build? That means alot to me....and makes me want to dance, and believe me, I can't dance.

My 2CH rig is an extension of me, and has alot of sweat and love built into it's existence. I don't need 7.1....I don't need THX....I don't need SVS....I don't need DVD-A ....it's just simple....caveman gear....welcome to the cave.

Thanks for taking the time to read, feel free to ask any questions or add violent comments.

This forum is THE best, period....stop lurking, start contributing and you never know what will cross your path. This forum lives because of it's members, get active.

PICS WILL FOLLOW BUT I AM TIRED.....HERE'S ONE TO KEEP YOU MOTIVATED

F1nut · July 2004

Not much too add, just that it was great fun and Mark's wife makes the best deviled eggs!

dorokusai · July 2004

L2R: M10A/ SDA1C/ LSi7(Inset)/ RTA12C

Pauly · August 2004

Looks to have been a fun day...we need more polkies in our area to demo more gear

TroyD · August 2004

Sounds like a GREAT time was had by all......

For the record, I'm glad that the RTA-12C's and DQ-10's both found a happy home with Doro. It's even nicer to hear him validate what I heard in those speakers.

A couple of comments on them, the RTA-12C's are pretty picky about placement. Spread 'em out and toe the in and the soundstage is really outstanding. I also think that taking the tweeter out of the cabinet was a stroke of genius years before B&W made it much more popular in ther speakers. However, I felt that the midrange definition was not on par with other Polk models. That and asthetics were the only gripe (if you can call it that) about them.

The DQ-10. The speaker that really helped launch the high end in the early 70's according to Harry Pearson. A good demo will tell you why. I've always thought that Jon Dahlquist was trying to build a speaker that would compete in the midrange with an electrostat. They don't play super low (although I never complained about lack of bass) and the highs do have a bit of grain to them but everything else is simply magic. A 3-D sounstage that is simply unbelievable. String acoustics are simply to die for. Anyhow, I agree find a pair and listen and you will see what the fuss is about. I may just have to find another pair!

Again, sounds like a GREAT time! Look forward to seeing you clowns in October!

BDT

dorokusai · August 2004

SVS Handling. We figured why not add the SVS to the 2CH rig....nice idea, but something weird happened.

The Anthem has two sets of pre-outs. One used for the amplifier, the second for, in this case, the subwoofer. I used a Y-Adapter at the pre-amp side, to run a single ended IC to the subwoofer. This is when it gets weird. We began to demo again, and within 30 seconds knew something was not right. John noticed the problem first...it collapsed the soundstage completely....essentially no SDA effect. Mono audio, John described it as such. Max verified this fact as well, and we still do not know exactly why this happened. When the subwoofer is taken out of the equation....SDA in full effect. It was very strange, and even after reading the Anthem owners manual, it really makes no sense.

Here is the Anthem owners manual entry, verbatim: MAIN OUTPUTS ONE AND TWO - These outputs connect to the single ended inputs of the other units such as power amplifiers or a crossover unit; connect left channel to left channel and right channel to right channel. The set of two allows for easier bi-amping and greater flexibility when dealing with components such as electronic crossovers, a powered subwoofer, etc.

I think that it is clearly covered in that one may use a powered subwoofer. I did not have another long IC to test whether the Y-adapter is the cause. Essentially, when the subwoofer is hooked up, the sound turns mono. Ideas anyone?

madmax · August 2004

Originally posted by dorokusai
SVS Handling...

That is my knee at the bottom right of the pic. As you can see I was helping a lot. It's called management. Had I not suggested they move it nothing would have gotten done.

What a great time! The DQ-10 was awesome for light acoustic stuff. I was very impressed! I'll write more later but gotta run right now.

madmax

Strong Bad · August 2004

Mark:

Many many thanks go out to you and your wifey for all the hospitality shown to me and my fellow Polkies. You cook a mean burger, mean dogs and the wifeys deviled eggs rank up there with a set of SDAs! Total class and the way they all should be!

I think the main things I came away with from yesterday are these:

1. There's a hell of a great group of people on this site that are genuine and willing to go out of their way for you. Very refreshing!

2. With my sampling of Mark and Jesse's 2 channel rigs, they have now set my personal goal way WAY beyond what I had envisioned my eventual 2 channel rig to be. Thanks guys, now I have to work even harder as an IT Geek to make MO MONEY!

3. Ken Swauger will be getting calls soon to deplete his stock of the newer SL3000 silk dome tweeters. Thanks again guys! Chapter 11...here I come!

Mark has a killer setup at home. His HT rig is well done and installed like a pro. I have to acknowledge that SVS sub. The Finding Nemo "Glass tapping" scene was sweet! SVS, you know your subs guys! BTW Mark, if you want to drop that Sony DVD player one more time, then drop it in the trash. LOL!!!

The SDA1C's sounded great. Polk really did make something special in those. The RTA's were suprisingly very nice with good solid bottom end. The top end was a bit brighter, but not harsh. The things that really stood out for me were his preamp, the BBQ amp (F-ing huge!) and all the interconnects, especially the speaker cables. Well done Mark!!!

Honestly, the highlight of my music experience yesteday came at Jesse's house. Let me tell you, he holds back in this forum as to what he actually has and how special it is. His 2 channel rig is something that has to be experienced. You walk in and see his SRS 2.3tl's with a small wooden antique table in the middle with 3 huge electronic devices on the table. Peek behind them and you see the fine detail of the cabling and interconnects. GOOD F-ING GOD!!! I immediately asked for a demo of Pink Floyd DSOTM on SACD.

He pushed those things like I have never heard a set of SDA's pushed before. The sound was ultra clean, extremely powerful and simply perfect. I won't go any further because words will not do it justice. Only hearing it in person will.

I won't go into detail as to what electronics he has. I'll leave that to him if he wishes it to be posted.

In the end, a great time. We had a fun, lighthearted and at times, very funny day. Some our our funny moments involved a certain "Troll".

Mark, tell the wifey her "Rolling of the eyes" everytime you mentioned my part time job to other members as they arrived was total classic. F-ing hilarious!!! You have no idea how many funny and different responses I got over the years when people found out about that. I'm quite used to it. Thankfully, that part of my life will be over soon.

Thanks again to all who attended. Was great meeting ya'll!

John

TroyD · August 2004

Amen, John. F1's rig is a work of freakin' art.

BDT

tonyv1 · August 2004

Doro, I have the Anthem PRE 2L Special Edition preamp and had a Polk PSW-120 subwoofer hooked via the second set of outputs. I didn't encounter any problems with the soundstage collapsing. My 2 channel rig has Magnepan MG12 and an Anthem AMP2 and it only re-enforced the bottom end. But I didn't use a "Y" at the preamp end , I "Y" it at the sub end. I ran this setup for a few days just before I moved to see if I was missing anything. The new room my 2 channel rig is in now is smaller than before and the bass is not MIA, so the sub returned back to the HT. Email Chris Johnson at Parts Connexion, he has always answered my questions. He was the head guy at Sonic Frontiers/Anthem before Paradigm bought SFI.

I-SIG · August 2004

That's too bad about the SVS messing up the 1C's. The PC+ I picked up from SteveInAZ really solidified my 1C's. FWIW, I'm running a pair of IC's from the second output of my DLC.

My only problem with the SVS is trying to decide if I want a well-rounded, truly full-range sound or if I want to slam it some and turn up the x-over and gain and let 'er rip!!!

Wes

danger boy · August 2004

which SVS is that you guys are moving around?

sounds like a hella good time.

F1nut · August 2004

That is Mark's SVS PB1-ISD, it shook his house!

I took a lot of pics (on Mark's camera), so I hope he posts more.

gidrah · August 2004

It looks like you guys had a great time with some great gear and great people. I wish I lived closer, I would've loved to have been there.

Sub problem - I just happen to have my pre open (rolling some), and found the dual pre-outs had jumpers across the +'s. I'm willing to bet this is the case with the pre in question and that it was just shorted into mono.

dorokusai · August 2004

Thanks for the replies, I will experiment later with the single run to Y, instead of Y to single run.

Al - YAHOO!

I only had to break out the bullwhip a couple times to get them in line.

Mark - That has got to be it. That is what Madmax was thinking if I recall.

Wes - I've had it hooked up before but don't recall what I did, and it sounded great....damn this memory.

Tony - I will drop him a line. You had mentioned previously about the upgrade you did on yours, I'm ready for that information if you get time. Nick at Anthem has been pretty cool on some other issues, I'll drop him a line as well.

F1 - Yea I am sorting the photos now....here's one of your great pictures and remind me not to suggest you for weddings

F1nut · August 2004

LOL.....I took that size 12 of mine on purpose.

dorokusai · August 2004

Nice butt

dorokusai · August 2004

EB on the loose!

dorokusai · August 2004

Yes...in a moment of clarity...I figured out how to use my Photo program. The damage that is to come now on will be pure evil.

dorokusai · August 2004

I am psychic....

dorokusai · August 2004

My sweetheart.

pjdami · August 2004

Hey doro,

Very nice collection of Polks you got going there! Also looks like a kick **** get together with some fellow polkies for some good company. Hospitality, friends, good tunes, and good food is a great way to pass the time.

Did you ever post a mini-review of your Anthem tube pre? I must have missed it and didn't come up with much on a search.

From reading your post though with the various killer combos you've got going, I would imagine your like Tony the Tiger on a box of Frosted Flakes...'They're Great!!!"...

Paul

dorokusai · August 2004

Paul - No actually I haven't posted a review on any of the 2CH gear, not exactly sure why. I guess I want to hear some other things before I wax on about the virtues of my equipment. I am very happy with how things are at this time, fully satisfied in my tube choice, interconnects....and really have no plans on moving anything around for now....you know how that will last

The little shindig was cool, I like the gang very much, and enjoy being an audio freak with other audio freaks. We officially converted an SDA non-believer, so that completes my objective for life

I had the RTA12C's for months and only listened to them recently, the 10A's I picked up within the last couple weeks. I really like the vintage Polk sound. I am torn as to whether I am going to keep them or not, as space is a concern, and the 1C's are my priority. I have a hangup about gear not being mint, so it's rare I actually buy "extra" gear...like all these speakers I seem to have accumulated.

I really like the Anthem....simple....tubes and it has a remote

I was able to find my niche in some Mullards, and they have been pulling duty for some time. Why are you looking for a Pre? Restless?

Mark

pjdami · August 2004

Why are you looking for a Pre? Restless?

Hi Mark,

No not restless, just looks like a lot of you guys with the SDAs are running the tube pre with a SS amp. This is one configuration that I haven't tried yet on the SDAs or any speaker in fact.

Remote control too. Now that is pretty cool. I've read a lot of good things about the Anthem pre and looks like you are enjoying the heck out of yours. Nice system there man.

Beekyman · September 2005

That picture is quite accurate to a point...Doro actually captured the "SDA conversion" in action! Very Cool!! Now the part about selling the car and girlfriend......Hmmm....I could use a fine subwoofer such as a SVS! I cant believe I am lucky enough to actually own a pair of SDA-1 a few months later! Pure genius in speaker design!

Beekyman · September 2005

A big thanks to Doro and all who made the gathering possible. It was a pleasure to meet some of you in person and put faces to the names. I learned alot from seeing and hearing the demos and how cool can it be when a newbie such as myself can drink a beer and and rub elbows with Matthew Polk while listening to his creations surrounded by fellow Polkies? Wow !! Thanks Doro and I look forward to meeting you all again sometime in the future!