Sda-2a

dcarlson

I happily picked up some SDA-2A's over the weekend and they're in fantastic condition. Should I be concerned with some bubbling on one of the passive radiators?

They sound great, better so on my tube amp, and for the price WELL worth the trip.

dorokusai

No, don't worry about it.

Start looking for a replacement PR simply for aesthetics.

dcarlson

Cool.

Pauly

damn i just sold my PR's from my SDA2b's. Sorry

dcarlson

Thanks for the thought but no worries.

steveinaz

Very nice, good grab!

faster100

My 1B's have some bubbles, no where near that size but they work fine i assume.. just looks as noted above...

gidrah

Bubbles are like black mold. Once they start in a spot, they will take over your entire house and everybody living there will die. I happen to be immune (I got my bubble shots years ago) and will be glad to take them off your hands free of charge. See how nice I am? I could even reimburse for shipping after I quarentine them.

Don't sweat the petty. Pet the sweaty.

dcarlson

I like them with the grills on anyway.

I had a good buddy come over for some beers last night and I lost count as to how many times he mentioned the SDA's sound HUGE. Lol.

It's been a week since I picked them up and absolutely love them. Now, I just have to keep and eye out for some bigger ones.

F1nut

Derick........:D

Glad to see you're getting your SDA on.

Tour2ma

Congrats dc...

Whacha got driven' 'em... the Dyna?

dcarlson

Thanks,

I have the Musical Fidelity integrated and the Dynaco. With the Dynaco the SDA's sound fantastic.

TAB

Your pucker factor is not as high as mine. :-)

I purchased a pair of SDA 2B's off ebay a few months ago. I got them for around $180 including shipping and they work great. The only reason I can tell that they went that cheap is that one of the speakers has a high pucker factor on the PR (see attached photo). Doesn't seem to affect the performance, so I'm a very happy camper. I've thought about trying to remove the outer layer and fixing the bubbles, but if it ain't broke............

TAB

Photo of PR:

F1nut

This pucker effect is interesting. I'm thinking one could use a heat gun set on low to melt the exsisting glue and then reattach the disc again. If you decide to repair yours, please post the results.

Tour2ma

It is interesting... delamination of one or more of the outer layers?

Wonder if Mr Swauger has any **** on the cause and the fix, if any...

EDIT: E-mailed Ken a link to this thread...

F1nut

Did you ask him about getting the puck out?

Tour2ma

As in... "Make like a hockey player..."???

No, but you just did...

dcarlson

Originally posted by Tour2ma
As in... "Make like a hockey player..."???

No, but you just did...

Tab, sounds like a great deal. The one you posted looks to be in good shape. How do you like them?

TAB

dcarlson,

I have had Polk Audio speakers for decades (Monitor 5's and 10's), but this is the first pair of SDA's I have purchased. I liked the SDA 2's so well I purchased a pair of SDA 1B's shortly after. The SDA 1's I purchased do not have the high pucker factor. :-)

F1nut, I had given some thought to your idea of a heat gun only in the form of a hair dryer. The whole disc is coming loose........not in layers..........I'll try to post a photo later.

F1nut

TAB, roger that.

TAB

OK, I got energetic tonight and removed the PR. I took the following photo showing how the disc is peeling off. I might try heating it with a hair dryer to see what happens. Anyone have any suggestions as to what glue I should use once I remove the disc?

F1nut

Good question, I'm thinking Aleene's Original "Tacky" Glue. I use it for gluing new leather desk tops, etc. It dries clear and stays flexible.

TAB

Here is a photo of the PR and the disc after removal. As you can see, there is a triangular portion at the bottom of the PR where the glue wasn't sticking. The disc appears to be distorted, but I was very careful in removing it and I think it will glue back flat......hair dryer works great, btw. I discovered a piece of tape covering the hole in the center of the PR.

F1nut

Hmmmm......very interesting. Another consideration might be 3M's spray adhesive.

Tour2ma

Spray would certainly yield a nice thin layer.

I'd think whatever is used, it had better not instantly bond. Looks like there will be a good deal of smoothing required to get the removed layer flat. No small task given that the surface still in place will be flexing as the smoothing takes place.

On the other hand if it takes too long to set, the edge where you start could split/ pull out of position as you move along. I'm not picturing what you'd use other than the adhesive to hold the removed piece in place once you start, e.g., a clamp.

What about a thin ribbon of the Aleene's in a small arc at the outer edge for starters, brushing on more as you go. Pause this when you get to 90 degrees or so, hit that segment with 3M and continue alternating adhesives to completion.

F1nut

It's never a good idea to mix adhesives and you don't want any overspray from a product like 3M getting on the rubber surround. Aleene's will provide enough tack to hold it down after rubbing the outer surface (disc) with light pressure from a damp rag. The thing I like about Aleene's is if you don't get it right the first time you can remove the disc fairly easily and start again.

BTW, a thin layer is all that's needed.

dorokusai

Buy a new Peerless PR from Parts Express and forget about that damn thing.

I replaced a PR in a friends SDA's, guessed the weight of the OG PR, pucked the new one....no problem. It may not sweep the same but he was happy.

I'll look for the PR I used and post it later, I'm lazy tonight.

TAB

I reglued the thin foam disc back to the PR using contact adhesive...........see attached photos for the before and after shots. As you can see, my pucker factor was greatly reduced. :-)

TAB

Closeup: High pucker factor before, pucker free after.

F1nut

Ah, much better and thanks for posting the results.