None of you guys do this!!!

madmax
madmax Posts: 12,434
edited June 2005 in Vintage Speakers
OK, We are improving our vintage speakers with mods and fixes. These speakers are the best of the best and have not been made for 20 some years. They are becoming extinct. Actually they are extinct. In the future the only ones available are the ones we F'd up.

What the heck is this guy talking about, you ask?

Well, when you mod or repair a speaker of this quality, you should include documentation of what was done and when. That way in a few years when we are looking at them and trying to figure out why they don't work or what the history is, we can. This history should prominatly displayed on the back somehow or should at least be in a folder on the inside of the speaker. When, where, how, why, who... You know, be a reporter!

Any other thoughts?

madmax
Vinyl, the final frontier...

Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited June 2005
    Originally posted by madmax
    Any other thoughts?

    Yeah, what the duck are we talking about?
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2005
    Max that's a good idea actually... i think though.. that there will always be folks who know how to repair what we f*cked up. ;) with our mods and stuff.

    I want to upgrade my SRS's with new caps and stuff.. but i'm not handy enough with the solder iron.. i'm to afraid i'd toast most of the innards. and really be up the creek.

    So i may ask a electrical engineer friend of mine to do the delicate stuff.

    But your thoughts are important. what if in 20 more years.. when our aging SDA's don't sound very good anymore. if we've lost all documentation of how there were built and what they are suppose to sound like.. we could be screwed.. and that would be a shame.

    good post Max
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited June 2005
    Originally posted by madmax
    Any other thoughts?
    madmax

    Sure. I have a few.

    1. Documentation? Absolutely. I painstakingly document every tweak and I enjoy sharing and receiving such information with other SDA owners/enthusiasts/cultists/tweaks. I can't imagine that anyone would go through one of these modification procedures without leaving themselves a detailed roadmap. However, when it comes to SDA's, and SDA owners, I've been surprised....a lot. Although, I don't know if such documentation would be of much value for SDA's offered for sale because..........

    2. The numbers of SDA modifiers are so few in number that we are statistically irrelevant. I would speculate that the number of abused and broken SDA's has always and will continue to outnumber the number of modified SDA's on the used market. Which brings me to......

    3. The speculation that after extensively modifying, and maybe also reconditioning a pair of SDA's, the owners of such speakers are extremely reluctant to sell them. Sure, I've sold stock SDAs with little or no seller's remorse, but letting go of one of my "enhanced" SDA's is not something I imagine doing without significant incentive. Which reminds me that......

    4. I expect to die eventually. I also expect that I will have a burial crypt constructed of sufficient size that I can have my SDA's, and a few of my other favorite toys, buried with me. Of course, my survivors may decide not to honor my wishes and bury me in nice, but small, plot. After which they would sell my still perfectly functioning SDA's on eBay for the Bluebook value.

    Did I ramble a bit? Sorry, it's a little past my bedtime. Goodnight.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2005
    i guess i've been surprised recently just how many pairs of decent to above SDA's are actually out there. since the early ones are now 20 yrs old.

    So many have surfaced on Ebay lately.. that it's quite eveident... there may be many many more out there hidden away.

    bring em on i say. :p

    does anyone even know how many SDA's were produced or sold?
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited June 2005
    Originally posted by danger boy does anyone even know how many SDA's were produced or sold?

    I asked Polk for those numbers a few years ago. My request was politely refused on the grounds that product sales information is proprietary information.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited June 2005
    Originally posted by DarqueKnight
    Documentation? Absolutely. I painstakingly document every tweak and I enjoy sharing and receiving such information with other SDA owners/enthusiasts/cultists/tweaks.

    OK, sure, I'll admit that at least one of us documents stuff like this... :D

    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited June 2005
    Most companies like to brag on how much of a certain item they have sold, ala the big three. Seems strange that they would care about the public knowing how many speakers they have sold.
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited June 2005
    It is not that unusual for privately held companies, particularly those in highly competitive markets, to be secretive abouts sales data.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2005
    Originally posted by DarqueKnight
    It is not that unusual for privately held companies, particularly those in highly competitive markets, to be secretive abouts sales data.

    true. but. we're talking speakers that are no longer part of the current line up. 20 yrs old in same cases. but i do understand.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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