Old newbie
deceiver
Posts: 23
So, it's 2005 I've got SDA 2's? ( 2 tweeters, 3 midrange, Bass). I bought them when much younger.... late 80's? This was the time when eveyone was buying packaged cabinet systems from Pioneer and Sony. They all had 100w receivers, equilizers, turntables and two speakers on either side of a glass front cabinet. all for about $300. They all looked the same and sounded.. okay.
I subscribed to and read about a year of Audio magazine.
My wife and I went to Laconia NH, about 100 miles, to find these Polk speakers we had heard about. The only other location that had them in driving distance was Bangor Maine, about 300 miles in the other direction. We saw the SDA's and heard them with vinyl we brought of some Mozart. And we tried out a lot of other stuff too although brands were limited. We had also visited other audio houses. I remember hearing some nice Klipsh (sp?).
BTW, we also heard our first CD. There were two CD players on the market. We had been out to buy a bang and olufson (sp?) turntable but picked up what I think was the first Sony CD player. Only a couple of CD's available, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and Huey Lewis, The Heart of Rock and Roll. Or so we were told. Boy did we get ribbed when we came home with that thing instead of a turntable. CD's? They'll never catch on.
We ordered the Polk SDA's with the wood grain but they came with the rosewood vinyl but mistake. The dealer took a hundred off the vinyl price if we still took them. We did. They held up better with the kids in the long run anyway.
We purchased a Yamaha A700 amp and a Yamaha Tuner.
So, here I am a person who made the right choice during a time when there were so many wrong and limited choices. No audiophile by a mile. I've still got the SDA's but the amp died and we moved so they've been sitting unused for about a year. I was going to go surround but after reading in the forums here and having loved my SDA's I've decided to keep them. I now own a Yamaha ax-596 ( I know this isn't a super amp but I'm a teacher in Maine. I get what I can in my meager way). I'm going to fire up the SDA's in about a week. I remember one of the tweeters breaking up at higher volumes. I've read here that I can replace these.
Is there a question here? Yes, the crossovers. I'm wondering if I should rebuild these or maybe send them into Polk to rebuild. I don't think they sell them any longer. I'm now dedicated to reconditioning the SDA's with whatever I need to do. Am I on the right track or is there something else I need to do to bring them up to speed?
Thanks in advance.
I subscribed to and read about a year of Audio magazine.
My wife and I went to Laconia NH, about 100 miles, to find these Polk speakers we had heard about. The only other location that had them in driving distance was Bangor Maine, about 300 miles in the other direction. We saw the SDA's and heard them with vinyl we brought of some Mozart. And we tried out a lot of other stuff too although brands were limited. We had also visited other audio houses. I remember hearing some nice Klipsh (sp?).
BTW, we also heard our first CD. There were two CD players on the market. We had been out to buy a bang and olufson (sp?) turntable but picked up what I think was the first Sony CD player. Only a couple of CD's available, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and Huey Lewis, The Heart of Rock and Roll. Or so we were told. Boy did we get ribbed when we came home with that thing instead of a turntable. CD's? They'll never catch on.
We ordered the Polk SDA's with the wood grain but they came with the rosewood vinyl but mistake. The dealer took a hundred off the vinyl price if we still took them. We did. They held up better with the kids in the long run anyway.
We purchased a Yamaha A700 amp and a Yamaha Tuner.
So, here I am a person who made the right choice during a time when there were so many wrong and limited choices. No audiophile by a mile. I've still got the SDA's but the amp died and we moved so they've been sitting unused for about a year. I was going to go surround but after reading in the forums here and having loved my SDA's I've decided to keep them. I now own a Yamaha ax-596 ( I know this isn't a super amp but I'm a teacher in Maine. I get what I can in my meager way). I'm going to fire up the SDA's in about a week. I remember one of the tweeters breaking up at higher volumes. I've read here that I can replace these.
Is there a question here? Yes, the crossovers. I'm wondering if I should rebuild these or maybe send them into Polk to rebuild. I don't think they sell them any longer. I'm now dedicated to reconditioning the SDA's with whatever I need to do. Am I on the right track or is there something else I need to do to bring them up to speed?
Thanks in advance.
Post edited by deceiver on
Comments
-
Great story. I'm sure that someone will offer some advice for you.
Two Channel Setup:
Speakers: Wharfedale Opus 2-3
Integrated Amp: Krell S-300i
DAC: Arcam irDac
Source: iMac
Remote Control: iPad Mini
3.2 Home Theater Setup:
Fronts: Klipsch RP-160M
Center: Klipsch RP-160M
Subwoofer: SVS PB12NSD (X 2)
AVR: Yamaha Aventage RX-A2030
Blu Ray: Sony BDP-S790
TV Source: DirecTV Genie -
Welcome to the Polk forum. I agree, excellent bit of history. I do not have any information for you regarding the SDA's, but lots of folks here do. I am sure good advice will come your way.Michael
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60° -
Welcome aboard!
Polk won't rebuild your crossovers, but forum member ardvark1 documented his xover upgrade for the SDA IIs: read here
There are replacement, silk dome tweeters available as well - which is a well documented sonic improvement by many members here.
Upgrade your vintage Polks and enjoy them for another 20 years.
Mike -
Amen to that....where you located??
BDTI plan for the future. - F1Nut -
Welcome. Depending on what you meant by the "one of the tweeters breaking up", it could be the polyswitch tweeter protection shutting off the tweeter. Replacement polyswitches can also be ordered from Polk at little or no cost. You get free shipping if you tell them you're a forum member. You can do a search on here for more info.
-
Located in southern tip of Maine.TroyD wrote:Amen to that....where you located??
BDT -
By breaking up I meant a definite static or distortion scratchiness sound at volume rises in the treble range. My ear says that it was coming from one dome.candyliquor35m wrote:Welcome. Depending on what you meant by the "one of the tweeters breaking up", it could be the polyswitch tweeter protection shutting off the tweeter. Replacement polyswitches can also be ordered from Polk at little or no cost. You get free shipping if you tell them you're a forum member. You can do a search on here for more info. -
Welcome!
I had some SDA 2's once upon a time. I loved them and getting rid of them was a HUGE mistake.
I have just replaced the tweeters in my 1B's and it made a big difference. The new ones are smoother and not nearly as harsh. I would definitely recommend the replacement - it should only run you about $100.
I also used my 1B's in my HT set up. They really went a long way to tying the fronts and rear surrounds together - so maybe it is worth a try for you too.
Be certain to browse the flea market early and often. You can find GREAT deals there from other members. This way you can afford to "feed the habit" and bit more easily.
And be certain to make sure you connect everything in phase!
ChrisHT Rig
Polk SDA SRS 2.3tl - Anthem 2 SE
Polk CSi5 - Adcom 555
Polk Monitor 30 - HK DPR1005
SVS PB12 ISD/2
Denon DCD-1500II
Sony SXRD 60"
ShengYa CS-10
Basement Rig
Polk SDA SRS2
Carver 1.5t
Carver C2
Technics SLD202
Some Other Sony DVD/CDP -
Thank you, I had seen some directions here but had not come across the ones for my specific model speakers. It doesn't look that daunting. I've got some soldering experience. It will definately be one of my things to do in the near future.BlueMDPicker wrote:Welcome aboard!
Polk won't rebuild your crossovers, but forum member ardvark1 documented his xover upgrade for the SDA IIs: read here
There are replacement, silk dome tweeters available as well - which is a well documented sonic improvement by many members here.
Upgrade your vintage Polks and enjoy them for another 20 years.
Mike -
I was wondering. These directions are for my Polks but they seem to be first generation, a few years earlier. I wonder if I'll find any differences when I open them up.BlueMDPicker wrote:Welcome aboard!
Polk won't rebuild your crossovers, but forum member ardvark1 documented his xover upgrade for the SDA IIs: read here
There are replacement, silk dome tweeters available as well - which is a well documented sonic improvement by many members here.
Upgrade your vintage Polks and enjoy them for another 20 years.
Mike -
My suggestion: Contact (click contact in upper right hand corner of page for info) Polk customer service and request a copy of the crossover schematic for your model. Go through the schematic and detail out the caps and resistors, then compare to Bill's (ardvark1) posting.
Bill had an issue with his first generation 2's and the routing of the baffle facia for replacement tweeters. He carefully used an exacto knife to enlarge the route recess (the replacement frames are slightly larger.) Your model may use different tweeters, and this might not be an issue. But, it's worth researching to avoid surprises.
Good luck!
Mike -
Welcome to Club Polk, a happy(most of the time) little corner of cyberspace.
"SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE" -
Welcome to the Forum deceiver! Nice story. I bought my SDA-2s from the original owner about six months ago. I immediately bought the new tweeters from Polk. What a difference. I definitely recommend that upgrade. Cost about $200. Call Polk and tell them you are a Forum member, they will ship via Fedex for FREE!.
I recently upgraded my crossovers with the help of the post from ardvark1. This post was tremendous help! It took about five hours and was well worth the time and money. Polk will send you the crossover schematic free of charge.
Good luck and happy listening!Carl -
Update! Hooked up the Yamaha ax596 today for the first time. And if you read the original post my SDA2's hadn't been fired up in over a year. Well, today it happened. No I haven't replaced the tweeters or rebuilt the crossovers but boy the sound. I had been living with Cambridge soundworks PC speakers that really sound amazing considering their price and size but I'd totally forgotten what thes SDA's sound like. I was re-blown away like I was when I bought them about 20 yrs ago. Just sat there and listened...and listened...and listened. Thanks for all on this list who gave me server and private email advice. It was fun and informative.
