Help- Novice SDA owner
OnlyPolk
Posts: 137
I took one of my SDA speakers in to a local speaker shop to have the terminal posts replaced. These are screwed in and both screws had broken off at the end and would not support the speaker jacks. For years I have been playing a delicate balancing act plugging in my banana plugs into a very shaky connection that would come apart if someone touched it. Anyway we discovered at the shop that one of my tweeters was not working. These are SDA 2's (two tweeters, 3 midrange and woofer). I'm a novice in these matters, but love Polk. The shop is going to look for a replacement tweeter. In order to make sure I get the right part, any advice on what they should be getting to complement what I have and where it is available will be greatly appreciated.
Also these speakers are being driven by a Yamaha ASP-1000 A/V rated at 80 watts into 8 ohms for the front speakers. Is this doing an adequate job with these speakers? I have had this system now for some 15 years. Thanks!
Also these speakers are being driven by a Yamaha ASP-1000 A/V rated at 80 watts into 8 ohms for the front speakers. Is this doing an adequate job with these speakers? I have had this system now for some 15 years. Thanks!
Post edited by OnlyPolk on
Comments
-
Now that you're a member of Club Polk, just order the replacement tweeter from Polk directly and you'll get a decent discount and free shipping.
If that Yammie has pre-outs, I'd get a decent high current amp to power them with. Even though the SDAs are fairly efficient, they still like about 150-200 HIGH CURRENT watts each(solid state). They will sound great with about 40-60 watts from a decent tube amp.. It will make a world of difference in your listening experience. If you like them now, just wait till you get them properly powered.
Welcome to the Jungle"SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE" -
The tweeter is a sl2000. They are plentiful around here because we swap those out for the silk dome RDO replacement from Polk.
The Yamaha is not bringing enough punch speaking from experence with a DSP 1000 running my SDA 2's in the past.
Before you pass judgement on speakers not working make sure you have the interconnect cable plugged in and both speakers powered.polkaudio SRS (rdo194 x 8)
Dodd ELP (separate power supply)
JC 1 blocks ( strapped )
Rega Apollo
MIT (speaker cables) Outlaw (ICs)
polkaudio SDA2(rdo194x4) (front) polkaudio CRS (rdo194x4)(rear) polkaudio 400i (center)
B&K 505
Samsung LCD
VIP 622
HSU STF-2 -
Welcome to Club Polk! Are your tweeters silver or black? Since you have the SDA-2's (3-6.5" drivers amd 2-tweeters) you may have SL-1000 tweeters. In either case the Polk replacement is the RD-0194 tweeter. I would have the shop check over the connections. Chances are if the terminal posts are shaky, you may have some loose wires inside on the terminals. You may also have a blown or loose fuse. Does your speakers have fuses on the terminal panel in the rear of the speakers? If so, check those.
Good luck and welcome to Club Polk!Carl -
read-alot wrote:Before you pass judgement on speakers not working make sure you have the interconnect cable plugged in and both speakers powered.
Good point. Without the interconnect cable only one tweeter and two mid-drivers will play.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Clarification: When schwarcw asked if your tweeters are silver or black, he was referring to the rectangular housing surrounding the tweeter, and not the tweeter dome itself. There could be some confusion since both the SL1000 and the SL2000 have whitish/silverish domes.
If you have SL1000 tweeters, these can be difficult to find. SL2000's are fairly common and regularlyshow up for sale on the forum and on eBay and Audiogon.
Bear in mind that the RD0194-1, which is the silk dome replacement for both the SL1000 and the SL2000, does not sound exactly like either one of them. The RD0194-1 is a closer sonic match to the SL2000 than it is to the SL1000. Therefore, if only one of your tweeters is replaced by the RD0194-1, it may sonically "stick out" in a way that is objectionable to you. In that case, you would need to replace all four of your tweeters.
If your speakers do not have tweeter protection fuses on the back, you have a tweeter protection "polyswitch" on the crossover circuit board. It would be a good idea to go ahead and replace these, as they can fail as they get older. The new polyswitches are available free of charge from Polk.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Thanks for the warm welcome and the info.
F1nut: something you said caught my attention. I took the speaker in without the interconnect cable, to have the terminal posts replaced. Are you saying that the tweeter would not play without the interconnect cable connected to that one speaker alone? Does that mean it may be OK?
The tweeters have black surrounds. Is that the SL1000? The speaker does not have fuses on the rear panel unless it's housed inside the speaker.
The screws that hold the terminal posts broke. Those of you who have taken that rear panel off know there is a circular plate into which these screws are mounted and that plate is fixed to another one behind it with plastic pins around its circumference and all of the crossover wiring is behind that. I didn't want to try to get into this by myself, besides I have no parts.
I bought these for $1,000 a pair in 1985. Also bought an HK 690i (high current) which I used till I got the Yamaha. Yes it has separate main channel preamp outputs and power amp inputs with removable jumpers. Also individual amplifiers for each channel (7). I'm not very knowledgeable about hi-fi. Years ago I read Stereo Review avidly and bought what I could afford that had a good rating by Julian Hirsch!! -
OnlyPolk wrote:I took the speaker in without the interconnect cable, to have the terminal posts replaced. Are you saying that the tweeter would not play without the interconnect cable connected to that one speaker alone? Does that mean it may be OK?
That's exactly what I'm saying, but the credit for that suggestion goes to read-alot.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I'm going to check my other speaker which is at home with and without the interconnect. Thanks F1nut, I guess I don't need a tweeter replacement then. Also the speaker shop tested the speaker by taking it out and applying crocodile clips powered by an amp to the back (I'm guessing they were applied to the terminals) and there was no sound. These guys are not Polk authorized, they did not recognize the speaker when I brought it in.
-
You can't use the interconnect cable to test the function without both speakers. If they connected the tweeter directly to an amp and it didn't work, then the tweeter really is bad.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I guess my inexperience shows, I was wondering why a tweeter connected to an amp would refuse to play without an interconnect cable, but what do I know. Anyway, thanks for the info, I'll make sure they get the RD-0194. Any idea what these cost? I have to tell you guys, I wear hearing aids, my right ear is the worse than my left. So I'm not sure that I can tell any sonic differences any more. There are probably a lot of frequencies I can't hear.
-
a good idea would be to replace all the tweeters in your SDA's with the RD-0194 silk dome replacment tweeter. that way they all match. as said earlier Polk will give you a discount on the tweeter(s) and free shipping. well worth the money.
if you don't want to go that route.. then either replacing that one bad tweeter with the RD one or finding one just like the others.
you can replce the tweeters yourself.. just unplug the old one and plug in the new one. very easy. you may need a Torx wrench though.. some SDA's don't have standard phillips screws used in them back then.PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
OnlyPolk wrote:I guess my inexperience shows, I was wondering why a tweeter connected to an amp would refuse to play without an interconnect cable, but what do I know. Anyway, thanks for the info, I'll make sure they get the RD-0194. Any idea what these cost? I have to tell you guys, I wear hearing aids, my right ear is the worse than my left. So I'm not sure that I can tell any sonic differences any more. There are probably a lot of frequencies I can't hear.
I guess my inexperience shows by not asking how you determined the tweeter was bad.
BTW I purchased my SDA2 speakers in 85 or 86 but that relates to 20 years.
Thanks Jesse I am trying.polkaudio SRS (rdo194 x 8)
Dodd ELP (separate power supply)
JC 1 blocks ( strapped )
Rega Apollo
MIT (speaker cables) Outlaw (ICs)
polkaudio SDA2(rdo194x4) (front) polkaudio CRS (rdo194x4)(rear) polkaudio 400i (center)
B&K 505
Samsung LCD
VIP 622
HSU STF-2 -
OnlyPolk, take the other speaker and the interconnect cable to the repair shop. Have him connect the interconnect cable. If functioning properly, both tweeters in each speaker will be working. If in fact one tweeter is still not functioning, send me a PM. I've got a bunch of SL2000 tweeters here. I'll sell them real cheap.
As for your separate amp, that should be fine. Those SDA-s's will take a lot of power. I found with a 250 wpc amp, my SDA-2's sounded much better at lower volume levels. With a larger amp, all frequencies will be driven more evenly with the amp not working as hard.
F1 and Readalot, shouldn't one tweeter work without the interconnect cable?Carl -
Yes, the stereo tweeter and stereo mid-driver will work without the cable connected, the SDA tweeter and the SDA mid-driver in that model will not. The third mid-driver is a "bass driver" and is run off the stereo board, so it will work also.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
The shop took the tweeter out (I'm not sure if this is the SDA tweeter, it's the one on the right edge - left speaker ) and connected it to an amp and it did nothing. Is that a conclusive test or do you need to have both speakers interconnected and powered?
-
Correction it's the right speaker and the tweeter on the right edge when you are facing the speaker. I don't know right and left today!
-
Connected directly to an amp and it doesn't work would mean that it is bad.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Thanks to all for the advice. I decided to splurge and get 4 RD0194-A's for $200.00. I can't believe how helpful Polk (and all of you) have been. Any recommendations for an amp at a reasonable price? Real estate in my cabinet under the TV is limited. I only have one slot, maybe two (if I take out my second DVD player and my Mitsu VCR)
