List of Transitional SDA's

DarqueKnight

A list of transitional SDA's has been added to the SDA schematic repository. Transitional models were inserted into the SDA series prior to major model revisions.

BobMcG

You mean there are actual Polk produced "FrankinPolk's"?

TroyD

Who is this BobMcG, guy? Another freakin' newbie??

LOL!

Good to see you around, Bob. Tell Mike to give us a shout.

BDT

BobMcG

NEWBIE! What the... where the... who the.... :mad: Oh, it's you Troy. I was just about to loose it there.

Hey what's up? I see the regulars are keeping it real. Good thing too. Can't have this place going unsupervised you know.

Thanks, I'll let Mike know you said Hi and to get his butt in here once in a while (like I should talk).

DarqueKnight

BobMcG wrote: »

You mean there are actual Polk produced "FrankinPolk's"?

It was supposed to be a family secret.

polktiger

How can you tell if you have SDA1c in the SDA1b cabinet?

Can you clarify what is ment by the blade/blade interconnect? I assume that means the interconnect that has 2 blades (no pins) with one blade slightly smaller than the other. Am I correct?

DarqueKnight

polktiger wrote: »

How can you tell if you have SDA1c in the SDA1b cabinet?

The 1C used MW6511 stereo drivers, MW6510 SDA drivers, and the B1618-B crossover circuit on a single circuit board.

The 1B used all MW6509 drivers for the stereo and SDA drivers and had two crossover circuit boards per cabinet, one for the high frequency section and one for the mid/low frequency section.

polktiger wrote: »

Can you clarify what is ment by the blade/blade interconnect? I assume that means the interconnect that has 2 blades (no pins) with one blade slightly smaller than the other. Am I correct?

You are correct.

TroyD

BobMcG wrote: »

NEWBIE! What the... where the... who the.... :mad: Oh, it's you Troy. I was just about to loose it there.

Hey what's up? I see the regulars are keeping it real. Good thing too. Can't have this place going unsupervised you know.

Thanks, I'll let Mike know you said Hi and to get his butt in here once in a while (like I should talk).

Good to see you, Bob!

For the uninitiated, there was a time when the PolkNation was ruled by the Bros. McG. The 'Golden Age' as it were.....

I heard from some dude that at the time...less money wasted on new parts was more money for 'creative stimulant/appetite enhancing' products.

BDT

markamerica

Hi folks! I own a few sets of SDAs, including a pair of the original SRS, a pair of 2Bs. After a long, long time, I'm getting back into my audio obsession. I've read some posts about upgrading crossovers, and so on, and I'm looking to eventually order Darqueknight's compendium, but the forum won't let me PM him for ordering details until I've posted at least 10 times, and since I've lurked for far too long, let me say that a few here, including Darqueknight, have done a phenomenal service to the SDA-loving world.

At present, my SRSs are biamped with a pair of Soundcraftsmen A5002s, and I've just replaced the ailing polyswitches. Okay, yes, there are better amps, but these hold some sentimental value to me, and rebuilding after nearly 20 years of deprivation, you reach for what you know...

BTW, you can read about me over on the Intro section of the audiokarma.org forum. (Same username)

Anyway, I've read different things about the various versions of the SRSs, and while some of these things can be somewhat(or even largely) subjective, I'm trying to form a baseline of understanding.

(BTW, Darqueknight, I'd be glad to buy your book as it will likely clear up a number of mysteries for me.)

Anyway, glad to read this and other SDA-related threads. Oh, and what the heck is an SRT? (Saw reference to SRT in an SDA-related thread)

Mark

TroyD

Welcome!

The SRT was a wheels-off, balls to the walls rig....just do a search and there's quite a bit of info...

The soundcraftsman were/are good amps..if you enjoy them, rock on.

By all means, pick up DK's SDA compendium, it is as thorough and complete as I think you can get on the subject. It's one of my fave rags to choke the bishop to.

BDT

markamerica

Troy,

Thanks. Did a quick search for SRT on this site, and found an ominous-looking picture. Very interesting, indeed. For whatever it's worth, I enjoy the Soundcraftsmen amps. Plenty of power, nice sound, didn't require such major dough as others of the period. I guess being a soldier, it was all about bang/buck. Soundcraftsmen delivered it.

Mark

BobMcG

Welcome to CP Mark. Always good to have another SDA owner/fan on-board.

Yup, the SRT (Sicko Reference Theater:p ) system was Polk's monster, butt kicking, SDA type home theater system and capped the SDA line.

markamerica

BobMcG,

Funny thing is, that's the kind of system I envisioned 20-odd years ago before selling off most of my stuff (in order to buy wheels for me and the bride to be.)

Mark

BobMcG

Yeah, it was kinda like an SDA lovers super dream system come true. Alas though, with a MSRP of around eight grand it wasn't a dream that came true for a lot of us.

markamerica

I hear you, Bob, iy's kind of like my original SRSs. I was a soldier, and right around 1/4th of my monthly net was going to make the layaway payments... Of course, at the time, I was single and living in the barracks...in Germany. By the time I paid them off and picked them up, it was time to sell: I had a fiance by then...LOL

Mark

TroyD

I view Soundcraftsmen as I do Carver.....maybe not esoteric enough for some but they always did right by me.

Jeeze man, a pair of SRS in a barracks room? What were you going to do, lay your bedframe accross the top of them?

BDT

markamerica

Troy,

Our rooms were four-man, theoretically. Being as we were short of mechanics most of the time(and I was one), it was not unusual for my room to have just myself and one other guy. The room was roughly 6m x 6m, so not too terrible. That's all right, I suppose, as I picked them up (with help, and lugged them up two flights of stairs and down to the end of the hall) on the Friday before Labor Day, 1987. By then, I had already made arrangements to sell all of my gear, and so too the SRSs. The guy to whom I had already sold them felt bad for me, and agreed to the notion of letting me keep them for the weekend. Therefore, Labor Day, evening, 1987, became famously(in my life) the "day the music died."

Paid on 'em for 13 months, and listened to them for three days.

I used to joke that I'd have been better off keeping the rig, and skipping the wife et al, but that's probably not true. Besides, I'm most of the way into rebuilding the rig now. 20 years of deprivation is long enough. Our kid graduates in May.

Mark

mjmcg

I'm alive...I think. Been one run of bad luck after another lately, but I'm hanging in. On the audio front, about 2 years ago I had to send one of my Adcom monos to have input board caps replaced. Now the other one is doing it but I haven't got the $125 to drop on fixing it any time soon. I'm still around online quite a bit but it's more for matters of work than recreation. It seems by the time I get done doing the serious stuff I have had all of looking at a monitor I can take at times. I have poked in here from time to time, but heck I'm so out of touch now I was a mere observer

John in MA

Was Polk ever known to substitue models? For instance, if a pair of SRS 1.2s were ordered in the latter part of 1989, and what shipped were apparently (no TL markings) 1.2TLs with SL3000 tweets?

DarqueKnight

Do you mean were such substitutions done without informing the customer? I can't imagine that Polk would do such a thing.

I can imagine a customer being offered a current model if his desired older model was out of production and out of stock.

Marty913

John in MA wrote: »

Was Polk ever known to substitue models? For instance, if a pair of SRS 1.2s were ordered in the latter part of 1989, and what shipped were apparently (no TL markings) 1.2TLs with SL3000 tweets?

I ordered a pair of 2.3's in 1989 from BrandsMart in Kansas City. I wanted the darker wood which they did not have in stock. I took the in stock ones as "loaners" until mine arrived. The salesman called a few weeks later and said mine had arrived. He then went on to say "there was a problem" and that Polk had changed the model (the TL). He was very concerned I would back out and assured me there would be no price difference because it was "Polk's fault".

The TL's were labeled correctly, and I was notified. An altogether nice experience except of course I was expected to "accept" the TL's for the same price.:rolleyes:

John in MA

Thanks, that's what I was wondering about. What would you make of a set of speakers that were sold as 1.2s, billed as 1.2s, say 1.2 on the backs and the manual, but came from the factory with SL3000 tweeters? An early production line change before they updated the external bits?

DarqueKnight

John in MA wrote: »

Thanks, that's what I was wondering about. What would you make of a set of speakers that were sold as 1.2s, billed as 1.2s, say 1.2 on the backs and the manual, but came from the factory with SL3000 tweeters? An early production line change before they updated the external bits?

That would be called a serious manufacturing error since SL2000 and SL3000 tweeters are not interchangeable. I can't imagine that something like that would be able to slip through Polk's testing and quality control because the speakers would not look, measure, or sound right. A lot of people would have to be drunk at work on the same day to allow this.

The sticker on the back of my 1989 1.2TL's says "SRS 1.2". The manual is titled "SDA SRS 1.2, SDA 2.3", but it has a one sheet addendum with specs for the 1.2TL and 2.3TL. The sales receipt says "1.2TL". Some of the early 1.2TL's came with model number stickers and revised owner's manuals from the 1.2 model. Some people ordered 1.2's but received 1.2TL's because the 1.2's were no longer available. In some of those cases, the sales receipt still said
1.2 and they were not charged the additional price for the 1.2TL's. Therefore, they had speakers with a 1.2 model sticker, manual, and receipt, but the speakers were actually 1.2TL's.

John in MA

I assume what I'm looking at are early 1.2TLs without the updated markings. The only other noticable difference would be the value of high-frequency components on the crossover, I haven't had a looksee yet. Manual has no addendum.