Oh my, something magical has happened to my SDA's

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,757
    edited February 2010
    jonicont wrote: »
    Hi--First post. Original owner of a pair of lovingly cared for 2B's. In my living room for 23 years. I can't send PM's. I live on Long Island. If anyone could possibly contact forum member "Face" (see above post), I'd like to know if he could do a TL upgrade for me. Thank you
    John

    I passed on your question.
    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

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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited February 2010
    I'm close enough to Long Island. Would you drive to CT?
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited February 2010
    Responded, thanks for the heads up Jesse.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • jonicont
    jonicont Posts: 281
    edited February 2010
    Thank you F1
    DynaudIo Evoke 30, VPI Prime, Soundsmith Zephyr MKIII, PS audio Stellar phono pre, McCormack DNA 0.5 Gold, ARC LS-17se, Eversolo dmp A8, MIT AVT MA ic’s and speaker cables, ps audio stellar power plant 3
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  • jonicont
    jonicont Posts: 281
    edited March 2010
    Well, the deed is done. Mike (Face) came over last night and hooked me up. We had a pleasant evening. He was extremely cordial while working on the crossovers. Enduring my incessant questioning. Explaining to me about things of which I have absolutely no knowledge. He used Dayton and Clarity caps and a Mills resistor. Hooked it all back up, made sure it worked. Wife was already sleeping so couldn't really give them a test run. Been cranking them since 6:30 this morning. Already impressed with the depth and width of the soundstage. The vocals and cymbals likewise are sounding better. I'll be burning these about 10 hours a day. Can't wait to hear what it's like when they settle in. Once again Mike, thank you very much. Pleasure meeting you.

    Apparently I don't have the standard 2B enclosure


    http://www.flickr.com/photos/28351601@N00/4416406337/sizes/l/
    DynaudIo Evoke 30, VPI Prime, Soundsmith Zephyr MKIII, PS audio Stellar phono pre, McCormack DNA 0.5 Gold, ARC LS-17se, Eversolo dmp A8, MIT AVT MA ic’s and speaker cables, ps audio stellar power plant 3
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited March 2010
    Way to go Mike. The spirit of Club Polk at its best!

    jonicont, you may want to consider putting a CD in, set to loop continuously and leaving the rig powered up all the time with the volume control set to a moderate level so as not to disturb the household. That's how I did my 1.2TLs and it took 350+ hours to burn in but I used different caps.
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited March 2010
    jonicont wrote: »
    . . . apparently I don't have the standard 2B enclosure . . .
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/28351601@N00/4416406337/sizes/l/

    But they are still beautiful to be sure!

    I had the crossovers upgraded in my 1897 walnut 2B's in Nov of '08 and they continue to amaze me. Enjoy!

    Greg

    P.S.: I used the 24-hr. "CD in repeat mode" burn in method and could literally hear improvements day by day as the caps seasoned. Highly recommended.
    VTL ST50 w/mods / RCA6L6GC / TlfnknECC801S
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 w/mods
    TT Conrad Johnson Sonographe SG3 Oak / Sumiko LMT / Grado Woodbody Platinum / Sumiko PIB2 / The Clamp
    Musical Fidelity A1 CDPro/ Bada DD-22 Tube CDP / Conrad Johnson SD-22 CDP
    Tuners w/mods Kenwood KT5020 / Fisher KM60
    MF x-DAC V8, HAInfo NG27
    Herbies Ti-9 / Vibrapods / MIT Shotgun AC1 IEC's / MIT Shotgun 2 IC's / MIT Shotgun 2 Speaker Cables
    PS Audio Cryo / PowerPort Premium Outlets / Exact Power EP15A Conditioner
    Walnut SDA 2B TL /Oak SDA SRS II TL (Sonicaps/Mills/Cardas/Custom SDA ICs / Dynamat Extreme / Larry's Rings/ FSB-2 Spikes
    NAD SS rigs w/mods
    GIK panels
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  • OldmanSRS
    OldmanSRS Posts: 419
    edited March 2010
    You guys talking about burning-in caps crack me up everytime. Thanks, I needed that today. Maybe what's burning in is your CD player :)
    '65 427 Shelby Cobra
    '72 Triumph TR-6
    __________________
    '88 Polk SDA SRS 1.2, with upgraded XO caps and Erse SDA inductors
    '86 Polk SDA CRS+
    '84 Polk Monitor 10A (Peerless tweeters)
    '05 HSU VTF-3 Sub (Original OEM)
    '20 HSU VTF-3 Sub (three more, 100% cloned)
    '93 Carver TFM-35
    '88 Carver M-1.0t
    '88 Adcom GFT-555
    '88 Adcom GFP-555
    '88 Adcom GFA-555 (upgraded/restored)
    '88 Adcom GFA-555 (a second one upgraded/restored)
    '05 Onkyo DV-555 media
    '89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix
    '89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix, internal surround amp bridged to drive only a center channel
    '91 Kenwood Basic M1D Amp
    '89 Pioneer Laser Disc media
    '89 Sony SuperBeta HiFi media
    One PGA2310 based custom built remote volume control
    Four Polk T-15's
    Four Polk TSi-200's
    Four Polk TSi-100's
    Two Polk CS-10's
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited March 2010
    OldmanSRS wrote: »
    You guys talking about burning-in caps crack me up everytime. Thanks, I needed that today. Maybe what's burning in is your CD player :)

    I guess you never upgraded your speakers with new high quality caps;)
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited March 2010
    OldmanSRS wrote: »
    You guys talking about burning-in caps crack me up everytime. Thanks, I needed that today. Maybe what's burning in is your CD player :)

    Think of it like breaking in an engine.
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

    Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii

    Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999

    Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3

    HT: Denon AVR-X3400H / Sony UBP-X700 / RT16 / CS350LS / RT7 / SVS PB1000
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,757
    edited March 2010
    Apparently I don't have the standard 2B enclosure

    Looks like a 2B blade/blade cabinet.
    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

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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited March 2010
    OldmanSRS wrote: »
    You guys talking about burning-in caps crack me up everytime. Thanks, I needed that today. Maybe what's burning in is your CD player :)

    LOL! :rolleyes:
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  • TNRabbit
    TNRabbit Posts: 2,168
    edited March 2010
    "My God; they're full of STARS!"
    TNRabbit
    NO Polk Audio Equipment :eek:
    Sunfire TG-IV
    Ashly 1001 Active Crossover
    Rane PEQ-15 Parametric Equalizers x 2
    Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Seven
    Carver AL-III Speakers
    Klipsch RT-12d Subwoofer
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited March 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    Looks like a 2B blade/blade cabinet.
    P/B xovers though.

    Thanks for the kind words John. It was nice meeting you also!
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • Disc Jockey
    Disc Jockey Posts: 1,013
    edited March 2010
    inspiredsports wrote: »
    I had the crossovers upgraded in my 1897 walnut 2B's in Nov of '08 and they continue to amaze me. Enjoy!

    Greg

    Now those are some old 2Bs!! A testimony to the longevity of Polk products:D
    "The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage." Thucydides
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,757
    edited March 2010
    Face wrote: »
    P/B xovers though.

    Unless I'm missing something they should be identical.
    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

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  • strider
    strider Posts: 2,568
    edited March 2010
    Face wrote: »
    I'll second F1's recommendation on the TL upgrade.

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87121

    Do you have any recollection of how much more $ you had in the Claritycap/Deuland vs the Dayton/Mills?
    Wristwatch--->Crisco
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  • lukewayne
    lukewayne Posts: 80
    edited March 2010
    nspindel wrote: »
    I'm using banana's on the amp side of the cable. But the amp sits quite low to the ground, and the cable sort of rests on it's own weight. On the speaker side, I'm not thrilled with the idea of the joint being stressed by the weight of the cable sticking straight out the way the banana's do. With the spades, the wire hangs down instead of sticking straight out, and it seems be less stressful on the termination. That's especially true with the custom sda cable, because it's only a single termination.

    Also, the spades I used for the main speaker cable were somehow mispriced at ratshack. Somehow the spades rang up $4.99, when they should have been $19.99 like the banana's :cool:

    Obviously this is too late, as you've already got the spades, but i got these bananas from a local place called electronic city. they are like 4 bucks each and give you a few options on how you want to attach the cable. i use the way in the picture for all my speakers. it takes the strain off and allows for closer placement to a wall (as i'm currently in a small apartment) anywho, i'm glad you're happy with the upgrade.

    -luke
    ________________________________
    Panasonic TH-50PZ800U; Sony BDP-S350
    Sony STR-DA5400ES; Carver TFM-55
    Carver TFM-35; Carver A-500x
    Sony Playstation 3; Custom HTPC
    Polk Monitor 10B Front; 2xPolk CS350LS Center;
    Monitor 5B rears (RB0194-1 Upgrade);
    Velodyne VA1012XII sub
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited March 2010
    strider wrote: »
    Do you have any recollection of how much more $ you had in the Claritycap/Deuland vs the Dayton/Mills?

    Sorry I don't. I do believe that Duelund and CC prices have also gone up since anyway.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • OldmanSRS
    OldmanSRS Posts: 419
    edited March 2010
    ben62670 wrote: »
    I guess you never upgraded your speakers with new high quality caps;)

    Last year I did the Mills and, horror, Dayton 1% caps upgrade. They sounded better than the 22 YO electrolytics without a burn-in. I went with Dayton's because they don't deviate from their specs over time and magically stop deviating precisely where they sound best in Polks.

    Did your amp and TV get better after 400 hours as well ;)

    I also don't run speaker wires under carpet (sounds fuzzy) and discovered after hours of testing that Amor-all applied to CDs makes them sound more like vinyl :D
    '65 427 Shelby Cobra
    '72 Triumph TR-6
    __________________
    '88 Polk SDA SRS 1.2, with upgraded XO caps and Erse SDA inductors
    '86 Polk SDA CRS+
    '84 Polk Monitor 10A (Peerless tweeters)
    '05 HSU VTF-3 Sub (Original OEM)
    '20 HSU VTF-3 Sub (three more, 100% cloned)
    '93 Carver TFM-35
    '88 Carver M-1.0t
    '88 Adcom GFT-555
    '88 Adcom GFP-555
    '88 Adcom GFA-555 (upgraded/restored)
    '88 Adcom GFA-555 (a second one upgraded/restored)
    '05 Onkyo DV-555 media
    '89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix
    '89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix, internal surround amp bridged to drive only a center channel
    '91 Kenwood Basic M1D Amp
    '89 Pioneer Laser Disc media
    '89 Sony SuperBeta HiFi media
    One PGA2310 based custom built remote volume control
    Four Polk T-15's
    Four Polk TSi-200's
    Four Polk TSi-100's
    Two Polk CS-10's
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited March 2010
    Disc Jockey wrote: »
    Now those are some old 2Bs!! A testimony to the longevity of Polk products:D

    oops . . . . 1987 . . . :D:D:D
    VTL ST50 w/mods / RCA6L6GC / TlfnknECC801S
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 w/mods
    TT Conrad Johnson Sonographe SG3 Oak / Sumiko LMT / Grado Woodbody Platinum / Sumiko PIB2 / The Clamp
    Musical Fidelity A1 CDPro/ Bada DD-22 Tube CDP / Conrad Johnson SD-22 CDP
    Tuners w/mods Kenwood KT5020 / Fisher KM60
    MF x-DAC V8, HAInfo NG27
    Herbies Ti-9 / Vibrapods / MIT Shotgun AC1 IEC's / MIT Shotgun 2 IC's / MIT Shotgun 2 Speaker Cables
    PS Audio Cryo / PowerPort Premium Outlets / Exact Power EP15A Conditioner
    Walnut SDA 2B TL /Oak SDA SRS II TL (Sonicaps/Mills/Cardas/Custom SDA ICs / Dynamat Extreme / Larry's Rings/ FSB-2 Spikes
    NAD SS rigs w/mods
    GIK panels
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,192
    edited March 2010
    TNRabbit wrote: »
    "My God; they're full of STARS!"

    I LOVE it!!!! :D
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • Paden501
    Paden501 Posts: 286
    edited March 2010
    How did I miss this thread for so long?!!?!?!?

    I have to agree with prettymuch everything that the OP said. I recently re-did the xovers on my 1Cs (though I stayed w/ the SL2000 for now) and they're not even the same speakers anymore. It's like taking speakers that sound like $200 of sound and turning them into $20,000 worth of sound.

    Within hours of completing the mod, the bass response was deeper, tighter and more in focus. SDA 'magic' was more apparent, with a huge improvement in overall soundstage and imaging. The mids are now stronger, vocals are 'chestier'.... basically the speakers are much much better! You really have to hear the difference to understand.
    ~Matt
    My System

    Front L/R: Definitive BP10Bs
    Surrounds -Polk Audio Monitor 4As
    Preamp: B&K Reference 20
    CD: Jolida JD100a
    L/R Amp: Carver TFM-24
    Turntable: Pioneer PL-516 W/ Shure M97xe
    TV: Sony 52" XBR9
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  • bugzbunny
    bugzbunny Posts: 55
    edited June 2010
    Isnt 15 days continuous a bit too much for burning in the mods? Not sure if the CD player is going to like being on for 15 days running. Considering that my utility bill has gone up ever since my big amps have come in, I cannot even think of leaving them on for 15 days (would need a financial bailout from Uncle Sam).
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    Way to go Mike. The spirit of Club Polk at its best!

    jonicont, you may want to consider putting a CD in, set to loop continuously and leaving the rig powered up all the time with the volume control set to a moderate level so as not to disturb the household. That's how I did my 1.2TLs and it took 350+ hours to burn in but I used different caps.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited June 2010
    bugzbunny wrote: »
    Isnt 15 days continuous a bit too much for burning in the mods? Not sure if the CD player is going to like being on for 15 days running. Considering that my utility bill has gone up ever since my big amps have come in, I cannot even think of leaving them on for 15 days (would need a financial bailout from Uncle Sam).

    Hahaha, my CDP is tubed and it didn't mind at all. If you keep your volume to a low to moderate level, I don't think the electric company will be sending you any gifts. LOL!!!:D;)
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,757
    edited June 2010
    If you're living in Potomac, money should not be an issue.
    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

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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited July 2010
    bugzbunny wrote: »
    Isnt 15 days continuous a bit too much for burning in the mods? Not sure if the CD player is going to like being on for 15 days running. Considering that my utility bill has gone up ever since my big amps have come in, I cannot even think of leaving them on for 15 days (would need a financial bailout from Uncle Sam).

    If you can't afford to run them, why did you buy them? I'm just curious.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • bugzbunny
    bugzbunny Posts: 55
    edited July 2010
    I can afford to run them, but 24x15 sounded a bit too much for "burning it in". Was not sure if the user had overdone the burn-in. Was there a noticeable change in signal quality change from 24x14 to 24x15? Or is it more that our brains adapt to the sound that is coming out, and forget the "quality" of sound it was used to.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited July 2010
    Burn in is real and it depends on the type of component. It doesn;t matter if it done 24 hrs a day for a month or 1 hour a day for 24 months. It takes time and there is no exact science to it or quantitative number of hours. That is what my experiences have been in the past 25 years or so in this hobby.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • bugzbunny
    bugzbunny Posts: 55
    edited July 2010
    I agree; burn-in is real. I suspect at some point-in-time,though, that it becomes very subjective (after the physical/mechanical/electrical "burn-in"). I guess my curiosity was to figure out what happened at hour 360 or whatever that convinced the user that his components had achieved complete burn-in and that there would not be any more changes in the quality of the output that he was hearing. I think that it is a fairly rhetorical query in that every time we go to listen to our systems we do not go in as neutral observers, but with different viewpoints (moods, stresses, etc) and our feeling towards our systems changes based on that. One can try and discount these biases and evaluate system performance critically, but it is not too easy.

    Sorry to ramble on like that....
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