Hi Guy's...New Member & Disappointed SDA 1.2TL Owner.....

AudioCanuck

Hi guys,
I'm new to the Polk world & am hoping there's someone in my area(Vancouver, BC) who can offer assistance/advice?
I've been listening to JBL's since I was young...by accident actually. A friend gave me my first pair when I was 18 & they sounded great so I never switched. You kind of get used to a certain brand I guess & I was always happy.
In the last few years I've been doing a lot of reading online & everywhere I read, people rave about the SDA 1.2TL's but I'd never had the opportunity to hear a set & whenever I saw a set online for sale...they were always on the East Coast or far enough away that shipping speakers this big just didn't seem sensible.
So a mint set comes available last week in Seattle...coincidentally, I just sold a pair of JBL 4343's, so I had the money to buy them...they're close...now's my chance!
So I get them home & I'm excited to hook them up! On the trip I also picked up a pair of RTR 280dr monitors for $200. I'd heard these were great sounding speakers for their day...& for $200...what the heck!
So I spend all day Sunday listening to the SDA's, the RTR's & my ol' JBL 240Ti's.
I've read all about the SDA's & I know to hook the interconnect cable between the speakers. I run Adcom GFP-565 mono blocks & so I know to run a common ground between the chassis of the 2 amps.
Bottom line....the Polks sound the worst of the 3 sets of speakers...& not just by a little.
They sound muddy & unimpressive. I'm really disappointed because everywhere I've read, people seem to think the world of these speakers & consider the sound stage second to none...so needless to say, after coming home $1700 lighter...to find that they preform considerably poorer than my $200 RTR's is a little concerning
I'm hoping there's something wrong with these but all the speakers appear to be working?? They make good bass but the mid sounds..well...terrible by my ears.
Do these speakers not like Adcom's?
Are any of you near Vancouver??
Boy I'd sure like a second opinion on these but they're mighty heavy to move...& I don't even know who in Vancouver can help me with them?
Please help restore my faith in Polk's
It's definitely not my imagination & I don't mean to insult anyone who owns & loves their 1.2TL's.
Any help is greatly appreciated!:)

ben62670

First welcome to club Polk.
You tied the speaker grounds together between the two amps right? I run 565's on mine;)

Face

I can't imagine those speakers sounding muddy.

Did you test all the drivers?

If you gently push in the passive radiator and hold it, do all the drivers push forward and stay that way for a few seconds?

How are the speakers positioned? They should be close to the rear wall(6" works best for me) and a few feet from the side walls. Don't toe them in either.

AudioCanuck

ben62670 wrote: »

First welcome to club Polk.
You tied the speaker grounds together between the two amps right? I run 565's on mine;)

Hi Ben,
I physically grounded one chassis to the other with a copper wire between the two amps just running to the screws that attaches the cover plates for the balanced inputs...(when equipped)
Is there a different or better way to tie the grounds together?

ben62670

YES! Please tie the speaker grounds from one amp to the other amps speaker grounds!
You will blow them with the IC cable connected! Report back to us.
Ben

BIZILL

well, there you go...run a wire from the negative speaker output to both amps thereby common-grounding them and not just a wire between both chassis. ...oh, and then perhaps alter your thread title.:D

heiney9

ben62670 wrote: »

YES! Please tie the speaker grounds from one amp to the other amps speaker grounds!
You will blow them with the IC cable connected! Report back to us.
Ben

DITTO!!!!!

If you don't do this bad things can happen and I'm 99.9% sure this is why your SDA's sound like crap.

danger boy

my suggestion, use an amp other than mono blocks. I'd hate for you to blow up your $1,700 SDA's :eek:

gidrah

While I haven't heard your JBLs, I have hear the 250s. I really liked them and cannot imagine there being a huge difference in tone. I've also heard big Polks and while I will agree that he sound is different, I would never consider Polks to sound muddy. I would have to asume that there is a problem with the speakers and/or amplification.

Very nice RTR snag BTW.

ben62670

danger boy wrote: »

my suggestion, use an amp other than mono blocks. I'd hate for you to blow up your $1,700 SDA's :eek:

565's are the bomb for SDA's;)

Joe08867

+1 Ben.

AudioCanuck

BIZILL wrote: »

well, there you go...run a wire from the negative speaker output to both amps thereby common-grounding them and not just a wire between both chassis. ...oh, and then perhaps alter your thread title.:D

Hi Bill...so on the back of the amp...the black terminal of Amp-a....tie it to the black terminal of Amp-b....as well as tie the chassis together?
Thanks guys!
I know speakers but I'm no electronics wizard!

gidrah wrote: »

While I haven't heard your JBLs, I have hear the 250s. I really liked them and cannot imagine there being a huge difference in tone.
Very nice RTR snag BTW.

Thanks gidrah...I'm pretty happy about the RTR's. I hope it's me here & not the Polks...they certainly look impressive!
As for the 250's you refer to...they are a little better than the 240's...at 3 times the price though. I know 250's well...as you can see here in my livingroom...unfortunately both these are sold now. I'm hoping the Polks are going to fill their void:)
http://members.shaw.ca/missionkraft/Picture%20023.jpg

zingo

I'm pretty close AudioCanuck. You should bring them by and I'll judge for myself...

Could you take a picture of your setup? That might help us trouble shoot for you as well.

ben62670

The chassis can help if you are getting noise, but doesn't do a thing for protecting your amps. Mine are dead quiet without the chassis grounding. YMMV

BIZILL

audiocanuck wrote: »

hi bill...so on the back of the amp...the black terminal of amp-a....tie it to the black terminal of amp-b....as well as tie the chassis together?
Thanks guys!
I know speakers but i'm no electronics wizard!

yes!:)

PolkClyde

Well I'm listening to mines now as I type this. they sound great I bought them in 1988. now this may sound silly which one do I have Well my understanding is that the 1.2TL's are not the same as the Original 1.2's. I'm running carver silver 7t mono blocks. I have a wire connected to the negative output on both amps. The sound source is a 1560 Denon cd player via Audio Alchemy DAC and DTI PRO for jitter. pure sound. I have no pre-amp connected. What do you guys think about this hookup.

Thanks

PC

PolkClyde

BIZILL wrote: »

well, there you go...run a wire from the negative speaker output to both amps thereby common-grounding them and not just a wire between both chassis. ...oh, and then perhaps alter your thread title.:D

thank you thank you thank you

PolkClyde

danger boy wrote: »

my suggestion, use an amp other than mono blocks. I'd hate for you to blow up your $1,700 SDA's :eek:

Both together since 1990 without common ground.I just recently found out that they should be tire together. wow the Only thing I Have to say is that God is good. Thank you Jesus. Ted reeltrouble1 couldn't believe that I didn't have any damage running/playing them like that for so many years.Hey guys I have even use them for DJing at loud volume,yes without common grounding them. 7 of the bass drivers are the originals but I did get the tweeter upgrade RDO's save one.I kept one of the original tweeters in at the third position. I'm a bad dude.

P.S I'm really nice


PC

BIZILL

PolkClyde wrote: »

Both together since 1990 without common ground.I just recently found out that they should be tire together. wow the Only thing I Have to say is that God is good. Thank you Jesus. Ted reeltrouble1 couldn't believe that I didn't have any damage running/playing them like that for so many years.Hey guys I have even use them for DJing at loud volume,yes without common grounding them. 7 of the bass drivers are the originals but I did get the tweeter upgrade RDO's save one.I kept one of the original tweeters in at the third position. I'm a bad dude.

P.S I'm really nice


PC

Bet you now wear a tremendous ****-eatin' grin!:) are you ecstatic now?

PolkClyde

AudioCanuck wrote: »

Hi Bill...so on the back of the amp...the black terminal of Amp-a....tie it to the black terminal of Amp-b....as well as tie the chassis together?

I have done with my mono blocks tie the black to black amp output...... are there something else I should do, chassis?


PC

PolkClyde

ben62670 wrote: »

The chassis can help if you are getting noise, but doesn't do a thing for protecting your amps. Mine are dead quiet without the chassis grounding. YMMV

I know in this thread we are taking about the 1.2's and those that have them including myself love them. but have any of you heard The Infinity Kappa 9's.... I think I have ask this question before I don't think it was ever answered. I did a comparison test between the two. I think that the kappa's would be too bright for you guys. The 1.2's run rings around them when it comes to bass. but the EMIT tweeter is out of this world. I sent my kappa's back and kept the 1.2's they are nice though. I had the kappa 8's

BIZILL

like others have said, and i think i heard it first from darqueknight, grounding the chassis is more to help with those who may experience a 'hum' through their system.

PolkClyde

BIZILL wrote: »

Bet you now wear a tremendous ****-eatin' grin!:) are you ecstatic now?

I sure am ecstatic now. Not ready to buy any more amps yet. but my next mono blocks will be the KRELLS Those are the Rolls-Royce of all amps.

AudioCanuck

OK....That's more like it!
I'll have to continue my testing in the morning...I'm going to be in hot water if I crank these babies up at this hour!
Thank you everyone for the help...& Ben, I still would love to have you go through the crossovers if you have time:)

BIZILL

stick around the forum and keep gettin' your learn on. just like the rest of us have done and are still doing. glad your sda's sound 'correct' now.

george daniel

PolkClyde wrote: »

Both together since 1990 without common ground.I just recently found out that they should be tire together. wow the Only thing I Have to say is that God is good. Thank you Jesus. Ted reeltrouble1 couldn't believe that I didn't have any damage running/playing them like that for so many years.Hey guys I have even use them for DJing at loud volume,yes without common grounding them. 7 of the bass drivers are the originals but I did get the tweeter upgrade RDO's save one.I kept one of the original tweeters in at the third position. I'm a bad dude.

P.S I'm really nice


PC

Wow,, I'll bet that you are one "happy camper" now,,, congrats,, the SDA gods were on your side for the last 17 years.:)

ben62670

Enjoy! Glad nothing bad happened!
Ben

reeltrouble1

Audio Can,

You may have already damaged your speakers, check each driver as was suggested, hopefully, you did not send to much juice to them. Our dear friend Clyde hooked some SDA 2A's up as you did with Carver mono blocks and ruined a driver as well as damaging the poly switches on the lickity split.

RT1

PolkClyde

I sure did........Thanks to you reeltrouble1 I found the guy that can fix them.. sowing seeds Electronics

rocket

audiocanuck, i'll just buy them from you, alleviating all your problems. i am 10 minutes from the border, near bellingham. good luck.

AudioCanuck

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

Audio Can,

You may have already damaged your speakers, check each driver as was suggested, hopefully, you did not send to much juice to them. Our dear friend Clyde hooked some SDA 2A's up as you did with Carver mono blocks and ruined a driver as well as damaging the poly switches on the lickity split.

RT1

Hi Trouble, How can I tell if any of them are damaged? None of them are frozen & when I push the PR in, the drivers all move out. When I hold the PR in, the drivers relax slightly, then move back in when I let go.
How do you test them & how can I test the tweeters? Can you test them with an ohm meter??
Thanks!
Marty

rocket wrote: »

audiocanuck, i'll just buy them from you, alleviating all your problems. i am 10 minutes from the border, near bellingham. good luck.

Alright Rocket...come & get em! ::D
I love Bellingham. I head down weekly for my Dos Padres fix.