SDA 1C's

heiney9

I think the 194 does piano and harmonica very well. Bring some stuff to listen to when you come visit.

One of my favorite cd's is Alone and Acoustic with Buddy Guy and Junior Wells on the mouth harp.

Again, synergy and a refreshed X-over do make a huge difference.

H9

comfortablycurt

heiney9 wrote: »

I think the 194 does piano and harmonica very well. Bring some stuff to listen to when you come visit.

One of my favorite cd's is Alone and Acoustic with Buddy Guy and Junior Wells on the mouth harp.

Again, synergy and a refreshed X-over do make a huge difference.

H9

Alright...If your rig can make Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited not sound bright...I'll change my mind.;)

Seriously though, I think one of my biggest problems is my room. I need treatment bad.

Conradicles

Curt, you feel so strong about the Peerless tweeters it reminds me of the way CL35 felt about the SL2000 (just kidding).
Your problem may be the room, but those really old tiny capacitors made in Mexico need to be upgraded. I could not believe how much better mine got with the upgrade and I only used Dayton caps.
Take H9's advice and I bet you will change your tune.
By the way...Bob Dylan rules!!!

Pycroft

I think because it was the last post on the first page, nobody perhaps read what I wrote yesterday...sorry for the repost:

Hi all...

I'm about to take Vlam up on his most gracious offer. I need to make sure these are the ones, and am unsure of the questions to ask. Here is the original craigslist offering:

Polk SDA 1C Speakers, good condition, fully functioning. Black with a few minor blemishes in the veneer, I am not going to sharpie marker them and try to hide any marks. Grills are fully intact with Polk emblems and 2 very small holes in the screen, didn't even notice them until I held the screens up to light. Have a homemade interconnect cable for the SDA Effect. Only selling because these are not my taste, back to Klipsch. Emails for pics. Thanks.

Vlam said he may be suspicious of some of the things said. What specifically should I ask the seller? Should I request specific pictures of anything in particular for closer scrutiny? I know it's a great price, but want to make sure they are as good as he said they are. If you were the potential buyer, what would you ask? If Vlam may pick them up, I won't be able to see them (Not that I'd know what to ask if I were), so I need to make sure before I commit.

Thanks so much.

James

george daniel

Just an overall inspection--cosemetics,, check the drivers for air leaks/scraping-- and have him take a recording that he is very familar with and listen to it.If they are keepers,,just use precautions when loading-traveling with them.Good luck-let us know how it turns out.

Pycroft

How important is it that the guy does not have the original interconnect cable for the SDA affect? He has a "Home-made" cable. Does polk sell the original or some official replacement?

James

billbillw

James, a home made cable is probably every bit as good as the original if it was done correctly. Not an issue if you ask me. The 1C really only needs the single round pin connection anyway. Have VLam make sure that all the drivers are all free by doing a push test on the radiator. Have him run the standard SDA electrical tests (sticky post at top of forum); Check all the tweeters for output. I'd say minor scratches/blemishes are not an issue but crushed MDF is. Have him check corners, etc for crushed MDF. Check the base for swelling or water damage. Also have him check the seal of the speaker and closely check all the surrounds for and damage. Damage to the grill fabric can be easily fixed with new fabric (easy job).

Finally, if/when he (or you) transports the speakers, make sure they are lying flat on their backs to prevent mid-woofer lockup.

inspiredsports

Pycroft wrote: »

How important is it that the guy does not have the original interconnect cable for the SDA affect? He has a "Home-made" cable. Does polk sell the original or some official replacement?

James

I've used both factory and homemade and listened closely for differences.

Polk had been out of pin/blade for some time, but had some blade/blade available a year ago for $40. Generally you can find both varieties on eBay for about $35 if you are patient.

For me, homemade using original male ends and high quality wire have proven to be superior in clarity and SDA effect. Adding banana connections would probably yield even further improvements.

vlam

billbillw:

I have a pair of SDA 1C myself. I was lucky that when I got mine from the previous owner, he originally got it from Lasareth.

I told James that it would be a better idea for him to see the speaker in person. I'll do the usual cosmetic checkup and I standard push test. I know that for some, having the working tweeter may not even be necessary as they may be on the road to upgrades. If the speaker are as they appear in the pictures, I think it's a no brainer. My only concern is to show up to pick up the speaker and they don't even look like what's in the picture.

I used to have the Lsi15 and really like them until Phasearray from this forum was nice enough to karma his 1C to me and I absolute love the 1C. Enough for me to sell the Lsi15. I thought the least I could do for someone who want to get into this is to help them out a little with my time.

Pycroft

You're the man Van. I have not heard from the seller yet, but when I do, I'll shoot you an email!

James

Pycroft

Update:

I AM going to buy them. I've been in touch with the seller. He seems like a straight-forward guy. Says the cosmetic issues are on the veneer, mostly on the back. A few scrapes here and there. I check to see if they are truly a Left and Right speaker and they are. He said he wasn't a fan of the sound. Says the SDA affect made the music sound muddy to him...maybe incorrect setup?

Well, it's up to Vlam now...he said he would contact the seller and grab them, and as soon as my stuff in the 'For Sale' thread sells, I'll have myself some SDA 1C's!

Thanks again for all the advice.

James

vlam

Don't worry James, it will get pick up.

Just pray that I don't fall in love with 2 sets of SDA (j/k).

comfortablycurt

Pycroft wrote: »

He said he wasn't a fan of the sound. Says the SDA affect made the music sound muddy to him...maybe incorrect setup?

There are plenty of people that don't like the SDA effect. There are times that I don't for that matter. For the most part though, I love it.

According to a lot of people though, SDA isn't true stereo...just a neat effect.

I'm guessing I'll probably always have at least one pair of SDA's though myself.

Congrats on the new toy!

heiney9

SDA is better than true stereo. True stereo really lacks. Usually, but not always, people who really dislike SDA's have other system issues or don;t have them set-up properly and what I mean by properly is to get the absoulte best benefits.

Many say "oh yeah, SDA's are fairly easy to set-up", but in fact to do it correctly for the best benefit they are very finnicky about placement and they do have a specific sweet spot to get the absolute best.

They sound great out of the sweet spot, better than most, but they still need to be set-up with care and one needs to dial in the perfect sweet spot and then enjoy

Big Dawg

I have a blade-blade SDA cable Polk made for me about 6 months ago that has never been used. If that's the one you need, I'm sure we can work something out.

Pycroft

Okay...SDA question...do I need speaker stands for these huge speakers? One of the cosmetic flaws of the speaker is it's missing the rubber things underneath...he said they were almost like little feet. Is it okayjust to sit them on a rug like that or will I need something special to put them on. I have small stands I'm using with my Monitor 7's, but I doubt they'd hold 80 pounds of speaker.

Thanks

thsmith

No stands required. Mine had teflon buttons on the bottem.

Look at my system in the showcase for myesound spikes. That is really what you want. Tightens up the bass big time.

Pycroft

I'm guessing those are something you bought and put on there??? If so, are they expensive?

thsmith

Pycroft wrote: »

I'm guessing those are something you bought and put on there??? If so, are they expensive?

About $128 but if you have carpets and not hardwood or tile you will not need the pads.
myesound.com

One of the cheapest upgrades to the SDA's I have done.

If that is not possible at this time I would go to Homedepot and find a replacement that matches what you already have on the SDAs.

hearingimpared

Don't go cheap on the spikes. Go Mye-sound.

https://myesound.com/Points_n_pads.html

george daniel

Grant stands behind his products as well,, easy going and very understanding too. Buy with confidence.

thsmith

There you go, 2 trusted long time members recommend them;)

Here's a link on my install.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82792&highlight=sda+spikes

billbillw

thsmith wrote: »

About $128 but if you have carpets and not hardwood or tile you will not need the pads.
myesound.com

One of the cheapest upgrades to the SDA's I have done.

If that is not possible at this time I would go to Homedepot and find a replacement that matches what you already have on the SDAs.

Pycroft,
There are other spikes available for cheaper. Just about any proper sized spike (for the weight) will sound better than no spikes. Look around the internet. Parts Express has some, so does Madisound, along with many others.

dbnh

Mine sit on granite, which sounded better than spikes in my room with my gear to my ears and to those of others. YMMV.

george daniel

^^^^^^nice looking rig^^^^^^^ Big A$$ Odyssey monos' eh?:)

Pycroft

Another update: I've been in contact with Van. The speakers were picked up, and are currently like 15 miles from my house. As soon as my gear sells from the for sale section, they are mine! I'm re-thinking where to place them in my basement. Any suggestions about placement. I heard they should be a few feet from the back wall...what about distance from each other? The room is not the biggest. Maybe 12x18. They will be on the floor until we get carpeting (Already paid for, but installed after the new year. Any suggestions about anything for a new SDA owner would be appreciated. While I'm waiting for my gear to sell, I can get the room up to shape, or at least as up to shape as I can

James

Fongolio

Three feet or more off the side walls is best but they can be less than a foot off the rear wall. Mine sit 6 inches off the rear wall. I had them further out but moved them back to get deeper bass extension. My room could use treatment but for now they sound great where they are. More critical is your listening position in order to get the full SDA effect. Your listening spot needs to be as close to perfectly centered between the speakers as you can achieve. Many here feel an equal lateral triangle with the speakers and listening position is ideal. Experiment and find your perfect spot. Congrats and I hope your stuff sells soon so you can enjoy them over the holidays.

Kelvin

hearingimpared

I had my 1.2TLs 1 1/2' from the back wall. To get better bass response I experimented with moving them closer to the back wall. I ended up with them be 8" from the back wall.

An equalateral triange to the sweet spot is necessary but the sweet spot can extend a couple of feet back further. Make sure the speakers are parallel to the back walls and perfectly level.

Three feet from the side walls is the minimum. They should be 6 to 8' feet apart but the manual states they can be as little as 4' apart. I've found that my 1.2TLs sound best 6' 6" apart making the sweetspot start at 6' 6" away from the center point of the front line of the speaker.

Of course YMMV. Good luck!

dbnh

george daniel wrote: »

^^^^^^nice looking rig^^^^^^^ Big A$$ Odyssey monos' eh?:)

Happy holidays, George, to you and yours. Yes, the 1Cs seem to love all that high current that Klaus' gear brings to the party.