questions about recent sda1 purchase

Options
dougd
dougd Posts: 9
edited October 2005 in Vintage Speakers
It all started a few weeks ago when I went to pick up my 32" sony lcd tv that I purchased from a local ebayer. He had a sony 5 disc dvd and a sony 5.1 receiver that he was also looking to get rid of, so I scooped them up too.
I had decided I would buy some old 901's to go with my new toys. As fate would have it I found a pair of 10b's on craigslist so I came here to do the appropriate research. I of course purchased them at the very reasonable price of 140. Needless to say I was very impressed with the sounds, however after about 4 days they were getting old, and again fate stepped in, would you believe another pair of polks on craigslist, this time sda1's and the guy was giving them away.Fortunately I was the first of about 10 e-mail respondents so the guy called me and I have now replaced my old 10b's in the bedroom with these monsters. Sorry for the rant but I am excited about my new toys and wanted to share my experience.Now for my questions-
#1 the guy was the orginal owner and assured me that they are "sda1c"
the back only reads "sda1" Do I have to pull a driver out to determine?
And can you guys confirm for me that the c is the most desirable of the abc's
Also if I do have to pull a driver is there any thing I need to know?
#2 While the speakers sound amazing to my novice ears, I do have a problem with 1, maybe 2 of the mids on one of the speakers. I can't come up with the proper word to describe it, as I am obviously not an audiophile-all I can tell you is that I can only here at a pretty high volume level and it only comes out during the bass portion of a song. I'm sure the driver or drivers need to be replaced so I would appreciate some advice on how best to proceed.
Thanks much,
Doug
Post edited by dougd on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited October 2005
    Options
    SDA1s don't mark them abc. I'm not sure if the drivers will tell you much. What are the serial numbers? My 1Cs have 87xx numbers. If yours are after that, then they are likely Cs.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited October 2005
    Options
    Do you have the SDA interconnect cable?

    That is the only way that all mid drivers work. Without this, they are not giving SDA, only stereo.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dougd
    dougd Posts: 9
    edited October 2005
    Options
    The serial numbers are 8007,8066
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dougd
    dougd Posts: 9
    edited October 2005
    Options
    Yes, I have the orginal interconnect cable.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited October 2005
    Options
    Is the connection above the speaker posts a pin/blade (round with a horizontal slot below) or blade/blade (2 horizontal slots)?

    Pin/blade = 1Cs
    Blade/blade =earlier models.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dougd
    dougd Posts: 9
    edited October 2005
    Options
    I have the pin/blade, is this more desirable than the earlier models?
    Thanks for your response, I guess this means I have the 1c
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited October 2005
    Options
    Sounds like 1Cs. I don't really know which is more desireable? To each his own. Each upgrade was supposed to correct issues with early versions, but the differences are small. The full covered cabintes seem to bring a little more than the studio models with the wooden stands.

    The SDA speakers that bring the other side's stereo signal to each speaker are to the inside if your speakers are set up properly left and right. Those mids will give a less strong signal than the outside, since they are delivering the SDA cancelling signal.
    This is normal and you may not have any bad drivers.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,716
    edited October 2005
    Options
    I've never heard the original SDA1, but the B's and C's perform almost identically. The driver arrangement is the same, the difference is mostly in the cabinet.

    It's personal preference really. I prefer the C's (Oak caps prefered) because I have always felt they were beautiful speakers. With the fabric sides and wood caps, they still look contemporary. The old models looked dated to me, even when they were new, but like I said it's all preference.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited October 2005
    Options
    I agree with ya' on the cloth sides looking better. They look more like baby SRSs.

    Here are some pictures for model reference: The 1a has multiple horizontal tweets.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited October 2005
    Options
    Yeah, when I first saw mine, I thought they looked like some Vandersteen's that I saw a few years ago :)
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited October 2005
    Options
    It looks as though the SDA bug has bitten another unsuspecting victim.

    Enjoy those badass speakers.

    You better care for them properly or we'll know and have to hunt you down and beat you with the interconnect. :D

    Congratsl
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • tentoze
    tentoze Posts: 133
    edited October 2005
    Options
    dougd- after reading yr story, I get the sneaky suspicion yr in Vegas, eh? If my guess is right, I can't believe you got an email to that guy quicker than I did. And, hell yes he gave them away. Congrats!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited October 2005
    Options
    Dennis Gardner wrote:
    Blade/blade =earlier models.

    Correct, but also includes the earliest 1Cs too. :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited October 2005
    Options
    BobMcG wrote:
    Correct, but also includes the earliest 1Cs too. :)

    I knew that too Bob, but knew if he had p/b he had Cs. Polk really had a hard time making changes in most of their lines. They seemed to meld line changes together until they had sufficient supply of the new parts to be consistent. You see that even on their SRS line don't you?
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited October 2005
    Options
    Just didn't want the less informed to think there weren't any b/b 1Cs out there.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited October 2005
    Options
    WilliamM2 wrote:
    I've never heard the original SDA1, but the B's and C's perform almost identically. The driver arrangement is the same, the difference is mostly in the cabinet.

    The SDA 1B and SDA 1C are entirely different speakers. The driver arrangement is the same, but the mid-woofer drivers are different. The only things the 1B and 1C have in common are the SL2000 tweeters and SW 120 passive radiator. The cabinets, drivers, and crossover circuits are different.

    I own both models. They do not perform or sound anywhere near identical to each other. It would be amazing if they did, given the differences cited above.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter