SDA 1C with Yamaha AVR receiver

Ron W · June 2007

Hello all,

New to Club Polk and this is my first post.
I have an opportunity to get a Polk SDA 1c set of speakers with the original cable, but all I'm using right now for my home theater is a Yamaha 6 channel (100 x 6 watts) HTR 5590 AVR receiver hooked up to 6 JBL 's (s38 mains, S center and JBL rears. I have an SVS sub.

Would my receiver work ok to use these Polk's if I get them for my mains. Sorry, I don't know much about any SDA special hookup requirements.

I owned a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 10 B years ago and thought the world of them, and wish to this day I had never sold them. I used the money to pay for our honeymoon.

I guess this is a chance perhaps to come back to vintage Polk at its best.

I can't really afford an upgraded receiver/pre/amps right now and probably not for a year or two if I get these SDA 1c.

What do you guys think? Any helpful comments and or suggestions? I'm just using that 16 guage Monster Cable XP from Circuit City for my home theater.

Regards,
Ron W

Ron Temple · June 2007

I picked up my pair nearly a year ago and couldn't be happier. Your receiver specs are probably bogus, but the 1Cs are easy to drive. You will want to move into something with more beef shortly to wake them up. Be prepared to get obsessed with them...they are pretty special.

heiney9 · June 2007

Not so sure if it's all that easy a load to drive. My Adcom gets just as warm driving my 1C's as it did driving my LSi 9's. It hardly ever got warm driving my RTA-11's. Any SDA speaker by nature of the I/C cable puts an extra burden on the negative side of an amplifier section vs. std speakers.

Now whether it's a huge issue I don't know. I have had no issue's with my SDA's, but they do present a more complex load at certain frequencies vs. std speakers.

H9

rskarvan · June 2007

Don't crank the Yammi up too high or it will clip and your SL2000 tweeter will melt. (It doesn't smell particularly pleasant).

avguytx · June 2007

Whenever you can put more power behind them other than the (way underrated) AV Receiver, it will make a huge difference. Average price range AV receivers use such bogus ratings (i.e. 6X100, etc) which never tells the complete story about the power. But, for the time being, they should work great! They do love some power though!

george daniel · June 2007

Those 1C's have the potential to make an excellent 2 ch system. Down the road abit,you may want to consider seperates,such as a tubed pre,high current/power ss amp, then there is always cap and resistor upgrades if you so choose. Given the path that you select,I think that they will surprise you. Good luck and enjoy.

Ron W · June 2007

Thanks for all the replies so far. Are the tweeters on the 1C fuse protected?
I remember my Polk 10b had the fuse and I remember blowing the fuses a time or two, but they prevented the tweeters from blowing.

Also, yeah I know that many of the receivers are over spec on their actual wattage rating - except maybe Harmon Kardon. At least this Yamaha AV receiver is a mid-fi and weighs 33 lbs unlike some of the cheaper receivers out there.

Ron W

Ron Temple · June 2007

Ron W wrote: »

At least this Yamaha AV receiver is a mid-fi and weighs 33 lbs unlike some of the cheaper receivers out there.

Ron W

No fuse...a polyswitch on the crossover protects the tweeters.

Does the Yammie have pre-outs? Adding a used 2 channel amp won't break the bank and certainly improve the 1Cs.

rskarvan · June 2007

Depending on the Polyswitch is a lot like depending on Paris Hilton not to drive drunk.

Ron W · June 2007

Well, another thing I can do is when I listen to music I'll just listen in two channel mode - that may lighten the load on the Yamaha. When I use all 6 channels for home theater I can just use the small speaker setting on the mains and let my SVS PB 12 sub handle everything below 90HZ. That should take some stress off the Yamaha and yet still enjoy the mids and highs of the SDA.

Yes, eventually I'll just go with a 2 channel setup with a nice amp for a music only dedicated room for the SDA 1C. I'll still hang on to my JBL mains for the home theater, but that would have to be a few years down the road.

For now I'll have to go with the Yamaha 5590 to drive the SDA 1C.

Ron W

Ricardo · June 2007

rskarvan wrote: »

Depending on the Polyswitch is a lot like depending on Paris Hilton not to drive drunk.

The 3.1 TL's do not have polyswitches...just in case your comment comes from "tests" with those speakers

Ron W · June 2007

On the other hand, if I did decide to use the SDA 1C for home theater and stereo listening permanantly, are there any high quality AV receivers that you would recommend to drive the SDA's better and improve sound quality?

Adcom? Carver? What about some of Harmon Kardon's better AV receivers? Any others if any?

Ron W

dbnh · June 2007

heiney9 wrote: »

Not so sure if it's all that easy a load to drive. My Adcom gets just as warm driving my 1C's as it did driving my LSi 9's. It hardly ever got warm driving my RTA-11's. Any SDA speaker by nature of the I/C cable puts an extra burden on the negative side of an amplifier section vs. std speakers.

Now whether it's a huge issue I don't know. I have had no issue's with my SDA's, but they do present a more complex load at certain frequencies vs. std speakers.

H9

I feel that the 1C's profit from quality, high current amps. I currently use Odyssey Extreme Monos to excellent effect. I'm not hopeful the AV receiver you have will do the job adequately. I additionally note that when I purchased my 1Cs in the late '80s, I ran an NAD 2200PE for a number of years. IMHO, the NAD product was a good amp, but comparing what it did for the SDA 1Cs compared to what the Extreme Monos do is like comparing Pop Warner football to the creme de la creme of the NFL. YMMV.

heiney9 · June 2007

dbnh wrote: »

I feel that the 1C's profit from quality, high current amps. I currently use Odyssey Extreme Monos to excellent effect. I'm not hopeful the AV receiver you have will do the job adequately. I additionally note that when I purchased my 1Cs in the late '80s, I ran an NAD 2200PE for a number of years. IMHO, the NAD product was a good amp, but comparing what it did for the SDA 1Cs compared to what the Extreme Monos do is like comparing Pop Warner football to the creme de la creme of the NFL. YMMV.

So I take it you are using the AI-1 cable or have the negative terminals on the amps strapped?

They most definetly come alive with proper amplification. An AVR will allow you to play them, but really not to their true potential. But it's much easier to get amplification than it is to get nice used SDA's so certainly go and get them but be sure to keep in mind down the road in a 2 channel set-up with proper amplification they will reward you.

H9

dbnh · June 2007

heiney9 wrote: »

So I take it you are using the AI-1 cable or have the negative terminals on the amps strapped?
H9

I had a DIY friend make up an AI-1 for me.

heiney9 · June 2007

dbnh wrote: »

I had a DIY friend make up an AI-1 for me.

Using the Stancor or Avel transformer? I'm curious because some here say the AI-1 (either homemade or Polk issue) degrades the sound and that it was basically a workaround. I've been looking at the possibility of getting mono's but I really don't want to use the AI-1 cable, which leaves me mono's where the negative terms can be tied together.

dbnh · June 2007

heiney9 wrote: »

Using the Stancore or Anvil transformer? I'm curious because some here say the AI-1 (either homemade or Polk issue) degrades the sound and that it was basically a workaround. I've been looking at the possibility of getting mono's but I really don't want to use the AI-1 cable, which leaves me mono's where the negative terms can be tied together.

Don't know what he put in there, his skill level in that area is waaaay above my knowledge base. All I know is that he did a kicka@@, professional job, and replaced my polyswitches while he was at it - gotta give Mark from the Head-Fi forums a shout out of "Thanks again!" Anyway, if you go here and look at the bottom left corner of the picture to the outside of the left mono, you can see part of the silvery-looking box that houses the tranny he used.

F1nut · June 2007

Ron W., buy the speakers, worry about getting better power later and don't listen to a word that rskarvan says. He's got a **** stuck up his ****.

Brock, I can assure you that neither the stock AI-1 nor the Avel will degrade the sound. However, the Stancor does.

heiney9 · June 2007

F1nut wrote: »

Brock, I can assure you that neither the stock AI-1 nor the Avel will degrade the sound. However, the Stancor does.

Good to know, I'll file this bit of info away. There is still hope for me getting some Monarchy SM 70 mono's then.

H9

SDA 1C with Yamaha AVR receiver

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