Ribbon tweeters in SDA speakers??!!

Lightstar1
Lightstar1 Posts: 56
edited January 2009 in DIY, Mods & Tweaks
Hey Guys...as I am preparing to send my crossovers to Ben to make them better than ever, a question came to mind....have any of you thought about putting ribbon tweeters (the smaller rectangular ones) in place of the tweeters in the SDA speakers? I was wondering if ribbons would sound better and smoother than the 2000 or 3000 tweeters or if it is possible and what would have to be done to make it work correctly.

Lightstar1
Post edited by Lightstar1 on

Comments

  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited January 2009
    Way to many variables to get it right. Stick with RDO's.
    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
  • TNRabbit
    TNRabbit Posts: 2,168
    edited January 2009
    ben62670 wrote: »
    Way to many variables to get it right. Stick with RDO's.

    x2...
    TNRabbit
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  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,314
    edited January 2009
    [QUOTE I was wondering if ribbons would sound better and smoother than the 2000 or 3000 tweeters or if it is possible and what would have to be done to make it work correctly.


    The RDO's are better and smoother than the 2000 and 3000 tweeters.
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,050
    edited January 2009
    Nope. Stick with the RD0's. If you want ribbon tweets...........then buy a speaker with ribbon tweets. The SDA's are designed to work as they are and the RD0 replacement tweeters, which were developed and engineered by POLK, are the ones to stick with.

    You will be amazed at how much your SDA's are transformed by a simple cap upgrade and new RD0194-1 (for sl2000) or RD0198-1 (for sl3000).

    Give that a try and if you are still unhappy in 6 mos to a year then move onto to something else completely.

    Good luck and keep us posted

    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!
  • Lightstar1
    Lightstar1 Posts: 56
    edited January 2009
    Hey Thanks guys for the advise. The only reason why I asked is that I had always liked the sound of my Carver Amazings and they "seem" to be more detailed than the big SRS SDAs I have. Ben will be doing a rebuild on the crossovers because I am a dummy when it comes to that kind of thing so I am assuming this will help a bunch. Now for the next dumb question...what are the RD0 speakers?? Is there a picture I can look at and finally, do they improve the sound of the high end so that it is comparable to ribbons?? How much do they cost??
    Thanks for you help!
    Lightstar1
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,050
    edited January 2009
    I apologize as I assume (incorrectly) most people know what the RD0's are. They are updated silk dome replacement tweeters for all vintage Polk speakers using the original sl2000 or sl3000 tweeter.

    They are much smoother sounding getting rid of the +6dB spike and much of the harshness the sl's can exhibit. They are the preferred upgrade for many here on CP. They are $48 each shipped mention you are Club Polk member.

    No probably won't sound like ribbons..............but they are IMO, a huge improvement and they are plug-n-play.
    "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!
  • 4406bbl
    4406bbl Posts: 194
    edited January 2009
    rdos are the new replacement tweeter,they are $48 each for club members. I nave never heard them next to carvers so can't help there.
  • Danales
    Danales Posts: 2
    I like the thought of at least trying this. I'm caught between the apples and oranges of SDAs vs Electro Stat. If ribbons could add some dexterity to the high end of the SDAs I'd be all for it. Has anybody tried in the 8 years since this thread was started?
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Danales wrote: »
    I like the thought of at least trying this. I'm caught between the apples and oranges of SDAs vs Electro Stat. If ribbons could add some dexterity to the high end of the SDAs I'd be all for it. Has anybody tried in the 8 years since this thread was started?

    Nope, you'd basically have to redesign the whole speaker to accommodate ribbons. Just buy a ribbon speaker and save the coin.

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  • xschop
    xschop Posts: 4,635
    What would it take crossover-wise to implement in the late CRS?
    Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
  • Danales
    Danales Posts: 2
    tonyb wrote: »
    Nope, you'd basically have to redesign the whole speaker to accommodate ribbons. Just buy a ribbon speaker and save the coin.

    I believe you on this but at a high level would love to understand what the challenges are. Crossover points? Phase alignment?
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited April 2017

    The largest obstacle is going to be getting acceptance from the rabid protectors of all things SDA in this arena.......they tend to lash out from their cage as soon as you get within arms reach..... ;)

    There is no doubting that SDA was very heavily researched prior to its release and look at all the changes to the line that was made along its lifespan. They are one of the most involved crossover designs ever in the mass market.
    Post edited by Dennis Gardner on
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    You should be pleased with the improvement in detail with the upgraded crossovers too.
    Stan

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