Polk Audio SDA SRS 1.2TL

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Will be here........TOMMOROW! Woo Hoo!

My Dad FINALLY bought a pair off EBay. Dude was in NC, had an amp and mint condition 1.2tl! So we took it, for 1,800. Amp is 900 watts, all mint, with SDA cable, manuals, etc.....

Just to share the news, will post pics when I see em :D

[Tour2ma]

Probably will look something like these...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3078645342

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Yep! Thats them! Can't wait to hear them! :D I'm excited......lol

[Loud & Clear]

Looks like your dad's really going for it these days. SVS and now SDA 1.2tls? When does the corvette arrive?

[madmax]

MX,
Should be a GREAT setup. FYI, that looks like a Soundcraftsmen A-900 Pro amp. It is no slouch. My friend has 5 of them in his system. You will not believe what you will be hearing shortly!!! Depending on whether he includes them or not you may need a pair of RCA to 1/4" mono phone jack adaptors for that amp. RS has good gold plated ones.
madmax

[madmax]

Here is a pic of the inside of the amp. Look at all those FET's!!!

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Hmm, thanks for telling me that, will see if we need it! Thanks!

Dont know when the vette arrives ;) lmao

WHOAH!

[madmax]

There are fans in the back of that amp as well. MAKE SURE THEY ARE RUNNING PROPERLY BEFORE PLAYING LOUD STUFF! Also, if it blows your house breaker don't freak out, they can do that. This ain't your average sony... Treat the amp gently though because those pcboards inside are a little finicky at their age. It would be reasonable to check that the thing isn't FULL of dustballs by removing the top cover and taking a look. Just pick out the major stuff if it is, don't poke around in there or try to clean too much or you'll be sorry. (experience here).

If all is good you got the best deal I've seen on the TL's and amp!
Congrats!

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Thank ya, I passed that information along to my Dad

[PolkWannabie]

I was wondering why that auction closed early ...

[madmax]

MX,
This is what your stereo will look like if you get 4 more of the A-900 Pros!

[PolkWannabie]

Ohhh ... A space heater ... LOL ...

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

HOLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DUDE!!!!!!!!

That is AWESOME!!!!!!!!

[RuSsMaN]

Chuck, they are Poppa Sid's SDA, Sid Sr.

Sid, don't even dig a listen to them EVER. I know it will be hard, but FORCE yourself to steer clear.

If you do listen to them, I've got dibs on the RT5's when you sell all your (now) inferior speakers.

Cheers,
Russ

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

LOL!

Stay clear in the Flea Market!

I MUST HEAR THEM!!!!! lol!

If I add any speakers of any sort beyond the size of the RTi70, it will be in my Dad's house. Nothing in my main rig will be for sell......yet.

[madmax]

Now if you play your system too loud he will blow you out of the house. Not much point anymore. :D
madmax

Edit: Oh yea, that isn't my sytem, it belongs to my friend. He really likes the A-900's. He said to keep him in mind if it ever gets sold.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

LoL....................

Only speakers I have at his house are the Advents and the Pioneers......nothing to special so i rarely listen to music there

But that is a good point....

I hope to buy a pair of CRS+ later on

[pjdami]

Sid,

Congrats for your dad. You know you can tell him you think they sound like crap and he should get the Wilson Alexandrias so that you wind up with the SRS;)

LOL...

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

We got em hooked up...

Right now just to the 275 watt Yamaha...

That 1.2 sucking that thing DRY...nothing left!

These things sound awesome!

[bikezappa]

Madmax

Do you know what type of rack was used to hold the amps?

Thanks

Peter

[madmax]

The rack is a Mid Atlantic that I purchased from Mantis. www.partsexpress.com may sell them but I'm not sure.

MX,
Why didn't you guys try out the A900? Believe me, day and night difference. Especially in the soundstage area.
madmax

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Max,
We did..lol after that. The reason why it was hooked up to the Yammer was because he had just got home and wanted to hear em ;)

I'll tell ya more on my thoughts........after i get done eating. Im starved!

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

First off, these speakers are amazing in soundstage. I mean if you want a speaker with a voice 10 foot wide and 20 feet tall. This is your speaker

if you want drums 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall
this is your speaker

if you want clean, clear, relaxing sound at 110db
this is your speaker

if you want the seperation, detail, soundstage of a 20-30,000 dollar speaker for a little over a grand
this is your speaker

If you want the ultimate speaker for the money
this is your speaker

THIS IS THE SPEAKER** for the money. Without a doubt.

OK, now my praising is over...

We blew 2 tweeters. Not sure how, but we need 2 tweeters. if anyone has any available......email me at vr3mxxtrmespl2k3@hotmail.com, or pm me, or respond in the flea market thread! :D

[pjdami]

Not sure how???

Hypothesis ......


Right now just to the 275 watt Yamaha...

+

That 1.2 sucking that thing DRY...nothing left!

+

relaxing sound at 110db

=

We blew 2 tweeters

Sorry to hear. Everything has its limitations though including the Yammie amp. Hope you find some new tweets.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

We were using the Soundcraftsman on the high level listening

the yamaha couldnt squeeze out...80db...

The Soundcraftsman is double the power...

[RuSsMaN]

And you fucked them up already.

Way to go Sid, at this point, I'm thinking you'd be better off with some pro-audio gear, something around 100db 1w/1m. I wouldn't even wish Klipsch on you and your old man (whether you've run them before or not).

You wear the crown for 'fucking up some perfectly good speakers'.

SHAME ON YOU, BLASPHEMY!

[HBombToo]

what is ya... ignant???

1/4twin

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Again, Russ's vision is inside a clouded glass one sided mirror.

You read what you want to, but still have your version.

Whos fault is it? Why is it that persons fault?

Where does it say *I* blew the tweeters? Where does it say *I* turned it up? :rolleyes:

[pjdami]

Sid,

You say you didn't do it and I believe you.

I think its more about the principle of the whole matter that has folks in disgust. Kind of like when you see those Iraqis burning the American flag. Just something that makes your stomach churn sour. When I was growing up and someone said "Polk Audio" those 1.2s were the speakers that came to mind. Those are the legendary speakers that I too only wish to hear some day.

Don't take it personally.

So are they the two tweets in the same speaker? There were NO signs of clipping or the tweeters going bezerk before it happened?? How long did they play at those levels?

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

We played them for 5-10 minutes, just for a short listen.
it ranged from 105-110db listen. Fully calibrated


They are 2 tweets, same speaker, lower two.

I understand why, but I don't like this *way to go Sid* bs Russ is throwing out...that is just stupid

My Dad opened up the blown tweeter, voice coil was in perfect shape, no physical damage could be found he said. So we just....dont know.

Funny thing is, my Dad also said they listened to them much much louder at the sellers house. So who knows? I'm at a loss here.

Anyways, the 1.2 is an amazing speaker. Sonus Fabor, Thiel, Wilson Audio (not the X-1), the sound of these speakers......I have not heard a speaker costing over 30 grand that can actually *compare* to the sound they produce. 2 blown tweets or not.

[F1nut]

From my experience, the voice coils don't have to look damaged at all. It's more likely the dome got overheated and may have a pin hole or small slit near the edge. Despite the power of the amp you were using it may not be up to the task of delivering clean power at those dB levels.

[PolkWannabie]

As an aside here I'm curious about something ...

Polk lists the replacement tweeters for these in their Service and Parts section and I'm sure they'd be more expensive there than elsewhere even with the discount.

But the question is, does Polk really stock this type of thing for older speakers like the 1.2's or SRT's etc. or does one have to go hunt up used ones elsewhere ?

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

you have ta hunt em!

[PolkWannabie]

Sid,

Having heard the 1.2's now and the SRT's at Polk, how would you compare them ?

I've heard the SRS line before in my youth but not the SRT's

[dorokusai]

Polkwannabie - We could all write that response.

[PolkWannabie]

So please do so ...

I've never heard the SRT's

[Tour2ma]

First off, if the damage was done by Sid and Dad, don't y'all think it was more likely done by the Yammie?Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
They are 2 tweets, same speaker, lower two. This bothers me a bit. The bottom one is the opposite channel's SDA tweet. The one above it should be the third in the batting order for that channel. Strikes me as an odd combination to blow in a single listening.

If an SDA tweet blows, doesn't it seem more likely that a tweet in the other speaker would blow? Clipping in one channel would take out opposites.

And if you are going to blow a tweeter in a given channel, I'd think the top one, which sees continuous duty, would be more likely to blow.

[madmax]

Originally posted by Tour2ma
The bottom one is the opposite channel's SDA tweet.

Who told you that?

madmax

[Tour2ma]

Polk? Wanna say it was in the manual. but may have been in the Stereo Review article of the SDA SRS...

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

When we ran this LOUD test, it was on the *SOUNDCRAFTSMAN* the yamaha is only pushing the inwalls and garage speakers now.........

The SRT holds nothing to the 1.2 - but I only heard the SRT on a 200 watt amp......

But yes, the bottum two, on the right speaker blew......

[hoosier21]

the way I was told, was the early SDA's you know the ones that had tweeters on the right and left at the top of the speaker, did use the tweeters for SDA, but then Polk realized the SDA effect was only or for the most part only through the mid range, so they dropped the second tweeter (like on CRS+) so I would think the tweeter(s) on the later model SDA do not have SDA information.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Not exactly right.......

If you plug one speaker up, attach the SDA cable. You will receive signal out the other speaker and the one plugged up. FWIW

[RuSsMaN]

Correctamundo there Russ.

AND with the vertical tweeter arrays, half are bandpassed, and half play out to there full response bandwidth.

[F1nut]

The third tweet from the top is the main tweet in the 1.2(TL) and would most likely be the one to fry first.

[F1nut]

That's right Sid, but it's only the mids that play, no tweeters.

[Tour2ma]

Interesting... As directional as the higher frequencies are, I would have thought there was a good deal of SDA impact to be realized there.

F1,
What's the rest of the batting order for the 1.2tl's tweets?

[hoosier21]

Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
Not exactly right.......

If you plug one speaker up, attach the SDA cable. You will receive signal out the other speaker and the one plugged up. FWIW

what is this SDA cable you speak of? never heard of it ;)

[hoosier21]

Originally posted by Tour2ma
Interesting... As directional as the higher frequencies are, I would have thought there was a good deal of SDA impact to be realized there.

F1,
What's the rest of the batting order for the 1.2tl's tweets?

Of all the questions I thought to ask Stu AFTER the Polk gathering at Russ's house, the evolution of the SDA speaker line was one I really wish we would have talked about, and the deleting of tweeter(s) is something I wanted to know about, as well as other things. Missed op. for sure.

[F1nut]

If I understand this right it is,

TI - 2nd
T2 - 3rd
T3 - 1st
T4 - 4th

[madmax]

Reminds me of trying to remembering firing order :D

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

My Dad's Comments on the 1.2TL.......

"This speaker has the best soundstage I have ever heard from a speaker."

"The only difference from it and the Wilson Audio X-1 is it's clearness. The X-1 is slightly clearer."

There ya go :D

[madmax]

Was that before or after you blew up the tweeters? :D
madmax

[RuSsMaN]

Blah blah blah

At 110+db who gives a fuck.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

"There was a piano at the doorway. The guitar came from the backyard. The singer was right there in the center. The drums were behind him. The seperation was unbelieveable! The difference between them and the X-1, is not worth the money. The soundstage is simply amazing."

- Dad ^^^^

Quoted FROM my Dad

Troy,
Your brain power amuses me. Your observation skills even amuse me more.

[TroyD]

again, all those observations in less than a couple hours at 110+db with blown tweeters?

You oughta go write for Stereophile.

BDT

[VE6OHV]

I just have to say that this is turning into a bigger pissing match than the "liv4fam" threads of days gone by.

Funny too - it all starts to sound the same after a while.

Can't we all just play in the sadbox peacefully?

Not that this isn't entertaining!

BTW: I am one of those guys trying to sell a left nut for some SDA's....... Know anyone buying testicles?

[ken brydson]

Originally posted by VE6OHV

BTW: I am one of those guys trying to sell a left nut for some SDA's....... Know anyone buying testicles? [/B]

I might be interested. My wife took mine :D

[rskarvan]

Sid,

I hear you on the tweeter dude.
I blew up two of mine (a long, long, long time ago) and learned my lesson about running 3.1TL's of a 80wpc yamaha amp.

The tweeters sounded fabulous right up to the time that smoke was curling from them and an awful burning plastic smell came from under the grill cloth.

Here is the thing.... the Yamaha will clip sending full DC current to the SL3000 tweeters without ANY indication whatsoever. Fortunately for me, Polk was kind enough to replace both tweeters under factory 5-yr warranty no questions asked. Since that time, I have been VERY CAREFUL not to overdrive them with an undersized amp (or, any amp for that matter).

Your yamaha simply wasn't designed to power 24 active drivers. That is probably why the tweeters went.

Live and learn. Wish you could have learned from my mistake.

Take Care.

Ron

[madmax]

I seriously doubt Sid will try to power 1.2TL's with the yammie amp again in the future!
madmax

[cds]

Over the holidays 4 of the SL3000’s on my 2.3’s died doing nothing more than enjoying concert level SDA sound. Not having any luck locating replacements, I decided to investigate what happened to them.

I believe my findings, failure theories, and the repairs would be interesting to the group. Since it may be a rather long post, what would be the best forum to post it in? Here or in “Troubleshooting”.

Another thought would be to add a text file attachment to keep the posting small. Any thoughts?

[Tour2ma]

Troubleshooting works as does posting the whole thing...

Welcome to the Club and go for it...

[hoosier21]

Start a new post, forget the word file, post it in full

[Tour2ma]

Yeah, what Russ said except make it a new thread...

Also post a link here to the new thread...

[madmax]

I agree and yes, it will be very interesting!
madmax

[RuSsMaN]

Yeah, and be sure to take a screenshot of both this thread AND the new thread, and post them here also!

You can also post links to your favorite websites here too!

[cds]

OK,
I start a new thread on the resurrection of SL3000’s.

I should have something posted before the weekends over.

[TroyD]

Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
"There was a piano at the doorway. The guitar came from the backyard. The singer was right there in the center. The drums were behind him. The seperation was unbelieveable! The difference between them and the X-1, is not worth the money. The soundstage is simply amazing."

- Dad ^^^^

Quoted FROM my Dad

Troy,
Your brain power amuses me. Your observation skills even amuse me more.

What I find amusing is that most people need more than a couple of hours with a fully functioning speaker (speak nothing of a non fully functioning one) to make such grandiose statements about a speaker.

Brain power? True enough. I don't know much about shorting out amps and blowing tweeters.


BDT

[Tour2ma]

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
Yeah, and be sure to take a screenshot of both this thread AND the new thread, and post them here also!

You can also post links to your favorite websites here too! Need to change your name to RantMan...

[cds]

Here's a link to my experience bringing my SL3000's back to life.

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16418