SDA problemo

[danger boy]

OK. you all know by now that i just got a pair of SDA SRS's. cool.. look good and everything..

Well, today.. after hooking them up and doing some tests... i seem to be having a problem with the Left SDA. Some of the drivers are not firing like they should. The outside mids work fine.. the tweeters and the inside mids have no sound coming from them.

Very strange.

THe right SDA works perfect.. all drivers working as they should.

I am using the SDA cable with is a blade/blade connector.. it looks fine too.. i switched it around on the speakers.. just to be sure it wasn't backwords... still some of the drivers in the Left speaker aren't working.

Any tests I can do to check it out? I also noticed that the balance knob doesn't have any affect on the Left or Right channel.

With the tweeters and the inside mids not working correctly.. the sound is way off balance on the right of course.

Do you think something got fried in transport.. or when i hooked everything up today.. like it blew some transistor or poly switch?

thanks, Al

[danger boy]

I did some more fiddling around... and this is what i've found out now.

The left speaker is ONLY getting power or juice from the SDA cable. when i disconnect the cable.. none of the drivers fire. Hmmmmm? Maybe my amp is DOA ?? at least the left channel.

I'm going downstairs to do some more tests.

[masanz1]

did you try hooking the right channel to the left speaker just to make sure if it is the amp or not?

[danger boy]

yes i did.. and when i do that.. it does work.. and sounds good.. i think it has something to do with the pre amp i'm using.

I'm going to try swapping it out with an integrated amp.. and see what the results are.

The Dynaco pre amp.. has both a stereo and mono mode.. when i use the mono. both speakers work fine.. albiet in mono.. so that affirms that the amp is working.. i'll try another pre amp.. and see what happens. if it's the same thing. then i'll have to go from there.

it's a work in progress...

did you hook up the SVS yet? :D

[masanz1]

yes i did, great sounding sub, it blends perfectly with my system. It is almost an addicting bass.

[danger boy]

Ok. i'm stumped now.

I've tried two different power amps with a pre amp.

then i tried a integrated amp on it's own.. still the same problem.

I'm thinking it might be a grounding problem or something.

The Adcom amp got really hot.. not warm.. HOT. The NAD amp... got warmer than usual, but not hot.

The integrated yeilded the same results.. the right channel speaker works fine.. the left one only gets sound from the right one.. so only the SDA mids work in that one.. it's not the drivers i know. When i swap speaker wires.... then the left one works fine. but the right on doesn't.

very strange. I'm out of ideas.

aren't both the left and right speaker suppose to work just like other speakers if you remove the SDA cable? when i do then no drivers work in one speaker anymore..

[BlueMDPicker]

When you swap channels to see if the problem follows the speaker (which it doesn't, indicating a problem before the speaker), are you swapping speaker cables at the amp or the speakers? If at the amp, check continuity on your speaker cable. Sounds like a bad, or broken connection in the cable or terminations. It's the only thing that seems plausible.

[masanz1]

maybe try switching speaker wire???? Make sure the biwire jumper isn't grounding against something. Pretty strange.

[masanz1]

jinx you owe me a coke :D

Originally posted by BlueMDPicker
When you swap channels to see if the problem follows the speaker (which it doesn't, indicating a problem before the speaker), are you swapping speaker cables at the amp or the speakers? If at the amp, check continuity on your speaker cable. Sounds like a bad, or broken connection in the cable or terminations. It's the only thing that seems plausible.

[Tour2ma]

Take a peek inside the problem one starting with the terminal post plate, then the crossover. Loose wire sounds like a real possibility.

[danger boy]

NO flippin way.

guess what it was?

a bad interconnect. last time i use a RS IC. lol

Swapped it out with a nice Signal Cable. and as Emeril would say.. BAM! SDA heaven again. :eek: :D

thanks for everyones help.

boy do i feel like a dweeb noobie. :rolleyes:

I guess i should have started with the IC in the first place.

anyways.. i'm outtta here for a good long time. got to get my listen on.

[Tour2ma]

Glad to hear all is well.

Enjoy and we'll see you whenever...

[dorokusai]

I really wanted to help, but had much more fun thinking about DB doing all these things....I knew he would start thinking at some point :)

Rock on Al! BTW Mr. Photo....how about a picture with that cool Polk banner?

[Loud & Clear]

Doro - Danger once used a drill to remove the plastic caps on his binding posts. Feel free to jump in sooner. ;>}

[danger boy]

Originally posted by Loud & Clear
Doro - Danger once used a drill to remove the plastic caps on his binding posts. Feel free to jump in sooner. ;>}

Hush now! ;)

Lets not go there again. Yes it was me. for those of you who don't remember. I used a power drill to remove the caps on the 5 way binding posts.. including safety goggles. :confused:

[reeltrouble1]

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!1

A friggen drill, thanks Al I needed that.

So.......................... how you digging them speaks and that NAD ran my SDA with no problem, the getting a little warmer with the 4 ohm load is normal, just allow for a bit of ventalation, there is a switch on the back you have to set for the 4 ohm load.

RT1

[danger boy]

RT1 things have smoothed out.. the NAD has no problem with the 4ohm load. it's interesting what amp work and which don't.

I have a 1977 Yamaha int amp.. 45wpc.. no problem either running the SRS's doesn't even heat up.

Then i hooked up a Adcom GFA 5400 and damn.. that thing was near melting stage within about 10 minutes.. i mean really hot on the side where the transformer is.. and the yellow clipping lights began to flash as soon as I turned it on and had the volume down low. The Adcom is rated at 200wpc @ 4ohm load. :confused:

but yeah.. i'm very happy with their sound. right now.. hooked up for 2 ch only.

[Tour2ma]

Al.

Despite what I and others told you in the "FS" thread, I think the Adcom is tell you it is not a common ground amp...

Check it with a VOM before trying to use it again.

[danger boy]

Bruce,

I think you're right about the Adcom. I don't intend on using it with the SDA's. The NAD will be the amp used. It runs much cooler.... and no clipping/overload.


VOM = volt meter? how much do they run?

[jcmccorm]

I'm not sure you could do this with the 5400, but I got confirmation from Adcom that it was ok to connect the two output GND terminals together on my 5802. Worked like a champ.

Cary

[danger boy]

Ummmm the SDA's toasted the left channel of my Adcom GFA 5400... right channel is fine.. left channel is just distortion.

I checked out the fuse.. it's fine. so something fried the left channel only. I think it was the 4ohm load or the intense heat build up. CRAPOLA!

[F1nut]

No, it was because it's a non-common ground amp. You probably fried the output devices.

[Dennis Gardner]

Be careful, DB. Some have had issues using NAD amps with their SDAs. You may want to research it fully before you drive them hard. Not all models have common grounds. If the amps get warmer than usual even at low volumes, you may later have issues.

Slow baking has the same end result as quick fried when it comes to non-common ground amps. $60-$80/hr bench fees!

BTW, VOMs can be had for under $10 even at Walmart. They will check for continuity.

[danger boy]

I prefer deep fried over quick fried. :rolleyes:

[Tour2ma]

Sorry, Al... we should have caught this.

As Cary indicated, we've been down the Adcom/ SDA road before...

[danger boy]

it's no ones fault.. if that's the worst thing that happend this past weekend, then it's not half bad. I did still get a nice pair of SRS's in da house. :D

The NAD seems to be working fine.. no heat or clipping issues.