Youwza you guys roll me [Archive]

GUNTHER

01-26-2007, 12:19 PM

Ok, I got so much info from my last thread I just got to expand. Here it is! A lot of you SDA freaks seem to agree that an upgrade is worth it. So I did upgrade the Tweeters with the new and improved. Can't comment on what I think yet cause they are not broke in. Here is the question? Per some of you a XOver upgrade will be the cream of the crop. My problem is that I got no clue about how to go about such a job and I sure don't want to mess up my speakers. Is there a Polk XOver that already is upgraded that can be purchased? If not how can a novice like myself do it. I would require detailed step by step instruction(preferably with pictures). Until then I think I'll leave well enough alone although my mouth is watering at the thought of making an already awesome speaker better.
Who's up for telling me the How To?

SLOCOOKN

01-26-2007, 12:24 PM

Gunther,

I too, would be interested in sending my Xover to some one wiith skills!
I have way to many hobbies and a two year old that I love spending time with!
So any help out there?

davidk0512

01-26-2007, 12:31 PM

GUNTHER

01-26-2007, 12:32 PM

Hey Slocook, I'll tell you if you'll tell me. Whoever gets it first.

SLOCOOKN

01-26-2007, 12:34 PM

Roger that Gunther!

danger boy

01-26-2007, 12:43 PM

Gunther / Slocookn, I have been debating with myself for a while about ordering the RDO tweeters. I will anxiously await your assessment prior to the xover upgrade. BTW, I too am a little apprehensive about performing surgery on my perfectly fine but could be better xovers.

When you call Polk to order the RD0 replacement tweeters tell them first you are a Club Polk member for a discount $ it makes swallowing much easier... esp if you have to replace many tweeters like in a SRS speaker. :eek: :D and the tweeter upgrade is worth it in the long run. then just sell off the old tweeters to help defray the costs. ;)

SLOCOOKN

01-26-2007, 12:45 PM

Gunther / Slocookn, I have been debating with myself for a while about ordering the RDO tweeters. I will anxiously await your assessment prior to the xover upgrade. BTW, I too am a little apprehensive about performing surgery on my perfectly fine but could be better xovers.

DO IT. I had to order them...My old tweets were blown. At first I thought I might not like them..."But now after break in" They sound great! SO DO IT ALL READY! :)

GUNTHER

01-26-2007, 12:59 PM

David, I gotta say that I had blown my tweeters which forced me into the RDo's. See thread in Trouble Shooting (I think). Slocook replied and convinced me to do it. I did. I will give you the results of what I think Monday as they have been "burning" in and should tell me this weekend what I think about the result. Slocook was right just a straight replacement no tweaks required.
Its up to you eventually. I still have a pair of SL3000 in the box which I'll keep in case I get nutty again. At least I'll have a replacement in case of need.

davidk0512

01-26-2007, 12:59 PM

Well you convinced me, I was ready to pull the trigger, called customer service - no stock. They expect more in any day now.

reeltrouble1

01-27-2007, 11:41 PM

No stock crossover mods from Polk, their are several threads with lots of pictures if you are inclined, just do a search on sda crossover.

RT1

Ricardo

01-27-2007, 11:57 PM

Here you go; no "step by step" instructions, but a couple of the pictures show the diagram with the location of each component (front and back of the board), and the link to soldering basics is pretty good.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47929

Not really difficult to do.

BobMcG

01-28-2007, 12:18 AM

I'd be glad to upgrade Polk crossovers for interested parties. The labor rate is only $95 per hour. ONLY $95 per hr???:eek: Well...... that's what it just cost to have my truck worked on!

OK,OK I'm just kidding. I have more crossovers of my own that I could (or maybe should) be working on, but the thing is, don't let it intimidate you. The job isn't all that difficult. It does take some time and concentration but very minimum and inexpensive equipment. What do you need? Well, in addition to the new parts you'll be installing, you'll need some fine electrical solder (silver is good), a soldering iron (best) or low wattage gun, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, a hot glue gun and..... anyone? Am I forgetting anything else? It really isn't rocket science here. Give it go unless you really feel otherwise.

Many others have their projects somewhere in here but here is mine on my 2.3s just for a look at one.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31294

anonymouse

01-28-2007, 12:29 AM

It really isn't rocket science here. Give it go unless you really feel otherwise.

Just practice desoldering and soldering on some junk boards from an old piece of electronics you are willing to trash. I agree this is not rocket science, but making good soldering joints is a matter of practice. You can damage boards with too much heat, and you can create dry solder joints with too little heat. You will need a soldering gun unless you buy a really high wattage variable temperature iron because the pads on the PCB's are very large and it takes a fair amount of heat to do some of the joints. I have found that a gun does best.

You may want to upgrade your binding posts as well. If that is the case, you may need to enlarge the holes for the posts and will need a drill with the right size bit.

I used Sonicaps on the high sections and Solen/Axon on the lows on my SDA1C's. Was very pleased with the results - and yes, there was a pretty significant difference over the stock xover. I did one first and I could immediately tell how different and smoother it sounded in comparison to the stock one.

Ricardo

01-28-2007, 12:42 AM

Just adding on the list, hex keys to remove crossover and drivers depending on the speaker; screwdriver everyone has one. A bench with good light. A multimeter might be useful (I like checking the values of the components, and also confirm measurements as per the "SDA check list" after you're done).

The 3.1 TL is really very easy compared with others; xover easy to get out, no soldered wires from the drivers, few components to change.
Agree on the solder practice part; the tutorial mentioned in the link I provided above is worth looking into.

P.S. I'll do it for $80/Hr :)

BobMcG

01-28-2007, 01:05 AM

Yes, agreed, it would be best to practice with a junk board first to get your feet wet if you've no experience soldering. Good thought there. Richardo filled in the tool list nicely too.

Thinking back, I had both a 40 watt iron and a 75 watt gun on the bench when I did my 2.3s and I did put the gun to good use. You do not want or need a real hot gun though for this kind of work. I use a 25 watt iron and a combo gun that goes from 150 watts to 250 watts in addition to the others mentioned above as part of my job and I wouldn't dare touch a PC board with the hotter gun.

GUNTHER

02-06-2007, 10:43 AM

Refefer

02-06-2007, 11:24 AM

hmmm, that's kinda bizarre. I've only heard positive things about the RDO's over the silvers. You sure there's nothing else going on with your system? Maybe the polycaps are kicking the bucket and doing weird things?

Or, it could be that you just like things bright. I tend to drift that way myself and is the only reason I havn't upgraded mine yet.

SLOCOOKN

02-06-2007, 12:55 PM

G'morning, Ok, had my RDo tweeter for a while now and here is my impression.
After installing and listening the replacements for the SL3000 sounded tinny and harsh(very). I did not like them at all!. Now that said after about 40 hrs of rock and roll at 80db they have smoothed out some but really are not as well defined as the 3000 (yet). Maybe they are not broken in properly yet.
Hopefully they will get better.
Thats my opinion on the swap.

Give them some more time. I may just be getting used to the sound? The more I listen the more I like the tweet. I have a lot more time on my tweets..hang in there!

GUNTHER

02-13-2007, 06:08 PM

Ok Ok I stand defeated in front of this board to be judged. Actually I'm doing the judging. Sooooooo here is the scoop. As Cookn said I gave it more time and guess what?????? I truly hate to say it but he's right (Did I just say that?) The RDo's really smoothed out after about 100 hrs. The tinny sound is gone and they are clear and defined. I'm a happy camper! I love my TL's again. Hurrah Hurrah and Hurrah. Ya'll keep up the good work.
Still afraid of messing with the crossovers though.

hearingimpared

02-13-2007, 07:05 PM

When you call Polk to order the RD0 replacement tweeters tell them first you are a Club Polk member for a discount $ it makes swallowing much easier... esp if you have to replace many tweeters like in a SRS speaker. :eek: :D and the tweeter upgrade is worth it in the long run. then just sell off the old tweeters to help defray the costs. ;)

The RD0198s with the Polk Forum membership discount is $48 per tweet.

As far as doing the modifications to your crossover. . . get Darqueknights Compendium. There are lots of threads here (a few by decato) that can guide you along. . . however FWIW, I have experience, lot's of it with a soldering gun and doing mods but I haven't done any in about 15 years. I am very apprehensive about doing the mods to my 1.2 TL's crossovers. . . but I will be doing it. This is not for amateurs. Find an old receiver that you can practice changing out some caps, resistors, and transistors. . . turn the thing on when you are done if it works then you might be ready to do the crossover mods.

hearingimpared

02-13-2007, 07:08 PM

G'morning, Ok, had my RDo tweeter for a while now and here is my impression.
After installing and listening the replacements for the SL3000 sounded tinny and harsh(very). I did not like them at all!. Now that said after about 40 hrs of rock and roll at 80db they have smoothed out some but really are not as well defined as the 3000 (yet). Maybe they are not broken in properly yet.
Hopefully they will get better.
Thats my opinion on the swap.

I like your description as to how they sounded. My RDOs sounded good and smooth right away but they, to use Jesse's words, sounded "hollow". . . that hollowness went away after about 24 hours of play and now after about 100+ hours of play they sound terrific.

Lasareath

02-14-2007, 05:21 AM

DO IT. I had to order them...My old tweets were blown. At first I thought I might not like them..."But now after break in" They sound great! SO DO IT ALL READY! :)

Slocookn,

How much did they cost?, for each RD0's?

TIA,

Lasareath

hearingimpared

02-14-2007, 01:21 PM

Slocookn,

How much did they cost?, for each RD0's?

TIA,

Lasareath

Call Polk Customer Sevice and tell them you are a club Polk forum member they will give you the discount and free 2nd day shipping. . . .each RDO will cost $48.

SLOCOOKN

02-14-2007, 01:43 PM

They usually ship from CA. So don't think they will be there in 2 days unless you live closer to the west coast. :)

hearingimpared

02-14-2007, 01:45 PM

They usually ship from CA. So don't think they will be there in 2 days unless you live closer to the west coast. :)

Not true Bro, I live in Delaware and got all eight of mine in 1 1/2 days. They are shipped 2 day FedEx.

SLOCOOKN

02-14-2007, 01:47 PM

Not true Bro, I live in Delaware and got all eight of mine in 1 1/2 days. They are shipped 2 day FedEx.

I ordered tweets and 1 woofer at different times and it took at least 4 days both times...I did not have to pay for shipping so no complaints...Just mentioned so expectations won't run so high and be crused if not there in 2 days. :p

hearingimpared

02-14-2007, 02:08 PM

I ordered tweets and 1 woofer at different times and it took at least 4 days both times...I did not have to pay for shipping so no complaints...Just mentioned so expectations won't run so high and be crused if not there in 2 days. :p

When was that if you don't mind me asking?

When I ordered my RD 0198s the customer service rep told me that it ships out 2nd day FexEx free. I'm wondering if maybe you didn't tell you were a member.

SLOCOOKN

02-14-2007, 02:14 PM

When was that if you don't mind me asking?

When I ordered my RD 0198s the customer service rep told me that it ships out 2nd day FexEx free. I'm wondering if maybe you didn't tell you were a member.

I did tell them I was a member. paid 48.00. I have the packing list still. It the one for the woofer. Ordered 01-16-07 received 01-22-07.

hearingimpared

02-14-2007, 02:57 PM

I did tell them I was a member. paid 48.00. I have the packing list still. It the one for the woofer. Ordered 01-16-07 received 01-22-07.

Well I just don't know what to say here. . .:)

Ricardo

02-14-2007, 03:25 PM

2 days....4 days....delay at the warehouse....who cares? They ship for free, they give you a special price....and most importantly, they stock (some) parts for 20 years old speakers. ;)

hearingimpared

02-14-2007, 04:02 PM

2 days....4 days....delay at the warehouse....who cares? They ship for free, they give you a special price....and most importantly, they stock (some) parts for 20 years old speakers. ;)

Can I get an AMEN!