Polk Audio SDA 1 Interconnecting Cable?

[Chip - HP]

This morning I picked up a pair of Polk Audio SDA 1 speakers ... they are in very good shape ... but are missing the interconnecting cable.

Can the speakers be operated w/o the cable? ... Where can one find a cable (other than ebay)?

According to polksda.com ... these speakers were for sale in 1984-85 with a MSRP of $1,700 (I am looking forward to hearing a speaker that retailed for $1,700).

The serial numbers are ... L SDA 2426 ... and ... R SDA 2449.

 

[onepixel]

You can listen to the speakers just fine without the interconnects. But with them they will open up the soundstage considerably. I forget where but there is info on building your own cables. You also might want to try Polk.

Good luck!

I just checked there are instruction on how to build the interconnects on the Polk SDA site under publications.

 

[tentoze]

You won't hear them as they were intended without an interconnect. And, yes there are instructions elsewhere for making a cable. Make sure the amplifier you use to power them is common ground, or the magic smoke may come out of it.

 

[Chip - HP]

... Make sure the amplifier you use to power them is common ground, or the magic smoke may come out of it.

Are most amps/receivers "common ground"? ... Is there a particular type or vintage amp/receiver that is not "common ground"?

 

[tentoze]

Most receivers are, not all. I don't know of a definitive listing anywhere. Unless you're dealing with a dual-mono design, or monoblocks, you're usually OK. And that's speaking strictly SS; I have no idea bout tube amplification, although I think have read of folks powering SDA's with tubes. I'm pretty sure the later versions of SDA1's, the B and C models, could be used with non-common ground amps by usung a special interconnect that made some sort of magic happen to not blow things up. From the picture, yours appear to be SDA1-A's, so that isn't an option, as I understand it.

I made one from some 14 gauge speaker wire and some Rat Shack crimp-on pins- not exactly elegant, but functional. The one thing to be careful about if you make your own, and don't have the exact blade/blade plug to terminate each end with, look VERY closely at the female plugs on each speaker- one blade was slightly narrower than the other, and on mine, the plugs were oriented 180 degrees differently on each speaker- meaning that if you just plug a wire into both tops and and the other into both bottoms on the speakers, you will have screwed up- I know- I did that. It is not pretty.

 

[Chip - HP]

Thanks for the input ... but if I am reading it correctly ... the instructions under Publications on polksad.com are for someone who already has a pin/blade connecting cable and wants to convert it to a non-common ground version.

 

[Chip - HP]

Most receivers are [common ground], not all. ... From the picture, yours appear to be SDA1-A's, so that isn't an option, as I understand it. ...

I checked the instructions on the back and saw the "common ground" warning which includes the statement "most amplifiers and receivers are common ground" ... the receiver that I would be hooking them up to is a run of the mill SS Fisher or Pioneer ... nothing exotic.

What makes you think that they are SDA 1As? ... the title on the back of the Left one clearly says SDA 1 ... and the single reference in the instructions on each speaker says "SDA 1".

 

[cubdog]

There are definately specific instructions on the Polk site. Alot of members have built these and will help you through the process.

cubdog

 

[tentoze]

I checked the instructions on the back and saw the "common ground" warning which includes the statement "most amplifiers and receivers are common ground" ... the receiver that I would be hooking them up to is a run of the mill SS Fisher or Pioneer ... nothing exotic.

What makes you think that they are SDA 1As? ... the title on the back of the Left one clearly says SDA 1 ... and the single reference in the instructions on each speaker says "SDA 1".

Either of those receivers should be no problem.

IIRC, the earliest production SDA1's had no alpha suffix, but the "A" was added somewhere along the production run. The position and orientation of the tweeters changed from A to B (I think- running on old memory here), and eventually Polk started using only a single tweeter instead of 2. The horizontal, side-by-side orientation of the tweeters in yours indicate SDA-1/1A's to me. That's what I have, and whether they are designated 1's or 1A's, I don't think it really makes any difference. Polk did some weird and at times haphazard things with model names early on.

**Edit- And go ove rto the Club Polk forums and dig around or just ask- they're a helpful bunch.

 

[SDA SRS 1.2]

What makes you think that they are SDA 1As? ... the title on the back of the Left one clearly says SDA 1 ... and the single reference in the instructions on each speaker says "SDA 1".

Yes, they're likely 1A's. Polk was known to "carry over" title plates from one SDA series to another until the old ones were used up. My SDA SRS 1.2's (second generation SRS's) are labelled simply L SDA SRS 5330 and R SDA SRS 5336 leading me to believe they were first generation original SRS's, however the back of the drivers were stamped "1.2" which verifed that they were the newer second generation speakers. Ken Swauger at Polk confirmed the above.

 

[Chip - HP]

I am confused ... is there such thing as a SDA 1? ... or is the first model SDA 1A?

I have been digging around Club Polk ... and the ports below the HF drivers seem to indicate SDA 1 ... are these ports present on all SDA 1 variations (A ... B ... and ... C)?

 

[tentoze]

I am confused ... is there such thing as a SDA 1? ... or is the first model SDA 1A?

I have digging around Club Polk ... and the ports below the HF drivers seem to indicate SDA 1 ... are these ports present on all SDA 1 variations (A ... B ... and ... C)?

As I said earlier, I'm not so sure it matters SDA1 or SDA1A. Having said that, though, I admit I didn't look at your picture very carefully until just now. I've NEVER seen a pair of SDA1's of any stripe with any ports in them anywhere, and I've probably seen 15 or so pairs in person over the years. Pic of one of mine is attached.

 

[Face]

I've seen them with ports before, they aren't common at all.

 

[tentoze]

I learn something new here every day. Can't figure out how those tiny ports fit into the overall design of these speakers, though.

 

[Chip - HP]

I learn something new here every day. Can't figure out how those tiny ports fit into the overall design of these speakers, though.

From Club Polk ...

The SDA 1 manual says the four midrange drivers operate as a "fourth-order vented system".

A fourth-order (vented) enclosure is a sealed enclosure with the additon of a port tuned to a specific frequency. The purpose of the two small ports is to extend the low frequency response of the sealed enclosure in order to provide a lower cut-off frequency. The trade-off is that some transient response is sacrificed to achieve bass extension.

A copy of the SDA 1 manual is in a PDF file on polksda.com ...

 

[Chip - HP]

Again from Club Polk ... if I am understanding it correctly ... there are several different types of connectors for the interconnecting cable.

 

[tentoze]

From Club Polk ...



A copy of the SDA 1 manual is in a PDF file on polksda.com ...

My portless SDA's produce bass that will rearrange furniture when driven properly. The ported design must not have lasted very long.

Again from Club Polk ... if I am understanding it correctly ... there are several different types of connectors for the interconnecting cable.

For the SDA's in the picture you posted, there was one interconnect cable with one type of connector- blade/blade.

 

[Sluggo]

Hello Chip,
I have a pair of the SDA-1A's also,The STR-7800SD
was hooked up to them for awhile.
I think the SDA-1's have a Blade to Pin plug and the
1A's have Blade to Blade plugs, I think.
Here is a link to Allied electronics that I got the plugs from to make my interconnect cable-Jones cinch plug
https://www.alliedelec.com/Search/P...MPN=P-302-CCT&R=750-3200&sid=4612EA805982E17F

I also spoke with Helen at Polk and she told me they have some available in the parts dept for $35.00
with free shipping if your a member of "Club polk"
I'll look at the email again,I saved it and will check for a parts number~

Heres the email-
Yes, we do still have the Cables available at $35.00 + S&H (about $5.00
in the USA)+ Sales Tax for your State.
You can order with a Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express,
and Discover) or Money Orders.
Please contact us at the address listed below. Most States require that
you pay Sales Taxes.


Thank You,


Helen Yarbor
Customer Service / Parts
5601 Metro Dr.
Baltimore, MD. 21215
1-800-377-7655
Fax- 410-764-5470

 

[Chip - HP]

Hi Mark ... thanks for the info ... according to the SDA 1 manual on polksda.com, both ends of the interconnecting cable for the SDA 1 speakers are the same ... I'll have to check mine in the morning cuz they are still in the back of my Tahoe.

 

[Chip - HP]

Also from Club Polk ...

In the original SDA-1's there were 4 drivers. Two of these were dedicated to producing bass and driving the passive radiator. The other two drivers, one for producing the stereo signal and one for producing the SDA Dimensional signal, had their own enclosures which isolated them from each other and from the bass drivers. The small vents did help blending to the bass drivers but did not really "tune" the mid-band drivers. They were really more of a pressure vent to prevent buckling of the mid-range driver cones when driven hard. ... Matthew Polk