zumbini 6,147 Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 My son Zack was recently gifted a set of one-owner Polk SDS-SRS 1.2tl's by member dcl. These massive speakers (63" tall and 180 pounds each) were TOTL for Polk in the late 80's/early 90's. They hadn't been used in a while and the grill and corner cloth on both speakers had been trashed by his cats. A look-see on pickup day revealed a dented mid bass dust cap and rips/tears in several mid bass surrounds. The natural oak finish needed a good oiling but overall was in pretty good shape. After trucking them from the DC area we hauled them up to Zack's 22' x 22' bedroom and set them up. A closer look at the mid bass surrounds revealed damage to all ranging from pinholes to inch wide rips. The 1.2's are sealed speakers so I was a bit concerned about how they would perform with the seal breached. We hooked them up to Zack's bedroom system - a recapped M-1.5t, CT-7, DTL-200MK2 and MP3 player. I was relieved when they sounded excellent at low and medium volume and only started to chuff a bit a high SPL. A few days later Zack was out at a friend's house for a overnighter so I decided to do some work on them. David included enough material to redo both speakers (and then some) so I started with one of the speaker grills. Pretty simple: remove the staples and old cloth, lay the frame on the new material, cut to fit, stretch and staple. Here's the recovered grill (left) next to an original (apparently recovered once before with black window screen?): Another shot with the recovered grill mounted (the side panel that has been removed is my next project): Lots more to come once Zack is back at school. 8
00cbirdw 195 Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 Looking good Dom!!! Wish I had that setup when I was in college LOL!!! 1
CT-Seven 764 Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 Eventhough I own a SWEET Pair of SDA-SRS 2 I am here to see the progress and to say All fun aside E N J O Y 2
zumbini 6,147 Posted August 11, 2015 Author Posted August 11, 2015 Dom, Will THESE work? I checked the listed dimensions against the originals. They are close enough that they should fit: inside diameter 4 1/4 inches, angled (OEM = 4 1/2") inside roll diameter (cone diameter) 4 3/4" (OEM = 4 7/8") outer roll diamter 5 5/8 inches (OEM = 5 7/8") outside diameter 6 3/16 inches (OEM = 6 1/16") However, the "experts" at the Polk forum tell me the original surrounds are thinner and more compliant. Unfortunately nobody sells exact replacement so they insisted that we replace all the mid bass drivers. It's going to be a while before we can afford new mids (16 x 62.50 = $1,000) so I might give these a try.
kve777 6,888 Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 Dom, Will THESE work? I checked the listed dimensions against the originals. They are close enough that they should fit: inside diameter 4 1/4 inches, angled (OEM = 4 1/2") inside roll diameter (cone diameter) 4 3/4" (OEM = 4 7/8") outer roll diamter 5 5/8 inches (OEM = 5 7/8") outside diameter 6 3/16 inches (OEM = 6 1/16") However, the "experts" at the Polk forum tell me the original surrounds are thinner and more compliant. Unfortunately nobody sells exact replacement so they insisted that we replace all the mid bass drivers. It's going to be a while before we can afford new mids (16 x 62.50 = $1,000) so I might give these a try. Of course they did! I've done enough surrounds to know that matching the material exactly is not critical. As they age, the compliance changes, does that affect the sound? Maybe a tiny bit. Would changing all the drivers make them sound different? Absolutely. You never heard this pair when they were new anyway, so how are you going to notice a very minor difference? You won't!
zumbini 6,147 Posted August 11, 2015 Author Posted August 11, 2015 True 'dat. I messaged the ebay seller to see if he has more, and to get a quantity price with combined shipping.
zumbini 6,147 Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 True 'dat. I messaged the ebay seller to see if he has more, and to get a quantity price with combined shipping. Maybe he had an off day but his quote was for 12 pieces ($24) and he didn't include adhesive. Not a good start. Have you dealt with this seller in the past Kevin?
kve777 6,888 Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 True 'dat. I messaged the ebay seller to see if he has more, and to get a quantity price with combined shipping. Maybe he had an off day but his quote was for 12 pieces ($24) and he didn't include adhesive. Not a good start. Have you dealt with this seller in the past Kevin? I've dealt with him many times. Best prices on surrounds most of the time. Plus he was close when I lived in W.Mass, so I got them fast. $2.00 each is good. But you need 16. Let me message him. You can buy good surround adhesive at WalMart, Home Depot or AutoZone. I have not done rubber surrounds in a long time. I forget what works best. 1
dcl 3,276 Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 Yes, Z, black window screen for the grill clothes, there is no outsmarting the cats. The view from sitting atop the big Polks was like the view from atop the Himalayas–the cats even took the steepest route. I did want to get to re-clothing the cabinets but time gets away...The PolkForum members have tricked them out with various x-over mods, etc., but I think, as does Kev, new surrounds is the right medicine. As you say, at low to medium (even loud in my space) the sound is not wanting. 2
zumbini 6,147 Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 Yes, Z, black window screen for the grill clothes, there is no outsmarting the cats. The view from sitting atop the big Polks was like the view from atop the Himalayas–the cats even took the steepest route. I did want to get to re-clothing the cabinets but time gets away...The PolkForum members have tricked them out with various x-over mods, etc., but I think, as does Kev, new surrounds is the right medicine. As you say, at low to medium (even loud in my space) the sound is not wanting. The grill you recovered with window screen actually held up pretty well David. It just doesn't look as good as grill cloth and probably isn't acoustically transparent. Before I replace the surrounds I'm going to try glueing the rips and tears together with inner tube adhesive. It's made for rubber, stays flexible, and creates a vulcanized seal that should be air tight (if the seams align). 2
PDR 1,194 Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 Living in a big country with a small population (at least in my part) just doesnt offer deals like this often. I envy the deals you guys get and the choices of equipment in your back yards. Those are great deal Dom, your son is going to love 'em. My wife was just saying the other day how we needed more big ass speakers around the house.....I'm trying to oblige her. 2
zumbini 6,147 Posted August 13, 2015 Author Posted August 13, 2015 My wife was just saying the other day how we needed more big ass speakers aroundthe house.....I'm trying to oblige her. Gotta keep the little lady happy!
00cbirdw 195 Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 Living in a big country with a small population (at least in my part) just doesnt offer deals like this often. I envy the deals you guys get and the choices of equipment in your back yards. Those are great deal Dom, your son is going to love 'em. My wife was just saying the other day how we needed more big ass speakers around the house.....I'm trying to oblige her. I'm sure you cherish every minute with your wife PDR, sounds like a real gem I WISH my wife would say "you know what, I think we need to upgrade some speakers, amps, preamps, oh and why not the TV while we're at it" LOL!!!!
PDR 1,194 Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 "POP" Just pulled my tongue from my cheek.......
dcl 3,276 Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 As Dominic & loner_t know, these Polks were my wife's speakers. Honest. We never have had but a small living space nevertheless WAF has always been 100%; rather, it was not a consideration. I am fortunate. 1
trav0810 586 Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 That's an AMAZING pair of speakers. I had a pair myself that were in need of rebuilding. Then I ended up with a pair of SDA 2.3TL's that didn't need rebuilding...so I passed the 1.2's off to someone else. I have to say though, in all the Polks I have owned (and there have been a ton) I have never seen issues with the surrounds. I have seen the magnets shift and lock the drivers up, but NEVER seen the surrounds deteriorate. That's a new one! Dom, keep an eye on the Polk forum, you might find some of these drivers pop up from time to time. I can't remember what particular MW they use, but if it's the 6500, I have one that you can have.
zumbini 6,147 Posted August 13, 2015 Author Posted August 13, 2015 Thanks for the offer Travis but the 1.2tl uses 4 MW6503's for stereo and 4 MW6511's for SDA (per speaker). I'm pretty sure I'll be able to repair the surrounds with rubber glue. Failing that I'll install new 2nd party surrounds. FYI: The surrounds have not deteriorated. Apparently the rips, tears and pinholes come courtesy of David's cats. 1
Bean 384 Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 Dom if he plans to keep those keep a KEEN EYE out for the Passives. They DONT MAKE THEM anymore, so if you see some on ebay grab them. I'm sitting on a full replacement set of passives for my RTA 11TL's for the same reason (dont make em anymore)....... 1
Tronman 51 Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 Didn't see you mention it but you do have the interconnect cable for those guys??
Tronman 51 Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 I actually have 2 pair of SDS SRS 1.2tl's sitting in my living room , One set I am using and the other set is sitting to the side. Found another pair with all the mods for the crossover and Larry Rings and even the 1000VA Toroid (This is the Audio Grade Toroid approx $325.00 dollars). The guy I bought these from went all out and spent over $3000.00 dollars in upgrades so these can get a little expensive. As far as the surrounds go those rubber surrounds are really stuck on there so replacing it may be a little tricky. I have a pair of 2.3tl's that had the cat problem and the exact same thing happened on those - all the surrounds had holes in them on one speaker but I only had 4 to deal with so replacing them didn't cost me an arm and a leg but (6) tweeters at $60.00 dollars a piece hurt a little bit but considering I bought them for $75.00 for the pair I was not complaining Just going to throw this out there, I actually put these in my 2.3tl's just to see how it sounds and these really sound good and much cheaper then trying to replace them with the original and are a drop in replacement - they fit perfectly like they were made for them!! http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dc160-4-6-1-2-classic-woofer-speaker--295-309 http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dc160-8-6-1-2-classic-woofer--295-305 Usually the going rate on eBay is $35.00 dollars a piece plus shipping for the original MW6503/11. Polk does make new ones but at $60.00 a piece and that is the Polk Member price that is going to be really expensive. Polk also makes a replacement tweeter that is the new upgraded version of the SL-3000 which is the RDO198 and yes those are $60.00 a piece also. If you are going to be ordering anything through Polk make sure you sign up for your Polk Membership so you can get the discount which includes FREE Shipping. Here is another link for you: http://www.gimpod.com/sda-id.html 1
kve777 6,888 Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 Tip on the "cat" problem. Preheat your oven to 375F... Just kidding. Actually, with rubber surrounds that have small holes (and are still pliable), you can buff the area with a nail file and apply a high quality black RTV to the spot. Let cure. Right Stuff is my favorite. Urethane windshields sealer will work for bigger holes or patches. You could literally make surrounds out of this stuff, but it takes more patience and it is tougher to remove from anything it touches. Wear gloves. I used urethane sealer to attach two halves of a harmonic balancer outside in a snow storm on a Geo Prizm, it lasted a year. If the rubber surround is dried out, but intact, you can cut the urethane with acetone and brush it on. Amazing stuff. Of course, it will look like a repair, but it will get you by if you can only afford to replace a couple surrounds at a time. If you don't like the way it looks, put the grills back on or shut your eyes! The urethane/acetone mix makes a great adhesive for surround replacement, too. Instead of trying to remove all the old rubber surround, like you do with foam, trim the old stuff right to the edge of the cone and basket, adhere the new surround right over the old bits. It's better than destroying the cones removing it all. Keep it on the basket, too so that the geometry is the same, otherwise the new surround will bias the cone inward about .030" or however thick the old one was. 2
helicopter pilot doug 110 Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 Dom, if you are interested, I have 4 of the MW6503 drivers and 2 of the MW6511 drivers from a bulk purchase I made a couple of years ago. These are genuine Polk replacement drivers. Two of the 6503 boxes were open. The drivers are wrapped in the original plastic shrink wrap, and they look pristine. PM me if you are interested in them.
zumbini 6,147 Posted August 14, 2015 Author Posted August 14, 2015 Travis, Tronman, Kevin and Doug: Thanks a bunch for all of your suggestions, technical information, links and spare parts offers. These are my first Polks so the knowledge and experience you have shared is greatly appreciated. Being a cheap b@st@rd I'm going to start by attempting to repair one of the existing surrounds. I have an unopened tube of rubber glue from an inner tube patch kit that should be compatible. I'll let y'all know how that goes, and post more photos as the project proceeds.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now