Polk Crossover Upgrade & Repair Service For Vintage Monitor, SDA, & RTA Series

Description

Please read through the entire listing.
I take pride in the quality of my work, and the carefully selected components I use. Unlike some others, I want YOU, the customer to know up front what you'll be getting for your hard earned dollar, how long it's going to take, and what to expect when you receive your Rebuilt Crossovers. Please review and consider all of my Upgrade Options, which will take your Crossovers and Speakers to the next level. If you decide that the Premium options are beyond your budget, no worries, my Basic Service will correct the most common problems, and your Crossovers and Speakers will sound as good, if not better than when they were new, due to the premium components I use. I invite you to review my Feedback, and visit my DHS Speaker website, and
DHS Speaker facebook page for more details, photos, and customer reviews. Contact me directly for the address, since eBay no longer allows direct links.
Have your Classic or Vintage Polk® Speakers begun to show their age, don't sound they way they used to, or the way you remember them? This is most likely due to component aging in the Crossovers. For the most part, Polk® used quality components typical for the day, and for a particular price point. This included use of Mylar Capacitors (usually bypassed with Silver Mica caps), Non-Polarizer Electrolytic Capacitors, and Ceramic, Non-Inductive, Wire-Wound Resistors. Protection devices for the Tweeters were either fuses or PTC thermistors (Polyswitches). As with most things, crossover technology has advanced in the last 20-30 years. Mylar caps have been replaced with Metalized Polypropylene, and bypassing is no longer needed. Non-Polarized Electrolytic Capacitor manufacturing techniques have improved. Resistor technology has also improved with Audiophile grade components. In addition, Polk® is one of a very few manufacturers that still supports most of their older, vintage products. Exact or equivalent replacements for most Drivers, and new and improved Tweeters, are just a few examples. Removing the Crossovers is not difficult. Simply remove all the drivers, label the wires, remove the crossover retaining screws, pack them carefully and ship them to me. Return shipping varies depending on the size and number of crossover
components
.
This Listing is for Labor only. All parts and materials used, are additional.
I offer several different levels of upgrades:
Basic Service:
This will include New 1% & 5% Tolerance, Metalized Polypropylene Capacitors in the High Pass, or Tweeter section, and (if originally equipped) in the Low Pass Section. Re-use of existing Resistors and Protection Devices is optional.
Premium Service:
This will include New High Grade, Metalized Polypropylene Capacitors in the high Pass, or Tweeter Section, and in the Low Pass Section. New Premium Mills or Mundorf Resistors in place of existing Ceramics, and in place of the existing Polyswitches which are known to introduce noise and
distortion
in the signal once they've been tripped.
Ultra Premium Service:
The sky is the limit. There are numerous manufacturers of very high end Audiophile Capacitors. I can make recommendations, such as Sonicap, Clarity ESA, or if you have a preference for a particular brand, we can use them as well. This would include the high and low pass sections. Premium Mills or Mundorf resistors would be used throughout.
"TL" Modification:
T
his upgrade may include additional Capacitors in the High Pass/Tweeter section, changing inductors, resistors, and modifications to the circuit board(s). This enables use of Polks® Premium, RDO-198-1 Silk Dome Tweeters. Polk® invested Millions on R+D to develop this Tweeter. How many companies do that for a product line that was discontinued decades ago? The "TL" Mod is not universal. Certain models cannot be given this upgrade. Please note, the "TL Mod" or "TL Modification" is actually a misnomer. The TL designation was used on certain late production SDAs, Monitors, and RTAs which used the then newly developed SL3000 "Tri-Laminate" Dome Tweeter. The new RDO-198-1 is in fact a Treated Silk Dome Tweeter, not Tri-Laminate.
Note:
In addition to the RDO-198-1, Polk® also developed the RDO-194-1, which is a drop-in replacement for the SL1000, and SL2000 tweeter. This new silk dome tweeter is vastly superior to the previous Polk® branded models, with a very smooth response, and non-fatiguing sound quality. Early Polk® models originally equipped with the HF1000, Peerless Tweeter, cannot be modified with the newer RDO-194/198 tweeters without extensive crossover modifications, and quite frankly there's no need. The Silk Dome Peerless is a very fine Tweeter in it's own right, and still sounds very smooth and detailed even by todays standards.
I use only the finest Soldering/De-Soldering Materials and Techniques, including Ultra Premium Cardas Quad-Eutectic Solder. All capacitors will be secured with a combination of Premium 3M™ VHB™ Heavy Duty Mounting Tape, Nylon Wire Ties and
Cyanoacrylate
where applicable (I do not use "Hot Glue" since it doesn't hold up well over time, and ultimately looks unprofessional). All
existing
Binding Posts, internal Spade, and Molex connectors will be treated with DeoxIT, and re-tensioned as needed for a secure fit during re-installation. Any damaged Stand-Offs will be replaced at no charge. Supplemental Riser Boards and additional Stand-Offs which may be needed for larger capacitors and other modifications will also be supplied at no additional charge. I use quality Threaded Nylon Stand-Offs, not threaded steel rod, which others use. No ferrous metal should ever be used in close proximity to crossovers, and inductors.
Removing the crossover means essentially dismantling the entire speaker, but does offer you the opportunity to perform other, relatively simple internal upgrades. These upgrades are cumulative, and when combined with the rebuilt crossovers, your Vintage Polk® Speakers will not only sound better than they did originally, they will rival some of the best loudspeakers being produced today, at a fraction of the cost. As a member of Club Polk®, I'm familiar with these upgrades, and can give you tips for insuring the longevity of the drivers,
procedures
which can mitigate resonances from the metal basket frames of the drivers and passive radiators, as well as modifications to the cabinets that will improve the overall sound of your Vintage Polk® Speakers.
Other options:
Binding Posts:
In addition to the Capacitor and Resistor Upgrades, th
e poor quality Polk® Binding Post
s can also be upgraded to
Cardas
, Gold
Plated Copper
Posts
for an additional fee.
I also offer Imported, Gold Plated Copper alternatives, which are excellent quality.
SDA Interconnect Cable:
I can custom fabricate a new, heavy duty, larger gauge cable. There are several options, and all include new SpeakON connectors, and Sockets.
AI-1 Dreadnaught:
Those of you who own 4th and 5th generation SDAs without a common ground amp, this is the solution. My Dreadnaught consists of an 800va Toriodal Transformer, mounted in a cast aluminum enclosure. Connections are made with SpeakON Jacks, and custom 10 or 12 gauge OFC cables.
For 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation SDAs, I can also provide custom, low resistance Inductors for the "Full compliment Sub-Bass Drive Circuits". These Inductors, are part of the Dimensional portion of the crossover. Replacing these Inductors can dramatically improve the low bass quality and quantity on the SDA.
Pricing:
Pricing for these upgrades is for labor only
. Since there are so many different models and upgrade paths, it would be impossible for me to list them all here. You will be quoted for the additional parts based on your particular model, and which upgrade level you choose. This additional parts charge will be agreed to before hand, and then invoiced directly via PayPal. At minimum, I will need the exact Model, and a digital photo of the Speaker and Crossover. Polk®, like many manufacturers, made changes during production, and sometimes made oddball transitional models. Although I have Schematics for most of the production models, some can differ greatly from what is supposed to be there, and what was actually installed.
One Piece, Small Integral Crossover: .00 Labor per pair
One Piece, Large Integral Crossover (SDA) .00 Labor per pair (you'll be invoiced for the additional .00 up-charge, since eBay will only let me list one price)
Two Piece, Integral Crossover at Binding Post Cup, plus Separate Board (SDA): .00 Labor per pair (you'll be invoiced for the additional .00 up-charge, since eBay will only let me list one price)
Shipping:
Disregard the listed shipping fees. Your actual fees will be quoted to you based on the type of crossover, and your location
Time:
Most Crossovers will take two to three days to complete, after receiving all the special order parts, and based on my workload. Some High-End parts make take longer to acquire. Shipping, both ways, is not included in this time estimate.
All shipping and insurance fees would be paid by you either up front, or invoiced separately. Most Single/Integral crossover pairs will fit in a Medium Size, Priority Flat Rate Box. Two piece Crossover pairs should fit in a Large Size Flat Rate Box. SRS Models will require a larger box, and would be shipped FedEx. You will pay the actual shipping and insurance fees. I don't charge for handling.
This listing is for USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and UK/Ireland. For all other countries, please contact me before hand.