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

Please note: due to some health issues, I'm backlogged. Turnaround will be 30-45 days minimum.

This Listing is a minimum charge for Labor and Shipping only. Allparts and materials used, are additional. Please contact me prior to purchase for the full quote on your vintage Polks.

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 yourCrossovers and Speakersto the next level. If you decide that thePremium options are beyond your budget, no worries, my Basic Service will correct the most common problems, and yourCrossovers and Speakerswill sound as good, if not better than whenthey were new, due to the premium components I use. I invite you to review my response, and visit my DHS Speaker website, and DHS Speaker facebook pagefor more details, photos, and customer reviews. Contact me directly for the address, since 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 ismost 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 ofa veryfew manufacturers that still supportsmost 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 removeall 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. Allparts and materials used, are additional.

I offerseveral 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 NewHigh Grade, Metalized Polypropylene Capacitors in the high Pass, or Tweeter Section, andin the Low Pass Section. New Premium Mills or MundorfResistors 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 Mundorfresistors would be used throughout.

"TL" Modification:This upgrade mayinclude additional Capacitors in the High Pass/Tweeter section, changing inductors, resistors,and modifications to the circuit board(s).This enables use of Polks® Premium, RD-0198-1Silk Dome Tweeters. 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" DomeTweeter. The new RD-0198-1 is in fact a Treated Silk Dome Tweeter, not Tri-Laminate.

Note:In addition to the RD-0198-1, Polk® also developed the RD-0194-1, which is a drop-in replacement for the SL1000, andSL2000 tweeter. This new silk dome tweeter is vastly superior to the previous Polk®brandedmodels, 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 RD-0194/0198 tweeterswithout 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 Premium Kester Solder. All capacitors will be secured with a combination of Premium3M™ VHB™ Heavy Duty Mounting Tape, Nylon Wire Ties and Cyanoacrylatewhere 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. Noferrous metal should ever be used in close proximity to crossovers, andinductors.

Removing the crossover means essentially dismantling the entire speaker,butdoes offer you the opportunity toperform other, relatively simple internal upgrades.These upgrades are cumulative, and when combined with the rebuilt crossovers, your VintagePolk® Speakerswill 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 asmodifications to the cabinetsthat will improve the overall sound of yourVintage Polk® Speakers.

Other options:

Binding Posts: In addition to the Capacitor and Resistor Upgrades, the poor quality Polk® Binding Posts can also be upgraded to Cardas, Gold Plated Copper Posts for an additional fee. I also offer Imported, Insulating, 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.

Pricing:

Pricing for these upgradesis forlabor 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 a special listing created for purchase. 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.

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, andbased 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