New to me SDA 2Bs

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greenbus
greenbus Posts: 6
in 2 Channel Audio
Hi all!! I'm new here and pretty new to Polk products. I recently acquired a pair of SDA 2Bs from the original owner for 120$. He was asking 150 and probably would have taken 100 since he was moving cross country and didn't want to haul them. Anyway I think I got a good deal. After listening and reading up on these speakers I bought a crown LSi 800 to use with the front pre amp outputs on my Marantz 1504. Any comments on this setup? Seems I still have to turn up to about 3/4 volume to get LOUD but I think I have adequate power now.
i have been trying to contact Polk to order some RDO 194s but even when I call during business hours I have not been able to talk to anyone yet. Anybody else having trouble contacting Polk?
Eventually I will send the crossovers to the guy in Massachusetts to get recapped and possibly upgraded some. So I have already put 230$ into a new amp for my cheap speakers, and eventually 100 for tweeters and maybe another 100 or so into the crossovers. I think these may be my forever speakers tho.
Anyway just wanted to introduce myself and thank you for what I have learned about these speakers already & for what I am sure I will learn in the future from you all as well. Rock On!!
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  • StevieB
    StevieB Posts: 256
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    Still love my 2B's, bought them new back in the late 80's.
    McCormack DNA-1 Amp, Parasound Halo P5 Pre Amp, Denon DVD 2900 CD player, Adcom GDA 700 DAC, VPI Traveler TT with Denon 103R cartridge, Lounge Audio MKiii phono pre and Copla SUT, Polk SDA SRS 3.1 TL speakers, Tributaries series 8 IC's and speaker cable.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,602
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    Is it too late to return the Crown? :)
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,071
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    Save yourself some money and headache down the road and don't turn it up past half way.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • greenbus
    greenbus Posts: 6
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    Probably not too late to return the Crown, but I don't know what I could afford that would offer comparable power. I was using an 80 WPC Harman Kardon PA5800. This seems better than that.
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,071
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    greenbus wrote: »
    Probably not too late to return the Crown, but I don't know what I could afford that would offer comparable power. I was using an 80 WPC Harman Kardon PA5800. This seems better than that.

    Search your local Craigslist for B&K or Parasound. Wattage is only part of the equation, don't obsess over that.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • greenbus
    greenbus Posts: 6
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    I know wattage isn't everything & the speakers like high current, but I never see current rating in an amps specs.
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  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
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    Welcome @greenbus ! 1B's were my first pair of Polks. I loved em!

    Spend some time with us and you'll get the bug! There are many things you can do to your fine speakers. Incrementally as you go forward, or jump in the rabbit hole!

    Again, welcome! :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
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  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
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    Congrats - 2b's can be made into true giant killers - some of the best I have heard!
    VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
    VA 2 Channel Focal Electra 926 speakers, Pass Labs X150.5 Amp, Eastern Electric MiniMax Preamp (Tutay mods), Eastern Electric Minimax CDP (Scott Nixon mods), Music Hall mmf 5.1 Turntable, Parks Audio Budgie Phono Pre , Audioengine B1 streamer, MIT S3 IC's / MIT Shotgun S3 Speaker Cables / PS Audio power cables
    Noggin Schiit Valhalla, Pangea, Phillips Fidelio X1, Polk UF8000

    Polk SDA1c modded
    Polk CRS+ 4.1TL modded (need veneer)
    Polk SDA2BTL (fully modded)
    A/L 1000VA Dreadnought Canare 4s11 SDA cable
    SACD Marantz DV8300
    Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD
    Yamaha YP-D6
    Soundcraftsmen PCR800
    Audible Illusions L1 Preamp
    Vincent MFA based Cocci Tube Preamp
    Pho-700 Phono Pre
    Signal Cable Silver Resolution IC's






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  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
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    Yup. Got a pair at the warehouse being studied on for full on upgrade.
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  • ptrooper
    ptrooper Posts: 501
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    Polk has a back order for the rdo 194's...not available until june!
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,799
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    Dump the Crown, get a real amp.

    Wait to order tweeters until you are ready to have David upgrade the crossovers and have him do the TL mod, which will allow you to use the RD0198 tweeters.

    Crossover work is going to cost way more than $100.00.

    Welcome to Club Polk.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
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    Trade in the crown for a NAD 2400PE or 2600PE, or Adcom GFA series. Get ready for a "wow" moment.
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  • greenbus
    greenbus Posts: 6
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    Ok thanks all for your input. I will keep the crown for now but keep an eye on CL. I know until I get a "proper" home stereo amplifier I will wonder if I am missing out on better sound. I will contact the X Over guy and try to get a better estimate on rebuild costs. Thanks for all your help. See you in the forum!
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  • gmcman
    gmcman Posts: 1,759
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    greenbus wrote: »
    I will wonder if I am missing out on better sound.

    My 1st pair of SDA's were 2B's and when I went from a respectable Denon AVR with a 105 W per channel to a much better Denon AVR wirh 140W per channel, the difference was noticeable.

    When I finally used a separate amp, B&K, the difference was night and day. It's not just the wattage, but available current.


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  • agfrost
    agfrost Posts: 2,421
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    Lots of threads detailing 2B crossover upgrades. If you're getting new tweeters, I'd say definitely "TL" them, as it just takes a single additional cap per crossover to allow you to use the preferred RD0-198 tweeter.

    Mods run from mild to wild, depending on your budget. If you were quoted $100, that might be replacing electrolytic caps with the same. I'd strongly recommend doing film caps. The 'standard' around here is Sonicaps at least on the tweeter circuit if not all around. The 'mild' link above is a nice, "budget" recapping saving $$ with a Dayton cap and reusing the stock crossover board. I did mine with Sonicaps all around and bought the "Gimpod" board, which makes adding the larger film caps a breeze.

    Modding these is, in my opinion, a job worth doing right. Save up for a while if need be, but there's audible value in TL-ing these with care.
    Jay
    SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
    Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
    Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0
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  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 2,972
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    I also have the 2B's...put a few $$ into them and you won't regret it I promise! I know nothing about the Crown amp but several here that know their stuff seem to agree to look at other offerings. Shameless plug here...but, I have a Parasound HCA 1000 I may be looking to upgrade, shoot me a pm if you are at all interested.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
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  • fbm211
    fbm211 Posts: 1,488
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    Slap some Dynamat on those driver baskets. You wont believe how much cleaner the mids sound after this simple and inexpensive mod.
    SDA-2BTL with custom IC
    Adcom 565 monoblocks--Monarchy Audio M-10 preamp
    Theta Data Basic Transport--Stello DA100 Signature DAC--Camelot Dragon Pro2 MK III
    Harman Kardon T-55c TT
    DH Labs Q-10 Signature Speaker Cables With Furez silver plated copper bananas
    Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy Cryo-Silver Reference AES/EBU
    Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy Cryo-Silver i2s digital cable
    4 Furutech FP-314Ag with FI-11cu Plugs/FI-11AG IECs--- Power Cords
    DH LABS REVELATIONS ICs-amps
    Revelation Audio Labs Paradise cryo-silver ICs-Source to pre
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  • leftwinger57
    leftwinger57 Posts: 2,917
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    About 12 years now I picked up my '87 stock SDA 2Bs. It was a moving sale the wife was going to dump them and I offered $50 w/ the i/c included. Doing the mods all me. Now about Polk not answering phone calls, this has never happened to me ever. I have heard they don't readily respond to E-Mails but phone calls always an answer if it takes a bit. Very helpful and have most parts in stock. Yes those $120 speakers if you go mod happy will cost upwards of $400/$500 depending how far you want to take them.....Lew
    Ditch the Crown and get an Adcom, B&K and the like...
    2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E

    H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-

    Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc
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