SDA1 C Market Value

chocachang

Hi there,

My Co-worker just revealed to me that her and her husband have had a set of SDA1 Cs sitting in their basement for awhile. They are in perfect working order and have minor cosmetic blemishes. The speakers are completely un-modded and do not have the interconnects. They were just wondering what fair market value for these would be as one of my friends is interested and both parties would like to come to an equitable transaction.

Just in case, could you also give your opinions on the Bs and As.

Your help is much appreciated!

Jon

kawizx9r

I've seen 1C's go for anywhere from $275-350 unmodded. That all depends on the condition really.

Got mine for about that, but they were absolutely mint with original boxes/foam/etc which were also in mint condition.

Btw, welcome to CP!

-Freddy

wayne3burk

i was watching these on ebay a couple of weeks ago

it's an ended auction so you have to be signed in to see it....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Polk-SDA-1C-Speakers-Black-Tower-SDA-1C-/180537989299?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers#ht_500wt_1087

SDA 1C Studios ( black ) that went for $280.00

I thought that was pretty darn cheap

-- wayne --

nooshinjohn

I bought a set for 325 a while back that needed some work. I have seen them sell in the 300-700 range depending on condition. the higher priced ones have been complete with factory packing or have been modded.

chocachang

Thanks for help guys!

heiney9

$350-400 seems to be a good sweet spot.

shack

I paid $650 for mine, but they were in near mint condition, with upgraded tweeters and binding post. Crossovers were/are stock.

Fongolio

Mine were $625 fully modded.

Toolfan66

heiney9 wrote: »

$350-400 seems to be a good sweet spot.

agreed!!!

gimpod

heiney9 wrote: »

$350-400 seems to be a good sweet spot.

Also agreed, I think that's a fair price especially since you can go pick them up instead of having them shipped. The 1C's are the best sounding out of the SDA 1 series IMHO and some around here say they are the second best out of all the SDA line.

Joe08867

heiney9 wrote: »

$350-400 seems to be a good sweet spot.

Agreed!, SDA1's are awesome. Can't you do the TL mod to the 1C's?

Conradicles

I would pay $500 for a minty set.

Schurkey

Joe08867 wrote: »

Can't you do the TL mod to the 1C's?

Unproven.

I suspect that the 4.4 (???) cap gets replaced with a 5.8 cap just like the 1Bs and early SRS 2; but this has not been supported with actual documentation or empirical research.

leroyjr1

It all depends on condition, location, and there's two different 1c's.( studio's and originals w/ wood end caps.

I'd pay up to $600 ( wood end caps) in great condition and $400 max for the studio's in great condition.

george daniel

I paid 375 for a pair of mint 1C's which were stock,,long ago.

fafner

gim54pod wrote: »

Also agreed, I think that's a fair price especially since you can go pick them up instead of having them shipped. The 1C's are the best sounding out of the SDA 1 series IMHO and some around here say they are the second best out of all the SDA line.

What is the first best?

fafner

lightman1

$3,,,

bluecomet

The comment that the 1C's are the second best sounding SDA is interesting. Does that also include the SRS line? There are going to be alot of opinions about this topic. I am going to chime in because I have collected many SDA speakers. Most will tell you that the 1C's are the best for a normal sized room. All of the SDA's including SRS series has a unique sound to them. I prefer my 3.1tl's to the 1C's for a mid sized speaker. The ultimate in SDA SRS sound is from the 1.2tl's. The drawback is there size and power you need to make them sound there best but if you have the room they are awesome. This topic has been debated many times. Only you can decide what is best for you.

george daniel

for a mid sized room--IMHO the 2B's or 1C's are a great bang for the buck speaker,respond well to upgrades and play very well with tubes,, for the working man.;)

heiney9

Many, many people just go for the "big boys" without consideration of the room size and associated electronics. Bigger is NOT always better. I agree w/ George the 1C's are about as good as it gets for several reasons.

The big factor being room size, cost, availability (more 1C's were sold, it seems) ease of running them off more middle of the road gear. The later (1) x-over board model is simplified, use of most 1C's with the AI-1, doesn't cost an arm and a leg to re-cap or add RD0's. Gives you 85% of the "big boys" in a large room, mostof the time sounds better than the "big boys" in a small to medium room.

That all being said, the 2.3TL's are very nice and many like the SRS 2 (later version).

Like I stated before the 1C just seems to be the sweet spot for SDA's. If you have the room for the bigger SDA's you'll certainly realize that 10-15% improvement. But far too many people place the bigger SDA's in smaller rooms and it can actually diminish the performance over a smaller SDA like the 1C's or 2B's.

YMMV, of course

H9

fafner

heiney9 wrote: »

But far too many people place the bigger SDA's in smaller rooms and it can actually diminish the performance over a smaller SDA like the 1C's or 2B's.

In what way?

fafner

Bobsama

fafner wrote: »

In what way?

fafner

I've found they're overpowering. To get the last bits of bass response out of 1.2TLs required a respectable amount of power--about 80+W--which makes the speakers too loud in smaller rooms. In the same room, we found that '86 CRS+'s (with SL2000 tweets) actually sounded better/more natural, though to reach the same levels as the 1.2TLs they required a bit more power. Especially when their setup is tweaked, they've got pretty good bass response though it's not as extended.

fafner

Bobsama wrote: »

I've found they're overpowering. To get the last bits of bass response out of 1.2TLs required a respectable amount of power--about 80+W--which makes the speakers too loud in smaller rooms. In the same room, we found that '86 CRS+'s (with SL2000 tweets) actually sounded better/more natural, though to reach the same levels as the 1.2TLs they required a bit more power. Especially when their setup is tweaked, they've got pretty good bass response though it's not as extended.

Do you consider a 15x 17 room "smaller?"

fafner

kawizx9r

fafner wrote: »

Do you consider a 15x 17 room "smaller?"

fafner

I had 1C's in a room similiar to yours, and though I really liked them...they easily overpowered that room. Was running a fully modified (by Stephen Sank) Moscode 300 Tube Hybrid Amp.

Makes me wonder what the SDA-CRS are capable of :eek:

fishbones

I will chime in here as well (hopefully we're not getting too off-topic for the original poster)?

I have a room that is 14' x 20', ceiling at speaker end is 8' and raises up to 9.5' at other end. Speakers would shoot long ways. Would the 1C work well in those dimensions?

bluecomet

The 1C's would work well in your room. One thing to keep in mind about the "big boys" is that they can be used in let's say a 14x14 room. You don't have to crank them up to enjoy them. That said, using 1.2tl's in a small room would be like driving a corvette in town. It's nice but you are going to get the urge to open it up on the highway. They can easily overpower you if you put the pedal to the metal. I have a set in a 12x20 room with 10 ft. ceilings. I can rock the house if I want or turn it down to normal levels and still enjoy them. I like having that extra horsepower when I want it. It is normally when the rest of the family is somewhere else. Any floorstanding SDA speaker would fill up your size room. The CRS+ speakers would even work. It's hard to believe that much sound comes out of that size speaker. Look for the best deal in your price range and enjoy.

zippty2001

my room is 19X16 with 13 foot ceilings i have a set of sda 1c they fill the room nicely

fishbones

Thanks bluecomet & zippty,

With my listening mostly at low to moderate volume levels (occasional crank), would you say that the 1C's would sound better than the 1.2 at lower to moderate volumes? I have a feeling with all those drivers and horsepower demand, that they (1.2's) would need to be turned up a little to "open up"?

Bobsama

fafner wrote: »

Do you consider a 15x 17 room "smaller?"

fafner

Yes, I would.

Anyways, smaller speakers for smaller rooms; I'm definitely not saying you need to trade in SDA's for a sub-sat system, but 1.2TL's easily overpower you in smaller rooms. Don't be afraid to use a bit of EQ to up the bass if you're finding that area lacking.

Paden501

Lets not kid ourselves... I can shake the photos on the other side of the house w/ my 1Cs if I want to. The SDA-1C is a great 'size' speaker because it can fill both large and small rooms.

And to the OP's request, I paid $200 for mine in mint condition w/ no mods (still in the original boxes in some guy's closet). I probably would have paid up to $400 or so for them in that condition though.

w/o the interconnect cable they'll go for a little less I'd say.

george daniel

Paden501 wrote: »

Lets not kid ourselves... I can shake the photos on the other side of the house w/ my 1Cs if I want to. The SDA-1C is a great 'size' speaker because it can fill both large and small rooms.

And to the OP's request, I paid $200 for mine in mint condition w/ no mods (still in the original boxes in some guy's closet). I probably would have paid up to $400 or so for them in that condition though.

w/o the interconnect cable they'll go for a little less I'd say.

I said I was not gonna' speak of this,, but-- you would not believe what the 1C's are capable of with some mods and tweaks-- trust me on this one.;)