Help SDA SRS II speakers Local to me

helipilotdoug

OK Guys a little help here please. A set of SRS II speakers came up locally to me, and I've sent a email to the owner. Any help as to what to look for, as well as price guidlines would be appreciated. I know about checking out the drivers by pushing in on the PR. any other help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

coolsax

saw those... was tempted to email myself.. but i don't think the wife would have gone for it right now...

bluecomet

A plus would be if they were the SRS 2 bi-ampable version. They are also pin/blade. They are very similiar to the SDA 1C's with a deeper bass and wider soundstage. I believe Polk made them one year and are rare. They are also 6 ohm speakers. If they turn out to be the blade/blade version then they are 4 ohms. It will be interesting to see which version they are.

helipilotdoug

bluecomet wrote: »

A plus would be if they were the SRS 2 bi-ampable version. They are also pin/blade. They are very similiar to the SDA 1C's with a deeper bass and wider soundstage. I believe Polk made them one year and are rare. They are also 6 ohm speakers. If they turn out to be the blade/blade version then they are 4 ohms. It will be interesting to see which version they are.

I take it, much like the SDA 2B's, the Pin Blade version would be better than the Blade Blade version because of upgrade ability. Any ideas on what I should be looking at as to price?

Face

Unless you have a large room, I'd keep the 2B TL's.

helipilotdoug

Face wrote: »

Unless you have a large room, I'd keep the 2B TL's.

The room is 16X18 with a bar in the back, open into the kitchen. What do ya think? Big enough, or not?

mmadden28

helipilotdoug wrote: »

I take it, much like the SDA 2B's, the Pin Blade version would be better than the Blade Blade version because of upgrade ability. Any ideas on what I should be looking at as to price?

Its my understanding that with the Blade/Blade you can do the TL mod while I'm don't think so on the Pin/Blade.

And with the Blade/Blade you can't use the AI-1 interface to allow for the use of Non-Common ground amps whereas you can with the Pin/Blade.

I paid ~$350 for my '86 Blade/Blade, stock, good condition, all drivers and tweeters vintage and working, no interconnect cable and I recall that being a decent price.

Face

You tell me?

I had 2B TL's and SRS 2's in a similar room. The low end from the 2B TL's was sufficient and I liked the mids/highs better, but the SRS 2's did have more low end.

helipilotdoug

mmadden28 wrote: »

Its my understanding that with the Blade/Blade you can do the TL mod while I'm don't think so on the Pin/Blade.

And with the Blade/Blade you can't use the AI-1 interface to allow for the use of Non-Common ground amps whereas you can with the Pin/Blade.

I paid ~$350 for my '86 Blade/Blade, stock, good condition, all drivers and tweeters vintage and working, no interconnect cable and I recall that being a decent price.

Great info! Thanks very much. He's asking $475. I thought that might be a little high. Thanks again.

helipilotdoug

Face wrote: »

You tell me?

I had 2B TL's and SRS 2's in a similar room. The low end from the 2B TL's was sufficient and I liked the mids/highs better, but the SRS 2's did have more low end.

I do like "Low End"! Have you done any crossover work on your SRS 2's? That's one drawback to them, the amount to do the crossovers and replace tweeters. I do like the upgrade to RDO-198 tweeters a lot!

Face

Yes, both speakers had upgraded caps and resistors.

bluecomet

I would get the SRS 2's if they are the pin/blade version without a second thought over the SDA 2B's. I believe you can tl the pin/blade version. Ben would be the guy to talk to for a definitive answer. Price all depends on condition. If they are the blade/blade version with the right gear that can handle 4 ohm speakers, they would be very good. What are you looking for in a speaker? If you want kick **** bass I would go for the SRS 2's.

Polkie2009

As long as all of the drivers,PR etc. are in good shape and the speakers sound good pushed with a strong amp, the wood and fabric covers look clean, that's not a bad price for a pair of really great speakers that can hold there own against a lot of the newer much more expensive speakers out there. Plus you'll get to enjoy the SDA effect:) Let us know what you decide on it,good luck!

helipilotdoug

OK, just got a call back from the owner. He has had these speakers since new. Wifey did not like how big they are, so he's replaced his system. He said they have been in storage for several years. He was at work, and has no idea if they are P/B or B/B connection. He's going to call me back, and arrange a time later this evening to take a look and listen to them.

Hawkeye

I think I got lucky! I paid $100 for a pair of bi-ampable SRS2 with the P/B. Paid much more for the AI-1 cable I needed! If the tops or bottoms are loose, don't worry about it. YOu can reach inside and tighten them up. I've replaced the tweets and dynamatted all the drivers so far. Took them down to install a set of rings and make some wiring fixes. We'll see in a few days!

Good luck on your purchase!!

Gordon

inspiredsports

helipilotdoug wrote: »

I take it, much like the SDA 2B's, the Pin Blade version would be better than the Blade Blade version because of upgrade ability. Any ideas on what I should be looking at as to price?

I will correct you in that Pin/Blade and Blade/Blade SDA 2B's are identically upgradeable. It is true that the The Pin/Blade works right out of the box with the AI-1 if you have a non-common ground amp where the Blade/Blade model requires jumpers to be used with the AI-1.

Also, while SDA SRS II's that can be bi-amped are nice if you can use that feature, they can not be TL'd whereas the 1986 Blade/Blade model can be.

The 15" Passive Radiator in the SDA SRS 2's clearly provides more and deeper bass than the 2B's. TL'ing the 1986 Blade/Blade version takes care of the upper end. I own both TL'd SDA 2B's and TL'd 1986 SDA SRS 2's and the SDA SRS 2's are my go to speakers.

Sonically, even bi-amped, I'd venture to guess the benefits of the RDO198-1's provides the bigger bang for the buck in the SDA SRS 2 Blade/Blade.

On the other hand, if you need to use the AI-1 for a non'common ground amp, the Pin/Blade version is a must.

Last, due to their rarity, the bi-ampable Pin/Blade version are worth having if you can buy them right.

coolsax

hey man if you end up getting them.. i'd love to be able to hear them if you have some time. I've never heard any SDA's before.

helipilotdoug

inspiredsports wrote: »

I will correct you in that Pin/Blade and Blade/Blade SDA 2B's are identically upgradeable. It is true that the The Pin/Blade works right out of the box with the AI-1 if you have a non-common ground amp where the Blade/Blade model requires jumpers to be used with the AI-1.

Also, while SDA SRS II's that can be bi-amped are nice if you can use that feature, they can not be TL'd whereas the 1986 Blade/Blade model can be.

The 15" Passive Radiator in the SDA SRS 2's clearly provides more and deeper bass than the 2B's. TL'ing the 1986 Blade/Blade version takes care of the upper end. I own both TL'd SDA 2B's and TL'd 1986 SDA SRS 2's and the SDA SRS 2's are my go to speakers.

Sonically, even bi-amped, I'd venture to guess the benefits of the RDO198-1's provides the bigger bang for the buck in the SDA SRS 2 Blade/Blade.

On the other hand, if you need to use the AI-1 for a non'common ground amp, the Pin/Blade version is a must.

Last, due to their rarity, the bi-ampable Pin/Blade version are worth having if you can buy them right.

I looked at the speakers this evening, thinking the blade/blade was not as desireable, and offered him 400$, which he turned down. After reading your post, I'm going to call him back and tell him I will give him his asking price of $475. The speakers are in very good condition. Wood looks like new. The fabric looks great, only one side panel is a little loose at the bottom, but I think it can be glued on with no problem. I thought the B/B was not tl able, so that's why I declined to take them. I'm very glad you posted your response, and gave me the real info I needed. Thanks

helipilotdoug

coolsax wrote: »

hey man if you end up getting them.. i'd love to be able to hear them if you have some time. I've never heard any SDA's before.

If I do get them, I'll play them for awhile before doing the tl mod. Will more than likely wait until Larry makes more rings so I can do all the upgrades at one time. I'd be happy to let you hear them. I'll let you know for sure if I doget them.

helipilotdoug

I will be picking up the SRS II speakers in the morning. Thank you all for your replies and advice.

cincycat13

Sweet~good luck on getting some sleep tonight...sounds like XMas tommorrow!

Tony M

Here comes santa claus, right down SDA lane...:D

Great price!!

Enjoy.;)

helipilotdoug

Are these how the bottom wood is attached to the speaker, or are they mountings for spikes?

inspiredsports

helipilotdoug wrote: »

Are these how the bottom wood is attached to the speaker, or are they mountings for spikes?

They are attachment points for floor spikes

helipilotdoug

inspiredsports wrote: »

They are attachment points for floor spikes

Thanks I thought they might be. Somewhere I read about the attachment for the wood being on the inside of the speaker. Thanks for the help.

Polkersince85

They should be 1/4-20unc threaded inserts. They came with threaded adjustment pads.

Hawkeye

Doug, your in for a nice treat!

Gordon

engtaz

They are great speakers/ Have fun.

helipilotdoug

Been listening to these speakers for awhile now. I have only done one mod to them, changing out the top tweeters to RDO 194's from my 2A's. I am completely blown away by the bass and sound stage from the SRS 2's. Been playing around with speaker position some, and so far it seems to not matter that much. The room is the limiting factor, and may need some help with some treatments. I'm hearing separation of about 60 degrees on each side sitting in the sweet spot. Truly amazing! The tweeters do need to be tamed a bit, so the next step is to do the RDO 198 and crossover tl upgrade, as well as update the rest of the crossovers with new stuff. I'll be doing what inspiredsports did in this thread,
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74946
only cutting to the chase directly to the last mods he did to his crossovers. While I'm at it, I'm going to be doing all the tweaks, like Larry's rings, dynamat, mortite, and new binding posts. When done these speakers will be hard to beat!