New to me SDA SRS 2.3TL's

Earthy

I have been coveting these speakers since new in the early 90's. I finally have a mint looking pair in my possession. I know the purists will cringe, but I plan to put them in my media room 15.5x14.5ft. The speakers I currently use are LS70 mains, CS350LS center, LS F/X side, S4 rears and an SVS PB12 sub. I have been using an Onkyo TX-SR505 temporarily since my Yamaha RX-V1500 failed.

I want to put the SDA SRS 2.3TL's in replacing my LS70's. First, is there a decent 7.1 receiver that can drive these things well? Second, will any of my other speakers work with these monsters in my surround setup?

thsmith

Nothing wrong with using these for your mains. My 1Cs pull double duty at HT and 2 channel.

ANy of the speakers you are using now will be fine for rears.

The 7.1 AVR question, I doubt you will find one that will make your 2.3s sing like a decent seperate amp.

Shout for a good AVR with Preouts and feed the 2.3s some good clean power from a 2 channel seperate amp.

leroyjr1

What kind of budget do you have in mind?

Earthy

Nice to hear my surrounds can still work. I assume the CS350LS will be ok for a center channel, at least for starters.

As to budget, if getting an AVR with preouts and a clean power amp is the smart way to go, then my hope would be to spend less than $2000 on both, and get the AVR first, then shortly after, get the amp.

Thanks for the input!

bsoko2

Then, upgrade the crossovers on the 2.3's. Well worth the cost and you WILL be in audio heaven.

Earthy

I'll look into the crossover upgrade once I get a decent AVR. I don't think my Onkyo has enough juice.

zarrdoss

Try and throw 200-300 RMS to each of them.

hangon

Earthy wrote: »

Nice to hear my surrounds can still work. I assume the CS350LS will be ok for a center channel, at least for starters.

As to budget, if getting an AVR with preouts and a clean power amp is the smart way to go, then my hope would be to spend less than $2000 on both, and get the AVR first, then shortly after, get the amp.

Thanks for the input!

I was in the same boat as you....
I could not find any AV to put out the power needed,
I went with a 5-Channel (300wpc) amp and Bi-Wired them.
Powered the Center CS350LS with the 5th channel, sounded ok
but did not match.
I built a custom center out of a RTA 15tl and installed it above
my big screen.
This is a match made in heaven...
Check out my build:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100007&highlight=hangon

Earthy

I'll have to give it a try (CS350LS) and decide if my tin ear can tell. I think I am going to get an Onkyo TX-NR808 AVR to begin with. I'll then start the hunt for a main power amp once I get everything working.

hangon

Earthy wrote: »

I'll have to give it a try (CS350LS) and decide if my tin ear can tell. I think I am going to get an Onkyo TX-NR808 AVR to begin with. I'll then start the hunt for a main power amp once I get everything working.

I recommend looking at the ADCOM GFA 5500 series.
I got mine on line (eBay) for $230.00 delivered, it powered my 2.3's just fine,
now it is running my Vintage Cornwalls.
I found that the CS350LS sounded hollow (boxy) compared to the 2.3's,
I tried several centers and found that all the ported speakers were not to my desire.
The 2.3's are so laid back and mellow sounding and the CS350LS is harsh in comparison.
Please remember to use your interconnect cable for best performance.

Earthy

I went ahead and ordered the Onkyo TX-NR808. I need to get a dolly that won't mess up wood stairs. I really want the speakers upstairs, but know I will want them down stairs someday. I doubt I'll find anyone that wants to assist. With a good dolly, I could move them without injuring anyone too.

Polkersince85

Be careful. As anyone who ever moved some will say, " Dem sumditches are heavy." Strap them to the dolly.

Earthy

I have moved them recently. Heavy I can deal with. Large and heavy... Ug. It takes two very careful people to negotiate corners and stairs with corners. I can't clone myself, and the people I would trust all seem to have issues with lifting things this heavy. These look like new, and I plan to keep them that way. If my living room wasn't just a large open space, I might keep them there. My media room is a better space acoustically. I knew I should have put in an elevator.
I will probably audition them downstairs for a few weeks. Until I get up the nerve to move them up.

Earthy

The Onkyo arrived and all I can say is WOW. I have listened to various flavors of classical music out of these 2.3's at easy listening volume for decades. Now in my living room with classic rock and moderate volume, all I can say is WOW. These replaced my aging Dahlquist DQ10's and sound quite a bit better. I am surprised how much better.

For now, these are the only speakers my Onkyo is driving. Will there be any benefit to bi-amping them? I may just leave these here. They look so nice, and my media room already sounds great.

ben62670

Bi amping is a waste of time.

engtaz

Congrats on the 2.3's.

Hamatym

Upgrade the jumper's instead of Bi-Amping and your all set! I got my 2.3TL's with these already added, which made the world of difference.

Earthy

Ok, no bi-amping... Will an Adcom 555II be a decent amp for these? Lots of them for sale locally. I can also hold out for a nicer amp too. The Onkyo is doing a good job, but it's physically too deep for my stand. It will likely end up in the media room.

You can bet I'll be getting a box of upgrade bits for the 2.3's in the future. But for right now, I am quite happy (except for no place to put my new AVR).

Earthy

I have been kicking myself since getting these wonderful speakers. I had a Conrad Johnson PV5 and PS Audio 200CX gathering dust, and sold them last year. ARGG. I have spent the last day trying to decide what amp to hold out for. Sure wish I had that gear today.

headrott

I would give the Aragon 8008bb (the original by Mondial) a try for your 2.3TL's. I use one with my 3.1TL's and it sounds great. The tightest/cleanest bass I have heard from an amp. It can be a little analytical so I would use a tube pre-amp with it. You should be able to find an Aragon for around $1,000 used (give or take) and it will blow away an Adcom 555II by a long shot. Not even a contest. Let us know what you do.

Greg

Edit: Like this one: http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1289704144&/Aragon-8008BB-Dual-Mono-Amplif

Earthy

The Aragon 8008bb seems nice. It's in my want list now. How about the Aragon 4004MKII, Adcom 5500, or Adcom 5800? I am making a list and watching local sales for a while.

headrott

It's an absolute "no" on the Aragon 4004MkII. Get only the 8008bb. The 4004MkII is made by Klipsch, not Mondial. Not the same quality, nor the same sound.

Sorry, I cannot comment on the other Adcoms you mentioned as I have not heard any of those.

I feel confident though you will not be disappointed with the Aragon 8008bb.

Greg

Earthy

I hear you on the No vote for the Aragon 4004. I am narrowing my list and wonder if I should add a Marsh A-400s. Not much mention of it here, but it seems to get high marks elsewhere.

Jetmaker737

headrott wrote: »

It's an absolute "no" on the Aragon 4004MkII. Get only the 8008bb. The 4004MkII is made by Klipsch, not Mondial. Not the same quality, nor the same sound

This is not true. Klipsch acquired Aragon/Acurus in 2001. The 4004 MkII was designed and manufactured before that time. More info on Aragon amps here:

http://reviews.ebay.com/Classic-Aragon-Amps-A-primer_W0QQugidZ10000000001149810

hearingimpared

Earthy wrote: »

I have been coveting these speakers since new in the early 90's. I finally have a mint looking pair in my possession. I know the purists will cringe, but I plan to put them in my media room 15.5x14.5ft. The speakers I currently use are LS70 mains, CS350LS center, LS F/X side, S4 rears and an SVS PB12 sub. I have been using an Onkyo TX-SR505 temporarily since my Yamaha RX-V1500 failed.

I want to put the SDA SRS 2.3TL's in replacing my LS70's. First, is there a decent 7.1 receiver that can drive these things well? Second, will any of my other speakers work with these monsters in my surround setup?

Hey Bro, I see nothing wrong with using them as mains plus you get the added benefit of switching to 2 ch mode and really have some great sounding music.

Might I suggest an NAD 7.1 AVR? I own the NAD T765 and though the power rating is low as NAD always rates their wpc's conservatively, it really belts out the subs, never struggles with any passage in a vid or music and has that nice NAD house sound.

They can be a little pricey but if you buy one you won't be needing any outboard amplification and it will probably last you a long, long time and never make you feel the upgrade bug.

Earthy

That's an interesting read Jet. Thank you.

I tell you, the more I look for amps, the bigger my list of possibilities. It's maddening.

I just want my 2.3's to have the quality and power they deserve, without going broke;).

hearingimpared

Earthy wrote: »

That's an interesting read Jet. Thank you.

I tell you, the more I look for amps, the bigger my list of possibilities. It's maddening.

I just want my 2.3's to have the quality and power they deserve, without going broke;).

I reiterate, NAD's will give you the power and headroom those baby's need and no outboard amps will be required.

Oh yeah a big +1 on the xovers and tweeter upgrades.

Earthy

I was just reading earlier about some NAD's not being common ground. What's the easy way to know?

hearingimpared

Earthy wrote: »

I was just reading earlier about some NAD's not being common ground. What's the easy way to know?

Well as far as I know mine is common ground but here's a number for you. It's a direct line to NAD technical support . . .

Bob Moran
Lenbrook America
1-800-263-4641 ext 4342
1-800-263-1555 (fax)

Bob and others are extremely knowledgeable and very very helpful and patient.

Good luck Bro! BTW Phil (pearsall001) has the same model I have and had done all kinds of experimenting with it. You may want to PM him and get his feedback. Again I can't speak more highly of NAD's AVRs.

EDIT: you can leave a message on Bob's voice mail and he will get back to you.

Earthy

I might also mention, I am leaning toward just leaving these in my living room. The just look and sound like they belong there. My current media setup does an admirable job, so why mess with success.
At this point the focus is for a two channel amp.

hearingimpared

Earthy wrote: »

I might also mention, I am leaning toward just leaving these in my living room. The just look and sound like they belong there. My current media setup does an admirable job, so why mess with success.
At this point the focus is for a two channel amp.

Good stuff Bro!:)