SDA-2... Should I?

Rev. Hayes

Found these local for $300

Sent off an email a minute ago expressing intrest.

Should I jump?

zarrdoss

A little high IMO

sda2mike

Rev. Hayes wrote: »

Found these local for $300

should I jump?

hmmm...original boxes and stuff...maybe 3 hundy is a starting point for negotiating

gdb

They might be 2B models. Mine look just like that. Is the cable pin/blade?

Rev. Hayes

Are the 2B's a lot better than the 2's?

I love the Monitor 10's I have now. Would these be a big step up or more of a lateral into SDA?

Joe08867

They are 2B's. 2A's have a dimensional tweeter. 300 sounds about right maybe 250 if you can.

Joe08867

Big step up and you get to hear the SDA effect. Would I say the 2B's are better? Only if you don't disconnect the Dimensional tweeter in the 2A's or 2's

Rev. Hayes

Arrrg!

I was also going to look at some early Merilin's and a set of Infinity Kappa 7's this weekend.

Now I just don't know what to do..........

Disc Jockey

Those are 2A's. There is no dimensional tweeter in the 2A, only in the original 2. I would try to bring him down in price, that's a little high. A very nice speaker.

chandler9a

Def 2A's. I bought mine for $200 but after listening to them for a couple of years now I would have paid $300 for them but thats just me. I agree, see if you can talk him down first. They usually sell for around $200 or less if your lucky. Those look like they are in pretty good shape too.

Good luck and let us know

mmadden28

They look just like my 2B's (Pin/Blade). The 2B's came in different styles, such as with the wood tops looking similar to the SRS 2's, but also looking like pictured above-I think that's the studio version?? (one day I'll get my head around all these variants).

I think $300 is a decent price for 2B's assuming they are in great condition-and since they come with the cable and the orig. boxes....Obviously lower is better. I think I saw a couple pairs locally here not too long ago around the $250 price point. Look at it this way, you can't get a speaker set/sound like that for $300 from a new store bought set today. Of course if you plan on modding them with new caps and tweeters (we know you will ) you will be spending more in the long run and might make a little back if you sell the SL2000's in them for a few bucks.

Rev. Hayes

Alright, I'm going to check them out tomorrow (Sun.).

Consensus seems to be that 2B is better, so what is the simplest way to determine which these are?

The interconnect?

The manufacture date?

The box (which clearly reads SDA-2 in the picture)?

gdb

On mine, there is a small sticker placed in a corner of the label approx. 1/2"X5/8" with a capital B on it. You could also pull the MWs to verify the #s. FWIW....I have that style of 2Bs and Monitor 10As w/peerless tweeters......as good as the monitors are, there is NO COMPARISON between them and SDA2Bs, not even a contest. (to my aged ears anyway !):)

mmadden28

gdb wrote: »

On mine, there is a small sticker placed in a corner of the label approx. 1/2"X5/8" with a capital B on it....

Same here--I believe a black label with a white or silver "B"

geppy1

It is a 2B if it has a pin and blade and the inside drivers are 6503s. Also any dates on the tweeters or drivers for that matter. keith

nadams

Lasareath wrote: »

Just make sure the drivers are not locked. Evenly push in the mid-bass drivers and see if they move freely and listen to them closely to see if you hear any scratching noise.

Each dead driver will bring down the price $35 to $50

Not to argue, Las, but it's much safer to push on the passive than it is on the active drivers. Plus you can perform the leak down test at the same time!

newrival

As discussed several places in this and other forums, the only ways to tell for sure if theyre the a's or b's is based on the interconnect setup or the internal writing on the drivers. the cabinet aesthetics carried over into multiple models so that adds much confusion in these debates. The pin/blade setup wasnt introduced until '89 in order to limit the damage done if used with an amp that wasnt common ground. That would mean if it's a SDA-2 and it's pin/blade, its a 2b. But in my opinion, the only way to truly know is to pull the SDA driver and see whats written/printed on the driver.

newrival

if these are, in fact 2b's they are absolutely worth $300 in that shape and with the boxes. I think theyd even sell at $400 with the shipping containers, documents, interconnect, and in exceptional condition.

Rev. Hayes

Well, to settle this particular debate:

They are now sitting in my living room and are most assuredly SDA-2A's



1)They are blade/blade

2)"SDA-2A" is stamped on the box and printed on the owners manual

3) there is no "sticker" on the back indicating B (or A for that matter)

I haven't pulled the drivers but I will soon and let you all know what they say as well.

So they are 2A's not 2B's and according to y'all that means they're not as good but no one has said why.

So why is the 2B soooo much better?

Disc Jockey

The 2B's are an incremental improvement over the 2A's - improved crossover, cabinet, and drivers being the main difference. Both are a marked improvement over the original 2. The 2A, especially with all the updating that can be done to them, are very fine speakers. Enjoy!

What did you end up getting them for? $300 is higher than they normally go for, but you will not find a better pair of speakers for that price.

Rev. Hayes

Had a good long chat about my upgrade intentions with their owner and told him my price was $200 then refused to haggle. He finally gave in. I may go back with a friend of mine to look at some Pioneer reel to reels he has. Nice guy.

newrival

great deal on those speakers. look like great condition. As diskjockey mentioned the 2b is not a night and day improvement over the 2a. while both are highly upgradable, the 2bs are highly sought after due to their ability to accept higher versions of replacement drivers and mods (if im remembering correctly) and and second only to the 1c's outside of the SRS line. While the 1c's were the highest level of non-SRS SDA's ive heard several accounts and opinions that point to the SDA 2a/2b as being clearer and more musical, for whatever thats worth.

newrival

i suspect youll be very happy with your purchase. and youre haggling skills!
And if you are new to the SDA world, youre entering with a great set of speakers!

Hypnotoad

They look just like my 2A's, I paid $140.00 for mine without boxes and the cabinets have a few marks but they work fine.

Wade Spradley

Nice pickup. I know you will enjoy them. Have fun.