receiver recommendation, and odds and ends

knie0012

Good day-

Just started this madness of Polk speakers.

I started with buying a nice pair of Monitor 7's, then purchased an even better pair of RTA 12b's, and now have a pair of SDA 2's (two tweeters, and 3 drivers).

I recently upgraded the crossovers on the SDA's as when I bought them, the one stereo array tweeter wasn't working. After some great research here, and step by step tutorials, the rather painless upgrade was a mind blowing success. They sound fantastic.

3 questions after weeks of reading here:

1.) I am running an old Kenwood KR-7600 receiver. Can you suggest a receiver that would work well with the speakers I mentioned?

2.) I have been reading a lot about clipping and lack of power, do you think its wise to jump up to the next level and purchase an amp? If so, what would you suggest?

3.) Finally, after my SDA crossover upgrade, there are numerous posts about upgrading the tweeters. I now have the silver coil sl2000's. What would be the correct upgrade be for these and keep in mind I jumpered the polyswitch during the upgrade. Some say the tweeters are harsh after that process?

Thanks for the knowledge. I learn so much by reading past posts and the wisdom and experience here is deep!

Jason

danger boy

welcome!

to really do those speakers justice... i would recommend you go with separates.. pre amp then power amp... there are hundreds of used ones on the market. Used electronics are the best deal.

I can't recommend any.. only because there are so many to choose from. Pick a brand you like and check into used gear from that maker.

Replacing the SL2000 is highly recommended... some people, me included get ear fatigue after about 30 minutes of listening to the Sl2000 silver tweeter. the correct replacement is RD0-194 available from Polk customer service. *Mention you are a Club Polk member for a discount :biggrin:

mhardy6647

I would at least partly concur - an integrated amplifier or separate preamp and power amp will get you more for your $.

I have always liked the combination of vintage Yamaha with vintage Polk Audio.

For SDAs (even though I am not a fan of high-power amplification per se) you'll want some juice - I would think that a Yamaha CA-2010 would be at least worth a try.

I don't have a photo of a 2010 handy so I'll repost yet again its little brother; my much-beloved CA-610II, which has spent its long and productive life hooked to a pair of Monitor 7As...



Truth be told, you probably really could benefit from more than the CA-2010s 120 wpc/8 ohms... there just aren't really any mongo power amps that I like.

http://sportsbil.com/yamaha/ca-2010-om.pdf (CA-2010 owners manual, for reference)

If you do really want a receiver for some reason; I'd suggest considering the Yamaha CR-2020 (or, heck, a CR-3020 if you could find one!).



CR-2020 manual at: http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/av/english/AFR/CR-2020.pdf

Needless to say, these are merely my phenomenally biased opinions.

EDIT: Yeah, replace/upgrade the tweeters! :-)

slk55amg

I have two SONY ES receivers, a 5300 being used as a pre/pro and driving my rear surround speakers a pair of FXI3,s. It versatile lots features and a tremendous build quality. I have a ES3200 for my bedroom system , gobs of power 4ohm stable and they come with a 5 year warranty. I like um a lot.

PolkMaster1

I would say go with seperates - preamps and power amps as MHardy said. The SDAs are power hungry and would make use of the available power you give it. Receivers would never do the SDAs justice. Most (if not all) are just not built the same as seperates. MHardy, you recommend Yamaha... could you be a... Sony fan???

Nice pics of your classic Yamaha gear!!! Doesnt retro look cool!!!

Cayuga

I'm with MHardy, I run my SDA 2's with an old Yamaha M-4 and they sound great.

mhardy6647

ahh... the Yamaha separates - there were some nice ones (out of my price range then and also now, in terms of 'spensive stuff I am interested in these days). Good call.

PolkMaster1

Back in the days when the name Yamaha was a cut above the rest...

Cayuga

The old Yamaha's are easily found for very little money. I picked up a CA800 for $25 and my M-4 and C-4 were $100 total. I know some people around hear aren't big fans, but they provide some nice power for the SDA crowd.

PolkMaster1

Cayuga wrote: »

The old Yamaha's are easily found for very little money. I picked up a CA800 for $25 and my M-4 and C-4 were $100 total. I know some people around hear aren't big fans, but they provide some nice power for the SDA crowd.

The vintage Yamahas or any vintage name brand gear that you paid for $300 or more back in the late 70s to mid 80s is better than most items available today.

It sure is better than anything you would find in Best Buy.

danger boy

that Yamaha CA-610II would be under powered for SDA's. I used to own one... and it can power the SDA's... but it almost pegged the meters out.. scary..

knie0012

I'm getting the strong indication here that I need to rethink my power approach. Separate amp and pre-amp is the way to go.

Being heavy gear, getting stuff up to AK is a pain in the A$$. Fingers crossed for a local CL hit.

Follow up regarding upgrading the tweeters to the RDO's. I've read other posts, people talking about changing the XO when upgrading the tweeter is that the case going from sl2000 to RD0-194?

Please, keep the suggestions coming. The learning curve is steep!

mhardy6647

danger boy wrote: »

that Yamaha CA-610II would be under powered for SDA's. I used to own one... and it can power the SDA's... but it almost pegged the meters out.. scary..

Never meant to imply otherwise; it certainly is - that's why I suggested the rather beefier CA-2010 in my first reply.

For SDAs (even though I am not a fan of high-power amplification per se) you'll want some juice - I would think that a Yamaha CA-2010 would be at least worth a try.

I don't have a photo of a 2010 handy so I'll repost yet again its little brother; my much-beloved CA-610II, which has spent its long and productive life hooked to a pair of Monitor 7As...

I actually now have a CA-2010 but it needs the standard soiled-state amp 30-plus year tuneup, so I have no photos (nor ears-on) experience with it, yet.

I had a nice photo of the 610 (45 wpc) handy, and disclaimed as much in the earlier post.

Cayuga mentioned the CA-800 - that is an extremely nice little amplifier - again not up to snuff for SDAs, but it does offer Class A operation (ca. 15 wpc) for those with sensitive enough speakers.

Joe08867

I would also suggest separates for you SDA's. But I will give the suggestion of a B&K amp instead of a Yammy. Nothing wrong with vintage Yamaha but B&K sounded the same throughout there series. Try to find an ST-202 or a Reference 200.2 and you will be quite happy.

I would not suggest Carver personally, although I do like Carver I have never liked them with SDA's. For RTA's or Monitors they sound awesome but SDA's no so much.

Cayuga

The used market is filled with nice power, in upstate N.Y. there's an ad on craigslist for an Adcom GFA-545ii and a Adcom GTP-400 for $275 total.