SDA's 1C's vs CRS+'s

Toolfan66

I would like to go on record and say the CRS+'s have got to be one of the best SDA's I have heard to date, I have been listening to them for awhile since I finished them, and I know they are not even burned in yet but I am in love with them.

I brought down my 1C's and did a little A/B test and I would have to say that if I had to I would keep the CRS+'s over the 1C's. not sure if this is due to the RDO-194's to the RDO-198's or not, but I do prefer the CRS+'s. Could it be that I put in a Dueland Resistor in this set? single tweeter? I don't know.

The CRS+'s just seem more laid back, more detailed, just smoother all around. It's almost as they just do everything right. I know my room and gear play into all this as well, but I feel the same way with my 1.2tl's..

I sold my 2B's so I could pick up the 1C's back when I got started in this circus,I'm not sure that was a good trade now...

I'm not putting down the 1C's they are a great speaker but when comparing them to the other SDA's they don't give me that warm fuzzy feeling..

This has me wondering what will become of my 3.1tl's?? I guess time will tell.


Larry.

nspindel

Hmmmmm.... I'm not saying anything bad about my 1C's, they certainly give me that warm fuzzy feeling.

But... Hearing you say this also gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that at some point I'll be making the exact same switch. My CRS+'s are a pile of parts in a box right now, but one of these days they won't be any more...

Joe08867

I have never heard modded 1c's but have heard modded CRS's and 2a's and B's and can say I agree 100%.

I think it is the distance between the drivers on the CRS's. And the rear firing passive that sets them up for a cleaner and very wide soundstage.

I do prefer the bit more bottom you get from the bigger brothers though. But overall the CRS's are superb.

Face

No big surprise.

Toolfan66

Face wrote: »

No big surprise.

:biggrin:LOL!!!! So what do you think makes the difference? Tweeters, Resistors,or just the design??

dorokusai

It's one of the best SDA's yet often overlooked due to the size. They have decent bass response and the SDA effect is as pronounced and obvious as the bigger models. They do have a following for sure but usually because they've heard them elsewhere. You don't find many new to SDA folks starting with the CRS series in other words.

As Face said, no surprise here.

Toolfan66

Well I will admit it was a surprise to me, and you are right you don't hear new SDA owners looking for them, It's the bigger has to be better syndrome.

The next set I would like to find is the SRS 2's P/B..

Toolfan66

Joe08867 wrote: »

I do prefer the bit more bottom you get from the bigger brothers though. But overall the CRS's are superb.

You know the difference between the two regarding bass response would not matter to me as the CRS's seem to have a natural bass response that I wouldn't even miss what the 1C's give out..

IMO they are that superb..

dorokusai

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

Well I will admit it was a surprise to me, and you are right you don't hear new SDA owners looking for them, It's the bigger has to be better syndrome.

The next set I would like to find is the SRS 2's P/B..

Another sleeper SDA. Yeah, the 1.2 immediately clouds judgement since its the big boy but not all that special in the end.

Face

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

The next set I would like to find is the SRS 2's P/B..

If you already have 1C's, why bother?

Are you looking for a little more bass extension? Why not go back to your roots and pick up a pair of PB 2B's? Apply the TL mod and you should be in SDA heaven.

headrott

Larry,

I would guess your response to the comparison has to do with a little of everything. I do believe the smoothness you are talking about does have to do with the rdo-194 vs. rdo-198, plus possibly the dueland resistor. The 198 is absolutely a better tweeter than the 194 especially in terms of smoothness and ease of long term listening (on the ear). That in no way implies that the 194 is not a good tweeter however.

In regards to the 3.1tl's definately mod them and then decide what to do. They are a fantastic speaker. As I reported a while back in my comparison between the 3.1tl's and 2.3tl's, one does not sound better than the other as far as fidelity goes, it's just the amount of what the speaker is putting out (i.e SDA effect, bass, soundstage height, width, depth). You just get more with the bigger SDA's. But I would not say the 2.3tl's have better fidelity than the 3.1tl's. I hope that makes sense.

Please let us know what you think of the 3.1tl's after the mods.

Greg

nspindel

dorokusai wrote: »

You don't find many new to SDA folks starting with the CRS series in other words.

Not true, man. Back in the day when these were production speakers I scored CRS+'s for $800, new from a dealer. You couldn't get 2B's without spending a few hundred more, in 1989 dollars!

jimbo1421

This is encouraging news since I am thinking of refurbishing my newly acquired CRS+ instead of my SDA-1B pair.

Jim

jonicont

Face wrote: »

If you already have 1C's, why bother?

Are you looking for a little more bass extension? Why not go back to your roots and pick up a pair of PB 2B's? Apply the TL mod and you should be in SDA heaven.

What he said. People look around for a sub when they hear mine

Mike Reeter

I enjoy the sound of the modded CRS+s, the soundstage and the overall presentation is exceptional...the 198's do have a sweetness to them over the 194's.

Had a friend stop by and we got into an extended listen,we started out with the 1C's and then moved in the CRS+s,we swapped both pair back and forth a couple of times.

He was in awe at how good the "little" SDAs sounded compared to the larger 1C's.

The CRS+s are usually the least expensive to buy and also the least costly to upgrade,a real jewel.

nspindel

jonicont wrote: »

What he said. People look around for a sub when they hear mine

The 2B's and the CRS+'s are practically the same speaker. The CRS+ has such a larger sound than it's size suggests.

Anyone who thinks Larry should abandon his CRS+'s obviously hasn't seen what he's cooked up in his spare time....

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119192

Toolfan66

It's not so much about in serch for something better as it is I enjoy working/upgrading on these speakers,the plus side is I get the opportunity to listen to them,and hear for myself the pros and cons of each one I get my hands on.

as i said above I have the 3.1tl's sitting in my garage (winter project) the only other SDA's I care to get my hands on are the SRS 2's.

My 1.2tl's are still my babys but the CRS+'s are here to stay,worth every penny I spent on the upgrades,and the speaker stands are a huge plus in how they look. personally since I like my equipment black I wish I would have had them veneered in black, maybe someday. anyone know where I can buy black paint?? ;-)

I'm just having fun fellas thats all..

dorokusai

I'd sell the 1.2 and totally trick out the 3.1.

JPSmario

not to digress too much, but I'm just curious how you compared the 2B's with the 3.1's? I've never heard the 3.1's and don't know anyone that owns a pair. I've wondered whether 3.1's would be a natural move up from my 2A's... BTW, my 2A's are mortited, Dynamatted and have the 194's.

Toolfan66

JPSmario wrote: »

not to digress too much, but I'm just curious how you compared the 2B's with the 3.1's? I've never heard the 3.1's and don't know anyone that owns a pair. I've wondered whether 3.1's would be a natural move up from my 2A's... BTW, my 2A's are mortited, Dynamatted and have the 194's.

I have yet to spend some serious time with the 3.1tl's but I can tell you the 2B's are fantastic!! but I can't compare them just yet, and to be honest I doubt I will spend any time with them till the upgrades.

Toolfan66

dorokusai wrote: »

I'd sell the 1.2 and totally trick out the 3.1.

How bout I keep the 1.2's and trick out the 3.1's?? if you have any thoughts on tricking them out do share!! you can PM your ideas if you want.

I would rather sell the 1C's...

BTW your package will ship out tomorrow..:biggrin:

audio_alan

Wow, Larry, now you're making we want to upgrade my CRS+'s first, before any of the other models that I have. :biggrin:

Good thing you sold your extra pair to me before you learned how great they can be after modding them. You might never have sold them to me! :eek:

Tony M

Here's my .02.

I've owned all three..

SRS 2s

SDA 1c

CRS+

and CRS 2 tweeter.

The SDA 1C allmost matchs the SRS2. I feel the 14 driver speakers, either ones, are better than the CRSs, either ones again. More is better in my spacious, cluttered space.

With not much to mess with the boundry reflections, maybe less is ok or at least equal since the drivers are so similar from one model to the next. Now if you put those CRSs in front of your Big SRS's, the passive's movement had a fluid impact on the drivers of those towers and therefore added to the sound you heard. The SDA 1c's on the other hand would'nt have acted hardly at all with your towers since the passive is of course in front.

I just did an A/B kind-of test between the SDA-SRS2's compared to the SDA 1c's and I could live with either one that the young man didn't choose to buy. He chose the larger SRS2s for that extra bass output.The SRS2's did have the RD-0194 upgrades also.Maybe he liked the highs also..
That was fine with me and now all I have to do is raise the bass some if I want to hear that again. They are close in sound output though.My SDA 1Cs are brighter than the RD-0194's sound but I did like them doing the A/b testing.
Yesterday I put in a test track by Celin Dion, O' Holy Night. A nightmare for SL-2000's!! I found that out when I played it over the SDA-SRS2's after I got them set up a couple of years ago. So I bought the replacements and they were softer but felt they opened up more over a short period.The RD-0194's are nice allright but yesterday, the Sl2000's in my SDA 1Cs played her highs pretty well. I could hear where the shrillness is JUST starting to make itself heard. But that was at a high volume also. So I've heard bad SL-2000's and good ones just barely starting to show that age factor.


Maybe even the midwoofers should be replaced after 20 years also. Spiders getting too flexable??? Surrounds loosing their control factor?

I'd say keep the 1Cs too!!!!! 14 drivers are an awsome combination.

Some guys are going back to the one full range driver approach, stating like you mentioned, less = more clarity, as a theory. I like the 14 drivers I hear!!

As always, I enjoy your posts.

Joe08867

I was confused at first when you said 14 driver speakers but you mean 7 per side. I am fine now. Although I would say they are 4 driver speakers. I don't consider Tweeters drivers. Semantics.

Having heard CRS+, SDA2's, 2A's, 2B's and SRS2's. I would give the nod by far to the SRS2's and then the 2B's. I believe the CRS's are awesome speakers in there own right but not quite on par with SRS2's imho but pretty close to the 2b's.

dcmartinpc

I own the SRS 2's (p/b), in process of being upgraded, and I love them! I sold a pair of modded 1C's to get them. I was very happy with the switch. Can't wait to see what the all Sonicap mod does to the crossovers.

I also own a pair of CRS+. I did prefer those over the 1C oddly enough. They currently have the 194 tweeter and are stock otherwise. Maybe I should jump on the CRS+ tl modding bandwagon Sadly, they are currently sitting on my bedroom floor because they do not fit in the room with the wife's new arrangement... Had to drop down to the measly LSi9's

I love hearing everyone's impressions. I fell in love with my SRS 2's, I almost sold them to pickup a set of 2.3tl, but I am glad I didn't. For what it is worth...

CRS+ and the SRS 2 are something special for sure. I am glad I have landed here

Don

Toolfan66

Sounds Freaking Unbelievable!!!!!! Again these speakers ROCK!!!!!

They just keep sounding better and better. Listening to this CD just gave me chills..

nspindel

You're killing me dude. My CRS+'s were going to be the mod project that I could take my time with, because after all, I have hot rodded 1C's. What rush could I possibly be in to get CRS+'s finished? Grrrrr....

quadzilla

I also like my TL'ed CRS+'s. But not quite as much as some of the others here. I find them weak in the lower registers, and lacking bass impact. Granted, the bass they do produce is very textured and even, but there's something missing. Deeper bass especially is very indistinct and lacks focus. The imaging is very good, but I find the stock 1Cs to be better from a strictly width and wrap-around perspective. Where the stock 1Cs really beat the CRS+s on my rig in in both center image weight, as well as overall weight and tactile bass slam at even moderate volumes.

But the air and sense of space from the CRS+s leave the 1Cs crying, at least in their stock form, as the 1Cs can't come any where close to what the TL'ed CRS+s do. This holds true for separation between instruments, and reproducing very subtle textures within each instrument's sound.

If I could get the resolution of the TL'ed CRS+s and the slam, weight and image width of the 1Cs, I'd have something very close to my perfect speaker. 2.3 TL, maybe?

Toolfan66

I am happy with the bass but I want to put a north creek inductor in them and see if there is any improvment like my 1.2tl's.

Tony M

I know the CRS's, either one, produce large soundfields that belie(sp) their size, but I haven't felt that bass producing feel you get from the bigger speakers. But that comes with volume to (except with the SRS2's, it's there all the time )and if your going to listen at moderate levels, the CRS's could probably compete closely in a blind test.

Larry, I was thinking Darknight started this thread and I was picturing his set-up like he had in one of his pics. before. That's why I pictured those CRS+'s in front of big towers.
Sorry, I'm getting older and older every day.....:redface:

nspindel

Actually, Larry, on the inductors you should read DarqueNight's thread about Northcreek vs. Solen, he ended up recommending the Solens. I purchased the Solens already for my CRS+ project.