3.1TL Guru's

Drenis

A couple questions:

- Do these speakers have to be placed against a back wall or can they be pulled out?
- What about distance from side walls? Can these speakers work with about 5.5-6' between them on a 9' listening distance?
- Side walls on either side that extend about 2' from the back wall.

- What to look at on these speakers? What should one pay closer attention to?
- What are the colors of the SL3000 tweeters face? Any differences between the SL2000 and SL3000 appearance wise?
- Anything on the drivers one should be looking for?

Appreciate any feedback. I'm looking at a pair but have some doubts that they are original and untouched. I think the tweeter and maybe mids have been changed. Need to do some digging though. Apparently exterior is mint though. Pictures look okay. Speakers are local.

3.1TL's vs RTiA9's = Be honest here. My room isn't large but isn't small. I'm a bit scared to lose anything. I'm sure they can be hot rodded but are the 3.1TL's worth it?

Feel free to PM if you want specifics as I don't want to post links due to google searches.

heiney9

3.1TL's and don't look back.

Toolfan66

heiney9 wrote: »

3.1TL's and don't look back.

+100000000


Do you have any pics?

Drenis

Matching serial numbers matter? Anything I can tell from the numbers?

I have just the pics from the add. I have asked for some better ones.

They look mint from the fuzzy low quality crap pics I can see... but that's not what sets off flags.

Toolfan66

Serial numbers won't tell you anything really. I believe Polk never kept record of them as well..

Drenis

Okay. What about any of the other questions I asked?

Drenis

Okay got some clearer answers. Still would like to know more about the questions I asked. Especially the tweeters...

Hopefully I can see these tomorrow. These better blow me away and the A9's. If so, I will have to flip 'em.

heiney9

As far as the tweeters there are pics all over the site of the sl3000 and sl2000, so just have a look-see. I doubt very much someone replaced sl3000's w/sl2000's. sl3000's have a foam ring in the bezel between the dome and the dome cut out in the bezel.

SDA's need to be 6-12" off the back wall to get proper bass reinforcement, the farther out they are the bass diminishes. As far as listening position, it should be fine, perhaps not 100% ideal, but definitely doable.

All these questions have been answered soooooooooooo many times. I wasn't going to respond yet again, but I really want to you pop your SDA cherry. If after being on this board all this time and still being so unsure about SDA's.............................:question::question::question:

Go get them if they sound and look good. Don't be tentative, the A9's don't have a chance.

H9

Schurkey

3.1s local in Winterpeg? If they were on the other side of the border, you'd have competition for them. Jump on them.

Drenis

Honestly h9, the search function sucks. Just type "3.1TL" and you get nothing. So I apologize. I've browsed a bit of what I did find.

Also there was some uncertainty because I found another ad, slightly older from the same person with a pair advertised as blown tweets and cones pushed in for a lower price but I was told that was another pair that was in rough shape. This pair apparently looks "21 days old". And you're right, I'm curious. With so much talk, I wanna hear them. I want to be blown away in knowing there is better then what I have. I just didn't expect to be buying a pair of speakers right this moment.

Distance from the back wall will work then. I guess I'm a bit nervous to take the plunge into a pair of speakers almost as old as I am. I know they WILL require some work done if not right away, soon.

headrott

The 3.1TL's never had an sl-2000 in them. Unless one was put in them which would be a completely useless act, the 3.1TL's should never have had/never had an sl-2000. The sl-3000 was the only tweeter that came in the 3.1TL's.

That said, the sl-2000 has a more clearly silver color to it and there is a clear distinction between the silver dome and the plastic covering it. The sl-3000 usually has a darker color to it and is also not a cleary separated between the dome. Pictures would be very helpful, but as I said unless the tweeters were replaced (incorrectly) with sl-2000's they are sl-3000's. If the tweeters were never replaced, they are sl-3000's period.

For placement, having the 3.1TL's on a 9 foot wall isn't going to work out the best for them. As H9 said, it's "do-able" but you won't be getting the full SDA sound on a 9 foot wall with 5.5' to 6' between them.

I would put them about 6 to 9 inches off the back wall, but it really depends on the total size of the room and what is in the room that will determine the best distance.

Have you talked to the seller? I would ask what condition they are in (fully functional?) if not, what's wrong with them. Has anything been replaced? Are they all stock? Then, I would listen to them in person before purchase (if you have the opportunity). Hope this helps you out.

Drenis

My questions have pretty much been answered now. Yes I've spoken with him. I hope to see them tomorrow.

And my room has to do. My house is 100+ years old so you work with what you got.

52" TV, A9's in the picture with a 50" stand. They will fit and depth is not an issue.

headrott

I would put as little distance between the TV stand and the 3.1TL's (assuming you get them) as you can. That is, you put as much room between the the door on the left and the wall on the right as you can. That room really is too small for the 3.1TL's. If you can put them on a longer wall (ex. 15 ft.) in a separate room you will be much more impressed with the SDA audio you get from the 3.1TL's. What are you using for a source, pre-amp and amp?

Drenis

To the right of the picture is a opening to the kitchen then a bar next to the opening on a short wall above the sink. To the left of the picture extends my living room to the front of the house; roughly the same size as what you see in this image but just to the left as a addition. The distance between the inner side walls in the picture is JUST under 9' across. I think it was 8' 10". So yes, it's not the largest but what I have to work with. There isn't any other walls (straighter ones for that matter) available.

Source: FLAC via Squeezebox
DAC: Pop Pulse 1796 MKII
Pre: Parasound 2100
Amp: Carver TFM-42

heiney9

Drenis wrote: »

My questions have pretty much been answered now. Yes I've spoken with him. I hope to see them tomorrow.

And my room has to do. My house is 100+ years old so you work with what you got.

52" TV, A9's in the picture with a 50" stand. They will fit and depth is not an issue.

That won't work for SDA's...........what I mean is, it's much less than ideal if you are going to put them where the A9's are. In fact I'm surprised the A9's work, looks like bass loading hell. I completely understand you have to work with you have, just my observation.

If that's where the 3.1TL's are going, then I am rethinking my recommendation to get them. They are twice as wide as the A9's. You'll get decent sound for sure, but much of the SDA magic will be diminished.

H9

Drenis

Oh the A9's have no problem filling the room with loaded bass... Most I can pull them is 9" off the back wall (since they are so deep by design). I should mention the photo is old, the towers are in a slightly different spot and not toed in as extreme.

Can you imagine 1.2TL's for a chuckle Brock in my room?

If anything, We'll be in this house for another year minimum. Like some members here who make do with their living quarters given there horde of large speakers (aka nooshinjohn), I don't think I should push them away based solely on that. I know I need room treatments, badly.

heiney9

Drenis wrote: »

Like some members here who make do with their living quarters given there horde of large speakers (aka nooshinjohn), I don't think I should push them away based solely on that. I know I need room treatments, badly.

I agree, I still think you should go after them. Local is a HUGE advantage when looking for large speakers, if they are indeed in good shape, now is the time to take the plunge. They should be pretty good right away so while I definitely advocate a x-over refresh, that's not something you have to rush and do right away to enjoy them. Something like that will take them to the next level, but let's get them home and up and running and worry about that at a later date.

H9

Joe08867

They are gonna be tight but if you can pull them off the wall as far as possible you may be able to save yourself from boomy bass hell.

It isn't ideal but I would do it in a heartbeat.

Schurkey

If you DON'T buy them...let me know. I really hate crossing the border anymore, but with the right motivation...things could happen.

EndersShadow

Drenis:

Get em now while the gettings good. The might not sound "ideal" but they will sound decent. And you can build your setup around them.

They will last LOTS longer in your setup that your other components as they really are the kind of speakers you can hold onto for years and years :biggrin:.

Congrats in advance for breaking your SDA cherry. Personally I want a pair of 1C's to start with unless the big boys are around when I get into them in a few years.

Drenis

Going to see them in a couple hours.

Apparently there is someone else interested who's next in line after me... talk about pressure.

oldmodman

I've only had mine for a month, but I will never get tired of them.

Now it's time to start modding them.

Drenis

Some of you are bad influences... So I'm an SDA owner.

Speakers look 9/10 for condition. All the drivers move freely and appear to play well. The sound... for being fed off a **** old Sony amp and old Kenwood CD player and cheap 20g wire, it sounded better than it should. I'm a bit pissed off that the seller wont sell the SDA cable to go with it. After he told me someone contacted him offering to pay $100 for the cable, I said "Let them have it then". Just making arrangements to snag a van and a extra pair of hands to go pick them up and bring them home as they wont fit in my little sunfire.

I think the price I am paying is fair. The speakers do look as if they have been VERY well taken care of. My ol lady will kill me tonight...

Drenis

ALSO, the tweeters are not original. I didn't say anything because the guy wont budge from the price and I honestly don't want them snatched up. But BOTH tweeters are SL2000's.

Pics will come tonight.

Oldfatdogs

Congratulations,enjoy your new speakers.Dan

chandler9a

Congrats! Thats kind of weird and in my opinion, unprofessional to sell you the speakers without the cable. I understand someone else may give him more money for it and he's just making a buck, but its a part that goes WITH the speakers and should be part of the sale.

Either way, glad you got em and hopefully you will be able to have a great room to put them in soon.

heiney9

What did you pay? Sl2000's? Did you ask him why he had to replace the tweets? 3.1TL's and other TL's don't have a poly switch for tweeter protection.

Here's the owners manual/literature

http://polksda.com/pdfs/SRS3.1TLBrochure.pdf

I'd get the order for RD0198-1's placed right away. Too bad you are in Canada because you are going to pay a lot more than if you were in the states.

Congrats

He is a complete schmuck for keeping the I/C cable, that's like advertising a car and then when the buyer gets there taking the wheels off.

H9

heiney9

The RD0's won't come with the diffraction plate originally installed on the stock sl3000's.

Toolfan66

The diffraction plate is/was not mounted to the tweeter but right below it.

I have like 3-4 of them..

F1nut

He is a complete schmuck for keeping the I/C cable, that's like advertising a car and then when the buyer gets there taking the wheels off.

^This^

headrott

Why the hell did he put sl-2000's in the 3.1TL's? They probably sounded like crap due to this. You will love the improvement you get with the RD0-198's. That was a pretty damn selfish act on his part on selling the interconnect separately. I hope you got a good price on them since he has completely the wrong tweeters in them and he didn't give you the interconnect cable. After you replace the tweeters and get a pin/blade cable you will be pretty happy. You should do the "usual" mods to them as well. You will be even happier.