SDA 2.3 (TL VS not TL'd) Can anyone explain the differences??
tophatjohnny
Posts: 4,182
Is there a big difference between the 2 and of so, looking to see if someone can explain what it is. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving to all!
"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
*****************************
*****************************
Post edited by tophatjohnny on
Comments
-
The most noticeable difference is the sl3000 tweeter in the TL versus the SL2000 being used in the non TL. The tl uses all MW6510 mid drivers versus 3 different types including the "donut" driver that is a visual difference.
You can check out the schematics section above for more details.
Enjoy your thanksgiving as well -
The front bezels are opposite from one another as well..
-
Which of the 2 sounds better??"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
***************************** -
tophatjohnny wrote: »Which of the 2 sounds better??
Tough question or a dumb one??"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
***************************** -
They are both great speakers in there own right.. IMO you can't go wrong with either one.. But if I had to pick one of course I would take the TL just because I could use the RDO-198's..
-
I would say its a tough question. How many people have actually been able to a/b test both versions at the same time? The ones that I have seen have both sold the non TL version first. I had a set of stock 2Bs that could have been modded to use the 198. I compared them in stock form to some 2.3s in stock form which can not use the 198. I sold the 2Bs.
I have the non TL version, have updated the crossovers, and swapped the sl2000 with the 194 tweeters. I really enjoy the listening experience they provide. I suppose if I saw a set of TL version for sale locally or someone close had a set to listen to, I might make a trip...but I am not worried about it. -
I was lucky enough to hear both in the same room and they are both solid speakers..
-
I have the 2.3TLS and 1C both tweets/crossovers updated in both. I enjoy both set immensely :biggrin: I can't take nothing away from the 1C's either they stand solid!cincycat13 wrote: »I would say its a tough question. How many people have actually been able to a/b test both versions at the same time? The ones that I have seen have both sold the non TL version first. I had a set of stock 2Bs that could have been modded to use the 198. I compared them in stock form to some 2.3s in stock form which can not use the 198. I sold the 2Bs.
I have the non TL version, have updated the crossovers, and swapped the sl2000 with the 194 tweeters. I really enjoy the listening experience they provide. I suppose if I saw a set of TL version for sale locally or someone close had a set to listen to, I might make a trip...but I am not worried about it.POLK SDA 2.3 TLS BOUGHT NEW IN 1990, Gimpod/Sonic Caps/Mills RDO-198
POLK CSI-A6 POLK MONITOR 70'S ONKYO TX NR-808 SONY CDP-333ES
PIONEER PL-510A SONY BDP S5100
POLK SDA 1C BOUGHT USED 2011,Gimpod/Sonic Caps/Mills RDO-194
ONKYO HT RC-360 SONY BDP S590 TECHNICS SL BD-1 -
Tophat, you should download the SDA handbook, VR3 has a link to it at the top of this forum, it is a treasure chest of information, explains the SL 2000 etc very nicely.
-
Tophat, you should download the SDA handbook, VR3 has a link to it at the top of this forum, it is a treasure chest of information, explains the SL 2000 etc very nicely.
+1. A DarqueKnight masterpiece.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
Also it should be noted that with the non TL's you have to run a common ground amp. I owned SRS's that were modded and they were fantastic however I bought different amps that were mono blocks that wouldn't work with the speakers. That to me is the biggest downside to them. They sounded amazing with the mods and I really liked them. However if I ever find a pair of 1.2TL's or 2.3TL's I would probably get them so I can run them with the set up I have and not have to purchase another amp.
-
What about an AI-1?Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
-
:question::question::question::question::question::question::question::question:Also it should be noted that with the non TL's you have to run a common ground amp. I owned SRS's that were modded and they were fantastic however I bought different amps that were mono blocks that wouldn't work with the speakers. That to me is the biggest downside to them. They sounded amazing with the mods and I really liked them. However if I ever find a pair of 1.2TL's or 2.3TL's I would probably get them so I can run them with the set up I have and not have to purchase another amp.What about an AI-1?
Correct!, To explain further ALL and I repeat ALL SDA's from the first to the last one made require a common ground amp. It is only the last two generations with the single board style crossover (CRS+/2B, 1C, SRS 2, 3.1TL, 2.3, 2.3TL, 1.2, 1.2TL) that you can use the AI-1 or Dreadnought interconnect on in order to use mono block amps.“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
:question::question::question::question::question::question::question::question:
Correct!, To explain further ALL and I repeat ALL SDA's from the first to the last one made require a common ground amp. It is only the last two generations with the single board style crossover (CRS+/2B, 1C, SRS 2, 3.1TL, 2.3, 2.3TL, 1.2, 1.2TL) that you can use the AI-1 or Dreadnought interconnect on in order to use mono block amps.
sorry, I was trying to say that you can use the AI-1 so you can use monos with the TL's. From what I recalled the 2.3's along with the SDA SRS etc can only use common ground. That is why I passed on a close by sale of the 2.3s with the donuts because I could not use the AI-1. -
Why couldn't you use an AI-1 with the 2.3's?Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
-
The donuts drivers in the 2.3's or them being non-TL versions have nothing to do with the ability of being able to use the AI-1 IC, As long as they (any model SDA) have the Pin/Blade IC connector and the single board style crossover you can use the AI-1 IC TL or Non-TL. As far as I know Polk never made 2.3's or 1.2's with a blade/Blade IC.sorry, I was trying to say that you can use the AI-1 so you can use monos with the TL's. From what I recalled the 2.3's along with the SDA SRS etc can only use common ground. That is why I passed on a close by sale of the 2.3s with the donuts because I could not use the AI-1.
Again It is only the last two generations with the single board style crossover (CRS+/2B, 1C, SRS 2, 3.1TL, 2.3, 2.3TL, 1.2, 1.2TL) that you can use the AI-1 or Dreadnought interconnect on in order to use mono block amps.“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
The 2.3's "CAN NOT USE THE AI-1 DREADNOUGHT"... They do not have the single board crossover at least zarrdoss's didn't have them, and you cannot use the SL3000-RDO-198 TWEETER (well you shouldn't anyway.)
Not all 2B's or CRS+'s came with a single board either and they came with a blade/blade as well which nullifies the use of the AI-1..
If I'm wrong you can color me pink!! -
The 2.3's "CAN NOT USE THE AI-1 DREADNOUGHT"... They do not have the single board crossover at least zarrdoss's didn't have them, and you cannot use the SL3000-RDO-198 TWEETER (well you shouldn't anyway.)
Not all 2B's or CRS+'s came with a single board either and they came with a blade/blade as well which nullifies the use of the AI-1..
If I'm wrong you can color me pink!!
My 2BTL's are the single crossover board and a blade/blade connector. They were TL-able but I have never tried using an AI-1 with them to find out if it works. I have never tried becasue as far as I knew the blade/blade connector (due to how they are wired from the blade/blade connector to the crossover board) restricts being able to use the AI-1. Maybe we all should read (or re-read) DK's SDA handbook to find out.
Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
"I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion."![:\](https://forum.polkaudio.com/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....
"Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson
"Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee -
After re-reading DK's SDA Handbook and looking at the schematics for the 2.3 & 2.3TL's and not being able to find any documentation on the AI-1 IC that states you can not use it with the 2.3's I can see no reason why you couldn't use the AI-1 with the 2.3's as long as they had the single board style crossover & Pin/Blade IC connector with the Blade connected to the negative LF binding post.The 2.3's "CAN NOT USE THE AI-1 DREADNOUGHT"... They do not have the single board crossover at least zarrdoss's didn't have them, and you cannot use the SL3000-RDO-198 TWEETER (well you shouldn't anyway.)
zarrdoss's 2.3's I'll bet they were electrically identical to the single board crossover with maybe the exception of the blade from the IC connector not being connected to the negative LF binding post just like the dual board SDA 1C's.Not all 2B's or CRS+'s came with a single board either and they came with a blade/blade as well which nullifies the use of the AI-1..
Yes and no. As long as there electrically identical to the single board crossover and the wide blade is not being used you can connect it to the negative binding post and use the AI-1.
How 'bout off pink.If I'm wrong you can color me pink!!
:razz:My 2BTL's are the single crossover board and a blade/blade connector. They were TL-able but I have never tried using an AI-1 with them to find out if it works. I have never tried becasue as far as I knew the blade/blade connector (due to how they are wired from the blade/blade connector to the crossover board) restricts being able to use the AI-1. Maybe we all should read (or re-read) DK's SDA handbook to find out.
The only difference between the 2B 1987 blade/Blade and 2B 1987 Pin/Blade versions besides the connector is that on the blade/Blade version the wide Blade terminal is not connected to anything on the later Pin/Blade ones it's connected to the negative binding post.
As I understand it the AI-1/Dreadnaught has 2 wires going to each speaker, one carry's the signal and connects to the pin in the IC socket and the other wire connects to the negative binding post. So if your SDA's only use one wire of the IC cable then you can use the AI-1/Dreadnaught.
Now I could be wrong on this, I don't think I am but stranger things have happened. :exclaim:“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
The only difference between the 2B 1987 blade/Blade and 2B 1987 Pin/Blade versions besides the connector is that on the blade/Blade version the wide Blade terminal is not connected to anything on the later Pin/Blade ones it's connected to the negative binding post.
As I understand it the AI-1/Dreadnaught has 2 wires going to each speaker, one carry's the signal and connects to the pin in the IC socket and the other wire connects to the negative binding post. So if your SDA's only use one wire of the IC cable then you can use the AI-1/Dreadnaught.
Now I could be wrong on this, I don't think I am but stranger things have happened. :exclaim:
Hmmmm. I still have not re-read Raif's SDA handbook. I will do that soon however. If all I need to do is wire bigger blade connector to the negative binding post (and install another binding post for the smaller blade connector (equivalent to the pin) then that would be great news! I can build my second AI-1 and hook it up to my 2B-TL's. Outstanding!
Also, perhaps Raife can confirm or deny that the AI-1 can be used with the 2B blade/blade single crossover board versions? Raife? Thank you Tony and Raife.
Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
"I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion."
My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....
"Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson
"Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee -
The schematics tell the tale:
If the SDA speaker (including SRS models) use TWO CONDUCTORS TO CARRY THE SDA SIGNAL, the speaker is not compatible with an AI-1. Example: SDA 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, original SRS, SRS 2 blade/blade. Put another way: Every model with a dimensional tweeter, plus the generation after the dimensional tweeter was engineered OUT of the design: 1B, 2A, SRS, SRS 2 blade/blade. I think there's a CRS in the group, but I'm unclear when they switched.
If the SDA speaker uses ONE CONDUCTOR to transfer the SDA signal between two cabinets, the speaker is AI-1 compatible. Example: All SDA speakers with an OEM pin/blade interconnect socket, and SDA 1C, 2B INCLUDING the ones made with blade/blade sockets if a minor modification is made to the internal wiring--or--the ground side of the isolation transformer windings are connected to the speaker - terminal on each cabinet. The blade/blade socket is not a guarantee of incompatibility; but it's a moderately-good indicator. Far as I know, the pin/blade socket is a reasonable guarantee of compatibility with the AI-1; as long as the pin/blade socket was not installed by some doofus previous owner.
All SRS-series speakers are compatible with the AI-1 EXCEPT the original SRS (The 1.2 or 1.2TL are compatible) and the SRS 2 blade/blade--which is a grandiose SDA 1B. The SRS 2.3 uses a single-conductor SDA signal transfer, therefore is compatible with an AI-1. -
I can build my second AI-1 and hook it up to my 2B-TL's.
Shameless plug - I will have an 800VA Dreadnaught for sale quite soon. Fully assembled in Larry's case. We just got the 1000VA transformers from the group buy, I'm ready to assemble as soon as my binding posts arrive.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
The schematics tell the tale:
If the SDA speaker (including SRS models) use TWO CONDUCTORS TO CARRY THE SDA SIGNAL, the speaker is not compatible with an AI-1. Example: SDA 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, original SRS, SRS 2 blade/blade. Put another way: Every model with a dimensional tweeter, plus the generation after the dimensional tweeter was engineered OUT of the design: 1B, 2A, SRS, SRS 2 blade/blade. I think there's a CRS in the group, but I'm unclear when they switched.
If the SDA speaker uses ONE CONDUCTOR to transfer the SDA signal between two cabinets, the speaker is AI-1 compatible. Example: All SDA speakers with an OEM pin/blade interconnect socket, and SDA 1C, 2B INCLUDING the ones made with blade/blade sockets if a minor modification is made to the internal wiring--or--the ground side of the isolation transformer windings are connected to the speaker - terminal on each cabinet. The blade/blade socket is not a guarantee of incompatibility; but it's a moderately-good indicator. Far as I know, the pin/blade socket is a reasonable guarantee of compatibility with the AI-1; as long as the pin/blade socket was not installed by some doofus previous owner.
All SRS-series speakers are compatible with the AI-1 EXCEPT the original SRS (The 1.2 or 1.2TL are compatible) and the SRS 2 blade/blade--which is a grandiose SDA 1B. The SRS 2.3 uses a single-conductor SDA signal transfer, therefore is compatible with an AI-1.
SWEET! good to know as I was always under the impression that 2.3's with the donut drivers (to show they were the original verision) could NOT use the AI-1 so that is why I always passed on them in the past...There was a model close by selling and one about 4 hours away last year I never bothered with....
dang...wish I would have known better before.
