New Polk SDA SRS 2 - First SDA's for me and WOW!

MAD

All I can say is that I'm currently loving the SDA effect and these speakers are truly full range. A very different listening experience... a whole new level of stereo listening enjoyment.

On July 3rd, we went across the border to Marysville Washington for a bit of a getaway and... I saw these speakers on craigslist and contacted the seller immediately.

After a weird night of speaker nightmares I awoke at 3 am and waited for our meet time at 330 pm.

He was the original owner and they were in mint condition with the original interconnect cable. The owner upgraded to a pair of polk LSI 15, but I could see on his face it was hard for him to let these go, but I guess these were overbearing in his living room. I paid $700 which I hope is fair. I didn't want to let these pass as they don't come up very often and he was a stand up guy.

After demoing them in his garage I was sold.

Away we went wrapping them in shrinkwrap and just barely got them in to my Honda Fit, covered them with a tarp and away we went.

I've been constantly battling in the past to integrate a pair of subs and now I don't need to.

I've been reading through about wiring the speakers with a common ground amp and am very hesitant to try a few of mine. So far they sound great with my Pioneer sx-1980 but I have a few dual mono amps I would like to try but I really don't want to fry them. I've read about checking for continuity between the negative terminals but I thought I would give it a shot and ask specifically about the amps I want to run.

Question 1 - Are those two donut drivers actually functional?

Question 2 - Could I run two monoblocks for the tweeters (I'm guessing they are not part of the SDA) into the high speaker inputs (if they are high speaker inputs) of the speaker and then run a common gound amp for the woofers and SDA effect into the low inputs.

Question 3 - amp options
1) Hitachi HMA 8500 II (it has two transformers, love the airyness of the sound)
2) Sanyo P55 (2 transformers)
3) Onkyo M504 (2 transformers)
4) Rivera hammer 320 tube amp

I am going to try my Sansui BA 3000, G9700, AU9500, kenwood 700m... should not be a problem right...

Now they are sitting in my living room, thanks for the support. I've been reading thorough this forum for a while but now I actually have a reason to post.

Again I am thoroughly impressed. Thanks for the help.

Oldmanind

Looks like you the 2.3. Had a set years ago loved the sound. I currently have a set of srs 2 and have powered them with a class d amp with good results. But now I have my yamaha p-2200 on them with great success. Have fun with them in my opinion the sda line of polks do everything right.

heartystatue

I have the exact same speakers that I am in the process of modding. The LSI15's are currently in their place while my modding gets done. The LSI's can't touch the SDA's music wise. Movie wise they are a little better IMHO. Keep reading thers is alot to learn about these speaks. I hope you get as much enjoyment from them as I have mine. Welcome to CP.

heartystatue

By the way, I think you bought them for a great price.

Schurkey

2.3s will be compatible with non-common-ground amps if you integrate an isolation transformer into the SDA interconnect cable.

Search on "AI-1" and "Dreadnaught" / "Dreadnought".

Dual-Mono does not have to mean "Non-common-ground" although it can. Sometimes only the + side is dual-mono, with a shared - side. An ohmmeter between the two channel's negative terminals will tell the tale.

Good score.

Schurkey

MAD wrote: »

Question 1 - Are those two donut drivers actually functional?

They're supposed to be. They're just another mid-woofer with a bigass mass-load on them.

MAD wrote: »

Question 2 - Could I run two monoblocks for the tweeters (I'm guessing they are not part of the SDA) into the high speaker inputs (if they are high speaker inputs) of the speaker and then run a common gound amp for the woofers and SDA effect into the low inputs.

Yes. The HF is not part of the SDA system, so it's not sensitive to common-ground issues. The problem will be to match the gain HF/LF. Good luck.

MAD

Again, I am blown away by the sound. I've had tears and have not been able to leave the couch for breakfast eventhoughs its now 11:30. I'm supposed to go to a birthday party and no longer want to.
It feels like I'm at the concert... just wonderful

I'm having excellent results with my G9700 so far... very deep bass.

I'm guessing these are the sl2000 tweeters, they sound great with the right amp.

I've heard good things about the yamaha p2200. I'm not familiar with the newer class D sound, but I'm definitely interested.

I'll do a search on the converter (dreadnaught spl?) sounds interesting.

I'm already thinking of doing a recap and everyone (almost everyone) seems to love the rdo tweeters but as it stands I'm ecstatic with the sound and fear any changes to it.

I'll check for continuity on the dual mono amps... basically if its connected it should be good to go right?

Thanks for the support, this site is amazing, :cheesygrin:

Drenis

The RDO-194 replacement tweeters from Polk for the SL2000 (which IS what you have, you were correct.), sounds even better. Replace the old factory jumpers on the back speaker terminals and spike them. Enjoy them.

Welcome to CP

Mike Reeter

Congrats on the 2.3's Once you've had that SDA cherry broken, well, you know, you can no longer live without it :biggrin:

F1nut

Using the AI-1 Dreadnaught transformer will improve the sound quality compared to the stock SDA cable whether you use common ground or non-common ground amp(s). It will clean up the mid-range and dramatically improve the bass response. And yes, the RD0194-1 tweeters are a vast improvement. Don't think about it, just do it.

cincycat13

Congrats on the new speakers! I got my SDA 2.3 just over 3 years ago and really enjoy them. Your post took me down memory lane. I thought I had a tough time loading them into a honda Element...I wish you had taken a picture of those stuffed into a Fit!

Mine too have the incorrect label of "SRS 2". Member Vette C6.r pointed it out to me as his are the incorrectly labelled as well. If you look closely, the label for the SRS 2 only shows 1 set of binding posts versus the 2 sets on the 2.3 model.

zane77

Check out this link, it has all of the mod's that can be done to these to really make them come alive. Lots of members here that are willing to help. I know I just got my 2.3's a few months ago. Here's where the fun begins!

http://vr3mods.com/LCSDAUpgrade.php

drumminman

Congrats on your 2.3's and welcome to CP!

As others have recommended replace the tweeters with RD-0194's. You'll have to take this on faith at this point, but folks around here won't steer you wrong as this is a proven upgrade.

Also, the AI-1 Dreadnought is another "must" as is rebuilding the Xovers with high quality film caps and non-inductive resistors. There are other mods that contribute to taking these to a much higher level of sound quality, which you can find by getting your read on.

Have fun and feel free to post questions - lots of knowledgeable folks here on CP.

headrott

If you think the 2.3's sound good now, wait until you upgrade them. Please take my advice, and follow the advice everyone has posted so far. I would also highly recommend get a set of Larry's (ToolFan66's) rings ro install and couple the drivers and PR to the baffles. Do all the above modifications and Larry's rings and you will not even remember how much you liked your 2.3's before you did the mods; they make that big of a difference.

Also! Welcome to Club Polk! Nice to hear you are enthusiastic about your audio gear!

dcoil

Welcome to the forum and the music of SDA's! And let me chime in along with all of the above encouragement to upgrade those beauties! After I upgraded my SRS's, I would have to say their musicality (sound stage, clarity, tonality, weight low, etc, etc.) improved at least 150%! Only problem is it wont just be birthday parties your passing on, you may want to quit your job and just listen to music all day....

MAD

It is definitely hard to go to work especially when you get a new set of speakers... that is all I think about.

The same goes for whenever I get a new piece of audio equipment when I'm on a camping trip... I fell like I got my camping fill, time to go home.

You guys are getting me so psyched about the rdo tweeters... just need to get the funds in order and I actually need to sell something instead of just saying I'm going to sell something and to prevent myself from being on that show hoarders five years down the road.

Thanks again for all of the advice.

Question- at specific tones,at low volumes only I can hear some odd sounds (gentle rattling) coming from the middle of the passive radiator on one of the speakers... any ideas. Is there a mass or something attached? They appear to be in mint shape from the outside... time to open them up.

MAD

Sorry for another post...

So I love the SDA effect 95% of the time but certain songs have been overly compensated by effects by the audio engineers to the point that I can't understand the lyrics as the effects take over (like the echo etc is far louder than the lyrics)... for these songs I unplug the cable.

I don't want to splice the cable but if I purchased another cable, plugged both into a homemade switch... would the timing to the SDA speakers be effected? All I can think of with a longer cable the resistance would be a bit larger, but each cable is full of electrons so the speed of travel should not be effected.

One step further.... what about a variable SDA dial...

These are crazy speakers.... so good.....I am hating how the market went to slim towers.

naturallight

Granted some songs are EQ'd very badly, but really should not do what your describing. First, have you made sure ALL the drivers are working? Just play something at low volume, and put your ear to each driver and tweeters. You may find a bad driver. Also just take a screwdriver, make sure all the screws are snug on the PR's..don't over tighten them, just make sure there tight.

Do NOT cut the interconnect cable. These speakers need to be place correctly also. They need to be at least 1 foot off the back wall, 1 1/2 feet from both sidewalls, and should not be more the 7 feet apart.



If all that works. I would then take the G9700 out of play. If you have a good working pre amp, i would hook up, the Onkyo M-504. Make sure you have all the + and Minus connections set up correctly. I have that power amp, and runs my SDA 1C's perfectly with an Adcom pre amp.

If that still does not help, then you have to look at your source. meaning CD player, or how ever your playing the music. I have alot of CD's, and yes some are really badly EQ'd, but i have never found 1 that the "effects" over power the vocals. If this just happens on 1 cd, whatever that cd is..it's got to be really bad, but if it happens on a number of cd's then you have something else going on.

naturallight

MAD..I just read another of your posts...I think your jumping the gun here and getting carried away.

There is really no need to bi-amp these speakers, most people don't find that to be worth while.



You state there is a problem, as with the "effects" over powering the vocals. In a 100% working set of SRS speakers. This should never happen. You have a problem someplace, and that needs to be fixed first. The amps you have listed. The Onkyo M-504 would be the best. It is the warmest amp and may tame the SL2000 tweeters some. But that will depend on your source. But you also need a decent pre-amp. The Rivera 320, is a guitar amp. It is NOT designed to run high end stereo speakers. It's designed to run a Stack of 4x12 guitar cabs. NOT what you want for a "stereo"



You need to take baby steps here, fix one thing at a time and go from there.

naturallight

MAD, or mike if you like. If that pic you posted is really how these speakers are set up, and how your playing them. I'm surprised they working very well at all. The 1 speaker is jammed up against a couch, there are speakers behind it, you have enough cables and junk on the floor to kill a moose. Plus tons of stuff behind it.



You really have to clean this all up..period if you want these speakers to work right. These speakers work best if you just follow the KISS principle. You need 1 working power amp, i would go with the M-504. You need one decent pre-amp, you also need 1 good source,,lets say a CD player. You need at least some what decent cables. You need to set up the speakers properly in the room.



If you don't do that to start with..your just wasting money, and never going to get what these speakers can give you.

MAD

My listening room is a mess right now... I'm renovating the kitchen and living room so most of my audio gear is crammed along with a second couch in this one room. I hope to eventually move them either into the other room or get some more room around them. Problem is I still like to play and try different amps on them eventhough I should be renovating. It has been like this for 4 months now.

Thanks for the input, I realized just by moving my seating position back the soundstage massively widened... there were sounds emminating 4 feet to the right of the right speaker... even more impressed now. Never ever heard anything like that before.
The song that appeared to have hard to hear lyrics are now easy to hear if I move back.

Thanks again guys, very psyched for the upgrades.

Side note... my only concern is if a larger pair of SDA becomes available.

Would you guys say this model is close to the top in terms of performance?
Will I be missing anything other than higher decibels after the upgrades?
Some people on the forums say the TL crossover is even better could I upgrade this one to TL level or better?
I think they sound wonderful as is... I am a bass junkie, would these sound similar to the SDA SRS with the 8 woofers in terms of bass at say 10 watts per channel level?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm very passionate about speakers and audio and am feeling like this could be the last speaker (or some other SDA speaker) that I will ever buy because they are amazing...

Thanks for all the advice so far,

MAD

I like that: KISS...

Right now I'm running flac files off the computer directly into the hitachi hma 8500, I'll give the M504 a shot.

Otherwise I run a pioneer elite dvd player through home made cable into the pioneer vsx d1s using it as a pre then another set of home made cables into the hitachi or whatever power amp I'm running at the time.
I got swept up into the statement that many people make about you need 200 to 300 wpc to do these speakers justice eventhough I typically listen around 1-2 wpc. I just want that full deep bass.

Definitely going to speed up the renos... should be done in two days.

Thanks again

naturallight

MAD..i'm glad you sat farther back, and figured out, there is no problem. I realize your over joyed and want to make things even better..BUT..again don't get carried away..... I'm sorry to say, your going to have to wait till you get that room cleared out, and the speakers setup properly. Then and only then, will you know what the speakers can really do. You don't need the 8 driver SRS..these speakers are very room dependent,,,they will only do what the room size allows them to do. Trying to bi-amp these speakers does not by you much at all..there more them happy to play full on with 1 decent power amp.



I have a set of 1C's..I run the Onkyo M-504 power amp..I sit in a 13x30 foot room. I sit 15 feet back in this room. These speakers will pound you with bottom end. You have a bigger set of SDA's..if your room can handle it...if you use the M-504 power amp with a decent pre-amp and CD player..they will beat you to a pulp...IF there set up right. If you need more bass then this..you need a sub..period.



Please NOTE....they need to be set up right..and VERY room dependent ,if there not....not going to happen.

F1nut

Question- at specific tones,at low volumes only I can hear some odd sounds (gentle rattling) coming from the middle of the passive radiator on one of the speakers... any ideas. Is there a mass or something attached? They appear to be in mint shape from the outside... time to open them up.

Pull that PR and check for separation at the rear.

They need to be at least 1 foot off the back wall, 1 1/2 feet from both sidewalls, and should not be more the 7 feet apart.

That's completely wrong. They should be 5 to 6 inches off the back wall. They should be 3 feet from any side wall and 6 to 8 feet apart.

naturallight

No F1..i don't buy that at all. My spec's are general, and depend Solely on the room...Plus it also is where you are measuring the speakers from. If you want to put them 5" from the back wall fine..i find they work better at a "about" 1 foot for the most part. The crap about they need to be 3 feet off the side wall..I don't by at all, i find 1/1/2 feet works fine dependent on the size of the room. 7 feet is about max that you want them apart ..again dependent on how you measure them.


Whats your point about saying my specs are all wrong and yours are right...this depends on the room.

You have to deal with the speakers in the room there in..there is no "STOCK" right or wrong on this.

nooshinjohn

naturallight wrote: »

No F1..i don't buy that at all. My spec's are general, and depend Solely on the room...Plus it also is where you are measuring the speakers from. If you want to put them 5" from the back wall fine..i find they work better at a "about" 1 foot for the most part. The crap about they need to be 3 feet off the side wall..I don't by at all, i find 1/1/2 feet works fine dependent on the size of the room. 7 feet is about max that you want them apart ..again dependent on how you measure them.


Whats your point about saying my specs are all wrong and yours are right...this depends on the room.

You have to deal with the speakers in the room there in..there is no "STOCK" right or wrong on this.

Perhaps consulting the owner's manual would help as Jesse's recommendations come directly from there I agree with Jesse here, and having owned just about every variant of SDA from the 2b's and up, the placement Jesse states is spot on.

Room issues will always dictate compromise, but striving for the closest possible to Jesse's guidelines will yield the best results.

zane77

Jesse has the specs right from the manual and this is what works best for mine. Check out the links provided and get your read on.

headrott

naturallight, I thought exactly what Jesse posted before he even posted it. This is because it's correct. One can put their SDA's 1.5 feet from both side walls, but one will get a greatly reduced soundstage. If this is how you have your SDA's set up, then move them at least 1.5 further from the side walls and listen to the differences. you will be amazed. Also, put your SDA's half the distance to the back wall and listen, you will be amazed. It does not matter how wide your room is or how long it is, you don't want your SDA's only 1.5 feet from the sidewalls for the best soundstage. Change your setup and take a listen and let un know how it sounds.

MAD

So I pulled the passive radiator and there were some wires dangling around the passive....

the rattling is now fixed.

PolkieMan

Strange, I wonder if they were like that new or someone has been messing with them?

MAD wrote: »

So I pulled the passive radiator and there were some wires dangling around the passive....

the rattling is now fixed.

naturallight

OK, granted..these are stock recommended settings from Polk as to how the speakers should be placed.

Thats all real nice and dandy, but real life rooms, probably will not give you the space. You have to deal with what you have, and place them, the best you can..period. These are very generalized settings VERY room dependent. This is not, well it has to be this or it doesn't work crap. I've had these speakers for 30 years in alot of different rooms. You have to deal with the room itself, and have a general setup that you start with. The one thing i will say, is if you try and put them too far apart..the the SDA "effect", seem' s to go down the hill. There just is NOT a 100% right setting for these speakers..you have to deal with the room, and what you have in it.....