Is the 1c an upgrade from 2b's?

Gerres26
Gerres26 Posts: 864
in Vintage Speakers
So i have a set of 2B's that are all original except upgraded rdo 194 tweeters that i swapped from monitor 7s and I love them. I planned on upgrading the caps and such and taking them to the next level. I just recently found a nice set of 1c's that sparked my interest though.
So my question is, should i sell off the 2bs and go for the 1c's? Or is it pretty much a lateral move for me? Also, my 2bs have the ugly vinyl veneer while the 1cs have the nice oak tops and bottoms. And which will cost more to upgrade, as I know i will have to sell the rdo 194s to get the 198s if i want to TL the 2bs.
Any advice is much appreciated
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  • michaeljhsda2
    michaeljhsda2 Posts: 2,184
    I have the 2B's with the TL mod and I also have upgraded 1C's. The 2BTL's are excellent, however, the 1C's sound just as good yet I'm able to crank the 1C's louder without loss of sound quality.
    SDA SRS 2.3TL's
    Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
    Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
    SDA 2B TL's
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  • scottyboy76
    scottyboy76 Posts: 2,905
    edited June 2016
    Agree with michael

    I have had the 2bs, wish I still did.

    My 1cs however will never leave my possession, huge soundstage, effortless (To my ears) at much louder volume, even though I don't go for window rattling any more at 58.

    The 1cs open up with more power and better equipment, they don't just get louder and smeary or painful to hear.

    I strongly urge you to pick some up, even if you have to sell the 2bs which would be a shame.

    good luck
    humpty dumpty was pushed
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  • pkquat
    pkquat Posts: 748
    Gerres26 wrote: »
    And which will cost more to upgrade, as I know i will have to sell the rdo 194s to get the 198s if i want to TL the 2bs.
    Any advice is much appreciated
    The 1C's will be more because of 4 tweeters vs 2, and I there is an extra cap, 2 extra inductors, and two extra resistors. I think the rest is the same. If you save the RDO 194's from the 2B's there will be some savings there. @westmassguy may have some quotes handy.

    The 1C's go deeper on the bass besides being overall louder.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited June 2016
    1C's are a step up, get them if you can.

    The 1C's have more components to upgrade so they will be slightly more $$$ to upgrade.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,081
    2B are fantastic but the 1C are a step up. Not a lateral move. Both are worth having all day eryday as we say in the south. Enjoy!
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,548
    The 2BTL's are a better, more balanced speaker than the 1C's will ever be.

    There's nothing wrong with the look of the 2B Studio version. Be proud of them.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    Just Keep them both, nothing wrong with a couple of pairs of SDA's.
    Home Theater
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  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 864
    I know this is a Polk forum but I have another question? I also have a line on a pair of ADS L1290 for around the same price as the 1c's. So i planned on having one pair of the SDAs then giving the ADS a try. Does anyone have experience on how they would compare to either of the SDA's?
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,637
    ^^^^ here is a thread on another site. Maybe someone will chime in http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/ads-l1290-ii-v-polk-sda-2b.577850/
    ..
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,637
    http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/158757/ads-l1290-ii-v-polk-sda-2b
    ..
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  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
    Ideally, keep em both, that's true. Just IMO of course, but I do own both, fully modded.

    But when push comes to shove, I'm in the same camp as F1nut, I think the 2bTL is a better balanced speaker, I really, really like my modded 1c's, but they are a little less musical to me somehow, very accurate, but just not as full seeming to me.

    I can say this for sure, neither is the wrong choice. They are both excellent.
    VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
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    Noggin Schiit Valhalla, Pangea, Phillips Fidelio X1, Polk UF8000

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  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,101
    I have read, on this forum, opinions to the effect of:
    • The CRS is the most under-rated of the SDA line
    • The 2BTL is the most-coherent of the SDA line
    • The 1C is the sweet-spot of the SDA line
    • The 3.1TL is the sweet-spot of the SDA line
    • The 2.3TL is the pinnacle of the SDA line
    • The 1.2TL is the best of the SDA line
    • The original SRS has advantages over the later 1.2 and 1.2TL

    Might just be me, but it's starting to sound like "different strokes for different folks". Your room, your equipment, your ears, your music choices, and your budget may mean the "best" speaker model for you might not be the best speaker model for someone else.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,441
    Schurkey wrote: »
    I have read, on this forum, opinions to the effect of:
    • The CRS is the most under-rated of the SDA line
    • The 2BTL is the most-coherent of the SDA line
    • The 1C is the sweet-spot of the SDA line
    • The 3.1TL is the sweet-spot of the SDA line
    • The 2.3TL is the pinnacle of the SDA line
    • The 1.2TL is the best of the SDA line
    • The original SRS has advantages over the later 1.2 and 1.2TL

    Might just be me, but it's starting to sound like "different strokes for different folks". Your room, your equipment, your ears, your music choices, and your budget may mean the "best" speaker model for you might not be the best speaker model for someone else.

    True that.
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  • voltz
    voltz Posts: 5,384
    People love their SDA's B)

    I thought I had the best pair of CRS's in town till Larry pulled out all the stops and really knock it out of the Park. KUDOS to Larry!
    2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge

    HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
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  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 864
    Well it looks like the deal on the 1c's is going to fall through over a couple bucks unfortunately. Its a little bit of a bummer as i was wanting to compare to my 2b's. Although i may still pick up the L1290s I'm probably going to move forward with TLing the 2Bs. I will have to sell my Rdo 194s and buy the 198s for this. I believe there is a post count limit(what is the minimum) on selling things on this site so where else would be a good spot to post them for sale when the time comes (besides ebay)?

    By the way, thanks for everyones input on the comparison of the different SDA models.
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  • RandyCroissant
    RandyCroissant Posts: 475
    Howdy I had to chime in, I have the 2btl fully modded they sound fantastic now!! but it took a while for everything to gel. Don't forget the rest of the food chain.Amp, source, cables, it is a package deal. Plus the modding process was fun, enjoy.
    Yamaha RXA1030, Yamaha CD-S2100, Yamaha AS-2200, Bluesound node 2i
    Polk SDA2btl highly modded
    Polk SDA 1C modded
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  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 864
    Ok...so came across a deal on a different set of 1c's that I couldn't pass up. Saw them on ebay and offered the guy cash so i drove an hour into Jersey today to pick them up. Overall they're in really nice condition with the walnut tops and bottoms...he even had the original glass pieces to sit on top of the speakers if I wanted.

    I've been listening to them for a couple hours and I really enjoy the sound. They have a little more to the mids than the 2bs and i like that. They're definitely prettier than the 2bs also. Heres a couple pics.(i just slid the 2bs to the side for now as i didn't feel like dragging them out of the room yet even though i know its not optimal leaving them there)
    svpgx5lvv0x5.jpg

    lxjnt8ick9fi.jpg
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    Sweet! Now it's time for RD0's and a xover refresh.

    To my knowledge no SDA's came with a glass top accessory. He must have bought them else where.

    Enjoy

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 864
    I have one set of the 194s, is it ok to run them in there until I order the other set? And if so, should i replace the top or bottom pair with them? And yes if i decide to move forward with modding these I will have to sell the 2b's as I just don't have the space for both. Hopefully I'll be able to pass them on to another polkie but I can't sell on here yet (post count) so when I decide to it'll probably be craigslist.
    Thanks
    Guys
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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    The RDO-194-1s don't really blend well with the old SL2000s. The Top tweeter receives the full signal, the bottom tweeter is rolled off, so change the top.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
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    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    I'd wait until you get all of them. It won't hurt, but.....not sure why one wouldn't wait to get them all.
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 864
    No rush, like i said i already have one pair that i bought for monitor 7s a while back. I just didn't know if it would help or hurt to run them while awaiting the ordering of the second pair.
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,637
    Congrats. Very nice speakers. You will love them. I did in the same steps as you. I ended up loaning out my 2b's a couple years ago, cause i refuse to sell them dirt cheap & my son-in-law loves them & i get to visit them :) the 0194's sound great in the 1c's too. What a way to enjoy the weekend. Enjoy your speakers
    ..
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,548
    Should have put that money into full TL mods for the 2B's.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 864
    I just couldn't pass them up in great shape for $275 which i thought was pretty good for 1c's.
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,081
    I like the midrange better on the 1C as well. Congrats!
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  • Legender
    Legender Posts: 478
    $275 for 1Cs... I'd buy 'em for that. That's a great deal.
    Music: Oppo103 - Parasound JC2 - Parasound A21- SDA 3.1
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  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 864
    That was my thought as well, especially for the shape they're in. Now I'm also on the lookout for a little more refined amplifier than what I'm using now to power them. Am i allowed to post in the want to buy section? Or is that a post limit thing also like the for sale section?
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  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,315
    edited July 2016
    Gerres, you did well on your new 1C's, enjoy them for now and upgrade them as funds allow. Enjoy!
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,014
    the whole time I've been seeing this thread in the list I've been going, "what the heck is this 1 can upgrade I keep seeing..."
    I disabled signatures.
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