Starting my SDA SRS 2.3TL Restore
Govstate
Posts: 22
I've been a Polk Audio fan ever since I first saw and listened to a pair of SDA SRS 1.2's back in the late 80's but as an 18 year old, the $3500.00 price tag just kept me dreaming.
Recently I was at a friend's house for a bonfire. I went into his garage to get some more wood and notice some cabinets near the pile that I thought were some taller kitchen cabinets. I did't pay much attention but then turned the cabinet around to see what it was. Low and behold it was an intact pair of 2.3TL's. I asked my buddy why he was keeping them in the garage. He told me that he was going to take out the hardware and use the cabinets as firewood. I asked if I could buy them from him. He told me to take them, no charge - definitely the best bonfire I've ever been to.
I took them home and sweated by #$@ off getting them in my basement. I hooked them up assuming there'd be no sound but to my surprise, they worked. Two tweeters are dead but I didn't care much since I would be upgrading all 6 of them anyway.
I've been a part of this forum for about 4 1/2 years and have been amazed at how well this forum supports its members, especially it's SDA members. There's so much in here that a lot of my intimidation in restoring these speakers has turned into excitement. I just know that if I need help, the answer is here. I have a few pictures I'll upload just to show what I have. My plan is to upgrade everything possible and refinish the outsides of the cabinets. Years ago I owned a pair of Polk Rosewood LS90's and really liked the finish on those speakers. I'd love to bring a finish like those to the 2.3tl's.
I did a push test and realize that there is some air leaking but I know that will get taken care of in the near future. For now, I want to be able to know how to diagnose the issues that may exist with these and get some advice on the order of upgrading these as I won't be able to do all that I want at the same time.
Thanks, in advance, to anyone who'll give me their two cents on this project. I'm a novice at what I'm about to embark on but look forward to getting educated on restoring these vintage polk speakers. If any members are in the NW Indiana area, let me know.
Ron
Recently I was at a friend's house for a bonfire. I went into his garage to get some more wood and notice some cabinets near the pile that I thought were some taller kitchen cabinets. I did't pay much attention but then turned the cabinet around to see what it was. Low and behold it was an intact pair of 2.3TL's. I asked my buddy why he was keeping them in the garage. He told me that he was going to take out the hardware and use the cabinets as firewood. I asked if I could buy them from him. He told me to take them, no charge - definitely the best bonfire I've ever been to.
I took them home and sweated by #$@ off getting them in my basement. I hooked them up assuming there'd be no sound but to my surprise, they worked. Two tweeters are dead but I didn't care much since I would be upgrading all 6 of them anyway.
I've been a part of this forum for about 4 1/2 years and have been amazed at how well this forum supports its members, especially it's SDA members. There's so much in here that a lot of my intimidation in restoring these speakers has turned into excitement. I just know that if I need help, the answer is here. I have a few pictures I'll upload just to show what I have. My plan is to upgrade everything possible and refinish the outsides of the cabinets. Years ago I owned a pair of Polk Rosewood LS90's and really liked the finish on those speakers. I'd love to bring a finish like those to the 2.3tl's.
I did a push test and realize that there is some air leaking but I know that will get taken care of in the near future. For now, I want to be able to know how to diagnose the issues that may exist with these and get some advice on the order of upgrading these as I won't be able to do all that I want at the same time.
Thanks, in advance, to anyone who'll give me their two cents on this project. I'm a novice at what I'm about to embark on but look forward to getting educated on restoring these vintage polk speakers. If any members are in the NW Indiana area, let me know.
Ron
Comments
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Wow, I'm speechless. Surely he was kidding about using them for firewood
Awesome score! Congrats! SDA SRS 2.3TL's
Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
SDA 2B TL's -
He's the bestest buddy in the world!
Congrats on the score of the century. Good times lie ahead and it can only get better as you rebuild these jewels. Keep us posted so we can live vicariously through you. -
Awesome, will be a fun project for sure.Pio Elete Pro 520
Panamax 5400-EX
Sunfire TGP 5
Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
PS Audio GCPH phono pre
Sunfire CG 200 X 5
Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
OPPO BDP-83 SE
SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
Ctr CS1000p
Sur - FX1000 x 4
SUB - SVS PB2-Plus
Workkout room:
Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
Onkyo TX-DS898
GFA 555
Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
Ft - SDA 1C
Not being used:
RTi 38's -4
RT55i's - 2
RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
LSI 15's
CSi40
PSW 404 -
Congrats on the awesome garage find... firewood? You've got to be kidding. You've cranked up the jealousy meter for many of us here on the forum. Best of luck on the upgrade process and have fun.Music: Oppo103 - Parasound JC2 - Parasound A21- SDA 3.1
Theater: Denon 3808 - B&K 7500/Emotiva XPA-3- RTi12, CSi5, RTiA7x4, PSW505
Sleeping: Marantz 70005 - Harman Kardon 2400 - SDA 2
2 Channel: Cary 306 SACD - Canary Audio 906 - Pass Labs x250 - PS Audio Perfectwave DAC, Polk LSiM705, SVS SB13 Ultra
Office: Dell Optiplex, Emotiva XDA-2, Adcom 5500, LSiM 703
Spares: Yamaha CA-810; LSi 15; Kenwood Basic M2a, Yamaha M60/M80, Polk Monitor 7, SVS SB13 Ultra -
Wow. That is the steal of the century! Congrats!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
VA 2 Channel Focal Electra 926 speakers, Pass Labs X150.5 Amp, Eastern Electric MiniMax Preamp (Tutay mods), Eastern Electric Minimax CDP (Scott Nixon mods), Music Hall mmf 5.1 Turntable, Parks Audio Budgie Phono Pre , Audioengine B1 streamer, MIT S3 IC's / MIT Shotgun S3 Speaker Cables / PS Audio power cables
Noggin Schiit Valhalla, Pangea, Phillips Fidelio X1, Polk UF8000
Polk SDA1c modded
Polk CRS+ 4.1TL modded (need veneer)
Polk SDA2BTL (fully modded)
A/L 1000VA Dreadnought Canare 4s11 SDA cable
SACD Marantz DV8300
Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD
Yamaha YP-D6
Soundcraftsmen PCR800
Audible Illusions L1 Preamp
Vincent MFA based Cocci Tube Preamp
Pho-700 Phono Pre
Signal Cable Silver Resolution IC's -
Friend told me that if I had come over the following weekend, all I would have seen in the garage was a pile of drivers and hardware - cabinets would have been up in smoke - talk about good timing.
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Great timing on your part,you're really gonna enjoy the journey and the prize at the end when you are all done! Congrats2 Channel
Polk 1.2tl's Modded with dreadnought
Musical Fidelity M6Si
North Star Intenso Dac
Auralic Aries Mini Streamer
Oppo 103
Pangea PC
Wireworld Equinox 7 interconnects
Wireworld Equinox 7 Speaker Cables and Jumpers
Backups 2.3tl, Crs+ pin/blade with stands.Monitor 5 peerless,Monitor 4 peerless,Polk R200,McCormack Dna 0.5 Deluxe McCormack Dna 1,Dared Sl 2000A,Dayens Ampino Rogue Magnum 66 pre -
Wow. That's a "barn find" of the decade for sure.
Needless to say you are WELL ahead of the game, hard to fathom they were going to be busted up. Looking forward to the rebuild. -
Great score.Where about are you in NW IN?
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Great pair of "Project" SDA's! I've used a small vacuum to suck the dust caps out before with good results. Just a little dab will do it.
Good luck and enjoy the Reno process! -
Congrats on the incredible find. A lot of great information can be found here on this forum.
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Good luck!
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@Faustin - I live in the northern part of Crown Point Indiana.
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Using a pair of SDA-SRS 2.3tl's as FIREWOOD?!?!?!!!
BLASPHEMY!!!!
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Wow, you must be living right! What's your plan for upgrades?"Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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@drumminman We'll, as far as upgrades go, I'm learning what's possible through thus forum. I know I'll upgrade the tweeters to the RDO198's and I'll need to reseal the cabinets based on the push test results.
I'm hoping to get some recommendations from the forum members as well. I've already gotten some direction from a few people - black hole 5, gimpod boards, Larry's rings, though I realize the he takes orders 1 or 2 times a year, gluing the magnets. I also want to lay new veneer on the cabinets and may replace the speaker grill material that's on the sides of the speakers with veneer as well since they have a strong cigarette smell.
I've read a number of your posts and have gone through machine's rebuild which I liked that has given me direct.
What would you do if you were in my shoes? -
Your friend will kick himself for giving them away when you are done with them. Congrats on the score.Friend told me that if I had come over the following weekend, all I would have seen in the garage was a pile of drivers and hardware - cabinets would have been up in smoke - talk about good timing.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
The grill cloth will take a good "scrubbing" with soap and water, if it's still attached well to the panels.
Take a Microfiber cloth and spray Windex on it to clean the mid-drivers/radiator in a circular motion, not applying too much pressure but enough to remove the crud build up. DO NOT spray the Windex directly on the drivers.
This will help remove the oders and clean things up as well. -
@Mike Reeter - Thanks for that advice on dealing with the cigarette smell, especially with cleaning the drivers. I was wondering how to clean the smell from them. I'm not a smoker which means that smoke scent stands out to me.
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Febreze removes odors from fabrics.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 -
@F1nut - Thanks. I've read in this forum that Febreeze for fabric is a good option. I've also read a number of your posts on these speakers and am hoping to glean as much from them as I can.
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Gleaning is free, the rest you've got to pay for.
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 -
Right bonfire at the right time. Your friend must really love to burn things."Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. Jim Butcher
Harry / Marietta GA -
@Mike Reeter - Thanks for that advice on dealing with the cigarette smell, especially with cleaning the drivers. I was wondering how to clean the smell from them. I'm not a smoker which means that smoke scent stands out to me.
Better to smell a little like cigarette smoke than bonfire smoke
