Polk SDA SRS 2 opinions

KLapinas
KLapinas Posts: 608
in Vintage Speakers
I am looking at possibly trading some gear which would net me a pair of SDA SRS 2 speakers.

Can I get some opinions on them?
Anyone have an idea of their current value? Assuming they are bone stock.

Thanks
Keith
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Comments

  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,151
    400 to 600. It just depends on how quick a person wants to sell them. Also are they hooked up to inspect all drivers ? The condition of the wood tops and bottoms. The condition of the grills and do they still have the brass badges ? Do they come with spikes ?

    Smoke free home or not ?

    If they are perfect, I could see 600. But most I see are 400. And you have to bring your own help to load them..LOL..
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    Thanks Tony. This is the information I was looking for as far as cost is concerned.

    Any opinions on their performance?
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,081
    Pin blade or blade blade interconnect?
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,411
    THey are excellent performers, and if local, I would lean as high as 800 on the price, provided they are perfect condition.
    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
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  • sbb2112
    sbb2112 Posts: 134
    I picked mine up for $700 with all the upgrades and xovers done. Just had to add spikes. Mine are the blade/ blade type and I think I was at the higher end of price. I wasn’t looking to go through upgrading another set as I just finished the srs’s so price was good. Make sure they get some juice to really shine.
    Main System
    Marantz AV8802A PrePro
    Marantz MM7025 Amp rear surrounds
    McIntosh MC7205 Amp center, ceiling and mid surrounds
    McIntosh MC300 Amp front mains
    Oppo 203 Bluray
    Polk SDA-SRS with VR3 monastery crossovers
    Polk FX1000 Mid surrounds
    Klipsch RP-440C Center channel
    Klipsch RP-15M Rear surrounds
    SVS prime elevation ceiling surrounds
    Rythmik F15HP sub
    Samsung 8500 curved screen 65" LED 4K
    Mac Mini Server

    Office System
    Musical Fidelity M6s dac/preamp
    Oppo 103D Bluray
    Polk SDA-SRS 2
    Parasound HCA-1500A
    Polk PSW 650 sub
    Microrendu
    Roku Ultra
    Mac Mini Server
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    What is the difference between the blade/blade and pin/blade?
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  • gimpod
    gimpod Posts: 1,793
    KLapinas wrote: »
    What is the difference between the blade/blade and pin/blade?

    Basically the blade/Blade is a gen 3 Version (1986) and is an enlarged SDA 1B and the Pin/blade is a gen 4 Version (1987) and is an enlarged SDA 1C with 4 binding posts.
    F1nut wrote: »
    A pin and a blade.

    Mr. smarty pants. :tongue:
    “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    Which is better? More sought after?
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  • gimpod
    gimpod Posts: 1,793
    The gen 4 1987 version.
    “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    Of course, looks like these are blade/blade and one of the bases is cracked.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,543
    KLapinas wrote: »
    Of course, looks like these are blade/blade and one of the bases is cracked.

    Yes, if memory serves another difference is the b/b version end caps a glued up solid wood, which tend to crack while the p/b version is veneered MDF or particle board.
    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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  • VSAT88
    VSAT88 Posts: 1,257
    Love mine. 1987 models. Pin Blade in excellent shape. Got them for a $100 bill and put way more money in them to upgrade them than I paid for the speakers. Would I do it again, yes a hundred times. Best speakers I have ever had. Could not have done them up so nice without all the help I received here at Club Polk.
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  • JayMX
    JayMX Posts: 446
    I just recently picked up a pair of blade-blade SRS 2's, drivers stamped with 1986. I gave $495 and don’t regret it. I will second that they are heavy (~135lbs ea) but well worth it. Very unique sound when A/B'd with “conventional” stereo pairs. Enjoy!
    Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
    Pairs that have passed through: Monitor 4b (Peerless), Monitor 5a (Peerless), Monitor 5b (SL1000), Monitor 5b (SL2000) (4x pair), Monitor 7b (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7c’s (194’s), Monitor 10a (Peerless), Monitor 10b (5x pair), RTA8, RTA8TL, RTA 11T, RTA12c (194's), SDA CRS, SDA 2 (2x pair), SDA 2a, SDA 2b, SDA 1b, SDA 1c, SDA SRS 2 (2x pair), SDA SRS 3.1TL (198’s) (2x pair)...and more to come, it’s a sickness.
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  • TNTsTunes
    TNTsTunes Posts: 751
    gimpod wrote: »
    KLapinas wrote: »
    What is the difference between the blade/blade and pin/blade?

    Basically the blade/Blade is a gen 3 Version (1986) and is an enlarged SDA 1B and the Pin/blade is a gen 4 Version (1987) and is an enlarged SDA 1C with 4 binding posts.
    F1nut wrote: »
    A pin and a blade.

    Mr. smarty pants. :tongue:

    I believe the gen 3 ones version use MW6509 drivers and the later gen 4 use MW6510/MW6511 drivers along with totally different crossover designs.

    If you happen to need a replacement MW6509 driver they are harder to find.

    Gen 4's are the more desirable ones IMO but both gens are great speakers.
    "Make a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light
    a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,151
    Performance..?

    These rate in the top 5 speakers I've ever owned.

    I've owned a 100 pr. of different types over the years. There have been some memorable pairs and designs.

    My Polk RT3000P's are up there. My Polk LS90's are up there since I put a newer receiver powering them. The previous receiver must have had bad cap's because it lacked bass compared to the newer receivers output. They sound really AWSOME now !

    Maggie 3.7r's and Newform Research's R645's are awesome too.

    But these SDA-SRS2's BL.-BL. seem to do EVERYTHING right. Mind Blowing soundstage !!!

    And I have older tweeters in this pair for now. I put newer RDO-194's in an older pair of the same design and after 40 hrs. of break-in, they sounded better. Female vocals were a lot easier on the ears. The newer tweeters seem to take away the highs at first. They do, but the newer highs are subdued for more sensitive ears but in a great way.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • helipilotdoug
    helipilotdoug Posts: 1,229
    Love my pair that have been upgraded. I bought mine back in 2010 from a local guy here in Austin. Cost me $425 and they were in great shape. They are the blade/blade version, so an upgrade was possible to bring them up to using the RDO 198 tweeters. Here is a link to the original upgrade thread about upgrading the SDA SRS 2 blade/blade speakers.
    http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/74946/sda-srs-2-crossover-parts-list/p1
    It's pretty long, but informative. A few of us have done this upgrade with very positive results. I still have these speakers, and they sound fantastic. As TonyM says "these SDA-SRS2's BL.-BL. seem to do EVERYTHING right. Mind Blowing soundstage !!!"
    Sunfire Theater Grand IV
    Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature
    SRS 2.1TL
    SDA 2BTL's
    CSiA6
    FXiA4
    FXiA6
    SDA 2A's
    Monitor 10A's
    http://www.douglasconnection.com
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    Has anyone ever removed the top and bottom panels to repair or replace?
    Instructions?
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  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,315
    KLapinas wrote: »
    Has anyone ever removed the top and bottom panels to repair or replace?
    Instructions?

    Yes, you can reach the taps that hold the "Panels" in place by removing the top two Mid-drivers and the Passive Radiator.

    Reach up through the holes into the cabinet the find the lugs that hold the Top Caps in place, there will be 4 lugs toward each corner, same with the Bottom Caps through the P.R. hole.

    If memory serves me, you will need a 7/16" or 3/8" socket/wrench.
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,151
    edited November 2017
    ^^^^^ yup, what Mike said.

    If I remember but way back, I though it might have been a 5/16" nut.. But that could've been a DCM350 top-caps. Yea, the web said "Just tap kind-of hard to pop the tops off". I tried for a while and said that had to be wrong. I was right. they were bolted on using those lag-screw bolts. I saved the tops from destruction by doing an exploratory look inside, well feeling inside, after removing the back off of one.

    Years before I believe I took the bases off the SDA-SRS2's and re-glued them after re-sawing the joints square again. Same type of lag-screw bolts I think.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    Make sure you have the space for them. I do not in my listening room so my RTA12B are used much more than the srs 2. :'(
    ocjms87gi2n7.jpg
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    Space is not an issue
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    KLapinas wrote: »
    Space is not an issue

    Just wait until I tell NASA what you just said!
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    Viking64 wrote: »
    KLapinas wrote: »
    Space is not an issue

    Just wait until I tell NASA what you just said!

    I live 5 miles from Cape Canaveral. Want me to run over ther and let them know! Lol
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    Viking64 wrote: »
    KLapinas wrote: »
    Space is not an issue

    Just wait until I tell NASA what you just said!

    Well? What did NASA say?
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    KLapinas wrote: »
    Well? What did NASA say?

    They placed an order for three classrooms of donkey spinach and eleventeen bales of pork ice cream in a white wine sauce. Then they recited the entire works of Dr. Seuss in Esperanto while flipping-off Pee-Wee Herman's gynecologist for burning the crow gizzards that were intended for Spiro Agnew's baby shower.
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  • KLapinas
    KLapinas Posts: 608
    WOW!
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    Then things started to get ugly.
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  • TNTsTunes
    TNTsTunes Posts: 751
    Viking64 wrote: »
    Then things started to get ugly.

    and????

    "Make a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light
    a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    TNTsTunes wrote: »
    and????
    Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love went out in public without makeup.
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