Polk SDA-2B upgrade

gary_haskins
gary_haskins Posts: 6
in Vintage Speakers
I have a pair of SDA-2Bs I bought in 1989 and need to order some replacement tweeters. I can't find a place to order these. Please assist.
Gary Haskins
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,546
    Answer ✓
    You have to call Polk to order parts.
    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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  • gary_haskins
    gary_haskins Posts: 6
    Answer ✓
    Thanks F1, much appreciated. That's very retro!!!
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  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    Answer ✓
    Also I wanted to add you are a member of the Polk forum and you will receive a discount. If you are planning on doing the TL upgrade, get the RD0-198's. If you are not planning on doing the TL upgrade, get the RD0-194's.

    Personally, as stated in the other thread, I would simply get some 2.3TL's and get some RD0-198's to install in them (if they are not already installed).
    Relayer-Big-O-Poster.jpg
    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
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  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 162
    edited February 2018 Answer ✓
    I got the RD0-198 for my 2B TL mod from midwestspeaker at Ebay. Even if Polk still sells the tweeters directly it seems to be quite hard to reach them. They don't reply to emails and and seemingly the only way is to call them which is unpractical for us on other continents and time zones. Midwestspeaker however respond fast and shipped mine within hours of me completing the purchase. Each tweeter is $54 or $108 for the two needed for SDA 2B.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Polk-Audio-OEM-RD0198-1-SL3000-1-Dome-Tweeter-for-SDA-SRS-RTA-Series-NEW-/162248956136

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Polk-Audio-OEM-RD0194-1-SL2000-1-Dome-Tweeter-for-SDA-RTA-Monitor-Series-NEW/152289478390?epid=524010369&hash=item23752906f6:g:y0UAAOSwn7JYCleb
    SRS 1.2 TL | SDA 2B Studio TL | NAD M51 preamp/dac | DIY SET 300B tube amplifier | Cambridge Audio Azur 851W | Chromecast Audio | RoPieee Roon Raspberry Pi endpoint
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,441
    Answer ✓
    48$ and no shipping cost to club polk members.
    Does midwest do that?
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  • agfrost
    agfrost Posts: 2,428
    Answer ✓
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    48$ and no shipping cost to club polk members.
    Does midwest do that?

    No shipping just for contiguous U.S., IIRC. Not sure what time zone hauxon's in, but apparently difficult to call during Polk's business hours?

    Anyway, whatever it takes to get Such Good Sound.
    Jay
    SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
    Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
    Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,441
    Answer ✓
    agfrost wrote: »
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    48$ and no shipping cost to club polk members.
    Does midwest do that?

    No shipping just for contiguous U.S., IIRC. Not sure what time zone hauxon's in, but apparently difficult to call during Polk's business hours?

    Anyway, whatever it takes to get Such Good Sound.

    yea my bad you are correct. I missed this on the phone this morning. "unpractical for us on other continents and time zones."
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  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Answer ✓
    I've had very good service from Polk via telephone. Yeah I sent an email to them when on their website and it took a few days telling me just to call.

    Once I did, I was able to get a good deal on 4 MW's. List was $71 but after I mentioned that I was a CP member, and with a little negotiation, got em down to $48 each plus free shipping!

    I would do business with them again.

    See my thread:
    http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/180073/mw6511-6503-anyone-using-modern-replacements-update#latest
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    Answer ✓
    Be careful if you buy them from anyone other than Polk. I bought a pair of RD198's from one of those places advertising them as RD198's but they sent SL2500's. They were trying to tell me RD198's and SL2500's are the exact same tweeters with different part numbers. After several rounds talking to them they agreed to give a refund. Called Polk direct and got the correct speakers a couple days later.
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  • codycatalist
    codycatalist Posts: 2,662
    Answer ✓
    I had some M5s with SL2500, they have a foam ring around the tweeter like the SL3000s. My Rd0s do not have the same foam ring.
    Just a dude doing dude-ly things

    "Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,546
    Answer ✓
    Still waiting......
    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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Answers

  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    verb wrote: »
    List was $71 but after I mentioned that I was a CP member, and with a little negotiation, got em down to $48 each plus free shipping!

    Yeah, but they probably just felt sorry for you because your car is so old.

    b9vhr07ahodk.jpg
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,546
    Slapaho wrote: »
    Be careful if you buy them from anyone other than Polk. I bought a pair of RD198's from one of those places advertising them as RD198's but they sent SL2500's. They were trying to tell me RD198's and SL2500's are the exact same tweeters with different part numbers. After several rounds talking to them they agreed to give a refund. Called Polk direct and got the correct speakers a couple days later.

    Out of curiosity, how did you know they were SL2500'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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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,441
    edited February 2018
    F1nut wrote: »
    Slapaho wrote: »
    Be careful if you buy them from anyone other than Polk. I bought a pair of RD198's from one of those places advertising them as RD198's but they sent SL2500's. They were trying to tell me RD198's and SL2500's are the exact same tweeters with different part numbers. After several rounds talking to them they agreed to give a refund. Called Polk direct and got the correct speakers a couple days later.

    Out of curiosity, how did you know they were SL2500's?

    I'd like to know that myself. I wouldn't know how to differentiate between the two.
    Post edited by pitdogg2 on
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,413
    @Gary... love the Hornet in your avi. did you fly 'em or fix 'em?
    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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  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    F1nut wrote: »
    Still waiting......

    Surprisingly impatient for someone who had to wait around for primordial ooze to form just so they could have something to argue with... :p
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    Tweets they sent were exactly the same as what was already in the speakers. Box and driver had no RDO identifying on them. Then talking to a guy at Polk that looked up that place's purchase history and found they had only purchased a few RDO194 and 198's in the past 12 months. The place stands firm there is zero difference between 198's and 2500's so it didn't matter which one they send out.

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,546
    edited February 2018
    Slapaho wrote: »
    Tweets they sent were exactly the same as what was already in the speakers. Box and driver had no RDO identifying on them. Then talking to a guy at Polk that looked up that place's purchase history and found they had only purchased a few RDO194 and 198's in the past 12 months. The place stands firm there is zero difference between 198's and 2500's so it didn't matter which one they send out.

    Yeah ok, your story didn't make sense the first time and now I know it's fantasy.



    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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  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,582
    F1nut wrote: »
    Yeah ok, your story didn't make sense the first time and now I know it's fantasy.

    HAAA! HAAA! Sounds like someone ate a big bowl of obnoxious this morning...
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)

    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,546
    edited February 2018
    Who's being obnoxious, you?

    The SL2500 hasn't been made for close to 20 years. It had a label on the back just like the SL1000, SL2000 and SL3000. The fact that he said the first ones he ordered were just like his originals, no label, means his story is fantasy. In addition, the early runs of the RD0194/RD0198's had no labels and came in plain boxes. The more recent runs have a label on the side of the magnet.

    One of the resellers lists the RD0198 as SKU SL2500, but it is the RD0198. I suspect slappy saw the SKU SL2500 on his invoice and not knowing any better because he didn't bother to do his homework thought he got the wrong tweeters. One question that lingers though is why he didn't order them from Polk in the first place because they are cheaper.

    http://reconingspeakers.com/product/polk-sl2500-tweeter/

    qoqq9cfrhtfu.jpg

    .
    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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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    That thumb looks familiar. :p
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,546
    Yours?
    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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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    F1nut wrote: »
    Yours?

    Nope. It looks like a pre-"Shining" Jack Nicholson thumb. I'd say circa "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975). Definitely later than "Easy Rider", though.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,413
    Viking64 wrote: »
    That thumb looks familiar. :p

    You need to stop chewing on your fingers...

    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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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,058
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    You need to stop chewing on your fingers...

    That wasn't my hand.
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  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Viking64 wrote: »
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    You need to stop chewing on your fingers...

    That wasn't my hand.

    Whoever owns that thumb. Please don't have anyone pull it! :smiley:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
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  • gary_haskins
    gary_haskins Posts: 6
    Thanks for your responses. Nooshinjohn, I am an Air Force brat only. Dad, brother and son served in AF. I do work with Sidewinder missiles as part of my job.
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  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,582
    gary_haskins wrote: »
    I do work with Sidewinder missiles as part of my job.

    Not the "In flight missile repair" MOS I hope???
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)

    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter