The SRS 1.2TL ..should I buy them?? :-O

hauxon
hauxon Posts: 161
edited July 2019 in Vintage Speakers
I've been loosing sleep over this...

I've been an owner of the SDA 2B Studio version since I bought them 19 years old in 1991. They have always sounded good and sound even better after I did the TL mod. They are paired with a good power amp (NAD C272) and my wife accepts the size and appreciates the sound (especially for TV/movies).

However recently a pair of SRS 1.2TL was listed for sale here in Iceland. The original owner had passed away and the descendants want to sell it. I might be able to buy it for about $1200.

The problem is that I might have a hard time convincing my wife that these monstrous size speakers will look good in our living room. I might also have a hard time convincing her that there is an actual need for this since the SDA 2B sound perfectly good. The living room is quite large ceiling is 14ft high and the floor about 20ft x 30ft.

Am I crazy/greedy? I know it is the only pair in Iceland and it won't probably ever come up for sale again. I also feel I'm the right person to own them (and care for them) and would probably slowly upgrade 'em (and probably more than double the cost). I'm might also feel like my current NAD C272 (2x150W@8 RMS) was not powerful or posh enough. It is probably fine though. I can sell some stuff to finance it (and the SDA 2B's).

I do feel my current setup is quite good. I do have a subwoofer though for below 40Hz that probably won't be needed with the SRS 1.2 TL. But I fear I will regret it greatly if I let the 1.2 TL pass by. I also cannot see myself convincing my wife...

SIGH!!!!
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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Comments

  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,651
    Sounds to me like you have already made a decision. I would say go get them.
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, AudioQuest Thunderbird Speaker and Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    For just the shear size of the room the 1.2s will do a significantly better job than the 2Bs in filling it. Do it and never look back.
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    Your room was what the 1.2TL was designed for. I agree with the others and say go get them.
    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
  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    Well I went to take look and listen. They're not in a 100% condition. First thing I noticed was the cloth had been damaged by a cat on one speaker and the SDA connection cable had also been a victim of the cat and taped together. Listening was too a letdown. No source was connected so I ended up connecting a smartphone to the Marantz AV receiver. Speakers were angled inwards and too far from back wall making them sound thin. Putting my ear to the tweeters one by revealed at least on with no output or silent. ...so I'm digesting. Might be a good restoration project ...or a possible buttomless money pit. :-P
    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
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,709
    The tweeter array is a progessive point source, so 3 of the 4 play restricted frequencies each at a lower volume level.
    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

  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,043
    Those easily remedied problems sound like bargaining chips to me. They cannot be all that common in your part of the world and they should have a premium price on them instead of the bargain price you listed. Grab them quick before someone else gets wind of this good deal.
  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    I was just kind of shocked since my SDA 2B are almost like new. :)
    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
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Go get em! Great price too! :smile:
    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.
  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    edited July 2019
    F1nut wrote: »
    The tweeter array is a progessive point source, so 3 of the 4 play restricted frequencies each at a lower volume level.

    Makes sense. I was listening to song with pronounced ride cymbal so it might have either fallen out side of the tweeter's crossover range or outside of my ear high frequency
    ability (15kHz).

    Is there any reading I can find on the tweeter setup of the SRS 1.2TL?
    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
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,709
    The SDA Handbook on Vr3's site.
    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

  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    ...well, when I contacted the lady who was selling she told me her husband was going to buy them (from her and her brothers and sisters) and restore 'em him self. He would be buying the speakers for $2000 so I would need to offer more than that if I still wanted them. ..so there is no deal, I simply can't afford to spend $2000 on the speakers and another $1000 in restoration.

    Kind of sad. They didn't have any interest in music when I came to take a look. The speakers were connected to a mediocre AV receiver and angled inwards. There wasn't even an audio source connected to the receiver.

    So I fear they will destroy the speakers by trying to restore 'em without having any knowledge or knowhow of the Polk SDA line (or hifi electronics)... so I told them I was willing to help them if they felt needed. Kind of sad and probably an attempt to get more for the speakers and got a little greedy. :'(

    Still some mods left to do on my SDA 2B studios... <3
    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
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    Yeah 2K is to high. Keep in touch with them and maybe you'll hear from them with a better offer.

    Keep in touch here, and at the least we can help with your SDA2B's if needed.

    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    They have a price...

    You go and look at them in person and notice they need $$$ and time recovering the grills to make them normal again.

    You go home to think about it.

    You call her back and now the price is 800.00 more? CRAZY!

    Call her back and offer her 500.00. ;)

    Maybe not, but tell her if things don't work out on their side, you'd seriously still be interested in buying them.

    When she calls you back, then drop the 500 cash offer on her. :D

    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    The problem is the original owner (their passed away father) loved those speakers and according to the lady wanted to be buried in the boxes :smiley: . So they know the speakers are special. When they start thinking of selling the speakers they see speakers like these for sale on Ebay for $4500. Now everyone is happy since they will get $1500 each when they sell the speakers. The problem is that they won't find anyone willing to pay such large amount for a 30 year old speakers in need of crossover recap and 8 new tweeters. They just don't realize that those expensive speakers at Ebay have been completely restored or are just overpriced in the hope that some millionaire will want to buy the speakers he dremt of as a young man. Here in Iceland we don't have that many millionaires let alone with Polk vintage fetish...
    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
  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    Well we settled for about $1500, actually slightly less because of the poor Icelandic krona. This extra $500 will probably delay the updates but what are few months or even years in vintage audio. I'm a happy camper with a slight buyers remorse that will probably wear off in a month or two. :p Now I just need to find a way to transport 'em safely. They are about 120 miles drive from where I live. Is it ok to lay them back down? Possibility of damages of the innards by transporting laying down?
    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
  • BlueBirdMusic
    BlueBirdMusic Posts: 2,066
    edited July 2019
    CONGRATS!!

    Caribou express?
    "Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"


    Harry / Marietta GA
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,480
    Back is the preferred method to transport. I would also short the binding post's with a short piece of wire. It helps keep the woofers from flopping around during the ride.
  • monepolk
    monepolk Posts: 1,140
    Congrats on the purchase.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,709
    On their backs is best. Be aware that the binding posts stick out a bit, so do not slide them on their backs.
    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

  • BMF35
    BMF35 Posts: 86
    Haven't you owned your 2B's for 28 years?
  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    edited July 2019
    BMF35 wrote: »
    Haven't you owned your 2B's for 28 years?

    Yes, bought my SDA 2B Studio new in '91
    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
  • codycatalist
    codycatalist Posts: 2,662
    Congrats on the 1.2s!
    Just a dude doing dude-ly things

    "Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
    " I have always had a champange taste with a beer budget" - Rick88
    "Just because the thread is getting views don't mean much .. I like a good train wreck doesn't mean i want to be in one..." - pitdogg2
    "Those that don't know, don't know that they don't know." - heiney9
    "Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member
  • hauxon
    hauxon Posts: 161
    Well I drove tonight to fetch the speakers. I moved the speaker cables and SDA cable from my SDA 2B to the SRS 1.2TL for a quick listen. ...and they sound really thin, actually awful compared to the 2B's. :'( I will have to look into it during the weekend.

    I did disconnect the biwire/biamp jumper and tested the woofers for polarity with a 9V battery. Didn't see anything wrong there all eight woofers moved in tandem in both speakers.

    Very strange. Is there a thread in here with a good procedure for testing the speaker components? I did notice some of the woofers seem to have softer rubber surround than others, not sure if it matters. Cabinets seem airtight woofers move when I push the passive radiator and then slowly retreat.

    Well, I need to get some sleep. :/
    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
  • codycatalist
    codycatalist Posts: 2,662
    Open the passive and see where the dacron is placed. Outside of that you are correct in checking polarity.
    Just a dude doing dude-ly things

    "Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
    " I have always had a champange taste with a beer budget" - Rick88
    "Just because the thread is getting views don't mean much .. I like a good train wreck doesn't mean i want to be in one..." - pitdogg2
    "Those that don't know, don't know that they don't know." - heiney9
    "Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member