L800s over my 2.3tls

gudnoyez · July 21

I see Audio Advisor has the L800s on sale for $2549.15 each. I'm happy with the 2.3tls. but would these be worth the investment?

I'm pretty sure the 2.3tls would be easy to sell but not sure how easy the L800s would be able to move without a loss should I not prefer them over the 2.3tls. Thoughts anyone?

pitdogg2 · July 21

2.3tl's.

gudnoyez · July 21

Ivan have you listened to the L800s?

VR3 · July 21

They sound so dramatically different... The L800 is hyper detailed and a tad bright

2.3tl will be warmer and the details won't be so much like a highlighter

pitdogg2 · July 21

gudnoyez wrote: »

Ivan have you listened to the L800s?

Yes, although not in an optimal set up. I didn't like them, and like Sid the kid up above, I thought they were too bright.

I really like that you can pin point the folks on the stage with the 2.3tls. The L800 in my opinion, want to wrap around your head, less front stage and more 360 surround sound.
Several here have moved on from the 1.2tls to the L800 so they heard something I didn't.

gudnoyez · July 21

Yeah no complaints whatsoever on the 2.3's nowhere close to Demo the L800s near me not sure if anyone has them on display in the Chicago area.

I would like to demo a pair but not sure how long Audio Advisor will have them on sale, or if I could get to a place that has them. Was looking for a a response like yeah do it, or convince me to buy them. I just seen them on sale for what seemed like a pretty good price and curiosity got the best of me.

F1nut · July 21

pitdogg2 wrote: »

gudnoyez wrote: »

Ivan have you listened to the L800s?

Yes, although not in an optimal set up. I didn't like them, and like Sid the kid up above, I thought they were too bright.

I really like that you can pin point the folks on the stage with the 2.3tls. The L800 in my opinion, want to wrap around your head, less front stage and more 360 surround sound.
Several here have moved on from the 1.2tls to the L800 so they heard something I didn't.

^THIS^

nooshinjohn · July 21

5k for a pair is still too much IMHO… look for a used pair, as they do come up from time to time. They love to be paired with tubes. I would not go back to the TL’s, as they hyper-detail these produce, combined with the soundstage is off the charts. If you, or anyone else, find their way to the Los Angeles area, I would be happy to demo them.

Toolfan66 · July 21

I love the L800’s.

I’m still working on my 2.3tl’s.

gmcman · July 22

@gudnoyez

Have you upgraded the stock internal wiring of your 2.3 TL's? If not, it's a worthy upgrade for some added detail IMO.

ZLTFUL · July 23

gmcman wrote: »

@gudnoyez

Have you upgraded the stock internal wiring of your 2.3 TL's? If not, it's a worthy upgrade for some added detail IMO.

I did a complete crossover upgrade, rings, Dynamat on the baskets, I *believe* I also did the wiring but I may be misremembering as it has been over 10 years since I did them.

Emlyn · July 23

I didn't direct replace my 2.3TLs with L800s in my two channel system but had a couple pairs of other speakers (Magnepan and Focal) in between before settling on the L800s as a long term speaker.

No regrets!

The last pair of 2.3TLs I had used the RD0198 tweeters and Larry's Rings, but nothing else was modified. I agree with other comments that they sound like completely different speakers compared to the L800s. I also found the L800s do benefit from supplementing with a Rel subwoofer but the 2.3TLs had a bit too much bass response in my modest sized room and didn't benefit from using a subwoofer at all.

muncybob · July 23

Funny you say that about the 800s because I recently disconnected my sub from my L600s and really don't miss it at all.

msg · July 23

Question re: vintage Polks vs. Legend...

Do the crossover upgrades make a difference in the RD0-198 and RD0-194 presentation?

It's been a long time since I've had any of my vintage Polk speakers in rotation, but I remember them not being as comfortable up top as I found the Legend speakers to be, but that is with the tweeter upgrades only.

None of my vintage Polk speakers are modded at all, nor do they have the crossover upgrades completed yet, despite having some of the parts. They do have the RD0-198/194 where applicable, and the speakers are 2.3TL, Monitor 11T, Monitor 10, and 5JR+. I still found them a touch hot up top, and always suspected the crossover upgrades could make the difference, but I've not had the experience to be able to say.

msg · July 23

I can share that the L800s do present the audio on an arc, though. I regularly experienced the sensation of music 3-4ft both outside and forward of the speakers' position. I didn't get 360, but I suspect this could be room and furniture related. Maybe in a mostly vacant listening space? Just guessing, and I'd be interested to hear more about the setup where that experience occurred.

This was also one of only two speaker/system experiences where I was looking directly at a speaker and the sound seemed to be coming from elsewhere - on the stage between and outside of the speakers. It makes you swear, shake your head, and laugh out loud to yourself. And it's repeatable.

Musical Fidelity A5 integrated, and a modest Schiit Bifrost multibit DAC, Squeezebox Touch, and Spotify.

VR3 · July 23

The original sda line, today, fully stock sounds really bad. This isn't an endorsement to modifications. This is reality. They sound old and tired.

All the guts and tweeters need updating. The cabinets need resealed. Need to verify no air leaks etc etc

Only then have you heard what that line is capable of

pitdogg2 · July 23

@msg, anything with a sl2000 tweeter was way too hot for me. I actually found the sl1000 much easier to listen to, still not as sweet as the 194/198 tweeters.
I routinely have my 2.3tls project way outside of their side borders, and shrink down to a pinpoint area in the middle of themselves. It's how they disappear in the room. It's a whole thing, now get off your backside and mod up some speakers, I know you have good parts😉

Tony M · July 23

msg wrote: »

I can share that the L800s do present the audio on an arc, though. I regularly experienced the sensation of music 3-4ft both outside and forward of the speakers' position. I didn't get 360, but I suspect this could be room and furniture related. Maybe in a mostly vacant listening space? Just guessing, and I'd be interested to hear more about the setup where that experience occurred.

This was also one of only two speaker/system experiences where I was looking directly at a speaker and the sound seemed to be coming from elsewhere - on the stage between and outside of the speakers. It makes you swear, shake your head, and laugh out loud to yourself. And it's repeatable.

Musical Fidelity A5 integrated, and a modest Schiit Bifrost multibit DAC, Squeezebox Touch, and Spotify.

That right there is what I've been experiencing for 40 years.

Some speakers do it well.

Polk Audio, PSB, DCM Timewindows, Golden Ear, Ohm Walsh and many more I can't recall right now.

I LOVE IT when they play that way. That's a happy soul feeling—the "STEREO" and "Holographic" presentations.

I've been telling people tweeters and design make a great speaker for 40 years.

mpitogo · July 24

I don't have experience with the older SDA speakers. I fell in love with the brand after seeing a magazine with Matthew in a lab coat standing next to a tall pair. After college and I had the means, SDA were long gone. But I did buy 4 generations of Polk, it wasn't until the Legend was released that I got a chance to hear SDA in person. I like what they do, it's a different experience from all my other speakers. I only added a sub to fix trouble areas in the bass response room modes tuning with REW.

While I can't comment on the comparison, I can comment on the price. I bought mine the Nov 8th 2019 and got them delivered Nov 15th. My dealer included white glove delivery, unboxing and basic setup (mainly placement). No regrets paying full MSRP. At $5K pair still great value.

L800s over my 2.3tls

Comments