SDA 2's FS in my town

heiney9

Found these on the bay and I need some info from current owners and former owners.

http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-SDA-2-FLOOR-STANDING-LOUD-SPEAKERS-AWESOME_W0QQitemZ130006315198QQihZ003QQcategoryZ71571QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

How do these compare to larger SDA's? I've always considered anything less than the 1C's too small. What variations were there for this model? Best guess is it's a pair of 2B's.

Currently I own RTA-11t's and love the bass and the soundstage I get. I've always wanted a pair of SDA's and with these being practically across town for me, I'd seriously consider getting these just to save the hassle of shipping, etc. I would probably keep my 11's for awhile and just store them.

I used to sell SDA's and have fond memories of their appeal, but I really have been immensly satisfied with my 11's now that I have them optimally placed. I'm afraid of upsetting the synergy.

I guess I need some convincing

heiney9

I got an e-mail from the owner. He does not have the cable, but it is pin/blade so I think I could make one. They appear, and he confirmed, they are the studio model and seem to be all original (sans cable) and in very good condition. I might see if he'll arrange a demo and perhaps we can work soemthing out.

Any idea what these should sell for? I'm thinking of offering him $250 after I demo them if he consents.

I really have aways wanted larger "TL" series SDA's, but with these being soooo close perhaps I shoud take the plunge. If they don't work out I could try to keep them in the "family" and sell them here.

H9

schwarcw

I'm pretty sure those are SDA-2B's. They are a great sounding speaker. A lot of folks here own them and will tell you to buy them. They will surprise you with the size of the soundstage, depth and overall sound quality. They are very musical and will give you a lot of enjoyment. I also have the SDA-2.3's. These produce a larger overall sound, but are very large speakers. They can be overwhelming in a room. The SDA-2B's are no slouch in size, 39" H X 12" W X 13" D and weigh about 85 lbs. You can use a simple 16 guage or larger wire for the pin connection. The blade serves no purpose other than to stabilize the connector. $250 is a fair price if they are in good condition. These can be found for less but $250 is not bad. Especially if you can examine them and pickup locally. Don't hesitate, go for them!:D

heiney9

I took some measurements and they are the same height as my RTA-11's and roughly 2x in width of the RTA-11's. He has the starting bid as $200. Thanks for the response but I need more encouragement and I will sleep on it and perhaps arrange to demo/view them this weekend

H9

ND13

Get ya sum!!!!

DAGLJAM6

Yep, get 'em, You'll enjoy Zeppelin, Floyd or Jazz on them. If not your taste after that walk out for what you paid. No harm there. Probably the cleanest SDA effect (other than the CRS's) you can get for relatively little cash.
Really enjoyed my pair but settled into a sweet set of CRS's that aren't leaving anytime soon.

heiney9

I guess my biggest concern is the bass response, most notably the extension. My 11's are excellent in that area and while I know the SDA properties will be excellent I have my doubts about one 6 1/4" driver making gobs of solid bass even though they have a large radiator. I know Polks rep for PR performace so I really shouldn't give it a 2nd thought.......but..............

H9

dagame27

I wouldn't worry much about the bass. That was my concern before I got my SDA's and they blew me away with how deep and clean the bass was. I have not heard the 11's however so I do not have a comparison for you. I upgraded from Rti70's which I though were great until I heard the SDA's.

schwarcw

The sda-@'s are sensitive to room placement. If you can et the about 6" from the rear wall, you will have bass galore. Any closer, too much. The bass and deep and clean. Go for it. You can be sure that you can easily sell them for waht you paid for. essentially very little risk.

Later, we'll talk about the tweeter and crossover upgrades to take you to a new level with them:D

Roy Munson

SDA 2A's and B's are very under rated, I've had a pair of 2A sec. eds. since new and I like them alot. [I will admit that 1C's are my favorite] Unless you are going to put them in a very large room you will probably have enough bass. One thing you should consider is replacing the SL 2000 tweeters with the silk replacements, it's well worth the $100.00 and is a great upgrade to any SDA.

danger boy

go get them.. i think you'll like em alot. you need SDA's!!

housedj

heiney9 wrote:

I have my doubts about one 6 1/4" driver making gobs of solid bass even though they have a large radiator. H9

Both 6 1/2" drivers per cabinet are active in the bass region.

I think you will be happier with the SDA-2B verses the RTA-11:)

bert26

I just purchased a pair of 2b's this Monday (7/10) although they are blade/blade. I brought them home and set them up right in front of my SRS 2's. I have to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised at the performance, even compared to the SRS's. The room that they are in is pretty large with a vaulted ceiling and the 2b's come damn close to filling the whole thing up.

I paid about $290 which was a bit more that I wanted to spend, but they were just across town so I didn't have to deal with the freight cost.

I really don't think you will be disappointed and I would recommend picking them up.

Feel free to ping me if you have any specific questions.

Chris

F1nut

Buy the damn things.

billbillw

Talk to the guy, see if you can see them/listen in person. If you like them, see if he would entertain the idea of you just buying them outright. Don't push the issue if he doesn't want to end the auction. Some sellers have inflated ideas of what their gear is worth. If he doesn't want to sell them outright, just put in a minimum bid so that some other schmuck doesn't, and then pad your bid at the end with your max...you never know, you might get them for $200!

OnlyPolk

How does one tell if one has 2A or 2B and what's different? (I ordered the silk dome replacements for all my tweeters, based on input here)

schwarcw

Not to worry. Bot have one tweeter per cabinent. I thing the orientation of the tweeter is "horizontal" in the 2A's vs "vertical" for the 2B's. Same speaker.

Maybe others will add some more detail

Roy Munson

Original 2a's have two horizontal tweeters..2a second editions have one vertical tweeter just like 2b's.

OnlyPolk

Then I have the SDA-2A because I have 2 horizontal tweeters. I have clippings from an original review of the SDA and it said that Polk, set out to make a speaker that was nearly equal to the SDA-1 at half the price and succeeded in making a better one in the SDA-2. Then he had to go back and improve the SDA-1. I have not been keeping up with the genealogy of Polk speakers. Is there a link anyone can provide that traces the development of the SDA line?

Roy Munson

You might want to buy Raife's SDA Compendium2 that is for sale in the flea-market. The first editon sold out and he now has the second edition with added info available.. plus members of Polk Forum get a discount!

I already ordered one.

dkg999

H9 - I have the slightly older SDA-2A's setting in the original boxes in my storage unit. They have the upgraded tweeters and blade/blade cable. They are going up for sale shortly, so if you want to demo them at your place we can arrange that. Doug.

billbillw

H9,
What ever happened with these? Were you able to see them in person? I see the auction is still up with no bids.

heiney9

Nothing....I let 'em go for the time being. I have the guys home # and addy. I'm in the market for a new auto and I'll have to see how that works out before I buy soemthing I really don't need. I still may work something out after the auction ends.........we'll see.

H9