Polk SDA-1Bs... any good???

jon s
jon s Posts: 905
edited June 2008 in Vintage Speakers
I can pick up a pair of Polk SDA-1Bs for $300. Owner says they are in excellent condition. Question is... which SDAs are considered to be the ones to buy? The SDA-1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 2A or 2B? I see the 1B and 1C are physically different but are the drivers/crossovers the same?

Is there anything I should be looking for or considering when checking the speakers out? Is there any recommended upgrades for the speakers? Thanks in advance...
Post edited by jon s on
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  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    edited May 2008
    I grabbed some 2Bs for $50. Unless you REALLY want them I'd just wait for a kick **** deal. But I'm just cheap ;)
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited May 2008
    $300 is high to me. if they were 1C's yeah.. but they ain't.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited May 2008
    The 1B's are a real close 2nd to 1C's. If they are in excellent condition I would offer $250.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,204
    edited May 2008
    Actually that's a good price especially if they are in very good to excellent condition. The thing is many of us members get so jaded with the outstanding deals we give and get we lose a bit of touch with the actual marketplace.

    $300 is not out of line unless they are hacked to death. I paid a lot more for my 1C's and granted they had all the upgrades but they have a few cabinet and grill issues. Nothing major but certainly not what I'd call very good to excellent.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited May 2008
    H9, you are right about that.. those of us in here love awesome deals on speakers... and it may not reflect accurately what the market will bear. or is it bare? either way.... seeing them in person is key to any deal.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited May 2008
    and once you buy them get ready for all the "i'll give you $200 for them" offers you'll get!
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited May 2008
    I see these go for between $3-400 all the time on CL. Make an offer, but as the others said, $300 for a local in good shape is a very good deal. Yeah, I found a somewhat rough pair of 2Bs for $100, but I consider that robbery. The folks that find deals for $10-$50 or pawn shop specials just got hit with a lucky stick.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,735
    edited May 2008
    Some of you are smoking crack!

    $300.00 is a deal.
    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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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited May 2008
    F1nut wrote: »
    Some of you are smoking crack!

    $300.00 is a deal.

    I like my crack! :p

    I'm just a cheap ****... and never overpay for SDA's. ;)
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • bert26
    bert26 Posts: 320
    edited May 2008
    3 hundy is a solid deal on 1b's in my opinion. I wouldn't hesitate.
    HT Rig
    Polk SDA SRS 2.3tl - Anthem 2 SE
    Polk CSi5 - Adcom 555
    Polk Monitor 30 - HK DPR1005
    SVS PB12 ISD/2
    Denon DCD-1500II
    Sony SXRD 60"
    ShengYa CS-10

    Basement Rig
    Polk SDA SRS2
    Carver 1.5t
    Carver C2
    Technics SLD202
    Some Other Sony DVD/CDP
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited May 2008
    If I didn't have any I would jump on them too. If you don't like them you could sell them for more than you paid. But truly I think if you got them you would most certainly keep them. A lot of guys want the biggest baddest SDA's, but if you don't have the real estate for them the mid sized (which are actually large) would perform better anyway.
    Go get them. Pay less if you can, but don't miss them if they are nice.
    Ben

    BTW $600 is good for stock 1C's in excellent condition which are NOT $300 better than the B's.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • dcmeigs
    dcmeigs Posts: 708
    edited May 2008
    jon s wrote: »
    Is there anything I should be looking for or considering when checking the speakers out?

    Look for frozen drivers and torn surrounds. Push on the PR gently and see that the other drivers move out and stay out when the PR is depressed. Cat damage and dropping damage are both common. See if they have the nice walnut veneer cabinets in good shape.

    See if they really are 1Bs. You might be suprised to find they are mislabled. He might not know what he has, especially if he is not the first owner.

    I'd give $300 for a very minty pair in good walnut, but I try not to :D.
    The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited May 2008
    the speakers look in good condition, he sent me pictures... they are in the original Polk boxes. they are covered in the walnut vinyl. I am considering peeling it off and doing it in real walnut, cherry or rosewood...
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited May 2008
    That would be sweet. Have you ever seen Las's SDA's?
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited May 2008
    linky
    http://www.polk-audio-sda-srs-one-point-two-t-l.com/
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited May 2008
    Okay... I picked up the Polk SDA1Bs as well as a pair of Monitor 10Bs for $350... They are in excellent shape... a LOT better than expected. The SDA1Bs look near mint except for the retaining speaker screws which look a bit rusty. I am definitely replacing all the screws with new ones. Here are some photos.... You will notice the Polk LSi15s behind the SDAs (My wife says I have too many speakers. I also have a pair of Sony SSM9s, KEF 104/2, 3 Polk RT55is... receivers aren't too bad... you can stuff everywhere but speakers are just too big to stash...).

    BTW, I find the speakers to be way too bright and forward. the midrange is a bit nasal sounding like horns and the highs are a bit too harsh. If I upgrade the crossovers will that tame down the sound or make it brighter?
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited May 2008
    here are some more pictures of the SDA1Bs... note the rusty screws... I was pretty amazed that the speakers were not worse as the original owner lives on the beach and you know how the salty air corrodes everything...
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited May 2008
    Very nice. You should upgrade the tweeters, and new caps do help. I have increased the resistor by .5ohms to tame mine in my 7's for now.
    Congrats, and again very nice.
    Ben
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,735
    edited May 2008
    BTW, I find the speakers to be way too bright and forward. the midrange is a bit nasal sounding like horns and the highs are a bit too harsh.

    What are you driving them with and what's your source?
    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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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited May 2008
    the SDA's take some getting use to... I didn't care to much for mine when I first got them.. several SDA"s later.. I find that the Polk SDA sound is what you are hearing. I too thought the mids were to forward on every pair of SDA's i've owned.

    After listening to them for a week or so... you get used to the sound.. and realize, hey these things sound pretty good after you replace the SL2000 tweeters. ;)
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • shadowofnight
    shadowofnight Posts: 2,735
    edited May 2008
    Very nice snag...even the basically free 10b's look great. Congrats :D
    The first rule of Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited May 2008
    F1nut wrote: »
    What are you driving them with and what's your source?

    I am using a Sony CDP779ES and TA-F808ES MOSFET amp. Tomorrow I am swapping them out with a Marantz SA8260 and PM7200 to see if that works. If not, I will replace them with a Denon 3930CI and 3806.

    I temporarily replaced the SDA1Bs with the Monitor 10Bs... and i like the 10Bs sound a lot better. Sometimes the SDA1B sounds too "echoey". Centered vocals seem recessed and the left and right chaneels are too loud in comparison. This is similar to the Carver C9 when it is pushed to the limit.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,735
    edited May 2008
    I am using a Sony CDP779ES and TA-F808ES MOSFET amp.

    Bingo! The Sony house sound in combination with the SL2000 tweeters doesn't make for nice music.
    Sometimes the SDA1B sounds too "echoey". Centered vocals seem recessed and the left and right chaneels are too loud in comparison.

    Edit: I didn't look at your pictures first. Anyway, they are too far out into the room, they are in front of other speakers and as the others have stated, the room looks hard.
    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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  • dcmeigs
    dcmeigs Posts: 708
    edited May 2008
    Congrats.
    Sometimes the SDA1B sounds too "echoey".
    The room might have something to do with that too. Thats a lot of hardwood in that photo. You might consider a larger rug among your various options to tame the room a bit.
    The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited June 2008
    I took out the LSi15s and put the SDA1Bs against the wall. The electronics were replaced with a Marantz SA-8260 CD/SACD player and a Marantz PM7200 Class-A integrated amp. It toned down the midrange a bit but as you are suggesting I also think the room is too "hard" for the SDA1Bs.

    I also do not seem to like the SDA "sound". I know removing interaural crosstalk does has some side effects to the musical fidelity and to me it just sounds a bit "off". I will run the SDA1Bs for a while and see if there is a change in the sound (the speakers were not used for about a year) and make a decision down the road...
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,735
    edited June 2008
    There are no side effects to the musical fidelity unless you call listening to music as close to live as possible a side effect. Rather, it is your typical stereo speakers that compromise the musical fidelity.
    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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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited June 2008
    I am beginning to suspect there may be a problem with the left speaker... I have felt that the bass on the SDA1Bs seem to be rather weak. Did a test tone sweep on both speakers. It appears that the passive radiator on the left speaker does not pulse as much as the right one on lower frequencies. It also appears that the lower stereo speaker does not move as much as the upper one. The right speakers seem to pulse synchronously. The left ones do but the lower one does not move as much. Placing my ear next to the lower driver does hear sound. Any ideas? Crossover or bad speaker...
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,735
    edited June 2008
    Bad driver.
    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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  • dcmeigs
    dcmeigs Posts: 708
    edited June 2008
    Deja Vu. We need to create a sticky for inspecting and troubleshooting SDAs.

    Jon, grab a VOM and check the drivers in the suspect cabinet and your IC cable.

    What happens when you roll the balance to the right speaker? Do you still have sound coming from the left speaker?
    The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited June 2008
    dcmeigs wrote: »
    Deja Vu. We need to create a sticky for inspecting and troubleshooting SDAs.

    Jon, grab a VOM and check the drivers in the suspect cabinet and your IC cable.

    What happens when you roll the balance to the right speaker? Do you still have sound coming from the left speaker?

    Yes. I do have sound from the opposite side. It's a moot point now. My wife insisted that I sell the speakers as they are too big. I have the speakers posted on Craigslist and two people wanted them, so it's gonna be gone on Wednesday...
    :(
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