Need SRS SDA 2 Hints

inspiredsports

Hello!

I purchased brand new (80 lb) SDA-2B's in 1988 and wanted the heavier (135 lb) SRS SDA 2, but was short the additional $1,000 at the time. I haven't regretted my purchase for even a minute, but I just found a great buy on the SRS SDA 2's and am picking them up next week.

I've only seen photos and traded emails with the seller so I can't be sure the speakers are in the perfect shape the seller claims. I'm wondering, can anyyone in the group give me a heads-up as to what I should be looking while these monsters are still hooked to an amp before I load them up in my van?

I'll also probably sell the 2B's to appease my wife, and am wondering if eBay is an appropriate outlet for that.

Thanks,
Greg

zingo

Start with the basics: no dented or pushed in tweeters or dust caps. Push in the passive radiator lightly and make sure all the 6.5" mids move out at the same rate and without noise or binding. When you release the passive radiator, all the drivers should also recoil at the same rate. Check the cabinets over for damage: no cracked end caps, ripped or damaged grills, rusted hardware. Once you hook them up, listen to each driver carefully to make sure that it is working and then listen to the speakers as a whole to make sure they "sound right". If all that checks out, you should be good, and I'm sure someone else will chip in. Good luck and welcome to the club!

Face

I would keep the 2B's, in stock form, they should sound very similar. If your 2B's are pin/blade, then you could upgrade them even further than 2A's.

Or just wait for SRS 2's.

gdb

I-Sports, how much is being asked for the SRSIIs? I just got a pair this summer and love them ! Although they're a lot larger than 2Bs the sound is bigger too. How big is your listening area,I wouldn't want to put them in too small a room. I need to replace the stock tweeters and re-work the crossovers, and then compare them to 1As & 2Bs. I don't have any doubt about which will sound better to me! Get the new, keep the old, it's always good to have spares on hand !:)Geoff

bluecomet

I just bought a set myself on yesterday. Make sure you have a 4 ohm receiver or amp. I am running the set on a SAE amp and pre amp and it does make a differance. These speakers are not for a small room. They like a lot of juice to really make them sing. Your neighbors and other family members will periodically give you dirty looks and motion to turn it down. Just giving you a heads up. These things make you feel the band in is the room. Good luck with your set.

inspiredsports

WOW! Thanks for the fast responses!

Zingo, I've had my 2B's for 21 years and never knew you could test the mids this way. I just tried it and all 6.5's move quietly and uniformly in an out, but eventually "lose pressure" after a couple of seconds if the radiator is held in.

Face, the 2B's are blade/blade and still sound as great as when they were just broken in in 1988. I'd love to learn what upgrades are possible, but may have to sell them to keep my wife happy. I think the 2A is a slighter lighter 65 lb versus the meatier 80 lb 2B?

gdb, the new 2's will be $430 picked up in eastern PA and I have the option to pass if they aren't as represented during the negotiations. They are supposedly original owner, boxes and manuals kept, moved just once. The images I've seen seem to bear this out. I'll know on Sunday. I have a perfectly symmetrical 28' X 36' unobstructed 9' ceiling finished room (insulation under wood panelling and carpeted) in my basement with no obstructions and a perfect sweet spot. I'm hoping for an even bigger soundstage from the 2's versus the 2B's.

bluecomet, I'm runing an NAD 7600 that simply never seems to strain itself no matter what I throw at it. It's set at the 4-8 ohm setting (versus 8-16) for the 2B's that are rated something like 4.8 ohms.

Thanks to all! I bought my system 21 years ago just before my eldest (of 4) was born. now my youngest is 14 and getting into music more and more. He has reignited my passion that was somewhat dormant during those middle years. I look forward to talking to all of you as we start to experiment with these magnificent beasts.

PS I've read the "Lasareath files" and am fairly handy, and willing to attempt some mods if it will improve the looks and especially the sound quality of my system.

zingo

I'm glad we could help.

gdb

Dear I- Sports that's less than I paid for mine ($450) and I didn't get the boxes,manual or cable !!:eek: If you are crazy enough to pass on these, please let me know because Eastern PA will be a shorter road trip than I had to make to get mine! I'll go get em even if they've got a few "problems" for that price. BTW, with that size listening area, you could utilize the biguns that weigh 200+ and are around 6' tall, SRSIIs are pushing it for me, in my more modest dimensions. Buck's County?? Good luck,Geoff -PS;I transported mine with the grilles removed and laid face down with strips of rigid foam,
(1"thick) situated between the driver faces. I figured that was least likely to cause magnet stress/shifting, which makes them inoperable.;)

billbillw

Check for any sign of water damage around the base of the speakers. Listen to each tweeter separately, do the woofer check as mentioned above, and finally, just listen to them. They should sound very similar to your familiar 2B, but with more weight to the low end and perhaps better imaging. Sounds like you will be getting a great deal if they are as expected.

Stick around here and let us know how it works out. There is plenty of 'fuel' for your passion around here. We can get you to spend even more on silk dome tweeter upgrades and crossover rebuilds. Lots of fun

I'd love a set of the SRS2, but for now, I'm pretty happy with my 1C, which have a similar driver arrangement.

Shortly after purchase, I upgraded all my tweeters and rebuilt the crossover with excellent results.

inspiredsports

Thanks gdb. But now I'm worried with almost 400 miles to cover.

I've heard of, but am not clear on the magnet shifting problem. Are you saying grille side/drivers pointed down will allow the weight of the magnet mass to "float" better, pushing down on the cone's foam rather than hanging if the speakers are on their backs?

I have about 20 vinyl covered foam rubber stadium seat cushion that I had intended to use as a base plus lots of blankets, but I was going to transport them on their backs.

I do remember that in 1988 when the SDA 2B's were delivered, they were in their 1-1/4" styrofoam lined factory cardboard boxes, but lying on their backs.

Thanks,
Greg

inspiredsports

Thanks billbillw. I'm going to give the stock silver SL2000's Silver Coils a critical listen, but I do have the kind of personality that always tries to push the envelope so "RDO's" or whatever is recommended may be in my near future.

I guess I'll need help in finding gaskets, etc. to maintain the integrity of the sealed boxes.

I am really anxious to get these home!

Greg

inspiredsports

I joined the forum late last night, while searching for more information just after making my online SRS 2 purchase. When you are not an expert, that sinking feeling of having paid too much always sinks in when you are the high bidder at auction.

I hope I haven't already ruffled any feathers because after the fact, I found the WTB forum and learned there is a whole backstory of mmadden28 having spotted these and been in the hunt.

I wanted to apologize in advance and hope there are no hard feelings

$452.97 was my top dollar bid, not because I knew anything special, but because I had $453 in my PayPal account. $450 turned out to be the reserve and evidently at least $5 higher than anyone else offered. I had guessed they would go for around $500 and that I would be the unhappy one!

gdb

I'm not sure if my method was based in sound logic, but I thought that by having the drivers facing downwards, the magnets would not be subjected to gravity combined with jarring from the roads. YMMV:)

inspiredsports

Hi gdb,

I like your logic, but I just looked at the original boxes my 2B's came in. They were definately "on their backs" and the boxes have arrows and "This Side Up" for the driver grille side to be transported facing upwards.

Now I don't know what to do for sure, but think I will just drive smoothly and carefully. Fortunately I'm 1 mile from the interstate and the pickup point is 3 blocks from, so either way I will have an unobstructed path for almost 100% of my trip.

gdb

I suspect that back then, when new the adhesive failures had yet to occur, the aim was to put less stess on the fronts and grilles. When you get them home you might want to epoxy or hot glue the magnets to ensure that they never go astray, the original adhesive on these vintage drivers is also
vintage/old. See this thread about one solution--
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73629&highlight=magnet
Pennsylvania has the WORST roads I've ever driven on in the cont. US !!

inspiredsports

Now I get it. I forgot that I'm about a 100% visual learner. The pictures of the magnets JB Welded to the backs of the drivers helped me visualize how they fail. I'm convinced you've thought this through properly and come to the right conclusion. I'm crafting a matrix of high density styrofoam that will miss the money parts and keep the faces safe as I will be transporting them with the grilles removed and grille side down.

thsmith

inspiredsports wrote: »

I guess I'll need help in finding gaskets, etc. to maintain the integrity of the sealed boxes.


Greg

There is a post on using mortite for gaskets.

inspiredsports

Many thanks to thsmith!

I found and read the Mortite post and find that am going to need to give this a try soon. I revisited Zingo's advice from earlier today and did more careful timing of the drivers return speeds on my SDA-2B's. While gently depressing the passive radiator, my left speaker holds out for just over 2 seconds, where the right barely makes it over 1 second. I don't know if this is related, but very infrequently as I am listening to loud rock passages, I will notice a note or two from the right side that sound out of place. I'm guessing certain passages of music at higher volume may "deflate" the cabinet faster than it can re-pressurize. It's not a bad sound, but now at least I have a theory I can test .

I am going to Mortite the right one first and listen to the difference so I have a good point of reference. I'll report back when I've completed the project.

mmadden28

inspiredsports wrote: »

I joined the forum late last night, while searching for more information just after making my online SRS 2 purchase. When you are not an expert, that sinking feeling of having paid too much always sinks in when you are the high bidder at auction.

I hope I haven't already ruffled any feathers because after the fact, I found the WTB forum and learned there is a whole backstory of mmadden28 having spotted these and been in the hunt.

I wanted to apologize in advance and hope there are no hard feelings

$452.97 was my top dollar bid, not because I knew anything special, but because I had $453 in my PayPal account. $450 turned out to be the reserve and evidently at least $5 higher than anyone else offered. I had guessed they would go for around $500 and that I would be the unhappy one!

No hard feelings here; The seller ran the auction in a very odd way, with multiple listings and constant changes in the BIN prices and even a change in the reserve price at some point., etc. I was going to bid higher in the auction, but just had a weird feeling about it. Like you said there was an almost sinking feeling when I placed my original offers and counter offers.

If you have second thoughts or pass let me know-I'll take the burden off of your gas tank . The seller is about 35 miles from my house and about 16 miles from my office.
Otherwise have fun with them. :cool:

inspiredsports

Thanks mmadden28. I did notice the auction oddities and challenged the seller (Melissa) about it. I ended up believing her story. She needed to have them out by Thanksgiving and had originally used a 30 day listing that expired in December by mistake. She then relisted as a 7 day auction.

It will cost some gas, food and lodging, but my wife and I need a short break. We'll find a decent restaurant, spend 1 night and then take in some historical sites before picking up. My 4 teens who will be left at home are ecstatic!

Blinddog

inspiredsports wrote: »

It will cost some gas, food and lodging, but my wife and I need a short break. We'll find a decent restaurant, spend 1 night and then take in some historical sites before picking up. My 4 teens who will be left at home are ecstatic!

That's what I call a wonderful weekend get away. Some quality time on the road with the wife and then snuggling up to a new set up speakers for the night. I need to find a woman with a similar set of priorities!

zingo

My wife wouldn't care that I went on a speaker road trip, but she would have absolutely no interest in joining me. Maybe all the better...

bsoko2

zingo wrote: »

My wife wouldn't care that I went on a speaker road trip, but she would have absolutely no interest in joining me. Maybe all the better...

Ditto!

inspiredsports

Easy now. I know we are strange, but we actually get along, even after 4 kids and 32 years!

zingo

inspiredsports wrote: »

Easy now. I know we are strange, but we actually get along, even after 4 kids and 32 years!

Well I have to give you props for that. Congrats!

inspiredsports

Hey guys, I have a question about the SL2000 Silver Coil tweets.

First, I found the old thread at http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-26206.html where some members were really at each other's throats about the benefits of replacing versus keeping the cabinets "original".

I do like extreme highs so I've never really been displeased with the harshness of the SL2000's in my 2B's. I also agree that Polk has always been about change as evidenced by all of the changes Matthew himself injected into this great line of speakers.

What is the current favorite replacement for the SL2000 Silver Coil in both the SDA-2B and SDA SRS 2? Where can I go online to learn more about them, price, etc.?

george daniel

Just call Polk C S,, IIRC,, they are 48.00 each,,drop in replacements,,save the gasket,you will need it,,,and you won't be sorry that you did it either,,IMHO,,good luck,have fun,, :)

inspiredsports

Thanks George,

Now, I know this is probably a dumb question, but I'll post it anyway . . .

Is there a secondary market for the 2000's? If so, how much should I ask to move them quckly?

Face

I believe I sold a pair of my old SL2000's for $20 shipped.

billbillw

You can get about $20 each for them on Ebay.

inspiredsports

Today's the day! We're starting our 2-day road trip to retrieve the SRS 2's.

I'm fairly certain I will replace the SL2000 tweets, but gdb mentioned the need to rework the crossovers in this speaker. Is this necessary? Do the original electronic components fatigue to where they are not delivering the performance they did when new, or is it that technology has improved to smooth out the sound? Or both?

#################

I guess I just answered my own question with a google search for "service life of capacitor". I know my own system is probably still electronically new for a physical 21 year old system as it has been used sparingly. The new speakers I don't know.