What to look for??? SDA 2A

pjsjr

I'm going to look at a pair.

I know very little about these and what to look for...I have space and I'm using a pair of RTA 8t now with a Harman Kardon 3490 and like their sound. I have a Pioneer sx1500td to use if it would be better.

Tell me about the power these need, the interconnect wire between the two, the tweeters/speakers if they are problematic and proper placement.

Thanks, Preston

NJPOLKER

Hey Preston
Welcome to the Forum
Try using the search function because it has a tremendous amount of information.
One thing I will tell you is that whatever you use to power SDA's it must be common ground.
OK, one more thing, they are great speakers properly set up. Room size/shape will also greatly effect the performance. Once you get your read on you'll see what I am saying.
Drew

hearingimpared

Welcome to Club Polk Preston!

hearingimpared

They should be placed at least 3' from the sides walls and no less than 4' apart. Six to 8' apart would be optimum.

pjsjr

Thanks for the welcome...

I have been reading posts that deal with the SDA and will continue to search more info. When you know little, what you read means little.

Thanks for the info about common ground...I'll find out what that means:p and be sure to check my receivers.

I'm not sure I'll get to audition these so I wanted to know if you can tell if a speaker is bad from looking at it. I've read that the tweeters are easily blown.

I know on my RTA 8t the surrounds are rubber and not prone to deteriorate like foam in other speakers...so they could look OK but not sound good???

What I've read about powering these is really confusing...seems there are differing thoughts...I don't want to get these and find that I'll need to spend more money on power to enjoy them. Thanks, Preston

pjsjr

hearingimpared wrote: »

They should be placed at least 3' from the sides walls and no less than 4' apart. Six to 8' apart would be optimum.

Thanks, that's what I need to know and I can do that. Preston

danger boy

be sure the base that the SDA 2A's sit on is in decent condition.. it's made of MDF and over time it deteriorates, esp if it's been in a damp basement or the like.

All SDA's have a left and a right speaker.. be sure each is in the correct place. it'll say left or right on the back of each.

you can't tell if a speaker is bad by just looking at it. check the rubber surrounds on each speaker. ask the seller if he has ever replaced anything on the speakers.

Without freaking the seller out.. gently press on the passive radiator and watch the two 6.5 inch mid bass drivers move outward, then they should slowly move back in. if they don't.. then there may be a air leak somewhere.

You can run the SDA's with as little as 50wpc.. but it's not recommeneded at that level. I did.. and my amp quickly became over taxed. You want to be upwards of 100wpc of high current amp power.

pjsjr

Thank you, danger boy.

Great info, especially about L & R, the bottoms and testing for air leaks:cool:.

Either of my receivers should do:).

I'm thinking that I'll just have to hear them before shelling out any money!

Preston

Ron Temple

The RTA 8T uses the same compliment of drivers and tweeter as the stock 2As, I believe, MW6510s and the SL2000 tweeter. The differences you hear will be soundstage width, depth and heighth. I'm pretty sure you'll like them. Check the driver's for scratchiness and do the push test on the PR to check for leaks...as well as...the cabinet inspection. You don't need a ton of power for them to sound good, but a high current amp is recommended (common ground).

Marty913

Also, if they are local to you and you can take pictures (or maybe there are pictures already if on Craigslist or EBay) then posting them here or providing us a link can help us get involved. Sometimes Polk's travel through the "family" here and we may even be familiar with the speakers or sellers. Everything else above is great advice.

pjsjr

Thanks, Ron and Marty, appreciate the replies and info.

I think that I've already made a slip...they are SDA 2 not 2A...I went looking for the tweeter look-a-like that Ron stated and didn't find it...then discover that the ad read SDA 2 and no pics. Preston

Ron Temple

SDA 2s have dual SL2000 horizontal tweeters and different drivers, but still are great speakers...go check them out.

danger boy

post the asking price.. and we can tell if the price is in line or not.

NJPOLKER

pjs
Where do you live?
I think you should stay away from the dual tweeter SDA2's and look real hard at the single tweeter dual driver single passive 2a's and preferably 2b's. Now moving up the food chain is good but just costs more. Either way you will have wonderful speakers.
If you have done some reading you'll see what fair costs for SDA's are but finding a local pair will be important. You really do not want to ship these speakers for a lot of reasons.
Keep us all informed

Marty913

NJPOLKER wrote: »

pjs
Where do you live?
I think you should stay away from the dual tweeter SDA2's and look real hard at the single tweeter dual driver single passive 2a's and preferably 2b's. Keep us all informed

Obviously the 2A would be more desirable (and 2B even better) but my thinking is that two other points may even be more important. As NJ pointed out, location and availability are key because you don't want to ship them. Some areas of the country just don't seem to get many SDA's for sale at all. That would bring me to the other point: Don't let the 2's versus the A's versus the B's stand in your way of jumping in. SDA2's at the right price can be a great starting point.

NJPOLKER

I would not buy a pair of 2's no matter where I am. I'd wait for the 2a's or b's because they are far better than 2's.
Just my opinion

pjsjr

Thanks all...

I'm in Colorado and these(2s) are somewhat local and were on CL. I'm out aways form the metro area and it's "an hour to most anywhere".

I did see where a member has the 2As in the for sale section on here and has done some work upgrading them. They are $275, are dinged up and don't have the interconnect. Not sure I want someone elses project!

The 2s I called about are $350 and listed with the orginial boxes, manuals and the interconnect. He says they are black(which I'd prefer...but I doubt that as I have not seen any ads with them in black. They are closer!

There was another pair for $200 with a Yamaha amp for $200, I emailed but suspect they're gone as I havn't heard back:(

A question for those who have these SDA, will the bass be better than what I'm getting from my RTA 8t?

Thanks again, Preston

heiney9

pjsjr wrote: »

Thanks all...

I'm in Colorado and these(2s) are somewhat local and were on CL. I'm out aways form the metro area and it's "an hour to most anywhere".

I did see where a member has the 2As in the for sale section on here and has done some work upgrading them. They are $275, are dinged up and don't have the interconnect. Not sure I want someone elses project!

The 2s I called about are $350 and listed with the orginial boxes, manuals and the interconnect. He says they are black(which I'd prefer...but I doubt that as I have not seen any ads with them in black. They are closer!

There was another pair for $200 with a Yamaha amp for $200, I emailed but suspect they're gone as I havn't heard back:(

A question for those who have these SDA, will the bass be better than what I'm getting from my RTA 8t?

Thanks again, Preston

Unless he's painted the cabinets..............SDA2's and 2A's didn't come in black so more investigation is in order. Yes, the bass will be much better, more accurate, more extension, more organic.

H9

pjsjr

Thanks, H9...more extension, organic...I like that:D. Preston

NJPOLKER

Whats wrong with these?
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79502

OOPs didn't read your entire post :o:o

NJPOLKER

Holy sheeet
I know what went wrong with that last post!!!!
It was number 666 :eek::eek:
I am staying home and hide all day

pjsjr

NJPOLKER wrote: »

Holy sheeet
It was number 666 :eek::eek:
I am staying home and hide all day

I'd make it the rest of the week just to make sure:D:p:D

Thanks for your time, though. Preston

NJPOLKER

Hey, your welcome always. For the most part were a great bunch of guys.

If I lived in Colorado I'd buy the pair listed in the Classified ad and not look back. Well not until a pair of SRS's were available locally.
Good luck

pjsjr

NJPOLKER wrote: »

If I lived in Colorado I'd buy the pair listed in the Classified ad and not look back.

I thought that you say that:) and I'll definitely consider them.

I know nothing about electronics so even if I looked at the work that was done I wouldn't know if it were done correctly...even if they sounded good to my ears. I worry about somethings that I shouldn't but don't know it at the time:o. Thanks, Preston

Marty913

pjsjr wrote: »

Thanks all...

I'm in Colorado and these(2s) are somewhat local and were on CL. I'm out away form the metro area and it's "an hour to most anywhere". The 2s I called about are $350 and listed with the original boxes, manuals and the interconnect. He says they are black. They are closer!
There was another pair for $200 with a Yamaha amp for $200.Preston

My point exactly. You don't get many in your neighborhood (what, maybe a pair or two a year?) and they may not be A's or B's - and might be overpriced or have flaws (painted black). So while you're waiting for them you're missing out on a year or two of great sound for a couple hundred bucks. I will say the $350 sounds pretty high only because I have an upgraded pair I would sell (just an example) for a couple hundred and they are not spray painted if that's the case. I love bargains and especially love finding the perfect pair that's exactly what I want at a bargain basement price. Not sure I would deprive myself the fun of jumping into SDA Land for either one of those things.

pjsjr

Marty913 wrote: »

So while you're waiting for them you're missing out on a year or two of great sound for a couple hundred bucks.

Not sure what you mean by this...???

I did see your thread about your rebuild, nice:), you seemed to do all things right. If you were in CO I would give those a listen.

Things around here seem to be priced either higher/lower than other parts of the country depends on many variables I know...I have several other hobbies and it's the same. Just have to have time, knowledge and patience...OH yes, and $$$$. I'm working on the knowledge and patience...have the time...little money;). Preston

Marty913

pjsjr wrote: »

Not sure what you mean by this...???

I did see your thread about your rebuild, nice:), you seemed to do all things right. If you were in CO I would give those a listen.Preston

Thanks, it was fun upgrading the XO's even though the speakers probably aren't worth it. What I meant was that sometimes "missing out" on the use of something has a value. My SDA2's were not what I ultimately wanted and I probably overpaid a little for them (they were fairly priced but not bargains). On the other hand, I got to practice on upgrading them, got to know some of the club members better during the upgrade, and most importantly got to enjoy listening to them for months while I continued to search for something better. Yes, dollar-wise waiting would have been cheaper but not enough that I regret doing it. That was my only point.

They say the best way to get the perfect pair of SDA's to show up in your neighborhood at a bargain price is to buy a pair at a higher price. There has to be some version of Murphy's Law at work here.

pjsjr

Marty913 wrote: »

They say the best way to get the perfect pair of SDA's to show up in your neighborhood at a bargain price is to buy a pair at a higher price. There has to be some version of Murphy's Law at work here.

Wish I didn't understand that:p:eek::p it's happened to me more that a few times.

I'm looking forward to having an upgrade in the speaker dept.

Thanks, Preston

NJPOLKER

I guess I can't let this go!
If you buy a pair of SDA2a's for $300. that already have been modified, x-overs and tweeters, you will be really really hard pressed to find another speaker that sounds as great.
I think I am finished now

pjsjr

Ok, I get it your getting a commission from...just teasing...:D

I'll contact him and have a listen/look see. Preston

Marty913

pjsjr wrote: »

Wish I didn't understand that:p:eek::p it's happened to me more that a few times. I'm looking forward to having an upgrade in the speaker dept. Thanks, Preston

I found the point of confusion (poor writing on my part). I meant to say waiting sometimes has a COST (depriving yourself of the enjoyment) so sometimes it's better not to wait. Only you can can put a $$$ on that. It differs for everyone. Some people like the "hunt" more than the "find", some don't. I like them both but I also know you can wait forever sometimes and wish you hadn't. I'll work on my writing clarity. Sorry.