Another Guessing Game

Ender

Ok, so I told this guy to send me the model number, but what do you guys think this is?

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/ele/1110684252.html

Conradicles

They are...too expensive.

Ender

LOL. My thoughts exactly. But still, maybe I can talk him down in price if he realizes how much he is asking for some lower model of SDA.

heiney9

Either early SDA's or RTA 11's (not RTA 11T). Price is ridiculously high.

Marty913

heiney9 wrote: »

Either early SDA's or RTA 11's (not RTA 11T). Price is ridiculously high.

Ridiculously is the key word. In recent discussions I believe the recommended range for SDA1 or SDA2 (except B & C) would be closer to $200 - $250. Hard to tell exactly what they are with the grills on.

Ender

She messaged me back saying that all it says on the back are "SDA 2"... which would make it the SDA 2A because it is on a pedestal, am I correct?

I guess I'll have to break it to her that the price of 30 years ago doesn't even close to apply to today's fair value.

fossy

If I were looking for a pair ...... that pair would have to go on the back- burner because of the price, obviously

There's better deals to be had ........ but don't dismiss um cause she just might come down in price

Marty913

Ender wrote: »

She messaged me back saying that all it says on the back are "SDA 2"... which would make it the SDA 2A because it is on a pedestal, am I correct?

No, not necessarily. Could be the SDA-2 with either SL-1000 or SL2000 tweeters (2) and 3 woofs, or the SDA-2A with a single centered tweeter and 2 woofs. IIRC they all had the pedestal and were the same approximate dimensions. My guess is they are 2's from 1984 - 87.

Ender

Oh right. So 2's or 2A's. Well, if they are the 2A's I might buy the pair for a quarter of the price lol.

Face

There is a small chance they're 2B's. Have her take a picture of the back of the speaker by the binding posts to see if it's B/B or P/B and also ask for a picture with the grills off.

bsoko2

Might be a RTA 12?

Bill

danger boy

Sda 2a



says call him "anytime" ... i suggest calling around 3:15 AM. Wake his **** up out of bed and tell him he's loco.

rmaiers

They look like my RTA 12C speakers.

inspiredsports

Face wrote: »

There is a small chance they're 2B's. Have her take a picture of the back of the speaker by the binding posts to see if it's B/B or P/B and also ask for a picture with the grills off.

I looked at SDA-2B's hard in '86-87 before purchasing Dec '87 and believe the front grilles always touched the 3/4" bottom board. I think those with the "pedestal" below the grill were always SDA-2A's if they were not RTA's.

Ender

Lol. Spoke to this guy. Apparently the person I was emailing with was his daughter, but she gave me his number to deal with him directly. He seems kind of stuck on the "I paid $1100 for this" idea. So I don't know how much lower I can haggle him.

But he did confirm that it was a B/B IC plug. Does not come with the IC cable. That's kinda effed. But that confirms either 2 or 2A, not 2B.

I think the most I would ever put into this pair is $150. What do you guys think?

inspiredsports

Ender wrote: »

Lol. Spoke to this guy. Apparently the person I was emailing with was his daughter, but she gave me his number to deal with him directly. He seems kind of stuck on the "I paid $1100 for this" idea. So I don't know how much lower I can haggle him.

But he did confirm that it was a B/B IC plug. Does not come with the IC cable. That's kinda effed. But that confirms either 2 or 2A, not 2B.

I think the most I would ever put into this pair is $150. What do you guys think?

Some late '87 2B's (like mine) were Blade/Blade so that info doesn't rule out 2B's.

I don't know how far you want to go, but you can find decent 2B's for between $250 and $300 and put just $100 into them for RDO194-1 tweeters.

Another $250 for properly upgraded to "TL" (cost difference is only $50 higher than stock) capability crossovers, and $100 for a pair of RDO198-1's, and you will have one of the most highly regarded speakers you can find. No other Polk in this size/series can come close to the TL'd 2B.

I know you didn't ask, but IMHO, no matter what you buy, the 20+ year old crossovers need attention and the tweeters need to be upgraded, so I think the 2B is your best target.

Face

I agree, even with B/B 2B's, the TL mod is possible. My impressions of TL'ed 2B's mirror inspired's.

inspiredsports

Ender wrote: »

. . . I think the most I would ever put into this pair is $150. What do you guys think?

Again, not trying to speak for you, but you will probably put just over $200 into caps and resistors, and $100 into a pair of tweeters no matter what you buy. In the case of the 2A at a hypothetical $150 purchase price, you will end up with good, but not superlative speakers for $450.

Targeting the 2B, an extra $100 to $150 for the speakers, and an extra $50 for two 5.8uf caps lets you invest the same $100 for tweeters into the far superior RDO198-1.

$150 to $200 extra for the base price of the 2B gets you sound arguably 2X - 5X better than the 2A's potential.

Again, I understand that it's more money, but the sound is truly astounding and I've learned the hard way that re-doing costs even more than doing it the first time.

I guess what I'm saying is the rebuilt 2A = $450 and the rebuilt 2B = $550 to $600, but the 2B sounds like a $3,000 pair of speakers where the 2A is stuck at $450.

##########

Note: A perfect pair of 2B's sold on eBay about 3 weeks ago for $270 that I almost picked off. Patience should yield another pair soon.

Also, don't get hung up on Blade/Blade vs. Pin/Blade when considering the 2B. It's a simple ground wire issue that can be easily solved, and only comes into play if you want to use the AI-1 for non-common ground amps, but this is a non-issue for 99.9% of the population.

Ender

Wow. Thank you for your input. I will now be hunting SDA 2B forever. Lol.

But this pair has to be 2A if it has two mid-sized woofers, right? B/B AND it's on a pedestal. 2B isn't on a pedestal. Or is there an exception to that too?

inspiredsports

Ender wrote: »

Wow. Thank you for your input. I will now be hunting SDA 2B forever. Lol.

But this pair has to be 2A if it has two mid-sized woofers, right? B/B AND it's on a pedestal. 2B isn't on a pedestal. Or is there an exception to that too?

2A and 2B have the same configuration; Single (SL2000) tweeter top center, 2 side by side 6.5's (2 MW6510's on 2A, 1 MW6503 and 1 MW6511 on 2B) below that and 1 single 12" passive at bottom (but the 2A crossover is different and does not allow for the "TL" mod to my knowledge).

All 2B's have a full grill with just the 3/4" thickness of the top and bottom wood veneered panels showing (oak or walnut).

The only 2B variation of which I am aware is the Blade/Blade versus Pin/Blade which is a non-issue as mentioned in post #18 above.

Ender

Ok, great. Well, not so great since these definitely aren't 2B. Lol. But definitely good information. Thank you.

Hillbilly61

A great thread! I've gotta overhaul my recently unmothballed 2Bs, but have to wait a month or so or my wifey is apt to balk. I've been buying things and am about to run dry on "I'm getting this for the system, honey. You'll be amazed by how much better it will sound."

Anyway, about the only other varient on the 2Bs that come to mind, is that the studio version has woodgrain vinal. The non-studio version has real wood veneer, making it them a little more valuable.

inspiredsports

Hillbilly61 wrote: »

A great thread! I've gotta overhaul my recently unmothballed 2Bs, but have to wait a month or so or my wifey is apt to balk. I've been buying things and am about to run dry on "I'm getting this for the system, honey. You'll be amazed by how much better it will sound."

Anyway, about the only other varient on the 2Bs that come to mind, is that the studio version has woodgrain vinal. The non-studio version has real wood veneer, making it them a little more valuable.

Correct. The all black studio version cost (and weighed) a bit less, but are identical electronically.

Here's a thread you may find helpful if you end up modding 2B's

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74945