first impressions of rdo-194's

nduitch
nduitch Posts: 316
edited June 2009 in Vintage Speakers
Just popped in the replacements and immediately noticed that the trebel was about half as loud, sound almost muffled compared to the sl2000. Like a ride cymbal with a blanket between it and my ear. I'm sure they will break in, I hope.
Post edited by nduitch on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited May 2009
    They will... but certainly a different breed than the 2000. You'll prefer them in no time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,461
    edited May 2009
    nduitch wrote: »
    Just popped in the replacements and immediately noticed that the trebel was about half as loud, sound almost muffled compared to the sl2000. Like a ride cymbal with a blanket between it and my ear. I'm sure they will break in, I hope.


    I went through the same experience, and almost yanked them right back out. I left them playing constantly at medium volumes even while I was out of the house for about a week before they started coming into their own. Now almost 4 months on them and they sound fantastic. Good luck with them.;)
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BIZILL
    BIZILL Posts: 5,432
    edited May 2009
    honestly, this is what i'm afraid of happening as well. i'm all about that instant gratification. good lord help me to be patient.

    POLK SDA-SRS 1.2TL -- ADCOM GFA-5802
    PANASONIC PT-AE4000U -- DIY WILSONART DW 135" 2.35:1 SCREEN
     ONKYO TX-SR805
    CENTER: CSI5
    MAINS: RTI8'S
    SURROUNDS: RTI8'S
    7.1 SURROUNDS: RTI6'S
    SUB: SVS PB12-PLUS/2 (12.3 series)
    XBOX 360    WiiPS3/blu-rayTOSHIBA HD-A35 hd dvd

    http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.php
    bobman1235 wrote:
    I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited May 2009
    nduitch wrote: »
    Just popped in the replacements and immediately noticed that the trebel was about half as loud, sound almost muffled compared to the sl2000. Like a ride cymbal with a blanket between it and my ear. I'm sure they will break in, I hope.



    I have SDA CRS+'s with RDO-194's. I don't know what they sounded like brand new because mine were already broken in but they sound great once broken in. Give it some time and if you still think they sound terrible then you can always sell them.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited May 2009
    They get much better. I felt they were a tad boring compared to the originals, but better behaved. I stopped noticing anything negative about them after a time. Fast forward a couple of years and I bought a pair of SDA 2Bs. I listened to them stock for about a week. Initially, I liked the SL2000s, by the 2nd day, I couldn't stand them. RDOs couldn't have arrived too soon.

    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
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,214
    edited June 2009
    nduitch wrote: »
    Just popped in the replacements and immediately noticed that the trebel was about half as loud, sound almost muffled compared to the sl2000. Like a ride cymbal with a blanket between it and my ear. I'm sure they will break in, I hope.

    As they break in they get much, much better and combine them with new x-over parts and it takes some time. When I did my 5B's it took about two/three months...........but those being in a secondary rig didn;t get constant use.
    "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!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2009
    your ears got used to the sound of the SL2000's.. now you have to train your ears to hear a different sound. plus yeah.. they will sound better as time goes by. I've replaced so many SL2000's with RD0-194's and it does take some time for them to break in. be patient. ;)
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nadams
    nadams Posts: 5,877
    edited June 2009
    BIZILL wrote: »
    honestly, this is what i'm afraid of happening as well. i'm all about that instant gratification. good lord help me to be patient.

    I'll break yours in for you. In return, all I ask for is two for my own SDAs :)
    Ludicrous gibs!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited June 2009
    This is a very 'interesting' discussion. Not sure exactly what to make of it. But I'm certainly going to experiment with this both ways. First drop in the RDOs and break them in, then put the SLs back in, then the RDOs again, then Sls once more. I'm very curious what effects such multiple switches will generate in what I hear and what I accommodate to. In theory the RDOs should remain superior. But I'd like to hear for myself. It goes without saying that I won't mess with the crossovers in doing this because that would not be fair to the SLs....

    Many thanks...to everyone above.

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BIZILL
    BIZILL Posts: 5,432
    edited June 2009
    cnh wrote: »
    This is a very 'interesting' discussion. Not sure exactly what to make of it. But I'm certainly going to experiment with this both ways. First drop in the RDOs and break them in, then put the SLs back in, then the RDOs again, then Sls once more. I'm very curious what effects such multiple switches will generate in what I hear and what I accommodate to. In theory the RDOs should remain superior. But I'd like to hear for myself. It goes without saying that I won't mess with the crossovers in doing this because that would not be fair to the SLs....

    Many thanks...to everyone above.

    cnh

    please do. do this for me. please. oh, and nadams, price is also slowing me down. you see, i have to purchase 8 of these ****. rdo-198's.:(

    POLK SDA-SRS 1.2TL -- ADCOM GFA-5802
    PANASONIC PT-AE4000U -- DIY WILSONART DW 135" 2.35:1 SCREEN
     ONKYO TX-SR805
    CENTER: CSI5
    MAINS: RTI8'S
    SURROUNDS: RTI8'S
    7.1 SURROUNDS: RTI6'S
    SUB: SVS PB12-PLUS/2 (12.3 series)
    XBOX 360    WiiPS3/blu-rayTOSHIBA HD-A35 hd dvd

    http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.php
    bobman1235 wrote:
    I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nduitch
    nduitch Posts: 316
    edited June 2009
    Ok, so a huge part of the problem was...Every weekend I am away and my roommate likes to use my system, which I don't mind, but he doesn't really know what he is doing. I was messing with the mono button on the receiver and what did I see? The AM filter on the carver was pushed in! This feature pretty much cuts off the entire high frequencies. So now I can give them a fair evaluation! They sound a million times better than they did.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited June 2009
    Heh, heh, heh...:p

    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
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BIZILL
    BIZILL Posts: 5,432
    edited June 2009
    :rolleyes::p:D

    POLK SDA-SRS 1.2TL -- ADCOM GFA-5802
    PANASONIC PT-AE4000U -- DIY WILSONART DW 135" 2.35:1 SCREEN
     ONKYO TX-SR805
    CENTER: CSI5
    MAINS: RTI8'S
    SURROUNDS: RTI8'S
    7.1 SURROUNDS: RTI6'S
    SUB: SVS PB12-PLUS/2 (12.3 series)
    XBOX 360    WiiPS3/blu-rayTOSHIBA HD-A35 hd dvd

    http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.php
    bobman1235 wrote:
    I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,393
    edited June 2009
    The "AM" filter button? Is the idea that it makes everything sound like AM?
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CowboyRJB2
    CowboyRJB2 Posts: 58
    edited June 2009
    My x wife was all about instant gratification too, but that didnt happen either! hahahaha
    ELITE VSX-99 REFERENCE
    ELITE PD-65
    SDA-1C's with new RDO194-1 tweeters as MAINS
    MAGNEPAN TYMPANI 1D's for alternate fronts for classical music
    PARADIGM REFERENCE CC-450 Center
    MONITOR SERIES II... M10 REARS
    2 POLK DSW-600PRO SUBS

    "ROCKIN THE HOUSE"
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • zarrdoss
    zarrdoss Posts: 2,562
    edited June 2009
    CowboyRJB2 wrote: »
    My x wife was all about instant gratification too, but that didnt happen either! hahahaha

    geez where the hell have you been?

    Mine sounded better than the 2000 right away and just keep on sounding better and better:D
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,186
    edited June 2009
    I'm a believer in the replacements too:D. I just switched mine out and the harshness is gone. The brightness is subdued but there is a pleasantness about it that I've read about here in the forum.When I hook up a more powerful amp to tighten the bass, I'll re-evaluate the sound and report back here.;)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter