Aquired original SDA SRS

TooChannel
TooChannel Posts: 31
edited November 2009 in Vintage Speakers
Picked up a set of originals no mods and sl2000 tweets. Now, thanks to the help of several members here, have them working properly. 1st off the sda effect is really cool. Have listened to the several of the recomended playlist and I definately get it. Powering them with a carver TFM-22 which I have been told is not enough juice. My listening room is large enough from what i've read, 16 x 30 placed on the short wall approx 3' from side walls and 6' apart. I have so far found the sweet spot is limited, should note that this is not a "dedicated" listening room, tend to be on the move around the house when playing music. Anyway issues so far are the mids mostly (vocals, snare drum and piano) will more power improve this area? For testing will pro audio power give me the same results as home audio power (have a friend in a band with amps I can borrow) using a marantz 1152dc integrated for a pre (same as a 3250, hope I dont offend anyone but my klipsch loved it, also have a c1 i havent tried yet). Probably gettin a little lengthly to start but resources are a little low so any low cost ideas for improvement would be appreciated.

Thanks
Joe
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Comments

  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited October 2009
    don't use pro amps with SDA's or any home speaker. bad juju.

    congrats on your SDA SRS's.

    overall Klipsch speakers are more efficient than Polk's are.. but those dang horn tweeters are to much for my ears.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • woodsman10b
    woodsman10b Posts: 408
    edited October 2009
    From what ive been told pro audio is powerful but not Clean power, maybe someone else has a better explanation.
    Most of them only hear how loud it sounds, and the rest of us hear everything else - :rolleyes:
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited October 2009
    Thanks for the replies, sound like that won't give me a good evaluation, (bad in = bad out)

    Joe
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,090
    edited October 2009
    You can debate the merits of the Carver amp....but 225wpc is NOT underpowering the SRS's....and it's a FAR better alternative to a pro amp.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • thuffman03
    thuffman03 Posts: 1,325
    edited October 2009
    If you like the sound the Carver amp is giving you, I would then suggest buying another one and biamp them. I had a friend do that same thing with a set of SDA SRS's and two Carver TFM 35's and it sounded great!
    Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t
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  • BB3
    BB3 Posts: 297
    edited October 2009
    thuffman03 wrote: »
    If you like the sound the Carver amp is giving you, I would then suggest buying another one and biamp them. I had a friend do that same thing with a set of SDA SRS's and two Carver TFM 35's and it sounded great!

    Well I cannot agree more with what thuffman03 is suggesting to you.

    It is exactly the way I have both of my SDA speaker sets setup.

    I suggest that you do the same for simply spectacular results, Sir.
    BB3
    Sony 52in.XBR6
    Sony 32in.XBR6
    Anthem AVM50V
    Anthem PRE-2L
    Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1
    Carver C-9
    Carver C-19 PreAmp
    Carver C-16 PreAmp
    2-Carver Silver 7-T's
    4-Carver TFM55's
    2-Carver TFM35's
    1-Carver TFM25
    Carver 490T
    Denon DCD1560
    Sony BDP-S350
    Sony PS3
    Nintendo Wii
    Panasonic DMK23DVR

    Speakers :

    PolkAudio SDA-SRS
    PolkAudio SDA-SRS 1.2TL
    PolkAudio SDA-CRS+(Compliments Of Mr. Jim Thomas"jtgranby")
    PolkAudio RTA-15TL
    PolkAudio M3
    3-Velodyne F-1500's
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited October 2009
    TroyD wrote: »
    You can debate the merits of the Carver amp....but 225wpc is NOT underpowering the SRS's....and it's a FAR better alternative to a pro amp.

    BDT

    Thanks TroyD

    makes me feel a little better, I never intended a pro amp to be a permenent, just wanted to see what more power would do before making the investment.

    Thanks
    Joe
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited October 2009
    thuffman03 wrote: »
    If you like the sound the Carver amp is giving you, I would then suggest buying another one and biamp them. I had a friend do that same thing with a set of SDA SRS's and two Carver TFM 35's and it sounded great!

    The sound is an issue, the mids seem a bit veiled to me, not as forward or live sounding as i would like. when you mention biamping do you drive each channel with a seperate amp or one to HF and one to LF.

    Joe
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  • thuffman03
    thuffman03 Posts: 1,325
    edited October 2009
    One to the HF and one to the LF.
    Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t
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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,150
    edited October 2009
    Go ahead and try a pro amp on your sda's. You might be quite pleased and end up buying a pair of them to power them like I did mine. Pro power amps will make the big sda's sing quite nicely especially using a marantz pre like you plan on using.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,753
    edited October 2009
    The sound is an issue, the mids seem a bit veiled to me, not as forward or live sounding as i would like.

    A couple of things.....if you are use to Klipsch speakers then the Polk's are going to sound more laid back. I would suggest you listen to them for a period of time to let your ears adjust. If, say in a month, the sound still isn't to your liking, I would suggest a crossover upgrade and some RD0194-1 tweeters. A tube pre amp wouldn't be a bad idea either, just stay away from those awful pro amps.
    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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  • snow
    snow Posts: 4,337
    edited October 2009
    F1nut wrote: »
    just stay away from those awful pro amps.

    Heh Heh :D



    REGARDS SNOW
    Well, I just pulled off the impossible by doing a double-blind comparison all by myself, purely by virtue of the fact that I completely and stupidly forgot what I did last. I guess that getting old does have its advantages after all :D
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited October 2009
    motorstereo wrote: »
    Go ahead and try a pro amp on your sda's. You might be quite pleased and end up buying a pair of them to power them like I did mine. Pro power amps will make the big sda's sing quite nicely especially using a marantz pre like you plan on using.


    Thanks motorstereo, may give it a try and just go easy on em
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited October 2009
    F1nut wrote: »
    A couple of things.....if you are use to Klipsch speakers then the Polk's are going to sound more laid back. I would suggest you listen to them for a period of time to let your ears adjust. If, say in a month, the sound still isn't to your liking, I would suggest a crossover upgrade and some RD0194-1 tweeters. A tube pre amp wouldn't be a bad idea either, just stay away from those awful pro amps.

    Thanks F1nut
    Will be sure to give them enough listening time for a fair evaluation. From what I've read here the RD0194s would smooth them out more, is that strictly the very high frequencies or would the mids be affected the same way?
    Joe
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  • stubby
    stubby Posts: 723
    edited October 2009
    TooChannel wrote: »
    Thanks F1nut
    Will be sure to give them enough listening time for a fair evaluation. From what I've read here the RD0194s would smooth them out more, is that strictly the very high frequencies or would the mids be affected the same way?
    Joe

    Believe it or not, the RDO's will not only smooth out everything on the high side, your mid-range will also benefit.

    stubby
    SRS 3.1TL
    Harman Kardon Citation 5.1
    Anthem AVM2



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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,150
    edited October 2009
    TooChannel wrote: »
    Thanks motorstereo, may give it a try and just go easy on em

    A lot of guys will give you their opionions on hearsay and no real world experience with pro amps on sda's. I have first hand experience with a marantz pre (3600) and a pair of pro amps on my sda's. I can assure you without question that the sound is incredible and your sda's and ears will reward you.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,753
    edited October 2009
    TooChannel, you need to know that the guy recommending the pro amps has his SDA's stacked on top of some other brand of speakers and the whole deal is wedged (or should I say jammed) between the ceiling/floor joist and the cement floor. You can draw your own conclusion as to the credibility of his recommendation.
    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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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,333
    edited October 2009
    F1nut wrote: »
    TooChannel, you need to know that the guy recommending the pro amps has his SDA's stacked on top of some other brand of speakers and the whole deal is wedged (or should I say jammed) between the ceiling/floor joist and the cement floor. You can draw your own conclusion as to the credibility of his recommendation.

    LOL!:eek:
    Polk Audio SDA 2.3tl Fully Hot Rodded. 😎

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    MIT Shotgun 3 cables throughout / Except TT, and PC’s
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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,150
    edited November 2009
    F1nut wrote: »
    TooChannel, you need to know that the guy recommending the pro amps has his SDA's stacked on top of some other brand of speakers and the whole deal is wedged (or should I say jammed) between the ceiling/floor joist and the cement floor. You can draw your own conclusion as to the credibility of his recommendation.

    Aha pres; I knew you were a story teller but this one takes the cake. I'm still waiting for you to come pee on my pro amps, and I knew this post would show that I'm not and never was on your "bozo list".
    TooChannel you need to know the guy that is not recommening the pro type amps has ZERO experience with them on sda's. A Marantz 3600 - pro amp combo on sda's is indeed a very fine sounding set-up. Give it shot but be prepared for the silliness from the uniformed if you happen to like the combo and report back favorably.
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited November 2009
    Easy folks never intended to start any trouble here though i do believe an informative debate is a good thing.
    Hooked up the c-1 pre yesterday and found the marantz to be more to my liking. A friend (Rod) brought a behringer pro amp over (500 wpc @4ohm) and it had rca inputs on the back so it was an easy connect to the marantz. I have to admit it really did wake the sda's up but, after a couple hours of listening at various levels and a wide range of music, i found it to be lacking in detail and seperation especially on the better recorded music (Jonny Lang - Lie to me and some cool jazz by tyler summers) It kinda took away from the sda effect. After a couple beers and alot of discussion about likes and dislikes Rod came to the conclusion that i was trying to make them sound like my previous set up. I was kinda surprised because he really liked the sda's. After some more debate we decided to bring back the old set up.

    Sorry guys but it was like i was back home again, even though Rod liked the sda's better we agreed to disagree and came to the same conclusion we always do that everybody's ears are different hence the number of manufacturers out there. Anyway we're gonna take the sda's to Rods house today and try several different combinations of pro audio equipment (he come from the same camp as motorstereo and has a ton of stuff) Should be interesting to say the least

    Joe
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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,150
    edited November 2009
    Hi Joe; You're not starting any trouble; at least not from my perspective. Good luck and have fun finding the right combination for your sda's. If you don't like the pro equipment at least you'll know firsthand that they aren't for you. I'll be quite interested in what combination you do come up with to drive them.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,753
    edited November 2009
    motorstereo wrote: »
    Aha pres; I knew you were a story teller but this one takes the cake. I'm still waiting for you to come pee on my pro amps, and I knew this post would show that I'm not and never was on your "bozo list".
    TooChannel you need to know the guy that is not recommening the pro type amps has ZERO experience with them on sda's. A Marantz 3600 - pro amp combo on sda's is indeed a very fine sounding set-up. Give it shot but be prepared for the silliness from the uniformed if you happen to like the combo and report back favorably.

    Have no doubt about, you are on my BOZO list. However, TooChannel quoted one of your posts, which unfortunately means that I can read it. Therefore, seeing that you are passing out bad advice again I felt it necessary to inform the OP of your speaker set up, which reflects on your credibility, and to follow up on any additional posts from you. Are you now denying that you have your speakers stacked and wedged? I mean, you did post pictures of it or did you forget that?

    Sorry to have kept you waiting, but you never sent me your address.

    You're making assumptions about my experiences, which again reflects on your credibility. However, it would be correct to say that I have no experience with the Marantz 3600.

    It should also be noted that 3 other people in this thread commented that pro amps are not a good choice for home audio. Are you going to make assumptions as to their experiences as well?
    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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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,150
    edited November 2009
    Looks like I'm off the prez's "bozo" list; durn it. Yes indeed the speakers sure are stacked. I've explained this set up many times to you prez and because it's an uncoventional set up you don't understand it. What my stacked set up has to do with the sound of a pro amp puzzles me. You have my address that I posted awhile back. Pm me when you're ready for a visit. You've indicated that you despise pro type amps yet have no experience with them. I feel quite qualified to answer questions about pro-amps and marantz pre amp combinations as that's what I'm running and will continue to run. That is what the original post was about I do believe and I'd be lying if I said pro amps don't work well with my sda's.
    Sounds like TooChannel is going to find out firsthand for himself and not listen to any of the negativity surrounding the whole pro amp debacle which is the way it should be. Any verdict yet TooChannel?
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  • CLPolk
    CLPolk Posts: 133
    edited November 2009
    I have a Carver PM 1.5 and a Carver PT-1250 Both Pro Amps and I am a Happy Camper
    • SDA SRS 2
    • SDA 1A
    • Monitor 11
    • Monitor 7B
    • CS350lsi
    • RM-6600
    • FX500i
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited November 2009
    Sunday was a pretty busy day at Rod's switching alot of his pro audio equipment in and out. Finally the best set up we could agree upon was going back to the c-1 pre with a crown xls amp (600 watts 4ohm). I still had the same issues as previously with the detail and seperation but it was improved. Later Rod pulled out some sort of pro EQ and after playing around with it for awhile we came up with some pretty impressive sound, it wasn't really my style very artificial sounding, but boy did it rock the house!!

    In conclusion, I would stick with the TFM-22 and the marantz pre, Rod (being from the pro audio camp) would stick with the last set-up I described including the EQ.

    Rod really likes these sda's and I'm gonna stick with my past set-up, I think they may have found a new home. Any idea what they are currently worth, again they are original sda srs that i would rate 7 out of 10, cloth should be replaced (somebody's cat). Please forgive me and feel free to correct me if this is the wrong place to ask.

    Thanks again for all the informative input
    Joe
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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,150
    edited November 2009
    Hey TooChannel; At least you know first hand that the pro audio sound isn't for you. I bet it was lots of fun trying out different combinations on the srs's though. And here's something that we can all agree upon in the polk forum; I do believe you'll regret the decision to sell your srs's at some point in time. Given a crossover recap proper placement and a few other tweaks you'd be hard pressed to find a better pair of speakers imho. Good luck in your audio journey whichever path you might take.
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  • TooChannel
    TooChannel Posts: 31
    edited November 2009
    Hey motorstereo, ya we did have alot of fun, I was surprised at the differents sound we were getting from the differen set-ups. By no means were any of them bad, just not my "cup of tea" and like I said earlier Rod thought they were fantastic and may take them, was just hoping to get some idea of their current value. You may very well be correct in my being sorry some day that I sold them but at least if he does buys them I can go visit anytime. Theres nothing wrong with having other speakers to cycle in and out but these monsters are a little tough to just have kickin around. Who knows mabey if Rod doesn't take I'll post them on here, someone who loves em should be enjoying them.

    Joe
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  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    edited November 2009
    Great thread, sounds like ya'll had a blast trying out various setups. Kinda curious what EQ you were using. As in any sound equipment, some pro audio amps and EQ's are cleaner sounding than others. I've been using a Crest Audio Professional 4000 power amp to drive my side surrounds and I can't complain:)
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  • THEJERMON
    THEJERMON Posts: 96
    edited November 2009
    Hello Toochannel,
    I've listened to SDA 1.2TL's on crown pro amps for well over a year and thought they sounded great. No problems either. Do yourself a favor and let your ears decide. If it sounds good to you, so be it. If not use home power. :)
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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,150
    edited November 2009
    Wow; It's nice to see that I am not quite alone in using pro amps on sda's and thinking they sound quite nice as well.
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