where to start with vintage gear?
cstmar01
Posts: 4,424
Ok, so I'm just going to look for suggestions for this. I really have no idea where to even begin with vintage polk speakers. I have never owned them or anything and just would be looking for a reference point of where to start the journey at.
Such as whats a good model to start out with with SDA's? or do you feel that I should start smaller with like Polk monitor as this would be a better start into getting the feel of vintage gear?
I really have no idea. For room and everything my main HT room I use is a 14X18 give or take on the 18.
or I have a bedroom I would be able to place stuff in, its 8X14 with a window on the 14 side as well as a door.
So suggestions would be helpful, because I have no idea.
I would be using them for 2 channel listening as my HT is covered by my RTI stuff.
Such as whats a good model to start out with with SDA's? or do you feel that I should start smaller with like Polk monitor as this would be a better start into getting the feel of vintage gear?
I really have no idea. For room and everything my main HT room I use is a 14X18 give or take on the 18.
or I have a bedroom I would be able to place stuff in, its 8X14 with a window on the 14 side as well as a door.
So suggestions would be helpful, because I have no idea.
I would be using them for 2 channel listening as my HT is covered by my RTI stuff.
Post edited by cstmar01 on
Comments
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I would go for the SDA-1c's to begin your journey with SDA's. Most find these to be the best sound/value ratio in the SDA line. I would also recommend either a good 50wpc tube amp, or a strong 250wpc or better solid state amp to drive them, but make certain that whatever amp you drive them with is common ground...
Your ears are in for a treat, and your wallet will hate you for it, but it is a ride well worth taking. Good Luck!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 -
Maybe try some SDA-2B's in the bedroom on the 14 FT wall depending where the door is located. They are really sweet speakers for smaller rooms. They can also be modded (which I WILL try soon on mine) to the TL upgrade which a few polkies say is really nice. That would be my humble suggestion.
Enjoy and note that VINTAGE POLKS RULE!!! -
SDA 2.3tl's
SDA 1C's
SDA 2B's
SDA CRS+'s
The 1c's, 2b's and CRS's are fairly easy to drive. I have a pair of 2.3tl's you can listen to.
The RTA 11's and 15's are also good Vintage Polk speakers. -
Where to start? I wouldn't pass on any of the following if the price is right and they are in good shape.
M5jrs
M5s
M7s
M10s
RTA 8T/TL
RTA 11T/TL
RTA 15TL
LS50
LS90
RTA 12 ABC
If you start with SDAs, you might never want a shot at some of these and certainly a few of them will be a nice stopping place for awhile.
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 -
I use my LSi's on my 2 channel rig now, but I keep my Monitor 5jr's because I just like them too much to get rid of them. Try out a pair of monitors if you can, they have a very open sound that is refreshing.- Jeremy
Amps: Jolida FX-10, NAD 3045, NAD C320BEE, Sansui G-9700
Speakers: Polk Monitor 7A's, KEF Reference 104aB
Sources: ProJect Debut Carbon, Sonos streaming FLAC -
Conradicles wrote: »Maybe try some SDA-2B's in the bedroom on the 14 FT wall depending where the door is located. They are really sweet speakers for smaller rooms. They can also be modded (which I WILL try soon on mine) to the TL upgrade which a few polkies say is really nice. That would be my humble suggestion.
Enjoy and note that VINTAGE POLKS RULE!!!
I agree that the 2B's would be a great speaker to start with, but they should go on the 18 foot wall.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 -
For the bedroom you have I would go with Monitors. The room is too small in my opinion to really enjoy the SDA effect. Your room that is 14x18 would work with any of the smaller SDA's such as the 1C's, 2B's or CRS+ speakers. I would look for the best speakers you could find, out of those three. All of the other speakers Ron Temple mentioned that are not SDA's are really nice speakers and would sound great if you don't need the SDA affect. Personally I would look for a pair of 1C's. They give a big SDA soundstage in a smaller package compared to SRS 2's or the big boy SDA SRS models which need a larger room to really be appreciated. Just my opinion.Polk HT system 1: LSIC, LSI25 mains, LSI F/X rears, Lsi F/X rear centers,
Yamaha RX-V2500 System, Carver A753 3 channel amp.
Polk HT system 2: , SRT system with f/x 1,000's rear speakers on 7.1 system currently using Onkyo TX-RZ820 receiver, powered by Sunfire Grand Theater amp
Polk Speaker collection: SDA SRS 1.2tl x 2, SRT system, SDA SRS 2 P/B, SDA 2A, SDA 1C Studio, SDA CRS+, Monitor 7B & 4, SRS 3.1tl, RTA 15tl, LS90, LSI 9 -
SDA 2.3tl's
SDA 1C's
SDA 2B's
SDA CRS+'s
The 1c's, 2b's and CRS's are fairly easy to drive. I have a pair of 2.3tl's you can listen to.
The RTA 11's and 15's are also good Vintage Polk speakers.
This my be off topic, but I've noticed a lack of love for the 3.1tls around these parts. Why is that? I would think that they'd be great! (I've never heard'em). Is it that they're more rare than the others and so not as many people have heard'em, or do they just not stand up to the 2.3's???2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's
Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses
Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's -
+1 for the 1C's.____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
falconcry72 wrote: »This my be off topic, but I've noticed a lack of love for the 3.1tls around these parts. Why is that? I would think that they'd be great! (I've never heard'em). Is it that they're more rare than the others and so not as many people have heard'em, or do they just not stand up to the 2.3's???
They're more rare, not too many floating around. The others can be found more easily. I had the pleasure of owning the 3.1tl's last year and was my favorite of the SDA's for my size room. -
Ron Temple wrote: »Where to start? I wouldn't pass on any of the following if the price is right and they are in good shape.
M5jrs
M5s
M7s
M10s
RTA 8T/TL
RTA 11T/TL
RTA 15TL
LS50
LS90
RTA 12 ABC
If you start with SDAs, you might never want a shot at some of these and certainly a few of them will be a nice stopping place for awhile.
What he said.I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.
Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii
Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999
Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3
HT: Denon AVR-X3400H / Sony UBP-X700 / RT16 / CS350LS / RT7 / SVS PB1000 -
ok...you can copy my rig...be sure to include the 'on the to-do list' xover upgrades and dac upgrade..YMMV;)
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Thanks for the advice guys. I really want to get into vintage gear but just didn't know where to start and really if I would have enough room to really let them sound as good as they should (SDAs).
I'll have to take you up on the offer to hear your set Leroy. I'm just exicted to get to hearing some of the different models out there and go from there. Seeing I've only heard a pair of SDA's once in my life and wasn't in the best state of mind to hear them I would like to hear them again soon.
