Polk Audio SDA-SRS

davis419b
davis419b Posts: 61
edited April 2010 in Vintage Speakers
Hey Guys, I am new to this forum and Polk Audio ! I am going to be buying these speakers this week and I am looking for amp and preamp suggestions.
I am currently a Klipschoholic so I dont have any recievers over 160wpc and from what I am reading this might not be enough to drive them properly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Don
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited March 2010
    Anything that puts out at least 300 watts into 8ohms/channel and is stable at 4 ohms....

    Example....Larry is running his with an Adcom GFA-5802 300 x 2 at 8 ohms...

    but more importantly 450 watts at 4 ohms! That would do it.

    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]
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 26,064
    edited March 2010
    what version of the SRS did you get?
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 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 MiND2 Shunyata Triton/Typhon Rotel RP9400 Turntable

    “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

    How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it?
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  • davis419b
    davis419b Posts: 61
    edited March 2010
    cnh wrote: »
    Anything that puts out at least 300 watts into 8ohms/channel and is stable at 4 ohms....

    Example....Larry is running his with an Adcom GFA-5802 300 x 2 at 8 ohms...

    but more importantly 450 watts at 4 ohms! That would do it.

    cnh

    Darn, I use to have a 5802 but sold it. With my Klipschorns I felt I didnt need the massive power !
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  • davis419b
    davis419b Posts: 61
    edited March 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    what version of the SRS did you get?

    I went and listened to them yesterday and I didnt look for a model number, what an idiot ! The guy really cant tell me anything although he has had them since 1991 and made it sound like he bought them new. He was running them with a Yamaha 130wpc integrated amp and a Yamaha equalizer that looked out of place for the speaker system
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,152
    edited March 2010
    Those would be SDA SRS 1.2TL's.
    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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  • logo896
    logo896 Posts: 322
    edited March 2010
    Id buy the Emotiva Xpa-2 300x2 @ 8 or 500x2 @ 4 ohms. For eight hundred bucks they are amazing. They have a 5 year warranty and they win a lot of awards. http://emotiva.com/xpa2.shtm
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,152
    edited March 2010
    Wow, first post since 2002.....welcome to the fray.

    So, have you actually driven a pair of 1.2TL's with the amp you are recommending?
    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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  • logo896
    logo896 Posts: 322
    edited March 2010
    No i haven't, i use the smaller upa-5 for my rti 12's bi amped, they have using the sub out on the lows and then the tops with their own channel. But the reviews on this amp are awesome all over the web. You can only buy these direct from the company and they ship it really fast. I just think it would be a better deal then the Adcom. They are all mono blocks stacked for each channel.
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  • NJPOLKER
    NJPOLKER Posts: 3,475
    edited March 2010
    Don't be fooled by "watts" because not all watts are equal. Its far more important to have quality than quantity.

    Don't buy cheap watts because you'll regret it later. You don't have to have this Belles amp to have a nice amp but it shows that all watts are not created equal. The Emotiva is an affordable amp that provides watts but not necessarily good clean power which you want/need for your SRS's

    Example of an amp at 30 watts per channel that proves a watt is not a watt.

    http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1273432198&/Belles-Power-Modules-sa-30-pur
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  • logo896
    logo896 Posts: 322
    edited March 2010
    I completely agree with you but it really depends on what you can afford. There is a serious price difference between 4600.00 and 800.00. Volts ohms watts rms yes all important. You have to balance all that against the WF (wife factor). Example after you buy the belles http://loureads.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/angry-woman-2_Full.jpg
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 26,064
    edited March 2010
    logo896 wrote: »
    No i haven't....

    'Nuff said. I am not going to debate the merits of Emo, but I can say there are better pairings to be had when running the SRS line. I would trust your ears and your judgment. Personally, I run Sunfire Signature series amps in my rig and couldn't be happier at the moment.

    That said, I am looking to move up the foodchain and get my hands of Mcintosh monoblock tubes one of these days.:)
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 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 MiND2 Shunyata Triton/Typhon Rotel RP9400 Turntable

    “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

    How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it?
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,152
    edited March 2010
    But the reviews on this amp are awesome all over the web.

    And there's some here from people I trust that say otherwise.
    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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  • toucanet
    toucanet Posts: 581
    edited March 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    'Nuff said. I am not going to debate the merits of Emo, but I can say there are better pairings to be had when running the SRS line. I would trust your ears and your judgment. Personally, I run Sunfire Signature series amps in my rig and couldn't be happier at the moment.

    That said, I am looking to move up the foodchain and get my hands of Mcintosh monoblock tubes one of these days.:)

    nooshinjohn,

    Which McIntosh monoblocks are you eyeing? I am looking at the 60th Anniversary MC75 blocks (along with the C22 preamp). I repeat... just looking..... for now:D
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 26,064
    edited March 2010
    MC275's
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 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 MiND2 Shunyata Triton/Typhon Rotel RP9400 Turntable

    “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

    How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it?
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  • toucanet
    toucanet Posts: 581
    edited March 2010
    I am using a Carver TFM-55 to power my 1.2TL's. I will probably get a tube preamp for a better sound (I am currently using a Carver CT-17 preamp/tuner). Although I have an additional TFM-55, I will keep it separated from this system.

    How much money are you looking to spend? It may help with responses.

    I recently joined this forum and am truly impressed with the shared knowledge I have received from these guys.

    If you decide not to purchase these 1.2TL's, rest assured that someone on this board will scoop them up immediately.

    toucanet
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 26,064
    edited March 2010
    The TFM 45/55 or Sunfire 300x2 are a great fit for the TL's
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 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 MiND2 Shunyata Triton/Typhon Rotel RP9400 Turntable

    “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

    How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it?
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  • davis419b
    davis419b Posts: 61
    edited March 2010
    toucanet wrote: »
    I am using a Carver TFM-55 to power my 1.2TL's. I will probably get a tube preamp for a better sound (I am currently using a Carver CT-17 preamp/tuner). Although I have an additional TFM-55, I will keep it separated from this system.

    How much money are you looking to spend? It may help with responses.

    I recently joined this forum and am truly impressed with the shared knowledge I have received from these guys.

    If you decide not to purchase these 1.2TL's, rest assured that someone on this board will scoop them up immediately.

    toucanet

    As far as what would I have to put this way. I have 14 pair of klipsch speakers which 4 of them are Klipschons in my home theater. I have 21 vintage 70's receivers in cluding Sansui, Marantz, Pioneer, Kenwood, Yamaha and Harman Kardon im my collection. I am not afraid to spend money but I just wanna be sure it was well spent. All others rooms including the garage have Klispch speaakers with Sansui receivers. My living room is going to be the Polk Audio room and I hope it sounds the best !

    Thanks, Don
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  • davis419b
    davis419b Posts: 61
    edited March 2010
    I have been looking around a little bit but not much found yet. As an example what about a Carver M-1.5t Magnetic Field Power Amplifier that was designed by Bob Carver to duplicate the transfer function and sound of the Levinson ML-2 Class A Dual Mono Solid State amplifier (a pair selling for $6,300.00 in 1982) which is the source of the "t" (modification)
    The low profile powerhouse M-1.5t - pumps out 350 Watts RMS x 2 at 8 ohms, 475 Watts at 4 ohms and 750 watts Dynamic power at 4 ohms with a 1500 watt peak draw (dynamic)
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 26,064
    edited March 2010
    The 1.5s are out as they are a non-common ground amp...
    Stick with TFM-45 or better and you will have no worries. There is a Sunfire 300x2 on Craigslist now that is a steal of a price.


    http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/ele/1661360385.html
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 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 MiND2 Shunyata Triton/Typhon Rotel RP9400 Turntable

    “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

    How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it?
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,152
    edited March 2010
    Don,

    Since you seem to want to move up the audio ladder, let me make a suggestion. Sell all or most of your vintage 70's receivers and any of the Klipsch speakers you are not using. Take that money, add it to whatever extra audio money you have, come up with an amount that you will have to spend and there's a bunch of us here that will be happy to offer suggestions for gear, including a source and cables that will do the 1.2TL's justice.

    F1
    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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  • davis419b
    davis419b Posts: 61
    edited March 2010
    Sorry F1... I can not do that ! If I can not buy an amp and preamp for these then I should not buy them. I have spent 2 years building my collection and love everything I own. These SRS's will have to make it on thier own. I will buy whatever is needed to make them perform properly and if they dont then I will simply move on. I want them to work because I would love to a totally different great sounding system in another room. As it turns out these are the 1.2's. Here is the info the owner sent me.

    SRS 1.2 ser # L6108 and R6108
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  • snow
    snow Posts: 4,358
    edited March 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    The 1.5s are out as they are a non-common ground amp...
    Stick with TFM-45 or better and you will have no worries. There is a Sunfire 300x2 on Craigslist now that is a steal of a price.


    http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/ele/1661360385.html
    Nope the The 1.5s are common ground amps :)



    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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  • davis419b
    davis419b Posts: 61
    edited March 2010
    Where in the hell is the edit tab? I am not a great typer and when I leave out a word I have been unable to go back and edit the post !
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited March 2010
    logo896 wrote: »
    No i haven't, i use the smaller upa-5 for my rti 12's bi amped, they have using the sub out on the lows and then the tops with their own channel. But the reviews on this amp are awesome all over the web. You can only buy these direct from the company and they ship it really fast. I just think it would be a better deal then the Adcom. They are all mono blocks stacked for each channel.

    Reviews mean absolutely nothing when it comes to how a piece of gear sounds in your rig. For example, I once purchased a VTL 5.5 preamp with phono stage based on stellar reviews it received in all the audio magazine, ezines and webbased reviewers. It sounded awful in my rig and was out the door within the month. The phono pre was just terrible and the line level inputs stages just didn't synergize with what I had been running. My 1.2TLs hated it as did my ears. However and ironically its little brother the 2.5 line level preamp sounded just amazing. Go figure.

    BTW just to make sure the 5.5 wasn't faulty or the tubes crappy I had several conversations with Luke Manley about it and he agreed after we rolled in new tubes and check a variety of settings on the pre that it just wasn't go to sound good in my rig.
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  • TNRabbit
    TNRabbit Posts: 2,168
    edited March 2010
    davis419b wrote: »
    Where in the hell is the edit tab? I am not a great typer and when I leave out a word I have been unable to go back and edit the post !

    You can only edit for like 20 minutes. After that, you'll have to choose the "quote" button & correct in a new post~
    TNRabbit
    NO Polk Audio Equipment :eek:
    Sunfire TG-IV
    Ashly 1001 Active Crossover
    Rane PEQ-15 Parametric Equalizers x 2
    Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Seven
    Carver AL-III Speakers
    Klipsch RT-12d Subwoofer
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited March 2010
    davis419b wrote: »
    Where in the hell is the edit tab? I am not a great typer and when I leave out a word I have been unable to go back and edit the post !

    After 20 minutes of clicking reply to post, you can no longer edit it.

    Whoops I walked away from the PC and just noticed Rabbit beat me to the punch. . . sorry.
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  • davis419b
    davis419b Posts: 61
    edited March 2010
    I am making this post just to see if the edit tab comes up !

    and yes it does ! Thanks.
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  • cincycat13
    cincycat13 Posts: 887
    edited March 2010
    davis419b wrote: »
    If I can not buy an amp and preamp for these then I should not buy them.

    Recommendation 1 - BUY THEM, try them, keep them if you enjoy them, sell them if you don't.

    The difficulty with your question is that there is no "perfect" solution because not everyone has the same idea of what sounds ideal. There is plenty of current production equipment that will make these speakers function. BUT, if you search these forums there are entire threads on just positioning of this type of speaker or even just the cable...so there is no recipe for optimal sound...just a journey...

    Recommendation 2 - let me know where they are so I can buy them.

    Best of luck Don.
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 18,290
    edited March 2010
    I had the XPA-2 with my SDA 1.2tl's and hated it I would not recommend it at all. Go with a good Rotel, Adcom or even Carver amp's on the used market money better spent IMHO.
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    edited March 2010
    I am driving mine with a McIntosh 2105 rated at 105 per. It has no issues at all driving the 1.2's.

    I guess it would also depend on how loud you get with them also.

    What other people are saying all watts are not created equal is correct!
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