Any SDA owners on Oahu?

Crashdot

Greetings,

I have always been interested to hear SDA speakers, but have never had the opportunity. I was wondering if any SDA owners in this forum may live on Oahu I learned that one of the people at Hifi Hawaii has a pair, but they are in storage, and he quickly dismissed the idea of ever selling them.

Cheers

audiocr381ve

Hey there, not from Hawaii but I'm a fellow islander (assuming your actually an islander).

That's a bummer. Especially since they aren't being used. But I understand why someone would rather let these speakers sit in storage than endure the thought of these classics not being in their possession anymore.

I picked mine up a few days ago. Just to rub it in, there are a few pairs for sale within an hours drive over here in San Diego :P

Crashdot

Grrr! Go ahead, rub it in...

I hope you're enjoying yours. One day if I can find a set in California, I may have them freighted over here, but I don't really know what are considered the best ones to look for. I am very curious as to what SDA sounds like. Recently there was what appeared to be a set of SDA 1 or 2 on Craigslist that sounded like they might have been on the way to the dump, but I could never get a response from the seller.

Cheers

renowilliams

Hi Crash, I took a video earlier of mine. Maybe this will give you some idea of how they sound.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL1GA_RzU5Q

audiocr381ve

I'm definitely enjoying them. It took a day or two to get used to them. This period of letting your ear adjust to something new is critical. I'm very used to "forward" sounding speakers so when I heard these, it was such a ridiculously pleasant surprise in that they aren't "in your face" at all. I listen to them all day at low volumes and they are just so nice on the ears, even in my pretty reflective listening environment (tile floors). The highs sizzzzzzzzzle, absolutely no harshness/clangyness there. (I have the RDO-194 tweeters, that's the only alteration to the their original state).

Once you sit in the "sweet spot", which is worlds bigger than my Magnepan 1.7's (the family can enjoy it too , that's when you realize you have something very special. My wife thought there was a speaker in between both speakers when she first took a real listen. She didn't believe that there wasn't a speaker hidden! No kidding. She said "These are my favorite speakers you've ever owned." Not only is the SDA effect just stunning, but listening through these speakers anywhere in the house is unlike any speaker I've owned and I think I attribute it to that laid back quality they have.

Their is definitely a pride in owning these pieces of audio history (which they are). To me, they just look cool. Mine are 80 pounds each. For some reason this makes me proud

Like many have said, they aren't the highest resolution speaker out there, although there is such pleasing clarity and detail that is still stunning. If you love music they seem to make everything sound sooooo good from all my vinyl, to FM radio, to low quality MP3's, to CD's, I can listen to either one of those sources literally all day. (And do because I work from home I haven't tried them with a movie yet, but I'll report back on that soon.

Crashdot

Has anyone that owns SDA had problems with unwanted sounds that they were able to resolve with changes to speaker placement or room treatment?

I have heard a few people describe the SDA's as echoey or as adding effects or sounds that are not in the original recording. Similar things have been said about Carver Sonic Holography when the specific rules of room layout and precise speaker placement cannot be adhered to.

After all of the struggles with my own terrible acoustic environment, I wonder if the above problems that some people experience are the result of an acoustics or setup issues rather than the SDA technology itself. I spent the weekend installing studio foam on the front and back walls of my listening room, as well as bass traps on the back wall ceiling corner, and am waiting for the second shipment of bass traps for the front wall. So far, I am noticing that the sound of the RTA12's is very different, with a lot of what I would equate as unwanted echo or other strange effects dissipating dramatically. Obviously these are not SDA speakers, but I suspect that getting the acoustics problems under control is important for good results with SDA.

I toy with the idea of buying a set of SDA's one day, but would probably have to do so without ever hearing them, and having them freighted out here.

Cheers

renowilliams

Bottom line....you will have to get your ears on a pair. We can give you our perspectives, but in the end,you will have to decide whether you like them or not.

audiocr381ve

Crashdot wrote: »

Has anyone that owns SDA had problems with unwanted sounds that they were able to resolve with changes to speaker placement or room treatment?

I have heard a few people describe the SDA's as echoey or as adding effects or sounds that are not in the original recording. Similar things have been said about Carver Sonic Holography when the specific rules of room layout and precise speaker placement cannot be adhered to.

After all of the struggles with my own terrible acoustic environment, I wonder if the above problems that some people experience are the result of an acoustics or setup issues rather than the SDA technology itself. I spent the weekend installing studio foam on the front and back walls of my listening room, as well as bass traps on the back wall ceiling corner, and am waiting for the second shipment of bass traps for the front wall. So far, I am noticing that the sound of the RTA12's is very different, with a lot of what I would equate as unwanted echo or other strange effects dissipating dramatically. Obviously these are not SDA speakers, but I suspect that getting the acoustics problems under control is important for good results with SDA.

I toy with the idea of buying a set of SDA's one day, but would probably have to do so without ever hearing them, and having them freighted out here.

Cheers

Crashdot, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I absolutely think you'll be disappointed if you think these things are audio heaven.

My SDA-2B's are absolutely incredible with jazz, and that is what I have playing in my home 90% of the time. The "sound stage" as they call it is really unbelievable, it always makes me smile, even more than my Magnepan 1.7's did.

Do they have any shortcomings? Absolutely. Are they perfect all of the time? No. For me, my goal was to put together a vintage system that was so easy to listen too all day long. Did I find the speaker? I think so. These things are pieces of audio history and really need to be appreciated as such. Essentially, you're buying a classic car that can house a Lamborghini engine, but it will never be a Lamborghini.

People don't buy classic cars to "fit in". That's the kind of attitude I believe can be found in every single SDA owner. We all stand next to our car with great pride because it's a classic and we've spent time working on it. Nobody could tell us their is something better. You're asking for info from a bunch of fans, try some other forums and get some opinions. It's really to bad you can't audition them.

Crashdot

I don't expect that SDA's are necessarily the ultimate speaker, but suspect that they are unique sounding which is why I would like to hear them. I've heard $30,000 Wilson Audio speakers that do sound like audio heaven to me, but since I'll never, ever, be able to afford something like that, I prefer to consider things that are more within my reach.

I recently went to some of the local Hifi stores and heard $3000-5000 speakers that definitely didn't sound as good as my $200 Polks, so it got me thinking, particularly since one of those guys has SDA's that are presumably collecting dust in a storage facility. One of the other members here used to have SDA's too, so I was wondering how many pairs of SDAs may be floating around.

I've read both good and bad things about SDA's, but am mostly interested in what SDA fan/owners have to say, since they are the ones that may have lived with them long enough to overcome amplification, setup and acoustic problems to get the most out of their speakers. I was hoping to get some insight into whether some of the bad reactions that some have had may have not been due to the speakers themselves, or if there are shortcomings that the majority of people all seem to report, offering a consensus that I can consider reliable.

In any case, I'll just have to keep my eyes out in case a pair goes up for sale in the area so I can get out and give them a try.

Thanks for all the feedback

audiocr381ve

Crashdot wrote: »

I don't expect that SDA's are necessarily the ultimate speaker, but suspect that they are unique sounding which is why I would like to hear them. I've heard $30,000 Wilson Audio speakers that do sound like audio heaven to me, but since I'll never, ever, be able to afford something like that, I prefer to consider things that are more within my reach.

I recently went to some of the local Hifi stores and heard $3000-5000 speakers that definitely didn't sound as good as my $200 Polks, so it got me thinking, particularly since one of those guys has SDA's that are presumably collecting dust in a storage facility. One of the other members here used to have SDA's too, so I was wondering how many pairs of SDAs may be floating around.

I've read both good and bad things about SDA's, but am mostly interested in what SDA fan/owners have to say, since they are the ones that may have lived with them long enough to overcome amplification, setup and acoustic problems to get the most out of their speakers. I was hoping to get some insight into whether some of the bad reactions that some have had may have not been due to the speakers themselves, or if there are shortcomings that the majority of people all seem to report, offering a consensus that I can consider reliable.

In any case, I'll just have to keep my eyes out in case a pair goes up for sale in the area so I can get out and give them a try.

Thanks for all the feedback

Was thinking about you as I was watching a few pairs of SDA's for sale in my area (not trying to poke a wound here, I promise), but IMO if you want to get an idea of the sound that they put out - and I know some won't agree with me on this - but I'd go check out some Monitor 10's (assuming you haven't already). The Monitor 10's were what convinced me that this speaker was a must have. The imaging from these little guys (well, compared to my 80 pound a piece SDA's) was incredible. I heard the same phantom center speaker that I hear with my SDA's. The rep at the audio shop I auditioned them at hadn't plugged them in yet as they were a trade in. We both listened to them for the first time and he and I were absolutely floored by them. I didn't get to spend to much time with the Monitor 10's to give a more in depth comparison, but a lot of what's in my SDA 2B's is what I heard when I auditioned those Monitor 10's, just better.

Just a thought...

Crashdot

I found someone selling a beat up pair of SDA II in my area, although it looks like no SDA interconnect cable is included. This set has SL-2000 tweeters (not SL-1000). Is the cable something that I am likely to be able find or buy? I can't tell from the photos whether it is a blade or pin-blade type.

Thanks

EndersShadow

Crashdot wrote: »

I found someone selling a beat up pair of SDA II in my area, although it looks like no SDA interconnect cable is included. This set has SL-2000 tweeters (not SL-1000). Is the cable something that I am likely to be able find or buy? I can't tell from the photos whether it is a blade or pin-blade type.

Thanks

You can either buy it on ebay, or I believe a couple folks on the forum make them. Their might even be instructions for doing so here, I tend to ignore those posts since I dont own any lol

schwarcw

Crashdot wrote: »

I was hoping to get some insight into whether some of the bad reactions that some have had may have not been due to the speakers themselves, or if there are shortcomings that the majority of people all seem to report, offering a consensus that I can consider reliable.

Thanks for all the feedback

Greetings!

I have had four set's of SDAs and loved every pair. I have not experienced any "bad reactions" per se. I understand why some listener's will say that " a 20 ft. wide soundstage for a piano isn't natural". While I have experienced a "20 ft. wide piano", I have also heard placement of instruments and voices as if they were on a stage directly in front of me. You could point to the location of every instrument and voice. Room setup is important to experience the maximum benefit. But, the SDA's are forgiving speakers and will show their magic in less than perfect room placement. I have the 2.3s in my current setup and love them. I have done a lot of upgrades to the speakers and they continue to amaze me. If you can find a pair, get them!!

SDA cables are available or can easily be made.

Good luck and happy listening!

Crashdot

What were your most to least favorite SDAs? How do the SDA-2s rank I believe this is the kind with three drivers and two tweeters - I assume at least one driver and tweeter operate with the SDA interconnect.

Cheers

schwarcw

I enjoyed the sound of the SDA-2s very much. They had the three woofers and two tweeter, plus the passive. I did a crossover mod and upgraded the SL2000s to the soft dome RDO-194s. Sounded very nice!

My favorites are the 2.3s. Five woofers, three tweeters and the passive. These fit the size of my room perfectly. Not quite as big as the 1.2s, which would be an overkill for my space. As with all SDAs, it's preferable to have them 3 ft. or more from each sidewall, at least 6 ft. apart, and about 6 inches from the rear wall.

inspiredsports

To be fair, you'd really need to hear them in your exact listening environment.

In my opinion, 2B's would be the best bang-for-the-buck model to ship to Hawaii. 1C's would be close.

Overall, this might be the lowest to highest ranking of what to look for:

CRS's -(TL'd)
2B's - (TL'd)
1C's - with RDO-194's
2.3 TL's
1.2 TL's

2.3's and 1.2's favor a large room.

heiney9

Crashdot wrote: »

I have heard a few people describe the SDA's as echoey or as adding effects or sounds that are not in the original recording. Similar things have been said about Carver Sonic Holography when the specific rules of room layout and precise speaker placement cannot be adhered to.

Actually, it's more about what SDA's, with the aid of cross talk cancellation, reveals in the recording. You are hearing recording/mastering information in the recording you didn't hear or notice before with other speakers. One thing I have noticed with a lot of popular music is the heavy use of reverb in the recording process. It can be a little off putting on some recordings, but SDA's DO NOT add anything to the recordings like you are thinking. It's a completely passive process. The faults lie with the recordings, not the speakers.

SDA's don't have a lot of layout choices if they are to be their most effective. They need breathing space on the sides (about 3') and need to be close to the wall behind them. Absolutely no toe in and they need to be atleast 4-6' apart or more. The distance you sit from them should be roughly equal to the distance between the speakers. If you have a room that can't reasonably accommodate these parameters they might not be worth the effort to track them down.

H9

Crashdot

Someone is selling a beat up pair of SDA-2s locally, without the interconnect, and doesn't really know what they are. I was thinking of trying to get them if they appear to be in tact.

Cheers