Sda 1b vs sda 2a

renowilliams
renowilliams Posts: 920
edited May 2011 in Vintage Speakers
I realize that the 1B's are older but they have two more mid drivers. Would you say they have a fuller sound,wider soundstage and dig deeper on the low end??
"They're always talking about my drinking, but never mention my thirst" Oscar Wilde


Pre-Amp: Anthem AVM 20
Amp: Carver TFM-35
Amp: Rotel RB-870BX
Fronts : SDA 1B w/ RDO-194s
T.V.:Plasma TC-P54G25
Bluray: Oppo BDP-93
Speaker Cables: MIT Terminater
Interconnect Cables:DH Labs Silver Sonic BL-1isonic
Post edited by renowilliams on
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  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,102
    edited May 2011
    renowilliams wrote: »
    I realize that the 1B's are older but they have two more mid drivers. Would you say they have a fuller sound,wider soundstage and dig deeper on the low end??
    Design of the 1B and 2A is very similar from a conceptual standpoint; especially with regard to the signal transfer for the SDA effect. The actual parts used are different. The 2A uses a pair of 6510 MW instead of the four 6509 of the 1B, only a single tweeter, and a SW121 instead of the 1Bs SW120.

    I'd expect them to sound very similar in terms of soundstage; and I'd expect somewhat deeper bass on the 1B due to larger cabinet, more piston area due to the four MW drivers, and less capacitance in the SDA circuit--however--I've never heard the 2A.
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  • renowilliams
    renowilliams Posts: 920
    edited May 2011
    Well I just picked up some SDA 1B's. My first impression is good. They seem to be warmer sounding and have better bass response. Luckily, they come with the tweeters upgraded. The extra mid drivers do seem to make a difference.
    "They're always talking about my drinking, but never mention my thirst" Oscar Wilde


    Pre-Amp: Anthem AVM 20
    Amp: Carver TFM-35
    Amp: Rotel RB-870BX
    Fronts : SDA 1B w/ RDO-194s
    T.V.:Plasma TC-P54G25
    Bluray: Oppo BDP-93
    Speaker Cables: MIT Terminater
    Interconnect Cables:DH Labs Silver Sonic BL-1isonic
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited May 2011
    Schurkey wrote: »
    Design of the 1B and 2A is very similar from a conceptual standpoint; especially with regard to the signal transfer for the SDA effect. The actual parts used are different. The 2A uses a pair of 6510 MW instead of the four 6509 of the 1B, only a single tweeter, and a SW121 instead of the 1Bs SW120.

    I'd expect them to sound very similar in terms of soundstage; and I'd expect somewhat deeper bass on the 1B due to larger cabinet, more piston area due to the four MW drivers, and less capacitance in the SDA circuit--however--I've never heard the 2A.

    As an interesting note; 1B's are "mini" 1986 blade/blade SDA SRS 2's, IDENTICAL but for the 12" versus 15" passive and a 2.0 versus 2.5 ohm resistor right after the polyswitch to properly tune it for the smaller enclosure and passive.
    VTL ST50 w/mods / RCA6L6GC / TlfnknECC801S
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 w/mods
    TT Conrad Johnson Sonographe SG3 Oak / Sumiko LMT / Grado Woodbody Platinum / Sumiko PIB2 / The Clamp
    Musical Fidelity A1 CDPro/ Bada DD-22 Tube CDP / Conrad Johnson SD-22 CDP
    Tuners w/mods Kenwood KT5020 / Fisher KM60
    MF x-DAC V8, HAInfo NG27
    Herbies Ti-9 / Vibrapods / MIT Shotgun AC1 IEC's / MIT Shotgun 2 IC's / MIT Shotgun 2 Speaker Cables
    PS Audio Cryo / PowerPort Premium Outlets / Exact Power EP15A Conditioner
    Walnut SDA 2B TL /Oak SDA SRS II TL (Sonicaps/Mills/Cardas/Custom SDA ICs / Dynamat Extreme / Larry's Rings/ FSB-2 Spikes
    NAD SS rigs w/mods
    GIK panels
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  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,102
    edited May 2011
    inspiredsports wrote: »
    As an interesting note; 1B's are "mini" 1986 blade/blade SDA SRS 2's, IDENTICAL but for the 12" versus 15" passive and a 2.0 versus 2.5 ohm resistor right after the polyswitch to properly tune it for the smaller enclosure and passive.
    Yes, and THANK YOU for your pioneering work on the 198 tweeter mod for the SRS2 and 1B.
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  • WGDB
    WGDB Posts: 162
    edited May 2011
    renowilliams wrote: »
    I realize that the 1B's are older but they have two more mid drivers. Would you say they have a fuller sound,wider soundstage and dig deeper on the low end??

    So where are your 2A's now?
    Pioneer Elite SC-35, Polk RTA (Real Time Array) 12's,
    Polk Monitor 40 surrounds, Polk CSiA4 Center,
    Polk PSW125, Sharp LC-46D62U,
    Panasonic DMP-BD85, Harmony One,
    iMac streaming an Apple TVII, or Squeezebox Touch
    Bedroom Rig~Sony STRDG-920, Polk Monitor 60 fronts, Polk RM6750 Satellites and Sub, Panasonic DMP-BD85
    Rabbit Hole Rig~Yamaha CA1010, Yamaha CT1010, Polk SDA 2A's, Teac A1500 R2R
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  • renowilliams
    renowilliams Posts: 920
    edited May 2011
    WGDB wrote: »
    So where are your 2A's now?

    My brother (Chris) has the 2A's now. I called him a couple hours after he left here to see if he hooked them up. He had his neighbor over to check them out. Chris was having a lot of fun with my nephew (Lee) as there hasn't been a two channel set up at their house since before Lee was born.
    "They're always talking about my drinking, but never mention my thirst" Oscar Wilde


    Pre-Amp: Anthem AVM 20
    Amp: Carver TFM-35
    Amp: Rotel RB-870BX
    Fronts : SDA 1B w/ RDO-194s
    T.V.:Plasma TC-P54G25
    Bluray: Oppo BDP-93
    Speaker Cables: MIT Terminater
    Interconnect Cables:DH Labs Silver Sonic BL-1isonic
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter