Have you moved on from SDA's?

audiocr381ve

I love my SDA's, but I'm wondering if any of you long time SDA's fans have moved on and if so, to what and why? Or maybe the SDA's are your secondary speakers, so what's in your primary?

Just curious to hear from fans who obviously have good taste in speakers but wanted a little something more.

evhudsons

There is a point where more is not necessarily better. I have a long ways to go gear wise, but I'm happy with my SDA. There are those that have expanded, moved on or whatever. It's your preference I suppose. There are a lot of really great speakers out there but I'm happy with mine. I also have room to grow in SDA speakers. My suggestion is to keep your SDA, try other ones and make your choice.

mole'

i sold my SDA 2.3TLs and got a LSi setup. im happy so far.......

BlueFox

SDA-2 to PSB Synchrony One towers. Now looking at either Aerial Acoustics 7T, or Wilson Sophia, so I can move the PSBs into the front of the HT.

F1nut

I've heard a lot of speakers over the years, some do this or that better, but none balance it as well as modified SDA's. Fed very well, of course.

leroyjr1

Moved on myself but for the price they're very hard to beat musically.

evhudsons

I'm learning to feed mine better food. Just picked up a harman kardon cd player. My wife had it at her work. I hooked up a laptop and pandora for their music and brought the cd player home. Everyone is happy. Now to get a carb heavy amp or two and I'll be in business.

headrott

No.

Greg

bigaltx24

I'm always listening to other gear, but have yet to find anything I like better than my SDAs.

chandler9a

I have had SDA' s in the home since I was about 9yrs old. I am just getting started in how to feed them properly (now that I have my own), and I enjoy them greatly so I am going to stick with them for a while. I too have heard other "high end" speakers but the the price tag vs. the sound did not match up to the SDA's... in my opinion of course.

I'll buy other speakers but SDA's will always be in the house

Pycroft

I had SDA 1C's and liked them very much. Once I heard my Sony SS-M7's, I realized I liked them a lot, and have settled on the Sony SS-M9's. I think this will be my last speaker, unless they no longer function.

James

nspindel

F1nut wrote: »

I've heard a lot of speakers over the years, some do this or that better, but none balance it as well as modified SDA's. Fed very well, of course.

Jesse makes an important point here. There is such a remarkable difference between stock and modified SDA's, particularly when it comes to the modded crossovers. It amazes me how much better they keep sounding as you make your way up the quality chain in the rest of your system. Many times, speakers don't do that - you get to a point where you've gotten them to sound as good as they sound, and any further investment in quality gear is a waste if you continue to use those speakers. Modded SDA's must have a point at which you get them to sound as good as they can, but I'm sure I've not reached that point. Every improvement I've made in the rest of my chain has made those SDA's do things better and better.

Are there speakers out there that will sound better than these? Sure. But at what budget? If you do every mod in the book, you ought to be able to acquire and mod/mint a pair of 1C's for around $1000. Go find another pair of mint condition speakers for a grand that sound as good. I'd be very interested in hearing these.

drumminman

I've had my SDA 2.3TL's for around 3 months, now heavily modded. Some of the mods are just getting broken in so I'm starting to hear what they're capable of.

While I may hear speakers in the future that I like better, I feel no need to look.

I do feel the need to get stronger amplification though. What I'm running now sounds very, very good, but they are rated to handle much more. Monoblocks may be in my future

heiney9

I agree with Jesse and Neil, refreshing the x-overs with newer and better sounding caps and resistors as well as using the silk dome tweeters makes a huge difference over a stock SDA. Partly because the original parts have aged to the point of failure. But mostly because the new parts are that much better compared to what was available 20 years ago and the RD0 tweeter are also leaps and bounds better. The thing I like about my SDA's and the reason why I will probably keep them forever is they are such a great all purpose speaker. Like Jesse said, there are other speakers that will do certain things better, but the SDA's are so well rounded and can play just about any type or style of music and still sound very good. I listen to a variety of types of music from Techo dance style to old school rock to female vocal to acoustic to jazz to blues to hard rock, etc and it all sounds very good.

I also agree with Neil that as you keep moving you the ladder with gear, they (the SDA's) keep improving. They have some of the most realistic bass I've heard. The soundstage is very hard to do without even if at times it can be slightly exaggerated with some recordings. I find when I listen to other speakers I have a hard time getting used to the soundstage because it sounds more 2 dimensional than 3 dimensional. There isn't a speaker on the market that can reproduce live material like the SDA's. They are simply breathtaking when listening to live recordings, the simpler the recording the better. They also work extremely well as a 2ch HT rig. I watch movies all the time and can be startled by things going around me that are part of the movie.

For me and my musical tastes they are the perfect all purpose speaker, they are easily and reasonably upgraded, they respond to better and better gear, there really isn't anything else like them out there, they keep chugging along because they were built to last.

H9

Joe08867

Like F1Nut and Nspindel point out, modified SDA's are really hard to beat. I have not moved on but have tried many others all the while still keeping my SDA's.

At this point I have not owned another pair of speakers as long as my SDA2's. I do not see myself selling or moving on from them at any point in the future unless I hit the lottery and can maybe afford some $50,000 speakers.

The only other speakers I have ever heard that made me completely jealous were a set of Tannoy's. But for the asking price honestly they should make me jealous.

To elaborate on H9's post, I think the realism is in the 6.5 drivers. They have the speed and accuracy that 12-15" speakers can lack.

This is probably why Polk uses smaller drivers in there current offerings. It is tough to compare multiple 6.5"drivers against a larger single driver and not come away impressed at the accuracy that the smaller drivers posses.

heiney9

I did have a chance to hear (on a couple occasions) a pair of Revel Ultima's. Source and pre was Meridian and amplification were Mark Levinson mono blocks with exotic speaker cables and I/C's, etc. These were set up in a specially treated room. They were simply incredible, simply stunning for sure. But at what cost? The SDA's can certainly be beat but you really have to move your buget way up the ladder. All together the system I heard retailed for about $50K not including the room. It's about the best sounding system I've heard, but $50K????? That's a lot of coin.

I came home listened to my rig and wasn't as disappointed as I thought I'd be after hearing the Revel/Meridian/ML system.

http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/96/

H9

Toolfan66

I don't see my SDA's going anywhere real soon if ever.. The RMAF is this weekend and I am sure I will be drooling just like last year..

Timothy Smith

I guess I have "moved on" to Dahlquists, A/D/S's, Snells, Magneplanars etc. Still all used/vintage type speakers that can be had in good condition for low prices if you are patient. Certain models of those brands sound incrementally more detailed and musical that most Polks do to my ears (but not without their own compromises).

In total I have had more Polks than and other single brand, approximately 15 pairs, four of those SDA's (SDA-2's, SDA-CRS+ twice, SDA 3.1 TL).

I still have a pair of Polk RTA-12's with Peerless tweeters. I think I'll have to pick up some SDA's as keepers.

reeltrouble1

Please be reminded there is no perfect speaker or piece of audio gear ala G. Holt. I presently have two pairs of SDA and can't really imagine not having a set. Crossover? Tweeter? Rings? DynaMat? well its fine to upgrade and tweak things.

We listened this weekend though to a stock set of 7b from the 70's left totally untouched and they were in storage for four years prior to last weekend. Hooked them up and they held there own quite well and even imaged better than much newer designs we heard.

As Polk Paul once stated "if we had not built such great speakers in the past we might sell more today", of course there have been many innovations in speaker design since the 70's, Polk though has maintained one constant..they make real world speakers that play rock-n-roll. My experience has been that whether you want to use entry or hi-fi gear your Polks will take you where-ever you want, even if it is....Deep Down the Rabbit Hole.

Watch and get your ears on the LsiM 703...truly awesome bookie and I am usually a big speaker kind of guy.

Rock on Polksters.

RT1

nooshinjohn

Magnepans deliver imaging and detail like no other speaker out there. They are the most realistic speaker I have heard in that regard, but they lack the dynamic impact of the SDA's. I am going to complete the mods to my 2.3TL's after my monoblocks are done, and they will always have a place in my heart. I will be keeping them in the mix as the mains of my HT rig, but the MG 20.1's will be the way I go for my two-channel setup.

tonyb

As Ted said, there is no perfect speaker or piece of gear. Even your own preferences change over time.....heck, what doesn't change over time ? SDA's are no doubt a great speaker and the bang for your buck factor is off the charts. However, a million flavors of speakers exist and for me I moved on to Legacy's and couldn't be happier. Life is too short to limit yourself to one speaker type, but I do tend to keep things once I find what I like for a good 8-10 years before moving on. Still want those Montana big boys though.....some day.

evhudsons

I'm sure the other speakers are incredible but I wonder if they have that 3d audio experience that SDA's have? I have a lot to do in upgrading my gear to properly run the sda's but as they sound great now I can hardly imagine once I get new inductors, and better amps, cables, etc.
As mentioned they are the all around perfect speaker for listening to different styles of music, SDA's can make crappy music listenable if not great. I also listen to just about everything from all kinds of music including country and some rap (when friends come over I oblige the younguns). I have been playing good flac files lately of some live music and it really sounds live. My budget is slim but the SDA is perfect in that regard. The CRS+ puts out good bass when needed, but the 1C's really rocked in all categories even before being modded. For my CRS+ I have a separate subwoofer for HT but I don't need it for most music. The 1c doesn't need a sub in my opinion. Surrounds are cool but optional for HT as H9 pointed out the effects of SDA. I use surrounds for HT but nothing beats the front soundstage sphere of incredible audio that surround sound cannot do. For now I am happily living music within my means. Even if I do get a huge budget for audio one day, I will always compare them even to my simplest and smallest CRS+ SDA.

halo71

Heck....I am still trying to just move "to" SDA's! lol

Tony M

halo71 wrote: »

Heck....I am still trying to just move "to" SDA's! lol

Now that's funny right there..^^

I've got Maggies as mains now but I have two sets of SDA-CRS's on the shelf. One is a + model and I also have original stands to use when the time comes.

I've heard alot of speakers and you get what you pay for. These SDA's were expensive in their day and for good reason. I spoiled some guys idea of what good music is supposed to sound like when I demonstrated my SDA-SRS2's amazing soundfield and dynamics.

My Maggie 2.5R's with my little Klipsch II sub puts out a tremendous soundfield also.

If you haven't heard a LARGE ESS Heil air motion transformer, you haven't heard an amazing midrange,tweeter transducer. That device puts out some realistic sound reproduction. No sibilence that I can remember and limitless output it seemed.

dpowell

The only thing I'll move on to is a bigger set of SDAs when they are close enough to grab.

mole'

dpowell wrote: »

The only thing I'll move on to is a bigger set of SDAs when they are close enough to grab.

i was hoping you would of bought mine to keep them local.....


still have yet to hear a set of modded SDA's

audiocr381ve

tony millard wrote: »

Now that's funny right there..^^

I've got Maggies as mains now but I have two sets of SDA-CRS's on the shelf. One is a + model and I also have original stands to use when the time comes.

I've heard alot of speakers and you get what you pay for. These SDA's were expensive in their day and for good reason. I spoiled some guys idea of what good music is supposed to sound like when I demonstrated my SDA-SRS2's amazing soundfield and dynamics.

My Maggie 2.5R's with my little Klipsch II sub puts out a tremendous soundfield also.

If you haven't heard a LARGE ESS Heil air motion transformer, you haven't heard an amazing midrange,tweeter transducer. That device puts out some realistic sound reproduction. No sibilence that I can remember and limitless output it seemed.

Hmmm, I'm very interested in hearing this type of speaker. Do the ESS Heil AMT 1A fit the bill? There is a pair for sale locally that I'm interested in. Also, I'm very curious to hear a pair of Ohm speakers. I'm wondering if anybody with SDA's has any experience with both and wouldn't mind chiming in.

tonyb

evhudsons wrote: »

I'm sure the other speakers are incredible but I wonder if they have that 3d audio experience that SDA's have? I have a lot to do in upgrading my gear to properly run the sda's but as they sound great now I can hardly imagine once I get new inductors, and better amps, cables, etc.
As mentioned they are the all around perfect speaker for listening to different styles of music, SDA's can make crappy music listenable if not great. I also listen to just about everything from all kinds of music including country and some rap (when friends come over I oblige the younguns). I have been playing good flac files lately of some live music and it really sounds live. My budget is slim but the SDA is perfect in that regard. The CRS+ puts out good bass when needed, but the 1C's really rocked in all categories even before being modded. For my CRS+ I have a separate subwoofer for HT but I don't need it for most music. The 1c doesn't need a sub in my opinion. Surrounds are cool but optional for HT as H9 pointed out the effects of SDA. I use surrounds for HT but nothing beats the front soundstage sphere of incredible audio that surround sound cannot do. For now I am happily living music within my means. Even if I do get a huge budget for audio one day, I will always compare them even to my simplest and smallest CRS+ SDA.

I used to always compare to SDA's.....they were the benchmark for along time. Like I said, plenty of speaker makers out there that have surpassed what the SDA's can do....3d soundfield included. Doesn't mean SDA's are any less of a speaker though. Just thumb through the vintage threads and you'll see many speakers that even by todays standards will hold their own nicely. The ones here that have moved on know the value in SDA's but by far are not the be all end all of speakers. Once your wallet lets you, you'll discover a whole new level of sound reproduction.

TennMan

tonyb wrote: »

I used to always compare to SDA's.....they were the benchmark for along time. Like I said, plenty of speaker makers out there that have surpassed what the SDA's can do....3d soundfield included. Doesn't mean SDA's are any less of a speaker though. Just thumb through the vintage threads and you'll see many speakers that even by todays standards will hold their own nicely. The ones here that have moved on know the value in SDA's but by far are not the be all end all of speakers. Once your wallet lets you, you'll discover a whole new level of sound reproduction.

Please elaborate on other speakers that have a 3D effect similar to the SDAs. I'm not familiar with them.

heiney9

TennMan wrote: »

Please elaborate on other speakers that have a 3D effect similar to the SDAs. I'm not familiar with them.

Maggies do an amazing job of realism, but in my experience with Maggies only do certain types of music excellent like simple Jazz, Vocals, Trio's, Classical, Acoustic but they don't tend to do very well with modern pop, hard rock, heavier music, classic rock, etc. Atleast to my ears. They do have even more realism than SDA's on well recorded vocal, acoustic and simple Jazz, but they don't do well enough with other types of music I listen to for me to own a pair as a main set of speakers.

They have a very small sweetspot, tiny, as in only one person can hear them at their best, while SDA's still sound good even out of the sweet spot. Not knocking Maggies at all because I've heard DKG999's as well as Ricardo's and I always walk away impressed with their speed and life-like sound, but in the end they are not a great speaker for all types of music, IMO, like the SDA's can be.

Maggie's also aren't very forgiving of your source or source material, so if you like types of music that generally are recorded more poorly, then Maggies aren't for you. SDA's can be like that too with poorer recorded and mastered music, but they tend to be more forgiving.

SCompRacer's Inner Sound EROS are excellent speakers with great 3D imaging, but damn that sweetspot is very, very small.

H9

TennMan

Thanks h9 for the info. I didn't realize Magnepan speakers had a 3D effect.