LSiM 707 VS SDA speakers

naturallight

Now this may be a no win comparison for the 707 in any way shape or form. Let me also state, i'm only interested in 2 channel stereo music, nothing more. Right now i don't have the money for any speaker, but next year i will. But i'm also an SDA nut..which means i really like the sound of SDA speakers...so that puts a negative in the 707 column already.



For the price point of this speaker, i would think i can just plug them in, it should give me concert level volume, give me the bass i want, and just blow me away with sound quality.

But that dose not seem to be the case. In the few reviews from Polk people....they seem to like the 703 more with subs. Even the people who tried the 707 had subs on them..?? Why..do they just not put out the bass you should need??



What i would really like is a set of SDA 1.2 TLs, But i would also like to win the lottery..so the chances of finding a set close by...not so great, or in good shape. I have a set of SDA 1C's..un modded at this point. I find no need for a sub(which i dislike in a 2 channel stereo system)The speakers will kick your butt with bass.

They will also play at concert levels. Lets put it this way, if i put on Live Allman at the Fillmore...I feel like i'm AT the Fillmore...LOL



The SDA's were never made for HT stuff....they were a strait up 2 channel stereo speaker.



So i guess the question is....would i even be happy with the 707's or can they come close to even the SDA1C's.....IF i can bypass the SDA effect.

falconcry72

I'm confused. Why do you want to bypass the SDA effect? Is this for a surround system?

naturallight

LOL..not the right words. What i mean is if I could GIVE UP the SDA sound....VS what the 707 might give me.

D_M

Natural,

You already admitted that you have a love for SDAs, why even torture yourself. Try to acquire the speaker that is the object of your desire.

leroyjr1

........

naturallight

Well the simple answer would be..gee i can call up Polk and get a set of 707's sent to me. Costs me X amount.

To find a set of SDA SRS anything in my area that may be close by....again is pretty much hitting the Lotto. What i have to throw at it is another question as far as money goes to make it work right.

The LSiM 707 in my opinion..is a compromise speaker for again, HT and stereo...where the SDA's were NOT..full on stereo speakers.



I have not heard the 707..so i can't say it's worth the money or not....I can't compare it to my SDA's

So i'm shooting in the dark here.



Again the question would be....are we even playing in the same ball park here with these speakers..or..again....you can't put whatever speaker up against the SDA's.

Let me add to this mess... if you need a sub for the 707.....then were not playing the same game..you don't need a sub for SDA's.

Dawgfish

I have yet to hear the 707s, but I do currently own a set of 703s, SRS 2s, and CRSs. To my ears the 703s with REL sub are in the same league as the SDAs and do belong in the same conversation. I wouldn't say that I like one over the other. They are just different. For the record I don't feel the 703s really need a sub for two channel duty. The bass is actually quite good with them. I was just used to the bass that the SDA-1Cs I used to own had, so I bought the REL sub just to fill in the very lowest octaves. I have a feeling that the 707s would do just fine compared to the SDAs.

I like the SDAs for the soundstage properties that are unique to SDAs. I like the LSiMs for the incredible detail and smoothness they have. Both model of speakers are special in their own right. I couldn't tell you which you would prefer, but I can say that the sound quality of the LSiM series is in the same ballpark as the SDAs. They are a great series of speakers.

naturallight

Very nice to hear from somebody for GA..LOL But you also seemed to go with the 703's with a sub...why?? To say that they almost come close to an SDA 1C as far as bass.....not sure about that.



I have my 1C's in a 17X30 foot room..I play them at concert volume..i sit 15 feet back in the room.

The 1 C's can kick my butt as far as bass goes



I don't really see the 703's coming anyplace close with out a really big dollar sub. Which i don't really like in a 2 channel system.

Then again..you miss the "SDA" effect to boot...so doesn't seem worth the money..per say.



I'm not going to say it's wrong...but to me seems not worth the money...per say.....

falconcry72

it seems to me that you've already made up your mind...:biggrin:

Oh and as far as price is concerned, you can get a pair of 707 refurbs (probably mint) from Polk's ebay store for $2700, shipped, with 2-year warranty:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EA-LSiM707-Cherry-Tower-Floorstand-Speaker-Polk-Audio-/230885465580?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item35c1d89dec

You could probably get a used pair for less... like MY used pair... midnight mahogany...


I like SDA's and LSiM's. So different though! I could see why someone would pick either one over the other.


The LSiM's win in terms of resolution and accuracy. The SDA's win in terms of bass, envelopment, and that magic "feel like you're there" sense.

For critical listening, evaluating source material and components, and studio mastering... I'd take the LSiM's. For sparkin' up a doob and forgetting where you are for a few hours, I'd take the SDA's. :biggrin:

naturallight

NO..I have not made up my mind....but again why are you selling the 707's???

I would not sell my SDA 1C's period...even if i got some SRS's..

But thats just me.



I get the feeling this is just NOT a good upgrade..and if i can't find the right SRS ..I should just upgrade the 1C's....

falconcry72

naturallight wrote: »

NO..I have not made up my mind....but again why are you selling the 707's???

I would not sell my SDA 1C's period...even if i got some SRS's..

But thats just me.



I get the feeling this is just NOT a good upgrade..and if i can't find the right SRS ..I should just upgrade the 1C's....

I tried out all the LSiM's for use as fronts in my home theater setup. I decided to go with the 703's plus dual subs for the best "bang for the buck" solution. I think the 707's are the best performing of the LSiM's, but the 703's are the best value.

For 2-channel.... I'm a maggie guy...:biggrin:



If you've decided to budget X amount for this next upgrade, and you end up modding the 1C's instead of buying 707's.... that would leave you A LOT of money leftover to put into a DAC, preamp, amp, or whatever else.

leroyjr1

IMO the only advantage the SDA's have over the lsim's is the soundstage everything else I think the M's do better. Also it's hard to compare a 707/705 to the larger SDA's. I bet those 707's would put out just as much bass as your 1c's.

naturallight

Yeah..see this is the problem..I don't care about HT crap at all. I could care less about this stuff.



I want the best sounding speaker in a 17X30 room..that will play the real music from a live album

and sound the same..and kick my **** when i turn it up to concert levels.

The 1C's will kick your butt as far as bass goes.



Are they 100 accurate as far as the music goes...that i'm not so sure of as there close to 30 years old...so that may be a problem.

So the SRS is a better option..IF i can find one close to me, other wise i'm dealing with a 500 buck shipping thing.



I have no clue as to what the 707 sounds like...but what your pretty much telling me....since your already selling them...gee not that great.

falconcry72

naturallight wrote: »

...I have no clue as to what the 707 sounds like...but what your pretty much telling me....since your already selling them...gee not that great.

Don't read too much into my selling them. I would have preferred to keep the 707's AND get the subs, but I just couldn't swing it. Also, I go through speakers FAST. In the last year I've also sold plenty of other AWESOME speakers ... Magnepan 3.6's, Magnepan 1.7's, Usher Audio Dancer Mini 2's... among many others.

ROHfan

naturallight wrote: »

The LSiM 707 in my opinion..is a compromise speaker for again, HT and stereo...where the SDA's were NOT..full on stereo speakers.

I dunno...my SDAs pull double duty and I absolutely, positively love them in my HT setup.

deronb1

Is the 703 demo still going on?

F1nut

I want the best sounding speaker in a 17X30 room..that will play the real music from a live album

and sound the same..and kick my **** when i turn it up to concert levels.

The 1C's will kick your butt as far as bass goes.



Are they 100 accurate as far as the music goes...that i'm not so sure of as there close to 30 years old...so that may be a problem.

I strongly suggest that you do all the mods available to your 1C's as the results will amaze you.

nooshinjohn

ROHfan wrote: »

I dunno...my SDAs pull double duty and I absolutely, positively love them in my HT setup.

My 1.2TL's also see double duty as fronts for my ht and for stereo use. They are amazing speakers, and well worth the search and waiting for. Having heard the 707's go head to head with a pair of modded 2.3TL's and the legendary SRT's, I can honestly say that in every way except pinpoint image accuracy, the 2.3TL's crushed the other two. The TL's seemed to do everything right.

I did like the 707's but the value and performance of the SDA's are tough to beat IMHO.

naturallight

Thanks for the info guys. Kind of confirmed my suspicions on the 707's. Nobody hates them, but there not in love with them either. When Nooshinjohn said a modded set of 2.3TL's pretty much just crushed the 707's. That was the last nail in the proverbial coffin for me...LOL



My problem is any non SDA type speaker is going to be a hard sell for me. I guess i've had them for so long that the SDA "effect" and sound stage are part of what i look for in a speaker. Sounds stupid, i know that. But has a effect on what i listen to. I tried some other speakers out..hated them. I went so far as to buy the RTi12's from Polk. Got them for a good price on the ebay site. My thinking was, I have had nothing but Polks speakers for 30 years...these column speakers are from Polk they have to sound good...LOL



To be honest..they are really good speakers for the money, hands down. "IF" you have the right power to push them, some tubes in the mix, and probably a large enough room for them to work in.

They are NOT too bright or over bearing, and are pretty darn accurate to boot. They kick the crap out of the other column speakers i tried and sent back...LOL



But once i move the SDA 1C's back into place, well then the ballgame changes. Your sitting in the sound stage and the SDA "effect"...that of course only SDA's can give you. So most of these speakers have no chance against that sound...The size of the room also effects these speakers. ALOT.



SDA's don't like a small say 12x12 room, not sure the 12's would be much better and may turn out to be very in your face. I had the SDA's in a small 12x12 room before i finished my basement. They of course played ok..but you don't want to push them. When i got my basement finished and moved them down there...then they shine...they need room to breath sort of speak. The SRS stuff i "assume" is even worse..so they need that 17X30 room to breath...

So at this point..I will just buy the parts and pieces to up grade the 1C's as money allows, and if i ever see a set of any SRS speakers that are close..I will try and get them.

EndersShadow

^Another pair of speakers to look for are the RTA 11TL's. I have found they are GREAT SDA substitues. They dont have the SDA effect per say, but they fill those smaller rooms with very similar sound (minus the 2 8" passives they have SDA drivers in them) and work in rooms that SDA's never would.

I am very much enjoying my 11's and they make me happy till I can try out some SDA's, or eve some other speakers needing more room to breathe (Magnepan, Open Baffle, etc)

Since I remember how your room is setup, I can tell you the 11's and even the 11TL's would be a good match. IMHO they sound better than the RTi 12's your running right now.

As an added bonus, they also can use the rings and tweeter mounts but for the 8" passives, and also are pretty easy to work on crossover wise since you have the entire bottom of the speaker to use with the larger caps.

I am looking forward to adding dynamat to my passives, the rings, and eventuall upgrading the crossovers.

michael1947

Natural light do you live in the Chicago area?

naturallight

Thanks for the info EndersShadow. But i really think you would be surprised at how well the RTi12's work in my 17x30 room. Room size has alot to do with how these speakers sound.

SDA's hate small rooms, i think that is true with the 12's as well. They are massive big speakers, they are pretty much a **** to move around...LOL

I can see all the comments about too bright, too much in you face...all this stuff for 2 channel music.

BUT, I'm running them off my Onkyo M504, with a Jolida CD player, and an Adcom pre.

I fire them strait ahead, no toe in..but i do sit 15 feet back in the room. I don't find any of those problems with the 12's..probably because of the equipment i'm running, but also because of the size of the room. The SDA's love the room. That i can say 100%....they just hated the 12x12 room i had them in before. They were like..passable if played low in that size room...you can't push them.



You move them to the 17x30 room..it's like you have another set of speakers...I'm not kidding you.

The sound becomes massive..they open up and room becomes filled with the SDA sound.

I'm not sure the 12's are far off that..If put them in a 12x12 room..not sure i would really like them that much for 2 channel music. But again they just can not compete with the SDA's.

naturallight

I think room size on some of the Polk speakers is the killer. Even the 1C which is not a small speaker..but not the size of the SRS stuff. If you try and run the 1C in a small type room even 12x14..the room just runs out of air....they will play ok at low volumes..but if you push them..then things don't work right. What you hear at a certain volume in that room..is nothing to what you hear in a larger room. The Rti 12's i think are the biggest column speakers Polk ever made...the are Hugh and massive to move around. Now for movie watching in a 12x14 room...that may be ok..but if you try and run 2 channel music on that system in that small a room, i don't see that as being too good.



I'll be blunt with you and say..the SDA's in a small room are just not that good. I tried them in a room that size..not wonderful. They just run out of air sort of speak. I have a set of old large Advents...that would have probably done better in that size room.



When you take these speakers..put them in a large size room...then all hell brakes loose. What you may have played the volume at in the small room...that same volume now is much more with the 1C's. I kid you not, the volume becomes massive very quick. Just my 2 cents on this....

Conradicles

That is a lot more than $0.02 dude...

naturallight

LOL yeah,,this is only my opinon on this,,, but i do have both the SDA1C's and the RTi12...and i have run the 1c's in a small 12x12 room..and they just don't work that well in there..period. So what i'm saying is pretty much tried and true.

Drenis

naturallight wrote: »

SDA's don't like a small say 12x12 room

Disagree. A quick demo of my 3.1TL's in my smaller listening room would change that opinion of yours. All about room acoustics, speaker positioning and listening position.

naturallight

Well i would say..that depends on if your listening at concert levels or not..as long as you don't push them..the SDA's will sound fine.
If i want to hear Allmans at the Fillmore..at the volume of the Fillmore..then yes..I have to say..the bigger the room the better....because SDA's just run out of breathing room in a small space if you push them.

falconcry72

Dude. Quit speculating!!!!!


Get a pair of 707's in the house and see what the F*** YOU think!

lol. sorry, not tryin to be harsh. If you were in my neighborhood I'd hook you up...

naturallight

Let me put it this way...I had to stick my 1C's in a 12x12 room because my basement was not finished. It was not that great..at all, they sounded ok..but if you tried to put it up to 10:30 or 11 on the pre....they were just not very good at all..as long as you played them at low volume...there fine.

L

When i got the basement finished....17x30..took all the speakers and equipment down there....plugged in the 1C's...now this is the same equipment..nothing has changed...



The speakers were massive.....you want Allman live..you have it..at about 10:30 on the volume..you push it to 11...your getting your brain kicked along with your stomach.



The difference in room size was massive...thats all i can tell you..if you don't by it..well thats all i can say.



Room acoustics only do so much..if you try and drive large speakers at large volumes..then the room size means alot.

naturallight

Falconcry72...Dude you already tossed these speakers out the door...BUT you want me to try them???? Against SDA stuff???

audiocr381ve

naturallight wrote: »

Falconcry72...Dude you already tossed these speakers out the door...BUT you want me to try them???? Against SDA stuff???

Dude, slow down. He has a few pairs of SDA's and also mentioned that he goes through speakers fast. He's a lot like me. I owned a pair of speakers that did absolutely everything I've ever dreamed of a speaker doing. They sounded incredible, did everything right, but I ended up selling them because I'm just a curious **** and want to get my ears on everything I possibly can.

I say get the 707's. You won't be let down. You'll have your 1C's to mod in the future anyway