Are there any NEW speakers about 3K that will BEAT SDA/SRS speakers??
Comments
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The 1C will have a larger soundstage, no doubt about that."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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Well Face...I'm not sure i'd JUMP to that conclusion...have your heard these new speakers from DT??
If not..may not be 100% true. If you were talking stock front firing speakers like the RTi12's....sure.
But these DT speakers maybe not. Not saying your going to get the SDA "effect" out of them, but the soundstage may not be as small as you think..just saying. -
From what i get out of DT..the guys who designed this bi-polar thing were originally from Polk.
Now they have had 20 years to work on this. I'm sure they were not going for the SDA"effect" deal, but the soundstage, may be another story. Not sure i have this info right, but, not sure you can say outright the soundstage is lacking as compared to an SDA. -
It seems the Golden Ear Technology Triton 2 receives the same feedback on regarding the low end(yet VERY MIXED feedback overall) being(same designer) and rated 16 Hz - 35 kHz freq response and testing at 30 Hz to 20 kHz ±3.2 dB. At $2500 these seem interesting....especially with the folded ribbon tweets....been wanting to hear these for awhile.
I have heard those speakers 2 times in different setups with different gear. Both times I left un-impressed especially given their price. I could get some better bookshelves and a sub that would do MUCH better for the price IMHO.
I really wanted to like them since I have heard and liked the Definitive stuff (but couldnt afford it) but the Triton stuff was subpar IMHO. I would go with Definitive Tech stuff over their gear all day long."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
naturallight wrote: »Mantis, good info. I'd like to know if the bi-polar sound out of the BP-8080st's is anything like an SDA sound-stage. I know they have to sit at least 2 feet off the back wall for any of this to work. I "assume" you would really want this firing strait ahead. If you toe them in, that would mess with the back firing drivers. But thats a guess.
I have a pair of BP10 and they sound very good.
Sound is more airy and spreads in the room, especially on the songs that have more cymbals or other resonating instruments.
AFAIK, those rear firing tweeter/mid are not meant to cancel crosstalk but to give a wider soundstage (more real life experience) so you don't have to sit on that one small sweetspot to enjoy the effect.
Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze. -
WOW! Like I said...these speakers get such mixed feedback. I still want to hear them. Also, I need to hear some of the later Definitive stuff. Man do I remember so well the early/first Definitive. I was at a high end store and they had a full blown set(The mains were the top BP set at the time with the large sub) with a large projection screen. They had some live concert footage on Laserdisc....the large screen and sound stage was blowing my mind. That was the first home theater demo that really caught my attention. I was set on owning a set of Definitives one day......still waiting. LOL.EndersShadow wrote: »I have heard those speakers 2 times in different setups with different gear. Both times I left un-impressed especially given their price. I could get some better bookshelves and a sub that would do MUCH better for the price IMHO. I really wanted to like them since I have heard and liked the Definitive stuff (but couldnt afford it) but the Triton stuff was subpar IMHO. I would go with Definitive Tech stuff over their gear all day long.
Anyway, opinion vary about speakers to such a high degree. I hate that I missed the Audio Expo in Chicago this Spring...I need to get out and hear some stuff. Looks like it will be back next year....I will be there: http://www.axpona.com/2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2 -
Yeah I did , got a problem with that? The SDA's are old , they had their time in the light. I feel to many much better sounding to me speakers are to be had. Kinda like having the same thing for dinner night after night.Double talk much?
Yet, you just did.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
The Bi Polar sound is open and wide. It gives you a sense or realism in the room. It puts out a huge sound stage with very believable size.naturallight wrote: »Mantis, good info. I'd like to know if the bi-polar sound out of the BP-8080st's is anything like an SDA sound-stage. I know they have to sit at least 2 feet off the back wall for any of this to work. I "assume" you would really want this firing strait ahead. If you toe them in, that would mess with the back firing drivers. But thats a guess.
As far as setting them up , you still set them up toed in. I line them up with your ears slightly pointing about 2 to 3 feet behind your head. So basically you still see the inside panels of the speakers. Keeping some distance away from the back wall makes them sound very natural. If you get them to close , the bass booms a bit. The subs are powerful and get away from you if your not careful.
They are well worth a listen.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Thats basically what I get out of them , space. If the recording allows for it , they really open up.I have a pair of BP10 and they sound very good.
Sound is more airy and spreads in the room, especially on the songs that have more cymbals or other resonating instruments.
AFAIK, those rear firing tweeter/mid are not meant to cancel crosstalk but to give a wider soundstage (more real life experience) so you don't have to sit on that one small sweetspot to enjoy the effect.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
In general , if you like what Polk has done over the early years up to today , then your most likely going to love Def Tech. They have a lot of that polk sound but more polished. Sandy took all the great things about polk and made them better. They cost a bit more but you can think of them like a modded pair of polks.WOW! Like I said...these speakers get such mixed feedback. I still want to hear them. Also, I need to hear some of the later Definitive stuff. Man do I remember so well the early/first Definitive. I was at a high end store and they had a full blown set(The mains were the top BP set at the time with the large sub) with a large projection screen. They had some live concert footage on Laserdisc....the large screen and sound stage was blowing my mind. That was the first home theater demo that really caught my attention. I was set on owning a set of Definitives one day......still waiting. LOL.
Anyway, opinion vary about speakers to such a high degree. I hate that I missed the Audio Expo in Chicago this Spring...I need to get out and hear some stuff. Looks like it will be back next year....I will be there: http://www.axpona.com/Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Yeah I did , got a problem with that? The SDA's are old , they had their time in the light. I feel to many much better sounding to me speakers are to be had. Kinda like having the same thing for dinner night after night.
Yeah Dan I do because it's always double talk with you. You love SDA's and say they are remarkable, yet say that a current $3k speaker is better.....really!?! You just proved that you have no idea of what you're talking about.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 -
In general , if you like what Polk has done over the early years up to today , then your most likely going to love Def Tech. They have a lot of that polk sound but more polished. Sandy took all the great things about polk and made them better. They cost a bit more but you can think of them like a modded pair of polks.
I have a pair of modded BP30's, TOTL in their day except without the built in sub. I rewired with solid core OFC wire with polyethylene insulation, moved the Xovers outboard and rebuilt with mills/sonicaps/alphacore air core ribbon inductors. This took them to another level making them overall smoother, better defined bass and diminished a slight harshness in the treble. But I still felt I wanted to try something else.
I acquired my 2.3TL's and performed every mod I can think of (see sig). They image like nothing I've ever heard, and make the BP30's sound small in comparison. Not in terms of volume but in the way they completely fill the room with coherent sound. IOW You can tell where the instrument or vocalist is in the soundstage, but the SDA's also seem to reproduce secondary sounds similar to a live performance. Maybe this is what makes them so special. I hear this quality even when I'm in another room far from the sweet spot, so I'm guessing it's more than the cancellation of interaural crosstalk. Even on mediocre recordings it sounds like the performers are in the room. I don't have them set up properly due to room restrictions, but they're impressive nonetheless.
I still have the BP30's and may get them hooked up again, but I feel completely satisfied with the big Polk SDA's."Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer -
In general , if you like what Polk has done over the early years up to today , then your most likely going to love Def Tech. They have a lot of that polk sound but more polished. Sandy took all the great things about polk and made them better. They cost a bit more but you can think of them like a modded pair of polks.
I have a pair of modded BP30's, TOTL in their day except without the built in sub. I rewired with solid core OFC wire with polyethylene insulation, moved the Xovers outboard and rebuilt with mills/sonicaps/alphacore air core ribbon inductors. This took them to another level making them overall smoother, better defined bass and diminished a slight harshness in the treble. But I still felt I wanted to try something else.
I acquired my 2.3TL's and performed every mod I can think of (see sig). They image like nothing I've ever heard, and make the BP30's sound small in comparison. Even on mediocre recordings it sounds like the performers are in the room. I don't have them set up properly due to room restrictions, but they're impressive nonetheless. They also have a more organic sound, not artificially detailed which I felt the big Def Techs were at times. The big SDA's seem to be able to reproduce the emotion in the music.
I still have the BP30's and may get them hooked up again, but I feel completely satisfied with the big Polk SDA's."Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer -
There is a big problem today with speakers..at least in MY opinion. There 95% all tower designs and made to be "Wife Friendly" It's all gee it looks nice, over how really good does it sound. In some cases. the mids' and treble are great..but they all fall flat on the bottom end. Now it's nice to say..gee i've got X amount of 7" woofers or even 8" woofers in some slim line cab, with power ports or whatever. Bottom line is they just will not dig as deep or hit you as hard as an old large sealed cab design with a 12" in it. even a 12" PR.
I can play a song for you on a set of RTi12's..3 7" bass drivers ported. I can play the same song for you on a set of 30 year old 1C's, and unless your deaf..you can hear them dig deeper and feel the difference. These are only 1C's...to put any older tower up against a set of SRS anything is a complete waste of time.
IF you look at the new designs..say the DT 8080 ST stuff, that they finally figured out they need something more. That may be another story. With the 12' bass sub, and the 2 12" PR's, now your playing in a different ballpark. They "should" dig deeper and hit you harder then any SRS model.
What happens after that..I don't know. Soundstage, how "accurate " they are, and on, and on....
Are they worth the cost of an in home audition (freight cost to send them back)..maybe, but probably should not be discounted. -
Don't get too hung up on woofer size. You can have an 8" woofer that will dig deeper than a 12", and so on.
As for soundstage size, I don't know if it's just you're waiting to hear what you want to hear, but no other speaker will have the width of SDA's."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
Yeah Dan I do because it's always double talk with you. You love SDA's and say they are remarkable, yet say that a current $3k speaker is better.....really!?! You just proved that you have no idea of what you're talking about.
Why are you such an emotional old man? You write as if the love one has for a speaker is anything but subjective. Practically everything you've spewed in this thread is an opinion. Can't the technology SDAs possessed 30 years ago be called remarkable, but still not as good as some $3k speakers today. Jeez, my neighbor's model T rebuild is remarkable, but I'll take my '99 Toyota Corolla any day.
Quit acting like an offended Emotiva owner and accept someone might have a divergent opinion.
Food for thought > If SDA Tech is so awesome for 2CH, then why is it now exclusively used in cheap HT rigs?
PS I love my Polk IHT 9000! -
naturallight wrote: »Bottom line is they just will not dig as deep or hit you as hard as an old large sealed cab design with a 12" in it. even a 12" PR.
Size matters but that's not the only thing.
Listen to B&W Concept 90 and that'll change your opinion on ~5" woofers.
I had an audition at a friend's place and man they sounded amazing.
Here is a pic: http://img.canuckaudiomart.com/uploads/large/568657-bampw_concept_90_dmc2.jpg
Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze. -
Face, i'm not going to debate driver size with you...LOL There is no real debate about the SDA sound stage. I'm just looking at alternative speakers that may come close to the SDA/SRS..thats all.
4 months down the road when i have cash in hand and can't find a good set of SRS speakers..at least at the right price (as the ebay people have seemed to NOW go nuts on these speakers and over charge)
I figure 1500 is about max i can spend on the speakers, as it will take alot of money to ship them..IF they will even consider that. Then i have to spend 1K in upgrades..at min , depending on what shape there really in.
So looking for a NEW speaker..that is somewhat close to an SRS is not out of the question. To spend 200 bucks on shipping to try out a speaker when it does not work..doesn't float my boat that much.
But at least i can say i tried them out..does not work, and at that point will probably just rebuild the 1C's. -
naturallight wrote: »Face, i'm not going to debate driver size with you...LOL There is no real debate about the SDA sound stage. I'm just looking at alternative speakers that may come close to the SDA/SRS..thats all.
4 months down the road when i have cash in hand and can't find a good set of SRS speakers..at least at the right price (as the ebay people have seemed to NOW go nuts on these speakers and over charge)
I figure 1500 is about max i can spend on the speakers, as it will take alot of money to ship them..IF they will even consider that. Then i have to spend 1K in upgrades..at min , depending on what shape there really in.
So looking for a NEW speaker..that is somewhat close to an SRS is not out of the question. To spend 200 bucks on shipping to try out a speaker when it does not work..doesn't float my boat that much.
But at least i can say i tried them out..does not work, and at that point will probably just rebuild the 1C's.
When you have the cash in hand to buy, save it until the right set of SRS comes along. They will eventually and are worth the wait. The only other speakers out there that I have heard with the same "gravitas" would be a set of Magnepan 3.6's or a set of Carver Amazing Platinums.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 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 680d DSD
“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 -
In 1988, I extensively auditioned the Carver Amazing Speakers and SRS1.2's in the same room with the same Carver M1.5t amp and the Polk's won, especially in dynamic range and impact. Both speakers were awesome but the Polk's handled the material in stride. The Carver's were "challenged".'65 427 Shelby Cobra
'72 Triumph TR-6
__________________
'88 Polk SDA SRS 1.2, with upgraded XO caps and Erse SDA inductors
'86 Polk SDA CRS+
'84 Polk Monitor 10A (Peerless tweeters)
'05 HSU VTF-3 Sub (Original OEM)
'20 HSU VTF-3 Sub (three more, 100% cloned)
'93 Carver TFM-35
'88 Carver M-1.0t
'88 Adcom GFT-555
'88 Adcom GFP-555
'88 Adcom GFA-555 (upgraded/restored)
'88 Adcom GFA-555 (a second one upgraded/restored)
'05 Onkyo DV-555 media
'89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix
'89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix, internal surround amp bridged to drive only a center channel
'91 Kenwood Basic M1D Amp
'89 Pioneer Laser Disc media
'89 Sony SuperBeta HiFi media
One PGA2310 based custom built remote volume control
Four Polk T-15's
Four Polk TSi-200's
Four Polk TSi-100's
Two Polk CS-10's -
SolidSqual wrote: »Why are you such an emotional old man? You write as if the love one has for a speaker is anything but subjective. Practically everything you've spewed in this thread is an opinion. Can't the technology SDAs possessed 30 years ago be called remarkable, but still not as good as some $3k speakers today. Jeez, my neighbor's model T rebuild is remarkable, but I'll take my '99 Toyota Corolla any day.
Quit acting like an offended Emotiva owner and accept someone might have a divergent opinion.
Food for thought > If SDA Tech is so awesome for 2CH, then why is it now exclusively used in cheap HT rigs?
PS I love my Polk IHT 9000!
Really? I would have expected better from you.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 -
Has anyone heard the Goldenear Triton II? Was reading about them and would like to hear them... They have Polk in their bloodline as founder Sandy Gross was a founder with Matt and at DefTech. They get great reviews for what it's worth. I am curious
http://www.goldenear.com/products/triton-seriesMy New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160
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How about the Golden Ear towers? They have been highly rated amongst audiophiles...
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In 1988, I extensively auditioned the Carver Amazing Speakers and SRS1.2's in the same room with the same Carver M1.5t amp and the Polk's won, especially in dynamic range and impact. Both speakers were awesome but the Polk's handled the material in stride. The Carver's were "challenged".
The Carvers were challenged by trying to overcome a profound lack of power if they were driven by a 1.5t... The reason the Silver 7' tube amps and the solid state versions were created in the first place was to drive the Amazings.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 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 680d DSD
“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 -
So one can't love an old classic but feel newer models are better? Old Corvettes are amazing but I'll take a new one over any of the older models. I don't know what I'm talking about? Really?Yeah Dan I do because it's always double talk with you. You love SDA's and say they are remarkable, yet say that a current $3k speaker is better.....really!?! You just proved that you have no idea of what you're talking about.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
So one can't love an old classic but feel newer models are better?
Bring out the long knives....lol. I don't always agree with you Dan, but you have this one right. SDA'S are no doubt great speakers, especially when redone. Bang for the buck which is why you find them in a lot of systems. They compare favorably to many newer speakers sound wise.
That said, the speaker world isn't short of choices by any account, new or old. SDA'S are not the be all end all, though for some they very well may be....and that's ok too. Many members here, including myself have moved on from the SDA's or even Polk in general but that in no way diminishes the value of Polk speakers. Every wallet has a sweet spot, and every speaker maker targets various sweet spots in those wallets. Nothing bad about that either. Polk does a damn fine job at what they do and like every speaker maker they have their hits and misses. SDA's were one of the hits, obviously, and 3g's may be at the cusp of bettering them in a new speaker. That alone says a lot. Personally I think 4g's is more the mark but that's just me.
I guess this whole argument comes down to whats important to you, which obviously will vary among us. SDA's do some things very well, but also lack in some other characteristics others may strive for. Not rocket science here, we all like what we like.HT SYSTEM-
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Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
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lsi 9's -
The SDA's are about the best ALL PURPOSE speaker going. They do many things well and the deficiencies they do have aren't too severe. I listen to a lot of different styles and genres of music and my SDA's excel at most of them w/o too many glaring deficiencies. I have heard other speakers which are better in some area's but don't have the versatility of the SDA's and end up being worse in other areas. That's the MAIN reason I keep mine, and the absolutely killer sound stage of course. I certainly haven't listened to every speaker out there, but I have listened to my fair share and while I love some attributes of those other speakers more, they don't do all genres and styles as well IMO.
A pair of updated, later generation SDA's are very hard to beat, but then it depends on how YOU as the listener define BETTER. There is no better speaker, IMO, that does live music as well as SDA's. I love listening to well recorded live music and it's a huge part of my collection. Keep in mind my comments are within the scope of the OP's question and budget constraints.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Put in a remastered copy of "Friday Night In San Francisco" with Dimeola, McLaughlin and DeLucia and it proves my point about SDA's doing live and acoustic music very, very well. Or Clarke, Carlton, Cobham "Live at the Greek".
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
The Carvers were challenged by trying to overcome a profound lack of power if they were driven by a 1.5t... The reason the Silver 7' tube amps and the solid state versions were created in the first place was to drive the Amazings.
Or stated another way, the Carvers are not very efficient (88 dB) compared to the SRS (93 db). They require almost 4 times the power to produce the same sonic output. The M1.5t was too small to allow them to reach the same peak levels as the Polk's.
The demo material contained 20-30 Hz bass. According to the Carver specs, the Amazing's are not very effective below 30 Hz (a steep drop off down 10 dB between 30 and 20 Hz).
More power for the Carver's would have certainly helped but the Polk's still have the advantage in low bass,
IMO.'65 427 Shelby Cobra
'72 Triumph TR-6
__________________
'88 Polk SDA SRS 1.2, with upgraded XO caps and Erse SDA inductors
'86 Polk SDA CRS+
'84 Polk Monitor 10A (Peerless tweeters)
'05 HSU VTF-3 Sub (Original OEM)
'20 HSU VTF-3 Sub (three more, 100% cloned)
'93 Carver TFM-35
'88 Carver M-1.0t
'88 Adcom GFT-555
'88 Adcom GFP-555
'88 Adcom GFA-555 (upgraded/restored)
'88 Adcom GFA-555 (a second one upgraded/restored)
'05 Onkyo DV-555 media
'89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix
'89 Fosgate 360 Digital Space Matrix, internal surround amp bridged to drive only a center channel
'91 Kenwood Basic M1D Amp
'89 Pioneer Laser Disc media
'89 Sony SuperBeta HiFi media
One PGA2310 based custom built remote volume control
Four Polk T-15's
Four Polk TSi-200's
Four Polk TSi-100's
Two Polk CS-10's -
The SDA's are about the best ALL PURPOSE speaker going. They do many things well and the deficiencies they do have aren't too severe. I listen to a lot of different styles and genres of music and my SDA's excel at most of them w/o too many glaring deficiencies. I have heard other speakers which are better in some area's but don't have the versatility of the SDA's and end up being worse in other areas. That's the MAIN reason I keep mine, and the absolutely killer sound stage of course. I certainly haven't listened to every speaker out there, but I have listened to my fair share and while I love some attributes of those other speakers more, they don't do all genres and styles as well IMO.
A pair of updated, later generation SDA's are very hard to beat, but then it depends on how YOU as the listener define BETTER. There is no better speaker, IMO, that does live music as well as SDA's. I love listening to well recorded live music and it's a huge part of my collection. Keep in mind my comments are within the scope of the OP's question and budget constraints.
H9
Nail...hammer...head. That pretty much sums it up for me how I feel about SDAs. I have other brands of speakers that I enjoy immensely, but none I have owned so far put everything together as well with as many genres of music as the SDAs. I'm sure there are other speakers out there that do this, but I haven't tried them yet. I'm certainly open and willing to try but budget plays a huge role in this. That's what makes the SDAs special, the bang for the buck ratio (especially modded) is off the charts. Maybe one day I'll have the budget to try something that is a better all around performer than modded SDAs, but even then I think I will always have a pair around because they bring me so much pleasure. That's really amazing for a 30 year old + speaker and just goes to show how special they are.
