Are there any NEW speakers about 3K that will BEAT SDA/SRS speakers??

Mikey081057

I want these beauties

http://www.sonusfaber.com/it/prodotti/stradivari-homage

Mystery

Mikey081057 wrote: »

I want these beauties

http://www.sonusfaber.com/it/prodotti/stradivari-homage

Way more pricey than this thread's title.
I'll get those if you can find under 3K.

naturallight

Yeah, H9 is pretty much right. The SDA speakers just do alot right. For the music i listen to..there just hard to beat. I have tried other new tower speakers. Just stock ported front firing stuff. Forget the sound stage, they could not beat out 30 year old 1C's just on the bottom end. So wasting time on stock towers is not worth while. There has to be something new and different to even interest me. But the 3K limit, kind of puts a damper on things. Now a set of Legacy Focus speakers may do 90% of that right, except the soundstage, which i'm not sure it can come close. But your not going to find a set of those delivered to your door for 3k..LOL There are other old speakers you can get, big Maggies, the Carver amazing (like you could find a set of those) But there either worse to find then SRS's or cost alot to fix, and or need big **** subs to go along with them.



The only NEW speakers i could come up with are the DT bp-8080st's in the 3K range. With the built in sub, they have to beat the SDA's for bass....what happens after that..don't know. Is it worth the shipping cost to send them back..to try them out for 30 days. Don't know, but at least i could say i tried something else out. There is no right or wrong to this. Just a question if i'm willing to try another type speaker other then an SDA. If i tried these, believe me, it would not take 30 days. They would pretty much have to beat the 1C's to pieces out of the box. IF i bothered to try them at all.

nooshinjohn

Funny you should bring up the Big Maggies... If you have the space for them, it would be nearly impossible to beat a set of Magnepan Tympani MkIV's... To this day, these speakers are the most lifelike I have ever heard, and are on that bucket list of must own gear. a fully restored pair(work done by Magnepan, so essentially a new speaker) can be had in the mid 2k range, and will beat the SDA for soundstage, deliver better bass (not deeper bass) and highs.

WLDock

Interesting DIY line array for $1800 http://www.ebay.com/itm/CREATIVE-SOUND-TOWER-LOUDSPEAKER-PAIR-/330944857959?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item4d0dd9c767

I have not heard many line arrays...would love to listen to more DIY designs powered by some tubes, class A, etc. The GR Research designs look interesting: http://gr-research.com/obseries.aspx

They no longer offer the monster QB-7 Plus kit with the dual 12" subs:


...but suggest using an external sub with the current QB-7. Would be cool to play with some of these line array designs vs. SDA vs. some large beast like the Grande Utopia...well??? Something much cheaper than those but just as large. Maybe some day.

naturallight

Maggies are real nice speakers..granted. But there not really "user" friendly. It's not like you can replace a bad driver or tweeter. They have to be shipped back to the factory,,not cheap, and they pretty much have to rebuild them..not cheap again. They are also 4 ohm speakers and require a BUTT load of power to make them work right. Then you also have to spend 2K on REALLY good subs...so that they CAN dig deep and give you the bass. There really great speakers..just not my cup of tea sorta speak.

Face

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Funny you should bring up the Big Maggies... If you have the space for them, it would be nearly impossible to beat a set of Magnepan Tympani MkIV's... To this day, these speakers are the most lifelike I have ever heard, and are on that bucket list of must own gear. a fully restored pair(work done by Magnepan, so essentially a new speaker) can be had in the mid 2k range, and will beat the SDA for soundstage, deliver better bass (not deeper bass) and highs.

That's because your SDA's were stock(or close to) and must not have been set up correctly.

nooshinjohn

Face wrote: »

That's because your SDA's were stock(or close to) and must not have been set up correctly.

My Current SRS 1.2TL's are fully modded, and are properly set up with room to spare, but still would be unable to deliver the sound field of the Tympani MkIV's. The Tympani's are a touch over five feet wide... EACH, and they stand over 6 feet tall. In order to sound their best, they need a ton of big time quality power, and at least 8 feet between the tweeter panels. They also need 5 feet behind them to allow them to breath and three feet off the side walls at the outer edge of the bass panels. That adds up to a room 25 feet wide and 18 feet deep just to set them up properly, and an even bigger space if you expect them to truly shine. Given these facts, the SDA"s represent an incredible high performance value in the world of audio.

For me, the SDA is a bit like that vintage corvette someone mentioned, adding they would rather have a new one. Personally the vintage car is going to offer you more bang for the buck, and I know plenty of mid 60's vettes out there that even the owners of new Porsches refuse to challenge on the street or the track. If you start with great "bones" as a foundation and hot-rod it to your satisfaction, there is no telling how good it can get, or how much money you will save in the process. That makes the SDA SRS 1.2TL the fuel injected split-window coupe of the speaker world.

Habanero Monk

Could the OP find a pair of Linkwitz Orions for $3K?

Face

His new kit is pretty affordable in comparison.

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/4-way-speaker-kits/lx521-linkwitz-lab-open-baffle-4-way-kit/

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/index.php?p=product&id=1943

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?238092-Linkwitz-LX521-project-finished

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/open-baffle-speaker-kits/lx521-linkwitz-lab-asp-crossover/

Habanero Monk

Face wrote: »

His new kit is pretty affordable in comparison.

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/4-way-speaker-kits/lx521-linkwitz-lab-open-baffle-4-way-kit/

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/index.php?p=product&id=1943

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?238092-Linkwitz-LX521-project-finished

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/open-baffle-speaker-kits/lx521-linkwitz-lab-asp-crossover/

Those go past $3K pretty easy though. I just did a quick google search and seen prior a complete Orion/Orion+ for under $3K that included amp/x-over. Going to go to the Parts Express MWAF since it's only an hour from me. Be interesting to see what is there this year.

Face

They're roughly 3K minus finishing and amps.

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

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.

Very well said.

mantis

naturallight wrote: »

Yeah, H9 is pretty much right. The SDA speakers just do alot right. For the music i listen to..there just hard to beat. I have tried other new tower speakers. Just stock ported front firing stuff. Forget the sound stage, they could not beat out 30 year old 1C's just on the bottom end. So wasting time on stock towers is not worth while. There has to be something new and different to even interest me. But the 3K limit, kind of puts a damper on things. Now a set of Legacy Focus speakers may do 90% of that right, except the soundstage, which i'm not sure it can come close. But your not going to find a set of those delivered to your door for 3k..LOL There are other old speakers you can get, big Maggies, the Carver amazing (like you could find a set of those) But there either worse to find then SRS's or cost alot to fix, and or need big **** subs to go along with them.



The only NEW speakers i could come up with are the DT bp-8080st's in the 3K range. With the built in sub, they have to beat the SDA's for bass....what happens after that..don't know. Is it worth the shipping cost to send them back..to try them out for 30 days. Don't know, but at least i could say i tried something else out. There is no right or wrong to this. Just a question if i'm willing to try another type speaker other then an SDA. If i tried these, believe me, it would not take 30 days. They would pretty much have to beat the 1C's to pieces out of the box. IF i bothered to try them at all.

I'd like to hear your impressions of the 8080's. I'm thinking of bringing home the next pair we get in for demo. Everyone who buys the 8080' s are blown away.

naturallight

Well Mantis, IF i were to try these out it would not be till the late Oct- Nov time frame. If you get another demo pair in i would for sure take them home for a demo for a few days, see how they work in your house.



I have a set of RTi 12's that i change out with the 1C's. There really very good speakers "IF" you have the right equipment to run them. I play them for a few days, then get tired of them and the 1C's go back in place. The 1C's just present you with a better soundstage, it's open, airy....it's hard to describe.



That alone may be the deal breaker for any speaker i try out. No tower speaker i have tried can come close. The DT design would seem to have merit, at least in the presentation of a more open type soundstage. How well it all works, is another question. I may be too far gone down the SDA "rabbit hole" to really like much of any other type speaker.

mantis

naturallight wrote: »

Well Mantis, IF i were to try these out it would not be till the late Oct- Nov time frame. If you get another demo pair in i would for sure take them home for a demo for a few days, see how they work in your house.



I have a set of RTi 12's that i change out with the 1C's. There really very good speakers "IF" you have the right equipment to run them. I play them for a few days, then get tired of them and the 1C's go back in place. The 1C's just present you with a better soundstage, it's open, airy....it's hard to describe.



That alone may be the deal breaker for any speaker i try out. No tower speaker i have tried can come close. The DT design would seem to have merit, at least in the presentation of a more open type soundstage. How well it all works, is another question. I may be too far gone down the SDA "rabbit hole" to really like much of any other type speaker.

SDA's are good speakers. If you can't find anything else you like better , you are not in a bad place.
The 8080's will visit my house as I want to really do a good side by side for 2 channel music. Both the ST's and 8080's excel at theater use so on the sheer thought I might like the 8080's more then the ST's then I know swapping I will not lose theater performance. If anything the 8080's might even be better for theater use. I just wish the BP line had a mono surround speaker , the Mythos 10's are crazy badass for surrounds and I would have a very hard time giving them up. They are so universal is scary. SACD and movies are crazy when you have these bad boys. I'm completely happy with them. The BP line doesn't have anything that can compete here. I would have to hope they blend in with the 8080 main channel and center which according to Def Tech , I would be pleasantly surprised . Sonically they are supposed to match unlike the older BP line.

Over the years I have fallen for so many different kinds of speakers and have a few on my life goal list that I want to own. Whats so cool about Definitive Technology is they give you a more refined version of what Polk has set in stone. Even though we all know where they have come from , it really shows and it's like someone tweaked them for a higher level of sonic perfection. From the entry level models to the top of the line , they don't lack especially for what they cost. Yeah they are dollar for dollar slightly more then polk products but they give you more so I believe the value is still at the highest regard.

I have heard just about every single SDA speaker made and i owned really nice pair of SDA 2B's back in the day. I can't see you not liking the 8080's.

drumminman

A couple of things I'm curious about and that would provide some good context for this thread.

For all those who have moved on from SDA's to something you like better a two part question:

a-which SDA models did you move on from

b-what mods (if any, i.e. were yours bone stock) had you performed on them. If you did mods please list 'em; if yours were stock state that too.

audiocr381ve

I thought my PSB Synchrony One's murdered my modded SDA-2B's in most areas. I also think my Totem Hawks do too. I never want to be locked down on one set of speakers. One of my favorite things to do is listen to what different companies are doing with their speakers.

The SDA-2B's were awesome but it wasn't until I got my ears on the Synchrony One's that I realized what the 2B's lacked. I still think the SDA's are great speakers, but for MY EARS, I easily got better sound for under 3K. I bought the Synchrony One's for $2,500 and the Hawks for $1,100.

TennMan

audiocr381ve wrote: »

The SDA-2B's were awesome but it wasn't until I got my ears on the Synchrony One's that I realized what the 2B's lacked. I still think the SDA's are great speakers, but for MY EARS, I easily got better sound for under 3K. I bought the Synchrony One's for $2,500 and the Hawks for $1,100.

I thought this thread was about comparing the (large) SDA/SRS speakers to speakers that can be purchased new for less than $3000. As a 2B owner, I'm quite happy to know that you would consider them worthy of comparison to $3000 speakers... even if they don't come out on top. That tells me that you consider the 2Bs pretty darn good speakers.

PolkieMan

Maybe we are being a bit unfair as if the 1.2 tls were available to purchase new they would be about $5500 dollars now. Thing is does any other speaker old or new do SDA?

ZLTFUL

PolkieMan wrote: »

Maybe we are being a bit unfair as if the 1.2 tls were available to purchase new they would be about $5500 dollars now. Thing is does any other speaker old or new do SDA?

This!
It's like comparing apples to pine cones...sure they both come from trees but that's about as close as they come to being alike.

PolkieMan

That was a lot of money back then to part with.

OldmanSRS

Sheffield Audio is where I demo'd the SDA SRS in 1988. They wanted $3.000/pair. A few months later I visited NC and found a place that sold me the SRS 1.2's for $2,500+ tax shipped to Houston. Still have them.

drumminman

audiocr381ve wrote: »

I thought my PSB Synchrony One's murdered my modded SDA-2B's in most areas. The SDA-2B's were awesome but it wasn't until I got my ears on the Synchrony One's that I realized what the 2B's lacked.

Thanks for your reply, but what mods specifically had you performed on your 2B's?

nooshinjohn

And they tossed in the Kinbers for free... those were the days.:cool:

BlueFox

audiocr381ve wrote: »

I thought my PSB Synchrony One's murdered my modded SDA-2B's in most areas. I also think my Totem Hawks do too. I never want to be locked down on one set of speakers. One of my favorite things to do is listen to what different companies are doing with their speakers.

The SDA-2B's were awesome but it wasn't until I got my ears on the Synchrony One's that I realized what the 2B's lacked. I still think the SDA's are great speakers, but for MY EARS, I easily got better sound for under 3K. I bought the Synchrony One's for $2,500 and the Hawks for $1,100.

That is interesting. I also had a pair of SDA 2 (the ones with the cloth sides) and upgraded to PSB Synchrony One towers. While the PSBs were certainly better I just assumed it was because the SDAs were 20 years old. You got lucky finding a used pair of PSBs for $2500. Currently on Audio Advisor they are $2700 each.

audiocr381ve

TennMan wrote: »

I thought this thread was about comparing the (large) SDA/SRS speakers to speakers that can be purchased new for less than $3000. As a 2B owner, I'm quite happy to know that you would consider them worthy of comparison to $3000 speakers... even if they don't come out on top. That tells me that you consider the 2Bs pretty darn good speakers.

yeah, okay.

audiocr381ve

BlueFox wrote: »

That is interesting. I also had a pair of SDA 2 (the ones with the cloth sides) and upgraded to PSB Synchrony One towers. While the PSBs were certainly better I just assumed it was because the SDAs were 20 years old. You got lucky finding a used pair of PSBs for $2500. Currently on Audio Advisor they are $2700 each.

$2,500 was a LOT of coin for me back then. It still hurt but I knew I came out on top when I bought them. But then again the seller was a millionaire and just needed them out of the house while they were remodeling.

gudnoyez

heiney9 wrote: »

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

I agree that Friday Night In San Francisco sounds great on the 2b's and the CRS+'s and mine are still stock can't wait to hear that recording on a tl'ed pair awesome recording.

naturallight

Let me see if i can put this in a better context. Now i have had SDA speakers for over 30 years.

That alone could be a major problem as i'm far to used to there sound. One thing i will tell you is SDA 1C's are very , very VERY room dependent. as to what you will get out of them. I've had them in different houses and different rooms. In some cases they just work ok, in others not so well. In the case of the 1C's room size counts, ALOT. The room, that there in right now, They sit against a 13' wall. There is NOTHING on either side of the speakers, only the rack sits between them. They fire into an almost 30' long room. They LOVE this room.



The major obstacle any other speaker has, being put up against the 1C's is pretty much the overall music presentation. The 1C's ( and i will state this is in MY room) the presentation is open, airy, to say it's wide would be an understatement, but there is something more. You feel it's more of a "live" presentation. The SDA "boxes" just disappear....the music just flows, in a natural way. Not sure how else to describe it.

The towers i tried were in the $1500 range. Could not come close at all. In some cases i did not like the way they were EQ'd... too much mid range for my taste. Now to throw 3K at speakers..MAYBE there is a fighting chance. But it would seem your still dealing with a tower design. Unless there is alot of smoke and mirror stuff going on, i just don't see it working. Bottom line AGAIN, is SDA's just do alot of things right. The 1C's will just dig deeper and hit harder then ANY stock tower, unless there is some kind of sub deal going on. What the 1C's may be lacking, is just made up for in the over all musical presentation..at least to me. So pretty much thats what any NEW 3K speaker is up against...LOL