First pair of SDA's!!!

hochpt21

I've been on the forum for a couple years now and with much help from the folks here I have grown my interest and investment into this lifestyle an amazing amount.

I have a 2 ch system that I am happy with, a home theater that is good enough for my usage...but I had yet to get into vintage stuff. More importantly, I had never heard SDA's. Reading here about them all the time is almost enough to drive a man crazy.

Well, after recently completing a few projects, I finally got the ok to dive into my man room! I negotiated this room with the wife when we bought the house about a year ago. She get's the whole walk-in master closet...I get the fourth bedroom in the basement. Deal!

Sooo, I just picked up some SDA 2A studios from a fellow forum member. He has upgraded the tweeters and dynamited and armacelled. I am running them for now on a HK 3490, but plan to keep my eyes out for some vintage amplification.

He brought them over today and for the past 30 min or so, I have been checking out room placement. The room is a little over 10'x10' which may not be perfect for the speakers, but they do sound really good.

Here are some pics from my phone....I have to give a shout out to Mikey here on the forum for the color choice. The room is still a work in process and will be completed with some sage green room treatments and various concert posters I have framed.

Anyways, I am VERY excited...now though, back to listening.

Paul

Nightfall

Congrats, enjoy!

gdpeck

Congrats on the nice speakers, Paul!

gudnoyez

Sweet Paul so what do you think, every thing you expected? I bet your liking them they look to be in good shape, a two channel room, I bet you will be spending a lot of time down there once the snow flies.

Oldfatdogs

Enjoy your new to you SDAs.
Dan

hochpt21

gudnoyez wrote: »

Sweet Paul so what do you think, every thing you expected? I bet your liking them they look to be in good shape, a two channel room, I bet you will be spending a lot of time down there once the snow flies.

I didn't know what to expect, but I do really like them so far. Again, my room may not be perfectly suited to them, but I am continuing to mess around with placement.

I didn't know what to expect regarding the sda effect. So far...it seems like the soundstage is pretty wide considering the size of the room, but what is happening within the six feet between the speakers is pretty special.

I listened for awhile and then brought in four 2'x4' acoustical treatments and they are sounding better and better.

I currently have them 8" from the back wall and 2' from each side wall. That seems to give me the best mix of wide soundstage, bass and overall sound. It sacrifices a touch of depth from when I had them 14" out, but remember...the room is small so I currently have the tweets 6' apart and my head is 7' 6" from each tweet.

NJPOLKER

I am not sure from the pictures but you should not toe in the speakers.

Congratulations by the way.

Where in Wisconsin are you located? Its a great place to live.

oldrocker

Very nice. Enjoy

GaryW

Congrats enjoy

gudnoyez

The fun part is going through your music collection and discovering what you got that complements them. I already had 2 pair of CRS +'s , when I came home with my 2B's and told the wife look what I got she frowned but once she heard Heart Dog And Butterfly she was grinning from ear to ear she was just as happy as I was.

The wind chimes between the song Nada One and Mistral Wind gives you goosebumps hearing them through SDA's.

zingo

Enjoy the speakers!

hochpt21

NJPOLKER wrote: »

I am not sure from the pictures but you should not toe in the speakers.

Congratulations by the way.

Where in Wisconsin are you located? Its a great place to live.

Thanks for the tip. Opened them up a bit. A little less congestion.

Wisconsin Dells, we really like it here.

hochpt21

DSkip wrote: »

I'd recommend staying away from vintage if you're going to do further upgrades to them. Modded pairs respond well to good gear and the more you upgrade, the more likely you'll hear the other weaknesses in your rig. Better electronics will definitely improve their sound.

Congrats and enjoy the music man! I remember having virgin sda ears and the anticipation that builds before you hear them. I've never owned a pair but have heard a few models now and fully modded pairs are a treat.

I've also been reading about tubes now for a good while. Maybe I just get a tube pre, a nice amp and go all in. :-)

GlennDog

NJPOLKER wrote: »

I am not sure from the pictures but you should not toe in the speakers.

^^^This^^^

And you'll love the low frequencies if you push them closer to the rear wall . . .

CONGRATS, man!!

G

gudnoyez

The dells right up the road a few hours from us been there a couple of times during the summer at the water parks nice place to live.

george daniel

congratulations----enjoy and have fun!

pumpkinman

Reclining leather chair should be your next upgrade.

Ain't it great to have a hiding spot :cheesygrin:

Conradicles

Congrats! No toe in as others stated. Enjoy. I love my SDA-2.3TL's and SDA-2B's.

MAD

Congratulations.... but be warned, once you listen to them for a while, you find many non SDA speakers not as involving as they once were. I am rethinking my entire collection. Is ignorance bliss? Was I better to have never heard them at all? Nope... music is even more engaging.

Enjoy

dromunds

You know its illegal in 38 states to put lamps or other items on top of Polks? lol

PolkieMan

Good for you nice clean look !
My I suggest this
http://www.standsandmounts.com/sanusaccuratefurnitureseries4shelfmodularaudioracksystemblackafab.aspx

Moose68Bash

Nice hide-away!

Congratulations!

Now, your fun begins as you start down the rabbit hole.

hochpt21

A new chair for the upstairs maybe, but that chair will be staying for awhile. We got it from my wife's grandparents and her grandma was like, "You guys really want that old thing?" 2 min in it and I was like, "Yes, maam."

I bet at least five thousand butts have hit that chair. Talk about break in period...that might be the most comfortable chair I have ever sat in.

hochpt21

dromunds wrote: »

You know its illegal in 38 states to put lamps or other items on top of Polks? lol

No disrespect to your speaks, Don, but that lamp is only about 3 lbs, and won't be there long. I have a few other ideas for the hideout.

hochpt21

PolkieMan wrote: »

Good for you nice clean look !
My I suggest this
http://www.standsandmounts.com/sanusaccuratefurnitureseries4shelfmodularaudioracksystemblackafab.aspx

Yep, I need a new stand. That table does have sentimental value, so it will be a cocktail table next to the sweet chair once I get a new stand.

nooshinjohn

WARNING!!!

You have entered the SDA Rabbit Hole. There is no escape, no turning back. Soon you will feel compelled to open your wallet and feed them whatever they need, and whenever they demand it. I think of them as that cute little kitten you brought home, not knowing she will grow into a 600 pound Jaguar, ready to eat you alive.

congrats... these are among the most rewarding and engaging speakers ever created. Feed them well, and the girls ill reward you and your family for a lifetime.

gmcman

Congrats on the speakers. I picked up my first pair 2 years ago and I just can't quit trying to see what they can do. The more I upgrade the better they are, no idea of the limit of what they can offer.

They do like a lot of high-current power, and do not toe them in. Check out the setup of SDA's and you will see that the front of the speakers need to be on the same plane and at least 3' from the side walls.

Also, I would probably case the guitar so it doesn't try to sing along with the speakers.

westmassguy

Congrats! The 2As when upgraded, compete very well with their younger siblings. The 3rd generation crossovers will be pricey to upgrade properly, if they haven't been already, but the end result is worth every penny.

boston1450

Congrats on your new speakers. They will grow on you-play around with them & enjoy many years to come

leftwinger57

Congrats on your new found enjoyment factor. My story was exactly like yours being here for a few years not knowing what all these people were talking about but in a way that made one think if all these guys/gals think they are that special maybe there is something to this.I got mine last May started the mods and yes I'm still smiling every time I play them. Again very nice score. Lamp didn't make my list of no candles,kids,cats, or live plants anywhere near speakers.You might find the lamp on the floor from that time space vibration thing.Enjoy them.....

Mike Reeter

Congrats on the dedicated two channel room and on breaking your SDA cherry. I had my set up in a room almost identical to yours, if you ever have the opportunity to pick up a pair of CSR+ they are a perfect fit for your space.