Polk Audio SDA SRS 1.2TL, General Thoughts

VR3
VR3 Posts: 28,772
edited February 2004 in Speakers
This is probally the only total width speaker ranging to about 4 feet that is sounds as wide as 60 feet. Really, 60 feet. Varying from recording. Some recordings this speaker is a mimic of the much more expensive Wilson Audio X-1. Then in other cases its the mimic of a high end Sony speaker. It all varries from the recording. It truly fails in modern rock, a better description. Modern music such as (pop, not recorded well enough - rock, not recorded well enough, and the list continues like this.)

The 1.2 really excells with country, jazz, anything instrumental. Like Dream Theater, etc etc.

The highs are smooth and clean (with all active, and same disactive ;))

The bass is outstanding, not subwoofer bass, but pretty good. The mids are articulate and there man. I really like it.

To quote my Dad "The only thing that seperates this and the X-1, is clearness."

In the end, the 1.2 beats it in seperation, wideness, depth, and PERSONALITY.

Awesome speaker. I hope to accomodate a pair of CRS+ before the end of the year.

- Sid
- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
Post edited by VR3 on
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited February 2004
    Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
    ... truly fails in modern rock, a better description. Modern music such as (pop, not recorded well enough - rock, not recorded well enough, and the list continues like this.)

    The 1.2 really excells with country, jazz, anything instrumental. Like Dream Theater, etc etc.

    - Sid
    Fails at Rock???
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    *modern* rock....

    I've never heard it on old rock. I am sure, by the traits of this speaker it would excell greatly.

    But like, Nickleback, the soundstage wasn't very wide, it sounded compressed. Other various bands I tried out on it, I just couldnt get into....

    Just sounded un-involving...

    We threw in some country, instrumental.......

    The room became a speaker.....
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited February 2004
    Width of the SDA soundstage is a simple function of the uniqueness of the L vs. the R channel signals...

    I trust you have spun Pink Floyd's DSOTM... yes?
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    Cant say I have...

    My Dad dosnt have a wide collection of CDs outside of *country*....lol

    His CD player isnt exactly up to par in full working condition either...some CDs it dosnt sound good, some it dosnt play, some has static in the background, some play perfectly!

    I have heard what they can do though on some country cds. When you hear a piano.....coming out of the front door...................

    the guitar.......................coming from your backyard................

    the drums.......in the bedroom on the other side of the wall......

    and the vocals in the center of the room.....

    you kinda forget about what it did bad before.......ya know what I mean?
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited February 2004
    Sid should be banned from starting a post with anything regarding SDA, for at least 2 or 3 more years. Maybe more.

    Bruce, why even question the points? Don't you have some Joe Walsh vinyl to listen to?

    "Those who don't know, don't know they don't know"
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • izafar
    izafar Posts: 819
    edited February 2004
    Originally posted by RuSsMaN
    "Those who don't know, don't know they don't know"

    Thats a killer man!
    -izafar

    Goldenear Technology Triton 1 - Benchmark AHB2 - Benchmark LA4 - Auralic Vega - Auralic Aries Mini - Marantz TT-15S1 - Clearaudio Nano
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  • jcaut
    jcaut Posts: 1,849
    edited February 2004
    Originally posted by RuSsMaN:

    "Those who don't know, don't know they don't know"


    That's one of the best ones I've seen! And very true, too.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited February 2004
    Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3

    But like, Nickleback, the soundstage wasn't very wide, it sounded compressed. Other various bands I tried out on it, I just couldnt get into....

    Well,
    Maybe the recorded soundstage WASN'T very wide and WAS compressed? In the recording??

    This is a "MIXER'S speaker! When a track is mixed down the sound engineer is the one performing. If he sucks then so doesn't the recording. Many newer bands are not following the rules of quality when it comes to selecting their studio and recording engineer. Maybe they are saving a buck but chances are they do not know what makes a good recording and neither does the man at the controls. It is an art and not everyone does it well. On many speakers you cannot tell! You are faulting the 1.2's for this? I know the group of music you are talking about. The performers are idiots and have grown up ignorant to what causes two channel to have quality. For example, the only important aspects to them are bass energy and making enough backround noise to cover their mistakes. They are not making true to life music, they are running through multiple layers of distortion, effects and have a noise level so high that the recording engineer has little to work with even if he does know what he is doing. Listen to some "old" Metalica. It is really interesting on the 1.2's. Amonst all the noise they actually still have some soundstage left! It is the mixer man and the band's wishes, not the speakers. Is ya ignat or what!
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    Max,
    I am not faulting the 1.2 for this. Just pointing out the obvious, it dosnt sound good with bad recorded stuff. Like everything else dosnt. If you want to find EVERYTHING wrong with a recording, play it through them speakers. Yall find it.
    The entire time I mentioned the CD had bad RQ, sorry I wasnt as straight forwards

    Max,
    READ the *FIRST* post carefully........;)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • tryrrthg
    tryrrthg Posts: 1,896
    edited February 2004
    I believe it's Nickelbacks faces you'll see plastered on a JVC ad in Stereophile (I think, that or Maxim), that should give you some clue on what they're listening on...
    Sony KDL-40V2500 HDTV, Rotel RSX-1067 Receiver, Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray, Slim Devices Squeezebox, Polk RTi6, CSi3 & R15, DIY sub with Atlas 15
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited February 2004
    I wish the ignore feature, kept even the threads from showing up.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited February 2004
    Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
    Modern music such as (pop, not recorded well enough - rock, not recorded well enough, and the list continues like this.)


    - Sid


    Unfortunatly I read it again... If pop is not recorded well enough why does the No Doubt: Rock Steady CD sound so good? That is pop isn't it? I have a Jimmy Smith instrumental that sounds crappy (but you say instrumentals sound good). I'm MIXED up...

    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited February 2004
    Originally posted by dorokusai
    I wish the.....

    Me too man, me too.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited February 2004
    And here I was think ing you and doro were self-disciplined. :)

    Just trying to help a little bro. You know, put him on the path, show him the door... Wait! WTF am I saying???
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    Max,
    Instrumental ---

    On the instrumental side, we tested out Dream Theater, and various country tracks.

    Pop, we tested out........... Tatu (didnt serve a long listen because of the music itself), and a couple other bands that dont come to mind.

    The main thing I have heard these things on though is country. I havnt thrown every instrumental CD at it, or every pop cd, or every rap, or every modern rock, or every old rock, gosh. Give me a break dude.......stop being so.....so...........technical?

    Someone in the least bit suggests these speakers are not all that and a bag of chips, everyone is jumping up and down in turmoil...

    BTW -- These impressions were done with 8 active tweeters. Just to clear that up as well.

    Troy, Russ, and Mark can just stop posting in my threads. I can't read what they're saying no how.

    PS: These speakers, are the best speakers I have heard under 50 grand.............................

    They are that good, but just like the Wilson Audio X-1, if you put bad recorded music to it, it sounds bad. Simple....

    Hint, I dont own alot of well recorded music.........lol
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • hotwheelman
    hotwheelman Posts: 1,300
    edited February 2004
    Guess it's time to get some well recorded then....eh sid? And yes these beasts will show you the way when the mix is not what it should be. Sid, tell your dad to get the c.d.(yello, title is one second)....he'll be glad he did. This c.d. was my first taste of the sda techno.
    "Its worked so far but we're not out yet."
    "Hey big man let me hold a dollar"
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited February 2004
    Enough with the damn Wilson X1 comments already.

    What did you have, 1 45 minute demo 6-8 months ago?

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    Any suggestions to any type of CDs to show off the SDAs will be much appreciated! :D Thanks, anymore....list away! Thanks ahead of time.....

    yes the SDA's pick em apart easily

    Russ,
    Only reallllllllly good speaker I have heard...........and that was one good speaker :D

    The 1.2 comes close to it, only speaker it does come close to.....

    It totally blew away some B&W, Sonus Fabor, Thiel, smaller Wilsons........

    The X-1 is the only speaker I have heard that REALLY can compare with it and beat it........

    but it cost.....what? 80 grand more.......haha

    BTW - all the blowing away the 1.2 has done, is based on sound memory. Chances are.........you're typical jensen outdoor can blow these away ;).....just for comical amusment for you SDA people :D

    Just to clear something up, I like the SDAs. I want a pair now......thats my new purchase after I get a new subwoofer! Can't wait......CRS+ or some SDA 2.....
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited February 2004
    Nine Inch Nails, Janet Jackson, Jimmy Smith, CSN&Y, Beatles, Roger Waters, Deep Forest, Shaun Mullins, NWA.

    There are too many to remember...
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    ;) We didnt listen to any of those ;)

    My Dad's room......is about 30-40 foot wide I'd guess, 12 foot ceilings, and the first wall is about 15-16 foot from the speakers, and then it continues on to a complete wall about 8 or so feet back........

    In other words, when you throw in a good recording........that entire area......IS the soundstage dude.......I havnt heard anything like it.....

    So when i say it sounds compressed, it still sounds huge.........I am saying it sounds compressed compared to other recordings it REALLLLLLLLLLLY excells on.......

    Either way you want to turn it........the thing sounds amazing when anything is thrown at it, just somethings are better at it than others.....

    But for really badly recorded cds, other speakers are more enjoyable to listen to, if that makes sense.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,722
    edited February 2004
    Ok, time to join the fray......................

    Without a good source you really can't get a handle on what the SDA's are capable of. Even the poorer recordings can sound pretty good when upsampled to 24/192 and with a tube output stage. In short, it's more likely your source is the problem and not the speakers.
    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

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  • warlocks1
    warlocks1 Posts: 1,250
    edited February 2004
    Sid, I have a nice pair of SDA2b's for you when you are ready!
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited February 2004
    2b's aren't big enough to take the abuse Sid will put them through. Keyword was ABUSE in that last sentence. If Sid had his hands on 2b's, I'd give it 1 hour before they are totally ruined.

    He'll probably need 2 pair of 1.2's, stacked.

    A FORTY foot wide room Sid? Get your tape measure out.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    Russ,
    I'm serious...

    I'm over-exagerating of course, but it is big, kinda hard to explain.......

    2b's would work good for me....
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,776
    edited February 2004
    Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
    Russ,
    I'm serious...

    I'm over-exagerating of course, but it is big, kinda hard


    Sid.......trying to explain his manhood again :D
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    Dad said, from his porch door to the front door, which is on opposite sides of the room is about 35 feet......

    I was pretty close!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    Warlocks,
    How far away are you from 28023?

    How much would you sell the 2b for?
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • PolkWannabie
    PolkWannabie Posts: 2,763
    edited February 2004
    and another one down and another one down and another one bites the dust ...
    Rick
    HT+ Sunfire TG IV, Dual CG Sig II's, CinePro 1K2, Oppo 981, Audio Technica PL120, Polk SRT's & F/X1000's, Samsung 71" DLP
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,772
    edited February 2004
    haha

    I'll make sure I buy more SDA's in the future just to set agains the wall.....

    And I'll take all the tweeter out and lay them on the floor....

    Then I'll get a HUGE poster board and write on it.....

    *NANNA NANNA BOO BOO!*

    Then sent it here :p
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited February 2004
    LOL.....

    Love it:D

    Originally posted by RuSsMaN
    2b's aren't big enough to take the abuse Sid will put them through. Keyword was ABUSE in that last sentence. If Sid had his hands on 2b's, I'd give it 1 hour before they are totally ruined.

    He'll probably need 2 pair of 1.2's, stacked.

    A FORTY foot wide room Sid? Get your tape measure out.

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