Is there any speaker out there that can do what an SDA does???

bobt

Rather then go out and try and find a set of old 1986 Polk SDA massive speakers.
Is there something new, that "may" sound the same or that type of sound stage.
The only speakers I can think of is the Definitive Technology stuff Bi-Polar stuff.
It "may" give you the "SDA sound" somewhat.. but other then that not sure.
If you go with the BP 8080ST... is it coming close? Can it put out the volume of say the SDA1C??? will it sound warm or is it like an RTI 9 made more for HT, not Stereo??

Conradicles

Nope.

bobt

Well I do have to say that's a great answer... Nope..
That answers all the questions.

[Deleted User]

Nine?

Conradicles

Nope sums it up bobt.

Were you looking for a different answer?

Easy Runnin

Negative

Mikey081057

not likely

ambiophonics

You could look into digital crosstalk cancellation, like ambiophonics or Professor Choueiri's Pure Stereo BACCH (Band-Assembled Crosstalk Cancellation Hierarchy) filter. Ambiophonics can be used for free on the computer or implemented into a "box" solution to use with any stereo system. The box I used processed audio at 24bit 96kbps and sounded very good when properly setup. Imaging was very precise and vocalists were dead center.

bobt

So I guess if you do not want to spend the money to upgrade these speakers, then there is nothing that comes close..? That's what your telling me....

ZLTFUL

Unfortunately, yes.

Matt was pretty good with protecting his patents and nobody else really ever caught on with their on versions.
You can go the processing route with the Carver Sonic Hologram generator. It was another way of attempting to cancel out interaural crosstalk. Not very popular and due to age (was made from like 81-89) suffers from the same need of upgrades to capacitors that the SDAs ultimately do.

bobt

So The Bi- Polar stuff from Definitive is not even close.....

ZLTFUL

As an aside, bi-polar speakers like the Def Techs you mentioned don't really do the same thing as SDAs...
Their purpose is to "expand" the sound stage by using the reflective surfaces behind the speakers.
SDAs on the other hand use a portion of the speaker signal try and cancel out interaural crosstalk. In basic terms, the left ear only hears what the left ear should ad the right ear only hears what the right ear should.

Moose68Bash

I looked at a lot of fairly pricey contemporary speakers before I set out on the upgrade path for both my SDA SRS1.2s and my 1Cs. I found nothing that created the stereo image and soundstage that I wanted. Examples: B&Ws at all the upper end levels, Thiels, Harbeths, Wilsons and Nolas.

Nola Grand Reference Series 2s, which I auditioned last fall, probably outshine the modded SRSs, but they are a totally different animal to set up and accommodate in your house -- four seven-feet-tall towers, large external crossover "boxes," two discrete stereo amplification systems and requisite cables, etc.

Wilson Alexandrias also presented a better rendering, but also in my opinion more concentrated or focussed -- not to mention the extraordinary price!

Others on the Forum have a lot more experience with a far wider range of speakers than I, but I am satisfied that for the money -- including significant expenditures on upgrades -- you cannot beat the Polk SDAs.

bobt

Yes, you are right... but is there a big difference in the sound stage.
In one case were dealing with 1986 speakers, in the other were dealing with new 2014 speakers. I don't expect the speaker to sound like an SDA..close is good enough

oldrocker

I have a set of old SDA SRS with very little mods at this point. They are running on a Parasoound amp & Preamp.

I have a friend who has some almost new "quite expensive" Legacy's running a capable Bryston Amp & preamp.

I can tell you , his Legacy's sound and look awesome but the sound stage seems more defined on my SDA's than his. Even though his system looks great and sounds very nice, my old SDA's just seems more exact.

I'm sure there are enormous amount of variables to this, just remember that whatever "tickles your pickle" is the right system for you.

Good luck.

westmassguy

You keep alluding to 1986. That's 3rd generation, and there are two generations after that. The last SDAs, other than the SRTs, were produced in 1990-1991 time frame.
A classic design, well implemented, will hold up over time. Because it's a passive system, it works just as well today, with modern sources and amplification equipment, as it did 25-30 years ago.
Advances in crossover components such as Capacitors, Resistors, and Inductors, allow us the opportunity to upgrade them to current technology standards, without affecting the basic design, which was sound to begin with, and ahead of its time in my opinion. When combined with new Silk Dome Tweeters, and even new Replacement Woofers, the SDAs will hold their own quite well against current speakers in their equivalent price range.
If you want a loudspeaker system that has interaural crosstalk cancellation built-in as part of the design, there is no other option other than Polk.

[Deleted User]

Hello,
If you don't mind looking a bit foolish, you can simulate the reduction of inter-aural crosstalk with any two channel setup. First, while listening take one of your hands and place it, edge on vertically, against the bridge of your nose. Think of Curley deflecting one of Moe's double eye pokes. Then take your second hand and place it edge on against the back edge of the first hand. Think of Curley having to use both hands to deflect Moe if he had a chopstick in both hands. So what you've done is make a barrier running down the center of your face that is two hands wide, keeping the sound of the right channel more isolated from the left ear and the same with the left channel's sound.
This will surely cause your wife or girlfriend to search Google for recommended mental heath providers.
Have fun, Ken

teekay0007

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hello,
If you don't mind looking a bit foolish, you can simulate the reduction of inter-aural crosstalk with any two channel setup. First, while listening take one of your hands and place it, edge on vertically, against the bridge of your nose. Think of Curley deflecting one of Moe's double eye pokes. Then take your second hand and place it edge on against the back edge of the first hand. Think of Curley having to use both hands to deflect Moe if he had a chopstick in both hands. So what you've done is make a barrier running down the center of your face that is two hands wide, keeping the sound of the right channel more isolated from the left ear and the same with the left channel's sound.
This will surely cause your wife or girlfriend to search Google for recommended mental heath providers.
Have fun, Ken

I'd like to suggest you don't do this continuously for long periods of time. It has lawsuit (ie. Navin Johnson's "opti grab") written all over it!

EndersShadow

As alluded too, you can buy a stand alone Carver C-9 which is JUST sonic holigraphy. It doesnt have any other function, and wont do pre-amp stuff, so you can keep using your other stuff.

You can upgrade caps and whatnot in it, and there are not that many do so its fairly easy to do so.

Thats the only other real option IMHO.

Carver Pre-amps like the C-1 and the Sunfire TGP line do also offer Sonic Holigraphy but due to age are likely to need a costly recap at some point.

A C-9 would be your best bet that route, but even then its not exactly the same as the SDA effect, and some folks have used C-9's and loved it on some speakers and hated it on others, and even down to specific recordings doing well and other not....

tonyb

Wow, Kens a pretty funny guy. Can't imagine once you get a couple drinks down his throat. lol

ambiophonics

There are other options - as I said above I used ambiophonics for a while which is a recursive chilly adjustable crosstalk filter. To use it you put your two speakers about 20 degrees apart instead of 60 and then adjust the parameters in the program to optimize crosstalk cancellation. It is basically emulated a barrier between two closely spaced speakers. It works very well and causes a soundstage the extends almost 180 degrees.

EndersShadow wrote: »

As alluded too, you can buy a stand alone Carver C-9 which is JUST sonic holigraphy. It doesnt have any other function, and wont do pre-amp stuff, so you can keep using your other stuff.

You can upgrade caps and whatnot in it, and there are not that many do so its fairly easy to do so.

Thats the only other real option IMHO.

Carver Pre-amps like the C-1 and the Sunfire TGP line do also offer Sonic Holigraphy but due to age are likely to need a costly recap at some point.

A C-9 would be your best bet that route, but even then its not exactly the same as the SDA effect, and some folks have used C-9's and loved it on some speakers and hated it on others, and even down to specific recordings doing well and other not....

ambiophonics

Here's what I used in my smaller two channel



You can still buy them here

http://www.ambio4you.com

No affiliation (despite my user name)

steveinaz

A Carver Holographic generator gets you 85% of the way there---if you can find one--

MrBuhl

I used to run a Carver Sonic Holography Generator. I was never all that impressed honestly - it did make a difference, but was nothing like SDA effect, for that matter (gets ready to duck for blasphemy) my Bose 901's had a wider soundstage effect than a set of pretty decent mains run through the Carver. Only one opinion, but that's how it seemed to me.

zarrdoss

Close http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/zealth-audio-zal36t-loudspeaker-review

George Grand

A pair of Carver "Amazing" Plat's and a C-9 gets the job well-done.

nooshinjohn

George Grand wrote: »

A pair of Carver "Amazing" Plat's and a C-9 gets the job well-done.

I was also thinking that Magnepan MG 1.7's and up would do a nice job as well, but I think the plats dig a bit deeper and have more punch.

bobt

OK.. lets forget the fact of "anything sound like an SDA" Lets just say NO and forget it. Lets say i'm looking for a speaker, that can give me a some what warm sound, put out a good bass, fill a large size room, and be able to get loud. (to fill the large size room)
Now I have a set of RTI 12's, they do most everything, plenty of bass, good soundstage ( for a normal speaker), but they are not all that warm, and on the high end can be bright. Now I don't know that Polk has or will offer any "upgrades" for this speaker. Most of the brightness is probably due to the tweeter that's in there, but as far as I know. There is no replacement for that. So with that said, lets move on.
I was thinking about the DT, BP8080ST. I can't listen to these. But i'm wondering if anybody has, if there at least some what warm and the tweeters are not tending to the bright side? I would guess they can put out bass, and can get loud. But that's a guess. The other option may be the Klipsh reference 7's. But these may be an "acquired" taste, and may be far from warm unless your running tube power amps.
I would like to keep the cost in the 3-4 K range.

Conradicles

Now your whole question has changed.

westmassguy

bobt wrote: »

OK.. lets forget the fact of "anything sound like an SDA" Lets just say NO and forget it. Lets say i'm looking for a speaker, that can give me a some what warm sound, put out a good bass, fill a large size room, and be able to get loud. (to fill the large size room)

I won't duck for blasphemy.
Get a pair of vintage Series II 901s, a Series II Equalizer rebuilt with Audio Grade Components, and a decent amp, 150-200 WPC, high current, high damping factor.
Does everything you just described, and then some.

nooshinjohn

Magnepan 3.6's and a nice sub, or locate a pair of Amazing Plat's, or just grab a set of 1.2TL's and call it a day.