SDA

D2Lo

I've been spending the week at our new labs in Baltimore. Hey fellas, don't be jelly, but take a look at what I was listening to today (yes that it me in the picture... not Don Draper):



and because I know you will ask:


At 33 years old these speakers sounded incredible. I know we have chatted about SDA in the sneak peak topic I posed last month, but I thought it would be great to document some of your opinions, what do you think are the pros and cons of SDA?

Nightfall

Pros: Super wide and enveloping sound stage.

Cons: A lot of people don't have the room to properly setup a pair of SDA's, including places like Best Buy where you guys sell your speakers.

lightman1

^^^ Unless y'all are doing it in a true "audio boutique" store....about 99.999998% of the market will not experience SDA as it should be.
But, if y'all do some kind of crazyass limited line and let some of the "whales"(think vegas) and some of the die hards likes us have a chance to experience and maybe purchase a new offering of SDA, then I say have at it. But if the HMFIC (PM me for definition) is looking for mass market $ kill..... good luck.

HzTweaker

I Agree with @Nightfall and @lightman1 . SDAs weren't considered out of this world expensive when they launched but still weren't cheep ether. That being said they were aimed at a market that most likely weren't still living in there first apartment/house. Size of the room is important and being able to accurately represent the SDA effect is everything. BRING 'EM BACK! I think everyone here will help chant: Do IT, Do IT.. .

Nightfall

All this talk about new SDA's... I better start saving my pennies now.

F1nut

The argument that most people don't have the room to set up SDA's properly can be applied to almost all better quality speakers. So, how about we drop that from the discussion right now. The same goes for larger speakers. Take a look around, there are plenty of large speakers on the market and people buy them.

SDA offers the most realistic presentation possible of live music in your living room, bar none.

vmaxer

Got me curious

txcoastal1

F1nut wrote: »

The argument that most people don't have the room to set up SDA's properly can be applied to almost all better quality speakers. So, how about we drop that from the discussion right now. The same goes for larger speakers. Take a look around, there are plenty of large speakers on the market and people buy them.

SDA offers the most realistic presentation possible of live music in your living room, bar none.

100% agree on that. Each of my systems have been based on my room.

lightman1

My point was Polks stance on cost v level of market share. Not the size of the cabinet.

txcoastal1

I wouldn't consider anything larger than 3.1tl, nor a horizontal cab design like the CRS's...just my HO, as I've seen the market interest for speakers

lightman1

honestaquarian

SDA loudspeakers are a lot like planar loudspeakers.The listening room MUST BE set up around the speakers and NOT the other way around. As a result they have extremely low WAF. That and the lack of good places that would have the space and people employed there who would actually have the knowledge of how to set them up and demonstrate them properly.
I have been hooked on SDA's since before those CRS's were made and have owned now four pairs. I KNOW there are plenty of guys on here who have gone even further than me on this front.

They have a cult following for a very good reason.

You CANNOT get this sound anywhere else..............

Emlyn

If I remember right those two tweeter versions are some of the least desirable models and the design was dropped in favor of the SDA output through the mid woofers only soon after. There are better versions to demo.

Pros: lively and realistic enveloping sound in the sweet spot between the speakers, nothing else like it on the market, could literally rock the house without a subwoofer, very open imaging allowing a listener to hear music in almost a three dimensional space depending the quality of the recording, combination of mid woofers and passive radiators provided extremely fast and accurate bass

Cons: SDA needs a dedicated listening space at least around 14 feet wide, best music quality confined to the sweet spot, cabinet construction was almost DIY level until the last generation, tweeters were good for the time but way surpassed by what is available today, the need for a dedicated room may mean they would exist only in the "man cave" in some homes, wide baffles required to get the dimensional effect right, difficult to demonstrate the benefits of SDA sound to young buyers who are living on their smart phones and ear bud headphones or inexpensive Andrew Jones designed speakers, matching a flagship product with a new product may be very expensive to develop and market, many audiophiles back in the day were not universally sold on the SDA idea, and there are still plenty of "old" SDA speakers in the market easily upgraded with Polk still providing replacement drivers.

lightman1

And.. if you folks at Polk are considering a new "SDA" line......will it be a passive X-over network with phase cancellation or some form of electronic wizardry, DSP etc? Something from the soundbar line?

Emlyn

To get the best idea of what SDA speakers can do with improved components, if Polk is interested in doing some R&D, I would recommend getting access to a couple of versions fully modified by enthusiasts to benchmark.

I don't think cabinet size should be a deterrent. The CRS speakers can sound fantastic, and the LSiM707s I have for home theater use are just about as big as SDA 2.3TLs (just turned around). The LSiMs are nice accurate speakers, but just as their baffles are narrow their sound is narrowly focused compared to the SDA sound signature and the midrange and bass are not as well integrated as the old style midwoofer/passive setup.

oldrocker

The sound from my 30 year old SDA's is a pro enough for me.

The size is not a problem for me and the wife doesn't mind them either.

Cons are all over the place and quite valid.

I'll assume the quality of build of whatever it is, will HONOR the Polk Name!!!

I myself will personally keep my originals but if a "new" version comes available, I'd probably pull the trigger to have a set.

gudnoyez

Seriously new SDA's possibly? I'm running out of storage space as it is, time to buy a bigger country home with lots of space for SDA'S. Woo hoo!

oldrocker

lightman1 wrote: »

Hmmm, something wrong with that picture...

lightman1

oldrocker wrote: »

lightman1 wrote: »

Hmmm, something wrong with that picture...

Streaming audio laptop?????

oldrocker

Gotta be the wood stove. Maybe it's a gas line fed...LOL

txcoastal1

oldrocker wrote: »

lightman1 wrote: »

Hmmm, something wrong with that picture...

You ever notice that speakers look like their owners

Nightfall

What is that chimney looking thing behind it?

F1nut

txcoastal1 wrote: »

oldrocker wrote: »

lightman1 wrote: »

Hmmm, something wrong with that picture...

You ever notice that speakers look like their owners

I don't think he has one of those.

Toolfan66

Interesting!! You have my curiosity...

All this talk about BestBuy, and setting up at a store is not important in this day an age, when is the last time you purchased a speaker because what you heard at a store? The last time I purchased a speaker from a store was in 2000. I didn't listen to my RTiA set up before I purchased them, hell there isn't a place near me that has them..

And there is more then enough people buying big speakers..

boston1450

Our local BBuy might have 1pair of Polk speakers. No subwoofers. IMO Thats sad. About 8 pair of Klipschs & 3-4 pairs of Pioneers. Not sure i understand why ?

tat

I think the Polk SDA CRS in particular would be a great re-issue product. They have tons of accurate bass which suits modern music (rap, alternative, latin) very well and have the added bonus of being small bookshelf if necy. As for the larger models i dont know so much. Sure I would want them...

Its no suprise to me SDA's have a devoted following of folks who grew up with them. Sound is closely linked to memory and people like to hear sounds the way they remember them. That wont do a thing for new buyers who seem to not mind horrible audio quality if its in a convenient format. It reminds me of the line in Kirk Douglas jazz trumpet movie, "you wont sell any records bc they dont care about your horn solos man, record buyers are mostly teenage girls who want to memorize the lyrics to their latest heart-throbs pop hit, [they dont give a damn about you harmonizing extentions]". Im afraid that may be the case with excellent 2 channel audio for many modern folks. Music was more than entertainment for past generations; it has become more linked to titillation recently imo. 7.1 Surround Sound definitely has a large "soundstage". It and giant powered subwoofers serve the titillation market quite well. Add to that the lack of patience or mechanical knowledge of the younger generations and the SDA's may not even get set-up correctly hence competing with 1 arm tied behind its back.

The CRS can fit into that market and knock people socks off in a small package. The larger speakers may not compete with those seeking titillation on a student budget, but rather be competing with Apogees and other products which intrigue the listener with the mystery of, "how did they do that...the quartet is in my living room!".

ZLTFUL

gudnoyez wrote: »

Seriously new SDA's possibly? I'm running out of storage space as it is, time to buy a bigger country home with lots of space for SDA'S. Woo hoo!

I am always willing to buy those 2.3s back Steve...

westmassguy

Pros: Incredible, lifelike soundstage, width, height, depth etc.
Cons: Size for some models, listening room space, affordable amplifiers able to properly handle the load.
I think Skip hit the nail on the head, narrow towers.
We know that Polk figured out the interaural cancelation cues/frequencies are limited in range.
A tower, the size of the RTA-11s for example, could be reconfigured with a smaller, purpose-built mid-woofer, timbre matched, and mounted off to the side.
You could even have a bubble or module mounted on the outside specifically for the dimensional driver.

tat

yes Berkshires exactly, GREAT IDEA!
Some novel shape/design, dare I say wannabe sculpture architecture, incorporating dimensional driver(s), would be a great way to lure in the titillation seekers I was describing above.

Maybe it could even have some kind unique smartphone/mp3 (or whatever the latest devices are lol) station lol. Perhaps something taht would eat the smartphone like an ATM eats checks, that may make Polks the lust of every college freshman once again. (-: But then I wouldn't buy them.

westmassguy

A compact sub/sat system could be done easily too.

nooshinjohn

There are three concepts that com to mind to me. The first would be a sat/sub version that could be perhaps a touch smaller than the CRS line, maybe even offered as an in-wall option. The second would be a revamped 3.1TL, and the last would be an all out assault on the best speaker in the world, PERIOD!

The Signature Reference would feature a modern fit and finish and diamond tweeters... Nothing but the very best, and signed by Matt himself. No more than 500 pairs.