2021 SDA survey : what model do you have? what mods? what gear?

Polar

I go away for a year and come back to find the place infected with that new forum software thats causing rashes all over the interwebs. The more things change...

Anyway..

Time for a survey. List your SDA by model, list your modifications, tell us what you have hooked up to them. Hopefully this will form the basis for all sorts of exciting discussions (and I'm sure more than a few arguments). Newbs interested in the SDA concept will get some benefit as well. But mostly so we can argue and poke at each other.

Example (my system):

Polk SDA SRS (original model)
RD0194 tweeters
Ed Brown crossovers with Sonicaps/Solen/AEON
sealed cabinets
mid woofers damped and magnets beaded

Equipment :

Carver TFM25 amplifier
Hafler IRIS preamp
Denon DP37F turntable
Oppo 103D Blu-ray player
AppleTV 4K

Upcoming changes:

Adcom GFA-585 amp
Schiit Freya preamp
new SDA interlink cable
grille cloth cleaning and re-stretch (maybe)

The SRS sound brilliant when used with any source on my list, though I shy away from the aTV because its cumbersome winging my way through my network to pull up music. Its easier to throw on a disc/LP or plug a flash drive into the front of the Oppo. Movies sound amazing, full of impact, though in some movies it becomes obvious that there is no center channel. Theres a big hole in the sound, is what I'm saying. But most action movies sound as good as any home theater I've heard.

Tony M

I have sda-srs2's and sda2b's.

No mods...excuse me, the SRS2's have the RD-0194 replacements in them. I also have a new interconnecting cable Karma'd by a long missed member Verb.

A lot of gear. But a NAD C370 powering the SRS2s beautifully so far for years.

Navy_Goat

SDA-2B
TL mod on gimpod boards, sonicap, mills, Erse bass inductor wound by westmassguy, Cabs sealed, h-nuts, dynamat on baskets
Technics sl-1710/sony ubp-800>Marantz NR-1509>parasound HCA-1500a

SDA SRS 2.3tl
gimpod boards, sonicap, mills, Erse bass inductor wound by westmassguy, Cabs sealed, h-nuts, dynamat on baskets
Marantz 8006/Technics SL-QD33>Anthem Pre-1L>Crown XLS-2002

SDA-1C
TL mod on gimpod boards, sonicap, mills, Cabs sealed, h-nuts, dynamat on baskets
All alone in the closet

And finally, last but not least...

Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekend
Jupiter capacitors
Technics sl-1710/sony ubp-800>Marantz NR-1509>Adcom HCA-535

The 2B and Zu are in my office where I spend 10+ hours a day. Great thread....

pitdogg2

Polk SRS 2.3tl
Gimpod boards, Toolfan rings, Jantzen inductors and Erse inductors matched by @westmassguy, Sonicap caps, Vishay-Mills non inductive resistors, all new DH Labs 14ga. silver clad OCC copper internal wire, new powder coated aluminum binding cups with Cards silver and gold binding posts, DH Labs Silver clad OCC 12ga binding post jumpers, Black hole 5 behind the woofers and stock polyfil.
Cabinets completely sealed and all drivers magnets glued. 1000va Dreadnought.
Powered by
Aragon 8008bb amp
Krell 505 evolution SACD Player
Silk Audio tube pre-amplifier
Audioquest King Cobra inter-connects
Speaker cables dual runs Canare 4s11 to each speaker. The result is a 9ga cable to each binding post.

Polar

Navy_Goat wrote: »

SDA-2B
TL mod on gimpod boards, sonicap, mills, Erse bass inductor wound by westmassguy, Cabs sealed, h-nuts, dynamat on baskets
Technics sl-1710/sony ubp-800>Marantz NR-1509>parasound HCA-1500a

SDA SRS 2.3tl
gimpod boards, sonicap, mills, Erse bass inductor wound by westmassguy, Cabs sealed, h-nuts, dynamat on baskets
Marantz 8006/Technics SL-QD33>Anthem Pre-1L>Crown XLS-2002

SDA-1C
TL mod on gimpod boards, sonicap, mills, Cabs sealed, h-nuts, dynamat on baskets
All alone in the closet

And finally, last but not least...

Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekend
Jupiter capacitors
Technics sl-1710/sony ubp-800>Marantz NR-1509>Adcom HCA-535

The 2B and Zu are in my office where I spend 10+ hours a day. Great thread....

A friend of mine has a pair of Zu, I think they're the Omen model. He ordered them in a very rare wood and finish. He swears by them. I guess they must really be good, he sold off his B&W 805 and kept the Zu.

"Only" 3 pair of SDA? Were there more, or will there be?

Navy_Goat

Polar wrote: »

A friend of mine has a pair of Zu, I think they're the Omen model. He ordered them in a very rare wood and finish. He swears by them. I guess they must really be good, he sold off his B&W 805 and kept the Zu.

"Only" 3 pair of SDA? Were there more, or will there be?

I found my first pair of SDAs less than 3 years ago. Picked up a pair of SDA-2B off of FB marketplace for $70 bucks. The 1C and eventually 2.3 followed over the next 2 years. Eventually I will find the right home for the 1C and I will be down to 2 pair. If a pair of SRS 2 was available I might be interested, otherwise I don't think I will be adding any more SDAs.

The Zu Audio speakers are great. I think I would be perfectly happy listening to them all the time IF they weren't sitting right next to a pair of 2Btl. They really sound great for almost any music. They are an interesting design and I am always surprised how close they are to the 2B considering how different the design is. They are nearly a full range design (tweeter is crossed at something nuts like 12k). Very efficient, great for vocals. For some reason I prefer them for listening to records, and that is usually when I turn them on.

Mine are the Dirty Weekend version of the Omen, which are very similar to the regular Omen. I got them with Jupiter capacitors installed, finished in American Walnut. They are great looking for sure. They were purchased to go in the living room, but the 2.3tl kicked them out when they arrived. I listen to more music in my office anyway so that was a win-win for me.

Dr_Wu

SDA-CRS+ 4.1TL: RD0198 tweeters, Sonicaps/Dayton1%/Vishay Mills, Larry's Rings, Cardas binding posts, Neutrik Speakons w/Belden 10 IC, Dynamat baskets/cemented magnets/sealed cabinets/SonicBarrier, original stands

Currently idled by Wharfedale EVO4.3

Inscrutabl0915

SDA-SRS2
All stock. Have been preoccupied with multiple moves (us and daughters family), flood, health issues, on and on ...
Current house/room not terribly SDA-friendly ... will need to play with positioning and see if I can overcome the constraints, or move on from them 😢
If keep, planning for RDO tweets, X-over component refresh, rings if I can get them ...
Original owner drove with a vintage Denon stack (which I have also) ... PMA-900v, TU-600, DCD-1500, DR-M44HX.
When last connected was driving with a Plinius 8200MkII, fed by Denon DP-60L and Oppo 105

Polar

Inscrutabl0915 wrote: »

SDA-SRS2
All stock. Have been preoccupied with multiple moves (us and daughters family), flood, health issues, on and on ...

Life always gets in the way. Be patient, work hard, the hobby is still there when you have time. I sort of envy that your SDAs are stock, in that you can tune them up whatever way you feel is best. I bought mine already finished and it was just happenstance that they were done exactly as I'd have liked, and done by a great tech who no longer does this.

Inscrutabl0915 wrote: »

Current house/room not terribly SDA-friendly ... will need to play with positioning and see if I can overcome the constraints, or move on from them 😢

The room is so important to these speakers that it might just as well be considered the final part of the audio system. I have a vast living room but unfortunately due to passage and window placement my SRS are much closer to the left wall than I'd like. The result is that certain instruments on certain recordings start to dominate the field on the left channel and become very focused there.

Inscrutabl0915 wrote: »

If keep, planning for RDO tweets, X-over component refresh, rings if I can get them ... Original owner drove with a vintage Denon stack (which I have also) ... PMA-900v, TU-600, DCD-1500, DR-M44HX. When last connected was driving with a Plinius 8200MkII, fed by Denon DP-60L and Oppo 105

You have some of the same components I started with. I was never happy with the DRM-44 though, and I turned towards Nakamichi for tape duty.

xsmi

SDA-SRS's
RDO194
Crossovers with Solen/Sonicap/Mills Resistors
Connected to
Pro-Ject RPM-10 Turntable
Schitt Mani Phono Pre
Marantz 8004 SACD
Belles Audio 22A Pre
Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2
I have to check the wiring on the left speaker because it appears the left channel is out of phase.

K_Fulk

Sda 2B Dynamat baskets, Hurricane nuts, Dreadnaught, Rd0198 tweeters. Patiently waiting on my crossovers to be finished up. Gimpod boards Sonicaps, mills resistors, tl mod.

Denon Dap5500 pre Denon Poa 6600 mono blocks , Schitt modus dac

vader540is

Polk SDA-2B
RD0194 tweeters


Equipment :
Adcom GFA545 amplifier
Outlaw 975 preamp
Chrome cast audio


Upcoming changes:
Dynamat baskets
Hurricane nuts
Rd0198
Gimpod boards
Sonicaps
Mills resistors
TL mod
Upgraded SDA interlink cable

Better Power amp
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon TT
BluRay/ SACD player

stubby2

SDA SRS2A
194 tweeters
Dayton 1% caps
Mills resistors
Dreadnought IC interface

Aragon soundstage preamp
Fosgate Audionics 4125 amp
Pioneer elite cd as transport
Harmon Kardon T30 record player

She ain't much, but she's paid for.

Polar

Bump this thread up to announce a few changes to my system, and maybe get some more participation.

The Carver TFM-25 went away, replaced by a "new" Hafler XL280. Much better. The bass hits hard, overall the system seems a lot more accurate. I'm putting off my Adcom GFA-585 for now.

I'm ruling out the Schiit Freya. I like the IRIS preamp too much, especially how well it works with the Denon turntable, so it stays.

invalid

SDA2A TL mod
Sonicap for mids/ tweeters
Solen for sub bass drive circuit
Mills resistors
Low DCR inductors
Black hole 5
Hurricane nuts
New binding posts
Neutrik speakon
RD0198 tweeters


Equipment
Krell KSA 300s amplifier
Space tech labs qa112 EH tube preamp with separate power supply using 2 866a Mercury rectifier tubes and switchable choke input.
Blue sound node2 streamer (the weak point in my system until I purchase a better dac)