Why did Polk discontinued the SDA series?

SDAnewbie
SDAnewbie Posts: 2
edited December 2004 in Vintage Speakers
Hi all,

The title pretty much sums up my question. Why would Polk Audio discontinued their SDA speakes given they have such a huge following??

Any chance they may reconsider bringing it back to the market?
Post edited by SDAnewbie on
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited December 2004
    They made a mistake. Simple as that. Whats infuriating is they insist on keeping making this mistake.
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited December 2004
    Not a mistake from a business perspective, the market changed and they made a decision to target the crowd that didn't want toy speakers, but couldn't afford audiophile stuff. Along with this cam the need to decrease the size.

    If they can sell 500 of one model SDA type speakers or 10,000 speakers of a diffirent model, which one do you think they make more money on?

    The people on this board are a very small minority of the market and as we may be passionate about the SDA's, they don't make a whole lot of sense economically.
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by jdhdiggs
    The people on this board are a very small minority of the market and as we may be passionate about the SDA's, they don't make a whole lot of sense economically.

    Yep. That sums it up perfectly.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited December 2004
    BUT, Matt Polk loves the SDA speaker, he has said many times he wants to bring it back, they are trying to find a way is what I am told. Just may not be in the form we presently know it in.

    RT1
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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited December 2004
    Satellites took over.

    Damn you Martha Stewart!!!
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by reeltrouble1
    BUT, Matt Polk loves the SDA speaker, he has said many times he wants to bring it back, they are trying to find a way is what I am told. Just may not be in the form we presently know it in.

    Ted,

    Best idea I've seen on the forum was a kit. The 2.3tl or 3.1tl would be, IMO, an economically viable solution for Polk - given the potential for limited demand.

    As Raife has pointed out, this is the right time for a "25th Anniversary" SDA commemorative. For my part, I'd thoroughly enjoy building either of the models listed above in kit form. Talk about pride of ownership!

    Mike
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  • gkouvaras
    gkouvaras Posts: 23
    edited December 2004
    on the topic of "why did they stop"... Why did they stop putting fuses in speakers? I would think it would be a very cheap easy way to prevent drivers from blowing. I know they saved my SDA-1's a few weeks ago when I got my new amp and knocked both of the input cables out while moving it. All four fuses blew... I replaced them... and everything works just great. With out them I would have had to replace all four tweeters.
    Home Theater:
    Denon 3805
    2 sda-1's up front
    2 monitor 10's for the center
    2 JBL LX300 surrounds
    1 Velodyne FSX-12
    1 M&K V-1B

    Other room:
    2 original Acoustic Research AR3's
    2 JBL Eon 15 (just to piss off the neighbors)
    crown com-tech 400 THX
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by gkouvaras
    on the topic of "why did they stop"... Why did they stop putting fuses in speakers?

    They starting using polyswitches.
    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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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited December 2004
    BMDP,

    A kit well, yes, I would go for that. I could see how Polk could sell some but I really dont know how many, good idea for a survey I would sure want that before that radio they were surveying folks about.



    ;)

    Later Mike.

    RT1
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited December 2004
    Kit's already exist, just not put together. Go buy the woofs tweets and X-over, build your own box, go to town...

    SDA Maggies, now that would be interesting...
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited December 2004
    The market killed the SDA. Think about it, as stated above your average consumer isn't going to buy an SDA. Then that leaves you with audiophiles. Alot of audiophiles don't like change, look at "quadraphonic" and now "surround", you have alot of audiophile traditionalist---so now your SDA market is split again.

    In other words, not enough demand to justify the production costs.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by jdhdiggs
    Kit's already exist, just not put together. Go buy the woofs tweets and X-over, build your own box, go to town...

    I agree with your statement, in part. However, PRs (as an example) are hard to come by - as are crossover boards. Several parts listed by Polk here simply are not currently available.

    My premise is analogous to the success of Bottlehead. All the parts in a Bottlehead component are available but, by making them available in a complete kit package, they've encouraged many audio enthusiasts to undertake something they probably wouldn't have (sans kit.)

    Citing Bottlehead again, their right-on-time parts procurement philosphy allows them to keep overhead low. A "PolKit" could enjoy the same production economies.
    SDA Maggies, now that would be interesting...

    Very! I just happen to have two pair of MG-1s. Sadly, I lack the technical expertise to design the necessary crossover and cross-cancelling circuitry required. The bi-polar design might also present some challenges to dimensional array imaging.

    Mike
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  • polksda
    polksda Posts: 716
    edited December 2004
    1 word: WAF.

    "Eww, I don't want those big klunky speakers in MY living room. Ewwww."

    Big honkin' speakers are a "guy thing" [insert Tim Allen monkey noise here].
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited December 2004
    The on wall maggies wouldn't have this problem nearly the problem with dipole operation, but I digress...

    Yes, kits would be easier on the consumer BUT the market is still significantly smaller than even the bottlehead concept applies.

    Think about this: nearly every audiophile will sometime in their life mess with tubes. Bottlehead makes this less expensive and allows learning.

    An SDA kit would not be at the same level. Purists don't like the crosstalk cancellation and not all audiophiles want a two foot wide, six foot tall speaker.

    My guess would be that for every 100 people that want to try tubes, there is maybe 5 that want to try SDA's.

    If the kits included wood patterns, drivers, X-over, and PR only, it would still be a large/heavy box, but might be doable. I just don't think the market exists. Maybe 20/yr? not worth the hassle.
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited December 2004
    A valid rebuttal - but, it would sure end these (seemingly) endless discussions, satisfy the desires of true SDA affectionados, and give Matt Polk a shot at tweaking his brainchild.

    As a side note, I've been very actively involved in the design/build of street rods for decades. When kit car versions of some of the true classics were introduced in the '70s no one would have given you any odds of their overwhelming success. Rather than bastardize the hobby (pronounced "obsession"), or dilute the value of stock customizations, they've had the reverse effect. Moreover, they've allowed new generations of enthusiasts to participate in a hobby that would, absent their existence, never have occured.
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by polksda
    1 word: WAF.

    "Eww, I don't want those big klunky speakers in MY living room. Ewwww."

    Big honkin' speakers are a "guy thing" [insert Tim Allen monkey noise here].

    This is a chauvinistic comment!!!!

    I would rather have SDA's any day!! We are lucky enough to both SDA's and Lsi's. I guess you could say the Lsi set-up is Frank's but the SDA two-channel set up is MINE!!

    By the way this is DEB Frank's wife!!!
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • polksda
    polksda Posts: 716
    edited December 2004
    You have to admit though, that you are by far the exception rather than the rule. :)
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited December 2004
    :D

    Nice one Deb! My wife has also been very understanding and likes the SDA's much, MUCH more than my old RT800's
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by Frank Z
    This is a chauvinistic comment!!!!

    I would rather have SDA's any day!! We are lucky enough to both SDA's and Lsi's. I guess you could say the Lsi set-up is Frank's but the SDA two-channel set up is MINE!!

    By the way this is DEB Frank's wife!!!

    Hi Deb,

    Audio-filly (my wife Sandy) absolutely loves the SDAs. In fact, after we got the main 2 CH rig setup with our "new" SDA SRSs, she asked me if we could get ANOTHER pair for the MBR system we're putting together! She's unique, as all women are, and has come to appreciate music on a whole new level - thanks to the SDAs.

    In my personal experience, WAF is directly relational to WIF (Wife Involvement Factor.) I've enjoyed introducing Sandy to some of the finer nuances of audio, while learning myself in the process. It's now a shared hobby. And, that's something we cherish as a couple.

    MIke
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by BlueMDPicker

    In my personal experience, WAF is directly relational to WIF (Wife Involvement Factor.) I've enjoyed introducing Sandy to some of the finer nuances of audio, while learning myself in the process. It's now a shared hobby. And, that's something we cherish as a couple.
    You beat me to it. That was going to be my comment exactly!:D
    Deb
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2004
    Blue - PR's while not available in Polk form are easy to find. They just have to be tuned to the enclosure. Peerless makes a damn near drop in replacement for Polk PR's.
    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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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by dorokusai
    Blue - PR's while not available in Polk form are easy to find. They just have to be tuned to the enclosure. Peerless makes a damn near drop in replacement for Polk PR's.

    Mark,

    Polk could use them to further reduce production costs of the kit :D

    I'll quit beating this dead horse - except to concur with the conventional wisdom that a new production model SDA is never going to happen. However, allow me to cling to the notion that a kit (regardless of parts vendor) designed by Matt is something I'd buy, build, and enjoy the hell out of.

    Come on Matt, the SDA SAS (Silver Anniversary Series) has a pleasant ring to it.

    Mike
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  • Larry Chanin
    Larry Chanin Posts: 601
    edited December 2004
    There is no doubt that kits would generate interest among SDA enthusiasts, but rather than building an entire speaker, how about first a kit that retrofits classic SDAs with the latest technology?

    Remember that infamous thread Matthew Polk on SDA that Paul DiComo started? Paul quoted Matt as wondering:
    I’ve wondered if there is enough interest out there for a couple of classic SDA products that we would sell direct or on-line. I think someone on the forum suggested using LSi components in a classic SDA format and that’s a pretty interesting idea. There are also some new tricks in SDA that this group might really like.

    Think about Matt’s statement for a second and put yourself in his shoes. If you designed the SDA's wouldn't you have an almost overwhelming urge to hear what your SDA's would sound like with current drivers and technical tweaks? What are the chances that Matt has already done a prototype to satisfy his curiosity?

    I agree that the financial risks associated with a brand new line of SDA's, or even an SDA speaker kit for that matter might be formidable. However, putting together a kit to retrofit vintage SDA's is an entirely different story, especially if Matt has already done it during prototyping.

    A retrofit kit would present Polk Audio with an incremental approach to reintroducing the SDA to the current market with a minimal effort and financial exposure. The strategy would not be to make money off of SDA enthusiasts, just not to lose money during the reintroduction. The initial objective would be to get the finished kits in the hands of reviewers in popular A/V magazines. In all likelihood they would be astounded by the performance. Perhaps enough to justify the next step, a complete SDA kit. After that there is always two flavors of kits… 1)assembly required and 2)fully assembled. If we get to this point of the proof of concept phase, we have essentially justified the reintroduction of the SDA line. If not, Polk Audio hasn’t lost anything because their loyal customers have cheerfully funded the prototyping.

    I know this sounds like a lot of wishful thinking, but I can picture Matt as a fellow SDA enthusiast looking for a sound business reason to reintroduce the SDA’s. This low risk, incremental approach just might be the ticket to convince him and his marketing folks to overcome the inertia.

    Larry
    Larry's Home Theater
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2004
    I guess we were due for the semi-annual, "Please bring back the SDA" thread. I'm too blue in the face from asking to give a crap anymore.

    Bring them SDA's, and they will come.
    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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  • wallstreet
    wallstreet Posts: 1,405
    edited December 2004
    If they didn't stop making the SDA's, they wouldn't have started making the LS90's.:)
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by dorokusai
    I guess we were due for the semi-annual, "Please bring back the SDA" thread. I'm too blue in the face from asking to give a crap anymore.

    Bring them SDA's, and they will come.

    I'll throw in with the "Field of Dreams" analogy. Since you're exploring the options of a HQ tour in the foreseeable future, I wonder what impact it might have on Matt if we all showed up sporting tee's that read:

    Kit or retrofit
    Who gives a ****...
    BRING BACK THE SDA!
    :cool:
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2004
    I think you have a great idea Mike....hmmmm

    "Bring back the SDA!" on the back....Polk logo on the front pocket.....
    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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  • SDAnewbie
    SDAnewbie Posts: 2
    edited December 2004
    I started this thread, and I'm an idiot for giving away my CRS back in 88 and then selling my 1C to a friend for $350 in 97. What was I thinking of when I did that??

    My BS over priced B&W can't even hold a candle next to my CRS. I am a fool, because I can't no longer buy a new pair of SDA.
    Polkaudio...if you're listening. Bring back the SDA and I will take a sledge hammer to my B&W.
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by SDAnewbie
    Bring back the SDA and I will take a sledge hammer to my B&W.
    Take pic's please!:D
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited December 2004
    Originally posted by SDAnewbie

    Polkaudio...if you're listening. Bring back the SDA and I will take a sledge hammer to my B&W.

    Sounds like a great commercial! :D
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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