Need Speaker choice help

duke46
duke46 Posts: 11
edited May 2005 in Vintage Speakers
I need some advice on replacing my Bose 301's with something with more punch in a small package. I have a Sansui 8001 quad and run 4 speakers. I have a DBX subwoofer so that things around the house do not say put. My den is 24X14 but because of whats on the floor to keep the wife happy I suspend the Bose with fishnet from the ceiling and does the job. Bose are 17x11x10 and I can go bigger by maybe 3 or 4 inches. The Bose sound good but I want more than they can give. I could put two of the slim towers like R-30/50 on the one side but there would be something in front of them like wicker on one side(you can see through it and a papasaun on the other(could throw the cushion in the floor)
I have been looking at ebay and the monitor 5 and the 7 and saw the SDA CRS?
Having to find and buy 4 speakers at once to keep the system balanced is going to be rough on the pocket book and I am trying to watch real close and hope I don't buy something that does no better than the Bose.
At 59 years old I love great sound and I play it loud enough to make sure you don't talk when I fire it up
duke
Post edited by duke46 on

Comments

  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    edited May 2005
    Get 2 SDA CRS and see how you feel. I bet you won't want 4 speakers after hearing them. If you still want 4, then get 4. But start with 2 just in case :D Then when you realize how bad the Bose sounded, you can take them out back and roast marshmallows on them.
  • duke46
    duke46 Posts: 11
    edited May 2005
    With what I was reading I was thinking the same thing. The one thing I was wondering about was the cord that you plug in between the two? What is the main use of it? Thats what I can't find any info about?
    With a Quad system you have to run four for the quad effect. Quads were made in the early 70's they have a normal 2 speaker stereo mode and the you switching into QS/SQ/CD-4 and the you can play all other LP's in the synthesizer mode. The sounds switch from side to side back to front and the also switch like an X. Its something else when you have the right record on. It will put a smile on your face. Quad LP's are not an easy find. I have had to buy them off eBay like a lot of other guys.
    Thanks for you reply
    duke
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,050
    edited May 2005
    That would be something Quadraphonic Stereo Demensional Array!!!:D :D:D:D .

    I guess if you are dead set on using the quad setting the you would need 4 speakers to get the effect. You need to use the connecting cable on any SDA speaker in order to get the SDA effect.

    Simply put SDA is acheived by sending a low level out of phase signal to corresponding drivers in each cabinet. This low level signal cancels out a phenomenon known as cross talk. Cross talk is present because signals from all drivers reach our ears at slighlty different time intervals. By creating a low level out of phase signal in the opposite speaker this cancels out cross talk and really improves soundstage and imaging properties.

    If you plan on not using the cable you are defeating the purpose of the speakers. They will still sound good, but leave for someone who will use them as intended. There are plenty of other good Polk speakers that you could use for your application. Buying SDA's and then not using them as such is a bit sacreligeous around here:p

    Hope this helps

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited May 2005
    Welcome to Club Polk!

    The SDA line probably won't be the best for your setup if you intend on using them in Quad mode. The monitor line would fit much better into your room. Same drivers, same sound, less cost and more available.

    SDA is a different effect in its own right. It needs to be setup normally along a wall without turning the speaker towards the listener. Basically you "fire them forward" and allow the connection cable between the 2 speakers to create a wider, more spacious and deeper soundfield. It is really a magic feeling, much like the right Quad setup when done right. 4 SDA speakers aimed to the center of the room for Quad mode usage won't be taking advantage of the SDA effect very well. The nice thing about SDA is that it can be heard from normal stereo records and discs.

    I remember Quad systems and thought they were unique and cool, but they lost out since good sound cost alot of dollars investment relative to stereo and came along too late in the great stereo wave of the 60's and 70's. This along with the lack of a solid selection of recorded material.

    At this time, the music listener is faced with the same issue in the new digital formats of DVD-audio and Super Audio Compact Discs (SACD). They are struggling to make inroads into music lovers minds for some of the same reasons Quad had in the '70s.

    I might make a suggestion the you find you way over to another forum website that has a ton of guys our age that collect and cherish the gear, music and formats of days gone by. A number of us from here frequent AudioKarma and there will definately be more members that know much more about Quadrophonic systems.

    AudioKarma

    Good luck and listening,

    Dennis
    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
  • duke46
    duke46 Posts: 11
    edited May 2005
    I really thank you guys for the info. I was getting ready to buy a set. Now I think I go back to the 7's I was looking at. They seemed to be what I thought I was looking for. I am a member of two more forums that deal in the quads and thats why I was looking at the Polk speakers. They said buy Polk and Throw out the Bose. Hey eBay I have 4 Bose 301 for sell!??????
    Any more advice I need please let me know. My wife is going to kill me any way when I buy four more speakers and I have been out of work for 4 months and have to have maybe an opperation on my back so my legs want give out and drop me to the ground like the other day. BUT I love my music!!!!!!!!! And her too.
    duke
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,050
    edited May 2005
    Originally posted by duke46
    I really thank you guys for the info. I was getting ready to buy a set. Now I think I go back to the 7's I was looking at. They seemed to be what I thought I was looking for. I am a member of two more forums that deal in the quads and thats why I was looking at the Polk speakers. They said buy Polk and Throw out the Bose. Hey eBay I have 4 Bose 301 for sell!??????
    Any more advice I need please let me know. My wife is going to kill me any way when I buy four more speakers and I have been out of work for 4 months and have to have maybe an opperation on my back so my legs want give out and drop me to the ground like the other day. BUT I love my music!!!!!!!!! And her too.

    I think once you hear the Polks the Bose will make their way to E-bay in a hurry or just deposit them on the curb in front of your house. What we won't sacrafice for our music! The love of a good woman and our health :eek:

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!