SDA vs. Definitive Tech 2000's

univera

Anyone have an opinion on Def Tech? (Stupid question.) I just picked up a set of Def Tech BP 2000's along with Def Tech BPX surrounds and the Reference Sub in my locale. The price was oh so right. I have never heard them nor have I yet as I am awaiting the jumpers for the towers via snail mail. Just curious about comparisons and Def Tech in general. I read the Stereo Review on the 2000's and it was outstanding.

Def Tech's customer service is awesome FYI. I am considering using the Def Tech system as my home theater setup as I don't have a dedicated surround or matched out Polk surround setup. I am also doubtful that the Def Techs can come close to the sweetness of the SDA-SRS's for 2 channel (although my tweets on the left side are currently AWOL.) I will likely part with the Reference sub as my room is small and I don't need such a beast...Would make a nice coffee table....

I was curious if the Def Tech bi-pole design would yield better encompassing results for home theater than a matched Polk setup using the SDA-SRS's and Polk di-poles for surrounds. My distance from the SDA mains is short and I don't have room behind the couch to get the surrounds behind me, so they will strictly be above. I am concerned the size of the SDA's will overpower anything in the rear and not allow a proper soundstage for surrond.

danger boy

all i can say is comparing Def Tech with Polk Audio or any other brand is going to not be a fair and accurate compairison. both are very different design speakers.

I take it your Def Tech speakers are pretty new.. as compared to the SDA's which are on average about 20 yrs old now. Technology changes and improves over the years... if Polk made a SDA SRS today.. i bet it would sound quite a bit different then one made in say 1985.

You also can't compare different brands to each other.. they all use different drivers, crossovers, cabinet design, etc. your results will be skewed.

A pair of floorstanders from say... Boston Acoustics is going to sound different then your Def Techs, and different from floorstanders made by Klispch or Wharfedale, NHT, Phase Tech.. etc, etc.

So when people ask which is better, Polk or Def Tech? it isn't a fair compairision.

Sit back and enjoy your new speakers.

aaharvel

I like the look and sound of DT. Enjoy your speakers.

dkg999

I think all Def Tech speakers sound just like Polk Rti70's

danger boy

dkg you own a lot of Polk speakers.. which one is your fave.. say for use as mains for music? which one suprised you the most when you listen to it?

dkg999

Dangerboy - first of all my comment was aimed at messing with Sid! To answer your question ........ I probably should get ambitous and write up reviews of the various systems I have in use! The two most surprising for music use were the SDA-2A and the Monitor 10's. The SDA SRS are fantastic, and there is a story behind mine and that is the reason they are in storage and need a cabinet rebuild! However I have always preferred the SDA 2A's over the 1A-C series. They just seem more balanced, have a wider sweet spot where the SDA effect can be heard, and with the new replacement tweeters just sound incredible! I don't require lots of SPL, and the 2A's seem to shine without the need for lots of power and SPL. The Monitor 10's have always been a favorite, kind of like the 2A's without the SDA effect. I have mine upgraded with the new tweeters, and I just always enjoy listening to them, especially with harder edged rock! I have to say that the little RTi28's will really take you by surprise if you put a good source behind them! Doug

danger boy

Doug, oh yeah I knew your comment was aimed at Sid, he's pretty happy with his Def Techs sounds like. we are all familar with his hate for the RTi70's he once had.

VR3

Rti70 can suck my sock.

Long live DT.



You will find the SDAs will win in "clarity" in music unless you plan on spending alot of time with their placement.

Fact is, Def Tech will be right up there in detail, but the stage wont be AS clear as your SDAs. But the Def Techs will have a far more "airy" sound that you may find you like. As far as HT goes - Def Tech will stomp them.

But Def Techs are very hard to place and they take time.

Get them 2 feet (or MORE) from the back wall, get them 1.5+ feet from the side walls, toe them in to the listening position. Those speakers shouldnt need any tilt unless you have high/low seating. The tweeter should be level with your eyes/ears - so adjust acordingly. The farther you are sitting away, the less tilt you will need.

The drivers in the DTs are amazing drivers, particularly the midbasses - many DIYers have called them the bottomless midbass due to the motor/spider design which can withstand TONS of punishment. The tweeter is the weakest point, which by design alone needs alot of room to really shine with detail.

Ill be interested in your comparison and hope you enjoy them.

PS: Def Tech had ALOT of complaints about the subs in your speakers. They were generally considered HT subs by trade - so dont be alarmed if you think they are "boomy" or "muddy" - thats because thats how they were designed to sound.

Id turn them subs down as low as you can.

univera

Sid, thanks for the info. I hooked up the surrounds and listened to them as mains and the midbase was definitely what stood out. It was tight as a...well, a drum. Very pronounced and detailed.

I didn't know if it was in my mind since I didn't have any low end going. Definitely sweet midbase. It is interesting you mention the tweets because I was thinking to myself that they seemed tame, even in comparison to my Kef's, which are not bright whatsoever. Vocals sounded very clear and upfront, but the tweets just don't have alot of detail. The speakers as a whole definitely have alot of openess, but I initially believe I like a sweetspot. Maybe the SDA's have me spoiled. There's nothing to me like sliding over on the couch and hitting the "zone." However, the true comparison will be with the towers.

I have read alot of reviews on the Def's, and it definitely seems that those who were ripping them likely didn't take the required time to experiment with placement and levels. This may be a stupid question, but what do the jumpers on yours look like? When I called Customer Service to ask the best way to wire them since I don't have a manual, he asked if I had jumpers. Since I am used to the brass colored ones found on my Kefs, I assumed they were missing. Are the "risers" behind the posts the actual jumpers?

I hear you on the bass. Boomy is not my thing. Customer Service actually suggested that the mains provided plenty of sub for my small room and that I didn't really need the Reference sub. It will likely go on the auction block unless someone suggests otherwise....

tonyb

You can use good quality speaker wires for jumpers,better than the
crappy brass ones they will most likely ship to you.Make sure you connect
poss. to poss.-neg. to neg. between the top post and bottom post.
As for a comparison,2 different animals here.SDA's will be more room
friendly in your set-up proceedure.wider soundstage too.If you like the
Def Tech sound,turn the built in subs down and go with a seperate
sub.You'll be happy with music and HT that way.My .02

VR3

The tweeter is actually pretty detailed...

The problem with Definitives design is they are designed for HUGE rooms. The speakers you picked up require alot more space than even your SRS speakers. Weird huh?

My BP10B's are a speaker that require a room around 20x20, your speakers - which I believe have four 6.5" midbasses right? They need a room in the 30x30 range to really shine.

It is very hard to place those bipolar speakers in a room that is small. Just keep them away from the side and back walls, mess with tilt.

No sweetspot? Wow, my BP10Bs had a very directional sweetspot. Do you have them toed in any at all? If you have them pointed straight out - they will be very dull and very small sounding - you must toe them in to get a sweetspot...

VR3

As for the subbage...

I would sell that DT sub and pick up a SVS. Especially if you plan to use this for HT - SVS will hit far lower, far harder, and sound FAR better.

DT sucks at making subs.

univera

Sid, thanks again. As for toeing, no I didn't toe and as I mentioned, these were the surrounds. It is interesting that you feel that their subs are "junk" since they sell for good money, but then again, so does Monster Cable...

My space isn't even close to 30 x 30, so these may be going on the block as well. The opportunity was in hand and a way good deal, so I jumped on it. My actual listening area is about 15 feet from front wall to rear wall, with the couch/listening position a few feet closer. The big boy SDA's are probably a bit too close as well, but parting with those is out of the question...

The width of my listening area is hard to measure as the left side has no solid wall other that a few feet on on the side and just in front of the couch. To that point, the room is about 18 feet wide. If you considered the rest of the open space, it probably makes 30 feet. There is nothing on that side for sound to reflect off of, so maybe these just aren't the right speaker for my space. I will let you know. My Kef's, which I love, got lost in this room. The SDA's filled it up.

Unlike many forum members, I am not a tinkerer and I like ease of setup and sound. The SDA's are alrighty monsters in my room, so having to keep DT's possibly four feet out from the wall may be another limiting factor. Will let you know what I find.

VR3

Not 4 - 2 feet from back walls - 1.5 feet from side (or more)

univera

Yes, I got that. I have just read reviews from owners that said Def Tech recommended moving them out 4 feet from a wall. Side walls are already no problem. Thanks.

VR3

4 feet may be a bit much - thatd be for a LARGE room.

In your small room, stick to 2 feet.

univera

Got my jumpers. Hooked them up. Very nice. It took a bit of playing around with the adjusments and I am sure more will occur over time. The first thing I have to say is that I prefer the Polk Rti70's over the DT's.....

But seriously, I pretty much agree with everything that has been said about the DT's. They are very clear and super smooth. Very fast with super tight mids.

The first thing I noticed right off is that these just don't have as involving a sound as the SDA-SRS. The Polks just seem to envelop my listening position and involve me in the music. The DT's definitely are very airy, but they still don't "involve" me in the music as much as the SDA's. The DT's envelop the room, but they don't involve me in the performance nearly as much. I feel like someone sitting in a performance, but I could really be sitting anywhere. I guess what I am trying to say is that the SDA's just feel more like a real performance. I believe that I am sitting 5th row, dead center. I can close my eyes and find the bass player, etc...

The Def Techs are very honest. I listened to an 80's Aha song "Take on Me" and I heard a bit of detail in the beginning I had never noticed before. Vocals are absolutely lovely. Very, very detailed. I can hear every reverberation of the vocal chords. The breathing of the singer is very apparent . Interestingly, I found the tweets to be very subdued. Very clear and certainly not bright or fatiguing. I just didn't find the high end to be upfront as much as the sound. High end just seemed a bit in the "background." My room is small, so that certainly is a factor. Of course, the tweet design by nature keeps brass at bay, but it just seems very, very, laid back. This could be a factor also of getting the sound balanced just right.

The SDA's are more spot on in my initial test as far as centering the vocalist and clearly defining the sound stage. Instruments in the SDA's just seem more clearly defined in space. The SDA's also have better depth and layering of sound, although the DT's did a great job.

I really tested the two using a live, Loreena McKennitt in Tokyo cd. This disk has a very open, encompassing sound with a multitude of instruments and beautiful vocals. The SDA's, IMO, define the size of the auditorium and have a more effective sound. Effective being defined as "realism and involvement." The DT's are airy, but the space, to me, is not as strongly defined as the SDA's. It's hard to explain, but the SDA's seem to better reproduce the "hollowness" of the large auditorium. I can definitely see how HT would benefit from the airy effect of the DT's.

The Def Techs certainly don't seem constrained and the sound is open and "airy" as mentioned. I would agree that a comparison is not really the right description as they are different animals. It all comes down to choice, and I prefer the very defined sound of the SDA's, but if I was stranded on a desert island, these would do just fine. My test is not scientific by any means and certainly would benefit from a longer duration. By the way, does anyone agree that these have a similar sound to many British loudspeakers, with an emphasis on the mids and vocals (discounting the obvious builit in subs?)

dorokusai

They certainly give the impression of a larger soundstage, but it certainly should based on the design alone. They're a better than average HT speaker....that's about it.

I definetly don't think they exhibit a "British" sound.

VR3

How did you compare the RTi70 to the DTs? Do you own them or what? (Maybe its a mistake) - but youll have to elaborate on that one...

As for the DT to SDA comparison, its about what I thought you would think.

The DTs are insanely detailed, but you gotta like that sound.

My real question is - what would you think of the Behringer Truth monitors, because they do everything the DTs did - with more definition, depth and highs...

Amazing speakers. You must go to your local PA store and take a pair home for trial.

univera

I will have to check out the the BT's. I don't think anyone around here has them. I was kidding about the RTi70's since I read the ribbing in the previous threads leading up to your response. I have since listened some more and they really are very clear, smooth speakers. Really, big sound. They do fill up my room, which my Kefs couldn't do. If I hadn't already heard and owned the SRS's, I probably wouldn't know any better. If only I could get the SRS's sound in a smaller package....They are way out of scale in my room and don't have girlfriend approval aesthetically, but she loses....

univera

DK, thanks for the input. You always give straightfoward answers and seem to have endless knowledge. If you were going to replace a receiver (I am running the SDA's with a vintage NAD 7600 beast. Yes, I know it is the dreaded receiver, but it is a cut above most and is built as much like seperates as possible and has a monster power section in voltage, headroom, and watts. It has to be one of the best receivers ever built that one can attain for $500.00 or less.) This piece is so well built that I doubt NAD seperates themselves would make much of a difference in performance improvement. I know there are some on this site that might not think alot of NAD, but it is IMO the best quality one can buy at a moderate price point. Again, only my semi-informed opinion. Anyway, I have the speakers, so upgrading the power supply is the next step.

What would be your recommendation for a second hand power supply that is the next step up (both in price and sound quality) from NAD products? I love the NAD sound and simple build and don't have a major cash supply. I have two vintage Rotel amps (love those as well), but I don't know if they are any better than the NAD. If I can't really make a decent jump in sound quality without going a lot higher end in terms of price, I don't see the need. I would be looking at seperates, not another receiver. My setup sounds quite nice at the moment (even without having yet upgraded the tweets, caps, or crossovers.) Others are certainly welcomed to respond. Thanks in advance.

VR3

Seriously dude...

Pick up the Behringer Truth Monitors (ones with the 8.75" woof) - POWERED (no amps required on your part, just need a pre)...

Get some good XLRs or 1/4" cable (and adaptors if needed) and upgrade the power cables.

Seriously, they will get you close to that "body" you were talking about + the detail of the DTs (even more in the high end, alot more in the high end actually)...

They are perfect for 8-10' (or less) from you. They also require the 2' or so from the rear wall, 1.5' or more from the side walls.

univera

I love the SDA's, regardless of size, so I am gonna stay put. The DT's were just an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Thanks for the heads up.

VR3

Are you keeping the DTs?

The Truths are 340 a pair (powered)...

Cant go wrong.

univera

I am possibly selling the DT's. I don't know if I can keep them at the moment. I am definitely selling the sub.

univera

I must say after further listening that the DT's are super speakers. I can say with certainty that piano notes flat out sound better than the SDA's. It has been noted in previous threads that the SDA's aren't the best for piano. The DT's produce a very natural sounding piano/organ. I might venture even further to suggest these are better rock and roll speakers. My Coldplay cd, which already has a spacey sound, really comes alive and rocks on these speakers.

They are whisper quiet between chords as well. The more I listen, the more I like. I still wouldn't trade the SDA's...

VR3

Muahahhaha...

I cant wait till you tinker with them more...

Once you think you got it, theres more. They are awesome speakers though. You can really help that tweeter with a slight crossover modification.