New Sda Fundraiser/pipe Dream

univera

I know its been discussed many times over, but I don't know that this idea has been proposed. This is more food for thought than expectation of actuality. I know Doro will remind us all of that....

However, it seems that THOUSANDS of dollars are thrown around by individuals on this website every day, and certainly every week. Hypothetically speaking, what if 50 guys (Wingnut, you too) commited to throwing in $2,000 each to finance development of a new, real deal (not an SDA Bar) pair of speakers. I have no clue what development costs are (I am sure I will be informed,) but this would add up to $100,000 right there. Seems like that would be a damn good start. Polk could then turn around and sell a new pair of SDA's as a specialty product to those who were interested. Based on this site, there would certainly be plenty of interested parties. The funds might not be raised overnight, but could be managed in an escrow account until the fundraising was completed.

Talk about the ultimate in product loyalty.....Yes, a pipedream, but I'd be curious to know how many people would commit if they truly knew they could raise the funds within say, a two year period. And, for sake of discussion, say that the new SDA's would run no more than $2,500 a pair, which seems to be an attainable price for many. The new line could be called Polk SDA Forum 2.2's or something like that! Deposits of $500 would be required by a set date before a limited production of several hundred pairs were manufactured.

Heck, with the know-how on this site, Polk could get some volunteer time to hand build these babies! Pipe dreams are always fun to indulge. Yes, I know this would limit things to just one pair of main speakers, but I am sure it would cost too much more to develop a full product line for HT, etc. I'm in......

Dennis Gardner

$2k will get you the top of the line originals................why beat a dead horse?

joeparaski

Wow Dennis, you just beat the poor guy and his dream on the head, rather than the horse.

I for one would go for a brand new pair of updated, upgraded, and improved 1.2 tl's (better than Darqueknight's modifications, if that's possible).

DarqueKnight

Dennis Gardner wrote:

$2k will get you the top of the line originals................

If...if....if....you can find a pair that are reasonably near you and have not been physically abused.

F1nut

Polk isn't lacking the funds to make a new SDA speaker, they just don't want to.

ESavinon

Thats a novel idea.
I would be willing to fund this if all that participate would get a special limited edition and perhaps get the new sda speakers at cost.

danger boy

bad idea. instead everyone send me your 2K and i'll invest it. hee hee hee.

Why live in the past? Polk Audio did the SDA thing and did it very well. Times change.. you and I and several others on this board would love to own some new and improved kind of SDA's, but the general public would not. They are to large and cumbersome for most home these days.

With 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 home theater systems... being much less expensive.. why would you pay 2 or 3K for a pair of SDA's, when you could have a better sounding 5.1 set up for that amount of money? And it would sound more surround-ish as well.

I"m not trying to kill your dream.. but hey.. let the past lie. It's like the Beatles getting back together. How many years did people try to get them back together? Did it ever happen? Sometimes reviving a classic can have negative affects.

Lets cherrish the SDA's still left in the world today.. and be proud to have been a part of audio history by owing a pair of the classic Polk Audio SDA. Be equally as proud to know there are those of us who will cherrish and baby those magnificant speakers till the end.

RuSsMaN

Polk does make an SDA speaker - it's called the SurroundBar.

Look for SDA tech coming in a high end in-wall series.

Dennis Gardner

RuSsMaN wrote:

Look for SDA tech coming in a high end in-wall series.

And watch the tweakers try to toe-in these ****.:D

RuSsMaN

You know it.

Heck, I'd rather see a mini-monitor revisit or monitor 5/7 with new tech. Something small I can set on my desk, or use in the bedroom - an 'everyman' speaker (low $).

Cheers,
Russ

aaharvel

What was the flagship SDA speaker?

The SRS 2.3tL?

any pics?

aaharvel

what about this bad boy?

i've never seen this one period.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/srtsystem/

shack

Polk doesn't need or want us building speakers for them. They own the SDA technology (or the patents) and have their own plan for it's application. The pros and cons have been debated ad-nauseum, but the bottom line is that we will never see a new "big" SDA again. The market simply is not there. The buying public is moving towards mulitchannel (thus the surroundbar and possibly inwall as Russ aludes) with relatively small footprints (if at all). The 2 channel crowd is small and declining (a niche market) and even within this group many purist viewed the SDA technology as a "gimmic". SDA fans are a small bunch that will probably have to make do with what is already there. Matt Polk has pretty much stated on this forum that he is intrigued by the loyal SDA fans, but he's been there, done that and is moving in other directions.

Your $2,000 will be better served buying, preserving and maintaining a vintage pair of SDAs if that is the speaker you want.

F1nut

I disagree with the "large speakers won't sell" theory. There are actually still companies making and selling very large speakers. Yes, they cost more than $2k, but so what!?! The people buying big quality speakers have deep pockets. Hell, the 1.2TL's sold for $3400.00 15 years ago. You'd have to dreaming if you think Polk could make a large SDA for $2k today.

danger boy

anyone got any more horses laying around we can beat to death now??

F1nut

Wait a few minutes, there's no shortage of horses around here.

reeltrouble1

Large speakers are very popular today with folks who know their audio.

I am in on this SDA project but only if I get an official new set of Polk SDA glasses AND an official SDA couch.

RT1

univera

Dennis Gardner wrote:

$2k will get you the top of the line originals................why beat a dead horse?

Dennis, live a little. Indulge.... This was food for thought and just having some fun. Assume that the new speaks would be an improvement on the current. Nicer, better looking wood than my somewhat ugly, light oak wood that went out of fashion in the 80's. And, perhaps a more streamlined design, instead of the big rectangle. Don't get me wrong. I love my speakers. I don't like the massive looks in my relatively small room. A more pleasing shape wouldn't hurt WAF whatsoever.

An improved design that started from the ground up with better parts is what I was musing about. As often as people get rid of their gear, who wouldn't want a brand new, improved set? (Rhetorical question.) Not everyone is a tweaker (me) so I won't have DK's pair ever. Regardless, just having some fun. One never knows how another will take an idea and run with it.

As far as living in the past, I don't see how desiring an updated version of a proven winner is living in the past. Imagine if Porshe considered old designs "living in the past" and never harnessed the older technology for newer cars...The ideal with technology is to take it and update. Continuously improve. The general consensus is that the newer lines don't sound as good as the older SDA technology. In a sense, Polk isn't moving forward, even if they are appealing to the masses. No point beating that horse, but just addressing the "living in the past" statement.

For those saying multi-channel is more appealing, I say no way. Talk about gimic? If anyone thinks SDA is a gimic, than certainly multi-channel is a bigger gimic. Danger Boy, with all due respect, how can you say that 5.1 or 7.1 setups, while perhaps less expensive, are "better sounding" than a $2-3,000 pair of main speakers? I am certain many would disagree, especially 2 channel purists. I like both setups, but no way multi-channel surround speaker package beats out a dedicated, high end, 2 channel main pair of speakers. At least not in my mind. Perhaps that sound is more appealing to you, but I'll take up front "magic" any day over sound from everywhere.

Remember, the idea was a special edition speaker, not something for the masses and plainly to provoke thought.

SDA SRS 1.2

aaharvel wrote:

What was the flagship SDA speaker?

The SRS 2.3tL?

any pics?

The SDA SRS, 1.2, and 1.2TL's were the flagship models during the SDA production years.

shack

I basically tried to give the short version of why it is NOT going to happen. Wax poetic if you will, but this topic has been beat to death time and time again...so it is nothing new and nothing really thought provoking.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24186

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27961

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35393

F1nut wrote:

I disagree with the "large speakers won't sell" theory. There are actually still companies making and selling very large speakers. Yes, they cost more than $2k, but so what!?! The people buying big quality speakers have deep pockets. Hell, the 1.2TL's sold for $3400.00 15 years ago. You'd have to dreaming if you think Polk could make a large SDA for $2k today

Sure Jesse, big speakers are still being made/sold but as much as you might like it to happen at Polk with the SDA technology....you know it won't. I don't think Polk wants to be in the $10,000 speaker market which is probably where the 1.2TLs would be today.

xsmi

shack wrote:

I basically tried to give the short version of why it is NOT going to happen. Wax poetic if you will, but this topic has been beat to death time and time again...so it is nothing new and nothing really thought provoking.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24186

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27961

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35393



Sure Jesse, big speakers are still being made/sold but as much as you might like it to happen at Polk with the SDA technology....you know it won't. I don't think Polk wants to be in the $10,000 speaker market which is probably where the 1.2TLs would be today.

Actually,

I don't see 1.2TL's costing any more than the Legacy Focus 20/20 at $6500/pair. I reason this because when the original Focus was released it was $100 more than the 1.2TL $3595 and $3495 respectively. So, yes it is more than the $2500 first proposed but much less than the $10000 price quoted. I think Polk could make a large SDA for less than $7k using the LSI drivers. The problem would be the large gulf between what they offer now LSI 25 at $3k and large SDA at mid $6k. Do they want to enter that territory?

At this level things get very competitive even more so I think than the low end because this is the threshhold of people getting very dscrimenate about their products and it is the low end of exotica. It would be very tough. I for one would love to see it happen.

Dennis Gardner

Polk was in the uber $$$ market with the SRT and it had new versions of the old technologies, (electronic SDA). I don't recall all the SDA owners taking out 2nds on their homes to hitch to this wagon and flooding the markets with their "old, outdated SDAs".

Some things are better left at rest. I don't want a new version of a Duesenburg, but finding an old one in a garage for a song would be nice.

reeltrouble1

The problem is Polk is not presently interested in developing what would be a limited run speaker. That comes from the big three at PF06. Its just not there direction, vision or where their strategic planning seems to be headed.

RT1

ND13

Who says a new SDA set has to be gigantic??? CRS+s do quite well, just ask Jesse and a few lucky others. SDA has/had nothing to do with sheer size, just that was the way back then. It could be done in a cabinet not any larger than most current floorstanders, just a little wider.