SDA reviews

mhw58
mhw58 Posts: 359
edited August 2002 in Speakers
I recently bought a pair of SDA2's and am curious what
the audio magazines said about the SDA's when they
came out. Does anyone have any Stereo Review, High Fidelity or
Audio reviews of the SDA's from the 80's? Were the
SDA's highly rated at the time? Does ayone have the
June 1984 issue of High Fidelity? They reviewed the SDA2's
in that issue and I'm curious what they said.
Thanks, Mike
Fronts: SDA1C's
Rears: SDA2's
Center:CS400i
Sub: PSW505
Post edited by mhw58 on
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited August 2002
    Can't help you with a 'pro' review, but for what it's worth, my review is as follows..... and I was VERY skeptical of SDA at the time....

    However, now I have heard the truth....

    http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2170&highlight=SDA2b

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    Russ,
    Great review! Which Diana Krall cd were you playing?
    I have the original 2's with 2 tweeters and 3 drivers.
    How did Polk achieve the SDA affect with the 2B's only
    having 1 tweeter and 2 drivers?
    Thanks, Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited August 2002
    Diana - When I look in your eyes.....

    SDA effect? only 1 'normal', 1 'SDA' mid needed, if I'm not mistaken....

    LOVE those speaks...

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    Polk found out after your speakers that the SDA effect with tweeters was useless or not audible. With 2 drivers one was the stereo driver and the other was the SDA driver. Did you get yours off eBay?
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,644
    edited August 2002
    King,
    What's going on with your 2.3TL's? Did you see what the 1.2TL's on eBay went for?
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    I didn't get them off of ebay. I live in Monterey and a guy had put an ad in our local paper that just said 'Polk audio speakers'. I was building a home theatre setup and knew polk were good speakers but had never owned them. The guy I bought them from knew nothing about the SDA technology. He had them facing towards each other and did not have the interconnect cable hooked up. I got them for $200. They are in excellent condition except for 1 corner has a nick in it. The drivers are all in excellent
    condition. When I bought them, I had never heard of the SDA
    technology either. I found the Polk website/forum and have learned a lot about SDA's and am very happy to have them. Mine
    have the SL2000 tweeters instead of the 1000's also. They
    sound great. I notice in your review that you had them 5
    feet apart. I got an owners manual from Polk and they say
    they should be at least 6 feet apart. Did you ever try
    moving them further away than 5 feet? I've played around with
    different spacings and have mine about 7 feet apart.
    Thanks, Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,644
    edited August 2002
    Hey Mike,
    So you settled on 7 feet...that's cool. I still don't know about the cd burner....will let you know.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    What's going on with your 2.3TL's?

    Me and momma consumed mass quantities of alcohol and enjoyed them for 4-5 hrs Friday and we are in love. Watched some Peter Frampton and some Eagles and listened to bunch of CD's and we had the "big smile effect" going on. Still need to order new Y cables though. Mine are 1 female 2 male and couldn't make them work. I still think the 1C's are as good as the 2.3's......just in a smaller and not so big a way. The one thing the 2.3's have a lot more of is the lower end. I'm very very HAPPY :D
    Did you see what the 1.2TL's on eBay went for?
    I saw where the guy ended them.....but in NO way did he sell them for that....:)
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    Oh Mike

    I have mine about 8-9' apart.....
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    I settled on 7 feet only because it fits my room and tv
    setup better than 6 feet. We have a coffee table and
    dvd/cd storage shelf that pretty much has to go on the same
    wall as my tv and speakers. In order to make it all work,
    7 feet was the best I could do. My wife has been cool
    about me getting these speakers, a new CS400i center
    channel and a POLK 450 sub so I have to make it all look
    as good as I can. If the wife wasn't a factor, I'd own some
    of the big SDA's and set up my room around THEM!
    Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,644
    edited August 2002

    I saw where the guy ended them.....but in NO way did he sell them for that....:)

    You think not...hmmm...I was thinking by the look of his house that he probably doesn't need money and the WAF was kicking in big time, so he just wanted to get rid of them. Guess we'll never know for sure.

    I agree with the lower end...glad you and your lady are enjoying them! :D
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    Nascarman,
    Which SDA"s do you own that are 8-9 feet apart? Are you
    measuring from the inside of the speakers?
    Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    Nascarman,
    I notice you said the 1-C's are as good as the 2.3's?
    I hope to someday get some 1-C's. I've read some say
    they are the most audiophile of the SDA's. I've only heard
    my 2's so have nothing to compare them to. Would it be
    a major upgrade for me to get 1-C's someday? I could
    move my SDA2's to my rear speakers. From what I've read
    the 1-C's are fantastic and they are not much bigger than
    my 2's.
    Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    2.3 in front and 1's in rear. I didn't measure....that's a guess center to center...
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    Nascarman,
    Sounds like an awesome setup! What are you using for
    your Center channel? You probably don't need a sub
    with that setup but are you using a sub?
    Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,644
    edited August 2002
    Mike,
    From my take the 2's are best at 6 or 7 feet while the 2.3's are better at 7 to 8 feet measured inside to inside.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    What are you using for

    No center....Running in Phantom Center....I think that's what they call it. I use my setup 90% of the time in 2 channel. I do have a PSW450....
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,644
    edited August 2002
    Mike,
    To answer your original question....from Stereo Review.."The Polk SDA 2A is right up there at the top of the class in every way. It has the ability to make your previous favorite speaker sound almost second-rate. Listen at your own risk!"
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited August 2002
    Originally posted by mhw58
    Does anyone have any Stereo Review, High Fidelity or Audio reviews of the SDA's from the 80's? Were the SDA's highly rated at the time? Does ayone have the June 1984 issue of High Fidelity? They reviewed the SDA2's in that issue and I'm curious what they said.
    Thanks, Mike

    Roger Russell provides copies of equipment reviews from Audio, High Fidelity, and Stereo Review magazines for $4.00 each.

    You can order a copy of the June 1984 issue of SDA 2 review from here: Roger Russell Website

    Five other SDA review you may find of interest: (1)The SDA 1C was reviewed in the November 1987 issue of Stereo Review. (2)The SDA-SRS 2.3 was reviewed in the November 1988 issue of Stereo Review. (3) The SDA 1 was reviewed in the November 1984 issue of Stereo Review. (4)The SDA 2A was reviewed in the December 1986 issue of Stereo Review. (5) The SDA-SRS 2 was reviewed in the November 1986 issue of High Fidelity.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited August 2002
    Originally posted by mhw58
    Did you ever try moving them further away than 5 feet?

    My 1.2TL's are 7 feet apart. I sit back 14 feet, all the while with a big grin.:D

    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited August 2002
    Originally posted by mhw58
    Did you ever try moving them further away than 5 feet?

    My 1C's are 8 feet apart. I sit back 15 feet. The size of my grin depends more on whats on the TV than the sound coming out of the 1C's.:D
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    Thanks for the info about reviews from Roger Russell.
    I'll order them from him.
    Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    I got the tape measure out.....6' inside to inside apart. Sitting in the fatboy recliner my head is 9' back from center line...
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited August 2002
    Last night I watched the Diana Krall live in Paris dvd and
    Steely Dan's Two against nature dvd. It is very interesting
    to play them in surround sound, then switch to stereo.
    The imaging of the SDA's makes you think you have a
    center channel as the vocals come straight out of the
    tv. Diana Kralls piano comes from outside the speakers
    and the guitar and bass have their own space. I love
    the SDA's but it makes me wonder why Polk quit making
    them and why noone else ever tried to use the SDA
    technology.
    Mike
    Fronts: SDA1C's
    Rears: SDA2's
    Center:CS400i
    Sub: PSW505
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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    Those are very good questions......:confused:
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • har_navalta
    har_navalta Posts: 957
    edited August 2002
    raife,

    Whats on the left side of the other speaker (1C's) behind... is that
    a Sub? it looks like other speaker to me...

    Anyway, I recently moved to my new house but I don't have enough space for my SDA's. I'd squeeze them only at 4 to 5
    feet apart and it sounded not too good as compared to 7 feet apart plus 3 feet on the wall. My set-up was only for 2-channel rig. I will build a room for my SDA's sometimes to give them space to breath.
    ..............No more Home theater... only 2 channel set-up.


    :mad: ,
    Har
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited August 2002
    Originally posted by mhw58 I love the SDA's but it makes me wonder why Polk quit making them and why no one else ever tried to use the SDA technology.

    Here are my random thoughts:

    The short answer is $$$$. For a while, Polk decided to move away from the "audiophile" market and strictly go the "mass market" audio route. Can't blame them. There is certainly more money to be made there. They have recently returned to their high-end, audiophile roots with the LSi line. It is interesting to note that the marketing brochures for the LSi line states that LSi's are for "serious, critical listeners". Is that a tacit admission that the other speakers in their current product line are not for the "critical listener"?:lol:

    SDA's are very finicky speakers. For proper setup and to get a good SDA presentation requires a large room, a good, high-current, high-power amp, and well-recorded source material. A lot of people became disenchanted with their SDA's because of they did not understand how to, or didn't want to set them up properly. I have bought a few pairs from some of them.

    SDA's came out in the mid-80's just as small satellite speaker+subwoofwer systems were becoming the rage. Big boxy speakers like SDA's tend to have a very low WAF (wife acceptance factor). I have seen a lot of ads on Ebay and Audiogon where the seller was unloading his SDA's because the "wife said they had to go".

    I find it surprising that these speakers are still in demand some 20 years after their entry into the market. Even more surprising is that Polk still cheerfully provides customer support and reasonably priced replacement parts for speakers that they stopped making 11 years ago. :)

    There may very well be more demand now for SDA's than when they were originally in production. However, if Polk resurrected the SDA line, I do not think they would generate enough cash to make them a financially attractive investment. :(
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited August 2002
    Originally posted by har_navalta
    raife, Whats on the left side of the other speaker (1C's) behind... is that
    a Sub? it looks like other speaker to me...

    Har,

    Heres some better views:

    HTRight.jpgSVS-CS-Ultras.jpg

    I just moved also. I'm still unpacking boxes. What do you think were the first boxes I unpacked?:lol:
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • nascarmann
    nascarmann Posts: 1,464
    edited August 2002
    raife1

    To quote the "not worth a she-at playing rock B&W owners" of the forum.....Ed Zackary
    Oh, the bottle has been to me, my closes friend, my worse enemy!
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited August 2002
    Originally posted by mhw58
    Did you ever try moving them further away than 5 feet?

    Home office. These are 5 feet apart. I sit 8 feet back.:D
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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