Most life-size sounding speakers?
c_corie
Posts: 138
What speaker (probably floor standing) sounds the most life-size? Like if you heard a section with a piano, or just drums, it would sound almost as big as having those instruments in the room. And it doesn't have to be limited to Polk speakers, or older speakers, anything goes. Also please list the price, and if they are currently in production.
Post edited by c_corie on
Comments
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Have you heard any SDA's?
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B&W Nautilus 802s(new$10,000.00)used price $4500-$5000Linn AV5140 fronts
Linn AV5120 Center
Linn AV5140 Rears
M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
Odyssey Mono-Blocs
SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D -
I like ribbon speakers. Carver ALIII's give a nice sound stage. They like lots of power though.Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t
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I love my SDA's but the Magnepan Tympani T4's were awesome in this regard as wellThe Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
I agree with your comments. I was wondering if you put the SDA SRS speakers in the same league with the higher end larger speakers you made a reference too, such as the Legacy Audio, JBL High end etc. When I recently bought my SDA SRS 1.2 speakers the guy I bought them off had a pair of Maggie's. He said exactly what you said that he loved the Polk SDA SRS 1.2's but the bass was too much for his wife. The Maggie's do not have the bass punch of the 1.2's. Interesting post.Polk HT system 1: LSIC, LSI25 mains, LSI F/X rears, Lsi F/X rear centers,
Yamaha RX-V2500 System, Carver A753 3 channel amp.
Polk HT system 2: , SRT system with f/x 1,000's rear speakers on 7.1 system currently using Onkyo TX-RZ820 receiver, powered by Sunfire Grand Theater amp
Polk Speaker collection: SDA SRS 1.2tl x 2, SRT system, SDA SRS 2 P/B, SDA 2A, SDA 1C Studio, SDA CRS+, Monitor 7B & 4, SRS 3.1tl, RTA 15tl, LS90, LSI 9 -
thuffman03 wrote: »I like ribbon speakers. Carver ALIII's give a nice sound stage. They like lots of power though.
I second this. Mine image like a sumbitch. The Platinums are marginally better IMNSHO.TNRabbit
NO Polk Audio Equipment :eek:
Sunfire TG-IV
Ashly 1001 Active Crossover
Rane PEQ-15 Parametric Equalizers x 2
Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Seven
Carver AL-III Speakers
Klipsch RT-12d Subwoofer -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I love my SDA's but the Magnepan Tympani T4's were awesome in this regard as well
The Typmanis (I haven't heard a pair for decades) are the most "life-sized" sounding speakers I've ever heard. -
mhardy6647 wrote: »The Typmanis (I haven't heard a pair for decades) are the most "life-sized" sounding speakers I've ever heard.
My first job out of high school was building them. One of my jobs was applying the "robin's egg" adhesive to the mylar diaphram and stretching the copper wires across them. I heard the Tympani in the factory demo room, and it was an experience I will never forget.;)The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Okay, you did say anything goes. I have not heard them, but I'm sure the Wisdom Audio Infinite Grande would sound pretty realistic, regardless of the instrument. At $700,000, they had better :eek:
http://www.wisdomaudio.com/products_grande.phpPrimary System
Polk Audio SDA SRS 2.3TL (RDO198,Sonicap/Dayton/Mills,CardasCCGR,Mye Spikes,DynamatX,Driver Rings,Ben's IC,Bi-Wired)
Polk Audio CSiA4 x2 (C)
Polk Audio FXiA6 (S)
Polk Audio RTiA3 (RS)
Polk Audio FXiA4 (FX)
Epik Sentinel x2
Yamaha RX-V3900
Rotel RB-1090
Rotel RMB-1095
NAD C565 BEE
Technics/KAB SL-1210M5G w/ Denon DL-160
Parasound Halo P7
OPPO BDP-83
Panasonic TC-P65V10 65" Plasma -
Well, I was gonna type up my thoughts but as I read the aforementioned I realized that Zero typed what I would have typed. Pretty scary because it was so close to being word for word to my thoughts. :eek:You're undertaking what I would consider to be a difficult quest. I say that because in my own travels, I have yet to find a loudspeaker that can reproduce every instrument with truly proportional scale, tone, and dynamics. Though some loudspeakers typically do a few things very well, there is always an attached caveat.
That said, Zero nailed it. I guess great minds think alike.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
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nooshinjohn wrote: »My first job out of high school was building them. One of my jobs was applying the "robin's egg" adhesive to the mylar diaphram and stretching the copper wires across them. I heard the Tympani in the factory demo room, and it was an experience I will never forget.;)
That is too cool.
I listened to the IB version at a long-defunct hifi shop in NE Baltimore called The Discerning Ear driven (IIRC) by Audio Research (ARC) electronics and typically with a high-end Japanese DD tt (e.g., Denon) with a Denon MC cartridge (probably the venerable DL-103). Small combo jazz and stuff like Steely Dan was just like real life in scope and scale. The only other speakers i've heard that made as much of an impression on me were the original Polk "Monitor Series" and the Quad ESL-57.
None of the other Magneplanars come close, IMNSHO. -
Yes, Mr. Zero pretty much covered it IMHO...Well, I was gonna type up my thoughts but as I read the aforementioned I realized that Zero typed what I would have typed. Pretty scary because it was so close to being word for word to my thoughts. :eek:
That said, Zero nailed it. I guess great minds think alike.Steve Carlson
Von Schweikert VR-33 speakers
Bel Canto eVo2i integrated amp
Bel Canto PL-2 universal disc player
Analysis Plus Oval Nine speaker cables and Copper Oval-In Micro interconnects
VH Audio Flavor 4 power cables
Polk Monitor 10B speakers, retired but not forgotten -
Oh, one more thing c_corie. Even if you do find "that" elusive speaker set, what you source them with, amp them with, configure them [Bi-amping or Tri-amping for example] with and hook them up with can take that very same set of speakers and make it completely change. Synergy can make or break a speaker set.
Then there is the dedicated lines [or lack thereof], available power, noise, room acoustics...........and I could go on and on.............point being that even when and if you find the one speaker of your liking? When you get it home, it may just sound completely different.
No matter what, have fun on your audio journey. If you feel the need to hear real sound? Go to a concert.
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
The widest, biggest soundstage I've ever heard was Ted's (Reeltrouble 1)current ribbon speakers he is running in his two channel rig. They were quite frankly breathtaking. I have never heard such an expansive soundstage from just two speakers. I didn't bother to remember what they were because quite frankly, I know I could never afford them! If you have never heard ribbon speaker before, they are impressive and very airy.
I love my SDA-1Cs though, and they have an impressive soundstage as well, though definitely not on the same order as Ted's speakers. I guess it all depends on budget. From what I hear, finding a good deal on some Carver Amazing's is a good way to be introduced to the world of ribbons without breaking the bank. That may be my next step, but I think I'm probably going for the big boy SDAs instead. There's just a mystique about the big SDAs that I find irresistable. -
The SDA's are very good speakers but you can pick up a set of Carver ALIII's for less. Though you have to make sure the ribbons are in good shape our you will be dropping another $800 to get them repaired.
I got my set for $600. Here is a pic:Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t -
^^^^^Just Beautiful thuffman03.
BB3Sony 52in.XBR6
Sony 32in.XBR6
Anthem AVM50V
Anthem PRE-2L
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1
Carver C-9
Carver C-19 PreAmp
Carver C-16 PreAmp
2-Carver Silver 7-T's
4-Carver TFM55's
2-Carver TFM35's
1-Carver TFM25
Carver 490T
Denon DCD1560
Sony BDP-S350
Sony PS3
Nintendo Wii
Panasonic DMK23DVR
Speakers :
PolkAudio SDA-SRS
PolkAudio SDA-SRS 1.2TL
PolkAudio SDA-CRS+(Compliments Of Mr. Jim Thomas"jtgranby")
PolkAudio RTA-15TL
PolkAudio M3
3-Velodyne F-1500's -
Oh, one more thing c_corie. Even if you do find "that" elusive speaker set, what you source them with, amp them with, configure them [Bi-amping or Tri-amping for example] with and hook them up with can take that very same set of speakers and make it completely change. Synergy can make or break a speaker set.
Then there is the dedicated lines [or lack thereof], available power, noise, room acoustics...........and I could go on and on.............point being that even when and if you find the one speaker of your liking? When you get it home, it may just sound completely different.
No matter what, have fun on your audio journey. If you feel the need to hear real sound? Go to a concert.
Synergy is a fickle little ****.
I wish i had half of the speakers i've had in the past just to try them again and probably convince myself that they in fact WEREN'T trash...I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.
Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii
Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999
Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3
HT: Denon AVR-X3400H / Sony UBP-X700 / RT16 / CS350LS / RT7 / SVS PB1000 -
A friend just told me my SDA-SRS2's sound life-like. He goes to alot of live venues too.
I also own Newform Research r645 ribbon speakers. They are pretty remarkable too. I think they are 6'2 so the sound kinda has to at least envelope you... below is their review ratings
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/newform-research/r645/PRD_120261_1594crx.aspxMost people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
Vile Blasphemy !!!!:eek:
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... The Telarc 1812 overture sounded pretty damn good to me on my SDA's. But that's what is so cool about this hobby as there are so many wonderful toys to get our hands on. The trouble with some of them is that you need a pretty good ponzi scheme to get your hands on them.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Zero nailed it again!
Are you my brother from another mother? :eek:~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
The widest, biggest soundstage I've ever heard was Ted's (Reeltrouble 1)current ribbon speakers he is running in his two channel rig. They were quite frankly breathtaking. I have never heard such an expansive soundstage from just two speakers. I didn't bother to remember what they were because quite frankly, I know I could never afford them! If you have never heard ribbon speaker before, they are impressive and very airy.
There is something special about an ESL set up correctly and paired with the correct gear. Breathtaking is a good start!
But, not to put too fine a line down, there is a big difference between an ESL and a ribbon. The Soundlabs and Martin Logan brands are ESL and the Carver is a ribbon. I'm not trying to be snob, but misinformation or confusing the two could give a person faulty information.
Seems like the SL have the edge when it comes down to the bottom. But I prefer the ML mids and highs. At this level, I think it comes down to taste, flavor or pick your poison. I'll say a pair of Spire's with a pair of JL Audio F110 subs is a hard combination to beat.
Gordon2 Channel -
Martin Logan Spire, 2 JL Audio F112 subs
McIntosh C1000 Controller with Tube pre amp, 2 MC501 amplifiers, MD1K Transport & DAC, MR-88 Tuner
WireWorld Eclipse 6.0 speaker wire and jumpers, Eclipse 5^2 Squared Balanced IC's. Silver Eclipse PCs (5)
Symposium Rollerblocks 2+ (16)Black Diamond Racing Mk 3 pits (8) -
Ok fine they were ESLs. They were described to me by the owner as Ribbons, or so I thought. My bad.
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There have been a lot of comments towards the SDA's in this thread. I am going to tentatively impart my opinion on the speakers, as I know there is a huge SDA crowd hovering at this board.
In a nutshell, I have yet to come across too many loudspeakers in the business that sound like the SDA's. They have a sound that is truly unique, and in my opinion, is about as good as it gets if you are into country music or classic rock. If you find yourself spinning groups like The Allman Bros, CCR, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Boston, etc... you will be hard pressed to find a speaker that will deliver the goods like a set of SDA's. From tone, to dynamics, to scale, these speakers excel at these genres of music - particularly the flagship models.
That said, I never felt they were ideal "all arounders". Again, there will be plenty of folks who will vehemently disagree with my assessment, which is fine. Its just that like most other products, I find that there are some things the SDA's are exceptional at, and some things they aren't quite so adept at.
I've almost started a thread before regarding this statement. I always thought my 1C's handled classic rock better than other types of music, but I assumed it was my mind playing tricks on me. Kind of a "classic rock sounds better on vintage speakers" type of thing.
On a somewhat related note, I find myself thinking albums from the 70's sound better than newer ones. It's like they were meant to played on vinyl and newer stuff is meant for CD. Not true I know, but there's just something cool about pulling out a 30 year old LP and spinning it. I guess I should hook my TT up to my system with the 1C's.
And to answer the OP's question, SDA 1C's are most life-size sounding speakers I have personally ever heardThings work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
Montana WAS or the KAS, big,powerfull,and will blow your pants like your standing in a wind storm. The OP's question is subjective however,seeing is that some would answer with that four lettered word....BOSE !HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
There have been a lot of comments towards the SDA's in this thread. I am going to tentatively impart my opinion on the speakers, as I know there is a huge SDA crowd hovering at this board.
In a nutshell, I have yet to come across too many loudspeakers in the business that sound like the SDA's. They have a sound that is truly unique, and in my opinion, is about as good as it gets if you are into country music or classic rock. If you find yourself spinning groups like The Allman Bros, CCR, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Boston, etc... you will be hard pressed to find a speaker that will deliver the goods like a set of SDA's. From tone, to dynamics, to scale, these speakers excel at these genres of music - particularly the flagship models.
That said, I never felt they were ideal "all arounders". Again, there will be plenty of folks who will vehemently disagree with my assessment, which is fine. Its just that like most other products, I find that there are some things the SDA's are exceptional at, and some things they aren't quite so adept at.
I do strongly disagree. Best all arounder I've heard. I listen to a very wide variety of music from bootlegs, to classic jazz, blues, female vocal, folk, classic rock and lots of live material and they do a very good job on a wide variety of music.
Since I like a lot of live music, semi-professional to professional, that's where the SDA's really excel. Sometimes with a really well recorded live(ie; not much studio manipulation) they take my breath away
Two examples are:
Erin McKeown- Lafayette. A simple, very minimal live recording with "big band" type horns, her on piano and vocals. Sound absolutely stunning
Any Ani Difranco live recording.
Anyways that's my .02c
YMMV
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! -
Despite the numerous droppings on his head, Zero is quite right. No one speaker does it all. The listener needs to consider what type of music they listen to, what equipment have, type of room, and/or total $$ they want to spend on a complete rig.
The SDA's are a way cool design that offered up a lot, but I've heard speakers for the same comparable price new that flat out perform the SDA's IMHO. But that in no way demeans anyone who is outrageous happy with their SDA's. If you smile every time you hear your SDA's, that is all that matters, period.
Audio as a hobby is a intensely personal journey that involves finding our own unique nirvana.Review Site_ (((AudioPursuit)))
Founder/Publisher Affordable$$Audio 2006-13.
Former Staff Member TONEAudio
2 Ch. System
Amplifiers: Parasound Halo P6 pre, Vista Audio i34, Peachtree amp500, Adcom GFP-565 GFA-535ii, 545ii, 555ii
Digital: SimAudio HAD230 DAC, iMac 20in/Amarra,
Speakers: Paradigm Performa F75, Magnepan .7, Totem Model 1's, ACI Emerald XL, Celestion Si Stands. Totem Dreamcatcher sub
Analog: Technics SL-J2 w/Pickering 3000D, SimAudio LP5.3 phono pre
Cable/Wires: Cardas, AudioArt, Shunyata Venom 3 -
Don't get me wrong I don;t think the SDA's are be all end all, but for the variety of music I listen to, they are a GREAT all around performer. They do some things better than others, but IMO, they don't have a great deficiency in any one particular area.
I'd love a pair of Maggies, all that I have heard have impressed me with the music they do well. Throw some types of music at the Maggies and they really loose it, again IMO. This is just a quick example off the top of my head.
My SDA's just do a lot of things pretty well, some things extremely well, without too much of a downside in one particular area. RDO's and Sonicaps certainly help.
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! -
I love my SDAs...great all rounders for the music I listen to. That said, they don't have the most resolving image I've heard. That would be Fred Vu's ALIIIs. I'm sure that will improve when I eventually recap them. However, they certainly are impressive and have the ability of making studio recordings sound like a live venue whether it be a club or a stadium. Close your eyes and the musicians are in the room, fully life size (I've never experienced the 20' wide piano). The detail is there too, it just varies with room acoustics and where it's placed in the soundstage. Some of the depth, sometimes gets a tad buried, front to back. You hear it, but perhaps not as starkly as with conventional speakers.
Combo rig:
Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
PB13Ultra RO
BW Silvers
Oppo BDP-83SE
