SDA Hierarchy

Pycroft

Okay...

Just out of curiosity, can you rank the SDA line in order of excellence. I just bought Studio 1C's used, and I think they sound FANTASTIC! I hear people talk about their 1B's, 1's, 2's, 2B's, SRS's, 1.2, 2.3's, etc. I saw the Polksda.com website, but it didn't have specs or reviews of them. I'd love to hear from those that have heard many SDA's and a ranking of them. I know it may be difficult since you may not hear all the speakers on the same gear, but I figure some may have. How do 1C's compare to 2B's? 1.2TL's? etc. I see people make some blanket statements about speakers, "The 1B is known to be... blah blah blah". Would love to be able to see the entire picture.

Thanks,

James

ben62670

Overall best IMHO is the 1C's. The 2.3's and 1.2's are next. I have never heard any of the 2 woofer SDA's like 2's and CRS's. One big factor when considering SDA's is the 1C's need only 4 tweeters and a small handful of parts when upgrading. More money can be allocated to upgrades if budget is a concern. The 1B suffers from large caps inline in the signal cancellation path. Big caps are expensive so there are costs cut there.
Ben

erniejade

I have the 1.2 and the 2.3 both non TL The 1.2 vs the 2.3 for me, in my room .. The 1.2 sweet spot was pushed back by 2 or 3 feet! The 2.3 seemed to have a hair more on the low end but the wall of sound out of the 1.2.. Hard to describe. I go between the 2 a lot and cannot pick a fave between the 2.

bluecomet

Hands down for me is the 1.2tl but you need a large room to open them up. The SDA 1C's for a mid sized room.

chandler9a

One thing I've noticed ( considering you are running them with good electronics and cables) is that room sized and placement means a lot! I have a small/med size living room and my 2A's more than fill it wonderfully. my family members have the 2.3's and 1.2TL's and you really can't beat the experience with those but they are in much larger rooms.

All that said, I would really love to have the 1C's some day. They seem to be just the right size and what Ben said about them really makes sense.

Ron Temple

I've got both the 1c and 2b w/RDOs. Haven't done the crossovers yet. This year for sure. I'd say the 1cs are slightly more laid back with a fuller lower midrange. Bass is a bit more profound. Definitely more of a wall of sound in my smallish family room. The 2bs remind me of CRS+s with more bass, wide, a bit sharper than 1Cs, with a deeper punchy bass than the books can acheive. I've heard the 1.2tls briefly in a smallish room. I couldn't say that they offered that much more than the 1cs in that environment, but that was long ago and it was a very brief listen.

NJPOLKER

I should do a search and see how many times this has been discussed.

ben62670

Where is Keiko?

NJPOLKER

Eating pie

Fongolio

ben62670 wrote: »

Where is Keiko?

Don't forget he's in Hawaii and several hours behind even west coast time so he's barely out of bed yet.

Pycroft

If the whole SDA hierarchy has been discussed, maybe sticky the best one? I think there is some good insight here. When I searched SDA's, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of posts - Literally 20 pages worth...hard to sift through, especially since I wasn't looking for something specific. Thanks to all with insights so far.

ben62670

The problem is different tastes, gear, and environments.

NJPOLKER

Pycroft wrote: »

If the whole SDA hierarchy has been discussed, maybe sticky the best one? I think there is some good insight here. When I searched SDA's, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of posts - Literally 20 pages worth...hard to sift through, especially since I wasn't looking for something specific. Thanks to all with insights so far.

Keep searching and reading. I have done it many times and found some old funny threads/posts well worth the effort.

gdb

Of the three pair that I have, my SRS2s outshine the 2Bs & 1As.......by a country mile. Driven by all Carver gear BTW:)

BB3

ben62670 wrote: »

The problem is different tastes, gear, and environments.

I Couldn't Agree More Ben. Way Too Many Variances That Can Come Into Play.

It's Whatever Sounds Good To You, Is What Matters Most.----BILL(BB3)

chandler9a

BB3 wrote: »

I Couldn't Agree More Ben. Way Too Many Variances That Can Come Into Play.

It's Whatever Sounds Good To You, Is What Matters Most.----BILL(BB3)

Well said...

inspiredsports

Fongolio wrote: »

Don't forget he's (Keiko) in Hawaii and several hours behind even west coast time so he's barely out of bed yet.

I don't know if he ever sleeps. He seems to be online at every odd hour I am.

Not to step on his turf, but right now at 6:10 PM EST I really am eating pie! My wife made it for dessert after dinner.

Yummy Cherry pie!



1C's are sweet. I sure wish they could use RDO-198's

Polkersince85

Properly power a pair of 2.3tl or SRS 2 and never look back, IMHO. I have both and they are every thing you need in SDA.

Toolfan66

I have yet to hear a SDA i don't like. But of course the best ones are the ones I own. LOL

maandjojo

I've had all but the 1c and 2b or 2a. Have the the 1.2tls right now and they simply blow away all else.

Joe

bluecomet

I totally agree. Some people like the sound of the original SRS speaker or the 1.2 SRS speakers because they feel the bass is better. The 1.2tl's are more refined and the tweeters and crossover are better in my opinion on the 1.2tl's than the original SRS model. Don't get me wrong the SDA 1C's are great speakers but the top dog is the 1.2tl's. It was the pinnacle of the SRS series.

Phil Dawson

The best ones are the biggest ones your room can accommodate and your wallet can afford. Also take into consideration the wife factor.
Good Luck, Phil

dorokusai

The 1.2 is the most overrated SDA and the 2.3 is probably the most well-rounded and would be my choice.

Pycroft

Why do you think the 1.2 is overrated?

dorokusai

I've owned them and heard a bunch and it's just not any better than the 2.3 in overall response from my experience. A taller soundstage...and that depends on how massive the room is, aside from that, nothing. Most folks get caught up in the actual size, which is one of the reasons it died and its cool for some reason....but I was like that 60 pairs of Polk ago I guess.

There's just more to know about that lineup, including the Monitor and RTA, than to just buy the biggest pair you can. I've had way more fun with the less loved models and the ugly step-children than I have with the biggest. The smaller models do many different interpretations of SDA that are just as cool and should be equally respected.

Tour2ma

Those 60 include the LSi's you just karma'd? Very cool, BTW.... but then you knew that.

I've heard every model except the original CRS's, I think.... I can't think of a model I did not like excepting the look of the 2A's. Agree there's a "holy grail factor" with the 1.2's, but I wouldn't say they're overrated. So much depends upon the listening space, i.e., cubic feet.

-Big room, give me my SRS's.
-Medium room, I like my 3.1tl's just fine, and if footprint is a serious issue, they'd be my SDA's of choice.
-Small room, the CRS+'s I lost to Ike were very enjoyable... I miss them, but have no immediate plans to replace them.

dorokusai

Not really as that's just a vintage ownership number and anyone can buy a pair of LSi. The vintage stuff is where all the fun and fame is found. You know all about that Mr. Monitor Collection Did you ever get that picture?

That's a valid point Bruce and the often forgotten gem of the SDA lineup is the CRS.

Toolfan66

dorokusai wrote: »

I've owned them and heard a bunch and it's just not any better than the 2.3 in overall response from my experience. A taller soundstage...and that depends on how massive the room is, aside from that, nothing. Most folks get caught up in the actual size, which is one of the reasons it died and its cool for some reason....but I was like that 60 pairs of Polk ago I guess.

There's just more to know about that lineup, including the Monitor and RTA, than to just buy the biggest pair you can. I've had way more fun with the less loved models and the ugly step-children than I have with the biggest. The smaller models do many different interpretations of SDA that are just as cool and should be equally respected.

get caught up in the actual size?

The 2.3/tl's are not that much smaller then the 1.2/tl's, not that I am disagreeing with you I just think that one can get caught up on the size of the 2.3's as well. I my self is still caught up on the cool factor of the size of the 1.2's the difference for me is I have taken the time to mod and hotrod these bigboys and I have them sounding fantastic. The only reason I have them is they were 2 miles from my house I was'nt even looking for them I went to the guys house to look at room treatments, and I just had to take them home.:cool:



I would think that all one really needs is the 2B's or 1C's.

bluecomet

I own SRS 1.2tl's, 1.2's, SDA 2b's, SDA 1c's, SRS 2's and the CRS+ speakers and size does matter. The higher up the chain the better the sound is. I am not looking at room size, wife factor or anything else except pure sound. There is a reason why guys travel four states and spend close to two thousand dollars to buy the 1.2tl's.

Hamatym

Well said Lasareath! I have had on my gear SDA-1A's, 2b's, SRS (orignal), SRS-2 (b/b), & 1.2TL's....I have never heard any 2.3's or 1-C's yet, but for overall clean sound the 1.2TL's are top dog. I just wish Polk made the TL series more efficient like the older models, but I do understand why they are not.

Now, the real question should be what SDA model fits the type of music one perfers. I enjoy more emphasis on bass, so for me the original SRS's & SRS-2's (b/b) were my favorites. Now a jazz song sounded unbelievable on the 1.2TL's...so it's really tough to say there is a heirachy answer considering gear, room size, upgrades made, music preference, ect. But THAT"S what makes it so much fun!

bluecomet

hamatym I should have played my 1c's for you when you were here. They are sweet speakers that leave a small footprint. It's hard to believe that much sound is coming from that size speaker. It still doesn't compare to a power amp, great pre amp and the big SRS series speakers for 2 channel listening. I agree that the old original SRS speakers have an emphasis on bass that can rock the house. I know those RDO 194 helped smooth out the top end on those speakers. I can't get over the clarity of the 1.2tl's for the voices of Robert Plant or Steve Perry. They sound like they are in the same room with you. You have to hear it to beleive it. All of the SDA and SRS speakers sound great but the SRS 1.2tl take it to a different level. That being said you need power to make these speakers open up. Minimum would be 200 watts to wake them up for the full affect. Tubes are a different story.