To Use or Not to Use Interconnect Cable With SDA 2A;s?

fafner

As I mentioned in my introductory post I am using SDA 2A's as my mains and surrounds. I also have a high end Yamaha center that sits under my LCD.

I am not using the interconnect cables since I have a center and am using the second pair as surrounds.

Is this correct or not?

Thanks.

fafner

classic carl

It is my understanding that you are not hearing the full potential of the SDA's imaging without the umbilical cord. I'm sure others, more experience than I, will chime in. I only have experience with the SDA CRS and have only heard them with the cable. I used them for the mains on my HT and they sounded great with a pair of RT800i towers in the rear, a CS400i center and a PSW450 sub. Because of lack of space, I could not position the CRS as Polk suggested, and have removed them from my system (see signature).

Bubinga99

An interesting question. Since I'm exclusively 2-channel it's not come up for me, but the SDA effect is specifically designed for 2-channel. Placement, alignment, listener position all affect it, and under the assumption of only 2 speakers.

Injecting more signals into the room "airspace" from additional speakers at different locations/directions would seem destined to interfere with the optimal SDA effect you get with a 2-channel system.

But I'm just guessin' and will be interested to see replies from those that have actually tried it.

headrott

The biggest affect on the SDA effect (that I can think of) is the fact that you are running 5 discrete channels rather than a normal stereo signal. Exactly what affect this has on the SDA signal I do not entirely know. Maybe someone with more exprerience can say more about this.

heiney9

Use the cable or just sell the speakers and get new ones.

maandjojo

Let's just wait a minute here. It doesn't matter how many channels you are hooking up, if you want the most out of the sdas' you use the interconnect. If you are only listening to two channel music you hit stereo button on the receiver and listen to stereo. You do notwant to listen to music any other way unless its dvd concerts.
Hopefully this info helps you out.

Joe

Schurkey

I've done it each way--Stereo and HT; with and without the SDA interconnect.

There's nothing "wrong" with pulling the interconnect and losing the SDA effect. You go back to "ordinary" stereo from that pair of speakers. It's pretty similar to listening to any other decent pair of speakers as the main Left and Right pair; and it's no different from listening to other "full-range" or "Big" speakers as the main L and R pair of a multichannel system.

But either way--Stereo or Multichannel--they're "better" with the SDA effect functioning properly. Having a bunch of other channels also providing directional cues does not change the value of having the SDA effect.

While I haven't tried it, I'd think that having rear surround speakers set up with the SDA functioning would be a similar benefit; although with movies there isn't all that much signal present; and multichannel music (DVD-A and SACD) is still 5.1 (unless re-processed, right???) The side surround speakers would be another story--no SDA effect possible due to the position of your ears relative to the speakers.

Ron Temple

I'm using the cable for both my fronts and surrounds. I've tried it without the cable. It still sounds great, but with the cable 5.1 is more like 7.1. I'd say, give it a try. You've got nothing to lose if you don't like it.

BB3

fafner, personally I would always use the interconnect cable on SDA's. My side surrounds, which are RTA-15TL's, are obviously the only ones that do not use it in my 7.2 setup.

Point Being.....Use The Interconnect Cable, Period.

----BILL(BB3)

heiney9

Schurkey wrote: »

I've done it each way--Stereo and HT; with and without the SDA interconnect.

There's nothing "wrong" with pulling the interconnect and losing the SDA effect. You go back to "ordinary" stereo from that pair of speakers. It's pretty similar to listening to any other decent pair of speakers as the main Left and Right pair; and it's no different from listening to other "full-range" or "Big" speakers as the main L and R pair of a multichannel system.

Actually it not as simple as just listening to "ordinary" stereo. Anyone can do whatever they want with their own speakers, but removing the chord doesn't make them just an ordinary 2-ch set of speakers. The dimensional array only plays certain frequencies when hooked up, and when not hooked up in the older models they don't play at all and in newer models you are missing a lot of the signal.

If you have 1st or 2nd gen models pulling the plug means dead dimensional drivers. 2B's, 1B's, 1C's, SRS 1.2, 2.3 and all TL models will have the dim drivers play but at a diminished level and only certain frequencies when you pull the plug. That's not "ordinary" stereo as I know it. I early side by side tweeter models you loose the outer tweeter as well when you pull the plug.

That's why I said if the OP isn;t going to use the cable he might as well just get a regualr pair of newer HT speakers to run with his 7.1 rig.

H9

fafner

Well, I did suspect this would be somewhat of a controversial question and hope it was not out of line.

My reasoning for not using the cable was my perception that the SDA effect was a way to "simulate" a center and surround channels at a time when such setups were not a real option. With a setup actually having speakers for those channels, I felt trying to "simulate" them would simply overlay the actual ones and cause a muddy mess.

I respect everyone's opinions here, and will reconnect the cable to my fronts. It will not be so easy to do with my surrounds because of how far they are apart but I might be able to somehow finagle it.

With no one saying my concern about mudding the sound is valid, I see no reason not to use the cable.

Thanks for everyones' opinions.

fafner

headrott

As many people have said, it's better to use it than not to. I have my 2Bs set up for home theatre for the fronts and am using the SDA cable for them. It would be silly to not to and still own/use the SDAs. As I stated before though, I am not too sure how much SDA affect you actually get when using them with discrete 5.1 channels though. No one has said anything about this still? Anyone know something about it? That is, using a discrete 5.1 channel signal instead of a normal stereo signal and the effect on the SDA signal?

I would be interested to know.

gdb

With the cable in use, try deleting the center speaker from the mix. You might perceive that it's still there !!;)

heiney9

fafner wrote: »

Well, I did suspect this would be somewhat of a controversial question and hope it was not out of line.

My reasoning for not using the cable was my perception that the SDA effect was a way to "simulate" a center and surround channels at a time when such setups were not a real option. With a setup actually having speakers for those channels, I felt trying to "simulate" them would simply overlay the actual ones and cause a muddy mess.

I respect everyone's opinions here, and will reconnect the cable to my fronts. It will not be so easy to do with my surrounds because of how far they are apart but I might be able to somehow finagle it.

With no one saying my concern about mudding the sound is valid, I see no reason not to use the cable.

Thanks for everyones' opinions.

fafner

SDA's are not about "simulating a center channel" any good speaker worth its salt will create a phantom center as long as the recording allows it. Many Beatles recordings have distinct vocals in the L or R channel so even on SDA's they don;t appear in the center. (because they weren;t recorded that way).

It's alright to discuss, and yes you will get some strong opinions. SDA's can be used as HT speakers resonably well, but they are designed and best utilized in a 2ch rig with the cable intact.

Conradicles

fafner wrote: »

I am not using the interconnect cable

That is like a cheesburger with no cheese.

george daniel

heiney9 wrote: »

SDA's are not about "simulating a center channel" any good speaker worth its salt will create a phantom center as long as the recording allows it. Many Beatles recordings have distinct vocals in the L or R channel so even on SDA's they don;t appear in the center. (because they weren;t recorded that way).

It's alright to discuss, and yes you will get some strong opinions. SDA's can be used as HT speakers resonably well, but they are designed and best utilized in a 2ch rig with the cable intact.

Guys,, what Brock just said--of particular interest is his statement regarding the Beatles recordings,, a very good/important observation that had me puzzled for a couple of months.Now to dig out that old Mamas' and Papas LP that I thought was out of phase.

fafner

I did an experiment. I had already planed to watch an opera DVD this afternoon, so I playerd 30 minutes of it without the cable so I could get a feel of the overall sound of the DVD. I paused playing during a male chorus and plugged in the cable. The first thing I noticed was sound from the center was noticeably lower. After I corrected for that, I noticed that I was no longer hearing a male chorus but a collection of male voices. There was empty space around each voice and they were clearly positioned at difference places across the stage. I then noticed the same kind of separation between different instruments in the orchestra and finally, I heard sound above the speakers, adding more to the spatial effects that the cable enabled.

Thanks for the comments. It usually pays to ask and listen to experts

fafner

F1nut

There was empty space around each voice and they were clearly positioned at difference places across the stage. I then noticed the same kind of separation between different instruments in the orchestra and finally, I heard sound above the speakers, adding more to the spatial effects that the cable enabled.

That is the beauty of SDA. Long live SDA.

Ron Temple

I've got 1 redbook CD that has crosstalk cancellation in the recording that I must disconnect the cable for. Everything else sounds neutered.

hearingimpared

fafner wrote: »

I did an experiment. I had already planed to watch an opera DVD this afternoon, so I playerd 30 minutes of it without the cable so I could get a feel of the overall sound of the DVD. I paused playing during a male chorus and plugged in the cable. The first thing I noticed was sound from the center was noticeably lower. After I corrected for that, I noticed that I was no longer hearing a male chorus but a collection of male voices. There was empty space around each voice and they were clearly positioned at difference places across the stage. I then noticed the same kind of separation between different instruments in the orchestra and finally, I heard sound above the speakers, adding more to the spatial effects that the cable enabled.

Thanks for the comments. It usually pays to ask and listen to experts

fafner

Yep SDAs do that. I love their presentation. As Jesse said, "Long live SDAs."

inspiredsports

fafner wrote: »

As I mentioned in my introductory post I am using SDA 2A's as my mains and surrounds. I also have a high end Yamaha center that sits under my LCD.

I am not using the interconnect cables since I have a center and am using the second pair as surrounds.

Is this correct or not?

Thanks.

fafner

Welcome to Club Polk!

Not to beat a dead horse, but personally, I would use the cable 100% of the time.