Polk Audio SDA 1.2 TL's vs Polk Audio LSiM707's
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nikolas812
Posts: 2,915
Which would you buy and why?
I haven't really had any audio equipment for about 5 years now. I lost interest..
But I've been thinking about getting another 2 channel setup. Something permanent, that I can enjoy for years to come...
I really miss my 1.2 TL's, more than most speakers. I really liked the sound they were capable of. But I really like the look of the new LSiM's, the 707's in particular. I haven't heard them, but I'm sure they sound nice. I would like to hear some opinions from users that have and what your thoughts would be? They will be paired with Audio Research gear.. Tube Pre and SS amp, the best I can afford..
Nik
I haven't really had any audio equipment for about 5 years now. I lost interest..
But I've been thinking about getting another 2 channel setup. Something permanent, that I can enjoy for years to come...
I really miss my 1.2 TL's, more than most speakers. I really liked the sound they were capable of. But I really like the look of the new LSiM's, the 707's in particular. I haven't heard them, but I'm sure they sound nice. I would like to hear some opinions from users that have and what your thoughts would be? They will be paired with Audio Research gear.. Tube Pre and SS amp, the best I can afford..
Nik
Comments
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I'd go for the SDAs myself, if my room was appropriate size for the models you're looking at.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
1.2TL all day long. The 707 is a nice speaker but they lack soul.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 -
At a Polk Fest in 2012 we hd a chance to get a good audition of the 707s, and I personally thought they were extremely good speakers for the money.
However, 12TLs ore special, and they don't make the any more. I'd get the TLs and mod them to the hilt. You won't be disappointed.
PS: I'm extremely partial to my 1.2TLs, and I'm not sure what it would take to get me to give them up. The SDA effect is irreplaceable IMHO.Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.
Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One. -
I had feeling people were going to favor the SDA's. I miss them.
Nik -
Heard both many times, the LSiM's are the best Polk has made for a long time, but the SDA's cannot be beat.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 -
Well that solves that. Lol
Looks like a pair of TL's are in my future. And some upgrades if that haven't been upgraded yet.
Nik -
I would choose any of the larger SDA models. Classic. Timeless. Perfection.
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SDA's are unique and no other speaker can sound like them. The LSiM's are excellent, but SDA's are SDA's...........nuff said.
I'd say get both....lol
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! -
Although both carry the Polk name, I see them as completely different sounding and in different classes. If the big SDA speakers were produced again my guess is they could cost double to triple what the 707s cost at retail. My short description is the big SDA speakers sound more like live music while the big LSiMs sound more like accurate studio monitors. I prefer the LSiM sound as they seem more cohesive to me in a medium sized room with what I listen to.
The big SDAs certainly make a bigger statement though, but they do not sound better with all kinds of music to me even if they are really fun to listen to. They can also overpower a room. I no longer own SDA speakers, and would go in a different direction for my next pair of speakers. It seems like the used market for excellent condition SDA speakers is drying up since they were last sold more than 20 years ago. The market was pretty active a few years ago, but the prices seem to have fallen a lot. -
i could not disagree more with this part of your statement. Prices seem to have actually gone up quite a bit, but this could also be a regional thing.It seems like the used market for excellent condition SDA speakers is drying up since they were last sold more than 20 years ago. The market was pretty active a few years ago, but the prices seem to have fallen a lot.
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 -
Prices have definitely gone up since I was looking 6 years ago. Everything has. The Jolida tube amps I were buying 7 years ago have doubled in price, as has many other audio related gear. Maybe it was because of the recession we had back then. I don't know. But stuff has definitely gone up.
I do agree that the older sought after SDA's are getting harder to find though..
Nik -
I think letting go of the past and moving into the now isn't a bad idea. Getting a pair of LSIM707's isn't a bad idea at all.
I just wish I could listen to a pair. Just as always I can't go anywhere to hear them.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
If you were to judge on pure sound quality alone, an updated pair of 1.2tl's is going to be hard to topple. It's not necessarily which is better, but which sound you prefer as both sound very different. Other than that, aesthetically speaking, the LSIM's have it all day long as most homes these days, and wives, aren't going to be too keen on those big SDA boxes in the living room.
Other than that, I'd say look outside the Polk brand if you want better. The SDA's, when fully brought back to spec or better, are hard to beat for the price.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 -
nooshinjohn wrote: »i could not disagree more with this part of your statement. Prices seem to have actually gone up quite a bit, but this could also be a regional thing.
I am referring to market indicators like sales on EBay. There have only been four sets of SDA speakers sold there (searched on the words Polk sda) since the end of October and none sold for more than $500. Before the recession, there were far more listings, the speakers were in high demand and sold quickly, and the prices sold were about 50 percent higher from what I remember. Of course that was almost ten years ago now when the speakers were not as old. Some of the third generation SDAs are going on 30 years old. Craigslist seems to be about the same in my area and they sit for a long time. For the quality of the speakers, the prices commanded are basically give away prices now. However, I would not recommend putting a lot of money into modifications unless someone loves the basic sound quality and intends to keep the speakers for a long time. Mods don't add much value in the used market. I had ten different pairs over the years and got tired of them when there are so many other options out there.
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I think the downfall of ebay listings is the fact that ebay quadrupled their final selling fees, to try and combat all of the business they lost to Craigslist.
I wouldn't mind stepping away from the Polk brand, Emerald Physics and Magnepan come to mind. But I'm a little nervous trying something I haven't heard before. And I don't want to get caught up in a speaker battle. I want to buy something once and be done.
Nik -
one and done ??
I think that's pretty much a Unicorn in the audio world as our tastes change and gear changes every year. Always better around the corner, and as the years progress, the higher end stuff becomes within reach on the used markets further prompting those thoughts you had when they were new.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 -
nikolas812 wrote: »I think the downfall of ebay listings is the fact that ebay quadrupled their final selling fees, to try and combat all of the business they lost to Craigslist.
I wouldn't mind stepping away from the Polk brand, Emerald Physics and Magnepan come to mind. But I'm a little nervous trying something I haven't heard before. And I don't want to get caught up in a speaker battle. I want to buy something once and be done.
Nik
For your space Nik, Maggie 1.6 and a nice sub would be an amazing combo. the Maggies tuck against the walls when not in use or for movies. They are easily positioned where you want them for two channel use. I would not hesitate.Post edited by nooshinjohn onThe 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 don't live there anymore, we live in a smaller house now. And we will be building our new home in a couple years. The living room will be a little larger in our new house. And this is what I am basing the new system around. I'm think the living room should be around 18 feet wide by 20 feet deep. With three full walls and a half wall. Trying to keep the living room closed in for the most part for acoustics.
Nik -
Take a look at the 3.6 then, again with a sub. You might not think SDA again.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 -
I'm surprised I still haven't got around to owning a pair of Magnepans.
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For a room that size 2.3TL enough said.Yamaha RXA1030, Yamaha CD-S2100, Yamaha AS-2200, Bluesound node 2i
Polk SDA2btl highly modded
Polk SDA 1C modded
Polk CS350 LS x2
Kimber 8TC
Sony 55" Bravia
Wish list SVS sub -
New owner of the Emerald Physics CS2p here.
Smallish footprint and can be placed close to the back wall. Open baffle design also. Was expecting them to be a little .... broad sounding...
But once the room correction got right the pleasant noise emanating from them relieved me of those thoughts. My 2 cents.
And love my 1C's also. -
RandyCroissant wrote: »For a room that size 2.3TL enough said.
That has crossed my mind as well.. I think I'd be happy with any of the tl's. But I kind of want the 1.2's just for the statement they make and to own one of the most sought after set of speakers, that Polk Audio has ever produced.
Nik
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I'm thinking the 1.2 Tl's paired with an Audio Research DS450, Audio Research tube Pre Amp and a nice source would be an end game type of deal for me...
The DS450 will be the next amp I buy and the last.
Nik -
nikolas812 wrote: »But I kind of want the 1.2's just for the statement they make and to own one of the most sought after set of speakers, that Polk Audio has ever produced.
That way of thinking is a common mistake, IMO. I've heard a lot of 1.2TL's over the years, I'll take my 2.3TL's and I could have had either. Much like the LSiM series, the best sounding one is not the 707, it's the 705.
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 -
I came to that conclusion on the 705 after some reading.. But you may have missed my point on the 1.2 Tl's. I've read many threads referring to the 2.3 or even the 3.1's for that matter. For sounding better than the 1.2's. I wasn't just comparing sonic attributes, but more so the "WoW' factor that the 1.2's have. I want both. I'll trade a little sound quality( if there is any difference) for a conversation piece. So for me, as far as SDA's are concerned, it's the 1.2's or nothing, . And that is what I had in mind when I started the thread. I just wasn't up to date on the current "flagship" models and wanted to hear what others had to say about the matter.
Nik
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At 55" tall, only 8" shorter than the 1.2TL's, the 2.3TL's have plenty of the "wow' factor. However, my previous comment had as much to do with buying speakers because of the "wow" factor as it did with the sound quality.
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 -
I've never seen them in person, so I guess I just assumed they were much smaller. The only ones I have experience with were the 1.2's. And they were massive. Damn near casket sized!
I'll keep them in mind when it's time to start looking.
Nik -
I really miss my 1.2 TL's, more than most speakers. I really liked the sound they were capable of.
You know Nik, I competely missed that you once owned and liked the 1.2TL's. That being the case, get another pair.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 -
Since I never got the chance to hear them both can you explain the differences? I'm assuming it has something to do with the crossover points since the 707's dig a bit deeper. Do they get sloppy? Do they lose mid range detail and the 705's have a more even response in room?nikolas812 wrote: »But I kind of want the 1.2's just for the statement they make and to own one of the most sought after set of speakers, that Polk Audio has ever produced.
That way of thinking is a common mistake, IMO. I've heard a lot of 1.2TL's over the years, I'll take my 2.3TL's and I could have had either. Much like the LSiM series, the best sounding one is not the 707, it's the 705.
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
