SDA owners? People who've heard them?

thedelihaus

thedelihaus

Nocturnal transmissions
Any Polk SDA owners?

I'm interested in hearing how you feel about the built-in crosstalk cancellation on these.

And of course, your opinion on the sound.

I've been told the Carver Sonic Hologram is an incredibly close type of crosstalk cancellation device, albiet the Carver unit is saddled with issues like having a tiny listening/sweetspot, and at times actually causes the listening experience to sound degraded.

I wonder if the SDAs are also saddled with these issues.

I've read that the earliest of SDAs sound very "mechanical" to some ears. Anyone experience that?
 
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I owned a pair of SDA-II's for a while.The only reason I got rid of them was sheer size.They just overwhelmed the room.I thought that the holography when the cable was connected between the two speakers was just awe inspiring.Its like the music was everywhere.It just enveloped you.I thought that aspect of the speakers was very natural sounding,and Im not usually a fan of holographic sound devices.Even my wife flipped out when she heard them,and that almost never happens.
The biggest issue sonically for me was the infamous tweeters.They felt like they were trying to keep up with the rest of the speaker,and it just wasnt happening.I know there are replacements for the tweeters that run about 90 a pair,which isnt bad.
I think you owe it to yourself to at least audition them,if you get a chance.
 
Naturally it's dependent on the extent of stereo separation in the music played. Some music has so little stereo effect that you have to strain to hear any difference in the SDA's. However, when there is clear and distinct separation, the polks can really shock you. It's similar to what you hear with very good headphones but without the sense of isolation. You can fool alot of people into thinking that the sound is coming from the sides of the room.

Is it realistic? Well, that depends on the music being played again. When music is well mixed I find it quite enjoyable. There is somewhat of a sweetspot, although it seems wider than what I've experienced with the Carver device. (My Carver hologram generator has been permanently "borrowed".) I always meant to see what happens when you use the Carver hologram with the Polk SDA.

The earlier versions of SDA's do have a bit more of an echo/reverberation sound, but I don't find it objectionable.
 
Lab,

Funny, but for whatever reason, I find my Polk 7s to do real well with stereo separation as well. A trait of Polks in general, perhaps.

I've read bucketloads at another forum (the club Polk site) that the use of the Carver with the Polk SDAs is overkill and does not bode well for the sound. I think it was universal too.

As for the Carvers, it seems some people like them, some people dislike them, but no one ever loves them.

And I've heard that the sweetspot is very very small on the Carvers, where from what I've gathered so far, 'tis not the case with the SDAs.

Not that the SDAs are immune to this sweetspot issue, but that the SDAs just have a larger version of it.

2DualsNotEnough,

Are these the silverdomes? I am not terribly objectionable to my silverdomes in my 7s, but I'd think that with a speaker the caliber of SDAs, any shortcomings would be exaggerated.
 
So, let's think about this: Polk empirically developed a formula for a simple, inexpensive speaker that sounded good (e.g., Polk 7). One tweeter, one 'woofer', and a PR to load the essentially ported cabinet. The 10 had two woofers. The 12 had two woofers, a bigger PR, a bigger box, and a 'time-aligned' tweeter.

Now, all things being equal, do you expect that adding even more drivers, crossover components, and other stuff to the signal path is likely to improve things?

Haven't heard any of the SDA's since they were new. They were impressive, but IMNSHO they represent the same "more is more" [American] philosophy as a 1974 Cadillac Eldorado!

Now, THAT is the worst thing you're ever going to hear me say about Polk Audio!
 
I have a pair of sda 2.3's. The separation and soundstage have to be heard to be believed. I've tried a+bing them with and without the cord connected. Unconnected they sound like just another good pair of speakers. Plugged in it's a whole nother animal. The room that I have them in is approx 15 x15 and gets overwhelmed easily. I'd love to hear the big polks in an auditorium or outside. The sda effect in my opinion is one of the better improvements I've made in my ongoing quest.
 
I heard the SDA-1 when it first came out and was not impressed with the sound. I thought they weren't as transparent sounding as many other speakers. In the same showroom they had the Monitor 10's and I thought they sounded much better.
 
I agree with what's been said above in that the Polks are great sounding speakers that can do just about everything well. The SDA effect combined with Carver's sonic holography is definite overkill and takes away noticeably from the sound. The SDA effect is very noticeable on well recorded stereo source material, but not overwhelming. Incidentally, my SDA's have four tweeters vertically aligned in each speaker, but the crossover network only fires all four at certain frequencies. Under most circumstances, one or more tweeters are energized to provide (in Polk's words) "wavelength optimized line-source, focusing the sound waves in a way which greatly reduces floor and ceiling reflections."

If there are any disadvantages to the speakers other than size (WAF), one might be that they really benefit from high powered amps (additional expense). They never protest getting as much of my Sunfire's power as I can stand to give them and I can still say they're great speakers after 17 years of ownership. :)
 
I love SDA's, simply the best value for the money IMO. I've always been a fan of a wide soundstage, and the 'placement' of sound never ceases to amaze me. Only caveat is (as others mentioned) the size, combined with the fact that they are somewhat particular about placement in order to get the optimal effect. If you have to tuck them in a corner they wouldn't be the best choice, as they won't live up to their potential. But if you can place them as you like, go for it. Best you'll get under $5,000 (again, my opinion :)).

Oh yea, absolutely upgrade the tweeters ($48 a pop direct from Polk), and as with all older speakers rebuild the crossover...the gain is immediate and significant.
 
I had a pair of the SDA-CRS. I boughtthem new in 1986 and sold them just this year. Loved them. Fairly wide sweet spot. I really liked the SDA effect. Once I expand the house, I plan on getting another pair.
 
I have yet to hear a pair. I would certainly consider buying a pair if they ever turn up locally even if I don't have the space for them.

cubdog
 
I have a pair of SDA-2s and are my favorites. I agree with just about everything that was already said. They are on the big side but that makes the soundstage that much bigger and fuller. The Polk 10s will do a very good job emulating its bigger cousins.

The SL-2000 (silver domes) tweeters can be overly bright with some receivers/amps. A lot of guys swap them for the silk dome replacements. But I like them just the way ther are.
 
I had apair of sda compact system. The sound with the cable was incredible. I played The Beatles on them and the separation and distiction of vocals and instruments was amazing. I sold them becuase I liked other speakers better and didn't have aplace for them.
 
I have a pair of SDA-2As. Great speakers. I love the separation. When I want to really shake the rumpus room, I run them with my HPM-100s - stacked. Surprisingly, the SDAs hold their own - I still hear their soundstage/separation and also get the HPMs fist in your face rock sound.
 
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