Bring Back the SDA - Fan List

[dorokusai]

Here is the thread for you guys to post your demands or comments for the return of the greatest speaker Polk Audio ever made.

Begin your gushing now.... :D

[jdhdiggs]

My favorite part of SDA's are demoing them to those who don't know. Usually goes something like this:

1) Hey, they sound pretty good, I don't know what the big deal is
2) their head turns as they realize the guitar is not coming from the speaker, but from the kitchen
3) the dumbfounded look on their face as they try to figure it out
4) Head returns to center and the SDA grin begins as they really start listening....

Sound about right?

LSi SDA...!!! :D

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

I still have not heard them...which is stupid becuase I have no excuse since Russ lives right up the road...

[jdhdiggs]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
I still have not heard them...which is stupid becuase I have no excuse since Russ lives right up the road...

And I'm right down the road..

[TroyD]

I go along and say that they are the crowning achievment for Polk.

I wouldn't hold my breath for an SDA comeback though.

BDT

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Originally posted by jdhdiggs
2) their head turns as they realize the guitar is not coming from the speaker, but from the kitchen

OK, I have to admit I don't get this one...

I've heard people rave about hearing different instruments from other speakers or directions (usually with multichannel music on an HT setup, but still...) and I personally don't understand the fascination with it...

I WANT the music coming from the front speakers becuase that's where it comes from naturally. If I go to a concert, all the performers are in front of me, not over to my right and left and behind me...

So is this the SDA effect...to make the music appear to come from other directions??

Maybe I'm just skeptical becuase I haven't heard SDAs yet...I don't know...

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Originally posted by jdhdiggs
And I'm right down the road..
you got SDAs too? damn...

[RuSsMaN]

You local yahoos - Dallas Audio Club is meeting at my house next Thursday 7-10pm, feel free to come on by for snacks, tunes, etc.

And to stay on topic, you can listen to the SDA's.

Cheers,
Russ

[jdhdiggs]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
OK, I have to admit I don't get this one...

I've heard people rave about hearing different instruments from other speakers or directions (usually with multichannel music on an HT setup, but still...) and I personally don't understand the fascination with it...

I WANT the music coming from the front speakers becuase that's where it comes from naturally. If I go to a concert, all the performers are in front of me, not over to my right and left and behind me...

So is this the SDA effect...to make the music appear to come from other directions??

Maybe I'm just skeptical becuase I haven't heard SDAs yet...I don't know...

Basically, the speakers tend to disappear and the instruments surround you in a 180 degree field. To me, it typically sounds like I'm sitting at the drums, the singer is in front of me and the various other instruments are surrounding me. Much more enveloping and involving...

Oh, and I'd recommend going to Russ's. it's like a good audio museum of sorts. I'll do my best to attend. Would you want me to bring any gear? I think you have a good record of what I have.

[nadams]

I look at it if Polk brings back the SDA lines, the vintage ones may be less sought after, and I might be able to nab a pair of the vintage ones :-)

[gmorris]

Originally posted by jdhdiggs
Basically, the speakers tend to disappear and the instruments surround you in a 180 degree field. To me, it typically sounds like I'm sitting at the drums, the singer is in front of me and the various other instruments are surrounding me. Much more enveloping and involving...

So it makes you feel like you are in the band, sitting on the stage?

I didn't think that was the point at all. I thought SDA was supposed to give you Supreme stereo seperation, which gives better sense of space, and other things. By saying it makes you feel like you are on stage (if that is indeed what you are saying) that sounds like some odd surround effect.

[Frank Z]

I would define the SDA Effect as wider soundfield coupled with better imaging than a conventional speaker. There isn't a "Surround Effect" but there is an improvement in the placeemnt of the instruments/vocals that are heard. Imagine sitting a few rows from the front of an orchestra (center stage) and closing your eyes. You can hear where each instrument is placed left to right as well as front to rear.

[pjdami]

Polk really needs to get back to its "roots" with some high end two channel speakers.

I'm talking about the sound I hear from the Monitor 10s and the SDA CRS+ that I own. The LSi are nice, but I can tell that something is missing or muddied in the sound compared to the older speakers and other speakers I own.

Look at companies like JM Labs, Magnepan, Dynaudio, among others. These companies carry speakers that cost as little as $500 - $600 but also offer speakers that cost a ton more. What's wrong with Polk doing the same thing here?

Talking about getting back to roots, I found this article on the web. I hadn't read it before, but I'm sure that some of you have. When reading it, pay attention to the part about what Polk's original intentions were, making a speaker like the European Spendor BC1 with great midrange and imaging, but with the bass and slam of the american speakers at the time. Hence, the birth of the Monitor 7s and the 10s and later the SDAs. I thought it was cool that Matt Polk referenced the BC1 in this article since I own a pair. Makes me wonder a lot when I listen to the 10s some of the similarities I'm hearing there.

http://www.soundstage.com/interviews/matthew_polk.htm

edit for typo

[xsmi]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
I still have not heard them...which is stupid becuase I have no excuse since Russ lives right up the road...

PolkManiac Get your favorite recordings and get your ass over there. I wish I had SDA's within 100 Miles of me!!! :D

[PolkWannabie]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
If I go to a concert, all the performers are in front of me, not over to my right and left and behind me... They aren't behind you with SDA either. However if you sit near the stage in a concert the sound you hear is much wider and deeper than what you hear out of a typical pair of speakers and you of course have the ability to pick out not only by sight but by sound as well where different instruments are not only left and right but front to back. This is the objective and realization with SDA i.e. to much more accurately reproduce the sound you'd hear at a concert or recording session.

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/technology/sda.php?category=3&speaker=82

[Jstas]

The SDA's make you feel like you are there and the band is playing just for you. Or like you are a fly on the wall in the studio itself.

It's hard to describe.

The soundstage is both deep and wide. Lesser speakers will sound like they are playing music, SDA's sound like they are almost emminating music in every direction.

Listening to SDA's goes something like this:

Close your eyes. Picture yourself at a jazz club and the band is on stage. The drums are off to the left in the corner, there is a Hammond B3 in the right corner with an amplifier and speaker box. The bass is off to the far right, next to the Hammond organ. There is a guitar player with a microphone and harmonica dead center and a small brass section with a trumpet, trombone and sax off to the left, just infront of the drums. They start playing and get rocking good! Volumes increase and decrease and they pass solos off to each other through the whole deal. The singer is singing and the guitar is wailing, the brass is growling, the bass is plucking away and those drums feel like they are kicking you in your seat every time! Now you open your eyes, see the soft red glows of the power lights and these two dark monoliths staring at you. But the band is still there, yet you can't see them. You can feel them and hear them and point to where each one is but all that is there are these two monoliths standing tall and proud and and flooding over you with music and sound that not even speakers 3-4 times thier price can rival.

That is what SDA's are like. Very few other speakers can do that. They basically can immerse you in thier sound-stage and it is very life-like. Afterall, the point of speakers to recreate a live performance as accuratly as possible. Go to a live performance and listen. There is no one single sound source, it comes from all across the stage. Due to the SDA technology, the SDA's are capable of reproducing that from two sound sources, stereo speakers.

The only way to really "get it" is to go and get your listen on. They are incredible and impressive speakers both visually and sonically. Defintly a crowning achievement and IMO, no other conventional cone based speaker has come close to the abilities of a pair of SDA's in producing real-to-life sound. I'd have to look to electrostatics and magnetic planar speakers to get a similar effect to the SDA's.

[Zero]

Time to move on from the little company that could - to the big company that did.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Is placement a big issue with the SDA speakers?

[PolkWannabie]

A BIG issue ? ... I suppose it depends on what you mean by BIG ...

They need to be straight on i.e. no toe in, away from the side walls and relatively near the back walls and have an ideal from/to range away from each other.

[Airplay355]

they are pretty big speakers too so movin them around isnt what id call fun....not a speaker u wanna bear hug and wander around with

[Zero]

Good to see you are enjoying the ole 2b's John. Every once in a blue moon I do wish I could hook them up again when I pull out a live-event recording.

[F1nut]

Originally posted by Airplay355
not a speaker u wanna bear hug and wander around with

Huh? I bear hug mine all the time! :D

[Jstas]

Originally posted by F1nut
Huh? I bear hug mine all the time! :D

I'll bet your passive radiators have dents all over them from the dry humping too, huh?

[Jstas]

Originally posted by Zero
Good to see you are enjoying the ole 2b's John. Every once in a blue moon I do wish I could hook them up again when I pull out a live-event recording.

I don't get to listen to them a whole lot. They are placed facing the wall to prevent damage until I move out. Sometimes I stack furniture on top of other furniture in my room to pull them out and hook them up.

[keith allen]

Ive owned some kind of Polk since the middle 80's,BUT Ive never got to hear the sda's...IM in around Atlanta,Jeorja...anbody own a pair close???Also which is the best sda's to own?

[TroyD]

Keith,

The weekend of Oct 9th, hit I-20 east to I-26 South down to Charleston, I've got a pair of the SDA SRS 2.3tl's....happy to let you listen to them to your hearts content.

I've spent time with the 2b's and the 2.3tl's in my house. The sda effect is as good with the 2b's as the 2.3tl's but overall, the 2.3tl's are superior, IMHO.

BDT

[steveinaz]

Absolutely bring back the SDA, it's the Polk Audio cornerstone and a milestone. It would be like having B&W's without the dorky tweeter thingy for god sakes, or Klipsch without horns, or Bose without 9, $2 cones.......:D

[keith allen]

What are they all about?Im a big fan of Magnpans,love the natural sound they produce,are sda'a simuliar?There must be something very special about them,what would a good pair go for these dayz,in good shape?

[TroyD]

Do a search, I'll bet fully half of the speaker posts on the forum revolve around SDA......

Far as cost on a used pair...check audiogon and ebay...

BDT

[steveinaz]

SDA stands for "Stereo Dimensional Array" and involves using a proprietary cable that interconnects the speakers. This cable provides a small signal from the opposite channel, (long story, short) thereby creating a "headphone effect" by giving the sonic illusion that the channels are completely seperated by using crosstalk cancellation.

Similar to Carver's Sonic Holography in effect, but different approach. It gives a very wide soundstage that, if implemented properly, extends beyond the cabinet boundries.

[I-SIG]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
I WANT the music coming from the front speakers becuase that's where it comes from naturally. If I go to a concert, all the performers are in front of me, not over to my right and left and behind me...

So is this the SDA effect...to make the music appear to come from other directions??

Maybe I'm just skeptical becuase I haven't heard SDAs yet...I don't know...

Just think about the last concert you went to. The sound didn't simply come from venue loudspeakers did it? You were much enveloped by the sound while still being able to locate each instrument or musician, right?

This is what SDA accomplishes. Big, wide, enveloping soundstage, but still with strong imaging and lot of sound!

Wes

[Zen Dragon]

Originally posted by pjdami
Polk really needs to get back to its "roots" with some high end two channel speakers.

I'm talking about the sound I hear from the Monitor 10s and the SDA CRS+ that I own. The LSi are nice, but I can tell that something is missing or muddied in the sound compared to the older speakers and other speakers I own.

edit for typo

Amen brother. I would just like to hear SDA's with modern drivers.
I also own the Monitor 10's and the 5 jr's, and the SDA-1C, and the LSI-9. When I hooked the LSI's up, my first feel was the imaging is not as good as the Monitor 10's. Test after test on my ears confirmed a crisper sound from the LSI driver, but lessened imaging. I eventually found some SDA-1C's for sale locally and my LSI-9's are temporarily stored in a spare bedroom. Obviously driver technology has advanced, but theres something about those old tri-laminate drivers that was special. :cool:

[rskarvan]

I have two sets of SDA's (CRS+ & 3.1TL) and I have to say that I would be in the market for a new SDA speaker if Polk made them available.

Polk should, at minimum, make a new SDA speaker available to Club Polk members via the internet. That would require no marketing mess from Polk and the technology could go directly to the fans. No brainer. Come on Polk. Time to execute a good plan.

[Larry Chanin]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by jdhdiggs
2) their head turns as they realize the guitar is not coming from the speaker, but from the kitchen

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, I have to admit I don't get this one...

I've heard people rave about hearing different instruments from other speakers or directions (usually with multichannel music on an HT setup, but still...) and I personally don't understand the fascination with it...

I WANT the music coming from the front speakers becuase that's where it comes from naturally. If I go to a concert, all the performers are in front of me, not over to my right and left and behind me...

So is this the SDA effect...to make the music appear to come from other directions??

Maybe I'm just skeptical becuase I haven't heard SDAs yet...I don't know...

Hi,

Sorry I'm a little late, but I just discovered this Vintage forum. (Great idea!)

I think others have responded well, but I'd like to also chime in.

It's true that some of the multi-channel sound mixes get carried away and put sounds in live presentations in unnatural locations. However, that shouldn't be confused with what Interaural Crosstalk Cancellation (SDA effect) does.

The point is that sounds in real life don't only originate from a space that is equivalent to the relatively narrow spacing of two speakers. Real life soundstages are a lot wider. What SDA does is not create a surround effect in an inappropriate location, it more accurately images a source that happens to be beyond the width of your speaker spacing. It does that by removing interaural crosstalk that is created by having two stereo sources, with sounds from the right speaker leaking into your left ear and visa versa.

There has been a lot of discussion that SDA's were created for stereo music and therefore they are more appropriate for listening to music rather than movies. While it is true that they were created for music, nevertheless I believe that their superior imaging makes them even more appropriate for movies.

The reason gets back to your valid comment that music should be presented in the front. While music presentation can have a soundstage wider than your speaker spacing, I believe that soundstages in movies are designed to be very wide, and therefore are aided by SDA even to a greater extent.

Larry

[BlueMDPicker]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
OK, I have to admit I don't get this one...

Maybe I'm just skeptical becuase I haven't heard SDAs yet...I don't know...

Hi Polkmaniac,

I got my "SDA experience" recently - pretty much by accident - please see the thread "New to SDA....."

Here's the bottom line for me:

The SDA's image the performance not so much LIKE a LIVE performance; but, rather AS an ALIVE performance.

Hope that makes sense?

[dudeinaroom]

BRING BACK THE SDA's

[candyliquor35m]

I wouldn't be surprised if someone at Polk was tinkering with a smaller version of the sda's based on their recent experience with building smaller good sounding speakers. I never thought I would want to play with/get my hands on anything other than sda's until I heard Tour's Carver Amazings and Maggies 1.5. They both have their own issues. The amazings are big and heavy. The maggies have to be pulled out a few feet from the wall and lack base according to Tour. Seems like a good time for Polk to show off/demonstrate its decades of experience with building quality speakers.

[BSUfbfan]

I would definetly buy updated SDA's. New updated drivers with the proven SDA technology......oh, yeah!

I aquired some Carver Amazings about 4 months ago and gave them several hours of setup and listening, and while the full-range ribbon was the smoothest I have ever heard, the bass from the infinite baffle gigantic speakers was pretty pathetic. I kept finding myself back at my CRS+ listening to my favorite tunes over and over, and the tiny Polk's great soundstage and full-range sound finally KO'd the Carver's. Going, going, Audiogon.

[F1nut]

The SDA's didn't need "new" drivers, just upgrade the crossovers with high quality parts and you'll have all the detail and bass you'll ever want.

[TroyD]

I would definetly buy updated SDA's. New updated drivers with the proven SDA technology......oh, yeah!

I aquired some Carver Amazings about 4 months ago and gave them several hours of setup and listening, and while the full-range ribbon was the smoothest I have ever heard, the bass from the infinite baffle gigantic speakers was pretty pathetic. I kept finding myself back at my CRS+ listening to my favorite tunes over and over, and the tiny Polk's great soundstage and full-range sound finally KO'd the Carver's. Going, going, Audiogon.

I think room interaction my be an issue. Others here have had similar issues with the bass. I had no such issues and had bass in SPADES.

BDT

[BSUfbfan]

I think room interaction my be an issue. Others here have had similar issues with the bass. I had no such issues and had bass in SPADES.


That is very likely. I had only one room to use, and it is FAR from perfect. I added a 12" powered sub and the system really came together, but with the sub box and the massive size of the speakers, they consumed the room. Someday I'll have my own "listening room" and then I'll have to go on a speaker buying spree!


The SDA's didn't need "new" drivers, just upgrade the crossovers with high quality parts and you'll have all the detail and bass you'll ever want.

I was just referring to the RDO tweeters being the standard issue, I am rather fond of the tri-lam as others have pointed out.

Good point on the X-overs too, seems the components have really come a long way in the last 20 years.

[madmax]

Always a good topic here. If only someone started making re-issues... If I were to bring them back I would go with 1C size.
madmax

[Refefer]

I recall a while ago a letter from Matthew Polk to the forums, something along the lines of him liking the idea of a "modern" SDA using the drivers from the LSi series of speakers.

So why don't we make a mock-up for him? Heck, if one of us were to go and grab four of their mids, four vifa's and a couple PR's, I don't see why we couldn't recreate an SDA-2 series. Quite a few of us here know how to read a cross-over diagram, and those of us with SDA-2's could reverse engineer the x-overs from the originals.

I figure if we can get the thiel-small parameters, we could work out the enclosure dimensions and unless I'm mistaken, a passive radiator is computed exactly like a bass-reflex design- which the LSi series already uses quite well.

Judging by how small the Lsi 7's are and the amount of bass they produce (not amazing, but not bad at all, considering), I think we could shrink down the enclosure by a fair amount, which will make them more marketable by far.

I'm willing to donate some money into a group project.

[heiney9]

If Threshold can re-issue the classic S/350 stasis amplifer for about $1000 less than the original sold for. Why not Polk doing a re-issue of one or a few SDA models? Not sure how the reissued Threshold is selling, but Polk has the clout to pull it off.

Just think what a limited edition reissue Polk SDA would bring on e-bay in a few years. Only way it would be a flop is if it was like Gibson guitars where the re-issues never come close to the originals in sound or collectability.

Food for thought

H9

[madmax]

To me a re-issue sounds cool but I wonder if people would pay the price?

Lets consider one is available in the mid size catagory. It looks a lot sleeker than the old 1C and sounds a little more detailed. Still all passive and no monkey business with any electronics.

How much would you pay for it?
madmax

[heiney9]

To me a re-issue sounds cool but I wonder if people would pay the price?

Lets consider one is available in the mid size catagory. It looks a lot sleeker than the old 1C and sounds a little more detailed. Still all passive and no monkey business with any electronics.

How much would you pay for it?
madmax

That's an unfair question for people like us on the forum because we've heard them and have much experience with them and would most definetly pay more than the average Joe.

Me personally if they could get it done around the price of the Lsi 15's I'd be all over it.

There also would be a stigma attatched to Polk for revisiting the SDA technology since few of the critics took them as serious speakers in the beginning. And as much as WE like to say reviews and approval from the audio world don't matter; it does when it comes to moving products.

But if your talking a one off project for nostalgia then mass approval doesn't really mean anything, but anything for the long term unfortuneatly needs some sort of commercial approval in this day and age.

H9

[madmax]

The LSi15's have an MSRP of $1850 and sell for around $1300 to $1500 in stores. Lets just say they sell for $1200. We are asking for a speaker with twice the complement of speakers in a larger box for the same price in a much lower quantity of production. I forget exactly but didn't the 1C's sell somewhere around $2K in the 90's? No matter, the LSi15 is a better comparison anyway. I'm guessing in limited quantities they would run maybe $2800 out the door. That is quite a step up over picking up an old pair of 1C's for $700. Of course thats what they are, an old pair of 1C's. I'm guessing I'm willing to spend maybe $1500 to $1700. I don't think they can do it for that without really cheaping out on everything though.

[hearingimpared]

The LSi15's have an MSRP of $1850 and sell for around $1300 to $1500 in stores. Lets just say they sell for $1200. We are asking for a speaker with twice the complement of speakers in a larger box for the same price in a much lower quantity of production. I forget exactly but didn't the 1C's sell somewhere around $2K in the 90's? No matter, the LSi15 is a better comparison anyway. I'm guessing in limited quantities they would run maybe $2800 out the door. That is quite a step up over picking up an old pair of 1C's for $700. Of course thats what they are, an old pair of 1C's. I'm guessing I'm willing to spend maybe $1500 to $1700. I don't think they can do it for that without really cheaping out on everything though.


Summary: Everything is in boxes waiting to move into new home with baseline 2 channel rig almost complete and intact.

Question: I just aquired the 1.2 TLs this past August 12th. Should I upgrade from the SL3000s to the new silk domes or should I take a listen first and upgrade accordingly. I love the sound of analog/vinyl so that lends this next question are the SL3000s like glass breaking digital compared to the silk domes?

My hearing memory with the old SRSs is that with analog they were very nice, with the digital of the late 80s/early 90s it was GOD aweful.

Thanks,
Joe

PS: Chuck what happened to your signature . . . I need to obsess and drool!!!

Edit: Sorry I just read this whole thread and was responding to another post about updating/upgrading the SDAs so please ignore the quotes above.

[ND13]

I'd buy that for a dollar!!!

[univera]

Since so many here are handy and build their own cabinets, what would stop anyone from building their own cabinets and buying the parts? I guess it would be lack of availabilty of some of the older drivers?

[heiney9]

The LSi15's have an MSRP of $1850 and sell for around $1300 to $1500 in stores. Lets just say they sell for $1200. We are asking for a speaker with twice the complement of speakers in a larger box for the same price in a much lower quantity of production. I forget exactly but didn't the 1C's sell somewhere around $2K in the 90's? No matter, the LSi15 is a better comparison anyway. I'm guessing in limited quantities they would run maybe $2800 out the door. That is quite a step up over picking up an old pair of 1C's for $700. Of course thats what they are, an old pair of 1C's. I'm guessing I'm willing to spend maybe $1500 to $1700. I don't think they can do it for that without really cheaping out on everything though.

The thing is they already have the technology and they already have the drivers. They have cabinet making materials as well as the means to mass produce cabinets on the cheap. This is not a "from scratch" speaker, Llike the original SDA's or the Lsi line. They've done the R & D, now it's a matter of tweaking the raw parts and assembly. Sure it's a simplistic view, but you get the picture. This isn't building something that started out as a flicker of an idea in an engineers head. Much of the expense has already been depreciated and now it's a matter of coming up with a modern day SDA with the material already on hand.

H9

[heiney9]

PS: Chuck what happened to your signature . . . I need to obsess and drool!!!

A signature only shows once a page. This is to cut down on the clutter if a when a person is posting mutiple reply's on one page. If this goes to another page and MM posts his sig will be there.

[disneyjoe7]

Are there people out there how don't like SDA's?

[hearingimpared]

A signature only shows once a page. This is to cut down on the clutter if a when a person is posting mutiple reply's on one page. If this goes to another page and MM posts his sig will be there.

Thanks for the info. . .every chance I get to compliment MM on his system I jump on it.

[snow]

well i have to admit i am amazed at the sound that a pair of sda sars 1.2 tl puts out. i hooked them up today in a place where i could actually turn it up a lttle bit :D and the soundstage is incredibile. using a carver TFM-35X amp for 2 channel stereo. on some songs it actually seems that people were behind me singing, impossible because i have the couch agianst the wall. but its sound stage is much wider than the mains i was using before its no contest as which is the better speaker. the bass is amazing considering that its a passive woofer. plenty deep and lots of slam. enough if your only 15 feet away or so it will actually slam you in the chest on faster passages hard enough to feel like someone hit you.:eek: i cant wait to hear how these sound with the new to me pre pro i bought a few days ago on audiogon. a lexicon MC-1 version 4. i am using an adcom 2 channel preamp now with only analog inputs. im sure that once i can hook up an coxial digital or toslink from my cd or dvd player the quality will improve even more. i have nothing against the LSI-15 for example but i listened to those when they came out and were very nice speakers. but imho they dont compare to these. and to all the doubters and haters that dont belive in these come by and listen and you will leave a changed person lmao:) REGARDS SNOW

[BobMcG]

I think room interaction my be an issue. Others here have had similar issues with the bass. I had no such issues and had bass in SPADES.

BDT

I have no such issues with the bass output or reproduction of my CAs either. Bass in SPADES alright!

[BobMcG]

I almost forgot... As if it needs to be reiterated...

BRING BACK THE SDA!

[dudeinaroom]

I think newer drivers and upgraded crossovers might not hurt, But do not port them. Keep it a passive radiator design. Possible use a divers with a lower fs, and use PR's tuned to a lower freq. Them hope for a smooth curve and a lower f3, some thing like 20 hz +/-5 hz.(should have usable sub sonics think Nemo finger taping on fish tank). Any who I like me 2'a just the way they are sl2000's and all(ok the crossover could be reworked, as they are original and likely worn out).

Bring Back the SDA's





even though I can not afford them.

[hearingimpared]

Bring Back the SDA's

[DaveMuell]

Bring back the CRS+'s - they fit the smaller size criteria and they kick-ass.

[DarqueKnight]

I will be happy, thrilled, and content if they just continue to make replacement parts available.:)

[tugboat]

On the topic of the SDA effect surround you and it being unnatural... I'm by now means an expert and my thought on it is totally my own. I believe the most natural sound the recording should be mixed only enough to put the instrument in it's proper location and nothing else. I think that when sounds extend too far out or around you is due to the engineer using special processing to try and let listeners of standard stereo speakers experience wider soundstage or other audio effects. It's when the SDAs run into this that they really start to extend to your sides or behind you. Don't know if anyone here listens to RAP, but there is a song from NWA "Chin Check." This song has a vocal that is mixed in such a way that it comes from all around you and makes everyone I've played it for look all around them and get up to make sure my surrounds aren't on. Another one is from Madonna "The Power of Good-bye." It is a good effect, but not a natural one. I find that music that displays no exagerrated stereo effects and such play exactly as intended on my 1.2TLs.

Oh, another good one to listen to is from CCR "Susie-Q"

Now I could be completely wrong in my assumption. It just came to me one day when I found an old Realistic EQ in my closet. It had a "stereo expander" feature that kind of worked, but at the expense of sonic quality (hence being in the closet for 15 years). :)

[dudeinaroom]

Now I could be completely wrong in my assumption. It just came to me one day when I found an old Realistic EQ in my closet. It had a "stereo expander" feature that kind of worked, but at the expense of sonic quality (hence being in the closet for 15 years). :)


I think I have the same one you have. it's in my closet:D

[tugboat]

Yeah, that EQ goes back to when I really didn't know how good music could sound and was easily pulled into a purchase because I was impressed by all those sliders! I removed it when I got a Pioneer VSX-5000 (wow, it had Dolby surround that when in use took 1/3 of the front amps to power the rears) and Bose 301 speakers. Well I was glad that back then Circuit City had a one year upgrade policy. The Bose 301s really messed up the soundstage and made it hard to locate instruments, etc. I took them back and got a pair of ARs and was happy. I kept them until '96 and replaced them with Polk RT800s. They lasted til '03 when my friend that owned a pair of mint 1.2TLs (he used them for about 6 months and then disconnected them when he got married) called and said it was time to get rid of them. I got them, a NAD preamp and two NAD 200w amps for 1500! I sold the NADs since my Denon 5803a has high current amps and at the ohm rating of the 1.2TLs it puts a decent 200w into each. More than enough for my neighbors to hate me. :)

You know, I might just hook up the EQ and see what the expander does with the SDAs. :))

[dudeinaroom]

You know, I might just hook up the EQ and see what the expander does with the SDAs. :))


I was thinking the same thing. I was gonna kill the ht setup and use the eq as a source selector and my home made passive pre into my adcom. haven't had time to do it though. Really wanna get the receiver out of the loop.

[heiney9]

Tugboat, since you mentioned EQ and BOSE in the same post you have now been banned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

Sorry but your logic is flawed

H9

[F1nut]

Tugboat, since you mentioned EQ and BOSE in the same post you have now been banned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Yep, rules are rules and that's at the top of the list!

[BobMcG]

Tugboat, since you mentioned EQ and BOSE in the same post you have now been banned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:H9

Holy snykees! I hear yah on that one! But wait....:eek:

I was thinking the same thing. I was gonna kill the ht setup and use the eq as a source selector and my home made passive pre into my adcom. haven't had time to do it though. Really wanna get the receiver out of the loop.


Sounds like someone else is going down with the ship! Errr boat, errr tugboat.:D

[heiney9]

Ya, dudeinaroom was doomed since the day he joined. I believe he was the one running the Adcom amp out of the headphone jack :eek: on his receiver because it had no pre-outs. Got to give him credit for thinking outside the box, but not the most "hi-fi" way to get the job done.

Yes, he should be banned as well, sorry guys but turn around, put your heads down and slowly walk out of the forum :D

H9

[univera]

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Yep, rules are rules and that's at the top of the list!

Aren't you forgetting to mention the fact that Tugboat also referenced a rap song, Realistic AND a Madonna song in the same thread? Madonna is one thing, but NWA??????;) Bose, EQ, Realistic rap song and Madonna-hmmm.......Nigga's With Attitudes????Fashizel.

[hearingimpared]

Oh yeah, forgot, BRING BACK SDA!!!

[dudeinaroom]

oh come on now. I didn't even use the b word. The reciver is just make shift, as would be the eq if i co that route. I only make about 16 grand a year, and support a wife and two kids. So in about 20 years when I can afford a decent dd,dts pre/pro I'll do it, but this is what I have for now. Don't knock it, you don't have to hear it.

And the adcom is a jump up from the technics internal amps. sda's sound good for ht, and even better when I kill all internal amps and am running just the adcom and the sda's for 2ch. Now if anyone wanted to give me a pre, or pre/pro I would cure my system of the disease.

Later all,
dude

[reeltrouble1]

Torpedoed Tug, Abandon or go down with the ship.

RT1

Carver Amazing's and no bass????????????

Monkey needs to get back on the power stone.

[heiney9]

oh come on now. I didn't even use the b word. The reciver is just make shift, as would be the eq if i co that route. I only make about 16 grand a year, and support a wife and two kids. So in about 20 years when I can afford a decent dd,dts pre/pro I'll do it, but this is what I have for now. Don't knock it, you don't have to hear it.

And the adcom is a jump up from the technics internal amps. sda's sound good for ht, and even better when I kill all internal amps and am running just the adcom and the sda's for 2ch. Now if anyone wanted to give me a pre, or pre/pro I would cure my system of the disease.

Later all,
dude

Hey Dude, no disrespect meant, just having at little fun. We all gotta do what we gotta do. Sometimes I think I'd give up my modest system for a family.

[dudeinaroom]

Hey Dude, no disrespect meant, just having at little fun. We all gotta do what we gotta do. Sometimes I think I'd give up my modest system for a family.


none taken, and I hear the family thing (at least when the system is off);)

[reeltrouble1]

You dont have to spend a lot to make a musically satisfying system. Enjoying the music is what its all about, those few minutes or hours, when you can connect get into it and forget about having a bad day, bad customer's, bad bosses.

RT1

[snow]

oh come on now. I didn't even use the b word. The reciver is just make shift, as would be the eq if i co that route. I only make about 16 grand a year, and support a wife and two kids. So in about 20 years when I can afford a decent dd,dts pre/pro I'll do it, but this is what I have for now. Don't knock it, you don't have to hear it.

And the adcom is a jump up from the technics internal amps. sda's sound good for ht, and even better when I kill all internal amps and am running just the adcom and the sda's for 2ch. Now if anyone wanted to give me a pre, or pre/pro I would cure my system of the disease.

Later all,
dude hi dude.that adcom amp is a very nice amp btw for those sdas plenty of power. as far as making enough to afford a nice multi channel pre pro your right its not easy to do with a wife and kids, no matter how much you make. if you need or want a 2 channel preamp in the interim i will send you a adcom GFP-555 if you pay the postage, as soon as i recieve a pre pro that i bought last week.it wont help you with home theatre, but it should make your 2 channel a little better than using the head phone jack. btw thats pretty darn inovative. REGARDS SNOW

[dudeinaroom]

thanks. I had to do something. If you are serious I would gladly take it. I have been thinking of killing the ht until we can we can get into a house of our own. Floor space is at a premuim right now. One wall has my sda's my cheapy khl sub and the entertainment center. The other has a couch and a set of floor standing infinitys. so it's pretty wall to wall. Thanks

Later,
Dude

[DaveMuell]

"Life's short, Listen to SDA's"

One of the best signature lines around.

[snow]

thanks. I had to do something. If you are serious I would gladly take it. I have been thinking of killing the ht until we can we can get into a house of our own. Floor space is at a premuim right now. One wall has my sda's my cheapy khl sub and the entertainment center. The other has a couch and a set of floor standing infinitys. so it's pretty wall to wall. Thanks

Later,
Dude yes im serious about sending you the preamp. it might be a little while longer than i thought though. i recieved my new to me lexicon MC-1 and it appears to be in perfect condition, not a mark on it anywhere. but....... it doesnt work:( all i get are a couple letters on the on screen display. obviously some error message, it refuses to power up period. ive looked at the manual till im crosseyed, thats not helping either. i posted a question on the lexicon forum regarding this hopefully i will get a response soon. its looking like from what reasearch ive done on this its either the daughter board, or the power supply unit. its looking like im going to have to send to lexicon to get repaired. its a flat $425.00 for any repair plus shipping. i am kind of in a dillema here. i cant resell it the way it is. and i really dont want to pay the money to fix it. but i allready have a thousand bucks into it so i cant throw it away. guess ill call lexicon in the moring and send it off. im feeling a ll sick right now, i was so looking forward to using this. o well i guess thats the breaks sometimes. SNOW

[dudeinaroom]

That's really crappy. Did you contact the seller? I would see what he has to say. He might take care of repairs for you and if it was working when he had it you might be able to get who ever you used for shipping to pay for it. That's totally crappy. Good luck. Hope it works out for you.

later,
Dude

[snow]

That's really crappy. Did you contact the seller? I would see what he has to say. He might take care of repairs for you and if it was working when he had it you might be able to get who ever you used for shipping to pay for it. That's totally crappy. Good luck. Hope it works out for you.

later,
Dude yes i contacted the seller no reply as yet. as far as shipping goes it arrived without a mark on it, in its original box and packing. inside another box. and no signs of abuse on the outside box either, so i doubt i will be able to make a claim that way. i think im going to have to eat it. and move on. im going to take it to the local tech today and have him look at it. who knows maybe a simple fix. i have my fingers crossed. REGARDS SNOW

[ESAVINON]

Bring Back The Sda!

[ESAVINON]

Bring Back The Srt!

[tugboat]

Damn, I sure lined myself up for a major frontal attack! Hahaha! In my defense, Bose is and will never be a consideration of mine for anything (except, maybe, the noise cancelation headphones), hooking up the old EQ with stereo expander was just out of curiosity, didn't know that one of the requirements for owning and using and SDA product meant I had to limit my musical listening to exclude rap and such and for what's it's worth....I will sing the praises of SDA til the day I die (might even have my 1.2TLs setup at my grave site and play for all to enjoy). :)

I can't be the only owner of SDAs that has a music collection that goes beyond classical, rock and pop. I own over 1400 CDs that cover every genre. My love of music knows now bounderies. :)

Anyway, my take on what might make the SDA effect to beyond norm....Was I totally off target? Does a recording that artifically expands the stereo effect have no affect on the SDA?

Thanks! :)

[RuSsMaN]

F SDA!!!

Look for inwalls, and 'solutions' - ie Surroundbar. You MIGHT see an SDA SRT 'remix' - but you (most) won't be able to afford it.

You want big 2ch SDA, hit ebay / audiogon - there's plenty of 'inventory'.

Cheers,
Russ

[xsmi]

Don't bring back SDA, I promised my wife and son more of my time for the forseeable future :D ! Man this would really suck oh well such is life, they are much more fun;) .

[dudeinaroom]

yes i contacted the seller no reply as yet. as far as shipping goes it arrived without a mark on it, in its original box and packing. inside another box. and no signs of abuse on the outside box either, so i doubt i will be able to make a claim that way. i think im going to have to eat it. and move on. im going to take it to the local tech today and have him look at it. who knows maybe a simple fix. i have my fingers crossed. REGARDS SNOW



Best of luck. I hope it doesn't cost you too much.

[Toka78]

I'd be more than happy if Polk were to offer a DIY 'upgrade' kit for the SDA's...new midrange's and maybe(?) a new crossover...the silk tweets are just fine, and the PR still brings it. I agree that if Polk were to build 'new' SDA's it wouldn't be economically feasible to do them 'right' in all probability.

[djf]

No, they shouldn't bring back the SDA's. Cause with the tech now, the composites, the polymers, etc. That means I would have to fork over my check for a new pair!

I asked them about it. Guys still like it but their women want small unobtrusive stuff.
Hey, when I was married, we had three closets and I had about 1/4 of one, better half had the rest.

I just need (affordable) power recommendations.

SDA-SRS V1.0 (Hey, I'm a computer nerd, everything got a version number)
Bi amped w/Kenwoods, total about 8/5 X 180 WPC.

Current: Quicksilver

And while I'm at it, I want to talk about the hatred for equalizers. Let's face it folks, many of the older recordings did not have exactly flat responses.
Sound board technicians smoked stuff too. For instance, Baxters can sound quite different depending on the EQ settings.

F1, you're obviously still here driving them NUTS! Kudos.

[snow]

Best of luck. I hope it doesn't cost you too much. well i have some good news for both of us dude. i got my lexicon mc-1 back from the local tech today. itwas a simple fix allright a board had came loose during shipping and it had to be soldered back in place on a couple of connections. $140.00 later im back in buisness. the sda srs1.2tls sound even better now with a good digital connection. on the cds and dvd music videos. anyways ill try to do a price check on shipping the adcom gfp-555 this weekend and send you a pm on it. REGARDS SNOW. PM > SENT P.S you will like this unit dude. it is a plain looking sort of unit as most adcoms are but it has a very nice rich detailed sound and is in virtually true mint condition. your 2 channel music will sound so much better it will be like your listening to diffrent cds.

[heiney9]

This kind of stuff is what makes this community so great. Snow you are tops in my book for helping out a fellow polkie. Gets me all warm and fuzzy inside ;) .

H9

[snow]

This kind of stuff is what makes this community so great. Snow you are tops in my book for helping out a fellow polkie. Gets me all warm and fuzzy inside ;) .

H9 oh ty heiny9. its no biggie im glad to be able to help. i have had people give me things in the past when they upgraded, so im happy to be able to pass it on. and i know music is very important to me and im sure it is to him also. REGARDS SNOW

[dudeinaroom]

I will never be able to thank you enough. Now I will be able justify hooking up the kenwood tuner I have in the closet(kt 5300 I think). The tuner sounds alot better than what the technics has built in. This will also let me pull the technics from the system (the 2ch part of my system did not make it into being as the busty one(did say little lady, but she came in and said "little lady? Don't you mean the busty one) said she would not be able to listen to the radio). The ht is going to be put up until we can get a house. when said does happen the Infinitys will be pulling main duty most likely with the panny's as center and surrounds, and the klh sub. The polks will be paired with the adcom/kenwood setup and the following year's income tax sould bring in a cd/sacd player.
But for now in our little appartment I will be taking it down to a 2ch setup, because I am sick of having no room.

[dudeinaroom]

P.S you will like this unit dude.
your 2 channel music will sound so much better it will be like your listening to diffrent cds.

You are totaly right. I will never be able to thank you enough.

[westdr1]

I own a pair of 2.3's and thought I had seen a thread on tweaking them. I have had them since 1989. I am curious as to wether the caps are still good over the years.

[civilian]

Absolutely bring back the SDA!
I will be starting my search for a pair near So-Cal before the end of 2007!

[ben62670]

8 MW6503's and 8 mw6511's =768
8 silk Tweets @75 =600
XO parts =300
2 Pr's =120
Real nice cabs can be made under =600
misc hardware =100

Grand total =2488
Thats all brand new drivers, silk tweets, better than sock XO's,
$600 is kinda high for the cabinet so you could go nuts, and
the pride that you built it yourself. Add another $200 for really nice XO's.

PS. I have been collecting used parts off of Ebay for about 9 months, and I have just purchased the last piece of the puzzle yesterday. My cabinets are going to be same dimension as stock. The tweets are going to be seas silk domes that I bought for $15 a piece NOS on Ebay. They are way better than the SL, sl2500, and sl3000 tweets i have. The PR's are going to be dual 10's because they fell in my lap(about 5% less area than a single 15). To all the nay sayers out there I will be posting pics and overall specs on these when done. I will have better than new SDA-SRS 1.2 when I am Done!

I'm Paul Harvey... Good Day

[Dennis Gardner]

No offense Ben, but unless you have a drastically better understanding of how all those random parts will work together with each other, (different tweets/PRs) starting with the same dimension cabinets is the wrong place to start.

Porsche may makes better pistons than GM, but they will no doubt fail to make a Chevy engine run better when simply thrown together.

The guys doing crossover upgrades on the forum here will spend upwards of 5 times your quoted $$$ amounts on crossover parts alone, so I don't see how you are going to get a better speaker when the smoke clears but by all means be sure to take a picture of you in your lab coat with your new creations.;)

[nadams]

Porsche may makes better pistons than GM, but they will no doubt fail to make a Chevy engine run better when simply thrown together.

Excellent!

[ben62670]

electronically cross over the tweets, and if that doesn't work i can use stock tweets with the stock sda crossover :-) and as for the passives already tested and fine. Nothing simply thrown together here.

[98thumpin]

i would love it if polk audio brought back the sda series speakers they truely are one of a kind!

[Reagan]

I have been extremely sheltered I guess because I have listened only to my SDA 1A's and 1.2TL's for over 20 years. I have been reading a lot in Audioasylum lately and couldn't help but notice that there are quite a bit of Asylum "inmates" that claim that Polk's SDA technology has long since been supplanted by the newer technology speakers. Most members seem to be of the opinion that you can easily better the SDA speakers with speakers costing less than $2000 or so. So, with a complete open mind I have been auditioning speakers in the $2000 to $3000 range (new). I was really surprised to discover that even in the pristine listening environments of the dealer showrooms using top end components (amps, etc.) I was not able to find anything that matched my modest setup with the 1.2TL's. I was not trying to compare soundstages but only the range and clarity of the music. Speakers that I auditioned included Martin Logans, Magnepans, B&W and Vandersteens with the Vandersteens coming the closest. I have renewed my respect for the speakers that I already own and for now no longer have a real strong bug to buy new speakers. I am thinking of adding a high quality subwoofer to use with the 1.2TL's as my wife thinks that they lack bass (I personally don't think so).

[heiney9]

I have been extremely sheltered I guess because I have listened only to my SDA 1A's and 1.2TL's for over 20 years. I have been reading a lot in Audioasylum lately and couldn't help but notice that there are quite a bit of Asylum "inmates" that claim that Polk's SDA technology has long since been supplanted by the newer technology speakers. Most members seem to be of the opinion that you can easily better the SDA speakers with speakers costing less than $2000 or so. So, with a complete open mind I have been auditioning speakers in the $2000 to $3000 range (new). I was really surprised to discover that even in the pristine listening environments of the dealer showrooms using top end components (amps, etc.) I was not able to find anything that matched my modest setup with the 1.2TL's. I was not trying to compare soundstages but only the range and clarity of the music. Speakers that I auditioned included Martin Logans, Magnepans, B&W and Vandersteens with the Vandersteens coming the closest. I have renewed my respect for the speakers that I already own and for now no longer have a real strong bug to buy new speakers. I am thinking of adding a high quality subwoofer to use with the 1.2TL's as my wife thinks that they lack bass (I personally don't think so).


Nothing like real world experience :cool: . Many who don't understand the following the SDA's have have simply never been exposed to them and are talking out of their asses. AA and AK have people who slam SDA's constantly and most if not all have either never listened to them or listened 20 years ago and have lost their audio memory. BTW, many times these are the same people that think Pioneer HPM speakers and Infinity speakers are the bomb. They wouldn't know good sound if it crawled into bed with them and wanted to make wooppee.

H9

[98thumpin]

lol i wish polk would bring them back why did polk discontinue the sda series

[ben62670]

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48188

Custom SDA's in progress

[Deadof_knight]

I wondered if you could do that, I mean really untill I bought a pair of 1.2tls recently I was working on the same thing. Except I was going to go the route using S8 drivers and piece together a cabinet off of the dimensions of the sda's taking into account the air space needed for the slightly larger drivers...Simply because I like to tinker on stuff. they look good takem down and have them covered in black formica or what ever your choice is the locals will think you have some exotic speaker. Set of nice grills and your golden. Keep up the building.....:D

[rskarvan]

Polk, please introduce a speaker with:

SDA Technology
3-way Speaker (no passive radiator)
No amplifier in the speaker
Vifa Tweeters
LSI-type Woofers
Nice wood-grain BIG cabinets

[Eiderlon]

That's a great idea!

[C3 Audio]

I'd certainly support the return of the SDA line. Pricing could get interesting, but I'd like to see and hear them.

[candyliquor35m]

I predict if Polk doesn't bring them back then someone else will. I assume that the patent has expired if there was one and the technology could even be improved on after all these years.

[hearingimpared]

You're are regular riot Alice.

[heiney9]

I predict if Polk doesn't bring them back then someone else will. I assume that the patent has expired if there was one and the technology could even be improved on after all these years.

Never happen!!!!

The technology in it's day was pretty ridiculed by most other speaker manufacturer's. They have to be demo'd properly which there is no way to do that today, it was hard back when you had dedicated stores. Cost is a factor as well as size. If there was a solid market for the SDA's Polk would have continued them in one or another not just the Surround Bar.

No way, no how, the market conditions have completely changed and there is little to no desire beyond some hard core audiophiles for anyone to own them. The used market keeps the SDA's alive and for the most part anyone anywhere can get a pair to try.

Now if Polk wanted to offer kits to build at home, that might fill a very small niche w/o a whole lot of investment from Polk.

H9

[dorokusai]

I predict if Polk doesn't bring them back then someone else will. I assume that the patent has expired if there was one and the technology could even be improved on after all these years.

The patent hasn't expired as SDA is still in use to this day, on the SurroundBar product line.

[heiney9]

the technology could even be improved on after all these years.

I doubt any company knows more about SDA technology than Polk, and the amount of time an effort to duplicate all that knowledge and then further it by another company would be a pure waste of time and money.

I doubt Polk will ever let the SDA patent lapse; but who knows now that they are owed by a huge conglomerate. Keeping that patent intact forever might not be high on the list in the future.

H9

[Lasareath]

They have to be demo'd properly which there is no way to do that today, it was hard back when you had dedicated stores.

H9


When I bought my CRS+'s I tried out many versions of SDA's at Atlantic Stereo in East Brunswick NJ. Monday I'm having my car worked on around a half of a mile away from that store, I was going to walk there and hang out and see if the owner is around. I haven't been there in like 10 years.

I'm going to bring my Lasareath business cards to show them that I finally bought a pair of 1.2tl's!

Should be a fun day!

Sal

[Face]

I'm sure they could design something to fit in with more modern demands. The surround bar is one example of how it could be done.

How about a tower similar to the SDA2, but a few inches narrower, maybe cut down to 14-14.5". And if needed, two smaller passive radiators instead of one large one(À la RTA15). Cut down on cabinet overall size by curving the rear of the enclosure(À la RTiA), but without skimping on wall thickness.

A more universal SDA connection such as bananas would be nice, but then you'd have to worry about dingbats connecting their amp to the wrong set of posts.

No side mount woofers please!!!

[fossy]

BRING UM BACK ---- never have heard um - YET --

Why couldn't polk do a PAY FIRST - six week turn around kinda thing -- money upfront -- they wouldn't have to mass produce ---

Should I start saving my coins ??? GO GO SDA POLK BRING UM BACK

[heiney9]

Because the dimensional information is pretty much fixed at a specific width like in past SDA's; not too much can be done to make the baffle narrower and still get the effect. The surround bar gets away with it because it's a horizontal cabinet

[dorokusai]

The SurroundBar doesn't "get away" with it, as it follows the same SDA principle they all do.

[ben62670]

Again an LSI9 type of speaker on its side. Wow thart is tough:rolleyes:

[hoosier21]

if they come back, it will be using digital processing like the SRT system, and that will take some of the fun out of it.

[MillerLiteScott]

Again an LSI9 type of speaker on its side. Wow thart is tough:rolleyes:

Like a CRS+? With dedicated (fillable) stands.

Put a set of 2B or CRS crossovers in a pair of LSi9's and sit them on their sides.
Over simplified, Yes. Would it work? Don't thinks so because of the impedance. But the basic theory, design and concept are right there.

Prototype pair by October.:D

[dorokusai]

if they come back, it will be using digital processing like the SRT system, and that will take some of the fun out of it.

The SurroundBar 360 uses DSP coupled with the SDA array.

[heiney9]

The SurroundBar doesn't "get away" with it, as it follows the same SDA principle they all do.

What I meant was it "gets away" with it because even though it's a smaller foot print it couldn't be achieved if it were vertical. The reason it can follow the same SDA principle IS because its horizontal. I wasn't inferring it was some new principle even though it uses DSP as well.

H9

[F1nut]

The current use of SDA technology is not the same as the SDA speakers of old. That's what, some of us at least, would like to see made again. The excuse of folks wanting a smaller footprint doesn't really hold water as there is a vast number of large speakers still being made and selling today. Granted, it's a limited market compared to the Polk of todays target market and that is the real issue.

[hoosier21]

The SurroundBar 360 uses DSP coupled with the SDA array.

Yes, and it's not any fun ;)

And it's not a stereo pair of speakers, kind of of the subject, unless your are helping me make my point that anything new coming from Polk SDA related will be DSP driven.

[dorokusai]

The last few posts make zero sense so I'll move on.

[Lasareath]

I don't need any new SDA's, there's plenty in the used market.

If anything, I would like a new crossover to install in my existing cabinets. I would'nt mind trying out a new DSP crossover in my existing cabinets.

[ben62670]

Like a CRS+? With dedicated (fillable) stands.

Put a set of 2B or CRS crossovers in a pair of LSi9's and sit them on their sides.
Over simplified, Yes. Would it work? Don't thinks so because of the impedance. But the basic theory, design and concept are right there.

Prototype pair by October.:D
Yes sir:)
I'm working on it. One idea is an in wall solution just to go even further into the "you can't do that in a small package" by small mind mentality:rolleyes:

[treitz3]

...some of us at least, would like to see them made again.....
That's the main point. The SDA technology with today's technology in reproduction should yield some pretty sweet sounds. I'm working on a system that employs both, but it would be nice if Polk could resurrect a fantastic sound for the masses to enjoy once again.

One can hope right? ;)

[scootchu]

I sold my Klipschorns and held onto my SRS II's. I simply adore them!