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View Full Version : POLK SDA 1C Speakers - Short Review



Hypnotoad
12-02-2010, 19:14
I recently purchased a pair of Polk SDA 1C speakers that seem to be in as new condition. Not a mark on them and in the original boxes.

For those unfamiliar with these behemoths they weigh in at over 40kgs a piece and 1.7 metres tall.

They have one 12" passive radiator, four 6 1/2" mid/woofers and two dome tweeters each. They are built like tanks and need plenty of room.

The SDA stands for Stereo Dimensional Array, they have an interconnecting cable that plays the opposite channel out of phase for two of the four mid/woofers.

How do they sound:

In a word amazing, they fill the room with the biggest sound stage you could imagine, I am literally on the edge of my seat listening to these things.

Voices seem to hang in the air, instruments sound like they are in the room with you. It's hard to grasp that the sound is coming from two boxes 7 feet apart.

I put on Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd on vinyl and I felt comfortably numb, the detail, clarity and separation is outstanding. Noise floor is lower than I have heard and distortion almost non existent.

My room is nearly 20 feet wide and that is how wide the sound stage is but that's not all it encompasses you, going from front to back as well all from just two speakers at the front.

These speakers are very good even without the interconnecting cable, but with it they are magical.

If you get a chance to listen to these grab it and see what you think, you might be surprised by these vintage speakers.

Here's what they look like:

http://www.polksda.com/sda1c-studio.shtml

Here's a review when they first came out:

http://www.polksda.com/sda1creview.shtml

Ali Tait
12-02-2010, 19:40
Very interesting! I'm sure I've read of other manufacturers doing something similar.Are they a difficult load?

Hypnotoad
12-02-2010, 19:55
Very interesting! I'm sure I've read of other manufacturers doing something similar.Are they a difficult load?

They need a common ground amplifier which most are but as far as loading there is no problem, unlike some electrostatics and planars.

My Luxman is rated at 105wpc rms and I never have the volume control past 10 o'clock and they are as efficient as my Boston Acoustics.

John
12-02-2010, 21:54
Its great when you get something that you just love the sound off Good find

Steve Toy
13-02-2010, 02:33
How can a pair of speakers lower the noise floor?

Ali Tait
13-02-2010, 11:00
Phase cancellation between channels I would guess.

dmckean
14-02-2010, 01:05
I remember being blown away hearing the big SRS 1.2s back in the day.

Hypnotoad
14-02-2010, 01:28
I remember being blown away hearing the big SRS 1.2s back in the day.

The good news is the bigger ones just play louder and need a bigger room, the 1C's are the best of the regular sized ones.

Themis
14-02-2010, 08:22
How can a pair of speakers lower the noise floor?
Different speaker placement probably. ;)

The Grand Wazoo
15-02-2010, 00:04
You guys in the US may not know that most of us guys in the UK have no idea of just how much of a huge speaker maker Polk is over there.

It might be informative to us if you could tell us a little about the company and it's products past & present.

Hypnotoad
15-02-2010, 01:08
Here's a little reading on Mathew Polk and some of his vintage products.

I think today price and profit margin don't lead to first class products like they did years ago.

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

http://www.polksda.com/pdfs/1985Sales.pdf

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/index.php