Polk Audio SDA-2 Floorstanding Speakers

Polk Audio SDA-2 Floorstanding Speakers 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 34  
[May 06, 2021]
shemikasoraya


Strength:

Superb! Very clean, clear and loud sound. Highly recommended! | Stone Masonry

Weakness:

None so far.

Purchased:
New  
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Sep 10, 2019]
Mrnachural


Strength:

These are some outstanding two channel floor speakers. They give a full sound stage and you would be hard pressed to find anything better in their price range especially now. They can be had for as low as $100, but make sure you have the interconnect cable, if not you can make or purchase one.

Weakness:

They are big and heavy, depending on your listening room need to be set up properly to sound right. They also need a good amp with at least 200wpc. These other reviewers saying not enough bass have apparently not set them up right or are underpowering them. I'm running an Adcom GTP 545 preamp with Adcom GFA 555 set flat and they will simply run you out of the room. There is enough low end to rumble the house. They need to be at least six to eight feet apart with three feet open to the sides and the closer pushed back to the wall the more bass. Running a subwoofer with these is completely unnecessary! If you run these with some kind of Home Theater receiver with 50 watts you are wasting your time. They need to breathe. At the very least an Adcom GFA 545 125wpc should be used, but 200 wpc is the minimum to get them going.

Price Paid:
600.00
Purchased:
New  
Model Year:
1991
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Aug 09, 2018]
PJA


Strength:

Imaging, soundstage, timbre accuracy, instrument isolation, full range, Peerless tweerters! I've owned many speakers, from $50 to $3500. To my ears, these are the best. Model review SDA 2B with interconnect cable.

Weakness:

Pretty big footprint compared.to new monitors.

Price Paid:
150
Purchased:
Used  
Model Year:
1972
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Feb 03, 2016]
Edward Bogachuk
Audio Enthusiast

I just found a pair of SDA-2's brand new in un-opened box. Look and sound great. Might have overpaid at $600.00 but I thought they were worth it.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 07, 2015]
2bes
AudioPhile

Amazing! I'm in my 60's and 2 channel stereo has been my hobby since I was a teenager. I've had more gear over the years than I can even remember and as I got older, I was able to move into some pretty esoteric high end tube gear. For the past 15 years I've used two pairs of Magnepan planar speakers and didn't think I would ever find anything better. ...I came across a mint pair of SDA 2's advertised locally and bought them for $300 just for fun. because I remembered hearing them in a stereo salon back in the 80's. I've been blown away. I spent about a month futzing with them to get them in the perfect position in my sound room and have now been listening to them critically for about four months. Stock, they sound as new. Some here have criticized their bass response, but with a high current amp and close to back wall placement, they've got plenty of bass (down to 25 Hz). They kick butt with good power. They have a wonderfully balanced full lively sound (not quite as pure and detailed as my maggies, but close). But their imaging with the sda technology is spectacular! Better than anything I've ever heard and I didn't think any speakers could image better than Magnepans! These just fill up the room with music, deep sound stage, wall to wall and beyond. And floor to ceiling. They are the only speakers I've ever owned (or took the time to review) that make listening to my music more enjoyable than listening to my sound system. I've not tired of them at all and have no desire to switch back, even though my Maggies cost many times as much. Fun, fun speakers!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 09, 2012]
PIPE
AudioPhile

I was living in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the time, walked into an audio store that had a room full of new Polk speakers. My first glance was at a pair of the very large and expensive SDA-SRS series, Those were the best sounding they had in the room, even next to the Carver Amazing Loudspeakers that were placed next to them. The Carvers did sound amazing, I still remember the ribbon sound, and the bass, but they seemed to be great just at the extremes. The Polks were great all through the sound spectrum. I couldnt afford the SDA-SRS speakers that day, and so settled on a pair of the Polk RTA-15 TL. I enjoyed those for many years, finally giving them up for something.....different. Since that time, I have owned many vintage speakers, I still have alot of them, but I think I will soon be selling off many of them, because I found a pair of SDA 2 speakers, for 225.00. I am no lightweight man, but to lift these things really takes two people, the cabinets are huge. These are the ones that have the 3 woofers, and the two tweeters, with the bass radiator in each cabinet.Included was the cable that connects the two cabinets. Everything is there, the bass is amazing, I can hear details in the music, voices are articulate, soundstage is excellent. I will also be removing the vinyl and replacing it with veneer, these speakers sound excellent and need to look the part. If you are considering a pair of these, grab em while you can, they wont last long. There is magic in these, and the crossovers can be rebuilt when the crossover starts to create an imbalance. I have read of people upgrading the tweeters, but if they are working ok , try different amps instead. I run mine with a high power Kenwood receiver, even though I have many many amps.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 12, 2011]
007
AudioPhile

WOw, these are some great speakers very clean and sound perfect

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 25, 2010]
Me
Audio Enthusiast

This speaker are nothing more than amazing. The most realistic sounding around. I've purchased new some carver and Polk products back in 1989, and it's a long story but they left my hands after years of use. Getting back into great sound, I checked out a local sound store, no, nothing like Best Buy, they don't even come close to selling anything worth listening to. Anyhow, for the price of anything that came close to what I used to own, I'd have to get a second mortgage for. So I set out search for some Vintage products. I found these on EBay and won them for $199. Together with a Carver TFM-45 is a match made in heaven. If the music does not sound like they are playing right in the same room with you, then there is something wrong with the recording, cause the speakers will tell you for sure, that's how good they are.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 09, 2010]
Counterbiz
Audio Enthusiast

I've read many of the reviews here and concur with most of them. One issue I would agree with is the tacky vinyl veneer. I decided to overcome this by purchasing a sheet of paper backed quality walnut veneer. I have a cabinet shop and many years of experience, but I can tell you it's not that difficult. This veneer is available the way I purchased it, or PSA backing. Believe me this stuff will not peel off once it is rolled out! You precut your pieces a little oversized, but not much as you will have to trim with a hobby knife. Once the veneer is on and trimmed, you carefully hand sand and blend all the mating edges. Once a careful sanding is complete, making sure there are no scratches or marks anywhere, it's time to finish. One of the best and easiest finishes out there even for a novice, is tung oil. I prefer the low gloss variety. You simply wipe it on with an applicator pad or a clean cotton rag. Let dry overnight, use 0000 steel wool to knock down the raised woodgrain, dust with a tack cloth (treated sticky cheescloth available any home center/hardware). Repeat for at least 2 more coats. The more the merrier and it's so quick! The best way is to lay them on their back and just spin them around from one side to the next.
Now they look as amazing as they sound! You can put any species of veneer that you want, I just chose the good old American walnut. These speakers deserve it, and you won't believe how it makes you feel about them. It's like putting on an Armani suit! Sorry for the long winded diatribe, but I suspect there are guys out there that had the same thoughts about the appearance. Best regards, Pete.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 25, 2009]
talldude777
Audio Enthusiast

These Polk Audio SDA-2B's are great speakers for the price than can be had these days on the used market. I own two different pair of these and they continue to impress me as time goes on and gear upgrades happen.

New tweeters can still be purchased direct from Polk and the crossovers can be upgraded for improved sound quality.

They do like amps that have high current and are capable of driving low ohm loads.

Some speakers I have had in the past may be a little more accurate, but the SDA's are just a joy to listen.

They are very picky about room placement and spacing, but all of those details are to be found in the owners manual. Moving them just a few inches can produce noticeably better or worse sound.

Once you get them in the correct location for your room and sit in the "sweet spot", just close you eyes and a huge stage of all the various instruments can be heard. The phantom center channel is amazing.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 34  

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