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Reviews For: SGC ADSP-2 Signal Processing Remote Speaker

Category: Speakers for communications

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Review Summary For : SGC ADSP-2 Signal Processing Remote Speaker
Reviews: 33MSRP: 129.95
Description:
A remote speaker that contains the SGC ADSP-2 digital signal processing board and small amplifier. Requires 12 vdc. Switch selectable, provides 13 db and 26 db noise rejection and 50-65 db tone (carrier) rejection. Inserts a 6.5 to 13 msec delay. Size approx. 7" wide, 3" high, 3" deep. Pulls 110 to 500 ma depending on signal.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.sgcworld.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/store.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00334.1
W0DKM Rating: 2005-07-29
VERY GOOD heavy duty Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very Good. I have Clearspeech speakers, and Bases. All very Good!
I put a Gap Hearit Speaker in the van with a FT840. I must of had a bad one. Not happy with the Gap. Lots of cracking and popping.

SO, I just bought the SGC Speaker. Pleased as Punch!! Works 100%. The switches are easy to use.
Clear as a Bell!!

And she's the lowest priced.

Again, buy IT, You'll like IT.
W2NSF Rating: 2005-01-16
No as good as it could be Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have to agree with K4SFC; this unit is not up to SGC's otherwise fine standards. I bought one after owning a ClearSpeech DSP speaker (no linger available) for several months. I did an A to B comparison in my shack and the ClearSpeech unit won hands-down. I put the SGC unit in back in the box; I'll probably use it in the car eventually, because it is very compact.

It's size is it's only advantage, as far as I'm concerned. The DSP performance, even with the "hi-lo-off" options, is not up to par. I haven't evaluated it in a mobile environment, so it might be OK there.
VK2ILO Rating: 2004-10-26
Amazing! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have recently acquired a second-hand SGC ADSP-2 speaker. These items DO NOT come cheap, even used, here in Oz. I have lived with this device for a week and a half and I am continually amazed at how effective it is! I can now comfortably listen to 40m and 80m without the noise and static crashes.

I have to admit, that the 26db setting is a bit close to over the top as there are digital artefacts and listening to the DSP processed audio takes a bit of practice, but once you get used to the no background noise and the processed audio you will NEVER want to be without it!

Negatives are the same as everyone else has described: No power switch, non-fused DC line, no headphone jack. All can be added, but be aware, there is little room to manoeuvre within the small case.

I have been considering removing the DSP, regulator and switch assembly and putting them into a separate case to allow me to use the unit with different radios and speakers.

Message to Amateurs: Don't get rid of your older radio. Get one of these speakers and you will breathe new life into your receiver. SGC has done a wonderful job with their DSP noise reduction algorithms.

73,

Jan - VK2ILO
K6LRF Rating: 2004-03-26
Fantastic performance Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was about to buy a new rig, but the ADSP-2 has dramatically improved the performance of my IC-735. Now I can work 40M at night, which wasn't possible before the ADSP.

I've been a ham for almost 50 years, but not active for the last 30. DSP is amazing.
WA9OIG Rating: 2004-02-25
WORKS VERY WELL! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have used sgc adsp2 speaker Mobile for about 6 months it does a great job. 40m mobile doesn't knock your ears off with noise. I have used the Clear Speech DSP speaker Mobile and it doesn't work with Most mobile noise as well.
I use mine with a stock Icom 706.
AD5X Rating: 2004-02-25
Works very well! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got my unit yesterday. Does a super job. I added an external speaker jack to the unit so I can drive other speakers with it (very cramped, but worthwhile if you want the flexibility).

Phil - AD5X
VE7MJO Rating: 2004-02-20
Finally, I can hear something on HF! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this unit instead of going with the internal ADSP2 as I do not wish to modify my Yaesu FT-817. The Gap hear-it module for the 817 was another internal option but then again, same reason.

I live in a 2nd floor apartment in a stucco building (ie: surrounded by metal mesh) and reception was almost impossible on HF. After a few minutes with the ADSP2 speaker, I was able to clearly make out a CW QSO on 17 metres and a voice QSO on 40 metres. It seems to take about a second for the noise to clear out but that's ok for my needs.

I am impressed! HF listening is now very pleasant.

VE6TXT Rating: 2004-01-05
Good improvement for rigs without good DSP Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought the SGC-2020 radio with ADSP2 as a portable unit and was very impressed with the noise rejection it had. My Yaesu base rig has a more sensitive receiver, but lacks the sophisitication of the SGC ADSP. How to combine the best of both? Then SGC came out with the ADSP2 speaker, and I had my solution. At home, I have a constant S4-5 noise level on 80 and 160, and this rendered the bands mostly unusable for me. With the ADSP2 speaker, I am back in the game. I find that it would be nice to have something in between the two levels of noise rejection supplied - I often find the 13db suppression too little, and the 26db level too much. The 26db noise cancelling is remarkable if you also have a good signal. Combinations of the YAESU and SGC DSP gets me towards the middle ground however.

The one thing I found missing from the ADSP2 speaker was a headphone jack. It would be nice to be also able to get the DSP while wearing headphones. I wired in a 1/8 jack but then found it over-drove my headphones, and there was a noticable hum when the ADSP2 is turned on. A 10K pot fixed both issues.

SGC also makes an ADSP2 board that you can add internally to your base rig. I chose to go with the external speaker unit to be able to enjoy the ADSP capability on other radios in the future.

Despite the opportunities for improvement, the ADSP2 speaker has given me the ability to actually hear where I couldn't before, and has greatly reduced the brain strain from static and other noises. These alone to me are worth a 5.
KD4-HAG Rating: 2003-11-17
Great results Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Works great really great cutting the noise on s4 or better signals but will not dig them out of the qrm. Needs a on/off switch as it gets lost as to the amount of processing going on. When this happens you have to cut the power to the unit to find the home setting. Verry hard to do with a direct connection. The high setting is really too much processing. Could be adjustable for the tinkerer. Also a inline fuse would be a great addition. No one should be any where near sorry they bought this or any DSP processor speaker. It cost less than the Competion but out performs it on paper but have not compaired to be honest.
W6GDK Rating: 2003-11-12
Good value Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this so I could have some DSP capability on non-dsp radios. Disappointed that it didn't have the band pass filters. Also needed a power switch as it generates a slight humming noise that can be heard in a quiet shack.

Opened the case last weekend to add a power switch and discovered that the simple addition of a pushbutton switch activates the bandpass filters. Speaker enclossure is very crowded, so installed the whole board in a larger Kenwood SP-180. Ended up with the same functionality as the ADSP2 high level board (which sells for $180.00) for $50.00 less, and still have the leftover mobile speaker without DSP in it.