I bought Polk Audio speakers [Archive]

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quadjoe

10-24-2003, 12:26 PM

I know that I have stated elsewhere that I was saving up for new Paradigm Monitor series speakers, but I recently fell into such a great deal on Polk Audio RTi 100's that I couldn't pass it up:

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/products.php?category=3&speaker=175

A couple of months ago the mid/bass driver on one of my Polk RT-10's blew and I have ordered the part from Polk but they are currently out of stock. While browsing in CC a week or so ago, I walked into the demo room and noticed that they had a sale on the RTi 100 speakers, so I thought I'd give a listen, and I was suitably impressed. The sales clerk told me that they were the last pair and that he could cut me a special deal: I got the pair for $366 total, including tax! Now I realize that there are better speakers out there, but not for that kind of money IMO. I love getting a good deal!

As for how they sound, I think they are great, very smooth and transparent with good solid bass and excellent imaging. I listened to vinyl for over three hours the other night, and I experienced no ear fatigue at all.
Now, I probably will continue saving for high-end speakers, but for now I'm happy and I think I'll focus on improving my TT's and carts over the next several months, and maybe next year I'll look at some McIntosh equipment (I prefer to deal locally, I don't want to have to mail order, and I won't buy something I haven't heard).

Jeffrey

10-24-2003, 01:14 PM

Hey Joe,

I use Polks (1000's, 245i's, 600's) for my HT and i've been rather pleased with 'em. Like yourself, CC made me an offer i couldn't refuse on some demo's. :)

-Jeffrey

Joe Koz

10-24-2003, 06:59 PM

Congarts on your Polk's Joe. I own two pairs of Polk's, the Monitor 5jr's which I purchased in the mid 80's and still using them. About 6 years ago I picked up a pair of the Polk RT55's and I very happy with the sound I get from them. Funny, I purchased my RT55's at CC also.

Grant

10-24-2003, 08:37 PM

Congrats, Joe! I own the Polk RT55s, and they are surprisingly uncolored! They have no midrange bloat or treble exageration to speak of. I can listen to these puppies for hours on end. They are so good, that my wife also has the same pair on her stereo system.

-=Rudy=-

10-24-2003, 08:40 PM

I picked my current speakers over a pair of Polk Monitor 10's. (This was back in 1979/1980 or so.) Mainly because I was just starting high school and I didn't have enough money to get the 10's. I've been looking on eBay though at some 10's...I always liked the way those sounded.

quadjoe

10-24-2003, 08:41 PM

I'm finding the more I listen, the better they sound. This evening I was listening to an old Peter, Paul & Mary record, and the vocals and instruments were so well imaged that I felt as if they were performing in my living room!

Grant

10-24-2003, 08:57 PM

Originally posted by quadjoe
I'm finding the more I listen, the better they sound. This evening I was listening to an old Peter, Paul & Mary record, and the vocals and instruments were so well imaged that I felt as if they were performing in my living room!

That's right! I don't get that with hardly any other speaker I ever hear, except studio monitors. The Polks don't sound exciting or lively, they just sound "right"! They will do until I can get some Tannoys!:)

Dean De Furia

10-24-2003, 09:00 PM

Count me in as a Polk Fan. I have a full 7.1 polk system for my home theater. 800's in front, 400 center, 600 side rears, and (I forgot the #) but a pair of dipoles for the center rear. Excellent, smooth sound.

Jack Keck

10-25-2003, 01:52 AM

I replaced the Polk 7s I had since 1979 with a pair of RTi 38s and a CSi center last month when I found out that they were being discontinued and heavilly discounted. One of the new models costs as much as I paid for the pair of 38s. Polks have always sounded great to me.

reb

10-25-2003, 06:12 AM

I don't think I have ever heard a bad sounding Polk speaker. I have a pair of small 2 ways in my Sons room. Polk speakers make music to my ears.
Enjoy them!

-=Rudy=-

10-25-2003, 06:20 AM

I've used Polk as my car speakers for many years. Still have the older mylar dome tweeters in mine. :D

Aquateen

10-25-2003, 06:35 AM

I am indeed a big fan of Polks. Of course most people that come into work are more interested in Bose. :mad:

Grant

10-25-2003, 11:02 AM

Originally posted by Aquateen
I am indeed a big fan of Polks. Of course most people that come into work are more interested in Bose. :mad:

Only because that's all people know. Bose used to spend tons of advertising dollars to keep their name out there. It worked.

Aquateen

10-25-2003, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by Grant

Only because that's all people know. Bose used to spend tons of advertising dollars to keep their name out there. It worked. This is true, however it's still annoying once they actually hear better speakers (Polk) and still stand by Bose. The other day this guy came in asking why music on his "Top of the line) system sounded terrible. He had a nice HK reciever so no problem there but he has those damn Bose cubes. I flat out told him that it was the speakers and all he could say was "Bose...top of the line..." :D

-=Rudy=-

10-25-2003, 12:50 PM

Fortunately for all the good speaker manufacturers out there, their "top of the line" wouldn't even rank at the bottom. :D

It's just...interesting...how some folks equate expensive with high quality. I even think my pairs of Boston A40's sound more musical than any of those Bose Acoustimess systems.

Guy R

10-25-2003, 02:04 PM

Polks are fantastic speakers. Especially the models with the silk dome tweeters. You can listen for hours without fatigue setting in. Save for something better? What?

Dave D

10-25-2003, 08:37 PM

MagicAlex

10-25-2003, 09:04 PM

quadjoe

10-25-2003, 09:35 PM

Originally posted by daved64

My God......Bose.....my best friend has an annoying brother in law who brings up his stupid Bose speakers at every opportunity.....I never bother telling him they are crap.....he uses them mostly for watching tv!!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

IMO, Bose are marginally better than the speakers in the TV set itself :laugh:, but I've never liked the sound and they are waaaay overpriced. I'm trying to keep my sister from buying an Acousitmess system, but she's in love with "those cute little cubes." She thinks I've spent way more on my speakers than I have. She just doesn't seem to hear it when I tell her that I always wait for the good sales before I buy (I don't think anyone should pay list price for electronics or speakers if they can help it.)

Guy, I agree that Polks are fantastic speakers, but there are others out there that are even better (and they command much higher prices.)
However, I have spent many hours in stores listening to various speakers and I keep coming away with the thought that you can't buy better than Polk for the money.

Grant

10-25-2003, 09:59 PM

Originally posted by Aquateen
This is true, however it's still annoying once they actually hear better speakers (Polk) and still stand by Bose. The other day this guy came in asking why music on his "Top of the line) system sounded terrible. He had a nice HK reciever so no problem there but he has those damn Bose cubes. I flat out told him that it was the speakers and all he could say was "Bose...top of the line..." :D

It's just like with soundcards, people think the Audigy/Extigy cards are the best money can buy. Why? Because the manufacturers spent lots of $ in all the right places. The better, even more specialized manufacturers put more money into R&D than advertising. To the mainstream world, Bose (o) is the top of the line.:sigh:

But, let's be fair, twenty-some years ago, Bose did make a decent stereo speaker. Not the best by far, but they were pretty decent, considering what people had. They had those awful Sony speakers with the square flat drivers (yopu gotta remember those!), or some old Sansui monsters with the wood grills.

Metralla

10-26-2003, 12:20 AM

Originally posted by Grant
But, let's be fair, twenty-some years ago, Bose did make a decent stereo speaker. Not the best by far, but they were pretty decent, considering what people had. They had those awful Sony speakers with the square flat drivers (yopu gotta remember those!), or some old Sansui monsters with the wood grills.
It was never a decent speaker. It had a novel design, based on some ideas Dr. Amar Bose expounded in his thesis at MIT, and in some rooms (very solid cinder-block walls, the right shape and dimensions) it could do it's weird and wonderful sound-bouncing thing, and sound pretty stunning.

The eq box was total rubbish, and on the whole, the speaker should never have become popular. But it did - and not based on its own strengths, but through the most clever marketing ever seen in the audio world; and once it had a foothold, it was protected by the nastiest and most agressive lawyers in the business.

And the competition was far better than you make out. There were many totally wonderful speakers 25 years ago - heck, there was an amazing loudspeaker first made in 1957, that, in some very limited ways, has not been surpassed even to this day.

But these wonderful speakers were not the 901's competition. No one who owned decent speakers ever "upgraded" to Bose 901s. People did come to the 901s from speakers such as those you have mentioned, but they were not audiophiles and they were not well informed.

The very same customers that Bose have today.

"Better Sound Through Marketing".

Regards,
Geoff

Grant

10-26-2003, 01:18 AM

Geoff,

I never said that audiophiles dug Bose speakers. I was talking about what the average consumer had and was familiar with. And, most average people *I* knew owned Sansui, Kenwood, Sony, maybe JBL...

-=Rudy=-

10-26-2003, 05:24 AM

A fellow A&M collector friend of mine has one of those Acoustimess systems. He's made a couple of copies of songs for me...talk about horrible sound! His cartridge mistracks something fierce at times, or the vinyl is so worn that the copies I do get are useless. I think he could hear a difference if he had something other than the pathetic system he has now! There are other sub/sat systems out there, and while they're still not like a good full-range, at least they sound better than $3 transistor radio speakers.

"Better Sound Through Marketing." Heh, boy, is THAT true! :D I need to use that the next time I go to a store that carries 'em. ;)

I do remember that Bose had some better sounding speakers back in the 70's. Not audiophile, of course, but the Bose 301 was a smaller bookshelf speaker that at least could play full-range (more or less). There were other models beside the 901 (a design I always thought was "flaky" at best"--my ears listen to speakers, not the walls behind them). I have no idea of what their product line is like today, but I'm guessing it's probably dominated by Acoustimess-like systems.

Guy R

10-26-2003, 07:29 AM

Originally posted by quadjoe

Guy, I agree that Polks are fantastic speakers, but there are others out there that are even better (and they command much higher prices.)

Hey, I know this but you have to spend a great deal more from what I have heard. With the Polks even what I considered a subtle change made a huge difference. The switching from RT35i surrounds to RTi38's made the entire sound field work as a seemless soundfield. Basically what this accomplished was having silk dome (RTiXX series) tweeters all around. Just swapping out the titanium domes in the rears changed the system from great sounding to fantastic sounding. Also, the switching fronm the Polk sub to a Velodyne also made a large difference. From boom to musical bass.

Grant

10-26-2003, 09:13 AM

Sounds like a lot of Polk owners are doing surround. All I do for now is two-channel stereo with my large bookshelf boxes.