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Geez, Polk origin story?

Polk Audio EX 402's in the dash of my 1987 Ford Ranger. I think I got them in 1995, maybe early 1996.

https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/24517/i-think-this-was-posted-before-but-what-was-your-first-system

Those EX 402's are still there and they still work.

That only started the journey. I got a Thunderbird a couple years later and installed Polk Audio dB3065 components and a dB10 subwoofer and started competing in local audio events. Did well enough to get noticed but didn't really know what I was doing until I got my Lightning in 2001. I moved all the dB speakers to the Lightning and got myself a fancypants Kenwood eXcelon X650-D 5 channel amp. I bi-amped the dB3065 components and ran the sub off the 5th, D-class sub channel. Gave it a Kenwood eXcelon KRC-PS955 head unit. That was a mask unit where the face plate flipped around to a blank panel when off. All the shows everyone thought I had a "special order" because it had a "radio delete" panel. Blew people's minds when I'd start it up and it would just flip around and start jammin' out.

That setup won a few competitions. I built a DB Drag car with a Polk MOMO MM12 sub and a big Profile amp and stuffed it in a 1998 Taurus and racked up wins from Maryland to New York for it's class. I put a Polk Audio MOMO setup in a friend's Jeep. Stuffed 8 speakers, 3 amps and 2 subwoofers into that thing, hiding everything without impacting utility. He won awards for installation and execution.

Then I met George Grand here on the forums and the rabbit hole just got deeper from there. Way deeper! SDA 2B's signed by Matt Polk, hosted two Polkfests myself, built a home theater with the Vanishing Series of in-walls, donated a set of speakers to Polk Paul DiComo for his Polk Museum at HQ, I even have Polk Audio speakers on my computer right now that came with Silicon Graphics workstations and the kid's game room has a set of Polk R15's and a Polk C4 car subwoofer running off of a NAD stereo amp bridged to a single channel. I just repaired the plate amp of a Polk DSW MicroPRO 4000 subwoofer too. I think it'll be neat to set it up next to the Polk DSW Pro 550wi subwoofer I have and see which one can vibrate itself across the floor faster on test tones! I hope the house can hold up!

Ugh, I'll stop now. That's only half of the Polk Audio stuff that's passed through my hands too. There's DX series speakers, EXII speakers, DB2 speakers, there's Monitor 5's hanging around here with custom stands my dad built, there's MOMO series speakers, there's a Polk MiDOCK, several sets of headphones, an Omni S2R and a couple Omni S2's, several sets of headphones including the UltraFocus 8000's and a couple of those Sirius XM tuners, one signed by Matt Polk as well. I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff too. Especially stuff I don't have anymore like a full RTi home theater setup and a a full RT5000 HT. I gave both of them away to families that wanted a home theater but didn't have a home theater budget. I wasn't using them so I sent them somewhere to get some use instead of collecting dust in my garage.

Stopping for real now before I start babbling on about the Mobile Monitors from the mid-90's and the 3-way components...

I think I might have a problem.

My journey started with a pair of used SDA 1 signatures. I soon found out someone had been inside of them to rewire them to create a "normal" speaker, they failed miserably. I called Polk customer service for advice. Helen and Kim's invaluable knowledge pointed me to the forum around 2004. I soon found @F1nut, @Face, @DarqueKnight (R.I.P.) @TNRabbit (R.I.P.) @FGTV and many more that were very knowledgeable and helpful in helping me straighten out the wiring and crossovers to make them work correctly. It was off to the races for more, SDA2a and my current set of SDA 2.3tls. All were completely recapped, resealed and more. The folks here have been a wealth of valuable information here.

Nice offer!

My Polk journey began at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan at the Base PX Audio Shop. I heard and fell in love with the sound of the SDA 2b back in 1988, and bought a pair to go with my Carver M500. I could not listen loud there, so when I came back stateside is when I learned this was not a good pairing due to needing a common ground amplifier for the SDA to work properly. I left the hobby for a number of years soon after, only to get drawn back in around 2004 or so. I picked up a pair of Monitor 50's from Fry's.

Since then, I have had SDA 1c, SDA-SRS 1.2TL's, SDA 2.3TL's, and my current Legend L800(height modules installed)/L600/L400.... I love the Polk sound!

My first Polk product was not a good one. The legendary PSW125. Purchased new, the amp plate failed one month out of warranty. It's legendary because no one has owned one where the amp plate didn't fail prematurely. The customer service rep felt my pain and gave me a discount on a new amp plate. Back then your customer service was also legendary.... for being outstanding.

I joined the forum years later, after buying some used Polk HT speakers and I needed some assistance. Every purchase since, whether it be speakers, cables or equipment is due to the recommendations from the members of this forum. A true gem. They try and get the best sound out of your speakers and they don't care how much of your money they spend doing it. I had to make some compromises, but I'm happy.

Currently own RTi8, CSi5, F/XiA6, F/Xi3, two pairs of LSiM703, LSiM706c and a couple of Polk subs, not currently in use.

We want to say thank you to the passionate Polk family that makes this community so special. To show our appreciation, we’re giving away a pair of Polk Reserve R100s!

Here’s how to enter:
1. Be a resident of one of the 50 United States (or DC) and 18+ years old.
2. Share your Polk origin story right here in this thread. Tell us about your very first Polk product or your first time hearing our speakers.
3. That’s it! You’ll be entered to win.

Giveaway runs from today (9/22) through Friday (9/26)

Winner will be chosen at random, notified via DM on the forum, and announced here after the giveaway closes. The winner will be verified for eligibility before being confirmed.

This giveaway is exclusive to members of the Polk Forum and will not be promoted on any other social media channels or brand websites.

Official sweepstakes rules are attached for full details.

Good luck and thank you for being part of the Polk legacy. We can’t wait to hear your stories!

-Polk Social Media Team