Will polk ever bring out high end speakers

polkfarmboy

Does anyone here have an opinion on this subject ?

I know the rti line is good and the lsi line is better but dont you think its about time polk released a line for hardcore enthusiasts ?

I am not talking $10,000 speakers but a line from about $5,000

Polk alreadys established as amazing for the money so I think they should have the same rep for higher end

heiney9

The line is called the LSi.

leroyjr1

heiney9 wrote: »

The line is called the LSi.

wouldn't consider them high end.

heiney9

That's as high end as it will get for Polk................the LSi's aren;t without faults but they put many much more expensive speakers to shame. Depends on what one means by high end. If high end to some is a price tag then no they aren't high end, but if it's about a higher end sound, then yes they are on the cusp and compete very well with some so called higher end speakers.

polkfarmboy

edit because I wasnt fast enough

PSOVLSK

If the difference the crossover mod makes in the LSi line is as dramatic as everyone says, why not make them with the upgraded crossover and charge $200-300 more?

nooshinjohn

heiney9 wrote: »

That's as high end as it will get for Polk................the LSi's aren;t without faults but they put many much more expensive speakers to shame. Depends on what one means by high end. If high end to some is a price tag then no they aren't high end, but if it's about a higher end sound, then yes they are on the cusp and compete very well with some so called higher end speakers.

My SDA's put my LSi's to shame. Not even a contest.

Face

nooshinjohn wrote: »

My SDA's put my LSi's to shame. Not even a contest.

Besides soundstage, how?

PSOVLSK

Face wrote: »

Besides soundstage, how?

Agreed. I've found my LSi15's and 1C's to be equally great, yet different. I'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite between the two. I will admit that I've never tried them in the same room on the same gear.

dorokusai

It's a business. Polk stays within the area that hits the biggest part of the market and keeps them on the top of the food chain.

They've never forgotten what high end is and the "skunk works" area is always hot and active. You might be surprised at what's in store for you and what things have been produced that you'll never see. Do you really think they just sit around and talk about the old days? LOL

Relax....in due time.

Zitro

dorokusai wrote: »

It's a business. Polk stays within the area that hits the biggest part of the market and keeps them on the top of the food chain.

They've never forgotten what high end is and the "skunk works" area is always hot and active. You might be surprised at what's in store for you and what things have been produced that you'll never see. Do you really think they just sit around and talk about the old days? LOL

Relax....in due time.

I call dibs on a demo lol

F1nut

Face wrote: »

Besides soundstage, how?

Every way.

cnh

Zitro wrote: »

I call dibs on a demo lol

I'm in next in line after Zitro!

cnh

nooshinjohn

F1nut wrote: »

Every way.

Thanks Jesse...:D

I should have pointed out that both sets of speakers are un-modded to boot. Soundstage, imaging, bass, tonal quality, accuracy, detail, all better.

To be clear, I never said the LSi's were a bad speaker. In fact they are a very good design and I am quite happy with them. That said, the SDA-SRS family were statement pieces back in the day, and have lived up to that billing admirably. That Polk has not released anything publicly that tops it is dissapointing but also understandable given the costs involved and the fact that they now need to compete in a very different market.

george daniel

nooshinjohn wrote: »

My SDA's put my LSi's to shame. Not even a contest.

If you get a chance you might wanna' get your ears on a pair of LSI-15's with Sonicaps,,you might just change your mind.;)

EDIT;-- with tubes.

acmf74

I personally really like the Lsi line...

My cousin who is a "audiophile" is really impressed with the sound too

and he is into "high end" equipment.

his current set up is MBL equipment, Manley tubes and Snell speakers..

I'm a firm believer just because it costs more it doesn't mean it's better

texas ed

I have to comment on this.I owned(still have but not using) a pair of 3.1TL's
from 1998 to present.I just replaced them with the 15's.I got the upgrade bug about a year ago and started looking/listening to front speakers.I listened to Dynaudio,Paradigm and the 15's.I can't remember the model of the Dnyaudio's but the Paradigm's were Studio Version 5's.I took the same cd to demo all the speakers.It was a David Sanborn disc.I figured it had plenty of instruments to work the speakers out.Like nooshinjohn I could not get that huge,clear soundstage out of my mind.I settled on the 15's and am very happy.Go to the archives.The SDA's WERE high end.They had a retail price that is still higher than anything Polk puts out today.....With any speaker change made there are definitely adjustments made by the listener.The old school Polk's with all those drivers are very difficult to replace.I think Dorokusai made a very good point.DEMOGRAPHICS..... Eddie

polkfarmboy

So does the mods hear chinese whispers about new polk products?

cnh

polkfarmboy wrote: »

So does the mods hear chinese whispers about new polk products?

Believe me if I heard any Chinese whispers HERE, I'd be tracking them down!

Maybe I should just baidu a search on Polk Audio and Dongguan or Shenzhen.

cnh

dubradio

To comment,

Polk Audio produces what we feel is High End in that of the Lsi Series. While some may not consider it high end the same comparision can be made when talking about cars, One person may consider High end to be an Audi; While another would think Audi is Mid level.

We at Polk strive to produce speakers that go well above and beyond the expectations of the consumer. Both in Price and Fidelity. But keep in mind higher price DOES NOT equal higher fidelity in all cases.

Polk Audio consistantly focuses on what will sell, while we try to stay as true to our roots as possible we do have to change with the times. This means making what some would call sacrifices in fidelity.

Polk Audio is first and foremost a speaker manufacture, however we are also a business, and as with any business our goal is to make money as well.

While we constantly try to make updates/improvements on our product lines it is a difficult balance between cost/performance. While one person thinks 200-300$ added to the cost isnt much, it could very well be the point that pushes a majority of consumers away.

polkfarmboy

KyleShufelt wrote: »

To comment,

Polk Audio produces what we feel is High End in that of the Lsi Series. While some may not consider it high end the same comparision can be made when talking about cars, One person may consider High end to be an Audi; While another would think Audi is Mid level.

We at Polk strive to produce speakers that go well above and beyond the expectations of the consumer. Both in Price and Fidelity. But keep in mind higher price DOES NOT equal higher fidelity in all cases.

Polk Audio consistantly focuses on what will sell, while we try to stay as true to our roots as possible we do have to change with the times. This means making what some would call sacrifices in fidelity.

Polk Audio is first and foremost a speaker manufacture, however we are also a business, and as with any business our goal is to make money as well.

While we constantly try to make updates/improvements on our product lines it is a difficult balance between cost/performance. While one person thinks 200-300$ added to the cost isnt much, it could very well be the point that pushes a majority of consumers away.

I get what your saying because when I decided to get into audio i saw the lsi line and had an omg moment when I saw the price of them . Now I'm getting hardcore the seem like they are super cheap and good value when compared to the competition

nooshinjohn

That is all understandable and even desirable Kyle, and I mean no disrespect when I say this, but I think what we, the ardent supporters of the brand are looking for is a "Statement Piece" that takes Polk to the next level in terms of design and performance.

Your car analogy works, but only to a certain extent, as even the best need to constantly elevate their game in order to remain relevant. Porsche is a great example of this. While I do not care for their cars personally, I admire their ability to remain at the forefront while treasuring their past.

Polk has been rather stagnant in terms of design, with the LSi series being far overdue for a change, and those of us that have heard the SDA's understand just how much heritage and performance has been left on the design table. It is why we will spend huge money to lovingly restore them rather than consider a newer(LSi) design. Everyone knows that Ferrari builds perhaps the most sought after sports cars in the world, but even they need the F50 to inspire their fans as well as their engineers. The LSI is a great speaker, but hardly an F50...

In short, we are ready to be taken to the next level and are waiting of the good folks at Polk to show us the way.:)

madnod

xcapri79 wrote: »

Could Polk Audio look into providing a cross-over upgrade kit option and retrofit kit for the LSi speakers?
What about an upgraded LSiC center channel i.e. LSiC with four drivers?

Thank you.

this is very interesting if it happens, i have RTI A9s , CSI A6, FXi A4 and RTI A1 setup, if an upgrade for the A9s and CSI A6 cross over comes i am 100% sure i will get it,

i do believe that polk should think about this, then they will have a product that sells well and that can be upgraded to a higher end, this will increase customer satisfaction and retention.

many companies do this in many sectors and it works.

heiney9

The SRT was their version of the F50, IMO. Where Polk is positioned both by their marketing and in a large part to an audiphiles perception it would be a huge waste of $$$ and resources for Polk to produce an "F50" type speaker.

A very small percentage of hardcore Polk follower's would be able to afford it and "other" high end buying audiophiles would never take them seriously, no matter how good they sounded. I sold SDA's in the day, they were a hard sell to "high enders". In the day people that were higher end audiophiles always seemed to buy KEF's 104/2 or 107/2 no matter how much they heard the SDA's. We carried ADS, Polk, KEF, Mirage and Phase Tech at the time for speakers.

SDA's were panned by high end people as being a novelty and a gimmick.

H9

heiney9

No need to provide a X-over kit as the DIY community has covered it over and over and over. Even if a upgrade kit was available, I'd still do my own. What would be nice is if they sold blank PCB's................now that would be COOL :cool:

H9

dubradio

^ the statements about a crossover kit are reasonable, but like heiney said; the DIY community have addressed this many times before.

Someone mentioned about the Lsi being "stale" as well, this is true, it was originally release in 2001, however with other projects taking up time over the last few years and with the economy doing poorly transitioning the LSi series just wasnt feasable.

The good news is that while I cant say excatly when they will be release or the specs, you should excpect a new Lsi relativley soon.

Again, These arguments are all quite valid, however on the business side of things they may just not be applicable. I can assure you though that many of the engineers do view the forum and note what is brought up.

nooshinjohn

All good points H9... but they miss the idea of why they should be made. The first is to challenge the designers to do better. This fosters an environment of creativity that inspires new thought and ideas. Those ideas spread across the entire product range and improve everything. The second is to energize the buying public by demonstrating their cababilities. How many sets of RT3000's were sold by having the SRT in the showrooms.

The other reason for an "F50-type" speaker is to offer those of us that love the brand an opportunity to stay within the brand when it comes time for the upgrade bug to bite. The danger of not providing that next step is that consumers start to look elsewhere, and I have seen that happen to otherwise brand-loyal folks here.

nooshinjohn

KyleShufelt wrote: »

The good news is that while I cant say excatly when they will be release or the specs, you should excpect a new Lsi relativley soon.

I understand about the specs... but can you at least say whether or not SDA technology will make its way back to a two channel design rather than a soundbar?

If it does, count me in for a pair to replace my 2.3TL's

dubradio

^ true, however as a business we can not produce an "F50" type system that only a couple dozen people purchase.

One of the major changes that effect all of this as well is the fact that Alot of retailers are not longer carrying the Higher end speakers, and the Lsi and even Rti are becoming harder and harder to find in physical retailers.

While we support the community of loyal enthusiats I wish that everyone would understand the point I am making about Polk still being a business.



nooshin,

That hasnt been decided yet. I can say that SDA will not be part of the New Lsi, however we are still testing and determining if SDA is feasable in a New tower that is as slender as an Rti...

polkatese

Kyle, when you said relatively soon on the LSi, will there be an announcement to that effect soon? I'll be looking forward to them for sure. On a separate note, have Polk consider of potting the X/O in resin with the idea of making them in finality with the best components, for the price point Polk intend to market the LSi at? Either that or making several versions of LSis X/O ala Oppo BDP-83 vs. BDP-83SE?

In any case, thank you for the heads up.

madnod

heiney9 wrote: »

No need to provide a X-over kit as the DIY community has covered it over and over and over. Even if a upgrade kit was available, I'd still do my own. What would be nice is if they sold blank PCB's................now that would be COOL :cool:

H9

yes if DIY is the way people want to go them there is no point of asking POLK to do it, however a POLK kit for POLK speakers is a much better choice, i don't feel like messing around with my speakers as a DIY project, i prefer a well designed manufacturer approved kit that even might not void the warranty.