Will polk ever bring out high end speakers

dubradio

ken brydson wrote: »

It appears that Fry's has the HM currently on sale for $69.99, no?

http://www.frys.com/product/6180369?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Ken,

Thanks for the link, Apperantly our sales department neglected to mention this to ANYONE else in the building....


Oh and it does looks like more retailers are getting it other than frys. J&R, 6th Ave, etc will also have it available.

halo71

^ And I don't think we have any of those retailers here in GA. Aside from Best Buys and maybe HHGregg there are no retailers carrying Polk I know of. Well aside from online that is.

heiney9

comfortablycurt wrote: »

This is exactly it.

If Polk were to bring back the SDA's...how much would the cost? A few thousand dollars, at least. How many of you are actually going to go out and buy them brand new? I definitely wouldn't...and very few of you guys actually would. Some, yes...but very few.

Nearly everyone on this board ends up buying their gear used, because they save a LOT of money that way. I'd love to see the SDA's come back just as much as anyone else, but I really don't see it happening. As far as I know...the SDA effect basically necessitates a big, wide speaker. Most people don't want big boxy speakers that dominate the room. They want slender, shapely, elegant looking speakers. Some people would buy them, of course...but I don't think they'd sell enough of them to even justify making them.

As far as them bringing back the SDA's as their "Ferrari F50"...I don't think that would even be practical. Polk is already one of the largest and most successful speaker manufacturers in the world...and that's because they cater to the average person. Most people will never even own a speaker as high end as the LSi series. To the average person, something like the Monitor series or RTi series is as nice of a speaker as they could ever possibly need.

The SDA F50? It just doesn't make sense to me. Most people don't even go shopping for their electronics at local stores anymore. Most people would never even hear them...and I don't think hearing a new SDA would sway too many decisions in either case. Speakers are a lot different than an exotic car. If you tell someone that you have a Ferrari...it's about a 99.9% chance that they're going to know what a Ferrari is, and they're going to be very impressed by it. It's a name that has prestige.

Polk Audio? I love Polk as much as any of you...but the name doesn't really have much prestige outside of the circle of audio crazies. The average Joe has no idea what Polk Audio is...and probably doesn't even care. He'd be more impressed if you told him that you had a Bose setup. It's just far too much of a niche market for Polk to make a "statement piece" that roughly 50 people would buy. Most people that are buying audio gear, buy it over the internet without ever having heard it. Very few people are actually going to go to audio boutiques and compare gear. If they do, there's a very good chance that they're simply going to Best Buy. Best Buy doesn't even carry LSi's, so there's basically 0% chance that they'd carry a new SDA. It's not as if all these people are going to be going to audio shops, and hear the new SDA, then decide to buy a lower end Polk. Like I said...most people are going to buy their audio gear on the internet, sight unseen.

You want SDA's? There are plenty of them on the used market. Like I said, I'd love to see them come back as much as the next person...but I seriously doubt that it will ever happen.

All bolded stuff simply is not true and in fact not even close to being true

1) as I've stated several times with DSP technology the speakers don;t have to be as big as current classic SDA's. They could be made smaller. Matt talked about this at PF '08.

2) While LSi's don;t have the volume of the other series I think they sell quite well, or they did when they could be demo'd

3) Polk Audio is probably among one of the top 10 names in audio that is the most recognizable. I have several friends that are not into audio and they all have heard of Polk Audio and one in fact thinks they are a higher end company.

cfrizz

I'm glad you know so many people who have heard of Polk H9. Everytime I mention the name to people I know, they all go who?

I'm afraid that Curt is correct. the vast majority really aren't IN to audio outside of their Apple MP3 player, and have no idea what is available in audio outside of a Best Buy.

heiney9

Cathy, I do hang around with a little older crowd than Curt so perhaps my frame of reference is a little skewed. Because one thing I have noticed is how many younger kids 16-21 years old aren't sure who Led Zeppelin is .

I still think it's somewhere in the middle as far as Polk Audio being recognized as a brand.

H9

maximillian

+1 to what cfrizz said... a lot of people I encounter don't really recognize Polk's name. A few do. Then they inevitably say, "how are they compared to Bose?" Uuughh!

Rocco1

The ipod is the reason for the down fall of a lot of high end audio places. Now people think all they need is a stupid little ipod and a little radio that lets me dock my ipod on it.(no blast on polks ipod radio)

Another example go to Best Buy on a busy day and see how many people actually go into the Magnolia speaker room and listen to speakers. (Most of those speakers are not that great in the first place but) To the unknowing I think people are scared of looking at the stuff because they see a price tag and have no knowldge of what makes the big speaker in the magnolia room better than the big speaker out by the TV area. Top that with some dorky a** little kid that knows nothing about the product, running it off some crappy mid line AVR, and you have a recipe for bad things.

Most of these big box stores, main steram, and highly marketed products have all but killed off high end audio equipment. The great thing is every time a newbie surfs this forum looking for answers on his entry level equipment we get a chance to suck him or her in and teach them and hopefully create another addict.

cfrizz

heiney9 wrote: »

Cathy, I do hang around with a little older crowd than Curt so perhaps my frame of reference is a little skewed. Because one thing I have noticed is how many younger kids 16-21 years old aren't sure who Led Zeppelin is .

I still think it's somewhere in the middle as far as Polk Audio being recognized as a brand.

H9

ROTFLMAO!! Yeah getting older does suck when that happens. To us it just seems like yesterday!

Kex

maximillian wrote: »

+1 to what cfrizz said... a lot of people I encounter don't really recognize Polk's name. A few do. Then they inevitably say, "how are they compared to Bose?" Uuughh!

The wifey bought our first Polks, brand new, in a store :eek:, what was she thinking?!

Another point of view on this Polk vs. Bose concept is that a lot of people, with quite a lot of money, are not in the least bit interested in big speakers, even bookshelf speakers, anymore. I know what the advantages are (within the limits of my famously feeble intellectual capacities, naturally), but even I don't want them in my living room (unless they were stunning to look at, and the room was big enough to hold them without looking like a student dorm).

Surely in wall and in ceiling speakers are a better compromise for these buyers than satellite systems, and yet, this market seems to be having trouble developing. Perhaps Kyle can give some information on this, if he talks nicely to those dastardly sales people!

nooshinjohn wrote: »

If 44 is old, that's me.:D:rolleyes:

I can assure you that I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.:D

Noosh, it's not about the age, it's about the frame of mind! I know octogenarians with the spark of a teenager!

Oh well, I suppose I owe you a beer by now ... It's a good thing you're too far away to come and claim it.

nooshinjohn

Kex wrote: »

Noosh, it's not about the age, it's about the frame of mind! I know octogenarians with the spark of a teenager!

Oh well, I suppose I owe you a beer by now ... It's a good thing you're too far away to come and claim it.

For now! I will be visiting L.A. soon enough. Gotta get my In&Out fix taken care of.;)

This will give me something else to look forward to.:)

dubradio

Market reasearch is a powerful thing.

maximillian

Rocco1 wrote: »

Most of these big box stores, main steram, and highly marketed products have all but killed off high end audio equipment. The great thing is every time a newbie surfs this forum looking for answers on his entry level equipment we get a chance to suck him or her in and teach them and hopefully create another addict.

I got bitten not by this forum, but by a great sale on R50's at Fry's. I had heard the Polk name from a friend years earlier but never gave Polk (or audio in general) a second thought. I didn't even audition them and had them shipped from CA to NY, so no brick-n-mortar store needed. I wanted some bigger speakers since someone had given me a used integrated amp. I saw the R50's and jumped on them. Most of us know about the sound quality of the R50's, but compared to what I had listened to previously they were wonderful.

I think Polk did a great thing offering up lower-end nice looking speakers at very inexpensive prices. It got me a taste of what good audio sounds like. I soon realized that I wanted more and moved to RTi speakers and finally to some LSi's. That's good marketing from Polk! This forum also helped keep me as a Polk fan.

Hawkeye

I'm certain I'll get flamed for this but here goes.

Bose has their own store in several malls. Why couldn't Polk have a "Polk Store" in several malls to actually show the product that hardly anyone can see, touch or hear? Put them in different scale malls, average and high end and see what washes out. They could mix and match just like mom and pops used to do to.

Gordon

Zitro

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Personally, I think it would be way cool if Polk did something along the lines of this: http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/heritage/
I would most definitely be interested if they did.

EWW, Klipsch lol. I don't like their speakers, too bright, not enough mid-range. Not sure if its Klipsch or horns in general but I've never liked them.

dvran

Kex wrote: »

Surely in wall and in ceiling speakers are a better compromise for these buyers than satellite systems, and yet, this market seems to be having trouble developing. Perhaps Kyle can give some information on this, if he talks nicely to those dastardly sales people!

I agree that Polk should focus on new technology for their speakers to set themselves apart from the competition.

First, for years I've been running speaker cable throughout my house, having to modify my house to run cable. How about wireless options for transmitting power to speakers?

Second, how about having wireless internet connections on the speakers themselves to transmit upgrades to an internal cross-over?

Third, how about making stackable speaker options that are easy to connect? Think of building block types. Start with a small book-shelf, then you could add more drivers in the future, tweeters, or a sub. This would make it easier for people to make their own SDAs.

Polk obviously cannot ever bring back the SDA days. Simply because the custom audio shops are almost all gone. Even if they were sold directly on the web, could you imagine the shipping price on those, and exchanges if damaged? ouch. Polk has enough cash on hand to buyout companies like Oppo. Take their product, integrate the Polk speakers and sell as a package in stores.

cfrizz

Kex wrote: »

The wifey bought our first Polks, brand new, in a store :eek:, what was she thinking?!

Another point of view on this Polk vs. Bose concept is that a lot of people, with quite a lot of money, are not in the least bit interested in big speakers, even bookshelf speakers, anymore. I know what the advantages are (within the limits of my famously feeble intellectual capacities, naturally), but even I don't want them in my living room (unless they were stunning to look at, and the room was big enough to hold them without looking like a student dorm).

Surely in wall and in ceiling speakers are a better compromise for these buyers than satellite systems, and yet, this market seems to be having trouble developing. Perhaps Kyle can give some information on this, if he talks nicely to those dastardly sales people!

Noosh, it's not about the age, it's about the frame of mind! I know octogenarians with the spark of a teenager!

Oh well, I suppose I owe you a beer by now ... It's a good thing you're too far away to come and claim it.

You got a smart wife there Kex. Now ask her how she would feel about someone coming in to put holes in her ceilings to put speakers in them and how much the speakers & the work to do it is going to cost? I think you will get a good idea about why this particular scenario is having trouble developing!

TECHNOKID

Interesting, this discussion is now about marketing which kind of makes sense.

heiney9 wrote: »

Cathy, I do hang around with a little older crowd than Curt so perhaps my frame of reference is a little skewed. Because one thing I have noticed is how many younger kids 16-21 years old aren't sure who Led Zeppelin is .

I still think it's somewhere in the middle as far as Polk Audio being recognized as a brand.

H9

cfrizz wrote: »

I'm glad you know so many people who have heard of Polk H9. Everytime I mention the name to people I know, they all go who?

I'm afraid that Curt is correct. the vast majority really aren't IN to audio outside of their Apple MP3 player, and have no idea what is available in audio outside of a Best Buy.

I agree and I am not too sure how much it has to do with age as most people aren't audiophiles and don't really pay attention to speakers except maybe for bose since their marketting is quite ferocious like monster. Non audiophile people don't realize much about quality of audio but rather follow trends (the looks and smallish size seems to be of much greater importance). It is however up to the real audio companies to lead-educate consumers in to what quality is all about. Surely the so called WAF must be taken into consideration and Polk has to adapt to the trends (which they seem to be able to do effectively) however quality must remain.

This is probably the main reason many people on this board are whinning for an SDA come back. Time changes, Polk adapts to those changes and does not live in the past. Polk has created nice new products which meet the new trend (SurroundBars) and also use the benifit of SDA technology however, the 2 channels users seems to want that benifit too therefore, Polk has to refine a product that will provide 2 channel users with the SDA benifit using enclosures that will be granted WAF and the new trends approval factor. So the goal is to provide speakers which consider and covers WAF, trends and this without compromising the SQ that audiophiles really wants. Realising that the law of physics are important for the SQ (particularly in the low end range) Polk has to manage to develop a product that will meet all criteria above

Another point of view on this Polk vs. Bose concept is that a lot of people, with quite a lot of money, are not in the least bit interested in big speakers, even bookshelf speakers, anymore. I know what the advantages are (within the limits of my famously feeble intellectual capacities, naturally), but even I don't want them in my living room (unless they were stunning to look at, and the room was big enough to hold them without looking like a student dorm).

Surely in wall and in ceiling speakers are a better compromise for these buyers than satellite systems, and yet, this market seems to be having trouble developing. Perhaps Kyle can give some information on this, if he talks nicely to those dastardly sales people!

Kex bring good points to the table but in wall and ceiling speakers aren't up to the task (when considering SQ) unless full enclosure with front firering are considered. In 1995 when renovated my home, I considered in ceiling speakers but discarded the idea since I didn't want to compromise the sound quality anI am not too sure that in ceiling and in wall technologies are actually on par with the typical speaker boxes.

maximillian wrote: »

I got bitten not by this forum, but by a great sale on R50's at Fry's. I had heard the Polk name from a friend years earlier but never gave Polk (or audio in general) a second thought. I didn't even audition them and had them shipped from CA to NY, so no brick-n-mortar store needed. I wanted some bigger speakers since someone had given me a used integrated amp. I saw the R50's and jumped on them. Most of us know about the sound quality of the R50's, but compared to what I had listened to previously they were wonderful.

I think Polk did a great thing offering up lower-end nice looking speakers at very inexpensive prices. It got me a taste of what good audio sounds like. I soon realized that I wanted more and moved to RTi speakers and finally to some LSi's. That's good marketing from Polk! This forum also helped keep me as a Polk fan.

Your statement is scary and is in fact a problem with many consumers and furthermore with the new generation and I am glad that Polk somewhat adresses that with its SB and the new comer Hitmaster and should even do much more to educate people on sound. The goal is to make sure people know about good sound and Polk before they start the shopping so that they are looking for Polk speakers rather than looking for speakers (I honestly think that is what bose is presently achieving right now). I was talking with a gentlemen that was commenting and all impressed with the little bose system and when I mentionned that it wasn't a good deal if you considered the money versus SQ quality, he looked at me like if I was from a different planet.

Cheers!
TK

Kex

cfrizz wrote: »

You got a smart wife there Kex. Now ask her how she would feel about someone coming in to put holes in her ceilings to put speakers in them and how much the speakers & the work to do it is going to cost? I think you will get a good idea about why this particular scenario is having trouble developing!

Actually, Cathy, she can't wait. She can't stand the RT55 and RT800 stuff I have now, but she lives with them because I'm worth it :eek: ... :mad: ... well, alright, I'm not, ... but anyway she's very keen for me to get the ceiling speakers installed so that we can get rid of the bookshelf and tower speakers. She'll even let me keep two free standing speakers for a two channel system if I decide I want them in the living room also.

nooshinjohn wrote: »

For now! I will be visiting L.A. soon enough. Gotta get my In&Out fix taken care of.;)

This will give me something else to look forward to.:)

I didn't know you liked Budweiser so much. I'll make sure I have some Light for you, since you have to watch your figure at your age.

I'll be having some Chimay myself of course, because at my age, I don't.

hearingimpared

cfrizz wrote: »

ROTFLMAO!! Yeah getting older does suck when that happens. To us it just seems like yesterday!

I hate when that happens . . . as I creak out of my chair slowly as to not hurt the arthritic joints!:eek::D

hearingimpared

nooshinjohn wrote: »

For now! I will be visiting L.A. soon enough. Gotta get my In&Out fix taken care of.;)

This will give me something else to look forward to.:)

Reported for making lude and lascivious references!!! LOL!!!:eek::D:p

hearingimpared

Hawkeye wrote: »

I'm certain I'll get flamed for this but here goes.

Bose has their own store in several malls. Why couldn't Polk have a "Polk Store" in several malls to actually show the product that hardly anyone can see, touch or hear? Put them in different scale malls, average and high end and see what washes out. They could mix and match just like mom and pops used to do to.

Gordon

Now there is a damned good suggestion! Overhead costs are just rentals and there's lots of traffic in malls.

dubradio

Hawkeye wrote: »

I'm certain I'll get flamed for this but here goes.

Bose has their own store in several malls. Why couldn't Polk have a "Polk Store" in several malls to actually show the product that hardly anyone can see, touch or hear? Put them in different scale malls, average and high end and see what washes out. They could mix and match just like mom and pops used to do to.

Gordon

Primarily because bose's budget for marketing and store maintance alone probobly excedes the revenue polk make in a year.

Nothing against Bose, they are a smart company, and have done well and really secured there place in the market.

But I can tell you from working at a retailer that sold Bose, They are the worst company to deal with, they tell the store how and where they want there product showcased, with just about everyother company its up to the dealer how they want to display product (unless the manufacture gives them kickbacks or pays them to do it there way)

TECHNOKID

Hawkeye wrote: »

I'm certain I'll get flamed for this but here goes.

Bose has their own store in several malls. Why couldn't Polk have a "Polk Store" in several malls to actually show the product that hardly anyone can see, touch or hear? Put them in different scale malls, average and high end and see what washes out. They could mix and match just like mom and pops used to do to.

Gordon

No reason for being flamed, what you are talking about is marketing and marketing is good Booth kiosks in malls usually work and brings attention to a company. It doesn't have to be a permanent boutique but presence is important since manufacturer can not rely on stores loyalty, stores look at the profit margin not at quality.

Here we go:

But I can tell you from working at a retailer that sold Bose, They are the worst company to deal with, they tell the store how and where they want there product showcased, with just about everyother company its up to the dealer how they want to display product (unless the manufacture gives them kickbacks or pays them to do it there way)

However, it doesn't have to be killer cost but manufacturer presence is a requirement for success.

Plus one on this... That said, in high traffic areas, a few retail stores is not such a bad idea, but I can see where the costs of such a venture would be stiffling. I ran a Select Comfort store in a mall in Los Angeles and the stores rent just for the space was almost 70k a month!!! I had to gross 160k a month just to pay the bills

Like I mentioned, this doesn't have to be permanent store but rather tour in strategic places. In example you see business doing tours of the sort in COSTCOs and other strategic malls.

Cheers!
TK

nooshinjohn

KyleShufelt wrote: »

Primarily because bose's budget for marketing and store maintance alone probobly excedes the revenue polk make in a year.

Nothing against Bose, they are a smart company, and have done well and really secured there place in the market.

But I can tell you from working at a retailer that sold Bose, They are the worst company to deal with, they tell the store how and where they want there product showcased, with just about everyother company its up to the dealer how they want to display product (unless the manufacture gives them kickbacks or pays them to do it there way)

Plus one on this... That said, in high traffic areas, a few retail stores is not such a bad idea, but I can see where the costs of such a venture would be stiffling. I ran a Select Comfort store in a mall in Los Angeles and the stores rent just for the space was almost 70k a month!!! I had to gross 160k a month just to pay the bills:mad:

polkatese

KyleShufelt wrote: »

Primarily because bose's budget for marketing and store maintance alone probobly excedes the revenue polk make in a year.

Nothing against Bose, they are a smart company, and have done well and really secured there place in the market.

But I can tell you from working at a retailer that sold Bose, They are the worst company to deal with, they tell the store how and where they want there product showcased, with just about everyother company its up to the dealer how they want to display product (unless the manufacture gives them kickbacks or pays them to do it there way)

Bose Marketing engine and budget are powerful indeed. Their marketing group should be commended for their success in promoting a brand. I've noticed that between Bose and B&O, they shares a common theme of being in higher-end strip malls, not to mention TV ads, airline magazines, etc. etc.

Curious, is Bose a billion plus dollars in revenue company?

dorokusai

F1nut wrote: »

OMG, he mentioned something related to sexual function and hinted that they might have gotten a room. That is surely going to offend someone, better delete it or close the thread.

Sounds silly, doesn't it? Guess what, that's my point.


Now, back to build them and they will ****....errrr, I meant come.

Why can't you just help in threads Jesse? Do you constantly have to jab at Polk/Moderation because things are not quite as you see it or hammered the way you see fit? Really? I'm sorry dude but your talent and wisdom is needed but you just seem to be angry.

We're doing our very best here, trying to accomodate and keep things moving around. There are a bunch of threads that you could be very helpful on....but I guess we'll just have to watch someone else answer questions.

Kex

TECHNOKID wrote: »

... but in wall and ceiling speakers aren't up to the task (when considering SQ) unless full enclosure with front firering are considered. In 1995 when renovated my home, I considered in ceiling speakers but discarded the idea since I didn't want to compromise the sound quality anI am not too sure that in ceiling and in wall technologies are actually on par with the typical speaker boxes. ...

I'm not certain that this is true. The LCi range use the vifa tweeters from the LSi range, and have good specifications on paper at least. Also, RT1 (tubes rule! BTW) has a fairly sophisticated theater built around the RTS series, and those that have heard it have stated that it was quite impressive.

http://www.polkaudio.com/customaudio/lci/specs.php#inceiling
http://www.polkaudio.com/customaudio/rts/specs.php#inwall

Certainly, for theater use, which is what I'm interested in, they seem to be a valid option. Maybe Mr. Shufelt can comment on this too, while he's at it?! Two channel, as always, is a bit more tricky.

heiney9

Hawkeye wrote: »

I'm certain I'll get flamed for this but here goes.

Bose has their own store in several malls. Why couldn't Polk have a "Polk Store" in several malls to actually show the product that hardly anyone can see, touch or hear? Put them in different scale malls, average and high end and see what washes out. They could mix and match just like mom and pops used to do to.

Gordon

Would you be willing to spend another $300-400 a pair for Polk's? One of the reasons Bose products are so expensive (over priced for the quality you get) is directly related to their marketing model.

H9

dubradio

heiney9 wrote: »

Would you be willing to spend another $300-400 a pair for Polk's? One of the reasons Bose products are so expensive (over priced for the quality you get) is directly related to their marketing model.

H9

No comment



and remeber everyone no brand bashing(it hasnt happened yet in this thread

Kex

KyleShufelt wrote: »

... and remeber everyone no brand bashing(it hasnt happened yet in this thread

I certainly had no intention of brand bashing, because I do like to keep discussions factual and based on truth, such as Bose Blows ... :eek: