Will polk ever bring out high end speakers

TECHNOKID

KyleShufelt wrote: »

The Hitmaster can only be ordered direct from Polk Audio at this time.

You omit to mention this applies to US citizen only. I received an invitation from Polk (with your name on this) to acquire them at an introductory price but couldn't go any further when actually trying to order since the offer was only in the US. I don't know exactly what law stops Polk to sell directly to Canadians but can tell you that it would be advantageous for Polk to be able to deal directly with their Canadian clients. Stores only care about profit margins and I can tell you that you see less and less Polk speakers in my area but rather see more and more HTIB and other high profit margin speakers (not mentionning brands here but I am convinved eveyone realises which brand I am talking about). Sorry, this is derailing from the OP which is high end speakers but I tought with you (Ken) on this discussion that it would be usefull that Polk be aware of this.

Zitro wrote: »

These are the points that keep me coming back, especially the CS part. Any company that cares about its customers enough to be so helpful and prompt, to provide its customers with a forum to share our knowledge and experiences, and still supplies parts and help with their vintage speakers is ok in my book. It just shows that while Polk is a business first, they actually do care about all of their customers and their products.

Kyle,

I did not know that, thanks for the heads up! A 30 day trial is a really nice way to make up for a lack of in-store demo. No better place to demo than your own home! Might order one soon.

I definitely agree with you Zitro, the Polk CS experience is adding to the product experience. I however wish that Polk on line producrs be at at least available all over North America, not only the US and same should apply for the Polk ebay store.


Cheers!
TK

DarqueKnight

cfrizz wrote: »

It comes from the guys who are stuck in the past & won't let go of the SDA's should make a come back.

You have *us* all wrong. Don't be so hard on us. Always remember that we mean well.:)

SDA cultists are not bored with consistency, great quality and reasonable pricing. In addition to the sonic attributes, all of the aforementioned are reasons we love SDA's. There must be a few folks at Polk who are "stuck in the past" as evidenced by the fact that Polk still supports a product line that was discontinued 19 years ago.;)

cfrizz wrote: »

they want a shiny EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE new toy to play with.

Uh no, not exactly. We do like shiny and new toys. We do not like expensive toys and we certainly don't like EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE toys. A certain level of realistic sound quality and performance costs money. If we could get that sound from a $100 boom box, we would. It would be more accurate to say that we like high performance toys that just happen to be expensive. I've never met an SDA cultist, online or in person, who wanted to spend one penny more than he had to to get the sound quality that he wanted. Don't confuse us with the clueless, carriage trade audio snobs who buy gear solely on price.

cfrizz wrote: »

They need to look elsewhere for it.

Where else would we look for "TRUE STEREO"? Even if another company did offer a similar product, they might not have the customer service and quality that we are accustomed to. Hence, we would rather get what we want from Polk rather than risk disappointment elsewhere.

cfrizz wrote: »

So long as Polk continues to create & sell GREAT sounding gear, that doesn't cost an arm & a leg, and has TERRIFIC customer service, I, and thousands like me will continue to be supporters, fans, & buyers of Polk products!

I don't think anyone here is bashing Polk or complaining...just engaging in wishful thinking out loud. I see the same types of wishful thinking on automotive and photography forums.

Sincerely,

TRUE STEREO Fanatic

dubradio

TECHNOKID wrote: »

You omit to mention this applies to US citizen only. I received an invitation from Polk (with your name on this) to acquire them at an introductory price but couldn't go any further when actually trying to order since the offer was only in the US. I don't know exactly what law stops Polk to sell directly to Canadians but can tell you that it would be advantageous for Polk to be able to deal directly with their Canadian clients. Stores only care about profit margins and I can tell you that you see less and less Polk speakers in my area but rather see more and more HTIB and other high profit margin speakers (not mentionning brands here but I am convinved eveyone realises which brand I am talking about). Sorry, this is derailing from the OP which is high end speakers but I tought with you (Ken) on this discussion that it would be usefull that Polk be aware of this.

I definitely agree with you Zitro, the Polk CS experience is adding to the product experience. I however wish that Polk on line producrs be at at least available all over North America, not only the US and same should apply for the Polk ebay store.


Cheers!
TK

TK,

Your points are 100% valid. And i have tried and done what i can to convince our sales department to find a better way to offer product to Canadian customers. However you are not the only one who has made this comment to me, and perhaps now that i have some more posts/emails i can send them to some of our higher ups so that they can look into better ways of NA distribution via direct sales.

nooshinjohn

I must say that with few exceptions, this thread has been an awesome display of partnership between the members of this forum and the support personnel at Polk. This thread is the essence of all that is good about this forum. A truly great thread and dialog...

Thanks to Polkfarmboy for having the courage to post it, and to Polk for participating.

Kex

KyleShufelt wrote: »

^ New SDA is being reasearched to see if it is even possible to put into a LSI/RTI width cabinet. ...

This is probably still a niche market (is it even a fast growing market?), but could it be done with in-wall speakers, to improve the WAF?

nooshinjohn wrote: »

... Oh wait, I forgot you are all knowing and all seeing. You are practically omnipotent. :rolleyes:;)

OMG! For a minute there, I thought that the Noosher was insinuating that our very own Jstas was impotent :eek: ... I mean: how the heck would he know that sort of information?!

dubradio

lol, leave it to Kex to lighten the mood back up

nooshinjohn

Kex wrote: »

OMG! For a minute there, I thought that the Noosher was insinuating that our very own Jstas was impotent :eek: ... I mean: how the heck would he know that sort of information?!

We can only hope... I don't think the world could take another just like him.:D:D;)

F1nut

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.

nooshinjohn

LOL... Jesse, I think you just set a record for the longest post you have ever made.:p

Toolfan66

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I must say that with few exceptions, this thread has been an awesome display of partnership between the members of this forum and the support personnel at Polk. This thread is the essence of all that is good about this forum. A truly great thread and dialog...

Thanks to Polkfarmboy for having the courage to post it, and to Polk for participating.

Agreed!!!!

I am still a pup in this sickening hobby, and most of you have forgoten more then I will probably learn. Hell I'm only 16 months old in this Hobby anybody want to volunteer to wipe my ****???:eek:

As far as SDA's go many of us here have spent a lot of time and money in upgrading and refurbishing them to a new if not better then new condition. would one not consider these the High End Polks that one would want to have your hands on? all you have to do is want it, do it, and try it..It's a blast to work on these. OK maybe not "High End" but kick **** non the less.;)

High End in my little world..;)

I would love to see new SDA's with updated drivers and tweeters.

Kex

nooshinjohn wrote: »

We can only hope... I don't think the world could take another just like him.:D:D;)

Ahem ...

You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!

nooshinjohn

^^^LOL Kex!

Kex

nooshinjohn wrote: »

^^^LOL Kex!

Didn't know that disgruntled old farts like you could still LOL without giving themselves a hernia.

TECHNOKID

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I must say that with few exceptions, this thread has been an awesome display of partnership between the members of this forum and the support personnel at Polk. This thread is the essence of all that is good about this forum. A truly great thread and dialog...

Thanks to Polkfarmboy for having the courage to post it, and to Polk for participating.

+1, I am convinced that just about everyone (the regulars) noticed that Polk was involved a lot more in the discussions then ever (Kyle, Dorom Russ) this is very much appreciated no matter were it leads the company. It again shows that Polk cares and provide outstanding customer service. Polk should be commented for such great involment with its clients.

KyleShufelt wrote: »

TK,

Your points are 100% valid. And i have tried and done what i can to convince our sales department to find a better way to offer product to Canadian customers. However you are not the only one who has made this comment to me, and perhaps now that i have some more posts/emails i can send them to some of our higher ups so that they can look into better ways of NA distribution via direct sales.

Nice to see this, despite being harder to find the product WANT I still wont give up on Polk.

I am not alone in Canada, while the market isn't as big as the US it is still worth keeping an eye open for Canadian clients. Being part of a Canadian forum for a few years now, I noticed that Polk isn't talked much about anymore compared to a few years ago.

Some of us are buying from specialised audio-video boutiques while many of us are buying from the big box stores (Best Buy and sister company Future Shop) and unfortuately I never found any specialized boutique to provide Polk products (I even had a passionate discussion with a salesperson on that subject lately).

Best Buy Canada never provided Polk speakers (that I know of) and while their sister company Future Shop seems to slowly move away from the brand??? I somewhat figure the reason for not discussing Polk speakers that much anymore on our Canadian forum might be due to the lack of exposure they get in Canadian stores.

I fact, for a while I was spending about the same time on the Canadian forum as I was at CP and found my self spending most of my time here now since people aren't discussing so much what I need or love anymore. Good thing Polk provide this site or maybe I would slowly moved away from the brand following store trends and that would have been very sad. It would definitely be nice to see Polk in Canada in both big box stores and specialised boutiques as I personnally Polk speakers deserve to be in our store every where.

Cheers!
TK

TECHNOKID

unc2701 wrote: »

Unfortunately, I'm going to bring this back around to a car metaphor, but here goes:

Polk seems to have a high-end image problem. I was auditioning a Musical Fidelity KW500 at a place that carried B&W, ML, Wilson, etc. The sales person asked what my speakers were and I said Polk LSi's and he instantly turned into a total ****. He came around a little once I told him they were polk's flagship and I had Brystons on them, but pretty much escorted me away from the Wilsons and down to the room with the B&W 803's.

So maybe polk needs to take a cue from the Japanese automakers: Put a different name on their high-end.

Some like this can sometime make a difference between success or failure. A high end speaker with fancy name, high end pricing could probably successfully lead Polk speaker into specialised boutique. Look at Black and Decker for example, I never cared for this brand for many years but I will gladly buy dewalt while knowing B&D owns them.

xcapri79 wrote: »

Good point, what happened to Free-Trade?
What is the possibility of Polk Direct being available to Canadians? The purchases would still be in US dollars, with perhaps an additional shipping charge to Canada.

Actually I haven't seen your post earlier and you are taking the words out of my mouth! There is eBay.ca, all Polk needs to do is extend their Polk eBay store to Canadians, I see this all ther time. I don't see such costing Polk arm and legs.

Cheers!
TK

nooshinjohn

Kex wrote: »

Didn't know that disgruntled old farts like you could still LOL without giving themselves a hernia.

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

ken brydson

KyleShufelt wrote: »

Zitro,

99$ free shipping, no tax, and we pay for the shipping back if you dont like it within 30 days just a little FYI

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

arkdiablo

I am probably considered a youngster but I used to sell the LS 90's, 70's, Rt-16's and so on some twenty-ish years ago. I have to say that the quality of construction from those days is much higher. I have three pairs of RT-16's on my theater system. I am running an Integra DHC-9.9 Preamp and four Integra M-504 amps. The centers (two) are Csi-245's. I had a pair of RT-800i'a as my rear surrounds and the cabinets feel like balsa wood compared to the RT-16's. As far as high end goes, I agree it can't be about price alone. Speaker construction, electronics and testing are more important. The LS series of old would blow away the LSi series of today. They also made the RT-3000p's, That was one of their best made systems.

halo71

^ Dang 4 M504's? :eek: I feel so inadaquate now with my measly "1". Would love to see some pics or your set up sometime!

TECHNOKID

arkdiablo wrote: »

I am probably considered a youngster but I used to sell the LS 90's, 70's, Rt-16's and so on some twenty-ish years ago. I have to say that the quality of construction from those days is much higher. I have three pairs of RT-16's on my theater system. I am running an Integra DHC-9.9 Preamp and four Integra M-504 amps. The centers (two) are Csi-245's. I had a pair of RT-800i'a as my rear surrounds and the cabinets feel like balsa wood compared to the RT-16's. As far as high end goes, I agree it can't be about price alone. Speaker construction, electronics and testing are more important. The LS series of old would blow away the LSi series of today. They also made the RT-3000p's, That was one of their best made systems.

You know, times have changed and the mass demand performing speakers at a meager price therefore, for companies to be able to deliver according to this demand there has to be some compromise here and there.

This is the reason Polk would have to price speakers quite differently if SDA or speakers with high end performance were coming to the market. Would you be willing to pay that price? I am convinced if Polk had garanties that such speakers would sell they'd gladly do it. Doesn't matter which brand you are talking, unless there is a hefty price tag on them they have to compromised. I still think however that Polk are the BBB.

Cheers!
TRK

mdaudioguy

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.

tonyb

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.

Can those get any uglier ? For me,the old Epics were the bomb in the Klipsch line...maybe the la scala's too. Other than that,they always hurt my ears and listening fatigue was off the charts. But hey,ya likes what ya likes, but you have to admit,the waf is in the basement with those puppies.

mdaudioguy

tonyb wrote: »

Can those get any uglier ? For me,the old Epics were the bomb in the Klipsch line...maybe the la scala's too. Other than that,they always hurt my ears and listening fatigue was off the charts. But hey,ya likes what ya likes, but you have to admit,the waf is in the basement with those puppies.

Agreed..., but I didn't say I actually wanted any of those, but it's cool that they make 'em!

TECHNOKID

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.

It doesn't appeal to me.

Cheers!
TK

BeefJerky

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

Interestingly enough, according to the store lookup, all three stores here in Houston have them in stock . I guess some retailers do carry them. In addition, Fry's once again manages to price their Polk's dirt cheap. I'm tempted to go there and ask for a demo even if I don't intend to buy.

TECHNOKID

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

Unbelievable, at check out they wanted to charge me over 110$ for shipping :eek: Yep, what is the free trade baloney about :rolleyes::( You are Canadian and here we go with boosting pricing :mad:

comfortablycurt

dorokusai wrote: »

No offense, but if Polk based its marketing on this forum, it would be out of business. Great ideas, great discussion but seriously? I'm not aware of any industry professional members here, including me, so let's keep some perspective here gang.

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.

mdaudioguy

Good post, Curt. But does the average Joe know Klipsch any more than Polk? I doubt it. At least more people are able to spell Polk correctly. Take a look at that Heresy III - Looks a little like a Monitor 10, huh? I realize that it's very different inside, but a handmade, built-to-order, modern update on a classic speaker for about $1600 a pair? I'd consider it. Clearly Klipsch isn't selling these like hot cakes, but they are available. Also clearly, people like many of those on this forum prefer to buy classic and restore, but there are some who would just like to buy some gear like this brand new. Different strokes for different folks. Yeah, it's a niche, probably a small one, but the Klipsch Heritage model shows that is doable. I'm sure the Heritage series isn't a big part of the Klipsch profit. It might even be a break-even venture, but it is cool.

nooshinjohn

comfortablycurt wrote: »

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.


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.

How is it that Polk Audio builds speakers for the average Joe, but average Joe knows nothing about them. How did Polk get so big building speakers if they market to AJ and AJ has never heard of them?;):p

Polk is practically a household name when it comes to speakers precisely because of the SDA's. Best Buy, CC, Fry's and other big box stores came into play because Polk recognized the shift away from Mom&Pop stores and adapted and grew exponentially as a result. Many that didn't make the shift went under all together.

It's just far too much of a niche market for Polk to make a "statement piece" that roughly 50 people would buy.

Polk does not stay in the SDA game by making drivers for the classics if there was no demand for it or money to be made from it, and this tells me there is a demand out there for these speakers. The exceedingly high prices commanded for SDA's in pristine condition confirms it. There is a market for them and Polk knows all about it.

The fact that they are looking at ways of doing so in the updated LSi line and the RTiA line is music to my ears.:D

hearingimpared

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Good post, Curt. But does the average Joe know Klipsch any more than Polk? I doubt it. At least more people are able to spell Polk correctly. Take a look at that Heresy III - Looks a little like a Monitor 10, huh? I realize that it's very different inside, but a handmade, built-to-order, modern update on a classic speaker for about $1600 a pair? I'd consider it. Clearly Klipsch isn't selling these like hot cakes, but they are available. Also clearly, people like many of those on this forum prefer to buy classic and restore, but there are some who would just like to buy some gear like this brand new. Different strokes for different folks. Yeah, it's a niche, probably a small one, but the Klipsch Heritage model shows that is doable. I'm sure the Heritage series isn't a big part of the Klipsch profit. It might even be a break-even venture, but it is cool.

Are you saying that Polk Audio & Klipsch Heritage model is a niche? I don't see Polk Audio as a niche marketing company.:)