On-hi Fi Comments of LSi 15 and Dynaudio Evidence Temptation Speakers

pjdami · July 2003

Okay. I know this is six months old but I missed it when it came out. Wes Phillips is a respected reviewer and what he says here about the LSi 15 compared to speakers 20 times the cost really makes Polk look good.

In case you missed it:

http://www.onhifi.com/product/2002_productsoftheyear.htm

Paul

polkatese · July 2003

Paul,
this is one of the award that I think Polk needs to exploit more, as part of its marketing efforts! It should be used to convince Tweeter, Good Guys, and the snob crowds to acknowledge the LSi series (worthy of a space allocation in their demo room). I still don't understand, even after almost two years in production, the general audiophiles respond to any statement regarding Polk LSi with 'huh ?', hell, I even think Onyx by Rocket speakers are gaining more momentum than LSi, and they don't even show up in any storefronts anywhere in world. May be I should just open a LSi specialty store, with a DBT setup next to a ML, both powered with Rotel, of course...

*end rant*

dorokusai · July 2003

I know for sure they have heard them, its a selling standpoint at some stores. They know they sound really good, but then they have trouble using their salesmanship to move people up in cost....this is just a basic observation, but it does hold true at my local stores.

I agree, that is a glowing review.

mantis · July 2003

You Know.....the broken record as it is......and I agree with what you guys wrote here.....

We (Tweeter) is a very respected audio store/s in this area tri state.....and behond(Pa,NJ,Delaware)ETC.....Bryn Mawr Stereo and video is the Store which I have worked for and got bought by Tweeter.WHen this happened,polk was out and Boston was in...I felt this was a very bad move.
Around here polk used to get a ton of respect,then CC showed up with polk loaded speaker demo rooms.CC has been around while.......not really THE STORE to buy the BETTER ****.Bryn Mawr was the place to be under extrme high end.

That moment in time,polk around here lost alot of drive.CC still sells them but the old Bryn Mawr people now buy Bosten Acoustics due to the fact we have them,they respect US and don't shop at CC.I have had conversations with my customers with the intention on buying polks from CC buying our gear and having us Installing it....untill they listened to polks stuff at CC,left completely disapointed and bought there speakers from us.
We don't have great demo rooms.They are light years away from CC but nothing like some High end shots I know of......

Lsi compared to Dynaudio is NO COMPARE.I read that review along time ago when it came out and I don't agree with Lsi even being in the same room as Dynaudio speakers.........they don't in no way shape or form compare or even try to compare.......

This entire "yeah it sounds as good as 3 times its cost"is a nice way of saying it a good product.Make no mistake.......high end is high end for a reason.Just like wire........you get exactly what you pay for.Buy cheap and get cheap.......take it out and BE take it out.

Lsi is a speaker I feel leads it's class.I wouldn't own them if they didn't.I compared Lsi to everything I could get my dirty hands on.....I felt polk lsi was the best overall speaker in ITS class,not out of......You move up the ladder and now you start to get into higher end speakers and they sound better.Thiel,Dynaudio,Sonus Faber,Martin Logan,Etc.....is the next step up.....theres tons more.....but you get the Idea.

I hope one day polk earns back there respect they deserve.....I feel they will.They make fantastic products.......believe it or not they still hold a candle to many in the Industry........Alot of US respect polk for what they have done and what they continue to do.

Time will tell boys............

STUFFMD · July 2003

Hey Sean,
"shot themselves in the foot"???????? Being the #2 or 3 speaker maker in the US is not being shot in the foot....it's good marketing where I come from...I mean Hell at the end of the day are speaker companys like Wilson, Dynaudio, or Rocket here only for us and our listening pleasure?????...NO there here to make the almighty buck.....Polk has always been a company about delivering a rock solid speaker...for a reasonable price an avg. consumer can afford....It just seems to me they placed their speakers where the avg. Joe could see them.If the audiophile snobs don't like them just because of where their sold or how little they cost....well it's their thousands of dollar loss.the way I look at it.......It doesn't have to be expensive or glitzy to be good.
My 2 Stuff

burdette · July 2003

I agree that it is all about performance and "It doesn't have to be expensive or glitzy to be good." I'm just not someone who pays more for name, hype, immeasurable differences, etc.

That said, however, there *is* something to be said for the ambiance of the buying experience, for the manner in which you connect with one particular piece of equipment over the others. My wife and I bought a pair of Polks from a small audio retailer.. the kind of shop that feels like someone's house, albeit with most rooms stuffed with audio gear. We walked around mostly in quiet, other customers occasionally listening to something, looking, the salesman hung out on the sidelines, not pressing us but there if we turned and had a question. We felt REALLY comfortable listening and taking our time and making a decision.

Today, when I walk into a Circuit City or Best Buy I'm barraged with noise and confusion and chaos. This week's audio salesmen are usually huddled around some new computer game, or chatting amongst themselves, until they stop long enough to annoy me. There are times I can't imagine buying ANYTHING from a place like this... and speakers are harder to imagine than electronics (obviously there are times I can imagine it - I bought a receiver at CC last year, at a great price). I can't believe I could REALLY audition speakers... not only due to the general noise but also because they're all stacked side to side and floor to ceiling.

If I was ready to spend two grand on a new pair of speakers, CC or BB is NOT the place I'd do it. The entire concept of the LSi line and those who would buy them is incongruous with that sort of retailing. I'd want to buy LSi's from another audio enthusiast... versed in our ways, as excited as I was at the prospects of new speakers, understanding that I want a little alone-time to listen and ponder, all in his house-looking little shop.

VR3 · July 2003

If I were to run a store, I would have employees steaked out at different areas/parts of the stores to help. In case someone needs it, if someone needs help they will ask. When I go to CC I kinda walk faster than the employees so they will leave me alone. You cant go in CC because they have about 40 speakers 8 feet in the air, side by side. How can you demo that? Then you go in the room, and there are speakers all around you, floor to ceiling, side to side. It is chaos! Then you have thos Lame shelf systems, and some moron blareing them and it sounds like sheat and he thinks its the next best thing to sliced bread in a tea cup. CC is not a place to demo spakers.

Mantis, I have heard the Sanus Fabors - costing 8,000. The tweeter in it ruled. The Midrange was about as open as my RT35i. Very dull stuff there. Couldn't believe it. It was being ran off of a tube amp, and a tube preamp and a tube cd player. The tweeter ruled. No Bass really, and realy bad mids. I would of taken the Polk RT series anyday. Same with Boston Acoustics, they suck. I thought my RT35i ruled their TOTL. Everything in Tweeter in their regular demo room, except the room with the Martin Logans and mess alike, I felt my RT35i wasnt beatin and battered. Not even the TOTL klipsch ruled it.

I have been in a high end shop down here in Charlotte, called Sound Systems. They had one room with speakers side by side. However they had 4-5 rooms with just complete setups. B&W, Def Tech, Mcintosh, Adcom, the alike. That was one of the first time I have had a true demo session. The B&W's were to me like the Bose of High End. Didnt really smash anything, sounded alright, but not worth the price tag. I heard a Def Tech setup ran by a Denon 4802, it was and still is my favorite speaker I have heard. The Wilson Audio's are awesome, but I will never buy them. Def Tech is the speaker of my choice if I ever had extra money. They are truly awesome speakers.

In New York they had seperate rooms for each setup, Ocasionally I walked in a room with setups per wall, or 2 pairs of speakers in one room. However they were all setup perfect, calibrated, high quality components, room designed to make the best sound. It was truly an awesome moment of my Audio adventure. Tweeter, in my opinion is a step above CC, but in that sense - is not a very far step. Its still loud, its still bad demoing, it still sucks. The amps there are not fit to run the TOTL Martin Logan. The Martin Logan demo room was like 4 pairs of Martin Logans side by side across one large wall. It is a step above, but not far.

Polk, I know why they are in CC, most average Joe's will never set foot in Tweeter. Half the people I talk to don't even know what a tweeter is, both ways. Circuit City, Best Buy, is the average Joe's not the Average John's store. Polks goal was to put an affordable spekaer in an average person's home, I believe they have done so. It is better than their only competition at CC, which is Infinity. The Infinity at CC sucks anways. Its not worth the label that is on the grill honestly. I was finally glad to walk in a store and not see Bose or Sony. That was a dream come true. I believe the Polk's are awesome speakers, however I believe like you say Bose has their own place, so does polk. Polk has a very big price/performance. I saw Dynaudio's that costed alot - and didnt even have a real wood finish. If it was real wood, it was the fakest wood I have ever come across.

Polk has managed to accomplish many things, they can sell good looking/sounding speakers for an affordable price. The review, who cares if it cant measure up to the Dynaudio. No where in that review does it say it does. I would love to hear Dynaudio's, JM Lab. I am sure they are awesome speakers, but if you wish to spend 85,000 on a speaker that dosnt completely smash a speaker costing 82,00 less and use its parts to fix its carpet spikes it's not worth the price tag. I have talked to Jesse about this, and I agree with what he said. He believed that there is DIY jobs that cost well less than any of these high end speakers that blow them out of the water. I can find that easily believeable.

Tweeter is a fine store, Polk is a fine product. I honestly do not see why Tweeter will not carry it. I hear Tweeter is going to carry the Yamaha line because they are dropping Klipsch. I find that very retarded. I want to hear the LSi's. I have heard one of the best speakers in the world, I would like to see how they compare. Apples or Orange or Not. Each speaker has its right to be compared to another, the LSi has every right to be in the same room as the Dynaudio. Infact, as long as it could fit through the door, I see nothing stopping it.

-Vr3 Mx-

*Rant Off*

DarqueKnight · July 2003

Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
I have talked to Jesse about this, and I agree with what he said. He believed that there is DIY jobs that cost well less than any of these high end speakers that blow them out of the water. I can find that easily believeable.

Exactly. Designing and manufacturing speakers is not rocket science. If it was, there wouldn't be almost a billion speaker companies. I've always wondered what goes through the mind of someone who lays down 85 to 100 grand for speakers. Maybe you need a set of ultra expensive ears to truly appreciate the ultra expensive high end.;)

Ceruleance · July 2003

now i want Lsi's.. sigh

sully5604 · July 2003

I should have read this before I posted my question. I bought my Polks from CC. I hate going into that store almost as much as I hate going into Best Buy. I knew I wanted Polks. I've liked them since back in college. CC just happened to carry them and was a few miles from my house. There's a Tweeter right next to the CC, but they didn't carry Polk. Too bad, if they had the LSi's I probably would have bought them.

I guess the one good thing going for CC is their upgrade policy. If the new RTi's sound as good as they look, I'll be upgrading! They just need to come out before my year is up.

I don't have any audiophile friends so when my average Joe friends come by they go nuts when they hear them play. I guess damn good sound is just that...damn good sound.

All this talk about LSi's is making me curious. Hey, wait... I do have other rooms in the house. But then again, I would lose them in the divorce settlement as soon as my wife heard I bought more speakers. jk :-)

Airplay355 · July 2003

do you get the full amount you paid back when you go to upgrade or do you get whatever the speakers are currently selling for?

sully5604 · July 2003

Good question. I'm not sure. It doesn't specifically say on their website. It simply says that all you pay is the difference between the set you purchased and the set you want to upgrade to. Hopefully they give me what I paid since I bought mine before the discounting began. That would sway my opinion of CC.