Has polk speakers got you into high end ?

polkfarmboy

My first introduction to loving audio came from owning polk rti and now I have been spending into the thousands for more audio equipment

Is any one here in the same boat ?

Has polk opened pandora's box for you ?

Toolfan66

I blame the members not Polk!!!!

leroyjr1

I went from not wanting to spend more than $500 on a htib to spending twice as much on cables. It can get kind of ridiculous at times.

Jstas

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

I blame the members not Polk!!!!

That's ok, we blame you for alot of stuff too! :biggrin:

maximillian

Yup. R50's. First hit is cheap. Maybe me realize what I had been missing all my life in audio, and at the same time made me want more.

nguyendot

It wasn't Polk that did it, it was the people on the forums

Toolfan66

Lets put it this way, Polk got me here (the forum) The members did the rest!!!

BTW I have no regrets..

mrbiron

This forum, like marijuana, is a gateway drug.

zingo

Polk RT800 was my first dedicated 2-channel speakers, and it was all uphill from there! I no longer own anything Polk except a hat and a Polk shirt, but I never forget my roots. I now have crossovers that cost twice as much as I bought those first RT800s for, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

mhardy6647

If by "high end" in audio the OP means "realistic reproduction of recorded sound"... it doesn't have to be expensive. It just has to be carefully researched and chosen. There is no substitute for "ears-on" time with music and equipment. Quality time listening to live music (amplified and unamplified) is also key to develop a personal perspective on what's important and what is just the "flavor of the month". It's a very idiosyncratic hobby - not all that dissimilar to oenophilicity ("wine snobbery")!

The other aspect of "high end" is more of a bragging rights thing: how many designer labels do I have on my cables, my "interconnects", my equipment rack, not to mention my amplifier, sources, loudspeakers, DAC, etc., etc. A fool's game (IMNSHO, of course)

There are multiple flavors of Kool-Ade out there which one may drink, if one catches my metaphorical drift.


EDIT: oh, and yeah, I started ca. 1978 with a pair of Polk Audio Monitor Series Model 7A speakers... which I still have and still enjoy.

Cayuga

I don't blame Polk as much as I thank them and this group. I was lost for 30 plus years and Polk is getting back to where I want to be. Some buddy slap me for that reply.

phipiper10

RT800i was the intro which led me here back in 2004! So as above Thanks Polk and this forum!

coolsax

I was just looking for something better than a normal HTIB and stumbled onto this website and was pointed to the Monitor series at Newegg. Once I got those in and started listening and reading more on this site, i just kept progressing to where I have the my current rigs now.

jflail2

Haha, Polk was high end to me. You guys have opened Pandora's box and shown me a whole nother world. Now if I could only afford to play in it........

Timothy Smith

I bought a pair of new Polk Monitors 10's in 1978 when I was in college for something like $630 from Absolute Sound in Ann Arbor MI, and it's not like I could afford them (they were worth more than my car), it's just that I had to have them after hearing them.

They sounded like music instead of speakers. They had so much more detail and clarity than I had ever heard before.

That set of speakers was probably the biggest single jump in sound quality that I ever experienced in my "system" before or after.

Joe08867

A used pair of SDA2's and this forum. You ****!!!!!!!

heiney9

Define "high end", that is a term that is open to huge amounts of interpretation. Polk Audio and this forum certainly helped many to move on to better sounding gear and perhaps speakers.

For me..........I am content and extremely happy with my 1C's. Does that mean they are the last stop for me or should they be the last stop for everyone, nope. I just happen to love how they sound and haven't found anything comparable that does all the things well that SDA's do. I have friends with Maggies (dkg999, Ricardo, ALL212) and I really do like the way they sound, but they are not near as versatile in both listening position or with all the types of music I listen to as my 1C's are. They definitely do some things better as in acoustic and vocal music.........the 1C's are close but the Maggies are definitely better.

The thing SDA's do so well, IMO, is they are a very versatile speaker.........they don't one or two things really well and others just so..so. They do reasonably well at a lot of different types of music and you don't have to be in that smallish sweet spot to get maximum enjoyment.

To me my SDA 1C's are high end...........would I love to own a pair of Revel Salon's? Absolutely, but I'm not spending $15-20K on speakers. Even though they are about the best speakers I've heard. Perhaps in the next lifetime.

H9

ben62670

I had some infinity speakers before and a top of the line JVC integrated from the late 80's. It sounded great to me, but the woofer foam rotted out like all infinity's. So on Ebay I checked out some Polk drivers that would fit. I liked the sound more than the Infinity's so I wanted Polk speakers. I ended up getting some monitor 4's, and then it went down hill from there. I went through about 10 different Polk speakers, and then started making custom ones. I now have a set of custom designed SDA's with better drivers, and I am very happy. If I can find some Vandy's cheap enough I will go for those, and still keep the ones Jerry and I built. I have heard a lot of high end speakers and gear, and I feel great about what I have at home. You can get real good sounding equipment for not too much money. A lot of the uber pretty speakers to me have to much invested into making the gear pretty, and they do sound good, but I am not the type of guy that needs or wants to spend the extra money on pretty. I am thinking about a tube amp, but we shall see. I really like the tube pre/SS amp sound. I am not sure if it would be worth it to go tube on speakers with my power requirements. I am working on building a tube amp for my bedroom 2 channel.

JimAckley

Polk's taken me on quite the journey. It all started with a few listening sessions between my buddy's dad's SDA - SRSs, some Monitor 40s at CC, and LSis at Tweeter. It all got me convinced to buy some Polks. A friend of mine hooked me up with some JBL E50s, which I was content with for a while, then I wanted to step up to the RTi 12s. I ended up finding a good deal (at least for that time) on some LSi25s and a PSW1000 for half price. I haven't regretted it for a second, especially now that I'm upgrading them.

inspiredsports

polkfarmboy wrote: »

My first introduction to loving audio came from owning polk rti and now I have been spending into the thousands for more audio equipment

Is any one here in the same boat ?

Has polk opened pandora's box for you ?

"Polk" proper is not responsible, but the membership here is incredibly well-versed in high end "audiophile-ese".

Hanging out here has caused me to spend more than I could ever have conceived spending prior to joining. I purchased an exquisite matched quad of Telefunkens for an amount that 2 years ago I would have thought would buy 150 tubes, and probably a year's tuition on cables. And more than a year's tuition on gear.

As I look around the room, I have 22 components that are not even plugged-in in addition to the 10 that are warm.

I have a peg with a combination of at least 25 high-line power cables and interconnects just haning there there in reserve, and more in their original boxes. I never owned a tube prior to CP, but 27 are now glowing because I just fired up the additional 11 in my newly acquired FM tuner. All 27 tubes are strong, premium NOS Mullard Blackburns, Telefunkens, Amperex Holland Bugle Boys or W German Valvo's, (no junk) and there's at LEAST 1 high-quality backup for every socket in my tube box.

Multiple turntable Clamps and mats, Herbies tube dampers, rings and brass feet for speakers and new audiophile caps, resistors and power supplies everywhere. Stuff you could never conceive could run into five figures!

If you are new here and don't want to increase your spending like you have a cocaine habit, my advice is to call your ISP and have polkaudio.com permanently banned from being accessible in your home. :biggrin: :eek:

As Buzz Lightyear might say, "To the RABBIT HOLE, and BEYOND !!!!!"

Danger, . . . Will Robinson

greyford1979

inspiredsports wrote: »

"Polk" proper is not responsible, but the membership here is incredibly well-versed in high end "audiophile-ese".

Hanging out here has caused me to spend more than I could ever have conceived spending prior to joining. I purchased an exquisite matched quad of Telefunkens for an amount that 2 years ago I would have thought would buy 150 tubes, and probably a year's tuition on cables. And more than a year's tuition on gear.

As I look around the room, I have 22 components that are not even plugged-in in addition to the 10 that are warm.

I have a peg with a combination of at least 25 high-line power cables and interconnects just haning there there in reserve, and more in their original boxes. I never owned a tube prior to CP, but 27 are now glowing because I just fired up the additional 11 in my newly acquired FM tuner. All 27 tubes are strong, premium NOS Mullard Blackburns, Telefunkens, Amperex Holland Bugle Boys or W German Valvo's, (no junk) and there's at LEAST 1 high-quality backup for every socket in my tube box.

Multiple turntable Clamps and mats, Herbies tube dampers, rings and brass feet for speakers and new audiophile caps, resistors and power supplies everywhere. Stuff you could never conceive could run into five figures!

If you are new here and don't want to increase your spending like you have a cocaine habit, my advice is to call your ISP and have polkaudio.com permanently banned from being accessible in your home. :biggrin: :eek:

As Buzz Lightyear might say, "To the RABBIT HOLE, and BEYOND !!!!!"

Danger, . . . Will Robinson

I would be more than happy to come pick up those 22 unplugged components from you and make sure they stay warm while I store them at my house

nooshinjohn

Cayuga wrote: »

I don't blame Polk as much as I thank them and this group. I was lost for 30 plus years and Polk is getting back to where I want to be. Some buddy slap me for that reply.

How about I just punch you in the face the next time I see you?:biggrin::biggrin:

Seriously though... I was fine until I found this place and discovered just how much I had been missing. I too agree this place is like a drug for audio addicts, but I am forever grateful for the help I have been given here. Best audio forum on the planet is right here at CP

lanchile

After I got my RTi-A1, I had to upgrade my amp then I got a Bryston. :biggrin:

treitz3

They sure have.

TECHNOKID

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

I blame the members not Polk!!!!

Exactly! While great speakers at great pricing Polk are not high end in my book (and Polk never claimed such either) so I never felt compelled to buy all of the so called high end gismos to go around them. Of course it would be a different ball game if I ever buy the new LsiM series which definitlely could use better quality external amplification than most of their current line ups.

Face

Maybe.

reeltrouble1

Polk Audio speakers benefit from quality components, the company has certainly built and continues to build hi-fi speakers.

RT1

inspiredsports

greyford1979 wrote: »

I would be more than happy to come pick up those 22 unplugged components from you and make sure they stay warm while I store them at my house

And I'm pretty sure we're not more than 5 miles away from each other :biggrin:.

newrival

DCM's started the whole thing for me, but I'll tell you, Polk only made it worse :biggrin:

Tony M

Almost.

ESS AMT 1D took me to another level in the stratosphere. 25 yrs. ago.I own them now...excuse me, my wife lays claim should we part.

Polk Monitor 10's took me to another level 15 yrs. ago with clasic rock.
My fav. genre.:cool:

Then I started buying alot and I mean alot of other Manufac. speakers and gear on the used market and got a feel of where Polk stood in the field and I still like this classic Polk sound alot. Even though I auditioned by owning a plethora of speakers. Some brighter, some duller.

My Newform Research RB60's (?) are hard to beat though. They are as magical as the SDA-SRS2's are.

slammin86

I wanted an upgrade from my 4 year old onkyo htib setup.
After some research I ordered a pair of monitor 50's and a cs1 right after christmas. I also found my elemental designs a2-300. A few weeks later I ordered some monitor 30's for my surrounds. Then I decided I wanted a new receiver. I sold my old receiver and my 50's and cs1 (after only having them about a month).

I then bought my 70's and a cs2, and my onkyo rc270. I loved the sound but felt I needed more power. So I bought an acurus a300x2.

Then I bought 50 ft of blue jeans cable quad 14ga wire, some techflex, heat shrink, and banana plugs. I am now going to make speaker cables for my front 3 channels, and then use monoprice 12 ga to run to my surrounds. I am then going to make 2 more speaker cables and sell them.

Then I am done for awhile...lol.