What got you hooked on Polk

Tekkis

I think it was back in 94
Listening to a coworkers latest audio buy which was a used set of SDA SRS 2 which sounded awesome even though it was being starved by an Onkyo AVR, which had maybe 85 watts per channel if you were lucky. Wish i had a set of those now so i could maybe see what theyre able to do with a little more power from my Carver.

monepolk

Although I have enjoyed this forum for a while this seemed appropriate for my first post. My first experience with Polk speakers was at a high end audio store that demoed them with a Carver amp and pre. They sounded awesome and that was my dream combination. Now I have to admit that I was more enamored with the Carver amps because I don't know the model of the speakers that I listened to. Since that combination was doable for at the time (either in high school or a recent HS grad) I put together the system I could afford. After awhile I, enter VHS and later "stereo" TVs, got more into the video than music. After someone decided they needed my system more than I lost my enthusiasm. After some years my cable co. gave me a combination digital box, CD/DVD player and integrated 5.1 receiver tuner. I basically used it for the converter box function and eventually decided to add cheap pair of speakers just to see how it sounded. That got be back into thinking about a HT system. I looked at various systems and when I ran across the Polk brand I knew they were good speakers. I decided on the TL250 with a DSWPro 500 sub knowing I was going to upgrade my receiver. A few weeks later while looking for a receiver during the test guy switched to these speakers that stood heads above the others he used and I asked him what they were. Turned out they were RTI 8s, he also displayed the 10s but I was looking for a receiver. After I got my receiver I was telling my wife how much I liked the 8s and since she was with me it didn't take much convincing to go back and get them. I decided on the 8s since I already had a sub. They have definitely renewed my interest in music and I started collecting again. Working on my LSI setup now.

danielv

We moved to the US in the mid 90's for two years. I was in the market for a home theater system. One of my friends recommended I look at Polk Audio. I've never heard of the company before, but the brochures and their scientific approach to sound appealed to the engineer in me. At the time, most other companies seemingly appealing to magic and astrology as to why their speakers sounded better. I liked the sound a lot, and my wife liked the looks. Then one evening on a whim, we stopped at an audio store in Northern VA that were getting ready for an unannounced sale the next day. They had a beautiful pair of rosewood LS50's for sale for about $600, if I remember correctly. They went home with us that night.

After getting a Yamaha DDP-1 that I pre-ordered, the LS50's were soon joined with a CS350 center and LS f/x surround. Listening to Dolby Digital (or AC-3 Surround as it was called back then) on this system was awesome! I eventually filled out the bass with a PSW300 sub.

These are still my speakers today, now being driven by a much newer Onkyo with most of the latest bells & whistles. The speakers still sound fine, even after two trans-Atlantic journeys. I have not felt the need to update them, although a new sub or two might give more impact our much larger family room. A number of my friends bought Polks after hearing my system and doing head-to-head listening tests at audio stores.

Bugstyvy

Mr Polk standing beside his sexy SDA lineup in every magazine got me....

cnh

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Inspired by Wallace Stevens' poem Anecdote of the Jar :-)

I placed a jar in Tennessee,
And round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill.

The wilderness rose up to it,
And sprawled around, no longer wild.
The jar was round upon the ground
And tall and of a port in air.

It took dominion every where.
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,
Like nothing else in Tennessee.

Other than the fact it's speakers, not a jar, and there are two of 'em, and it's New Hampshire, not Tennessee...

Very much like an American Haiku, no?

A field of cotton

A field of cotton--
as if the moon
had flowered.


Translated by Robert Hass
Matsuo Basho (17th century Japan)

cnh

wasupwitdat

Got sucker'd into them by the dealer and price. I'm not complaining because I have had these Monitor Series 2 RM's for about ten years and haven't used the speakers for the last three years, but I recently added them to my HD TV sound via a NAD amp. I started noticing a distortion sound and after removing the grile found the foam ring had deteriorated. I tried to get service from a local Polk dealer and got no help. I looked online for a replacement speaker and cannot find anything close. Also, years ago the negative binding post on one speaker broke right off. I can't understand how just tightenning a plastic nut can snap a metal post that easy. So, I just upgraded with a nice set of Klipsch G 16 speakers, but the Polk subwoofer seems miss matched and under powered. I don't get a very good base response. I think the G 16's are more about the Horns. So I contacted Polk and I can get a new speaker through them direct and I think I'm going to follow up on that because I liked the sound better (with the TV of coarse). I think Polk is a good value but not the best quality. Would I buy Polk again ? Obviously not, I switched to Klipsch. I think I will build on the Klipsch for a surround system now and sell the Polk satelites and sub on Criag's List.

cnh

Welcome to the, Klipsch, I mean Polk Forum!

You do realize that "any" speaker with a foam surround will "disintegrate" over time. And Polk did "good" by you?


cnh

Tony M

The sound out of a pr. of Monitor 10's w/Peerless tweeters that I bought from Goodwill in their boxs and bags for 25.00 for the pr..

I had a newer nice quality Fisher reciever but when I brought home a Luxman 1030 from the same goodwill for 12.00, and hooked that to the Polks, did I get bitten by the Polk and whole audio thing all over again. That was when Bose was really getting popular and goodwill was flooded with great audio gear all the time. I bought alot of nice gear and speakers there and at yard sales and pawn shops too...LOL

lanchile

well, The first time I saw and heard the RTi series, I got speechless!!! I really liked the sound and quality of those speakers. I believe in Polk audio... We are getting more than what we are paying for!
RTi-A series are the best speakers for the money!

BuckeyeTim

I left my hometown in 1984. The place I moved to had a semi-high end audio shop. Not sure when I first entered that place, but i was immediately in love. They were dealers for Yamaha, Carver and Polk....don't remember anything else. One of the duplexes my wife and I lived in, the neighbor had a rack full of Yamaha and a pair of Polks and and a pair of Yamaha speakers. It solidified my love.

Msabot1

Was in 84 or so,had my sights on a pair JBL 120tis a very fine speaker for the time,walked into a shop and listened to a pair of 10bs and could not believe my ears! Left with em too, since then a few speaks have come and gone,the JBLs included,but have not been able to part with those 10bs! Still to this day working like when I first took them home. Now just backups,I will light em up up every once in a while just for old times sake!

tonyb

Just curious, I see many of you have come from vintage Polk like myself. What is your opinion of todays Polk speaker sound as compared to their vintage ? Getting better ? Moving in the right direction ? Price to performance ratio still there ?

Just curious as to others opinions, so I'll give mine while I'm at it.

Earlier Polk, given the time era, was all about stereo reproduction, which keeping with their tradition of bang for your buck, did very well with their line up. When HT hit the scene, they seemed to abandon their stereo roots and the whole line up was based around HT. Then, with the introduction of the LSI series, they went back to their roots of a stereo pair for music, and now the LSIM is a continuation of those roots. Glad to see it too. Sure, chalk it up to changing times and consumer needs, Polk does Ht and music well and can provide a series of speakers for either. I like what they did with the LSIM's, staying anchored in their roots while still staying ontop of consumer trends. Kudos to the guys and gals at Polk, this is obviously a labor of love and not just a profit/loss statement.

mantis

I come from a musician family. My Grandfather plays Piano and sings , My grandmother the same , my Uncle is a Drummer and singer , Aunt is a Piano player and singer , Mom is the same. I play Guitar since age 9.
With that being said , my family has been purchasing polk speakers since the late 70's early 80's. What got me into polks was one winter Christmas trip to my uncles house where he always has music playing. This time he has some Jazz playing on Vinyl connected to a very nice Yamaha stereo receiver with a pair of polk monitor 10b's on those angled back stands. At this time I didn't really care for jazz as I was way more into rock music but it sounded so good , I sat and listened for hours on and off during the day. I also thought they sounded much better then my Panasonic Thrusters I owned at the time that where mated with a Technic's Stereo receiver.

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

Just curious, I see many of you have come from vintage Polk like myself. What is your opinion of todays Polk speaker sound as compared to their vintage ? Getting better ? Moving in the right direction ? Price to performance ratio still there ?

Just curious as to others opinions, so I'll give mine while I'm at it.

Earlier Polk, given the time era, was all about stereo reproduction, which keeping with their tradition of bang for your buck, did very well with their line up. When HT hit the scene, they seemed to abandon their stereo roots and the whole line up was based around HT. Then, with the introduction of the LSI series, they went back to their roots of a stereo pair for music, and now the LSIM is a continuation of those roots. Glad to see it too. Sure, chalk it up to changing times and consumer needs, Polk does Ht and music well and can provide a series of speakers for either. I like what they did with the LSIM's, staying anchored in their roots while still staying ontop of consumer trends. Kudos to the guys and gals at Polk, this is obviously a labor of love and not just a profit/loss statement.

Great question.

I think polk has retained the bang for buck and making a very good solid product all through the years. I never thought they tripped and fell. I also think the sound quality has got better over the years. Music wise I felt the LSi's where the best thing they ever made. I thought they had the most refined sound and could compete with speakers that you found in higher end shops like B&W , Kef , Dynaudio , etc. For the money they have always been very attractive.

I also feel there is still the polk signature sound in every polk speaker I have ever heard. I always know when I'm listening to a pair of polk speakers. Even the new Lsim's have it.
Talking about the new Lsim's , they are a remarkable speaker. I really enjoyed my time with them.

My only problem with polk is they never seem to find their way into good shops so people can hear them on quality gear. I know of no where around my area that I could go out and listen to a pair of Lsim's. I feel this is where polk falls short. I'm not exactly sure why they don't go around to custom / 2 channel shops and try to get a foot in the door. Maybe they do and get turned down. As good as the Lsim's are , I feel they have a place in stores like the one I work at. My boss really isn't interested in adding another speaker line as we have so many now. But that doesn't stop me from asking as I have and he didn't really want to try them out again. He has been in the business for many years and thinks polk are nice speakers but favors our lines.

I know polk does well in the model they built over the decades but I still wish they would show up in those brick and mortar stores that actually care about music reproduction. I also know that those stores are becoming rare which is a damn shame the world is changing so heavily to online purchases. I'll never buy speakers off line without ever hearing them first. I find that silly. What is missed by people today is the demo. It's a magical experience to sit there and listen to different speakers , learn how different they sound and figure out what you like and don't.

tophatjohnny

Heard the SDA line back in the 80's and knew someday (when I wasn't touring so much) that I would get some. Now I have a few sets and love em!

Msabot1

A fine company with fine products,been buying Polk speaks since the mid 80's! If you lean toward HT or 2chan,you can't go wrong with em,their performance outdoes any product for twice the price! There is certainly a line that will meet anyone's budget,for any ap that one cares to get in to. So glad I demoed them that day long ago,cause up to that point,hadn't heard of Polk. When anyone asks me to recommend a speaker line,I just tell em 'don't buy anything till you hear the Polks' period .

Mr. Sharpe

My dad's Polk RTA-12c's powered by an Adcom GFA 1-a

philr168

The first set of polks that I heard was a set on monitor 10's paired with a Yamaha B6 amp that sounded amazing. I decided that day that was the kind of system I wanted. Being still in high school it was just a pipe dream. While in college I had picked up a Nad 3150 and a pair of Kenwood speakers but the sound wasn't there. After college and finally macking some money I was able to buy a pair of RTA 12c's, that my son is now using in his house, and never looked back.

seabeerob213

i was trying to buy a sub for my set-up, just shopping on the cheap not caring much about what i got, and came across a psw-110 for 159, i sprung for it and came across this board when i went online to register my product, and between the threads and system showcases, i wanted to know more, i went out and checked out their products, i finally hooked my sub up and all i could say was wow, even at 25% volume and my speakers all the way up, they were way over shadowed my speakers, found some rti-4s for 150 and they pair so much better, everything is clearer, louder, and with no distortion, waiting on a csi-3 now, and plan to buy polk for all my future speaker needs

John777

Had polk speakers for couple of years and im very happy. Customer service was great when i dealt with them the first time. Will not be my last.

dracoskeeper

I was hooked while stationed at Ft Huachuca,AZ in the mid 80's. Walked into the audio section of the PX and saw the new SDA-SRS "naked"! I wanted a pair without even hearing them! I've been thru many speakers since then but the big Polk's have always remained a favorite.

Mr. Sharpe

seabeerob213 wrote: »

i was trying to buy a sub for my set-up, just shopping on the cheap not caring much about what i got, and came across a psw-110 for 159, i sprung for it and came across this board when i went online to register my product, and between the threads and system showcases, i wanted to know more, i went out and checked out their products, i finally hooked my sub up and all i could say was wow, even at 25% volume and my speakers all the way up, they were way over shadowed my speakers, found some rti-4s for 150 and they pair so much better, everything is clearer, louder, and with no distortion, waiting on a csi-3 now, and plan to buy polk for all my future speaker needs

I recently purchased a psw505 and that son-of-a-gun sounds amazing! they are very affordable as well, about $200 new.

bernardo

a pair of rt1000p I auditioned at my local shop in 2000, they sounded fantastic and the price was very reasonable. When I started reading about the LSi, I knew I wanted those. I finally got them when Tweeter went out of business in 2007 as I could not resist the deal

I've been enjoying a pair of LSi 15 since then

sk88

This forum - knowledgeable people willing to share and help, seriously.

Some years ago I was attracted to Lsi25 for its 10" sub on the side. I thought that's such a good idea (and still do for what I need). So, 3 months ago I started out with a pair of Lsi25 and started to explore on this forum. Now, I've added a pair of Lsi9, two pairs of Lsi7 and a LsiC.

It's good to know that there are many people still discussing and enjoying the product you are using.

66chevyIISS

An issue with a PSW202 sub brought me to the forums. Polk Customer Service turned me into a life long customer. Bought all my RTi's not long after my first encounter on the forums and have since turned my brother onto Polk as well as a few friends.

Toxis

When I was just 15 years old, my first set if car speakers were some polk 6x9's. sounded amazing and hit as hard as my buddy's **** 10's. i blew one of the speakers and it was swapped out without any hassle. Since then, I've been a fan. First job in home theater sales was circuit city and bought all polk for my first system. When I moved, sold them to a friend and then saved till I got my LSi's which I thoroughly enjoyed until today when they were moved out for a new RTi setup. My cars have always had Polk in some way. Now it's the SR components.

MacLeod

Needed some good 6x9's for my Dodge Ram and took a test CD to Circuit City. Bought a set of MMC690's, found this forum and the rest is history.

Honestly though if it werent for this forum and this community, I wouldnt have been hooked to the point where Ive used NOTHING BUT Polk Audio gear for the last 10 years.

So yeah, while their products are superb, this community is why Im a longterm Polkie.

TurboGTU

I got my first set of polks from craigslist with a pair of jbl floorspeakers for 80 bucks, sold the jbls for 100 and kept the polks for my system. Love the way they sound.

jaf09

I bought a set of jbl's for cheap of craigslist to try the new world of ht a least for me, and like it, decided to upgrade to monitors, then to rtia's i like the sound, look, price and some where in between i found this forum from where i am learning a lot dealing with great people!

Aqs612scag

First Polk's I got were R10's, from them I started collecting more & more Polk Speakers - mostly from Craigslist.