i-Sonic ES2 vs DSA

Gempler

Could someone please tell me the differences between the I-Sonic ES2 and the I-Sonic DSA?

I know the ES2, purchased one a couple of years ago. This is the model that is mostly black but has silver speaker grills on the front. It has impressive sound for its size and includes an HD tuner.

The current model that is all black is called the DSA. It does not appear to have a HD tuner and I wonder what else is different about it. The price is much less than I paid for the ES2 but I understand that given that it only has a 30 pint type Apple connector it is considered by many to be obsolete so perhaps that explains the low price. But the low price may also be because it is not as high quality as the ES2 but inside the same ES2 package.

Any insight of the differences between these two models is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[Deleted User]

Hello,
I'm not very familiar with the current series of iSonic products, but I'll send your question to Polk CS.
Regards, Ken

Dabutcher

Just bought this for my son for Christmas. Seems like the polk website has it for a retail price of $299.99. And after the $50.00 mail in rebate I got it from Newegg for $49.99. Peace.

Gempler

Thanks for the reply Dabutcher.
Have you tried it out yet? Do you know the ES2 and if so can you mention the differences.
Pretty shocking that Polk Customer Service has not bother to chime in with some details here... but Polk never really seemed to be behind this product much and not that every powered speaker on the market is going Bluetooth (so that it is compatible with Blackberry, Droids, and iPhones) it seems they have just given up on this product entirely. Pretty sad because at least the ES2 rocked.

Gempler

Guess what I didn't buy the kids for Christmas this year? Looking at you Polk!

Dabutcher

Just opened it. Son loves it. Favorite gift . Says a lot coming from an eleven year old! Is not compatable w his new iPod touch or iPhone 5. I would think there is a dongle we can get? Merry Christmas !

Gempler

Thanks Dabutcher.
You are certainly more helpful than Polks customer service. Seems like they really are trying not to sell these things.
As for mating a newer Apple Lightning device to this you have two choices... get an Bluetooth to RCA adapter to plug into the Aux ports and play from the i-device wirelessly via Bluetooth or get an Apple 30 pin to Lightning adapter. Each have issues that I can see. Bluetooth is not as high fidelity as a direct connection and since your i-device won't be docked in this configuration then it will not be getting charged either. Using a 30 pin to lighting adapter is tricky for a couple of reasons... the apple adapter has only the lightning connector and the device will be rather precarious sitting in there. A non-Apple adapter may not work with the common 'non-Apple accessory attached' error. But there are some non-Apple 30 pin to Lighting adapters that also have a mini jack that plugs into the headphone jack. Those seem to work for passing audio but I am not sure about the charging and/or ability to control the unit with the remote. I got one of them for the older ES2 model but haven't tried it out yet with the lightning devices. But given that Polk does not seem to give a $*** about answering my questions I feel like I shouldn't bother reporting back and contributing anything that might help them.

Gempler

Found the older i-Sonic ES2 and the newer DSA on Amazon.
After noting that the older one weights 8 lbs and the newer only 5 lbs I then read the reviews.
This review from RayRay dated 7/22/2013 seems to answer my question about the differences between the two models...

"I own one of the 'older' iSonic ES2 radios that is the identical dimensions and layout as this one. The older model has HD radio, but otherwise I couldn't find any difference between the two.
I must say that the older model is MUCH better. The sound quality of this new one is pretty bad, where the older ES2 was VERY nice! I really liked my ES2 so much that I bought this one for another room. I'm dissapointed and can't recommend this newer model to anyone.
It's not just the HD Radio either. Even when using my Android to play music through the new iSonic, it doesn't sound very good at all. "

The DSA is probably above average for the price but it is not the level of sound quality of the ES2. Seems to me that Polk knows this and is not particularly proud of it.

cincycat13

Wow that is interesting. I have the ES2 and love the sound for what I gave for it. Plus the HDradio is a nice feature for me. When I saw the DSA fro $50 after rebate I had to bite. I haven't had time to unbox it yet, but not a great review on amazon. I just figured they would be similar based on the msrp.

Gempler

[QUOTE=cincycat13;1998604. I just figured they would be similar based on the msrp.[/QUOTE]

I was optimistically thinking the same. The complete lack of information from Polk customer service was my first clue that something was not right about it. Then seeing the weight differential seemed huge... Three pounds less means a lot smaller magnets on the woofers which means it can not possibly produce the same bass as the ES2. And the Amazon review drives it home. Still probably above average at $50 but not the same animal as the ES2. I prefer listening to nothing than listening to low quality audio.