Time to vote with my feet... (or fingers)

nooshinjohn

Time for me to walk away from the forum guys... I have had a blast here for the time I have been here. I am very happy to have been a part of this place, and learned so much from so many. I hope I have helped more people than I ticked off, but the time has come to seek out other places to hang my hat.

It has become clear to me that CP is no longer the place where an audiophile has much of a place, given the shift to digital formats, headphones and the like. The loss of so much data that has been gathered for nearly two decades is just one sign, and the complete dumping of the showcase, and legacy pages from this site indicates to me that the things that made Polk great, and this forum an awesome place to be are gone and not coming back.

I ask that my account be closed here at CP...

Good luck and thanks for EVERYTHING!


John

gudnoyez

Come on John we need you to help keep up the tradition of old, you never know some of the newbs that are totally digital might be interested in 2 channel or HT' s instead of I Pods or Soundbars and all the other digital stuff they are interested in.

I for one will miss you, I need a fellow Vikings fan around to back me up. I guess whatever your decision is we all respect it but would love to have you not abandon ship. Take care of yourself.

EndersShadow

You know where to find him . He will be there crying because his Vikings got beat by the Packers, Colts, Bears and even the Redskins and Dolphins lol...

hochpt21

I've always respected your input. Sad to see you go.

F1nut

Saying good bye is one thing, but asking for your membership to be terminated is BS. Just walk away if that's what you want to do.

Jetmaker737

The old Polk forum was great place for audiophiles to hang out and for people to learn. I will miss it. But let's face it, it wasn't a forum about Polk products. I think in many ways Polk could have looked on it as not supporting their business. I think the Polk company wants to flush this place clean and align it to their current products. I'll still drop in here from time to time to see how it ends up, but I think John is right... it's done.

BlueFox

Perhaps some members have moved beyond Polk, but there still are many who still use Polk speakers. Even those who no longer have Polk speakers would still recommend them to those looking for a good speaker. However, to be honest, this forum 'upgrade' has POed me so bad I think I will just tell someone looking for good, yet inexpensive, speakers to go with PSB.

oldmodman

I guess there comes a time for everything to end.

I for one will miss your expertise on the original, audiophile Polk Speakers and associated gear.

Since you are just over the hill from me maybe I'll see you around some day.

PSOVLSK

I'm not out, but I definitely don't spend as much time here as I used to. I guess that's probably a good thing as it frees up time to do other stuff...like actually listen to my system. Thanks for changing the forum Polk

John, I do agree with Jesse here. No reason to close the account. Just walk away and possibly check in every so often. Who knows, you might check in one day and find the forum back to the old Vbulletin. Yeah, right!

nooshinjohn

Agreed Jesse on some level... I doubt there is a chance of m doing anything but the occasional look, but I suppose closing shop is not the best move. In the past week, I have had so much good happen, but that has been far outweighed by other stuff that is going on. I liked coming here because I could always put the day behind me, but the new layout brings it's own level of stress. I want no part of it.

polrbehr

Same here John, I think I've posted twice in the last month? not that I ever posted much anyway ; ) , but this place seems to be a shadow of its former self, very sad. This site is not even my homepage anymore... I do check in often, though it looks like DK's (now closed) thread for The Monk will signal an official wane in interest here.
Of course I still am looking forward to Polkfest, but I also think any speculation about it being the final fest is a foregone conclusion at this point. Hope I'm wrong though.

polkfarmboy

Your playing right into their evil plan, I for one plan to stay and vandalize the minds of up and coming audiophiles and protect the earth from blue flashing light amplifiers.

headrott

I agree with PFB (what????). All "old timers" should stay put and keep their input coming in. If the "plan" is to cause "old timers" to leave" then let's say "No, I don't think so." We should stick together as Polkies through thick and thin, even the very very thin. Please don't leave (and I say this to all). Please, let's stick together guys (and gals).

I say this because it is not the format of the forum, the color of the background, text, etc. or any other thing that make us want to help each other and stick together (or break apart). It is the fact that we are a well founded (in brotherly love) group of people who are looking to help each other out. It is the fact that we all know each other well and can give each other **** without anyone taking real offense to it. It is the fact that we are Polkies. Please, let's keep it that way despite anyone trying to destroy that or not.

tonyb

Hmmm....I'd gather to say we are more so audio enthusiasts rather than "Polkies" per say.....and that's probably Polks problem with the forum. We aren't like the Bose forum with a bunch of cheerleaders at every product, good or bad, that comes down the pike.

IMHO.....the people that made this forum are audio enthusiasts, which is what Polk was back then. Not so much anymore.

But.....companies change, they have to, to stay competitive. Is it Polk's fault society is geared more to these types of devices ? Nope, but they have to survive in it. We as consumers also change, we get older....value different things. The youngsters have a name for us....dinosaurs.

Thing for me is, the young and dumb crowd are more fascinated with shiny lights, cheap products, gadgets and gizmos. The older crowd values quality, in everything, from the cars they drive to the sound of their music. Polk has aligned their values with the younger crowd, which means Polk and the dinosaurs will eventually go their separate ways.

voltz

tonyb wrote: »

Hmmm....The youngsters have a name for us....dinosaurs.

Thing for me is, the young and dumb crowd are more fascinated with shiny lights, cheap products, gadgets and gizmos. The older crowd values quality, in everything, from the cars they drive to the sound of their music. Polk has aligned their values with the younger crowd, which means Polk and the dinosaurs will eventually go their separate ways.

sounds like hanks ole song:

'Cause you see I'm a dinosaur
I should've died a long time before
Have pity on a dinosaur hand me my hat
Excuse me man but where's the door

Keep that door open though John! you have a lot to give and we enjoyed the sharing.

vmaxer

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Agreed Jesse on some level... I doubt there is a chance of m doing anything but the occasional look, but I suppose closing shop is not the best move. In the past week, I have had so much good happen, but that has been far outweighed by other stuff that is going on. I liked coming here because I could always put the day behind me, but the new layout brings it's own level of stress. I want no part of it.

Well I hope you keep your membership open here, you never know what will happen in the future.

cfrizz

headrott wrote: »

I agree with PFB (what????). All "old timers" should stay put and keep their input coming in. If the "plan" is to cause "old timers" to leave" then let's say "No, I don't think so." We should stick together as Polkies through thick and thin, even the very very thin. Please don't leave (and I say this to all). Please, let's stick together guys (and gals).

I say this because it is not the format of the forum, the color of the background, text, etc. or any other thing that make us want to help each other and stick together (or break apart). It is the fact that we are a well founded (in brotherly love) group of people who are looking to help each other out. It is the fact that we all know each other well and can give each other **** without anyone taking real offense to it. It is the fact that we are Polkies. Please, let's keep it that way despite anyone trying to destroy that or not.

Well said HR. I'm going nowhere, life is built on change, What these dinosaurs refuse to accept is that it is possible to KEEP up with the times, accept it but also keep your own values.

Leaving or staying shouldn't because they change how the board looks, oh horrors not an SDA in sight we should all leave! It should be about the community of friends that have sprung up here, and also helping newbies discover their own level good sound at reasonable prices.

Which is what Polk tries to offer. But they have to keep up with the changing times, technology, demographics, and needs of the population.

So those of you who want to throw temper tantrums, and stomp off in a snit, go right ahead this board will survive. New people will come on, see that it is a pretty cool site with those of us who think for ourselves still here helping newbies out and decide to stay until they become the new set of dinosaurs.

westmassguy

John, I understand your sentiments, but don't leave. Site traffic is being monitored, and if the majority opinion here doesn't light a fire, the loss of traffic will.
Think "New Coke"

dpowell

John,
Seems a tad extreme to me. Take a break, sure. I think most of us around here aren't thrilled with the recent changes. I've kept my mouth (keyboard) shut in that regard. But honestly, it's the long-timers that make this place worth coming to whether daily or just from time to time and it will be the long-timers that eventually get that body of knowledge back online (or not). I hope folks stick around to help make that happen because I don't see it happening anywhere else.

Stew

I don't post nearly as often as some but I look in fairly often. I don't keep up with this place because of the format but because of the people and the knowledge. I'm not crazy about the new format and it sucks (can I say that?) that the old links don't work. Nevertheless, it would be a crying shame to see this place go away. Hopefully it gets better.

twochannel

I did not post much, but I was here daily consuming the wealth of knowledge that many have shared about their vintage SDA speakers. I also do not like the new format and probably will not view on a daily basis.

mrbigbluelight

cfrizz wrote: »

So those of you who want to throw temper tantrums, and stomp off in a snit, go right ahead this board will survive. New people will come on, see that it is a pretty cool site with those of us who think for ourselves still here helping newbies out and decide to stay until they become the new set of dinosaurs.

It's hard in my area to find a good used Snit, so I'm going to have to stick with my Neon.

I think Ms. Cfrizz is correct when she points out that Polk is always observing and documenting trends in architecture, furniture, apparel, and most importantly, housewares. She knows they have to run those through the filters of the Polk brand of aspirational personas in order to develop a living, breathing design language that evolves. Everyone knows it's important to capture a feeling, and emotion, an intended lead user because the last thing you want to do, of course, is to be overprescriptive. Because it's pretty obvious that if you lock yourself into that Pantoine, and that radii, you lose sight of the real goal.

So you dinosaurs need to keep that in mind ! And don't lock yourself into a Pantoine for gawd's sake !!

..... I locked myself out of the F150 one time (had to break the vent window to get back in), so I can only imagine the horrors of locking oneself into a Pantoine which, from what I understand, has keyless entry. I'm not sure why you couldn't just use the door handle to get out: maybe a Pantoine with optional radii prevents that ? I'll have to check into that.

In the meantime, no over prescribing and let's all get to work on our aspirational personas !

maximillian

tonyb wrote: »

But.....companies change, they have to, to stay competitive. Is it Polk's fault society is geared more to these types of devices ? Nope, but they have to survive in it. We as consumers also change, we get older....value different things. The youngsters have a name for us....dinosaurs.

Thing for me is, the young and dumb crowd are more fascinated with shiny lights, cheap products, gadgets and gizmos. The older crowd values quality, in everything, from the cars they drive to the sound of their music. Polk has aligned their values with the younger crowd, which means Polk and the dinosaurs will eventually go their separate ways.

Just my opinion, but I don't think Polk is actively trying to kick out the old time enthusiasts. Sure, they may be trying to market their site and products to attract new markets, but it will be incredibly dumb of them to try to actively disenfranchise anyone here.

This place is filled with audio enthusiasts with many of them attached to the Polk brand. Many enthusiasts know all about the latest Polk products. What easier market is there to sell new products too? Sure, there are some who are into really high end gear that Polk doesn't compete in, or perhaps they build custom speakers. For them, OK, hard to reach. But there are many, many audio enthusiasts here that boast about some of Polk's new products such as the LSiM and Blackstone models. These are the same people who recommend Polk products to new people entering the market. I have read many such posts. I too, have recommended Polk to many others myself, even giving away a few Polk speakers to a newbie or even referring people to this forum. Many, many people here have done this, especially the passionate enthusiasts.

If Polk can't sell to this market, then the problem is not with a website or the people in their forum. Their marketing and management are thus clueless. Simple example... I am slowly researching and will be buying mid-to-high end headphone for Chirstmas. I am not impressed with Polk's offering.

As far as the young, dumb crowd wanting cheap products.... what they want is a lifestyle. So perhaps this is why Polk is pushing the website in this direction. Beats headphones are not that good sound wise, but they have incredible marketing and 2/3 the market share. The one problem marketing to the clueless is that eventually these kids will smarten up and want the quality. This is where it's important to have a 5+ year market outlook. It's to retain your customer base. Quality is also very important in places like Japan and Europe. Look at the new product line from Technics/Panasonic.

I hope Polk can see the value in the people here and the knowledge that has accumulated in old posts, and will try to preserve it. For some reason I love the brand myself, but if this stuff continues or gets worse then I will have to evaluate where I spend my time. I will be very patient while they develop the site and their product lines.

Moose68Bash

Withdrawing from the field is not a good strategy to achieve victory!

"Keep calm and carry on" is usually more effective.

Jstas

Thought y'all could use this here.



Hope there's enough to go around.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I don't get the sentiment, there are plenty of things I don't like about the new forum (even though I've not complained about those publicly and have tried to bring some measure of balance to those threads), but none of the changes have prevented me from being able to post.

Hopefully they'll get everything fixed in time, but as it sits right now I still find the perfectly usable even if I don't like many of the changes that were made.

headrott

tonyb wrote: »

Hmmm....I'd gather to say we are more so audio enthusiasts rather than "Polkies" per say.....and that's probably Polks problem with the forum. We aren't like the Bose forum with a bunch of cheerleaders at every product, good or bad, that comes down the pike.

IMHO.....the people that made this forum are audio enthusiasts, which is what Polk was back then. Not so much anymore.

But.....companies change, they have to, to stay competitive. Is it Polk's fault society is geared more to these types of devices ? Nope, but they have to survive in it. We as consumers also change, we get older....value different things. The youngsters have a name for us....dinosaurs.

Thing for me is, the young and dumb crowd are more fascinated with shiny lights, cheap products, gadgets and gizmos. The older crowd values quality, in everything, from the cars they drive to the sound of their music. Polk has aligned their values with the younger crowd, which means Polk and the dinosaurs will eventually go their separate ways.

What I meant by "Polkies" Tony is more of a forum membership (as a cohesive group)name rather than a brand name (necessarily) and part of being a "Polkie" is appreciating high quality audio and being an audio enthusiest. Not all of us own SDA's, Monitors, LSI, etc. speakers, (of course), but most of us appreciate high quality sound and maximizing that high quality sound. I understand your statement, however.

Older guys that appreciate high quality audio need to sick around to let others know that high quality audio exists and one does not have to be stuck with "minimalistic" crap. That and we should stick together (regardless of Jstas's cheese joke, but it was funny) as we are a group of friends here on the forum. A new format should not break that up, period. That's all I meant to say.

Cfrizz's (Cathy's) post took a slanted view on what I meant in my previous post, but I am hoping she (and all) understand's what I am saying.

pitdogg2

Never thought you were a quitter John.
I think this place has tanked with the new, and I like new stuff "if it is well thought out" this wasn't! BUT I'll look and step in if need be to help out. To be honest though as you can tell my post's have dropped and do not come as often as I did but hey IT'S people like you that got me here to begin with.

mhardy6647

Jstas wrote: »

Thought y'all could use this here.



Hope there's enough to go around.

to go with the whine?

steveinaz

Hate to see you go John, but I sympathize. I don't like this format either---though I haven't said much because I know I'm a creature of habit, generally; so I thought I'd give a few weeks to see if it would grow on me. It's "blah" and while I don't visit as often anymore--it's mostly because of navigation, not so much the "look."

vmaxer

Was a bit lonely on here early this morning....