Polk Audio Blackstone TL1 Review
Mon40CSMM10
Posts: 161
in Speakers
I've tried to be as complete as possible including previous setups.
I recently purchased two Polk Audio Blackstone TL1 speakers, to use with a PSW110 that I already owned, for 2.1 channel audio. In the 16 feet x 12 1/2 feet master bedroom where I was setting things up, I found the keyhole construction of the Polk Audio M10s I wanted to use to be too weak for a single wall mounting screw holding the M10s (and when the speaker falls the keyhole gets damaged), and the mini entertainment center cabinet did not have enough TV-to-wall clearance to just place the the M10s flat behind the TV.
So at $59.99 list price per speaker, my expectation was that the TL1s better be good! Just the first day of using them—there's much better bass when wall mounted. but the treble sounds a slightly muted from what I was used to hearing from the M10s as surrounds in the living room. Definitely not as midbass punch heavy lacking lower end, and definitely not ear-fatiguing treble, contrasted with the KLH TW-09B speakers I was using at first instead of the M10s in the master bedroom (but then again the KLH TW-09Bs only cost me $29.99 on sale for the pair). The AV receiver still allows tone control usage in Stereo/2 Channel mode, so if I want more treble I can always increase it one value (but for some reason the design of tone controls with the range from -6 to +6 but only use even the even number values).
Now, since I rarly run the AV receiver more than halfway even with analog attenutation enabled, and since my receiver does not have a 120 Hz crossover setting, I have to question the lowest frequency being only 120 Hz when I'm getting bass that doesn't sound too rolled off even with the receiver crossover setting at 100 Hz. Polk Audio does it again, in a good way—the lower end of the frequency response seems better than 120 Hz which means they have underestimated the speaker performance.
I do have to ask: why is Polk starting to do like Bose and not put the frequency response and senstivity *directly on the box*? At the time I was in a Fry's Electronics store, my research was already that the lower end of the frequency response was between 120 Hz and 135 Hz depending on whether it was the Polk site, Crutchfield, or Amazon. If I was just a customer browsing speakers, I might not even consider buying them without the frequency response and sensitivity right on the box.
All I have to do now is calibrate the TL1s using the receiver test tones to the recommended 75 dBC per channel for movies, and then dial in the subwoofer if it needs an adjustment to better blend with the TL1s. My receiver is no more than 100 Watts per channel so even using the test tones should not damage the speakers (since they don't go so high as to start clipping the receiver output).
Thank you for reading and comments are welcome.
I recently purchased two Polk Audio Blackstone TL1 speakers, to use with a PSW110 that I already owned, for 2.1 channel audio. In the 16 feet x 12 1/2 feet master bedroom where I was setting things up, I found the keyhole construction of the Polk Audio M10s I wanted to use to be too weak for a single wall mounting screw holding the M10s (and when the speaker falls the keyhole gets damaged), and the mini entertainment center cabinet did not have enough TV-to-wall clearance to just place the the M10s flat behind the TV.
So at $59.99 list price per speaker, my expectation was that the TL1s better be good! Just the first day of using them—there's much better bass when wall mounted. but the treble sounds a slightly muted from what I was used to hearing from the M10s as surrounds in the living room. Definitely not as midbass punch heavy lacking lower end, and definitely not ear-fatiguing treble, contrasted with the KLH TW-09B speakers I was using at first instead of the M10s in the master bedroom (but then again the KLH TW-09Bs only cost me $29.99 on sale for the pair). The AV receiver still allows tone control usage in Stereo/2 Channel mode, so if I want more treble I can always increase it one value (but for some reason the design of tone controls with the range from -6 to +6 but only use even the even number values).
Now, since I rarly run the AV receiver more than halfway even with analog attenutation enabled, and since my receiver does not have a 120 Hz crossover setting, I have to question the lowest frequency being only 120 Hz when I'm getting bass that doesn't sound too rolled off even with the receiver crossover setting at 100 Hz. Polk Audio does it again, in a good way—the lower end of the frequency response seems better than 120 Hz which means they have underestimated the speaker performance.
I do have to ask: why is Polk starting to do like Bose and not put the frequency response and senstivity *directly on the box*? At the time I was in a Fry's Electronics store, my research was already that the lower end of the frequency response was between 120 Hz and 135 Hz depending on whether it was the Polk site, Crutchfield, or Amazon. If I was just a customer browsing speakers, I might not even consider buying them without the frequency response and sensitivity right on the box.
All I have to do now is calibrate the TL1s using the receiver test tones to the recommended 75 dBC per channel for movies, and then dial in the subwoofer if it needs an adjustment to better blend with the TL1s. My receiver is no more than 100 Watts per channel so even using the test tones should not damage the speakers (since they don't go so high as to start clipping the receiver output).
Thank you for reading and comments are welcome.
Comments
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Thank you for posting your impressions.
As for your question about why the specs are not on the box, I don't really know the answer. Maybe they think that folks will use their phone to get that info if they are that curious, but I'd say the average Joe isn't. I mean, look how many buy Bose and think it sounds good.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I'm planning to use TL1600 system with Yamaha 5790 receiver that has 100W/channel capacity and thought included sub woofer in TL1600 is underrated? Did you find that in your test?
