Latest LSiM Adorama deal
Comments
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More generous than me. When I saw the lower asking price I considered a lowball $1000 offer. Second hand LSiM’s seem to be approaching RTi prices from when I bought mine several years ago.
Up
LSi15 LSiC - RX-V3000
Down
LSiM707 - 706c - 702f/x - Dual HSU VTF-15H Mk2
Parasound HCA-3500 - HCA-2003A - Marantz SR7005
Sim2 D60 - Dragonfly 106" Panny 500 -
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We’re not talking SDA’s nor are we talking USA Polk Audio of 30 years ago, and not all SDA’s hold their value let alone the monitors, they also very quite a bit in price depending on someone willing to spend that much money, I have seen 1.2tls sell for $500-$2500 so what value?? It’s all over the board!!Polk Audio SDA 2.3tl Fully Hot Rodded. 😎
SVS SB16 X2
Cary SLP-05/Ultimate Upgrade.
Cary SA-500.1 ES Amps
Cary DMS 800PV Network
OPPO UDP 205/ModWright Modification
VPI Scout TT / Dynavector 20x2
Jolida JD9 Fully Modified
VPI MW-1 Cyclone RCM
MIT Shotgun 3 cables throughout / Except TT, and PC’s -
I don't pretend to know why speakers that are obviously worth their weight in <insert precious metal here> are being offloaded at fire sale prices. I think the theories in this thread are just as good as any.
But, just to get a little conspiratorial, I haven't ruled out it's related to the acquisition by DEI Holdings NASDAQ (DEIX). DEI also owns Def Tech, which as some may have noticed also has had its speakers deeply discounted. I'm basing that on what I've seen at Best Buy at anyway. For like the last year or so, Def Tech speakers are available on the cheap every time I stroll into a Magnolia if that BB has a Magnolia.
Mergers / buyouts can bring the benefits of economies of scale, which in this case would be when the per unit cost to produce is lowered by the allocation of overhead to other products. That wouldn't be conspiratorial, however.
Another possibility relating to the DEI buyout is the tax benefits from what are probably just paper losses on the LSiM depending on how they value inventory. Those losses can be netted against profits from DEI's other operations for tax purposes. That isn't conspiratorial either.
So, that leaves product dumping, which borders on anti-trust concerns. Under that scenario, DEI has instructed Polk to intentionally offload the LSiM line at a loss in order to saturate the market. Amazon has been accused of being prolific at this, as it has aggressively foregone profits clearly for the sake of pushing out competitors. Recently it has been posting profits, but that's the long-term strategy of product dumping after all: eliminate brick & mortar stores and the world is yours. That is, the retail apocalypse is now irreversible, so it's an optimal time to start pricing for margins. Netflix is another example.
A product dumping scenario would also fit into the narrative of what happens to smaller companies after a "hostile takeover." They're squeezed for all they're worth in order to serve the short-term goals of shareholders. Turning the LSiM into a type of QVC staple product could hurt Polk's brand, but preserving brand is not the priority of short-term decisions.
On the same token, there is little indication that DEI doesn't have long-term goals for Polk. The Signature series and T series speakers appear to be successful culminations of R&D and branding that a "vulture buyout" would never have allowed.
So, I would lean more towards product dumping, but not in a "pump and dump" sense of the term. It's more like a Bill Gates "computer in every household" sense.Denon X7200WA
LSiM 705 703 704c
Denon DP 400
Yamaha CDC 775 -
Well that one way to look at it.
I kind of think Polk/Sound United entered into a manufacturing contract with their third party manufacture to make X number of these. Polk might have something nice in the wings but has to fulfill the LSiM contract before bringing in the new.
After the Sound United and D&M deal, I've seen Denon going at blow out prices @ Fry's for up to 50% off. I got my AVR-X4400H for $799 and the 4500H was just on promo code for $899.
Maybe and just maybe they are going to blowout the current inventory and manufacturing contracts then streamline.
Who knows but the front office.When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
Yes, one can always find boxes and foam to ship stuff. When folks tell me they don't have boxes it tells me that they are not willing to go through the trouble.
Speaking from experience, it is a lot of trouble to do it right.
For those that say they don't have the room to keep the boxes, they take up a lot less space when flat. So does the packing material when it's not in the box.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 -
@DSkip As far as Adorama's buying power....wouldn't the LSiM most likely be out on consignment? That is, I don't think Adorama bought all of those speakers and is now fully responsible for any financial losses on them.
Crutchfield was also up until recently an authorized retailer of the LSiM. I think the issue is retailer branding. Once the LSiM became basically a permanently discounted product, Crutchfield didn't want it associated with their own brand as a conventional retailer. It doesn't want to be known as a discount goods outlet. It doesn't want to be a slick deals staple retailer. Adorama, on the other hand, doesn't mind that designation at all. Having a single retailer reduces sales / marketing overhead, which makes discounting possible. But also I think Adorama's monopoly on LSiM sales is due to its market niche as a fire sale outlet---a defacto overstock dot come so to speak.Denon X7200WA
LSiM 705 703 704c
Denon DP 400
Yamaha CDC 775 -
Pretty bold statement to make when you don't really know anything about me or my shipping & selling practices.
You know that 703s routinely get damaged in transit even WITH their original factory packaging, right?
I'm simply not willing to risk some schmuck off eBay making a claim/dispute and fvcking me over because of shipping damage.
Let me flip this...
My name is Walt and let me tell you a little about me. I don't purposely try to attack or offend folks on the internet. Even though its been done to me several times, this forum included, I try to take the high road.
As far as my comment... read it again...."When folks tell me...."
its was based on my experiences dealing with sellers that were not willing to go through the efforts to ship. If you were offended by that please don't be. However, by your own comments you fall into the category of one who is not willing to ship.
Myself, I'm a natural packer and have kicked myself later in life for not getting a packaging degree from Michigan State University. I lasted one term before realizing the music major program was not working. I went through the whole catalog and telecommunications, engineering, and packaging were the only other degrees I was interested in.
I've shipped several precious and heavy items (Several speakers, odd shaped Polk f/x500i, 15" -45lbs subwoofer, and AVR's, etc.) without the original boxes because when I'm trying to get rid of stuff, I have the urge to sell or the urge to hustle as we say. Its just cardboard and Styrofoam, if done right a package and meet or exceed the original packaging. I just happen to be able to get scrap heavy corrugated boxes from work that I've used to ship stuff.
I even had a LSiM706c (And LSiM703 in original boxes arrived OK) sent to me in a too large box with foam peanuts. Needless to say, the speakers got damaged. I agreed to a reduced price and repaired the speaker. I had to order two replacement woofers and re-glue the baffle. I used them for a bit then sold them off because I wanted to try a DIY project. I correctly packaged the speaker myself and it arrived to the buyer just fine.
anyway, I'm a nice easy going laid back slightly introverted type of fellow. I love music and have been a tinkerer from as far back as I can remember. I was born in '66 and have a wife, a couple of teenagers, and a dog. So now you know a little about me.
Walt
Post edited by WLDock on2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2 -
Adorama is not a mass market HT seller. It is a niche player. It is by no means Amazon, Overstock, Wayfair, etc. It is primarily a camera shop. Go stop by the store. It's a name to people who research to find deals. I never thought of Adorama as a place to buy speakers until last year -- and I've been buying speakers since 2000. They are not part of the lineup of usual suspects when an average joe wants to buy some speakers. So I'm not sure why people think Polk chose Adorama as the best place to move volumes of speakers at a discount. Seems to me Amazon would be the place I'd set up to do that.
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For what it's worth this sale gave us the ability to do a major upgrade on our home theater this year. Until recently we had a 12 year old receiver and some tiny satellites. The LSiM series are the best sounding speakers I've heard and even next to the Magnolias Bowers and Wilkins and other top of the line speakers, they hold their own. Truly a joy experienced by the entire family and even old movies and recordings reveal details that were not previously heard before. I think we're going to be keeping these for a very long time. No plans on reselling.
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For what it's worth this sale gave us the ability to do a major upgrade on our home theater this year. Until recently we had a 12 year old receiver and some tiny satellites. The LSiM series are the best sounding speakers I've heard and even next to the Magnolias Bowers and Wilkins and other top of the line speakers, they hold their own. Truly a joy experienced by the entire family and even old movies and recordings reveal details that were not previously heard before. I think we're going to be keeping these for a very long time. No plans on reselling.
This is what it is all about, Polk is putting terrific speakers into peoples hands that otherwise wouldn't have touched them due to price. Including a good many here.
They get them in their hands and proceed to tell others about the good deal they got, which hopefully gets others to jump on the deals, thereby continuing to get Polks name out there and into other peoples homes at a decent price.
It isn't any businesses problem if you can't resell the speakers you bought. Nor does it mean that they are lowering the value of their product. It just means they are focused on staying in business.
The world has changed and so have most businesses if they intend to stay in the game. Those that are too stubborn to do so, or finally decide to do so too late end up gone.
I think it's great to see Polk on Amazon or Adorama. I think it's great if you can buy a pair of speakers that would cost you $4000.00 for a whole lot less than that. I'm not worried about selling them because no matter what I paid for them, I know that they have been built to last me more than likely the rest of my lifetime giving me great sound and enjoyment.Post edited by cfrizz onMarantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
... I never thought of Adorama as a place to buy speakers until last year -- and I've been buying speakers since 2000. They are not part of the lineup of usual suspects when an average joe wants to buy some speakers....
I have to disagree with this part of your statement
I have been on and off with audio purchases since the late eighties (and in no way am I trying to one up, just making a factual statement with relevance to the point) and in the early 2000's when into photography very heavily, I was ordering lenses from them and noticed a fire sale on some JBL Northridge towers and bookies for my HT
Got a deal and was very happy at the time. So for my part, they (and BH) have been speaker dealers for the last 15+ years. Remember they both cater to the pro audio side and makes sense they would offer the other products any given company would sell. -
I'm still kicking around the thought of picking up a pair of 703's from Adorama. The two psycho kittens we've adopted don't show signs of slowing down anytime soon. The Lsi9's I picked up to take the place of my scratching post imitating 705's are a significant downgrade.
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I still need to pick up a 703 just because I need a set of PolksMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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Adorama has a pair of 707's weighing in at just under 16...……...I want to pull the trigger so bad.....but...I must wait until my divorce is final, which is in 5 whole days!!!Source: BRP Panasonic UB9000, CDP Emotiva ERC3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Pre/Pro: Marantz 8802A - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-2 x 2, XPA-6, Speakers, Mains/2ch-Focal Kanta No2's, C-LSiM706, S-702F/X, RS-RTiA9's, WS-RTiA9's, FH-RTiA3's, Subs - Epik Empire x 2
Cables: AudioQuest McKenzie XLR's/CDP/Amp, Carbon 48/BRP, Forest 48/Display, 2 channel speaker cable: Furutech FS Alpha 36 12AWG PCOCC Single Crystal (Douglas Connection)
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman -
703s at 600 a pair are a steal! I loved every minute I spent with mine. There’s better out there, but not at that price point imo2 Channel in my home attic/bar/man cave
2 Channel Focal Kanta 3 I Modwright SWL9.0 Anniversary Pre I Modwright PH9.0X I Modwright KWA-150SE I VPI Prime Signature w/ Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC I Lumin U2 Mini I North Star Designs Intenso DAC I Audience OHNO ICs/Audience Furutech FP-S55N and FP-S032N Power Cables/Acoustic Zen Satori I Isotek Sirius -
I bought my first pair of new speakers way back in 2004 when Newegg had Polk Monitor 70’s for 179.00 each. Bought four. Discovered this forum and learned I only needed two. Sold two. My next pair of new speakers were the RTi12’s from Polk ebay store. Then the 703’s from Adorama and because my kids like to play football grabash in the living room I sold the huge bookies and waited for the 705’s to go on sale. Which a year latter they did. $799 for two. I would of never ever bought any of these premium speakers if they were not at a substantial savings over MSRP. I have enjoyed all the Polk’s I have had. If you get a chance to try out the LSiM series. I would highly recommend them. They need power to shine bright but an avr will work until you get to separates. Peace. DMIT Magnum MH-750, Monster HTS 5100MKII, Sony 77" Class - A80CJ Series - 4K UHD OLED,PS4, Def Tech 15” sub,LSIM 706c, Sunfire Signature Grand 425 x 4,Parasound hca 120, LSiM 702 x 4, Oppo 103D, SDA SRS 1.2, Pioneer Elite SC63 , Pioneer Elite BDP-05 “Why did you get married if you wanted big speakers?”
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Adorama has a pair of 707's weighing in at just under 16...……...I want to pull the trigger so bad.....but...I must wait until my divorce is final, which is in 5 whole days!!!
Must get priorities right! -
I’ve been searching around Adorama, looking at comparable offerings what I can’t understand is why is this such a screaming deal? Everything else is 2-3x the price??Up
LSi15 LSiC - RX-V3000
Down
LSiM707 - 706c - 702f/x - Dual HSU VTF-15H Mk2
Parasound HCA-3500 - HCA-2003A - Marantz SR7005
Sim2 D60 - Dragonfly 106" Panny 500 -
Thanks!Nice to meet you Walt.
I hear you on this. I sold my 703, 706 because I have this major quest to build some massive speakers and center for my TV room. However, for the cost of just the drivers and crossover parts I can get the 705, 706. Plus I think the 702's would be a cool addition....I sold the huge bookies and waited for the 705’s to go on sale. Which a year latter they did. $799 for two.
Right now I'm digging the detail from my budget purchase Boston VR965, VR920 set. I might even try out the non amped VR3 or VR-M90 as the mains at some point. Maybe at some point when the timing is right I'll try out the LSiM towers. and be done for awhile.
2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2 -
I sold the huge bookies and waited for the 705’s to go on sale. Which a year latter they did. $799 for two. I would of never ever bought any of these premium speakers if they were not at a substantial savings over MSRP.
And here I bought my two 705 "on sale" for around $1900 CAD (maybe $1650 USD) back in 2014...
These kind of sales is a kick in the nuts to anyone how bought it at a higher price (or God forbid, at MSRP), but it somehow is to be expected today since the line is older or even soon to be discontinued. Still, I wish I had settled for the 703 instead of the 705 back in 2014. The pill would be easier to swallow as I would have "overpaid" $200 CAD instead of $700 or 800.
Well, anyway, I did grab a 704c for $440 CAD shipped from Adorama and might end up getting two 703 for $800 CAD. This isn't even close to the great deal you had for those 705, but it'll have to do...
Speakers: Polk Audio LSiM 705, LSiM 703, LSiM 704c
Receiver: Denon X3500H -
705’s back on sale for a grand.
MIT Magnum MH-750, Monster HTS 5100MKII, Sony 77" Class - A80CJ Series - 4K UHD OLED,PS4, Def Tech 15” sub,LSIM 706c, Sunfire Signature Grand 425 x 4,Parasound hca 120, LSiM 702 x 4, Oppo 103D, SDA SRS 1.2, Pioneer Elite SC63 , Pioneer Elite BDP-05 “Why did you get married if you wanted big speakers?” -
Nice!Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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Slickdeals has the Adorama sale on LSiM 704's for $250 and 706 for $499 back on
