Polk L200 Speaker Demo Reviews

11011121315

Comments

  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,948
    Spammer just copying and pasting text from Doc Hardy's post.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,885
    audioluvr wrote: »
    Listening to John Prine on the L200's. They are some folk music playing speakers! Could be the whiskey talking though.

    or maybe even an Illegal Smile...

    https://youtu.be/MmjnQjRvPUQ
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,885
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Spammer just copying and pasting text from Doc Hardy's post.

    Not much of a spammer, though (in several respects) :/
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,199
    edited April 2020
    78csexiy7ygd.jpeg
    I have received the L200's here yesterday. The box was a bit wet so I got them out and inspected them. Lucky the last guy who had them packed them up properly and they arrived here safe and sound.
    The above mark on the front just for everyone to know is worse looking in that picture then in person. It's there but it's not that bad. Someone would still buy this pair as when you sit back from them you can barley see it and if you didn't know it was there you wouldn't see it.

    I will be demoing them with an array of different gear and in 2 different spaces. I setup a spot in my un finished basement which where i setup has Gym Flooring which is a rubber like flooring. Concrete walls poured so sound wise it's not a bad space for acoustic, not much reverb unless you get crazy.

    Anyway First impressions they are some very nice bookshelf speakers. Well built and have a similar polk sound to them. They remind me of the 703's and the LSI9's in ways but refined. I'll post my thoughts in a few days with the basement rig
    ( Rotel Integrated, Sony ES SACD, Panamax Surge and Audioquest wiring).
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,643
    Copied and reposted in the correct thread.
    mantis Posts: 15,835
    10:42AM
    FIRST IMPRESSIONS DEMO
    I have had the L200's for several days now and I have been listening to them with the following setup I put together for this demo

    Rotel RX1052 Stereo Receiver
    Sony DVPS9000es DVD / SACD / CD Player
    Panamax PM5100ex Surge protector
    Audioquest Rocket 33 speaker cables
    Audioquest Mackenzie RCA analog cables
    Velodyne DD 10 Plus just 1 ( but also ran by themselves.)

    BUILD QUALITY
    Beautiful build quality with high quality driver and Tweeter. Cabinet looks excellent with it's gloss black front and High satin like wood finish.
    The binding posts are top notch and I love the wired jumpers instead of the brass/coper/gold plated jumpers you usually find on speakers. Excellent touch and give it a higher end feel.
    I don't however like the Power port on the back. I think it takes away from the beauty of the speaker design. I don't know why Polk still uses this technology especially in a bookshelf speaker. Yes I know all the theory behind power port polk has been using this technology for decades. It's also just standard looking plastic. I don't what other material they could have used to improve on it maybe Carbon Fiber? But I think this speaker would have been more elegant if it was sealed or used a new port technology.
    Most people who run bookshelf speakers for theater or 2 channel usually have a dedicated subwoofer to match them. Restricting the bookshelf to higher replay frequencies I think would make them even better like cutting them off at 60-80hz sealed.

    SOUND
    Man these things just take me back to a time when I had polk's in my main system. I have owned so many different polk speakers over the decades of being in this hobby and these are like the best polished versions to date. I would love to have a pair of LSIM703's which where here many years ago to vs them against them as memory serves me they sound a lot like they did but more refined more polished more detailed. Without having the 703's here and so m any years have gone by since I heard them I can only go on emotional connection I had with them.
    The high end is crystal clear and detailed without making you want to leave the room after a few minutes of listening. I could sit in front of them and play my favorite music without getting bored or tired.
    The Mid range is nice , slightly loose which I think is due to the port design but very pleasing to listen to. Warm inviting tones.
    The Low end I feel seems forced and un natural again I have to say the port port even though polk claims to have an updated design, still to me seems like same old same old. It's loose and not detailed or tracks notes very well. Nothing like when you pair a subwoofer into the mix sealed design( Velodyne DD 10 plus). Those who ever compared a sealed subwoofer or speaker to a ported sub or speakers knows that there is a tightness difference one can hear on certain bass heavy music. It's harder to hear when things are calm or light recorded bass material but when things get slammed the ports show there poor design to me.

    PRICE
    For the money I think they would compete well against others in the price range. They have their own polk sound that is there in everything polk has ever made that was of higher quality. I can't speak for the sound bars and their entry level stuff as I have not spend any time with them but their RT SDA and LSI series I have a lot of experience with and that signature polk sound is there on every model.
    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

  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    @mantis Nicely done!
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,315
    Great Review, you have a very nice setup to hear what they have to offer. I also found the L200's to be an "Intimate" speaker, Female vocals and Acoustic work is where they shine. In a small space, with some Tube influence, yep.
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    Very nice review.
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,199
    It seems that everyone who listens to them all share similar opinions on them.
    Price wise I think they might be a tad to high as the competition is steep. But that's only a personal opinion as someone might like everything they do vs everything one can find at that price point. They do a lot right.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,960
    Great review.
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,980
    I'm refraining from my impressions because everyone before me pretty much nailed it. We risk sounding like a broken record. I'll just hit some high notes from my observations.

    That Polk sound is there, only in spades. Maybe a Polk+ is more a designation for the sound signature. I was kinda hoping for something that might deviate from that a bit more and boost them a tad bit more into a higher end sound. They do sound good don't get me wrong, but I don't think the price matches the sound in my view. Lots of stiff competition in that range.

    Most my high end gear is gone, so basically a Grant Fidelity Tube dac and a Sonos, with a B&k amp had to provide for listening. These speakers can definitely throw out the sound, I'd liken them to LSI's on steroids. One thing I did notice as some others did too, when pushed....the performance seemed to go down the louder you cranked them. The Tweeter couldn't handle everything thrown at it and got a bit edgy on certain songs at certain volumes. They seemed happy just above normal listening levels. Midrange is full, tight, almost drawing a tad bit too much attention to itself but I like a solid midrange anyway. Highs were clear and crisp but not fatiguing....well until you pushed them anyway. Didn't care too much for the looks with the grills on, looked way better naked. All in all, a good speaker, just not good enough for the asking price in my view.

    My main concern was the obvious deterioration of sound the louder I cranked it. Once the volume got past a certain point, sound quality started going in the opposite direction. This baffled me, and I'm wondering if this is some sort of limitation in the parts used in the crossover because the drivers seem capable. Maybe Polk can get a handle on that in house before the next iteration comes out.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,642
    Nice review, Tony.
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    Solid review and agree with everything said. I'm glad they came back to you Tony!!
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,315
    F1nut wrote: »
    The demo program is officially over. I want to thank the members who participated and big thank you to Polk for making it possible. Also, I appreciate how easy you guys made this on me. Ya'll are great bunch! B)

    Thank you Polk Audio and especially you Jesse for putting this Demo together, I enjoyed my time with the L200's.

  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,014
    Thank you Polk Audio for making this demo possible. And a big tip o’ the hat to Jesse for running this and herding this group. I am not aware of any other group who does this, it’s a testament to a fine company, and the cooperation of an audiophile family. Well done!
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,885
    Thanks indeed to Polk and to @F1nut. Not sure when I'd have gotten the chance to hear these were it not for this 'program'.

    Nice little loudspeakers, the L200s.
  • smglbrth
    smglbrth Posts: 1,473
    dromunds wrote: »
    Thank you Polk Audio for making this demo possible. And a big tip o’ the hat to Jesse for running this and herding this group. I am not aware of any other group who does this, it’s a testament to a fine company, and the cooperation of an audiophile family. Well done!

    Indeed!
    Remember, when you're running from something, you're running to something...-me
  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,596
    Thanks Jesse! And thank you Polk Audio for the opportunity!
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)


    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,148
    Thanks Jesse and Polk. It's been quite awhile since I had the L200, but it was a really fun experience and I'm glad I was able to participate.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
  • coolsax
    coolsax Posts: 1,824
    Thank you Jessie and Polk.. I enjoyed getting a chance to listen to these... Life got in the way so I did not get time to put in my review, but it great to be able to try these out in my system.
    Main 2ch -
    BlueSound Node->Ethereal optical cable->Peachtree Audio Nova 150->GoldenEar Triton 2+
    TT - Pro-ject Classic SB with Sumiko Bluepoint.

    TV 3.1 system -
    Denon 3500 -> Dynaudio Excite 32/22
  • gmcman
    gmcman Posts: 1,806
    Big thanks to Jesse and Polk, couldn't have been made any easier to listen to these speakers. I truly appreciate the effort put forth.
  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,642
    Thank you Jesse for putting the demo together and managing it. I probably would not have had a chance to hear the L200s if not for this demo.
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    Thx Jess. Since they don't have a lot of store presence, I agree with everyone who said we probably would not have been able to hear them.
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    Thank you Polk Audio & thank you Jesse! This was pretty revealing for me and a lot of fun.
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
  • JayDog
    JayDog Posts: 266
    Very Nice thread we have here Polkies, I just finished reading it and there is allot of great information in here... thanks!
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,199
    Thank you for allowing us to try demo them. It's so nice to get a in home speaker review. With brick and mortar stores basically almost gone nowadays it's really hard to go have a listen. Polk has always been hard to get a good demo especially the higher end stuff they have made over the last few decades.

    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • I won’t carry on with a long review as a lot of people have done a fine job. I will just add that one would be hard pressed to find a better bookshelf speaker that’s even competitive with some towers. Crisp and clean across their frequency spectrum and one would not expect the bass response from the rear port. The fashion in which it disperses 360 degrees immediately upon exiting allows for closer placement to walls over say the R200 that needs to be a good distance out to appreciate the low end. Fine job by Polk on this speaker. Rounds out a nice system of which I have all of the current legends models except the L100.
  • mpitogo
    mpitogo Posts: 504
    • Living Room Music-2.1 Polk Legend L800 | SVS SB1000Pro | McIntosh C70 | McIntosh MA5200 (Treble) | McIntosh MC452 (Bass) | Sublimeacoustic K231 Active xover | Denon DP-2500A | Denafrips Ares II | Marantz HD-CD1 | Belkin Soundform Connect | iPad Pro USB to DAC
    • Home Theater-9.7.6/15.1 (Atmos/Auro-3D) Polk LSiM707, LSiM706c, LSiM702 F/X [x6], Height LSiM703 [x6], HSU ULS-15Mk2x4, VTF-15HMk2x2, VTF-TN1 | Trinnov Altitude 16+4 (2024) | Rotel RB-1590 (L/R) | Appollon NC500 11ch | Martin Logan MP500x2 | Topping DX7s, E50 | AppleTV 4K | Zidoo Z9X | JVC RS2100 | 150” Elite Screen Acoustic Pro UHD
    • Game Room-5.1 Polk LSi25, LSiC, LSiF/X | Marantz SR7009 | AppleTV 4K | Sony UBP-X800 | Xbox One S | Sony PS2, PS3 | Nintendo Wii | Gaming PC | Sony 75" LCD
    • Master Bedroom Music-2.0 Totem Hawk | Marantz PM-10 | Marantz SA-10 | SONY PS-HX500
    • Office-2.1 B&W Formation Duo and Bass
    • Orphans Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX | DSW microPRO3000x2 | Rotel RA-1570 | Marantz AV8805A
    • Daughter's Bedroom 1-2.0 TBD Martin Logan Forte | Roku TV
    • Guest Room 2-2.0 Klipsch RP-600M | SMSL DO100 Pro 2 | Pass ACA v1.6 Monoblocks
    • Guest Room 3-3.0 Martin Logan Motion 40, 50XT | Onkyo TX-SR705 | Apple TV | Samsung 55" TV
    • Guest Room 4-2.0 QAcoustics 3030i | Sansui AU-6900 | Sansui FR-1080 | Fire TV
    • Maintenance: Pro-Ject VC-S Record Cleaning Machine