Reserve R700-Initial Reaction

tlewis303
tlewis303 Posts: 11
Just fired up my new Reserve series. 2 R700s and 1 R400.
These R700s are amazing. They are replacing LSiM705s, which are good speakers as well. Right out of the box I noticed such a dramatic change in mid-bass, much fuller and detailed. Comparably the LSiM705s are much more brighter. Along with a couple of SVS 3000 subs, a Yamaha RX-A3080 AVR, and a Parasound Halo 21+ Amp these babies really shine. I want to burn them in a bit before really cranking them up, but so far I can't complain. The R400 is pretty nice too. I haven't had a chance to test out a Blu-Ray but I'm excited to hear the dynamics. Great job Polk!!

Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    The 705 is brighter? Perhaps you are confusing clarity for brightness.
    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

  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,120
    Congrats on the new pickup.

    Interesting, so you're finding the R700 to have a smoother top end than the LSiM 705? Without sacrificing detail or sounding muted or veiled?

    Are your new R700s a replacement for 705s just before?
    I disabled signatures.
  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    edited May 2021
    Yes, I still have the 705s. I've blown the tweeters out twice and lastly the mid-range on one of them.
    The R700s seem to be more of a fuller all around sound. I used to have cerwin vega's back in the 90s with a big 15in woofer. The R700s sound similar in bass fullness. They hit hard and can feel it in your chest.
    When I was saying brightness, I mean more on the treble side then bass. Don't get me wrong the 705s are very good speakers, I've had them for almost 2yrs but something was missing and now I think I've found it.
    I've never heard any of the Legends, nor could I afford them but the Reserves are damn nice.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    What are you using for power?
    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

  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    edited May 2021
    I have a yamaha RX-A3080 pre-out to parasound halo 21+. Now with the Reserves the parasound will output 500w@4ohm. There is more overhead with these speakers but I still need to be careful. The parasound is 300w@8ohm, the 705s are rated, as you know, at 250. I guess I pushed the 705s a bit to much.
  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    edited May 2021
    Reserves haven't been out long so its hard to find reviews. Audioholics did a dog and pony show with Polk on you tube.
  • OleBoot
    OleBoot Posts: 2,772
    Seems like you like to listen really, really loud,
  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    The first blown tweeter was a Van Halen song the second was Deep Purple. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Ha
  • OleBoot
    OleBoot Posts: 2,772
    tlewis303 wrote: »
    What?
    LOL

    I've blown the tweeters out twice and lastly the mid-range on one of them.
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,525
    I have noticed the ring radiators can heat up alarmingly with too much power + volume + time. I dial it back when distortion rears its head. High efficiency speakers like Cerwin Vega and Klipsch have their place for rocking out.

    My favorite tweeter fryer used to be the clocks going off on Dark Side of the Moon but that was back when replacement tweeters at Radio Shack were $20 a pair.

    Congrats on the purchase.
  • TopperDude
    TopperDude Posts: 166
    sounds like your enjoying them which is great. Can't wait to hear your thoughts once they've settled in.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    tlewis303 wrote: »
    I have a yamaha RX-A3080 pre-out to parasound halo 21+. Now with the Reserves the parasound will output 500w@4ohm. There is more overhead with these speakers but I still need to be careful. The parasound is 300w@8ohm, the 705s are rated, as you know, at 250. I guess I pushed the 705s a bit to much.

    Regardless of the rated amp power or rated handling of a pair of speakers once you send clipped signals, which you seem to do on a regular basis, bad juju will happen. So, my prediction is you'll blow up the 700's before long.

    While have not heard any of the Reserve series I have heard many of the Legend series and just about all of the LSiM series including the 705, which is my favorite of that series. Based on that there's no way the 700 is the better speaker.....not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
    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

  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    My advise listen to a 700 and decide for yourself. It has Legend's tweeter and mid and its own port technology. Not sure of the crossover. I still like the 705 but to my ears the 700 is more complete. I can already tell there is more overhead in the 700 so I doubt I'll need to stress it out.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    More overhead.....lol
    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

  • smglbrth
    smglbrth Posts: 1,473
    Congrats on your purchase, one of the first that I've seen on here. If you can feel the thump in your chest from the bass then you do like it LOUD. I did that some when I was younger, enough that I could swear it was messing with my heartbeat. Not anymore, I like to feel it in the floor some but that's usually loud enough nowadays...
    Remember, when you're running from something, you're running to something...-me
  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    Yea I don't always play it loud, but I do notice feeling the bass in the floor more with these.
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,159
    Congrats on finding speakers that sound "right" to your ears.

    I think there's a commercial in here.


    I don't always play music loud. But when I do...It's with Polk audio speakers. ;)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • mrloren
    mrloren Posts: 2,465
    the OP needs a pre-amp, Yamaha AVR from what I've read have low voltage on the pre-out.
    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
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    mrloren wrote: »
    the OP needs a pre-amp, Yamaha AVR from what I've read have low voltage on the pre-out.

    I’ve had a couple different Yamaha avrs that I used as pres for the fronts and never had a problem fwiw...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,387
    Interesting bringing the Cerwin Vegas into the comparison. CV are fun and great for LOUD. Not my speaker of choice for serious listening. I don't usually think of Polk for loud. Maybe I'm just getting old. That said, "Runnin' With the Devil" is one of my favorite test tracks; probably because that was the first track I played through my first manufactured speaker set, Pioneer ProMusica 120, back in the early 80's. I did blow out a pair Infinity Kappa car speakers with The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again".
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    Has anyone ever messed around with acoustic panels and bass traps on the walls? Seems to be a difficult tasks to get right and expensive.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,895
    skrol wrote: »
    ... I did blow out a pair Infinity Kappa car speakers with The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again".
    I blew out the tweeter fuses on my 7As... umm... a time or two... with Daltrey's scream near the end. Well, probably that plus the IGD on an LP. B)


  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,372
    tlewis303 wrote: »
    The first blown tweeter was a Van Halen song the second was Deep Purple. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Ha

    If you are blowing tweeters your amp is clipping, I used to blow tweeters in my sda2a's all the time when I had an adcom gfa555 amp. I haven't blown a tweeter in years with my krell amp that is 600 watts into 4ohm, that's 100 watts over the power rating of the speakers. Better to overpower the speaker than underpower it.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    invalid wrote: »
    If you are blowing tweeters your amp is clipping

    Absolutely true!
    I haven't blown a tweeter in years with my krell amp that is 600 watts into 4ohm, that's 100 watts over the power rating of the speakers.

    It really doesn't work that way. You would still send clipped signals if you turned the volume up enough.
    Better to overpower the speaker than underpower it.

    While it is easier to send clipped signals with a lower powered amp, any amp will clip at some point regardless of the speaker power rating.

    The bottom line, a man must know the limitations of his amp.




    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

  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    There is a certain sweet spot in the volume where the speakers come alive and the clarity is there. At real low volumes levels that clarity and separation can't be heard very well.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    tlewis303 wrote: »
    There is a certain sweet spot in the volume where the speakers come alive and the clarity is there. At real low volumes levels that clarity and separation can't be heard very well.

    That's not non-common.
    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

  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited May 2021
    Oy vey.

    Some folks just shouldn’t have nice things....

    Two things.

    1. Turn it down, slick.
    2. Get educated on hearing damage.
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,372
    You would still send clipped signals if you turned the volume up enough.

    That is true, but with more quality power I don't feel the need to send the amp into clipping.

  • tlewis303
    tlewis303 Posts: 11
    Quality amps should bring out the clarity and separation at lower levels for sure