Carolina Polkfest Vol. 5 - Oct. 22-24 2021 North Charleston SC

135

Comments

  • Hermitism
    Hermitism Posts: 4,262
  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,531
    w2bcgalpfrqv.png

    Good thing those aren't ported. He must really like them!
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,598
    VR3 wrote: »
    Is broke Jesse!

    You shouldn't have let Tom near it. What's broken?
    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

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,428
    That cable stretched across the room is messing up the acoustics of that space...
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,289
    That cable stretched across the room is messing up the acoustics of that space...

    I thought they were fixin' to start jump roping
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • Another Saturday nite and we got Polkies. cbzsr5fan91r.jpeg
    gxpzltx143pb.jpeg
    2xijh237iy1h.jpeg
    vt3wwg49odjp.jpeg
    qg438semn4qv.jpeg
  • Good fun and lots of memories❤️ws9k80kcfi7e.jpeg
    v6mtxz0sk8ip.jpeg
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    F1nut wrote: »
    VR3 wrote: »
    5ouer3jbcmx0.jpg

    I recognize that CDP :)
    F1nut wrote: »
    VR3 wrote: »
    5ouer3jbcmx0.jpg

    I recognize that CDP :)

    2 channels, best I can do…
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
  • And a little more.....mt5i5dpg1bus.jpeg
    k5up0wuy65cf.jpeg
    to8475wtvtwa.jpeg
    tcan83tcvv1e.jpeg
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,289
    Hermitism needs to know for Halloween 2022 ..."The Insurrection"
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • Hermitism
    Hermitism Posts: 4,262
    edited October 2021
    I just made one of Tom where he's looking down. I swore I was done for this year!
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    Looks like an amazing time!. I need to make the next one.
    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.
  • gmcman
    gmcman Posts: 1,806
    Wow, looks like a great time, very cool this all came together.
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    The morning after....

    I’ve got more thoughts coming but what an amazing time!

    I’m also going to tell you, Polk is making great speakers. The R200’s are insanely good. Insanely.

    The L800’s....wow.

    But, PolkFest is about people and TLW and are are blessed in that department.....full wrap up later but right now, I’m getting some L800 love!oe05dscj184d.jpeg
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
  • JayCee
    JayCee Posts: 1,500
    edited October 2021
    Looks like an awesome time, Troy. Glad you had a good turnout and I'm looking forward to your additional impressions. Pleased to read you're digging the latest Polk offerings. I was really impressed with the L200's during the forum demo.
    TroyD wrote: »
    I’m getting some L800 love!
    The rubber feet are spongy...remove them and use the spikes if you can. For the short time you have with them I can confidently say you're missing the last bit of goodness. The bass and mids really tightened up on mine.
    Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,598
    Tom, thanks for the rundown. I'm thinking there's a half bad connection somewhere, possibly that loose cap you mentioned.
    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

  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,674
    First and foremost! Thank you Troy and Wendi! Wow! What an event, incredible food, incredible people and such a great time. Troy throws a bash like no one else, that is for sure!!! Thank you guys so much for opening your home and having all of us.

    It was amazing to see everyone after all these years and catch up like old friends. When @ohskigod walked in I almost fell over! Lou is the man!

    As far as the L800 goes...

    To quote Polk "all Polk products are the result of tight-knit collaboration, teamwork, and our collective passion to make great sound available to as many people as humanly possible." they have succeeded man. The first night we had them set up on the back wall and they were ok, good, but definitely something was off. The right channel was blooming but the left was almost absent. The next day we moved them to the wall with the Bozak. Once you had a wall on each side of each speaker, it was on. The next thing that brought it home was moving the Adcom pre to passive mode which removed all of the brightness we heard.

    The L800, for $6k MSRP brings high class 2 channel performance to the masses. You can have virtually no experience, modest gear and bring home bad **** 2 channel performance, this I have no doubts about. The only caveat I can think of is the room needs to be a little ideal to their needs. They need room to breathe, one. They need a wall on each side of the room. If you can bring that, I think you can generate truly incredible 2 channel performance with minimal knowledge or effort.

    They throw a huge soundstage, great details, excellent bass extension. They were a little shy in the midbass department where Polk is usually robust in like the R200 but this could change with burn, placement and gear. The highs lacked some natural decay but this could also be burn in or gear related. But again, for what we were running these speakes with and the random assortment of gear we were using, they threw down.

    I highly recommend the L800. They are everything we asked for from Polk all these years, and then some!

    The R200 was an instant winner, right out of the box they filled up a huge room with great bass and did so much right for $750 a pair! Fantastic!

    What a great Polkfest, simply awesome. So great to see everyone and I look forward to the next one!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Wow! Everyone reading this thread (including myself) were wishing they were there! Looks like it was a fantastic time! Well done Troy and Wendi!
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited October 2021
    verb wrote: »
    Wow! Everyone reading this thread (including myself) were wishing they were there! Looks like it was a fantastic time!

    My thanks go to the attendees. Really. TLW and I LOVE PolkFest.....but, the real thanks go to the people who come and support it because it IS a commitment of time (and money) to attend and both of those things don't grow on trees...so those that choose to expend those precious resources to spend time with us....sharing in what we love.....means more to TLW and I more than you could possibly imagine. @Navy_Goat and Randy ....guys I've never met, drives all the way down to SC from MD. He doesn't know what he's getting into....and I feel like I've gained a lifelong friend. How farkin cool is that? M

    PolkFest is an amazing, homegrown, grassroots event like no other. It's not a corporate sponsored thing. It's about the forum, it's membership and the one thing that we all have in common, music, audio and Polk. And, really, what is better than sitting down, listening to music, having a beer (or a some homemade moonshine, right @treitz3 ?), shooting the breeze, talking audio and everything else over some steak and lobster and bbq and homemade banana pudding?

    So, for those saying, man, sounds like a great time, wish I could have been there......next year, BE THERE! You will LOVE it. You will make friends and memories that will last you a lifetime. THIS is what social media SHOULD be. I'm not bagging folks for not coming, that's not my intention, life happens and I TOTALLY get it (that's why there has been no PolkFest for almost a decade).....but, be a part of it next year.

    PolkFest 2022 is a thing. October 2022. Start thinking about it now.



    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,484
    Excellent post Troy!!
  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    Appears a great time was had by all,,Tom and tubes,, the stories I could tell you with his Anthem Amp one. :)
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
  • Micah Cohen
    Micah Cohen Posts: 2,022
    edited October 2021
    Holy snit, PolkFest LIVES!

    First of all, please understand: I have ambiguous feelings about this now.

    When I worked for Polk Audio, like so many of the people who worked for Polk Audio through those years, I did actually (surprisingly) LOVE this company. It was a family. And I loved working to promote its products and the lifestyle that those products enabled us to enjoy. It was a new world of audio and entertainment. I enjoyed meeting and encouraging enthusiastic fellow travelers. It was interesting and even inspiring. And fun!

    And then things... changed. ["Womp, womp."]

    No need to dive into that water under the bridge. (But I do wish things had turned out a little differently.)

    So, even though we've kept in touch randomly, it was a surprise when Troy invited me to attend a PolkFest this past weekend. So many reasons not to! Who even likes this company anymore; what is there to celebrate? Do I want to drive my toy-like Hyundai all the way to Charleston and back? I don't remember any of the guys who might be there, and what would I say to them if I did? (I'm really so shy!)

    Plus, there's this killer virus lurking out there, and I'd have to leave my Covid cocoon to attend this gathering. What about my pre-existing condition?!

    Believe me: I tried my grouchy old-man best to get out of it.

    Melissa: "No, we are going to visit Wendi and Troy this weekend."

    And so, dear friends, it was proclaimed and enacted.

    And you know what? It was not such a terrible thing. In fact, it was pretty awesome. Trey, Tom and Lou all quickly forgave me for not remembering their names or faces. (This is "early onset.") And darned if they weren't having the time of their lives setting up and demo-ing the huge new Polk Legends in Troy's living room with a truck-load of dangerous-looking audio equipment. Worse, I had to admit, after spending some serious time listening to them, guided by Trey and Tom's skilled experimentation, that those big Tiki-faced speakers were unexpectedly excellent. Maybe Polk still has some cred? (Can we call them Polk Audio again, please?)

    I was actually sad that we had to leave before I could get a listen to the beautiful new Reserve Bookshelves.

    There was a huge food spread in one room. Demos in the other room. More demos in the den. Plenty of jolly conversation out back, more going on in the garage. The whole neighborhood joined in. Polk Audio should rightly be grateful to everyone involved. You can't buy this kind of old school product promotion, this kind of grass roots affiliation. Because it's not about that, really. It's about sharing an interest in something everyone can enjoy, something fun and really exciting; something we can all get together and agree on. It was really cool to find out that it was still a thing!

    In the end, who can express anything but amazement at the boundless energy and extreme generosity of the relentlessly ebullient Troy and the amazing, unstoppable Wendi? (Oh, Wendi, what you put up with, girl!)

    Really, it's exhausting.

    But I'm glad I made the trip. Thanks for a great time. Long live PolkFest!

    MICAH


    ultramicah@yahoo.com

    "There's nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." - Lon Chaney
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited October 2021
    The Hobbit Pimp LIVES!!!

    YES!!

    Believe me, folks, when I say a couple of things. One, I take it as a great compliment that Micah came for all the aforementioned reasons. I am, no joke, honored.

    YES. I expressed in my email that I felt that in past few years....that Polk had somewhat lost it's mojo for me. Nothing bad but nothing that excited me and it had become, well, corporate. Much of the allure of Polk Audio was the people behind it. Genuine people. Nuts about audio. True believers in their respective crafts. I remember reaching out to Micah, oh, 2001ish....pre PolkFest era and saying that we'd be breezing through Bawlmer and perhaps we could stop by 5601 Metro Drive and introduce ourselves?

    Micah was genuinely perplexed as to why. It's a cubicle farm. We work here. Why would anyone want to visit? We did and he was a gracious host and it was awesome. People. That's why.

    Now, I think, perhaps Sound United may be swinging back the pendulum? We shall see but I think that is at least on the radar.....perhaps. BUT they HAVE, IMO, succeeded, in spades.....fulfilling the idea and intent of Polk Audio. Great sounding speakers and real world prices. No BS. I think that what I heard this weekend is fantastic.

    Back to the people though. Amazing....and that's what's great about this hobby in general and Polk Audio in specific.

    Polk Audio. With the heart over the "I" is what it was then....and I think it should remain that way now.
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,059
    5fwe2qr2pds0.png
    x4q1u8rmzl1q.png
    03taw502yc0x.png
    Trey orchestrating the music....mind you, it's recorded music but that's besides the point. He was in the groove.
    bkao2gbyi65j.png
    7g93abt0zyrg.png
    8snqsta4mgni.png
    iuqs6t90k4na.png
    6rg759fksx6m.png
    jbytycujax1p.png
    4vvv87txqadq.png
    iaabrwq2utfn.png


    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • Yummy, I see some shine.
    The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

    It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.
  • Navy_Goat
    Navy_Goat Posts: 375
    edited October 2021
    Where do I even start......

    @TroyD Thanks to you and Wendi for the hospitality! The food was great, the tunes were great, you assembled a great cast and crew for an event like this, but the secret sauce was your effortless generosity. You invited a complete stranger to your house without a second thought. Not only that, but you didn't hesitate when I asked to bring someone who wasn't even active here of the forum. You fed us but more importantly you ;made sure we felt welcome from the the first minute. Until next time, you have my thanks. We both enjoyed the weekend immensely.

    To the rest of the folks that made the weekend special, thank you for welcoming me into the group. Music really can bring people together. On that note the music was awesome! I will add a post below with a list of the tracks that I played on the off chance that others were intrigued by any of them, more on that later this evening. Lou, I am listening to some Takuya Kuroda right now.

    I really enjoyed the conversations. Trey, I appreciate you taking the time to explain your thoughts about crossover work and other related topics. I will be trying some of the suggestions you passed along for sure.

    I hope to see you all again at some time for sure.

    -Caleb
    Post edited by Navy_Goat on
    SDA SRS 2.3tl, SDA 1C, SDA 2B (TL mod), Reserve 200