Reserve R600 Review

Braddles63

@smglbrth Sorry mate i didnt mean to hijack your thread. I can start another.

But keen to hear more from your experiences with the 600's

smglbrth

Braddles63 wrote: »

@smglbrth Sorry mate i didnt mean to hijack your thread. I can start another.

But keen to hear more from your experiences with the 600's

Not a bother at all. I kind of like it when threads go off the beaten path some. Seems like "most" everyone has some of the same experiences with R's at first. Terrible, bloated, "should I send them back", then..., ah, this is much better!

I like continually reading other's experiences with the R series, even if it's here...

Emlyn

I think it's good to have a perspective on the R700s as well. In my case I knew I wouldn't be using my Reserve speakers in a large space so I went with the R600s. Those don't have a boomy bass character or overload the room at all but that's tended to be a longstanding character of the next to biggest Polk speaker in a lineup.

One potential issue with the R700s because of the bottom porting and the two large woofers could be placement in a room with a suspended wooden floor. If that's the case and unavoidable, I'd consider removing the rubber feet too to couple the speakers to the floor better. I know on the R600s the stock speaker spike appears to be a weird 7/16" size which makes looking for an aftermarket spike awkward.

Braddles63

Ready for some back to back listening with my MA GS60's.
Not expecting the Polks to better a speaker that was almost twice the price when new but still be interesting.

msg

@Braddles63
How's it going, what do you think now? How much time you got on the speakers now?

You might want to remove your MAs from the sound stage for your eval. I didn't think this would matter as long as the baffles were clear of each other, but it made a significant difference removing extra speakers and cleaning up the front sound stage. I think it was about giving the speakers room to breathe. Doesn't seem like it'd be a thing, and it's easy to blow off. I did for years, but the difference was not subtle after clean-up.

Braddles63

@msg
Thanks for the heads up i will do as you say and report back.
Should have enough hours on them by this weekend coming.
They have definitely improved heaps already.

Have done some comparing.
Its mainly the top end magic that the MA's have it over the Polks.
They have a little more crisp, inner detail. More snap on the snare drums. Especially at low to moderate levels. Vocals have more presents out into the room. Its still there on the Polks just a bit more recessed/veiled.
Polks have a more powerful sound and love to be turned up.
Bass it a but more tactile on the MA's but not as impactful as the Polks.
As always alot has to do with the recording. If its a little flat sounding like some Steely Dan stuff it will sound real flat through the Polks where as the MA's will pick it up a little.
Other stuff like some 80's music the polks have better control over them.

Mid range is a bit darker on the polks which again depending on the source can be good or not so.

More to come.

_mo_

Thanks for the review and updates. I love these speakers, wish I had the money for them instead of the Signatures, but I'm really happy with the quality of the S60s for the price...maybe in a few years I'll look to pick up a pair used, my wife will love that!

muncybob

This makes me wonder how many were returned by those that either didn't know about "burn in" or didn't want to wait for improvement. I have never experienced this as, except for my turntable, everythng has been purchased pre-burned in (used).

Braddles63

I'm starting to think a "Neutral" sounding speaker may not be for me.

audioluvr

Your other components could be adding to the "Neutral" you are hearing.

Braddles63

So changed amp to my Yamaha AS700 (90wpc) and hooked it up to my Marantz CDP. Improved things somewhat adding some personality to the midrange and a bit more presence in the vocals. Looks like the preamp side of the SR6014 is the weak link.
Bass not quote as fast as through the Parasound as you might expect but still deep and punchy enough. That and some more playing around with placement has me enjoying them much more. So it seams they are sensitive to electronics and placement which is a bit contrary to some of the reviews I've read (need for power aside). At least in my room anyway.
Thinking a nice pre amp with the Parasound might be just the ticket. Possibly a tube pre. Im thinking the Schiit Freya + could be a winner.
As far as mains duty in my HT they are fantastic. That's where their powerful sound comes into it own. I dont have a sub and with the R700's at times you could be forgiven for thinking there is one in the room.

Braddles63

So bit more of an update. Since my HT room is a big square i have been googling around to see the best solution as far as placement is concerned. Came across this http://www.cardas.com/room_setup_square.php
Using this formula has improved the overall balance a lot.

PresidentPolk

A bit of a necro-thread here but I have a couple of months in with a pair of R600s so thought I would add my observations so far. My listening has been intermittent and I'm not sure if they are fully broken in, so I'll offer that caveat and follow up at some point if my assessment has changed at all.

First and foremost, these speakers have the tightest definition of sound I've ever had. Case in point, in songs where there is a bass solo, I can almost "see" the strings being picked. More specifically, for instance, in "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac ("Rumours" CD), about 3/4 of the way through, there's a moment where it's just John McVie playing DUM - da da da - da da da da da DUM - (repeats) ... I've just never heard the clarity of those notes before. Even my ca. 1993 LS50s, no slouches (though long in the tooth) never had that kind of definition. I don't think this is the "hi-res" factor, I think it's just the quality of the components and build. Not at all a fair comparison, but I just played that section on my PC as I'm typing this and, although you can hear "oh there is a specific instrument playing," it's fuzzy and as the other instruments kick in again, it's just all kind of a patchwork of sound. Obviously the LS50s are better, but there's a spectrum of clarity and the R600s are in a different league.

Similarly, any well-produced albums simply have more greater separation and isolation of individual instruments than I'm used to hearing. These are instruments in their own right.

Speaking of bass, I'm glad that my new Marantz NR1200 has good tone controls because the R600 didn't deliver at the Direct or Pure Direct settings. Despite the quality of the Polks' bass, I found that I needed to bring up the bass level on the amp to get it. And it's not an enveloping type of sound, it's very accurate (I think) but arguably at the expense of richness. So, in some cases the clarity/isolation of the overall sound might be TOO clear -- the LS50s, I think, had a richer, broader, more immersive soundstage. I wonder if this might be related to the design of the power port being at the bottom with the speaker "box" being suspended above the floor. What does the speaker lose when it's not sitting directly on the floor? My thinking right now is that I may need to add a sealed sub to get what I'm missing. Sort of contradictory thought here - the bass is the best I've ever had ... but there's just not enough of it?

The highs and midrange are excellent, although the difference here vs. the LS50s isn't as dramatic. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase but honestly not knocked out. Time and a potential addition of a subwoofer may change my full assessment.

Interested to hear any updates from the others who previously weighed in in this thread on their R600s.

F1nut

Try driving them with something that has more guts than a 75wpc 17lb. receiver.

dromunds

Yes, the better the power the more the Reserve and Legend series will respond. The LS-50’s are really nice speakers (I have a pair) but the Reserves will significantly outshine them - especially in the top end - with better power. You say the bass is the best you’ve ever had, there’s just not enough of it. Better power will improve that.

PresidentPolk

Power is not the problem, I neglected to say that I also just picked up an Emotiva power amp (160wpc).

smglbrth

Maybe using the Marantz as a pre doesn't mate well with the Emotiva? Just speculating...

audioluvr

Everything's a work in progress with audio. Some components match really well with your tastes in music, some not so much. Don't give up on the R600's. Maybe try a tube pre with the Emotiva amp. Maybe try a better amp. Maybe try better speaker cables (it makes a big difference with definition if your amp/ pre are quite revealing).