Reserve vs Legend Bookshelf prices don’t make sense to me…

plainoledave

It seems like Polk has their price points set in a way that buying anything but the r200 is foolish from a bang/buck standpoint. Am I wrong? I don’t see how you could consider the r100 for just a $100 price break or the l200 at twice the price. It also seems foolish to pay $350 more for the l100 given the specs. Am I missing something?

Hansvelton

plainoledave wrote: »

It seems like Polk has their price points set in a way that buying anything but the r200 is foolish from a bang/buck standpoint. Am I wrong? I don’t see how you could consider the r100 for just a $100 price break or the l200 at twice the price. It also seems foolish to pay $350 more for the l100 given the specs. Am I missing something?

The R200 is a great deal and a great speaker, yes!

The L series, having not heard them at all, seem great, but I get what you mean.
Overall Polk seems to have a lot of different series of speakers, that almost semi overlap in performance. Making it a bit confusing overall, especially to someone new to Polk.

Nightfall

I'm not intimate with their crossovers, if they're identical ignore, but quality caps & resistors add up quick. As far as specs there is more to sound than -3 db points, power handling, and efficiency.

mhardy6647

The L200 and the R200 are not at all identical, although they share drivers. Cabinets, finish, port design, and XOs are different in them.
There's a fair amount of objective information on the two here and there are a number of thorough reviews of both (as well as the L100) from full-on subjectivist to fairly in-depth objective measurement.

From a marketing standpoint, I cannot rationalize the R "vs." L series, but they are different products and their pricing reflects that. I can say that the strategy worked for me, since I'd heard, and liked, the L200s but I personally balked at the price. The R200 promised similar performance at a much more attractive (to me) price. Ker-ching!

Look at the SUV offerings of any major car brand. I think the pricing and size/class overlaps (or near-overlaps) of the plethora of models offered by pretty much everybody nowadays make far less sense than the L vs. R series!

This all being said, I suspect that there'll be some shake-out/refinement of the plethora of Polk loudspeaker lines under Sound United's new ownership (assuming that it goes through).

msg

In short, I'd say they're both good and agree with above and that they're for different purposes/system investment ranges.

The R series is a great overall performer, no doubt, good for both music and theater. Depending on how serious you are about your 2ch listening, I found the L series to perform slightly better. Worth the additional cost? Depends on budget and commitment level, as well as "acquisition opportunity". Also, that experience of "slightly better" will depend on other components in your system. If you're using an AVR for music, it's entirely possibly you may not notice a difference between the two, or enough of one to justify the additional cost.

One user with both the L100 and R200 shared that, while the L100 was bass shy, obviously, he preferred it over the R200 for overall music presentation. I can see that, and you can always add a nice musical sub if you have access to one.

I've listened to both the R200 and L200 on the same integrated amp, and, overall, I do prefer the L200 for music. I will say, though, that after significant break-in/burn-in, the R200s were pretty good, and a listener sort of gets used to most speakers' character, unless they're just really awful and obviously lacking in some way.

When tested with an older Yamaha AVR, I found the R200s to sound a bit less full, less impactful and controlled. A smidge more congested. The thing I noticed more, though, was that they seemed to present a bit colder; less musical. I did not take the opportunity to test the L200s on the same AVR. I suspect they would have had similar presentation.

Hansvelton

How many actual speaker "lines" does Polk have right now? Maybe a bit rhetorical........

I know for sure the Legend then Reserve, and then Signature Elite and Signature, then Monitor XT and Monitor And "T" series, have I missed any?

7 lines of actual speakers. IMHO, maybe 2-3 lines too many, as I am not truly sure, of where the lowest 5 fall performance wise. I guess Signature and S Elite are mid level, but.....

Are the Rti retired for sure?

Hermitism

Hansvelton wrote: »

Are the Rti retired for sure?

Yes RTi & RTiA are out of production. They were more for home theater use, and less as a dual-purpose speaker. A bright and forward presentation.

Emlyn

The R100s would make sense for someone who wants bookshelf speakers that are smaller than the R200s or to use as main or surround speakers in a smaller home theater system. The R200s are quite large and don't fit well in some spaces. It's similar to Polk's original LSi lineup with the LSi7 and LSi9. I had a pair of LSi7 for surround duty. The LSi9 would have been too large for the space.

I have thought the L200s would compete and sell better at $1299 a pair than $1499.

mhardy6647

Hansvelton wrote: »

How many actual speaker "lines" does Polk have right now? Maybe a bit rhetorical........

I know for sure the Legend then Reserve, and then Signature Elite and Signature, then Monitor XT and Monitor And "T" series, have I missed any?

7 lines of actual speakers. IMHO, maybe 2-3 lines too many, as I am not truly sure, of where the lowest 5 fall performance wise. I guess Signature and S Elite are mid level, but.....

Are the Rti retired for sure?

yup -- kind of a Balkanized model line-up.

TroyD

There is always the good-better-best thing......and I'm not defending or impugning the marketing strategy here because, well, I haven't given it a ton of thought.

However, in my LIMITED exposure to both.....the R200 is a world class bang/buck speaker. No denying it and I've sung it's praises. However, the L series....LOOKS the part and, from my exposure, sounds the part as well.

And, I gotta think if you are looking to spend 500 on a pair of bookshelves (or whatever) the R series makes a TON of sense....but if you set out with a budget north of 4 figures, it has to look the part as well so, in that regard it makes sense. Similarly, the Maggie MMG used to be 500 bucks to your door when a pair of 1.6's was 1200 or so. IMO, the MMG gave you 90 percent of the 1.6. So, was the 1.6 overpriced? No. It was a bargain. The MMG was a SCREAMING bargain but the whole idea was to entice you to swim upsteam at some point.....and that may be the point here. I dunno...but it's not a new phenomenon.

The rest of the lines, dunno. Don't care.

mhardy6647

I could see the R100 as a very cost effective "hifi" loudspeaker for use in a space-limited setting... perhaps with a subwoofer, but not of necessity.

I could use a pair in our little Den/TV room -- I was going to put the R200s there, but they're feeling too big to me due mostly to their depth There's currently (i.e., still) a pair of (dump-find) CSW Seventeens there in the den They don't sound great, but size-wise they're perfect.
I should just seek out a pair of early Monitor 4 with the Peerless tweeter; they'd be perfect in there! And it'd still be fun to compare the original 4 with the R100, R200, L100, or L200 head to head!

msg

That's definitely what you need: more speakers.

As I always say, "It's not hoarding, I'm collecting. There's a difference!"

plainoledave

I found some instrumented tests that suggested that the r200 were superior but idk if that holds true.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/polk-reserve-r200-spinorama-and-measurements-a-really-nice-surprise.23502/

mhardy6647

msg wrote: »

That's definitely what you need: more speakers.

As I always say, "It's not hoarding, I'm collecting. There's a difference!"

Just collecting a horde hoard.

boston1450

msg wrote: »

That's definitely what you need: more speakers.

As I always say, "It's not hoarding, I'm collecting. There's a difference!"

He may need more so all those goodies on the racks have their own speakers 😂

mhardy6647

plainoledave wrote: »

I found some instrumented tests that suggested that the r200 were superior but idk if that holds true.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/polk-reserve-r200-spinorama-and-measurements-a-really-nice-surprise.23502/

I'd take it with a grain of salt, although the data do look good. The port design of the R200 may actually be superior to the L200s -- but it's probably safe to say that the XO design isn't.

That said, the tests by this guy "Erin" on YT of the R100 are also pretty interesting, and encouraging.
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/polk_r100/ which was subsequently referenced in
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/polk-r100-bookshelf-speaker-review-by-erin.28889/

It's pretty clear that the hard-core measurement types and the musicality types are both pretty darned favorably impressed by the "L" and the "R" series Polk loudspeakers.

Nightfall

mhardy6647 wrote: »

I should just seek out a pair of early Monitor 4 with the Peerless tweeter

Definitely. You should definitely do this.

mhardy6647

Nightfall wrote: »

mhardy6647 wrote: »

I should just seek out a pair of early Monitor 4 with the Peerless tweeter

Definitely. You should definitely do this.

Yeah, I need encouragement...

HzTweaker

mhardy6647 wrote: »

I should just seek out a pair of early Monitor 4 with the Peerless tweeter; they'd be perfect in there! And it'd still be fun to compare the original 4 with the R100, R200, L100, or L200 head to head!

Monitor 4s with upgraded Xoveres to do the shoot out with

Hansvelton

HzTweaker wrote: »

mhardy6647 wrote: »

I should just seek out a pair of early Monitor 4 with the Peerless tweeter; they'd be perfect in there! And it'd still be fun to compare the original 4 with the R100, R200, L100, or L200 head to head!

Monitor 4s with upgraded Xoveres to do the shoot out with

I have thought, the bass was just a bit limited on the older Polks of that size range. Not till I tried the old 5jr+ did I think they had okay enough bass.

I liked the Lsi9 a lot, overall very smooth and clean and just felt like a step or two better overall than anything from the vintage smaller Polks. (mostly in those imaging, clarity and so on audiophile ways)

dromunds

Plainoldave, I replied to your PM give me a call

heiney9

I've not even fully broken in the R200's and I am very impressed. It is a bit on the larger side (depth) for a traditional "bookie" and I've found they need to come out into the room more than I like because they sound better farther from the back wall. It doesn't really bother me as I'm really the only one in here most of the time.

I am not sure you can get a pair of R bookies for $500 unless you take advantage of another special purchase. The R100 retails for $649 and the R200 retails for $749.

I was looking for a stellar sounding "bookie" for my secondary rig in my home office. Not sure I would have spent full retail for the R200's without hearing them first. But based on my experience with the L100 demo and Polkfest attendee's reviews of the R200 and then the 40% off sale, it was a no brain-er. I am thrilled that they live up to the hype and more.

I am not ready to do a full review since they aren't 100% broken in and the new integrated I also bought to go with them is still somewhat a virgin. I don't spend too much time using this gear (mostly weekends) so I need more time to get a proper review together.

So far, I am very pleased but I haven't done any serious listening sessions yet until they get a couple hundred hours on them.

I would surmise the L series will get you the more pleasing aesthetics and that extra 5-7% sound, but you'd have to weigh if the extra $$$ is worth it.

I really want to compare the upper mid-range and vocal capabilities to my all time favorite small Polk bookie the RT25i. Vocals and acoustic music are magical on the RT25i's with the original tri=laminate tweeter.

https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/417/index.html

I remember also buying a pair if RT35i's (larger version) and they were much less magical in the mid-range. Moved them along.

H9

Nightfall

Hansvelton wrote: »

I have thought, the bass was just a bit limited on the older Polks of that size range. Not till I tried the old 5jr+ did I think they had okay enough bass.

Lots of good mini subs. REL, Sunfire, etc.

I have a little ultra mini Sunfire & the bass is seriously surprising for the size. 6.5" driver & 6.5" PR solid metal enclosure.

plainoledave

heiney9 wrote: »

based on my experience with the L100 demo and Polkfest attendee's reviews of the R200 and then the 40% off sale, it was a no brain-er. I am thrilled that they live up to the hype and more.

I really want to compare the upper mid-range and vocal capabilities to my all time favorite small Polk bookie the RT25i. Vocals and acoustic music are magical on the RT25i's with the original tri=laminate tweeter.

H9

Do they offer that discount every year during polk fest? I was unaware of that discount. Was it 40% r200 only or anything?

I had a pair of rt25i and regret selling them. I think I got $50 for them in the mid 2010’s. I liked my lsi7’s much better though.

charpyjoec25

I'm not sure why I see the L100's being called "bass shy". I have them connected to my Cambridge cxa81 with an extremely revealing and neutral smsl d6 dac, and I find the bass to be so clear and pleasing. It hits with great muscle for a five and a quarter driver. Double bass on well produced tracks sound very full and have a nice punch. I have a small 8" subwoofer with dsp but didn't find much need for it. And I am far from adverse to bass. I love it in spades and for me and my setup, the L100's deliver quite nicely. I managed to get my pair at an extreme discount, but if I had paid full retail, I wouldn't have had a second thought about it. Hope this helps. I will admit that I am currently in the market for a little warmer DAC with slightly more "character" if you will. Any suggestions under the $1k price point?

F1nut

The reason they are bass shy is because their -3dB is 57Hz. I've compared the L100 to the L200 in the same room, same gear and the same music. There is no comparison, the L100 is lacking.

Emlyn

There is important fundamental musical information (drums, bass guitar, piano, etc) below 57Hz that the L100s can't produce cleanly if at all. What they can produce will sound good, and loud, though and especially in a small room or with nearfield listening on the L100s. There is less missing musical content below the 46Hz -3db level on the L200.

I don't have a specific recommendation on a DAC because there are so many these days and a lot of the less expensive ones sound bright. Doesn't the CXA81 already have an ESS Sabre based DAC built into it?