Andrew Robinson R700 Review

mantis

I was very impressed with his impressions of the R700 speakers. I have not heard anything from the new Reserve line but after that review , I need to get my hands on a few pairs.

Who has spent some time with the new Reserve anything ? I'm intrigued by the entire line . I also really like the R350 Center channel. I like it can be wall mounted. I would absolutely use it as a pair of surrounds and possibly a full 5 floor level speakers. Think about it, all 5 speakers identical for a surround system and for SACD and DVD AUDIO cuts. I always thought using the same exact speaker all around always maxes out performance of whatever line your using.

BUT the R200 is a very nice bookshelf. I need to see these finishes in person so I could decide what finish I would put in my house. The Black looks like the cheap coverings you find of lower end subwoofers, by pictures anyway. A nice gloss or black wood grain finish is more attractive to me, I need to see these things in person.

VR3

The reserve and legend series are easily the best Polk has made in a long time.

That said, the real wood veneers for me would be a must in a living room setting. The reserve series finishes look good overall but definitely can tell that is where they saved some money.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I upgraded from the R200 to the R600 and found a nice improvement in midrange detail and obviously a better low end.

mhardy6647

I mean -- I own a pair of R200s, and I like them very much.
Zero interest in HT or multichannel, though, so I probably can't help much.
Lots of threads here already on the Reserve series (mostly, but not exclusively the R200).

Braddles63

Don't they look **** hot in White!!! Shame Polk is dropping the white or so ive heard.

Enjoying my R700's for two channel. Just added a L400 centre for movies. Happy days.

F1nut

White speakers...yuck!

smglbrth

Braddles63 wrote: »

Don't they look **** hot in White!!! Shame Polk is dropping the white or so ive heard.

Enjoying my R700's for two channel. Just added a L400 centre for movies. Happy days.

A4Les has white R600's, just saying...

TroyD

We've editorialized at length on the R200's.....the Reserve line is a giant killer for sure.

mhardy6647

Some good perspective on L, R, and the previous top-line Polks at
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/196565/shootout-between-r200s-l200s-and-lsim-703s
In case any of the readers of this thread (and/or the OP) haven't seen it yet.

mantis

TroyD wrote: »

We've editorialized at length on the R200's.....the Reserve line is a giant killer for sure.

Hello Troy, Been awhile since we talked. What are your personal impressions of the Reserve line. I know you said they are a Giant Killer which speaks highly of this line but I have yet to hear them and have heard everything before them.
Thanks man , hope your doing well.

Dan

TroyD

Hey Dan!

Personally, I think that the Reserve line.....which I'll assume that that the R200's aren't an outlier (which is possible, I suppose) and that the performance level is consistent across the line.....I'd venture to say they are the best value, bang/buck in loudspeakers, with the possible exception of the Magnepan LRS's

The opinion of Andrew Robinson on the R700's mirrors my own opinions of the R200's.......except I think the white looks like pickled a$$. The vinyl wrap is fine but much prefer the real wood veneers.....but that's a minor quibble.

Hope all is well with you, brother!!

mantis

Thanks Troy,
I'm still suffering from Long Covid if you didn't know. I talked about it a bit on here. It's been about 6 months now and I'm still in bad shape. The Reserve series I never got to hear so I'm trying to get a listen in and I also respect yours and everyone else's opinions on here.
I think the finishes mess with me. Not having real wood veneers is a bit of a strange way to go. I don't really like without seeing in person, the black finish. The White from pictures look nice but I'm not sure white would work for me. The Only wood grain finish again looks nice in pictures and video but without seeing them in person, it's really hard to judge them.
Not having brick and mortar stores as usual is an issue.

heiney9

The black is very well done and doesn't look cheap or as an afterthought. If you are enamored with a wood grain finish then perhaps it might not be to your liking at first glance. How often do really notice or stare at the wood grain on your speakers?

I've seen cheaper looking wood grain finishes than the black finish on the Reserve series. A cost reducing move that has the least impact, IMO. I have also found that black wood grain is hard to see anyway. The lighter wood grains or the more exotic wood grains are certainly more noticeable if they are missing from said product, but then it's understood the increase in price is related to how good the wood/veneer is.

H9

mantis

heiney9 wrote: »

The black is very well done and doesn't look cheap or as an afterthought. If you are enamored with a wood grain finish then perhaps it might not be to your liking at first glance. How often do really notice or stare at the wood grain on your speakers?

I've seen cheaper looking wood grain finishes than the black finish on the Reserve series. A cost reducing move that has the least impact, IMO. I have also found that black wood grain is hard to see anyway. The lighter wood grains or the more exotic wood grains are certainly more noticeable if they are missing from said product, but then it's understood the increase in price is related to how good the wood/veneer is.

H9

I wonder if anyone will have the Reserve series in stock anywhere for me to see in person. I'm pretty locked in on getting Monitor Audio as my next speaker package BUT I'd really like to dig into the Reserve series first.

jbreezy5

I bet MA Silver and Polk Reserve sound very different when compared.

You might end up with both!

F1nut

jbreezy5 wrote: »

I bet MA Silver and Polk Reserve sound very different when compared.

That's guaranteed!

Braddles63

I had the MA GS60's and the R700's eventually saw them sold.

VR3

Well... That settles that

jbreezy5

VR3 wrote: »

Well... That settles that

Wouldn’t be so sure. Better to one isn’t necessarily better to all.

The latest MA Silvers measure extremely well. The MA finish is also superior to vinyl.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/monitor-audio-silver-500-7g-loudspeaker-measurements.

VR3

Monitor Audio at new prices is extremely over priced

jbreezy5

That again is a matter of opinion.

VR3

Measurements always tell the whole story

https://youtu.be/MB8btY1hL5A

jbreezy5

No need to go to extremes. 🙂

However, it helps that I own MA Silver 1s which also measure very well, and subjectively, I love the sound they produce.

IME, the MA house sound is very consistent.

VR3

I'm not saying they are bad or good, I'm just saying at their retail value they just don't really have the build quality I would expect.

This really goes for most brands in today's market compared to say 10 years ago.

Used however they present a tremendous value being available at 25% of retail within 5 or so years it seems.

What Polk is doing at the reserve price point is a breath of fresh air.

mantis

I think the build quality of the Monitor audio line is fantastic. Very nice finishes , very good fit everything is nicely made like nice furniture.
The Bronze Silver and Gold lines are all very nice. The Bronze series is pretty amazing for their cost IMO.
I don't think they are over prices especially when you compare them to things in the same price point.

But the Reserve line is getting some very high praises from many different reviewer Youtube channels. I'm surprised how everyone so far has the same opinion. When you start reading consistent reviews, you start to think that these things gotta be legit.

Darkscience

I own the R700 and R400, the build quality/finish and aesthetics is top of the line. If you like shiny finishes or real wood veneer than not for you. I completely understand not liking the fake wood veneer vinyl, I do not either. In person these speakers do not scream cheap at all, not the slightest, to me they scream high end performance. They are solid as a rock and the wrap is done to the same level as a fine wood finish. I am upgrading from Polk RT80, those have a similar finish but not close in same quality. The matte black finish is a welcome in a sea of shiny black. For HT use matte black is also superior. Anyway new here, coming to look advice in surrounds, Polk R100 or R200, are either and or both overkill for surrounds? If so going with R100.

mantis

So I'm thinking the black finish. I see cheap subwoofer covered in that type of wrapping. The first picture I saw of the Reserve line, it was the first thing I thought of and I don't really care for that finish. The only other is Matte white which possibly could work or the cheap looking vinyl wood that doesn't seem to look real. I have not seen these in person so I have no idea. Where you able to see them in person before you purchased them?

As far as surrounds go, I think 2 options are the correct one. 1 - the Atmos Module would make for a nice direct firing surround speaker. You would have to measure for the firing as they are on an angle so they will be mounted higher then standard 72 inches to the tweeter in a 5.1 setup. 2 - the R350 center channel, this is what I would use for surrounds. I think that is the perfect speaker for that duty. I also think having 5 floor level R350 speakers all the way around the room would yield fantastic performance in a Multi Channel music / Home Theater system. Positioned correctly on the wall, I also think you probably could get some really good 2 channel music out of them IF pointing them straight works well for imagining. If not you would have to use shims or make a angled mount to angle the speaker inwards the amount of toe you would need.

I have done many other brand on wall speakers for fronts and for 2 channel when positioned correctly are awesome. Def Tech , Paradigm , Martin Logan , Monitor Audio , B&W to name a few I have done over the years and you really can build a killer balanced sounding system when you use the exact same speaker all the way around.

jbreezy5

I had a friend with a dedicated HT room and he had Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 floorstanders all the way around (including center channel).

These had 1” soft-dome tweets, 3” soft-dome midranges, and dual 8” woofers (true 3-ways).

He also had a SVS Ultra 15” (I think) cylinder sub.

The sound was sublime.

Another vote for identical speakers all the way around.

mantis

I would like to compare the R350's to the R200 Bookshelf speakers and see how they compare. That center channel LCR should match very well.
My thinking is 5 R350's all the way around. That would be a pretty badass setup IF they sound awesome.

Braddles63

mantis wrote: »

I think the build quality of the Monitor audio line is fantastic. Very nice finishes , very good fit everything is nicely made like nice furniture.
The Bronze Silver and Gold lines are all very nice. The Bronze series is pretty amazing for their cost IMO.
I don't think they are over prices especially when you compare them to things in the same price point.

But the Reserve line is getting some very high praises from many different reviewer Youtube channels. I'm surprised how everyone so far has the same opinion. When you start reading consistent reviews, you start to think that these things gotta be legit.

100%. Monitor Audio fit and finish is first class. The GS60s were as much a nice piece of furniture as great speakers. The top end was better and the bass had a bit more texture but the R700's just suited my room better for movies and 2 channel.

Darkscience

Just arrived! Can't wait to get some time to open them.