Can we talk about the entire Reserve line?
Hello everyone,
I have not looked deeply on where I could go out and hear them but does anyone know where?
Anyway , I've seen all the reviews and want to get my ears on them. I want to see all the finishes and hear the entire line. I usually go for the flagship model floor standing model followed by each piece being top of the line. But I'm thinking the R600 might be the right choice if I decide on a floor stander , or using the wall mounted Center channel as a full 5 floor level system. That would make for a flawless system using the exact same speaker all around. Then I think about the 2 book self speakers. I'd like to explore that avenue and see how they integrate with my 2 Velodyne DD10 Plus subwoofers.
So who has heard the entire line? Thoughts?
I have not looked deeply on where I could go out and hear them but does anyone know where?
Anyway , I've seen all the reviews and want to get my ears on them. I want to see all the finishes and hear the entire line. I usually go for the flagship model floor standing model followed by each piece being top of the line. But I'm thinking the R600 might be the right choice if I decide on a floor stander , or using the wall mounted Center channel as a full 5 floor level system. That would make for a flawless system using the exact same speaker all around. Then I think about the 2 book self speakers. I'd like to explore that avenue and see how they integrate with my 2 Velodyne DD10 Plus subwoofers.
So who has heard the entire line? Thoughts?
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
Comments
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R200ae order it!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Those AE’s are looking like something real special2 Channel in my home attic/bar/man cave
2 Channel Focal Kanta 3 I Modwright SWL9.0 Anniversary Pre I Modwright PH9.0X I Modwright KWA-150SE I VPI Prime Signature w/ Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC I Lumin U2 Mini I North Star Designs Intenso DAC I Audience OHNO ICs/Audience Furutech FP-S55N and FP-S032N Power Cables/Acoustic Zen Satori I Isotek Sirius -
Nice subs
afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
They are quite good my friend. I have had no reason to replace them. We carry JL audio and I took him a pair of F110v2's and I gotta say the Velodynes Held their own against them. It came down to a pick which one you want and honestly I really couldn't tell the difference, they damn near sounded like the exact same sub. It was amazing how they both just disappeared into the room.Nice subs
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Looks Like World Wide Stereo carries the line. I gotta head over there and inspect this line.
What holds me back with the Reserve line is the vinyl finishes. The Wood and black I think by pictures look like cheap entry level speakers. I have an old Polk PSW350 subwoofer and it has that same textured black vinyl finish. I don't think it belongs on a high performance speaker.They don't look high quality. Again by the pictures, the Satin White models seem to look the best. I don't know if I could own white speakers, maybe I could. I gotta go see these speakers, get my ears on them and inspect the cabinets.
The older , well all the older Rt RTI RTIA speaker lines all looked pretty nice for more of an entry level line. I thought the fit and finish was on par with the performance of the speakers.
I think if I get some spare time today, I'm heading over there and checking them out.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I was going to get my r700s in the walnut but glad I didn’t. I don’t think they would age well. The matte black looks better in the flesh. It looks smart with the grey grills. I have the L400 center and for the price difference the finish is a bit average. Too much gloss plastic for mine. But it’s sounds great so….
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Under bright light the finish on the "black" is actually a combo of black and dark grey. That's why the grilles are a matching medium grey color. While the finish isn't perfectly smooth I find it to be smoother than the vinyl that Polk used to use years ago. On the initial photos of the Reserve speakers I thought the finish looked like spray on truck bed liner. It's not really like that. The white finish is similar and sort of sparkly rather than a smooth glossy white. Neither is glossy smooth but nor are they dimpled as in the past versions of vinyl covering. If you see one speaker in a particular finish the finish will consistently look the same on all of the models.
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I have an old PSW350 Subwoofer with that textured vinyl wrapping on it. Most cheaper speakers and subwoofer used that vinyl. In the pictures, it looks exactly like that which bothers me on a speakers that has so many good reviews and excellent sound quality.Under bright light the finish on the "black" is actually a combo of black and dark grey. That's why the grilles are a matching medium grey color. While the finish isn't perfectly smooth I find it to be smoother than the vinyl that Polk used to use years ago. On the initial photos of the Reserve speakers I thought the finish looked like spray on truck bed liner. It's not really like that. The white finish is similar and sort of sparkly rather than a smooth glossy white. Neither is glossy smooth but nor are they dimpled as in the past versions of vinyl covering. If you see one speaker in a particular finish the finish will consistently look the same on all of the models.
The White finish I thought was more satin than gloss? The Wood grain to me looks very cheap again I need to see these things in person.
Where did you get to see them?
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I have a full set of the R600, R200, R400 and the Atmos modules in the black finish. I do recommend seeing them in person since the photos and videos I've seen can't capture what the finishes really look like in person.
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So where did you go to see them?I have a full set of the R600, R200, R400 and the Atmos modules in the black finish. I do recommend seeing them in person since the photos and videos I've seen can't capture what the finishes really look like in person.
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I ordered the R200s from Crutchfield to test and decided to keep them. Then the super sale Polky prices prompted me to get the rest.
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I have an old PSW350 Subwoofer with that textured vinyl wrapping on it. Most cheaper speakers and subwoofer used that vinyl. In the pictures, it looks exactly like that which bothers me on a speakers that has so many good reviews and excellent sound quality.
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I have the R600 and also an old PSW110 sub, both in black, and I'd say the finish on them is pretty similar (they're in different rooms but I just walked back and forth to do a quick comparison) and I'm guessing they might be like the 350 based on description above. What I like about this approach is that it's a very matte finish, they kind of sink into the decor and they're not trying to make any kind of statement or pretending to be something they're not. I just received an SVS SB-2000 Pro and really not happy with the finish, it's a faux wood grain that just screams Fake.
LR: Polk R600, SVS SB-2000 Pro, Marantz NR1200 pre, Emotiva BASX A2 amp, Denon 600NE CD, JVC L-A11 turntable.FR: Polk TSI-400, Polk PSW110 center, Polk R1 surrounds, Onkyo TX-NR656 receiver.Home office: Polk LS50, Yamaha NR-602 receiver, JVC KD-V100 cassette, Sony TC-558 R2R.In reserve: Technics SA-203 receiver"Y'know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it ... hurts." -
If the finish of the speaker is ultra important then spend up for the Legend series. The finish on the Reserve series is certainly very good and absolutely acceptable to most people & on par for a speaker in this $$ range. If you want it to look like like a high end piece of furniture then pay up for the Legends.
Simple as that. All this agonizing over finish is a bit OTT, IMO. With the generous return policies perhaps buy both pairs and compare in home and send the pair back that doesn't meet visual expectations. B & M stores that carry them in person are few.
That's just how it is today, the olden days of stopping by the local hi-fi dealer to shoot the **** and
browse inventory has passed for most places. Or make a road trip for dealer that does have them. Depends on how much your time is worth vs. mail ordering both for in home demo.
Just my .02c
H9
"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I have an old PSW350 Subwoofer with that textured vinyl wrapping on it. Most cheaper speakers and subwoofer used that vinyl. In the pictures, it looks exactly like that which bothers me on a speakers that has so many good reviews and excellent sound quality.PresidentPolk wrote: »
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I have the R600 and also an old PSW110 sub, both in black, and I'd say the finish on them is pretty similar (they're in different rooms but I just walked back and forth to do a quick comparison) and I'm guessing they might be like the 350 based on description above. What I like about this approach is that it's a very matte finish, they kind of sink into the decor and they're not trying to make any kind of statement or pretending to be something they're not. I just received an SVS SB-2000 Pro and really not happy with the finish, it's a faux wood grain that just screams Fake.
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it's a good subwoofer nonetheless less. Finish I think is a big part of the experience. If it doesn't look good, you don't feel as good looking at it despite how good it may sound.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
If the finish of the speaker is ultra important then spend up for the Legend series. The finish on the Reserve series is certainly very good and absolutely acceptable to most people & on par for a speaker in this $$ range. If you want it to look like like a high end piece of furniture then pay up for the Legends.
Simple as that. All this agonizing over finish is a bit OTT, IMO. With the generous return policies perhaps buy both pairs and compare in home and send the pair back that doesn't meet visual expectations. B & M stores that carry them in person are few.
That's just how it is today, the olden days of stopping by the local hi-fi dealer to shoot the **** and
browse inventory has passed for most places. Or make a road trip for dealer that does have them. Depends on how much your time is worth vs. mail ordering both for in home demo.
Just my .02c
H9
it's all good man. I was just a bit surprised how they look in pictures and even on YouTube reviews. I like the white finish which to me looks the best But I'm not really a white speaker kinda guy. They would work in my room in white but I'm not totally into that.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
So Lets talk about the floor standing models, anyone hear all 3 side by side? I'd like to know how simular and different they are. By spec and design, the only difference should be bass extension. The mid's might be different on the R600 due to the 6 1/2 inch driver but maybe not really. The R500 and R600's I'm assuming are very similar and the stand out is the R700.
Reviewing the line , using them with Sub's, I'm thinking the R500 and R600 are probably the overall best performance to cost ratio if someone was building a system. The R700's are a bit big and would be great in a 2 channel system , and probably be really great in a larger room for surround duty.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I have the R700 and R400 center in a HT setup. I love them in music they are great and do have a nice punch on the bass. I have an F25 Sub but when the R700 are set to stereo the sub goes off and it took me some time to realize the sub was off. Can't comment on the other versions, but I am comming from RTIA 12 and CSi5 so is a big difference.
Cheers -
So Lets talk about the floor standing models, anyone hear all 3 side by side? I'd like to know how simular and different they are. By spec and design, the only difference should be bass extension. The mid's might be different on the R600 due to the 6 1/2 inch driver but maybe not really. The R500 and R600's I'm assuming are very similar and the stand out is the R700.
Reviewing the line , using them with Sub's, I'm thinking the R500 and R600 are probably the overall best performance to cost ratio if someone was building a system. The R700's are a bit big and would be great in a 2 channel system , and probably be really great in a larger room for surround duty.
There is a review out there that has all the Reserve series lined up and reports on the different sounds. Will see if I can find it later. -
Here it is FWIW. As always you will need to translate.
https://www.tuexperto.com/2021/08/30/nuestra-experiencia-con-los-altavoces-polk-audio-reserve/ -
All in Spanish? How do I translate it?Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Google translate
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@mantis i copied and pasted onto word documents just in case you had no luck with the translator
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The Reserve series gets a lot of praise from many sources. I'm almost wanting to pull the trigger on the 700s to replace my SDA 2Bs....am I nuts?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
The Reserve series gets a lot of praise from many sources. I'm almost wanting to pull the trigger on the 700s to replace my SDA 2Bs....am I nuts?
Well if you are then I am too. Because that’s exactly what I did. -
Everything the old sda does is everything the reserve series doesn't do and vice versa.
Two totally different speakers with totally different goals- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Yeh i should add some context to my earlier post.
The SDA2 were in my HT room as they were too big for my other 2 channel room.
My HT room is 6mts square so i have some serious challenges trying to make speakers work and the SDA2's just didn't suit where i needed to put them.
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Yea, I realize they are 2 different types of sound...but you never know what you don't have and that's the itch I have right now. I love my 2Bs, they were the 1st decent speakers I ever bought and the problem is that due to space something has to go if I take the leap. Departing with the 2Bs will not be pleasant....plus I have not yet even talked to the "boss" about this yet
Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
I was never a huge fan of SDA. I had the SDA-2B's and as good as they where , I always felt something just wasn't quite right with them. I sold them decades ago.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Picked up a pair of R100s, can't wait to try them out. Should probably get a good sub to go with them, svs or speedwoofer I've had my eye on lately
