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heiney9

I will say I've had these running for about 5 hours (L600's) and they sound damn good right out of the box and where they are initially set up.

Still have much break-in and tweaking to do, but I am impressed right out of the box they bring it.

H9

Clipdat

Truly sorry to see that they arrived damaged. Hopefully Polk CS can make this situation right to your satisfaction. Let us know the outcome.

F1nut

Vintage Polk speakers had foam sheets around all sides about 1.5 inches thick IIRC, but even that isn't going to stop damage from a forklift. Neither would 4 inches of cardboard, which I've never seen in a speaker box.

I've seen how Polk and many other companies pack their speakers these days. It's actually a pretty good idea to leave all that open space as reasonable punctures will not come in contact with the cabinet at all.

Looking at the puncture and the scratches on your cabinet I seriously doubt it was caused by a forklift as the damage would be considerably worse. It looks more like the box hit the sharp corner of something. If there was packing material behind the outer box at that point it's likely the force would have caused more serious damage to the cabinet.

heiney9

We'll have to agree to disagree Jesse as far as packing goes. If there had been 4" of corrugated card board in the blank space this would have been avoided. And I fail to see how more packing of a completely open area could lead to more damage the contents. Air isn't a defense when it comes to solid objects

You're right. In thinking about it again, it probably wasn't a fork lift. But, I've seen IKEA stuff with denser packing than this.

I'm not even blaming Polk. The oversized box I'm sure has been helpful in avoiding minor damage. I mean the boxes are huge compared to the speakers. And the gap around the speakers is large.

It's an unfortunate accident.

H9

VR3

The only speakers I've seen with cardboard packing like you describe is definitive Technology

I think the legend and reserve series has great packaging compared to the lsim

Milito

Sorry to hear one of them was damaged. Look forward to your review.

heiney9

I'm over the initial anger/disappointment of the minor damage. These things happen and I'm sure Polk thought it through and would have changed it if it was a common occurrence. I had a hard time locating the scratch this morning peaking my head behind the speaker this morning.

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heiney9

nooshinjohn wrote: »

heiney9 wrote: »

I'm over the initial anger/disappointment of the minor damage. These things happen and I'm sure Polk thought it through and would have changed it if it was a common occurrence. I had a hard time locating the scratch this morning peaking my head behind the speaker this morning.

Polk may just send you a replacement cabinet or speaker with no need to return the old one.

They're not going to let me keep a $1700 speaker. If they do, they are nuts. I have zero interest in moving hardware and drivers from one cabinet to another on a brand new $1700 speaker. If that's what you mean by sending a replacement cabinet.

Maybe a solution for an extreme circumstance. But this is a very slight scratch.

Emlyn

Emlyn wrote: »

Edit: five minutes after posting a freight company called me to arrange delivery tomorrow. No FedEx involved.

Arrived safe and sound via Old Dominion Freight standing upright strapped to a pallet. Minor gouge in one box but just superficial on the outer box. First time I remember quoting myself here.

skipshot12

heiney9 wrote: »

I'm over the initial anger/disappointment of the minor damage. These things happen and I'm sure Polk thought it through and would have changed it if it was a common occurrence. I had a hard time locating the scratch this morning peaking my head behind the speaker this morning.

heiney, I feel ya.
I am one that keeps my gear in better condition than it arrived in. I clean and adjust to a point that’s truly anal. Physical appearance to me is as important to audible performance.

But I’m gonna add something to what you said above being over the initial…
Look at it this way.
If these are speakers you’re gonna keep for a very long time let it slide. Don’t let it get in the way of your enjoyment of these. If it’s on the back and you can’t see it while listening let the disappointment go and have fun.
May be too much work to get a replacement.

Other thing to consider is the price. Feel good at the price paid for them.

Not trying to dismiss the scratched gear you received just trying to add some thoughts that may help.

Still, looking forward to your impressions on how they sound to you.
Have fun….

Skip

dromunds

Here’s a little striptease ****. But it ain’t all coming off. Yet. You’re gonna have to wait for it, beeches.

msg

So, what you mean is, you haven't figured out how to get them out

Emlyn

Unboxed the L800s and replaced my venerable JMLab 920.1 in my two channel system. Even straight out of the box the L800s seriously outperform the older speakers and those are excellent. They're about the same size as each other. SDA makes the major difference. They'll need quite a bit of time to fully open up and settle in based on my experience with the first pair that I use in my home theater system. I need to do something about those feet on the speakers eventually because the floor in that room is carpeted and the spikes aren't great. They'll do for now though.

They're set up 18 inches from the front wall and 74 inches apart inside edge to inside edge. Powered by a Parasound JC5 amp and supplemented by a Rel S/812 subwoofer. Even with freshly deployed speakers this is the best that system has sounded.

msg

dromunds wrote: »

Here’s a little striptease ****. But it ain’t all coming off. Yet. You’re gonna have to wait for it, beeches.

Side note, I think it's kinda neat that Polk gives away a free set of Magnepans when you buy L800s.
You know, so you can compare real quick and then pitch the Magnepans.

heiney9

dromunds wrote: »

Here’s a little striptease ****. But it ain’t all coming off. Yet. You’re gonna have to wait for it, beeches.

Not joking, but I have dibs on these if you ever decide to move them along sometime in the future. Basically I can drive a few hours to pick them up. Just put that in the back of your mind for the future Don.

toucanet

I'm so angry with myself for missing this opportunity for a second time! I hope there is another opportunity for purchasing a pair of L800 speakers.

skipshot12

This is getting interesting.
It's like having to wait on the next episode of Gold Rush....

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msg

Your dog looks worried.

dromunds

That’s was my experience with breaking in the L200’s.

Emlyn

Likewise with my first pair of L800s. They took a couple months to smooth out.

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heiney9

Toolfan66 wrote: »

So I have been listening for about an hour now, liking what I’m hearing so far, this may or may not sound weird, but there are moments where I’m like wow they are already opening up, then all of a sudden they sound a little congested then they just start sounding really open again. Been awhile since I have played with new speakers..

I'm having the same experience with the L600's and also did with the R200's when they were new.

treitz3

While not "new" speakers, or even Polk speakers? My new speakers (to me) took quite a while before they started to stop changing as well. I think they have stopped....but I have thought that before too.

Tom

msg

you guys all nailed it.

Toolfan66 wrote: »

So I have been listening for about an hour now, liking what I’m hearing so far, this may or may not sound weird, but there are moments where I’m like wow they are already opening up, then all of a sudden they sound a little congested then they just start sounding really open again. Been awhile since I have played with new speakers..

yeap, had the same experience. they were inconsistent for a while. and you'll likely be playing with placement, too, which will make it worse/better

Mine were noticeably less congested when I freed up about 1.5ft of space around them. Originally had them close to the cabinet. Then moved them out, but had 703s between them and the cabinet and subs outside. Too crowded. Setup HT bypass and reduced the clutter. Much cleaner.

The other main factor with distance to back wall. Bass was non-existent in my space/listening area until I moved them back closer to the wall.

I forget what they say in the manual - something about width and distance to wall for sound character adjustments. Whatever they say, it was very simple and very effective at broad-stroke tuning. I made maybe three main changes, and they've been in the same position since.

Emlyn wrote: »

Likewise with my first pair of L800s. They took a couple months to smooth out.

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Exactly why I nearly sent mine back. They sounded terrible right out of the box but had moments where they grabbed my attention. It took two months before they began to sound their best.

Same here. I was back and forth on them right up through the end of the return window. After a couple of months I started feeling really glad I didn't return them.

toucanet

I'm interested. I'll be waiting in line.

msg

Toolfan66 wrote: »

Well the hard thing for me will be saying goodbye to a set of old friends.. ☹️

Well who says you'd have to?
It would make you a collector, not a hoarder!

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skipshot12

^ What John said…..