Polks as desktop speakers - please post your setup

warpdrive

Hi there, new to this forum. I joined because I heard about the discount on the R and L series last weekend, and I was eyeing the R100 as my desktop speakers. I thought it would be fun to start a thread where people post their setups, and what they use.

I'm the type of guy that likes buying and trying out new speakers. I often spend a lot of time in front of my screen, so I want my tunes played on good speakers. I used to do video editing but not so much anymore so these speakers are purely for music. Been a longtime audiophile who likes dabbling in finding value oriented gear that knocks my socks off. Luckily, desktop audio is more affordable because you don't need a lot of watts to make a good impression. Using the computer as a source with a good DAC, you can get great sound without much expenditure.

I read the rave reviews on the Polk R series, it combines the best tech of Legend series at a mainstream price. I wanted to see what it's all about and with the discount, I couldn't refuse.

This system has seen many speakers, all of which has their strengths and weaknesses.

My criteria:
- Sub should be optional. I don't want a big box on the floor getting in my way.
- Speaker should be svelte. Ideally not more than 10 inches deep. It should be skinny rather than wide. I tend to like the size of speakers with 4 and 5 inch mid-bass drivers in terms of size.
- Should sound flat on-axis. I can point the speakers directly at my ear and they should sound neutral.
- Looks nice, more like fine furniture than a piece of tech. I had studio monitors before and they always bugged me even though they sounded good. I was always worried my young kids would see the bare speaker drivers and be temped to push in the domes. They also looked plasticky and cheap, even though they weren't

So these Polks check all the boxes and then some, they sound great so far. Ruler flat on axis (saw the measurements on Erins site). I usually buy a speaker and after a few months, I'll know if they are keepers or not. I like what I hear...ran through my test tracks last night. Clear highs, tight bass, good imaging, solid mids. These are displacing my Wharfedale Diamond 12 (which are also very nice speakers - albeit a more polite sound - they are going to somewhere else in the house). Previously I was using Martin Logan Motion 15 (which I didn't like and sold them).

Here's a picture of the new R100 in my space.

Driving them is a mini class D amp - Topping MX5 through USB

F1nut

Welcome to the forum. Nice clean looking desktop set up.

With a frequency response of 58Hz - 39kHz +/- 3dB they need a sub.

warpdrive

Surprisingly they are just punchy enough that I'm not missing a sub as much as I thought I would.

I might pick up a PSW111.....something small like that down the road.

msg

Great setup, man. I like it! Looks great, and bet it sounds great, too.
Congrats on the new speakers and welcome to the forum!

I used to run Polk RT25i with a B&K AVR in a rack off to the side of my desk, along with a sub at the bottom. It was a lot of system for the size of the space. I really liked it, and it was my first start. Those speakers were too big for my desk, though.

Sometime after, a forum member was selling some Audioengine HD3s, and I was fortunate to pick them up. Added a better sub. One of my favorite systems. Loved it so much, I got rid of my office space setup with the Polk bookshelf speakers and AVR, and duplicated the first Audioengine setup in the office, for the most part.

I really like those stands you have under the R100s.
I bet the new X-port in the R series is givign you some nice bottom end. Just wait until you they break in and you get the hours on them. You're in an almost different experience entirely once they're broken/burned-in.

Side note, I've found - as others have previously mentioned re: the R series - that they seem to do really well with some room around them and out from a back wall. I wouldn't have believed it, but just recently had this experience sort of by accident. I'm blown away with the performance of a set of R200s that I just short of hated in the beginning. Running them in a rough setup with a music-first sub.

I was looking for the post from when I first started setting up desktop/near field stuff, but can't find it. Here's a photo I shared on that thread, though. Because my monitors going lower, I flipped the speakers upside down.

My desktop systems have evolved a lot from here. One of the things I always go for is Acoustic Foam Monitor Pads to isolate the speakers from the desk. These little anti-vibe pads in this photo are too hard.

txcoastal1

Nice setup...
I used to run LSi7's in a similar setup at my desk. I did have a Sunfire Super Jr Sub

F1nut

warpdrive wrote: »

Surprisingly they are just punchy enough that I'm not missing a sub as much as I thought I would.

I might pick up a PSW111.....something small like that down the road.

They seem punchy because like a lot of other bass shy speakers they boost the 50Hz range or in your case the 60Hz range to give the illusion of bass.

A decent sub to fill out a lot of what you're missing doesn't have to be large. The Velodyne Microvee is basically a 10 inch cube with a +/- 3dB of 32Hz. It will put the one you mentioned to shame.

skrol

I tried a pair of LSi7 for my desktop and couldn't get them to sound right. The lower mids were blaaa.
Maybe too close to the back wall, though I added a sound absorbing panel. I was thinking that perhaps they are not meant for near-field listening. Perhaps I'll try again.

warpdrive

F1nut wrote: »

A decent sub to fill out a lot of what you're missing doesn't have to be large. The Velodyne Microvee is basically a 10 inch cube with a +/- 3dB of 32Hz. It will put the one you mentioned to shame.

Funny you mention it.....I have the older version and I am looking for a replacement amp (it was used in a second system)

msg

skrol wrote: »

I tried a pair of LSi7 for my desktop and couldn't get them to sound right. The lower mids were blaaa.
Maybe too close to the back wall, though I added a sound absorbing panel. I was thinking that perhaps they are not meant for near-field listening. Perhaps I'll try again.

I've had fantastic and weak experiences with the LSi7s. That is one speaker that gave me the "oh, so this is synergy" experience.

In almost every previous setup, i couldn't really get into them. I parked them for several years. On a whim, I pulled them out to use with a Musical Fidelity integrated, and a sub. Completely different experience.

Before, I used to have to crank them to get any sort of clean sound out of them, otherwise they sounded sort of flat and muddy. With the MF, they were full, lively and just beautiful, even at low to moderate volumes. I was so glad I kept them at that point.

The only other system they sounded good with with an old Realistic STA-84 receiver, 25wpc. Saturday Night Fish Fry, old jazz program from local public radio - maaaan, what an engaging experience.

Thinking back, in my best experiences with them, yeah, I'd say maybe they do need some room.

@txcoastal1 - how were yours placed?

F1nut

warpdrive wrote: »

F1nut wrote: »

A decent sub to fill out a lot of what you're missing doesn't have to be large. The Velodyne Microvee is basically a 10 inch cube with a +/- 3dB of 32Hz. It will put the one you mentioned to shame.

Funny you mention it.....I have the older version and I am looking for a replacement amp (it was used in a second system)

Send the amp to these guys. They've been doing Velodyne amp repairs for a long time.

https://www.ebcelectronics.com/velodyne-repair.php

French_guy

How do you like your Topping MX5?

warpdrive

French_guy wrote: »

How do you like your Topping MX5?

I'm happy with it. Headphone output is clean and can drive my hifiman, Focal and HD600 with room to spare. Has no problem with the near 4 ohm load of the R100. I love the auto on feature, no need to switch it on and off with my computer. I would recommend for any nearfield desktop setup or even a small room system.

skrol

msg
I've played with the LSi7 in my main system and I hear why folks really like them. You memtion the synergy. This is what I noticed about them over the LSi15 with the same system. If I had a nice sub or 2 I would probably use them instead of the 15's.

For the desktop I had used a Prarsound Zamp V2 to power them which likely wasn't sufficient even at low volume. I have an HCA-800ii that I can try. Problem now is that I added another monitor and don't have room for the LSi7 on the desk and would need some stands.

msg

Yes, I was very pleased with the LSi7s for 2ch with a sub. Really surprised, actually.
I tried stereo subs at one point, but can't remember whether I just settled on one.

Yes, the issue with desk space is how I ended up swapping for smaller, shorter speakers.

You could mess with getting a monitor stand or articulating arm ($$) giving you some height with the displays, nd flipping the LSi7s upside down. Likely put your displays too high, though. Could be better out further on stands, as you mention, toed in and having more room to run?

Sometimes I like to sit "inside the triangle". It can be a little like speaker headphones.

warpdrive

I put back my Isoacoustics stands and the speakers sound a lot better. The ones in my top picture are Dynaudio SF1 metal stands, but the large reflective desk surface didn't do the sound any favors, everything sounds less muddy after I raised the speakers 3 more inches higher. Basically, get those speakers off the desk and use some stands! Also the speakers were a bit too close to the back wall but I moved them outward which also helped tighten up the bass more.

The ones I have are a little bit too small for the R100 but the speaker is still very stable (my previous Wharfedales pictured)

msg

I picked up an IsoAcoustic stand to use with small subs. It's good for subs on hard flooring. I can't figure out if it's supposed to couple or isolate, though.

How do you find it with desktop use? Are you still feeling vibrations on the desk?

You might try two sets of these acoustic foam monitor pads. I say two pair because one might not get you the angle that works best. With two pair, you can increase the angle if required, getting the speakers directed more to ear level. With the Isos, are your speakers are facing straight ahead?

These pads are hands down one of the best bang for buck mods. Complete isolation from the desktop, and variable angle control. They come in different sizes. The two halves can be oriented in different configurations to control angle.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0757LTZJJ

Emlyn

Thumbs up on the Sound Addicted products for being cost effective.

The way I understand Isoustics products is they both isolate and couple. They couple a speaker or piece of electronic gear to the Isoacoustics product itself and then the product isolates and controls vibrational energy to and from the surroundings. I actually hate that they work so well just a little bit because I'm tempted to buy more and they aren't cheap. The most noticeable differences to me are on speakers including large tower speakers.

warpdrive

yeah, I think the isoacoustics do a bit of both. They are immovable enough to keep the speaker rigid but just have enough give to reduce transmitted vibrations. You can adjust the angle by using the shims to aim it straight, slight angle or moderate angle. I have it at a slight angle so that the tweeters are pointing right at my ears. From erin's measurements, the ring tweeter starts beaming at over 7Khz, so I really wanted to get the tweeter aligned perfectly for the best detail. They are very neutral, no bloat anywhere in the frequency response on-axis and in nearfield. And once I got it aimed properly, I hear lots and lots of detail. Getting them off the desk surface basically has the same effect as moving the speaker away from the side walls, you don't get a mirror image of the sound reflecting off the desk muddying up the mids (comb filtering). It's quite noticeable.

One thing that Erin noticed in his review, he said the speakers were bright at high volume. I haven't really found that to be the case but maybe I'm a bit used to it because I used to have Dynaudio active monitors and I liked hearing high frequency details for content work.