Everyone says the L600 is better than R700

Andons27

Anyway, I don't understand this logic? The R700 has newer port(better bass)technology, bigger mid-range drivers and woofers, and uses the same speakers. So how exactly is it better? I get that it probably has more expensive crossover boards, but how could that outperform larger speakers?

SIHAB

everyone knows L is before R but 600 is less than 700

nooshinjohn

Have you heard either one for yourself?

Andons27

No, but I've listened to the R200 and R350 a good amount.

heiney9

How can the R700 have bigger midrange drivers than the L600 and use the same speakers? That statement makes no sense at all.

Who says the power port on the 700 is "better" than the 600 just because it's a different design. (the manufacturer literature?)

They are both great speakers, so just pick one and be happy. I bet your gear can't discern the differences so save some money and get the R700's. Those will match the rest of your set-up.

H9

Toolfan66

I would like to know who "EVERYONE" is?

txcoastal1

Hello @Andons27 ...here is a quote from another thread from @JustinThyme. Hope this helps

https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/comment/2707787

JustinThyme wrote: »

I might be dragging this up a little, it’s a couple of months old but seeing how no one actually answered the OPs question as for a directed comparison I’ll give it a shot as I have both. I originally bought the R700s for surrounds in my man cave. Yeah some people say it’s too much for surround but I’m running towers front, surround and rears. Starting with the aesthetics it’s a no contest, L600 hands down. Cabinet weight is nearly identical between the two. The R700 has slightly larger turbine cones and subs.

The L600 has a far better port on the bottom as the low end with smaller woofers is fuller. I saw a mention it the R700 being 3 way, it’s not. Definitely two way with the tweeter on one and the mid and subs on the other. The L600s have 3 way ortho crossovers so all 3 are separated.

Not going to regurgitate specs, they are on Polks website. Which to get is the other question on the table. If you don’t mind the plastic wrap and your ears aren’t all that sensitive to musicality then go with the R700s. If you want the better looking and better sounding of the two then go with the L600s.

When I bought the R700s I didn’t think it would matter with a pair of L800s up front, L400 center, L200 widths and vintage 1.2TLs bringing up the rear. Well it does whether it be an Atmos track or all channel stereo. It’s hard to explain as it’s just something you have to hear for yourself. Not saying the R700s are bad and they really aren’t priced that far behind the L600 especially right now with a sale going on and I call my favorite retailer and got 20% off. Lord knows they have gotten a lot of my money including the fresh Marantz AV10 that I replaced the AV8805A with but kept it too. Everything timbre matched just sounds awesome. The tweeter in the L600 and R700 are supposed to be the same but the crisp highs aren’t there in the R700.

Just looking at how they are mounted is a clue. The rest is purely a much higher end 3 way crossover in the L600 where the R700 is two way (no doubts about it, if you don’t want my word call Polk). I at first thought they were the same with a 1/2 inch smaller turbine cone and 1 inch smaller woofers in the L600s. The size thing got me. The bass port on thr L600s works magic on the low end hitting slightly lower and all 3 spaces are separated in the L600 where it’s not in the R700. So yes I tried both subjectively in the exact same spot in the floor and with the rest of the legends in this particular system the L600s are much better suited. If you are using high end Polks for a PC system I find that a bit strange but your business.

I kept the R700s as they are still decent speakers, they just don’t belong in a legends filled 9.4.4system.

They now reside in my garage with a pair of R200s with a Denon X3700H and an outlaw 5000 amp. When I’m wrenching on a car or my Harley they provide decent music for such a space but they don’t touch the cave set up as a multimedia room with the Marantz AV10 and 12kW in 5 channel amps, all 600WPC into 4 ohms and 4 subs.

In the end it’s about how critical your ears are as IMO the price tags aren’t all that far apart and how much it bothers your eyes when you have all the black veneered legends and add plastic wrap and a gray grill on the R700s.

No I don’t have any recorded data to show the difference. Just my ears. I’d say if I was on a tight budget I’d go for the signature series but that’s a lie. No disrespect intended to anyone who runs them but IMO they suck! In the same ball park as the first Gen T70s and 40s.

I couldn’t help myself and had to pull a woofer to look at the crossovers. No comparison to be made there. The 3 way ortho is a very nice crossover both in its audible capabilities but just to look at compared to the 2 ways loaded in the R700s.

If you are mixing and matching different levels and brands then forget everything I just posted as it’s meaningless, you just won’t get the sound you are looking for if you are as critical as I am.

Good luck!

msg

hehe, I recognize audio obsession when I see it - my whole first year was like this, trying to make big purchase decisions without being able to get ears on, late nights voraciously consuming content, trying in vain not to be swayed by marketing embellishment, photos, reviews, forums. It was horrible. Masochism? I think yes.

Brock - buy one and be happy? That's terrible advice. We all helped you when you were flailing on the L600s or L800s and all the questions during the promo rushes that were pretty much already answered over and over. And then doggin' the guy's gear? lol Real nice. (You bought the wrong speaker by the way, and you will always wonder...) But I will always thank you for the RT25i recommendation... that was solid advice, good buddy.


@Andons27 - It depends on your measure of performance. If all you're after is output, then maybe the R700 is better for you.

If you are looking for a more nuanced, music-first speaker, the L600 may be the better fit.

The Reserve series is a good all around speaker, and is good for music, too. The Legend series was designed to be a cut above. I can't remember what the deal was with the crossovers, whether just different design or better components, but I think @VR3 was able to disassemble each to see how they were made.

Yes, the Reserve and Legend share some components, and definitely the same driver technology. In some cases, where the sizes used are the same, it's been confirmed that they are the exact same driver used in either series.

Yes, a lot of reviewers and forum posters/speculators were talking about how good the Reserve series is, and it is good. I think in general, some people may have been taking liberty in saying the Reserve is so good that it probably isn't worth it to stretch to get the Legend. I do have to wonder how many reviewers or anyone making these statements actually heard both. I'm sure some did. But what their performance preferences are, gear used, long term goals, etc.

In short, I think what we determined here is that they're both good for music, but it boils down to cost, and the Reserve can get you most of the way there, but if you want the best of the two with respect to nuanced musical presentation, that's the Legend. It is confusing though, because the R700 sure is a bad asss looking speaker.

If you are more into music than just combo use for your system, outfitting your combo use system - which is what you're building, iirc? music and HT? - with Legend front mains will give you something to grow into, even if your current system doesn't offer the refinements yet.

If you want to be one-and-done, and don't care to get into 2ch refinement, the Reserve series will be fine.

Personally, comparing only L200, L800, and R200, I do find the Legend series to be better for music. Either is great for combo use.

I did not get a chance to try any of the larger Reserve series speakers, though I was on the fence, obsessing similarly, trying to decide whether to check out the R700 or R600 for myself, and that was after I'd acquired L200s and the L800s, but wasn't used to the SDA yet.

I enjoy the benefits of a capable bookshelf speaker and sub for my spaces more than large floor standing speakers by themselves, L800s notwithstanding. That's special situation due to the SDA, but still enjoy them best with a sub crossed very low. I find that for my spaces, speaker/sub combo offers the cleanest presentation. If I had a dedicated 2ch listening room, I could probably benefit more from a strictly purist 2ch setup, but I don't. Similarly, you have to figure out what works for you and your space, and yes, it's a learning experience, a journey you travel yourself to determine your version.

The guys are bustin' your chops. It's what we do. Pre-purchase research and decision making can be frustrating, I get it, but maybe don't post when you're frustrated. You won't get any coddling here lol

As for the ports - read up on this some more. They both look to be bottom firing, but not sure about the internals on the L600. I think they're probably similar if not the same.

I will say that in my experience comparing the L200 and R200 - that new X-port on the R200s sucks if you can't have the speakers out into the room by several feet. Boomy and overwhelming in my space, but beautiful performers when I had them out in the middle of a room and was using them in a near field 4ft triangle. The L200's "older" Powerport design is better for dispersement, and this is the same/similar design used on the bottom exiting floor standing speakers, both Legend and Reserve.

Regarding this down firing port - I've found with the L800s that I needed at least 1-2ft of room to the sides of the speakers, otherwise the bass was muddy, and the presentation was smeared a bit.



All that said - you should be planning to implement a quality sealed sub for your system if music is at all a priority. Sealed or Ported if you're building primarily for HT. Large mains can make bass, but it won't be as clean as using a sub.

Andons27

Is appreciate the detailed responses. Not sure if I agree that the R700 is 2 way though. It says right on the website 3 way speaker.

VR3

Reserve series has much cheaper crossovers and less robust enclosures with a vinyl finish

In a nut shell

mhardy6647

SIHAB wrote: »

everyone knows L is before R but 600 is less than 700

a response worthy of ASR -- and I mean that as a compliment!

Andons27

heiney9 wrote: »

How can the R700 have bigger midrange drivers than the L600 and use the same speakers? That statement makes no sense at all.

Who says the power port on the 700 is "better" than the 600 just because it's a different design. (the manufacturer literature?)

They are both great speakers, so just pick one and be happy. I bet your gear can't discern the differences so save some money and get the R700's. Those will match the rest of your set-up.

H9

I watched a polk manufacturer video and it talked with the designers and how it got a much better bass response than the legend speakers.

heiney9

Well, there you have it. Why are you here if you know all the answers?

Ever since your first post asking about the R700's you've been trying to convince us to tell you to buy the R700's. So, go get 'em.

H9

heiney9

You've started 3 seperate threads over a months time asking the same thing about these 2 speakers. You buy R200's that are damaged and ask for our advice about what to do and how it could have happened only to argue with just about everyone in that thread that was trying to help. You kept saying you were scammed.

And @msg wonders why I was so flippant with my post.

You've beaten the "Should I buy L600's or R700's" question to death, pick one and move on.

H9

Andons27

heiney9 wrote: »

You've started 3 seperate threads over a months time asking the same thing about these 2 speakers. You buy R200's that are damaged and ask for our advice about what to do and how it could have happened only to argue with just about everyone in that thread that was trying to help. You kept saying you were scammed.

And @msg wonders why I was so flippant with my post.

You've beaten the "Should I buy L600's or R700's" question to death, pick one and move on.

H9

I'm, not sure what crawled up your ****, but the point of these forums is to share ideas. Also, that guy was trying to scam me. He sent me a damaged product acting like it wasn't. We eventually came to a deal and I got a bunch of money back. The reason I asked the question in the first place was that I wanted to know if the damage to the speaker would affect it's performance. I wouldn't post on here if I wasn't looking for a difference in opinion, or trying to bounce ideas around. Anyway, you come off sounding like some pompous audio snob, like my dealings are below you. I'm obviously trying to learn stuff.

Andons27

msg wrote: »

hehe, I recognize audio obsession when I see it - my whole first year was like this, trying to make big purchase decisions without being able to get ears on, late nights voraciously consuming content, trying in vain not to be swayed by marketing embellishment, photos, reviews, forums. It was horrible. Masochism? I think yes.

Brock - buy one and be happy? That's terrible advice. We all helped you when you were flailing on the L600s or L800s and all the questions during the promo rushes that were pretty much already answered over and over. And then doggin' the guy's gear? lol Real nice. (You bought the wrong speaker by the way, and you will always wonder...) But I will always thank you for the RT25i recommendation... that was solid advice, good buddy.


@Andons27 - It depends on your measure of performance. If all you're after is output, then maybe the R700 is better for you.

If you are looking for a more nuanced, music-first speaker, the L600 may be the better fit.

The Reserve series is a good all around speaker, and is good for music, too. The Legend series was designed to be a cut above. I can't remember what the deal was with the crossovers, whether just different design or better components, but I think @VR3 was able to disassemble each to see how they were made.

Yes, the Reserve and Legend share some components, and definitely the same driver technology. In some cases, where the sizes used are the same, it's been confirmed that they are the exact same driver used in either series.

Yes, a lot of reviewers and forum posters/speculators were talking about how good the Reserve series is, and it is good. I think in general, some people may have been taking liberty in saying the Reserve is so good that it probably isn't worth it to stretch to get the Legend. I do have to wonder how many reviewers or anyone making these statements actually heard both. I'm sure some did. But what their performance preferences are, gear used, long term goals, etc.

In short, I think what we determined here is that they're both good for music, but it boils down to cost, and the Reserve can get you most of the way there, but if you want the best of the two with respect to nuanced musical presentation, that's the Legend. It is confusing though, because the R700 sure is a bad asss looking speaker.

If you are more into music than just combo use for your system, outfitting your combo use system - which is what you're building, iirc? music and HT? - with Legend front mains will give you something to grow into, even if your current system doesn't offer the refinements yet.

If you want to be one-and-done, and don't care to get into 2ch refinement, the Reserve series will be fine.

Personally, comparing only L200, L800, and R200, I do find the Legend series to be better for music. Either is great for combo use.

I did not get a chance to try any of the larger Reserve series speakers, though I was on the fence, obsessing similarly, trying to decide whether to check out the R700 or R600 for myself, and that was after I'd acquired L200s and the L800s, but wasn't used to the SDA yet.

I enjoy the benefits of a capable bookshelf speaker and sub for my spaces more than large floor standing speakers by themselves, L800s notwithstanding. That's special situation due to the SDA, but still enjoy them best with a sub crossed very low. I find that for my spaces, speaker/sub combo offers the cleanest presentation. If I had a dedicated 2ch listening room, I could probably benefit more from a strictly purist 2ch setup, but I don't. Similarly, you have to figure out what works for you and your space, and yes, it's a learning experience, a journey you travel yourself to determine your version.

The guys are bustin' your chops. It's what we do. Pre-purchase research and decision making can be frustrating, I get it, but maybe don't post when you're frustrated. You won't get any coddling here lol

As for the ports - read up on this some more. They both look to be bottom firing, but not sure about the internals on the L600. I think they're probably similar if not the same.

I will say that in my experience comparing the L200 and R200 - that new X-port on the R200s sucks if you can't have the speakers out into the room by several feet. Boomy and overwhelming in my space, but beautiful performers when I had them out in the middle of a room and was using them in a near field 4ft triangle. The L200's "older" Powerport design is better for dispersement, and this is the same/similar design used on the bottom exiting floor standing speakers, both Legend and Reserve.

Regarding this down firing port - I've found with the L800s that I needed at least 1-2ft of room to the sides of the speakers, otherwise the bass was muddy, and the presentation was smeared a bit.



All that said - you should be planning to implement a quality sealed sub for your system if music is at all a priority. Sealed or Ported if you're building primarily for HT. Large mains can make bass, but it won't be as clean as using a sub.

I have the polk HTS 12 sub, but I've been thinking about adding another sub to get a more dynamic impactful range of bass. Once I get these towers, l600 or R700 At this point it really depends on which is in stock I'll see how much bass there is. I've heard implementing these speakers is like having a separate sub anyway...