Other Audio Forums & Polk prod...

CrBoy

I have been checking out other CA forums (Elite Car Audio, Car Audio Forum, etc) and nobody on those boards mention anything about Polk Audio products... when it comes to SQ they refer to Focal, Seas, Rainbow, Zapco but never Polk... that's weird! :eek:

Is Polk Audio not-so-well-known, or I'm missing something...?
WTF is going on...?

BIZILL

those are all nice brands. crboy, time to represent!

nadams

Trust me, you mention Polk and everyone is going to discredit you knowing what you talk about. For some reason, Polk has this reputation in the car audio world, and it doesn't seem to be a good one. Every time I've mentioned them I've gotten some snide remarks about "getting what you pay for" or whatever. It seems people are afraid to buy products that are cheaper that everyone elses... We here know it's a load of horseshit, but the general public seems to have other ideas...

That said, the people who do take a leap of faith, and buy Polk products, are always happy with them, but it's convincing them to do so that's the hard part. I think Polk is working hard to overcome this mentality, by attending trade shows and the like, and trying to get their name associated with the reputable background that they have...

ND13

Don't you love people that think they have to spend $1200 for a set of components for their car, only to be outdone by a $350 set of MMCs. It's gonna be really funny when they get their ears on the SRs. You'll still have that group that will not admit that the lesser expensive product out performed their high dollar stuff.

What's that old saying....People who don't know, don't know that they don't know.....something like that anyways. I kinda like being one of the people that know better than to pay for a name. Just today, one of my sales people asked me about my system and when I told him how much it would have cost if I had purchased everything new, he freaked. He then went on to talk about his parents HT and how the sound was coming from all directions and stuff. I asked him what brand of speakers they had, expecting to hear JBL or Infinity since it was HH Gregg that installed it all, and go figure...it was Bose. :rolleyes:

aaharvel

nadams wrote:

Trust me, you mention Polk and everyone is going to discredit you knowing what you talk about. For some reason, Polk has this reputation in the car audio world, and it doesn't seem to be a good one. Every time I've mentioned them I've gotten some snide remarks about "getting what you pay for" or whatever. ...We here know it's a load of horseshit, but the general public seems to have other ideas...

kinda ironic. I bet BOSE followers are thinking the exact same thing about their brand.

AsSiMiLaTeD

aaharvel wrote:

kinda ironic. I bet BOSE followers are thinking the exact same thing about their brand.

yea, but they're wrong

BIZILL

i suppose times have changed. i pieced together my mobile system like 7 years ago. it still kicks ****. at the time i really wanted polks, but my company i worked for offered other brands on accomodation. so i went that route. so, polk mobile audio products are not as highly regarded any longer?

Jstas

That is how it has been since the early 90's. I don't know why Polk Audio got the reputation but many people seem to think they are sellouts. Alot of people also view them as crap because they could be bought in Circuit City and Crutchfield. Some people think they suck because the only experience they have is with the entry level lines of products from Polk Audio. Then again, most of the entry level products like the current DB's and the older EX series speakers were met with critical acclaim. Partly because they out-perform everything else in thier price category. Overall though, Polk seems to have a poor reputation within some circles because of misinformed opinions and strong-armed peer-pressure within the circles to only use what one person thinks is good.

Then again, the sites you mentioned are populated with narrow-minded bandwagon riders that are dazzled by flashy lights and bright colors. There are knowledgable people at those sites but most are affected by a brand allegiance bias. Others are too tired of dealing with the thousands of nonsense posts just to get real information to the people who are asking for help. Unfortunatly, because of the age demographic that alot of the car audio gear is marketed to, you get many young punks that think they have it all figured out, pontificating about things they really know little about just to impress the pre-teen Barbie wannabes. I have also been to sites where the adult population behaves that way too.

Part of the reason that I enjoy my stereo so much is when I meet a "non-believer" and they want to listen to the stereo in the truck. So I crank it up for them, they listen to it and become impressed. Then they ask what is in the truck. Basically because the old dB series had no marking on it save for the subwoofer dustcaps. They are all black with the dull silver silk dome tweeters behind a black mesh. As soon as I say "Polk Audio speakers and Kenwood eXcelon electronics" they change thier tune to "Well, it sounds OK but you should see (insert friend/relative here)'s system and he has (insert some other inane brand name here) and that REALLY bumps!" At that point, I can see what a small minded individual I am dealing with and I just smile, shake my head and shut everything down.

It's quite sad really. They can't look past silly prejudices and blind brand allegiances to see how much is really out there to play with and listen to. Yeah, I prefer the Polk Audio stuff too. Mainly because I have yet to hear anything that I can afford and am wiling to install in a car I drive every day that will put a hurting on the Polk Audio products. Polk Audio has always had solid engineering and science behind thier drivers. They put a hell of alot of R&D into the products they sell and they back all of them 100%. After seeing the comparisons at the PolkFest, it is obvious that the other companies, including a few you mentioned, just don't have the effort and support into the products that Polk Audio has. Speaking of support, none of them can match Polk Audio in the customer service department and none of them will ask thier customers "What do ya think?", write down what the customers said and go back and re-think a product to improve and meet or exceed the expectations.

Let the blind children at CAF and Elite have thier flashy, whiz-bang stuff. Just because it plays loud doesn't mean I want to listen to it. I'll keep my resonably priced, all business Polk Audio stuff and we can all be happy.

MacLeod

Polk has a "less than stellar" reputation among the typical car audio crowd that considers car audio to be 80% subwoofers and 20% everything else. Polk, being a SQ speaker company, doesnt show up on their radar. Now if they had $16000 speakers or a 1000 watt sub they would have more respect....sad isnt it?

The Carsound.com forum, which I consider to be the pinnacle of car audio forums with members ranging from world champion competitors to major manufacturer engineers, Polk is respected as solid gear. Plus a lot of the shops here in town have a respect for Polk. So it has been my experience that Polk is well regarded with the serious and more "educated" enthusiasts.

I think being sold in CC has given Polk a stigma that it doesnt deserve (MTX thunder and Alpine V12 are CC brands too and are as good as you can get) but with Tweeter carrying the Momo line and it growing in popularity and now with the introduction of the class leading Signature Reference series I believe Polk's reputation will grow even among the subwoofer junkies.

bknauss

ECA isn't into the flashy stuff, they just think anything other than Tru and ID is a POS. And knowing a handful of Team ID peeps, they're dumber than a sack of rocks when it comes to audio and should not be trusted with any opinion.

ohskigod

hey, if we have polk products and like em, and others are to dumb to let there ears be the judge, its there loss.

I care how my stuff sounds to me, not others.

TroyD

Damn, a Polk employee who will be non-PC.

Rock on with yo bad self.

BDT

Toxis

Well, other than the new SR series, I've never considered Polk as being a high end speaker in the car audio world. The old DB subs were killer but that's about it. Now I'm sorry, but the MMC's and old MM lines cannot compete with Focal, Seas, Rainbow etc. Let's face it, Polk makes an amazing product for the middle man. I'm just glad to see they're finally coming out with higher end components. Now let's move onto the subs!!!!!

MacLeod

Right, the $300 Momos cannot compete with the $800 and $1300 Focals but they can handle just fine the $300 Access. Within their price point, Polk cant be beat.

Jstas

Toxis wrote:

The old DB subs were killer but that's about it. Now I'm sorry, but the MMC's and old MM lines cannot compete with Focal, Seas, Rainbow etc.

I had a whole response typed up but it's just not worth it. It's obvious that you have your opinion formed so I'll just ask one question.

Ever heard the old dB components?

I have.

ND13

I guess it all depends on what type of sound you like.

Jstas

ND13 wrote:

I guess it all depends on what type of sound you like.

Nah dude, in car audio, installation can actually mean more than the quality of the drivers. There are guys out there winning sound quality competions with JBL GTO series speakers. Sure, the quality of the driver helps alot but when the environment you are installing in to is so hostile to good sound reproduction, high dollar drivers offer drastically diminishing returns.

Unless of course, you are willing to live with the complexity of a competition level set up in your car and constantly worry about some hooligan taking off with your hardware. In most cars though, to get the angles and distances correct to achieve good stereo imaging, one needs to really do some fancy work to be able to mount the drivers where they need to be. Add to that the fact that every ride is different and the complexity and skill levels needed go through the roof. You also have to worry about taming reflections and road noise plus the electronic interference problems that abound in any car. There are other trick ways of doing it too like installing a 3rd speaker in the center of the dash equidistant from the stereo pairs but that can create a whole host of other problems. Didja know that one of Polk Audio's solutions was an SDA crossover network? Yes, Polk Audio actually had an SDA crossover network for your car! Hell, the Mobile Monitor series used the same drivers as the SDA's and most people consider those high-end speakers. But the MM series can't compete with anything from the (insert favorite, unattainble, car speaker name here) company, right?

The dB series was based off of the award winning RT and RTi series of home audio speakers. Most people won't consider the RTi series "high end" because it was sold at CC but the RT series, like the RT2000i or RT3000p would stand up to anything 2-3 times thier price and that puts them squarly in the realm that most other people would find what they consider "high end" right along with the "high end" prices.

So yeah, I guess it is what type of sound you like. Then again, all the arguments I see against Polk Audio aren't based on what sound people like but what sound people think other people think they should like. Silly stuff really. Not worth arguing about it though. No minds will ever be changed. Might as well bang your head against the wall. At least that is productive because eventually, you'll bleed.

ND13

Yeah, I've only installed 60-70 sound systems in vehicles. It still comes down to what type of sound you prefer.

Jstas

ND13 wrote:

Yeah, I've only installed 60-70 sound systems in vehicles. It still comes down to what type of sound you prefer.

Now how was I or anyone else supposed to know that? From what I have seen, you have only mentioned breifly that you had dabbled in the car audio world. If you have done 60-70 installations, you have more experience than you are letting on. If you are holding back the information then you are doing a diservice to the forum because that is knowledge that others who come here looking for help can use. I'm not saying to answer every question that pops up but if you have the know-how, share it.

ND13

Jstas wrote:

Now how was I or anyone else supposed to know that? From what I have seen, you have only mentioned breifly that you had dabbled in the car audio world. If you have done 60-70 installations, you have more experience than you are letting on. If you are holding back the information then you are doing a diservice to the forum because that is knowledge that others who come here looking for help can use. I'm not saying to answer every question that pops up but if you have the know-how, share it.

Man, I've been out of the car scene for 13-14 years now. Things have changed. I was in it for SQ, not SPLs, which seems to be all that anyone in CA is interested in, for the most part anyways. I didn't fabricate sub boxes and that type of thing. I installed the HUs, amps, speakers and another fella did all the fabricating. I put the **** in. I don't have the patience for it anymore. It used to be something I would have done for free, I loved it that much.

PolknPepsi

Some people think the higher the price tag or the fancier the packaging the better the quality..........Wrong!

CrBoy

I guess everybody has a different point of view... I didn't create the thread to start a war between CP members...

I trust Polk a lot (and I've only heard/tried one of their products, the DX-12) based on what everybody says around here... and because I know everything else here where I live is just crap (Audiobahn...) :eek:

Hell... I'm even willing to blind-buy the SR6500, I trust Polk Audio and their products that much...

TrappedUnder Ice

I was running Polk and Linear Power...when everyone else was using MB Quart and RF. I loved my polks then- Even after one pair was stolen...I got another. Too me...they are not the same as they used to be- and I have found other gear- that is more expensive yes- but sounds better too me. I really dont consider Polk car audio as anything special. Polk could come out with some nice stuff ...and I'll listen. BTW...ITs all about SQ....for me- it always has been.

Toxis

Jstas wrote:

Ever heard the old dB components?

owned a set of DB4000's actually.

[Deleted User]

CrBoy wrote:

Hell... I'm even willing to blind-buy the SR6500, I trust Polk Audio and their products that much...

Here ya go. I'm sure you can return them if you don't like them.

http://www.cardomain.com/item/POLSR6500

MacLeod

Yeah, I just saw those today. They havent been on there long have they?

exalted512

TrappedUnder Ice wrote:

I was running Polk and Linear Power...when everyone else was using MB Quart and RF. I loved my polks then- Even after one pair was stolen...I got another. Too me...they are not the same as they used to be- and I have found other gear- that is more expensive yes- but sounds better too me. I really dont consider Polk car audio as anything special. Polk could come out with some nice stuff ...and I'll listen. BTW...ITs all about SQ....for me- it always has been.

thomas, have you listened to the new SRs or the new momo components.

CAF is a **** of a forum. The members there are stupid...extremely stupid, aside from a select few...but even some of the members with over 5k posts are retarded. Theres a few ppl over there...warbleed and geolemon to name a few that actually know a lot about car audio.

ECA isnt as bad. at all...Actually, other than CAF most of the forums are quite good. You dont hear the name polk a lot in hardly any of the forums though. Theyre just not on the forum band wagon...thats basically the reason.

i have a couple complaints about polk...first, the gxr sub...what a piece of ****. second, the 1st and 2nd gen momo subs...both had decent sq, but both would fry in the blink of an eye. And last, the first gen momo components, specifically the midbass driver. It was a muddy driver. It delivered more bass than about any speaker on the market for a 6.5" driver, but it was muddy. Dont get me wrong, those components could go through hell and back...three times and would never even notice. But for an sq speaker, the midbass lacked. The new momo components are EXCELLENT. The new baby momo subs are great. The new SRs are so redicuously accurate its unreal. Not selling the momo line at CC was a step up IMO. I dont really care that they were sold at CC, but I can tell you a lot of ppl thought they were crap because of it. Polk has an excellent line up now, i believe that the db speakers are a tad overpriced. but in its defense, they are a very soild speaker thats unlike most everything else in its price range. the momos come with a 3-yr warranty which is absolutely unheard of in car audio.

in all, polk had some down time, but theyre climbing back up the ladder
-Cody

Thom

As mentioned above, some of the less than stellar products of years past have played a part. The current stuff is MUCH better (especially now with the SR series), but it takes a while before people forget about the stuff that blew up, or just sucked.

Anyone who'd like to see our brand recommended more often, feel free to. MacLeod is the only guy who used to recommend us over at Carsound and nobody beat him up over it. Not to say anyone ran out and bought something, but at least he tried.

Also keep in mind that it's usually not cool to recommend mainstream brands to guys who "know everything" about car audio. They like to stick with the lesser known companies because it makes you feel special to have stuff no one else does. On the Lotus Elise forum we got a good review of our db coax's by Nathan (with the yellow one on our installs page). Quite a few guys have gone out and purchased db (and Momo) speakers for their Elise as a result.

MacLeod

I also pimp em pretty heavy on Sounddomains forum as well {shameless attempt for a pat on the back}.

exalted512

*slap on the back of the head*
-Cody

Jstas

MacLeod wrote:

I also pimp em pretty heavy on Sounddomains forum as well {shameless attempt for a pat on the back}.

Big deal! In the past year, I have gotten 4 people to spend over 2K in Polk Audio equipmentand installed all of it for them!

I'm a bigger Polk **** than you are!



Now where's my commission check?