Crappy Polk showing at CC
I went to Circuit City over the weekend to kill some time as I had not been there in a while. I was looking for the home theater rooms that I had always seen in every CC I went to. There was a huge section in the back with plasmas, DLP's etc. but where were the speakers? Car audio was easy to find a laid out well. I finally found a small room on the side of the building with speakers. It was a room about 10 x 10. They had about 5 sets, each with its own receiver and a tv in the middle. 2 of the speaker were Infinity, 3 Polk. None of the Polks were marked what model they were or had a price on them.
If the grills had not been there, there was no way to know that Polk even existed in that store. I found a salesman and asked where were the Polk's? He pointed to the little room I was just in. I said that was it? He said that he could order the others from a catalog. Hmmmmm, I guess so could I from home. I guess that was too much info to aks for since he also did not know what Blu-Ray was and they had no HD-DVD players in the store yet.
This store gets a lot of traffic and is in a large affluent city. My B&W dealer is just a half mile down the road. The only other place I know of to buy Polks is from Sound Advice where they do have a good selection including the Lsi's. Why would Polk do businees with CC? I cannot see them supporting the brand at all. While the Polk's had a good showing at Sound Advice (Tweeter), they were also overshadowed by the Martin Logans, Mirages, Sonus Fabers in the same room. But that is another story.
Venom
If the grills had not been there, there was no way to know that Polk even existed in that store. I found a salesman and asked where were the Polk's? He pointed to the little room I was just in. I said that was it? He said that he could order the others from a catalog. Hmmmmm, I guess so could I from home. I guess that was too much info to aks for since he also did not know what Blu-Ray was and they had no HD-DVD players in the store yet.
This store gets a lot of traffic and is in a large affluent city. My B&W dealer is just a half mile down the road. The only other place I know of to buy Polks is from Sound Advice where they do have a good selection including the Lsi's. Why would Polk do businees with CC? I cannot see them supporting the brand at all. While the Polk's had a good showing at Sound Advice (Tweeter), they were also overshadowed by the Martin Logans, Mirages, Sonus Fabers in the same room. But that is another story.
Venom
Post edited by venomclan on
Comments
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I noticed the same thing at my local CC. They have all the Infinity's on prominent display (caved in, shattered tweeters and all), with the Polks crowded in dimly lit corners not even hooked up for demo. I asked a salesguy about this, and he responded with "people love the Infinity's".
I guess I'm not "people"......:(I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore -
CC will never be the location of choice when demoing anything..........find somewhere else and use them as a price match if they fit at purchase time.comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
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I have yet to go into a CC and see Polk Audio set-up correctly or even displayed nicely.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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It's hard to keep a good setup at CC. "Managers", and I use the term loosely, like to move stuff around 'just because', and a new manager every 6 months doesn't help. Of course the audio section at CC is never setup by an audio enthusiast.
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Thats when we should take a tip from Bruce I believe it was. Don your Polkfest '05 shirt (cause it looks more official) and go into your local CC claiming to be the local rep and **** em out if the Polk gear isnt prominently displayed!
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CC's presentation of Polk's products is just plain horrible. I said this in a previous post: I was in a CC that had an R50 being used as a door stop to a door leading to one of those "sound rooms" they have. The CCs around here also appear to favor the Infinity stuff, but not by much.
Most retail stores have planograms or item allocations for product display. Managers may have the authority to push items by placing them in high traffic areas, etc. These sales push displays are just secondary displays and should not take the place of the product's original shelf space. The CCs around here seem take products and just toss them wherever management wants to.
People around here have plenty of cash to spend but don't frequent CC because the place is a mess. The BBs around here appear to be better maintained, but they don't sell Polk..
Also, what about the Polk reps? Can they get out there and straighten out this debacle?Receiver: harmankardon AVR235
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DVD: Panasonic DVD-S29 -
The CC closest to me is fairly unbiased about their speakers: all brands are shoved into a tiny, very dim room (as if the lights being lower will make them "cooler") which isn't even labellend on the outside. However, the car audio area is HUGE, filled with slice-your-wrists horrible to mediocre offerings.
There are also a lot of HTIBs hanging around in high traffic areas I noticed. Money speaks louder than quality I suppose, and if there is one thing middle america can do is count. 6 speakers must be a better deal than 2...Lovin that music year after year.
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I've given up on one CC. My last scavenger hunt there was about a month ago. In their sound room I found EVERY Polk had something wrong with it.
Minimum damage of torn grill covers to maximum damage of pushed in drivers.
We have a local AmericanTV (or whatever it is called) that has a nice, decent sound room and they have Polk !
I'm sure that Polk has some sort of marketing arrangement with CC. Perhaps CC takes less of a cut from each sale, I don't know. But without a doubt, in my opinion, Polk needs to get into Best Buy even if BB takes a bigger slice out of the profit pie. Their sales through BB would absolutely increase, offsetting any hit they take on profit/unit sold.
Go for it Polk !
P.S. Wish I could remember the actual name for that AmericanTV place.
They had CS1's on display, so I was able to actually listen to a set that didn't have the CC plague (pushed in drivers).Sal Palooza -
I agree, BB would be the best solution for the masses. The BB near me is building thier high-end Magnolia into the store and it is supposed to be the biggest one in the state. The other BB near me has a smaller Magnolia with Martin Logans and Audioquest (Glad its not all Monster garbage). The sad thing is that they only have receivers. What is the point of buying higher end speakers to run on those Denon receivers? I hope the new one has some decent gear.
I also hear that Sound Advice (Tweeter) ended their relationship with Monster. I will have to go check it out.
Venom -
I talked to a Magnolia sales rep in Lexingtion and I swear to you he told me the reason they didn't carry Amps was a combination of lack of demand and ....
wait for it.....
they were too heavy
I'm serious
Other than that, the place looked pretty sharp.I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore -
zombie boy 2000 wrote:I talked to a Magnolia sales rep in Lexingtion and I swear to you he told me the reason they didn't carry Amps was a combination of lack of demand and ....
wait for it.....
they were too heavy
I'm serious
Other than that, the place looked pretty sharp.
LOL, Was he a girly man? I can see a limited demand for amps but they do have some decent ML speakers, not the high end ones but if I were to spedn the cake on a system I would like an option. Otherwise they will be pushing people to Sound Advice. -
I have seen one Circuit City where all the speakers are in a 10X10 Sound room with the lights off. Another one has a small open room with the Polks and Infinitys mixed. There is also a room with projector screen showing top gun with the monitor 70's(I do not like these).Everything I own burned in the fire!!!!!!!!!!
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Home Theatre wrote:There is also a room with projector screen showing top gun with the monitor 70's(I do not like these).
maybe they don't like you:p
I think you guys should just work it out:)I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore -
mrbigbluelight wrote:P.S. Wish I could remember the actual name for that AmericanTV place. They had CS1's on display, so I was able to actually listen to a set that didn't have the CC plague (pushed in drivers).
You got it right, American TV or sometime American Furniture Electronics and Appliances. I used to work at the one by the St. Louis Mills Mall. I'm back in Des Moines now though. -
We should keep in mind that only the entry level monitor series is carried by CC. Things were better when they had the RTi line, but from what I've heard Polk pulled them out after CC wasn't properly merchandising them.Review Site_ (((AudioPursuit)))
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markmarc wrote:We should keep in mind that only the entry level monitor series is carried by CC. Things were better when they had the RTi line, but from what I've heard Polk pulled them out after CC wasn't properly merchandising them.
Thats a shame. I remember going into CC and checking out th RT5000 system. Demo'd the RT800's with the CS400. Bought the RT55's, 15's and CS245 for my inlaws system they use today. If they asked me to help them with a system, today I could not take them to CC any longer. We would have to go to BB or Sound Advice. I think Polk better rethink their strategy.
Venom -
fireshoes wrote:You got it right, American TV or sometime American Furniture Electronics and Appliances. I used to work at the one by the St. Louis Mills Mall. I'm back in Des Moines now though.
go to.
"Respectively restrained and attentive".
May I help you, Sir ?"
"No, thank you. Just browsing and dreaming".
"Okay, if you have any questions, please call on me.
Polk, as the Blue Collar Tour folks say: "Git 'er done !" (re getting into Best Buy).Sal Palooza -
Tweeter is much better.Everything I own burned in the fire!!!!!!!!!!
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mrbigbluelight wrote:I've given up on one CC. My last scavenger hunt there was about a month ago. In their sound room I found EVERY Polk had something wrong with it. Minimum damage of torn grill covers to maximum damage of pushed in drivers.
So was that the Mills CC that had issues? I'm curious if they still have the fronts and rears reversed on their RM6900 system. I told them more than a year ago that they didn't have the speakers in the right spots, even though I work at the competition. The guy that was working said corporate would have to switch them around, but they never did while I was there. -
If I can avoid it, I wouldn't even visit Circuit City. Even though my local CC has a dedicated sound room to audition Infinity and Polk speakers, they can never ever set up things right or position the speakers correctly. Is it really that hard?
There used to be a chain called The Good Guys around here and they had much better equipment and sound rooms. Polk Audio speakers used to be sold through them before switching over to CC. Unfortunately, The Good Guys is no more and Best Buy is the only other chain around here. -
venomclan wrote:LOL, Was he a girly man? I can see a limited demand for amps but they do have some decent ML speakers, not the high end ones but if I were to spedn the cake on a system I would like an option. Otherwise they will be pushing people to Sound Advice.
You know,
I was just in Las Vegas 3 weeks ago and went to Tweeter there and they had no Amps except Krell. It was not hooked up to the LSI's but to the Krell Reference Speakers. Let's see, spend $2400 tops on a receiver or $10000 on separates. The salesman said this to me. Nuts, just nuts.
BTW the Focals they had in there killed the LSI's hands down. I think they were more efficient. They were driven by a mid-level Pioneer receiver. Oh and CC here does a little better here for Polk. They have a large living room set up at the front of the HT section with SS and Polk monitor Speakers and Sub hooked up to HK receiver. Ypu can listen to the system in SS, 2CH w/ sub and plain 2CH.2-channelBelles 22A Pre, Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2, Marantz SA8005, Pro-Ject RPM-10 Turntable, Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3B, Polk Audio Legend L800's, AudioQuest Cable throughout. -
xsmi wrote:You know,
I was just in Las Vegas 3 weeks ago and went to Tweeter there and they had no Amps except Krell. It was not hooked up to the LSI's but to the Krell Reference Speakers. Let's see, spend $2400 tops on a receiver or $10000 on separates. The salesman said this to me. Nuts, just nuts.
BTW the Focals they had in there killed the LSI's hands down. I think they were more efficient. They were driven by a mid-level Pioneer receiver. Oh and CC here does a little better here for Polk. They have a large living room set up at the front of the HT section with SS and Polk monitor Speakers and Sub hooked up to HK receiver. Ypu can listen to the system in SS, 2CH w/ sub and plain 2CH.
The Sound Advice near me has pulled some of the Krells out of its store. The salesman told me that this was because they move very little of them and will now only allocate those amps to specific stores. I would love a store that carried affordable seperates but I guess there are not too many of those. The independent dealers near me all carry Rotel, Krell, Marantz, Classe, etc.. Rotel being the entry level. The big stores do not bother because they cater to the everyday customer more than an enthusiast.
So where does that leave Polk? What market are they striving for? Now that Good Guys are gone, they seem to have only Tweeter to drive thier sales. When I went there, they had the Lsi's in the same room as Mirage, ML, Sapphire, all driven by receivers using a music server. It seemed more about commodity pricing rather than branding. The newbie would look at all these, try to demo the ones in his price range, ask a salesman what is good, and maybe buy something. When Tweeter lost B&W, they created thier own brand called Sapphire to fill the gap. But Sapphire was entry level at best, nowhere near B&W. They sold them on price and I am sure they made the best markup on those as a house brand.
I think Polk needs to focus more on packages at this stage for the lower-mid ranges. Other than the Polk fans, who is buying the Lsi's? Perhaps newbies who want the most bang for the buck. I would love to see data on where is the most sales from. Crutchfield, J&R? Though I was a Polk fan and still like the company, I think that the Lsi's are the only breakthru and dicernable speakers they have now. The RTi series are just to generic with all the other numerous mid-level speakers out there.
Venom -
When I worked at CC, me and maybe two other people knew how to hook up at system and have it sound good. Managers only care about tvs and HTIBs. I guess they kind of know that people coming into CC are only looking for a nice tv, not a great audio system. Its funny though how I would come in at 5 pm and nothing in the sound room was turned on. Its just that know one cared.AVR: H/K AVR240
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