2nd Annual Christmas Karma - Pioneer SX-450 RCV

dorokusai

This years Christmas, or "Holiday" Karma offering is for a vintage Pioneer SX-450 Receiver(1977). Vintage as in NO 5.1+ type garbage, 100% RCV not AVR. I know some folks hate vintage gear but none of your foo foo gear would exist if it wasn't for simple pieces like this.

Last years karma was a MINT Technics SA-500 which was won by HALO.

I often find real gems in my audio travels and this is one of them that I have saved for the holidays. It's 100% original and flawless. It pushes out a whopping 15x2@8, but this is old school power. No, it's not SO old school that it means 200wpc, but its a solid 15 watts with no problem running most speakers.

History - The owner is a now deceased woman(RIP), who's native Son came back home to "estate" the house and belongings. He told me he bought it brand new for her 30 years ago, and it was in the box when he returned. The unit was set up for his Mother upon purchase, but she mainly listened to the RCA console stereo in the other room and this might have a few hours actual use on it.

The unit included original everything...box, plastic, tissue paper wrap, foam, user manual and the kicker....factory issued 21x15, fold-out schematic(Spec Sheet) for any future repairs. ALL MINT. I buy vintage gear all the time...and I only come across something this nice and original 3-4 times a year. The box has the local audio store it was purchased from stamped on it, Atlantis Sound, Fairfax,VA...currently out-of business

It is M I N T, as in showroom floor condition. If you find a better model example, please let me know....and I will crush you like a grape.

As is standard with ANY doro sale or giveaway...connections have been cleaned and treated with CAIG products and shipping to the winner of this Karma is included.

Includes: Original box, original packaging, original owners manual and original factory schematics.

If you would like some additional information, please go here.

Silver Pioneer is a great website, drop by and let them know.

***Qualifications for Karma?***

No newbies, sorry. If you're new and contribute, or have contributed on a regular basis...fair game. I'll make that decision.

The MAIN requirement to ALL is as follows....

"Why did you choose Polk Audio and what makes them special to you?"

Be honest, be candid, be real. You don't have to be extremely in-depth, but simple, one sentence comments will get your name thrown into the trash.

This could pertain to new, current, recent and vintage products that Polk Audio has manufactured. You can even expound on them as a company without any specific reference to an actual product. It's completely up to you.

KARMA WILL END ON 12/25/06

I'll anounce the winner when I freaking feel like it. Merry F'n Christmas...or Happy Holidays....Kwanzaa....Chanukkaa....blah blah....whatever.

opus

I chose Polk Audio because I got hooked up with a good salesman that put his sales commision aside and said that Polk was better than the Bose that I wanted.

When I switched jobs and came off the road I wanted to use my bonus and spend it on something that I would have for awhile and remember the 7 good years I had traveling the country. All I had ever had were boomboxes but I knew a friend that had Bose cubes and I thought they were cool. So when I went into Circuit City I was prepared to buy a complete Bose setup. My salesman suggested that I try Polk instead and we did a demo. The rest is history. Not to be corny but I appreciate the Polk community the most and especially the people I have met along the way.

In please and thanks

dudeinaroom

awesome karma... not in

heiney9

$h/+, I hope you won't deduct points for being a bit long winded; most of my posts are anyways. more to come...................................

Ricardo

I initially chose Polk because I got a great deal in a pair of RTi8's and needed to replace my fronts....then came the CSi5....then came Club Polk, with this came the SDA's, the upgradeitis, and a bunch of virtual individuals that I feel I've known my whole life....damn....I love this place


Great Karma and yes, in please; I have the perfect place for this one.

Never saw "net weight" and then "net net weight" before

beardog03

The only other speaks I ever owed was a pair of Bose 901 series IV`s back in the mid 80`s...
I went speaker shopping one day and heard the rt35i`s and found "my sound"..
I bought a pair of rt15i`s...then a couple years later I bought the
2000i`s...after all was said and done, I own almost every car and home speaker Polk makes..!!
I have a pair of every RTi speak and all but the 15 & 25 of theLSi variety...of course not the SDA`s though...sad to say..
Then I found the Polk Forum, went to PolkFest and made some of the best friends a beardog could hope to have..
Polk`s customer service, quality speaks, and the best Forum on the net, keeps me a happy camper...

Toss my name in the Hat, bro..

and have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season....

halo

You are Da Man Mark! Obviously I don't want to be "in" on this excellent karma but here's my story:

I wanted to replace a mismatched Bose HT set up so I did some limited research on the net. The first thing I ended up with was a full HTIB set from Yamaha ala BB - designed for use with plasma TV's (looked cool but it sounded like crap). Returned that and did a little more research. After visiting CC's web site I saw that the R30's & R15's were on sale. Crutchfield was offering a helluva a deal on Infinity Primus speakers at that time too. Off to CC I went to demo both speakers. Once I got there it took me all of five minutes to decide to purchase the Polk's. Got home, hooked 'em up, and I couldn't believe my ears! Never heard that much detail out of my humble HT before.

Polk's entry level speakers laid to waste higher dollar Yamaha, Bose, JBL, & Cerwin Vega. Later I found out about Fry's killer sale prices so I returned the R30's and picked up some R50's instead. I kept the R15's from CC and used one R15 for a center channel until I found a CSi20 on eBay.

I joined CP around that time and the rest, as they say, is history.

Since I was hearing so much more detail from the HT I decided to get back into building a 2 channel rig with the R50's and relegated the R15's to HT use. Everyone told me how bad the R50's were for 2 channel use so I took some of the advice of our senior members and pursued some vintage Polk Monitors. From Monitor 10A's, 10B's, 11's, to RTA 11T's, to RTA 15TL's. That's been my Polk journey. I have Von Schweikert VR-2's in my 2 channel rig now but I still have the R15's, CSi25, and SVS 20-39 PCi in my HT. All thanks to....CP and all the great people here!

Happy Holidays everybody!!!

Disc Jockey

Simple story here and probably similar to many. Went to one of the local sound shops many years ago after graduation looking for a little present for myself. At that time I had heard of Infinity, Klipsch, JBL and a few others but not Polk. After listening to everything there the Polks easily emerged as the clear winner and I took 'em home, even though I had never heard of them. Many, many hours of enjoyment out of those speaks and it continues with different Polks today. The originals are still in a very nice little bedroom setup.

Like to be in but I'm a relative newbie and may not qualify. No biggie. I would probably just "rekarma" it after a while anyway. Very nice offering though.

Merry Christmas.

Ron-P

"Why did you choose Polk Audio and what makes them special to you?"

Best bang for the buck speaker. Out of all the brands I listened at CC Polk sounded the best and were priced within my budget. Simple as that.

danger boy

not in.. but cool karma for those of us who like shiny things.. like classic Pioneer gear.

ESavinon

I chose polk speakers because at the time i first heard the sda series (back in 1985) they were the best sounding speakers i've ever heard.
I've heard many speakers from cheap yahama speakers all the way up to legacy speakers and they still hold their own in 2006.
btw, not in. I love vintage equipment. I'll give someone else a chance to win this receiver.

starchaser

Not in yet,

I was sold on Polk when a pair of 1-C's dropped in my lap in an unexpected way. This was truly a blessing beyond measure! A senior member rebuilt my x-overs and the evolution began. Most of my gear came from forum members allowing me to enjoy sound i may not have experienced without their support.

Thank you club Polk!

Great Karma Mark.

dorokusai

I appreciate all the stories and stop being so modest, just get in the Karma already

Disc Jockey, you're in as far as I'm concerned, thanks for posting. You also StarChaser...I just wanted to initiate some conversation/ participation hence the newbie comment but I'm really flexible, thanks for the comments you guys.

capecodder

Chose Polk because I came across a nice pair of CRS+ at estate sale and picked them up for $30. Never heard of that model (nor Sda) and when I brought them home and they out performed my Magnepan 1.5QR's, I was hooked.

In please, love that wintage stuff. Reminds me of my first receiver. Pioneer SX-424.

RuSsMaN

"Why did you choose Polk Audio and what makes them special to you?"

I grew up with all kinds of mediocre to low-fi gear. Tube consoles, mono rigs, etc. Pops never had a ton of dough to spend, but the music selection itself, rather than the gear set the mood. I can't tell you what good feelings certain songs take me back to, and the fondness is for the tune, not the way it was reproduced.

I set out to get my first 'rack' system. F separates, I had no idea what that meant. To me, if you got a 'rack' from Montgomery Wards, you were rockin out with your c@ck out. A rack system? Anything but an all-in-one with FR drivers in plastic boxes. A receiver. A (dual) cassette deck, and if you had EQ (preferrably 10 band) you had a rig to be dealt with.

I went to radio shack, bagged an open box 50w/ch receiver - and a single deck cassette. Next, off to the Audio barn, to look at my dream speakers - Polk RT7's. $500 a pair. I don't know that I made much more than that in a MONTH at the time. I knew that I would have the speakers one day, no matter what it took. The bass response was unreal. They bettered the big Jensen and Technics 3ways that had HUGE woofers. How? At the time I didn't know, and honestly didn't care. They AMAZED me.

I'd stay up nights looking at them in the Crutchfield catalog, the Hustlers sat gathering dust. I remember listening to them EVERY time I went into the audio barn, even though I knew there was no way in hell I could afford them. About 2 weeks after getting my receiver and tape deck, with nothing to finish out the system - I went back to the store, listened to the Polks, and walked out with a pair of open box Pioneer 2-ways, sealed box with a 10" woofer and cone tweeter for about $66 for the pair.

Fast forward 3-5 years, I hit Circuit City to buy some RT400's, and build a prologic home theater, one peice at time. (RT7's were recently oop, and the 400 was the next closest option - also on it's way out for the new RT's) I end up walking out with RT800's, 6 months, no interest. I get home, unpack, hook up, and enjoy. Flip through the manual - find 'Club Polk' references, and if I register my speakers online, I take the warranty from 1 year to 5? ****, let me hit the dial up, I'm all about that.

User 'RuSsMaN' was created. My old handle from playing DooM back in the day. Browsed the boards, made a couple posts, thought 'hey, I found something cool here, cool guys, with cool stereos'.

A couple years pass, I meet a user named Troy. Troy Dion. He buys a pair of Polk Mini Monitors (80's version, not the orig) from me for $45 for his cousin or somesuch. We start a dialouge (and little did I know a lifelong friendship). We talk about Polks, I mention RT7's, and where it all started for me. When I got hooked. Troy was changing directions in his current setup, and he had a pair. I asked him what he wanted for them, as I had always wanted a pair. He said: "For you, nothing. I've got nothing in them, so if you want them, say the word".

I finally got my RT7's, and what did they cost me? Not a dime. I still have them today. I still listen to them almost every day. They are hooked up to the whole house rig, in the master bedroom. That's right, my name is Russ, and you simply can't f$%k with my RT7's.

Cheers,
Russ

Mark, IN - the 7rd old has expressed some interest in music. We're covering the Beatles and the Stones right now. He's solid with Queen and CCR so far. He's got the Mission bookies, this would be hella cool to drive them.

shack

The Large Advents needed refoaming, the Tweeters on the AR4xs were in need of some work and it was time for something new. Started looking around and discoverd that Advent and AR were mere shells of their former excellent speakers so I looked elsewhere. A freind recommended Paradigm, but I never could find the sound I liked with them. I came across Polks and thought for the price it was worth a try. The first Polks were a pair of RT15is. They were solid, with wood veneer (not vinyl) and the sound was impressive for a small bookshelf. I was going to use them as the front in a HT setup...until I discovered the RT55is...at which point I was sold. Many pairs of Polks (new and vintage) have done duty in my rigs and most are still in my home. Are there better? Yes. But for now the Polks that I own meet all my needs and more. The CS and the personal touch keeps me loyal (I know, it's good marketing to do what they do...and that's ok with me). I will probably own other speakers at some time down the road, but I will always own some Polks as well.

Of course I would like to be in. I also have a fondness for silver Pioneer gear as well.

Fireman32

Although not in as I have no room for the equipment but excellent karma. I will share my story of how I got into Polk.

For years I thought music sounded good through a boombox and I knew my bud Lou (ohskigod) was into audio but never sat down and listened to his setup. Heard it in the background but never just sat and listened to it. When I pulled the trigger and bought my big screen TV (way to big for my living room but thats another story) LOou told me i cant listen to it with just the tv speakers. SO I went over to his house and listened to his setup. I was blown away. I said so this is what music is supposed to sound like. Well Lou then offered to sell me his RTA 12b's with the perless tweets for a very nice good friend discount and and onkyo pre and amp. Then I was hooked. I joined the Polk fourm and then got a Radi tube setup from Lou and those RTA's sound even better. Then came Polkfest and met a bunch of great people. Hopefully when I buy a house in the next year I can finally buy more equipment. I'm hooke on polk for life. There's my story.

TroyD

My audio mania started, in earnest, about 1999. My tale is similar to Russ's. As a younger lad, loved music but no coin. In, oh, 84-85 my brother and I went in on a Denon rcvr, Boston A-100's, Onk CD player (BIG bucks at the time) rig. Well, he moved on and took the rig with him. For the next 15 years I made due with various boomboxes etc.

We bought this house in 99 and a buddy who had a kick-**** HT rig based on Polk's gave me the infamous RT7's. I paired them with an entry level Denon HT receiver (BlueMDPicker now has) and built an HT rig around them.

Anyhow, I had questions about EVERYTHING (Big Dumb isn't just a nickname) so I happened on the Polk forum and asked some pretty dumb questions. These were all tolerated in pretty civil fashion and the guys on here were FUNNY. George, Russ, Ron-P, the Bros McGowan...Darrin the LUNATIC (Darrin's Remote? Funniest shiite ever) so I spent more and more time here. As such, my interest in audio fueled by the forum and the performance of the RT7's grew.

Back then, the heavy hitters, George, Wes (partywaggin, now I-Sig), McG's...were all HS guys. BIG HS guys. So that renewed my interest in HS. About that time RuSsMaN and I both came up with the idea of converting a spare room into dedicated HS rooms. Later dubbed the Mann Cave, short for Shane Mann Memorial Auditorium in memory of the late Shane Mann.

My big epiphany came in oh, 2000, I think. George had made one trip down here and was gracious enough to invite me to stop in to the Rancho de No Concerno. I got to listen to the Amazings and the rest, as they say, was history. He also hooked me up with my first amp, Carver m1.5t.

Anyhow, after that, it has been a blur. I've owned a LOT of gear. The constant for me though, is Polk. I have speakers that are better, sure, but as has been said..for bang/buck. Can't beat 'em.

IN, same thing, I have a neighborhood kid who has shown an inordinate interest in my stereo....so Ima try and help the lad build a rig.

BDT

DollarDave

I hooked up with Polk after buying Klipsch LaScalla's from Audio King in Sioux Falls. They allowed full-credit trade-ins for up to a year - I hated the sound of the mamoth LaScala's at low volume, so I traded them for Chorus II's and KG-4's. These still sounded like Klipsch speakers, so I traded them for a pair of LS-90s and LS-50s. Been with Polk ever since and probably always will be now that I have tasted SDA's.

In please for an excellent Karma.

steveinaz

Mark, I couldn't do this AWESOME karma justice, so don't put me in...

Long story short, my audio madness started around 1973 and through the years I wanted to venture out of pioneer & kenwood land and get something different. That is what led to my first set of Polk Audio speakers, a large floorstander that I still can't remember the model; I think they were RTA series. I later bought Monitor 10's, SDA-CRS's, and a finally a pair of Monitor 5jrs for a stint in Izmir, Turkey.

I always thought the Polk's were a step above the norm for that time, sort of a entry-level high-end if you will. Polk's "signature" sound for me has always been the midrange and the slam. They give the music alot of energy.

zombie boy 2000

Russ and Troy.... awesome stories. Thanks for sharing.

Years and years of music obsession and lusting after the Holy Grail that was my parent's bedroom rig. Finally decided I wanted a slice of the pie so I went out and got mine. Nothing spectacular. Just a trip to CC at night in 25 degree weather and a slightly heavier car for the ride home. Reminded me of family outings to pick up a Christmas tree when I was younger.

In this crazy audio journey, I don't think anything has (or ever will) give me the same rush as hooking up those Polks to a Harman Kardon receiver. Maybe not the best sound, but I knew I had found something BIG. Maybe not in the speakers. Maybe not even in the music. Just a passion that has always been there.

And then I found Club Polk and honestly, I consider myself quite lucky for doing so. I caught myself thinking the other day that so many things could have played out to nullify this. But here I am.... you guys rock and I am out.

Most excellent Karma Doro...

please consider me "in"

seo

Awesome Karma-

NOT in.

My first polk's were SDA-CRS in 1986. MY first true "audiophile" speakers.

dylan

I got hooked on Polk's because we needed a new washing machine...

Long story short, we were in a mega-store about 12+ years ago, and they had a HT setup. I'd never really heard anything like it, and was jaw dropped the whole time (yes honey, just get the washer, I'll be over here...). Basically in the same parking lot, there was a decent hi-fi place, so I HAD to go hear what they had. I was soon stocked with Polk's all around, and a Mits 45". Hook/ line/ sinker.
As we all know, it was addictive, but it was always audio that got me. I loved the technical part of audio, and they 'non-measurables' of just enjoying music and movies. The Polk's always stood out to me. They 'did it' for me, and you can't argue the bang for the buck. I'm now up to 7 pairs of Polks between the house and car.

I'm open to listening to other speakers, but I'm also a loyal guy, and the Polk's have always treated me right. Throw in great customer service, and the deal is done.

tommyboy

Looks like most people started with entry level polks...makes me feel better about my system.

first polks were the r15s for surrounds for my onkyo HTIB, then a couple months later upgraded everything else with polks(what you see in my sig now). Hopefully I can keep myself from upgrading this system for another couple years...hopefully

ohskigod

I loved Audio from a young age. My Dad allways had a big stereo, far more than anyone else we knew had. Dad's first system I remember was a Sansui Model 8 reciever, a pair of Coral BX1200 (Kabuki goodness!), and a console tape deck (controls on top, not in front.). Dad upgraded to an onkyo TX85 reciever and got a new deck. I got the Sansui and old tape deck. This is where it started.

At first I had panasonic thruster speakers (oh did the Sansui pummel these things!!) Then Grandma bought me a pair of E.P.I. T/E 100 speakers. they were good to me at the time.

in my mid teens I took time to really listen to a good friend's fathers system. He had a B&K amp (I would know it if I see it), cant remember the pre, a Nakamichi tape deck, cant remember the cd player. Speakers?, a pair of Polk RTA-12B's. I fell in love with these things from jump street.

Down the road, after college, I bought some Onkyo seperates (bottom of the line, but seperates non the less). I needed speakers bad, My fiance (now wife) bought me a pair of Polk RT55's. I LOVED those things, and kept them until I recently sold them to VR3MXstyler at the last Polkfest.

I then discovered Ebay, and the second thing I bought was a pair of....yep...RTA-12B's. I drove about 200 miles round trip for em, worth every bit of effort. Loved em just as much as when I first heard them, if not more, since they were ALL MINE!!!! They now reside at Fireman32's house, and dont think I dont have full visitation rights.

I also discovered online forums, first of which was AudioKarma. They taught me how much of an idiot I was for throwing out my Sansui Model 9 when it blew a channel. (Beatlefred probably still hasnt forgiven me)

I then found Club Polk. Lots of cool guys, lots of help when I needed it.
They taught me SDA's were good, and needed to be experienced. SDA-2b's then 1B's in my house proved em right. I was starting to notice a trend, whatever Polk speaker I listened too, I liked....ALOT.

Got LS90's........LOVED EM.
then finally, LSi's ........LOVE em....notice a trend here? if you do, you know why I love Polk. Couple that with the good people of Polk Audio I met. Polk Paul, Al, Hedy, Ken, and more. Big corporation, small feel I hope they maintain post buyout.

why do I like Polk? hell man, why not?

As much as I like trying new stuff, I honestly cant see me swapping out my LSi's any time soon. getting a noticable improvement would cost me an arm and a leg.

for the Karma, I'm in. That reciever brings me back to the days when i first loved Audio. I'll always have a soft spot for the old recievers of yore, I like how they sound and look.

Lowell_M

Very :cool: karma.

When I was a kid my parents had a friend who managed the Radio Shack nearby. We were in the store quite often and I had a chance to dink with the stereo gear there quite often. I have always been involved with music, starting with playing the trumpet when I was 10 through college jazz band. so, I have always had an ear for good sound.

I had mediocre speakers from Rat Shack and a Pioneer receiver (can't remember model numbers) when I was in high school that I played the hell out of. when I was in college and had a car, I figured I should upgrade the stereo. Crutchfield had a nice looking (pretty colors) set of Polk 6x9's and a couple of 3 1/2" (or something like that) speakers that I bought along with a Kenwood CD player for the car. I had never heard of Polk Audio, but was amazed at my purchase after installation. They sounded great, much better than my home stereo actually.

My next step up was to buy a JVC 5.1 receiveer from Crutchfield and a pair of KLH speakers for something like $100 from CC. ugh.....

In 2001, when moving to IL, I figured I needed to buy myself a congratulations on the new job gift. After years of drooling on the RTi series in crutchfield, I bought my current pair of RTi70's from American TV, which replaced my KLH speakers. WWWWWWWWOWWWWWWWW! What a difference.

I actually have never had a sales person push Polk Audio on me. My decision to buy the RTI70's was based on my experience with the 6x9's and some listening that I had done at CC through (ironically) an H/K 630 comparing Infinity to Polk. The Polks won hands down.

Since that time I have learned a great deal from everyone on here and experienced some amazing sounding gear. ...not to mention the bad case of the upgradits I have caught recently.

Looking forward to the future of my audio journey.

I'm in.

apc

"Why did you choose Polk Audio and what makes them special to you?"

Growing up in the 60's and 70's I was exposed to some great music. My parents played lots of big band and my friends and I cut our teeth on Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Chicago and more. Speakers were often big and bigger was gaining popularity. My father got me a new set of Marantz speakers for Christmas one year and they lasted me through college and beyond. Wish I had kept them now. A friend had a set of bookshelf Polks that sounded fantastic and I bought my first pair just like them. Later another set of Polks for surrounds were acquired. They sounded full and rich, a good intro into quality sound products. Each time I think of that first set of Polks, I think of my friend. We lost touch a bit after school and marriages. He's in another state. Come to think of it, I'm going to call him. Thanks for the memories.

masanz1

In Please

I did not come from an audio family so this is a hobby I pretty much started. I got hooked on Polks simply because of Fry's having a pair of R30 on sale for $59. I researched them on the web and found this sight and started to read more and more. About 2 weeks later Fry's put the R50's on sale and I bought those and a CS1 for my first all Polk system. I was then officially hooked.

ninerbj

golf claps for a great Karma Mark!

Not in

szhleppy

Wow...nice offering Doro.

My uncle had a very nice H/K setup with Polk speakers back in 1984. I was a prepubescent tyke visiting him just after purchasing Van Halen - 1984 (yes, this is how I remember what year it was). He put it on and...wow. Much better sounding than either the RCA console stereo or JC Penney compact stereo at my house.

Polk came up again about 3 years ago when I had settled down in a house and decided it was time to invest in a decent system. The LSi series was right in my price range, came with excellent reviews, and then I stumbled onto this forum. I got lucky and found a pair of LSi9's in mint condition on the FM.

BTW...those speakers my uncle had? He still has them, and they will probably be mine in the next couple of years. I don't know exactly what they are, but I remember them being the RTA's with the top hats.

Refefer

Hmmm.

I bought my Polk R30's because they were on sale at Outpost.com for $40 a piece. They were my first true love that showed me how much better music could get compared to my (now) crappy computer speakers. From there I added the PSW10, which actually meshed well with the R30's and gave them a deeper back bone. Running them off my t-amp, I then starting looking for something of higher quality to fill my lust for higher quality music which I now realized was out there. I dabbled with some Klipsch RB-35's, but found them exceedingly bright for near-field use and quickly dumped them.

From there I went to the LSi 7's which had the sweetest treble and mid of any speaker thus far heard, but a lacking low end and lack of proper amplification made them less suitable for my eclectic tastes. By then I had found this wonderful forum and been asking people for advice for some time. After several reads about some "mythical" speakers called SD-somethings, I started browsing craigslist in hopes of finding one... and sure enough I did, a mint condition SDA-1B which I cherish daily. No, the setup isn't perfect, but hey: what is upgraditis for?

Why do I choose Polk, honestly? Simply: Every Polk upgrade showed me something more about what music could, and should, sound like. Cheesy as it sounds, it's the truth.