2nd Annual Christmas Karma - Pioneer SX-450 RCV

Joey_V

Why Polk?

The reason why I chose polk was that it was the first speaker in its price range to actually cause me to pick my jaw off the floor. It was the first pair of speakers to completely knock me off my feet and into a listening chair. The first time I laid my eyes on the LSi9, I realized I was in it for the long haul. It was the first pair of speakers that had me thinking of a full audio system, an amp, a preamp, a listening chair, and a rack.

The LSi9 was the first speaker to truly rocket me to hifi. It was the first speaker that got me thinking about how beautiful music "could" be. It was the first speaker that made me love being an audiophile. Without the 9s, I would still be listening to Logitech PC speakers, and that's no joke.

Joey

dorokusai

Paul - Sure, sounds great. I'll drop you a line tomorrow to work out particulars. Thanks Pimp Daddy....you wear that shirt yet!

TroyD

Those 9's didn't do anything for you? Rat ****.

Well, they have mysteriously turned into a pair of Quads.....THEY do something for me.

BDT

TroyD

Polk wrote:

Yeah, Quads are way more my style. Big upgrade baby. Did you have to bribe The Lovely Wendy with gems to get the Quads?

No, I didn't actually. I sold enough other gear to cover the cost. She likes them, actually.

You know Wendi, though, if it costs more than a happy meal, she's going to need to be pacified.

Speaking of beer.....

BDT

amulford

I've been into music as long as I can remember. Growing up, my older siblings exposed me to all sorts of different music. Mom used to have this big old console in the living room, with this external 8 track player. Man I'd be in there for hours listening to all kinds of music.

Fast forward 20 years. After having all kinds of low fi rigs, I decide I want to get a "real" stereo. At that time, I was thinking HT. I had this friend who had a pretty darn decent rig. (He has since died, God rest him) I called him up and asked him some questions. He said he'd take me that weekend to the place he goes.

We go to this place called the Stereo Trading Outlet. It's this small shop, all filled up with gear. Some of it is trade ins and consignment. I go into this one room, and that's when I first set eyes on my first Polks. RT2000p's. One listen and that was it. Box 'em up... I registered them online and started jammin'.

I found this place when I blew my first tweeter. I was looking for a replacement, and the CS was out of this world. They asked if I was a member of Club Polk. I said no, what is that? I found the Forum.

I'll never forget the second time I blew a tweet. I asked what I was doing wrong, when one knowlwedgable and kind member told me "TURN IT DOWN A$$HOLE!!!" Man, I learned alot from that jerkof---audiophile. But I have learned alot more useful information from others.

I can honestly say I think more of some of the people I met here than I do of alot of the more tangible relationships I have. Kind of an extended family.

I can't say I've had loads of gear. I try to find something I like and try to keep it. But I am starting to accumulate a nice collection. I guess I like too much...

In please. The 10 year old is about ready for her first rig.

dorokusai

This is still open until December 25th...keep the stories coming folks.

The Official Polk Audio RTi6 Christams Karma is being setup in another thread, so make sure you stop by that one as well.

MillerLiteScott

I have always had a speaker fetish. My father had and still has a pair of KLH 5's that I would lay on the floor in front of the woofer and listen to the bass. My first introduction to Polk Audio was in my senior year of high school. A buddy of mine and I went to a liquor store during a free period, he had his brothers ID and we bought a 6 pack of Michelob bottles which we were going to drink before we went back to school for our spanish class. We went to his house to return his brothers ID and get a cassette tape to listen to in the car. We went to his brothers room and in his room were some speakers that were home made looking and in tall pyramid shape. I asked him were he got them and he said that his brothers (roomate or friend) from Johns Hopkins Matt Polk made them. I never listened to the the speakers because we were in a hurry to drink the beer before spanish but they made a lasting impression on me.

Fast forward 10 or so years I purchased a pair of MM5250 car stereo seperates to install into a Honda Accord and the speakers sounded so good and impressed so many of my friends that I was hooked. I thought it was cool that a speaker company from Baltimore could make such a good product.
I still have these speakers and they are installed in a 1980 Triumph TR7 Convertible. Ironically I usually drive the Triumph to the liquor store now to buy beer.

My next Polk Purchase was a 5.1 speaker system which served me well untill I purchased my current speakers and brought me to you all. When I purchased the RTi10 I was impressed with the the way they looked but even more by the overall design of the speaker and how it was built, and most importantally how it sounded for a speaker in within my reach.

I also have a pair of MM6500 speakers installed in the cockpit of my boat because I was so impressed with the SQ of these speakers and they were marine rated. They look out of place on a sail boat but the sound real nice.

I hope to further my audio fetish with a modest 2 channel rig which I think will include a pair of speakers from the LSi line. I am thinking a pair of LSi9's powered by a tube amplifier.

Another side note, I saw the band Dada at The Recher Theater in Towson about 2 summers ago and Matthew Polk was there standing right in the middle of the floor for the whole show. I believe I read somewhere that Matthew Polk uses Dada's album Puzzle to demo new speaker designs.

I am all about local flavor.

Scott

dorokusai

Great post ....thanks very much Scott. I'll find out about the Dada factoid this week.

MillerLiteScott

Can I bump my story into the RTi6 thread? I don't know how to actually move my story though.

Dorokusai, my buddy's last name is Bucci. If that ever comes up. I can't rember his brothers first name though.

dorokusai

Scott - As far as the bump, not really since the question is totally different and I don't have as much latitude in that thread. Did you notice I'm actually nice to people in the explanation of that one?

Thanks, I'll add that to my notes and drop you a line on the side about the info.

MillerLiteScott

I just realized it was a different question? Sorry.

Great I can't wait to hear back.

Scott

hearingimpared

1984/5 I was building quite a 2 ch system and had a set of RTR 300D tower speakers and RTR 600D tower speakers. I was trying to get the best bang for my buck and was carefully upgrading for some permanacey of equipment. I was also part of the "Audio Dealer Fraternity" because I was in the process of developing a couple of high end audio accessories and got dealer status from a number of manufacturers.

I had my permanent turntable, tonearm, cartridge, preamp, multiple amps and was looking to see if I could do better with some new speakers. Those RTR towers back then were hard to beat. A friend of mine was the manager of what was back then a high end store (they sold out to Tweeter later on those ****) and told me that he had a speaker system with some new technology. I went and he told me they were Polk SDA/SRS. I had a little bit of a doubt about them because Polks weren't exactly respected in the high end community back then.

I went to his store and after about 1 minute of listening wrote him a check for I think $3000 or $3400 for a pair of SDA/SRSs delivered. I loved them at the store. When the truck pulled up to my house with the crates I almost wet my pants like a little girl I was so excited. I disconnected the RTRs and spent hours reading the instructions and obsessing over making sure they were exactly even with each other, no toe in, as close as I could get them to the back wall etc. Jacking them up to get the carpet spikes on them and lowering them ever so gently so as not to change the positioning. And then started the blasting. . . first with Crown amps, then Phase Linear amps, then NAD 2200s I was in heaven. I've been in love with them since.

By the way IN PLEASE

At the 1987 CES in Vegas I was raving to Matt Polk how much I loved his speakers with and without the interconnect which at the time we were refering to it as an umbilical cord. I was even heckling other speaker manufacturers exhibits about the sound of the SDAs.

I lost everything in 1989 and sold off everything, well almost. . . fast forward to June 26th 2006, I found out that high end audio was alive and well. I immediately went on a quest to find out if Polk was still in business and if they had anything like the SDA/SRS. . . I don't need to tell you the outcome. . .in July I found out through a friend about the Polk Forum. I joined the Polk forum and have been a thorn in you guys side since. August 12, 2006 my son and I drive over 700 miles round trip from Philly to North of Boston (Medford) Mass to pickup a pair of SDS/SRS 1.2 TLs. Received Raife's SDA Compendium that day.

I just bought a home theater set of Polk speakers from another Polker, I also just bought a pair of SDA/CRSs. I just ordered a SurroundBar for my living room. I have Polk Audio computer speakers on my PC.

By the way did I say IN PLEASE?

I love POLK products and I love the Polk Forum.

EDIT: I have some vintage gear . . . I love vintage gear. I like to tinker with them, and try to make them sound better. One thing I forgot to mention earlier. In 1985 when I owned my first pair of SRSs, I had an old Lafayette receiver that was rated 200 per channel. I hooked them up at one time to the SRSs and blasted them. You would be surprised how that old Lafayette receiver made those SRSs sing. Alas I had to sell that too in 1989.

dorokusai

That's sweet HI....hardcore baby....get off your asses Polkies and speak up! This stuff is WHY you should be doing what your doing....not because of money, not because of ability or priviledge....because of passion for all things audio.

I got lost in all this audio BS some time ago and lost in the structure of it as well. I eventually figured out what was important to me in this hobby and I'm back on track but don't take it lightly. There are SO many things, simple things that you can enjoy and NOT spend alot of money. There is far too much to experience in this audio thing to be segmented into this or that. I don't care what you believe in but if you don't try to experience stuff on your own, regardless of what the next audiophile says, your worthless, to me personally.

Polk is a perfect example, of a perfect product. The new gear is reasonably priced and the vintage gear is a steal and will often open your eyes to a world you never knew existed. Just look at the lineage of this manufacturer and pick up some of those keepers in your travels and you'll see a genuine progression of audio.

Keep it simple, keep it real and press play.

hearingimpared

dorokusai wrote:

That's sweet HI....hardcore baby....get off your asses Polkies and speak up! This stuff is WHY you should be doing what your doing....not because of money, not because of ability or priviledge....because of passion for all things audio.

I got lost in all this audio BS some time ago and lost in the structure of it as well. There are SO many things, simple things that you can enjoy and NOT spend alot of money. There is far too much to experience in this audio thing to be segmented into this or that. I don't care what you believe in but if you don't try to experience stuff on your own, regardless of what the next audiophile says, your worthless to me personally.

Polk is a perfect example, of a perfect product. The new gear is reasonably priced and the vintage gear is a steal and will often open your eyes to a world you never knew existed. Just look at the lineage of this manufacturer and pick up some of those keepers in your travels and you'll see a genuine progression of audio.

Keep it simple, keep it real and press play.

I forgot to brag too Doro. . . is there anyway to check to see who on Club Polk got to 1000 posts in the lest amount of time. I think I may be in the running for that one. I joined around the end of July 2006 and hit 1k either the last week in Nov or the first week of this month. That is proof of my passion for this and all things audio!!!

EDIT: 12/03/2006 at 11:03 PM to be exact. See "Another 1000 post Kharma."

dorokusai

That either means your crazy or insane....do you really want ppl to know how fast you got there? Actually, that may scare people away, so the quick answer is NO

hearingimpared

dorokusai wrote:

That either means your crazy or insane....do you really want ppl to know how fast you got there? Actually, that may scare people away, so the quick answer is NO

Na I'm not crazy or insane, I'm just NUTS!:D

wallstreet

I chose Polk because they sounded better than Klipsch.

ohskigod

hearingimpared wrote:

Na I'm not crazy or insane, I'm just NUTS!:D

I think Noel (ND13) has you beat anyway...LOL

bikezappa

It was in the late 80's and I was shopping for some new speakers after my divorse. My ex had gotten all the old HiFi equipment because she knew how to operate it and I wanted new stuff anyway. So I'm in this high end store in NH with my new girl friend and the good salesman let's me listen to the big SDA Polks alone. After listening for a bit I tow them in. He comes in and says your not supposed to do that, moves them back into the correct position and plays something that really impresses me. I buy the floor model for $1100 in 5 minutes and load them into the van with my new girl friend helping. Still have them.

I'm in and I love vintage equipment.

Peter

DollarDave

bikezappa wrote:

..... and load them into the van with my new girl friend helping. Still have them.

Peter

All three?

bikezappa

She is gone sadly. Great, slightly older woman to meet after a divorce. She told me many things about women that I never knew when married. She also told me not to apply any off this knowledge to the next girlfriend because we are all different. She was correct.

audiobliss

Polk wrote:

That CD [Puzzle] is one of the best sounding rock records so many of us still use it to evaluate speakers and do demos. BTW, the music is outstanding. Polkies who don;t have this CD should buy it today. I was out of town when they came through here so I missed them. I hear the show was great.

Hmm. Note made. Will look for that one.

sda2mike

NICE!!! Count me in please!:cool: This would go great in the BR with my KLH model 32s!

Why are my SDA2Bs special to me??? I can listen for hours! Listen to MUSIC not electronics. The Sda Effect never sounds gimmicky to me. Very natural. I know what is meant by 'invisible speakers'. Listening to my SDAs is my 2nd favorite stress reliever! And, it lasts MUCH longer than the 1st!!!;)

MillerLiteScott

Polk wrote:

That CD [Puzzle] is one of the best sounding rock records so many of us still use it to evaluate speakers and do demos. BTW, the music is outstanding. Polkies who don;t have this CD should buy it today. I was out of town when they came through here so I missed them. I hear the show was great.

Yeah the show was great. Dada was taking requests at the end of the show and they played the last song on the album "Moon" which is definately a song that they would not play out a lot. They pulled it off. They almost put the studio version to shame.

And yes the music is outstanding.

hearingimpared

Just bought Puzzle for $2.95!!!! Thanks for the tip, I'm always up for good music.

SLOCOOKN

not in....
My first experience with polk in 1991. In typing class we had to type a request for information to any company we wanted to. My older brother being a musician had lots of stero magazines laying around. One day I was thumbing through one and THERE THEY WERE!!! Polk Audio srs 1.2tl's. I was hooked they were taller than me back then...perhaps even now...lol.... So I wrote a request to find out more information about their products...I recived in the mail 2 large packages of information...most other people got a letter or nothing at all. I was impressed and they are made in AMERICA!!! wow..So at the tender age of 16 I was like most kids in and out of stero shops. I ran into a shop selling polk...I was now hook line and sinker...After repetedly begging my mom to come and listen to them one day she said ok...she was as impressed as I was she said we will TAKEM' wait what ddo you mean.....Pack'em up...sales man went out of his way to try and not sell them though..instead trying to sell me a p.o.s. speaker...I asked him if he was deaf...you can not hear the difference or what!!! 35 minutes of bickering ( I was not leaving with out them! ) We left with the monitor 10 series 2 that still sound great today! and I Just bought sda 3.1tl's

MSALLA

How did I come to like Polk's........ by total accident! I have had a soft spot for Boston speakers for years. When we bought a new TV I didn't have room for my VR-30 towers so I jumped in the car and ran over to C.C and bought the full set of M40's, M30's and a CS-1 (already had a PSW 303 sub) These were the best book shelf at C.C. and I was in a rush. After I got home and set them up it was to the web to register the new speakers. On there I saw the fourm and joined. I was board and liked checking it out. I got to admit I hated the monitors but from what I saw on the fourm I knew Polk must have more to offer so I started going to dealers to listen to speakers and liked the other polk lines ALOT.That was last year. First went the m40's for a pair of Lsi-7's bought right here at the flea market. Lsic from e-bay. new recevier (found a deal and my old one needed repair) Next month or two will see new fronts(9 or 15's) and a new amp.I guess you could say I had a bad first experence with polk but the fourm kept me on the right track. Now I love what I have and will even be more happy with it when I'm done.

hearingimpared

MSALLA wrote:

How did I come to like Polk's........ by total accident! I have had a soft spot for Boston speakers for years. When we bought a new TV I didn't have room for my VR-30 towers so I jumped in the car and ran over to C.C and bought the full set of M40's, M30's and a CS-1 (already had a PSW 303 sub) These were the best book shelf at C.C. and I was in a rush. After I got home and set them up it was to the web to register the new speakers. On there I saw the fourm and joined. I was board and liked checking it out. I got to admit I hated the monitors but from what I saw on the fourm I knew Polk must have more to offer so I started going to dealers to listen to speakers and liked the other polk lines ALOT.That was last year. First went the m40's for a pair of Lsi-7's bought right here at the flea market. Lsic from e-bay. new recevier (found a deal and my old one needed repair) Next month or two will see new fronts(9 or 15's) and a new amp.I guess you could say I had a bad first experence with polk but the fourm kept me on the right track. Now I love what I have and will even be more happy with it when I'm done.

Great story Mike but are you in?

MSALLA

hearingimpared wrote:

Great story Mike but are you in?

Yes. in please. (Thanks for the reminder)

Polkitup2

In like you wouldn't believe, I bought an SX-550 in 1979 and after many years one of the channels went out, my brother still has his SX-450 since about 1979 and it still works. Plenty of power with those things, I drove my DLK 1-1/2 speakers (house Schack electronics brand) for many years and they are 4 ohm speakers.