Unsatisfied with Polk's

josh_parsons626

Hey everybody. Here lately I have been unsatisfied with my Polk's which are monitor 40's and a cs1. My surrounds and sub do me just fine for now. But lately listening to music, I'm not liking the sound of them anymore. I dont know what's really wrong with them, but they're just sounding like crap honestly. I have them powered with an Onkyo TX-SR503 which LOL probably is the problem. I hate to admit it but am I not liking Polk anymore? Or is it maybe the receiver giving me problems?

Do y'all (the experts) think that maybe my receiver just isn't powerful enough for me anymore and it's making me think my Polk's are ****? Do ya think that maybe I should upgrade to a bigger more powerful receiver? I ask about the receiver part because I don't have any preouts on mine right now.

Or is it really the sound of Polk's I'm not liking? And if in that case what about some out of the new Sound & Vision magazine then? They have the Focal Chorus full setup. They have Definitive Technology BP7002,7004,7006 but I'm kinda thinking those are a little expensive for right now. They also have a guy who's house is all computer operated EVERYTHING including lights and his full home theater and he has the Klipsch THX Ultra-2 home theater 7.1 system, and they have some pretty good looking KEF speakers. All of these I know nothing about and do not have access to demo for myself. Me and my wife and kids actually moved to Eastern Kentucky out in BFE and the closest thing is in Huntington, WV at Best Buy.

What do y'all really think? The speakers are in need of upgrading, or the receiver is really what needs it?

danger boy

if youre receiver has pre outputs.. get a two channel amp and see how that sounds to you. maybe it's time for a new receiver.. or time for new Polks.. move up to the RTi line. better sounding over the monitor line.

what is it that you don't like about your monitor 40's right now?

Monster Jam

Are you just getting sick of hearing the same music? A little burnout, perhaps?

Or maybe you have heard other set-ups and they sounded better than yours (e.g. a store demonstration or a friends)?

If its the later, then maybe its time you got out to your local audio/video stores and peruse the offerings. There are literally thousands of directions to go from where your at, some of those directions being Polk. If your looking for validation to spend more money on speakers and other associated electronics, you will DEFINATELY find it here!

reeltrouble1

Remember these are Polk's entry level speaker line. I have one of those Onk's in a bedroom, its fine for A/V, but there is much better sound out there.

Polk can take you much further, if you are interested in music, you need the LSI line or the SDA or even the older Monitor line, for the LSI either the 7 or 9 are excellent bookshelf speakers, I would look on the used market and you are going to need new gear to run them with.

It is not unusual to begin with HT and then move along the audio path to true Hi-Fi.

Enjoy yourself and the music.

RT1

tommyboy

I think the reciever is the biggest problem. But the monitor line are entry level speaks, you shouldn't expect them to sound great like lsi's...

don't get one of polks cheapest speakers and then say your dissatisfied with polk. There is a reason polk has different speaker lines.

josh_parsons626

Danger Boy, I really dont know what to tell you bout what I'm not liking. I dont know what I'm really supposed to be looking for, i.e. imaging etc. But I do listen to all of my music I have and they're just starting to sound like muffled or distorted in a way but not really distorted, but maybe leaning to that direction.

ledhed

josh_parsons626 wrote:

Danger Boy, I really dont know what to tell you bout what I'm not liking. I dont know what I'm really supposed to be looking for, i.e. imaging etc. But I do listen to all of my music I have and they're just starting to sound like muffled or distorted in a way but not really distorted, but maybe leaning to that direction.

Sounds like the electronics to me. What is the WPC rating of the Onkyo? Also, what are you using for a CD player?

Sherardp

go up to the next series of Polk, the Rti line up, give those a chance with a better receiver, surely you will be happier with those. You say youre out in Kentucky huh, sounds like the upgrade bug has bitten you in the **** man.

MikeC78

IMHO, I think it's the speakers. Not bashing lower end Polk speakers, but I was also unsatisfied until I stepped up to the LSi line.

Mike

Early B.

The receiver is not the problem. Likewise, Polk is not the problem. It's simply time for you to upgrade. Get a new pair of speakers. Make sure they're a significant upgrade from what you already have.

What's your budget?

tonyb

Well,as others have said,it is the entry line for polks.As you move up the chain,you will notice a great improvement in sound.Of coarse,if your cranking on the volume thru a AVR,nothing good is going to happen.Check out some of polks older models or move up the chain to at least the rti or lsi series.Add a seperate amp to power them and you should be on your way.What is your source for music?

Refefer

One way or another, you're going to need a new amp. The Onkyo just doesn't have the balls to drives speakers well at all levels of impedance very well nor the dynamic head room that is required to make great music sound great. If you're listening to these things decently volumed, you're most likely getting a lot of compression which is making your system sound lackluster.

The worst part is that it doesn't have pre-outs either, making it neccesary to purchase a preamp AND amplifier instead of just an amplifier, if you choose to upgrade, especially since you're going to still want to do home theater.

My suggestion is buy a cheap 7.1 receiver with pre-outs, and grab yourself a decent 2-channel amp to drive your fronts, letting the receiver drive the rest. You do a great upgrade from your current system for around $400-$500 if you buy used.

My 2 cents.

Jim Shearer

If you were happy w/ the sound of the speakers before, and now they sound distorted to you, then I would be concerned that they may have been damaged due to playing too loud--i.e. the receiver was clipping which results in blown drivers. Buying new speakers will fix the problem if it is blown drivers, BUT you will end up destroying the new speakers unless you get a bigger amp. The most common cause of damaged speakers is too little power & trying to play too loud.

Check out all possibilities before making any decissions. If you decide to move up, be sure to listen to lots of speakers, including ones you know are way beyond what you can spend, so that you learn what sound you really want. Then save up & buy what will make you happy in the long run. (receiver/amps and speakers.) Do it once, do it right!

Cheers, Jim

AsSiMiLaTeD

You may need new speakers, or you may not. However, you'll definitely need a new receiver or amp. Even if you end up with new speakers, you'll still need better amplification.

While it's not secret I'm not a big fan of Onkyo, that's really more personal taaste and shouldn't affect your decision. However, a factor that you should consider is that even within onkyo's line of products, you have one of their lower end models, and should look at upgrading even if it's to a higher end Onkyo.

There's always been debate about which component makes the biggest difference in sound quality. The truth is, there's not really a right or wrong answer to that. It all depends on your current setup. You need to find the largest bottleneck in your system and address that first. Right now, I believe your receiver is that component.

I've heard the Monitor line and good electronics, and they are very capable speakers. Are they going to be as good as LSi? of course not, they're 1/4 the price, but they're not the bottleneck in your system.

you really have a couple options:

1 - Buy new speakers and keep your current receiver.
2 - Buy a new receiver and keep your speakers.

Let's say both options above assume an upgrade of the one you don't buy now, later down the road. between the two, I think you'll get better sound immediately from option 2. In addition, hooking a higher end pair of speakers up to a receiver not capable of driving them could actually damage your speaker, so if you go with option 1 and hook up some LSi to that Onkyo, there's a good change you could fry those LSi if you're not careful.

Just my .02

dkg999

I would schedule in a trip to PolkFest '07 where you can get your listen on and then make some informed decisions on the direction you want to go. For many of us, what we are happy with for an HT system is vastly different for what we like for a 2 ch music focused system. Get out and listen to as many speakers and systems as you can. It will help you decide how to upgrade your current system.

Shizelbs

Honestly, I would do this. Stop listening to them for a while. Come back to them after a while with no expectations and just listen for fun. No critical listening. Go through a bunch of CDs and just have fun with it. We all go through periods where our stuff sounds bad or not as great as it once did. Its just how it goes. They'll come back to you, but then again, maybe this would be a good time to upgrade.

You would not be wrong to want to upgrade that AVR. I noticed a huge improvement when I switched from Onkyo to Pioneer Elite.

BobMcG

We obviously can't hear your speakers now to say nothing of "before" you became dissatisfied with them. Unless you've caused damage to them your problem is likely psychological. Perhaps you've become so accustomed to the sound it no longer impresses you. You read and hear about all these other higher-fi systems around you and your system has come to no longer meet your expectations. With your sights set higher now, you're looking at upgrading your speakers (not a bad thing) and your power source (a good thing). These too will be just fine for sometime until they too cease to hold you in awe. Then you're back contemplating upgrades again. Anyone who's been in the hobby long enough has experienced this phenomenon and deal with it accordingly.

josh_parsons626

Guys you have all given me some very compelling thoughts that I have to think about. Honestly, when I first bought my stuff I got a check in the mail for $2,000 and I was like hell yeah I'm gonna go buy me a home theater system! Little did I know there was an extremely vast world ahead of me that at the time I actually thought I knew a little bit about LOL! Silly me....anyways I'm a little confident that NOW I can make decisions more wiser about my HT and 2-channel setup. I think what I'm gonna do is look for an AVR that has decent power ratings but that also has preouts and then a little down the road I can get a 2-channel amp maybe even a 7-channel. That would be awesome. But I think for now I'm just gonna upgrade one BABY STEP at a time LOL. Do y'all think that's the smart thing to do? Cause as much as I want my system to be the best ever put together I do have my other kids to provide for too. And my 2 oldest ones want what Daddy has in their room.

Refefer

josh_parsons626 wrote:

Guys you have all given me some very compelling thoughts that I have to think about. Honestly, when I first bought my stuff I got a check in the mail for $2,000 and I was like hell yeah I'm gonna go buy me a home theater system! Little did I know there was an extremely vast world ahead of me that at the time I actually thought I knew a little bit about LOL! Silly me....anyways I'm a little confident that NOW I can make decisions more wiser about my HT and 2-channel setup. I think what I'm gonna do is look for an AVR that has decent power ratings but that also has preouts and then a little down the road I can get a 2-channel amp maybe even a 7-channel. That would be awesome. But I think for now I'm just gonna upgrade one BABY STEP at a time LOL. Do y'all think that's the smart thing to do? Cause as much as I want my system to be the best ever put together I do have my other kids to provide for too. And my 2 oldest ones want what Daddy has in their room.

There are two minds to that matter: Some say you should buy the best component your money can afford, the other part say do it in baby steps.

I think your plan is a good one. Think of grabbing an H/k off the used mart for the best bang for your buck.

reeltrouble1

Yes, the plan of baby steps can work well and be quite satisfying, in the end you may spend a bit more, but the trip along the way you may find most enjoyable.

You should know using a receiver as your pre, even with pre-outs is going to alter the signal, receivers are by there nature audio compromises to convenience, the integrated circuits, volume controls, power supplies and printed circuit boards alter the electrical signal from the source in some, well, not so nice ways, add to that the heat from the internal amplifiers which are still hot even with an outboard amp and you start to get the picture. Many folks here have used a receiver as their pre including myself, its OK to do and will be better than the present Onk system. Just go in with your eyes wide open.

RT1

sross17

I'm just a polkie, but I had the same problem with my RT800's after I blew my tweeters. After replacing my tweeters, I still didn't like the sound. Asked for a lot of suggestions from the experts here and most of the advice I received was I needed more power or my ears were bad. I called Polk directly and ordered new crossovers. Turns out that my crossovers were bad and they sounded much better after I replaced them.
May help, but I would suggest calling the polk helpline. Those guys are great and should help you out. If it's not your crossovers, or blown speakers, you can return the crossover or speaker replacements that you just purchased. Tell them your a club polk member and you'll get a discount.

Good luck!!

dkg999

Barring any physical problems with the gear, me thinks that he's got a taste of good sound, and now wants more. I remember that starting point in my audio journey! Just remember it is a journey, and you should have fun along the way.

lanion

I bought some Polk R20s and thought they were pretty awful, but my LSi speakers are keeping my happy. You get way you pay for with pretty much every company (through your dollar will go further with direct-sales online companies like axiom, outlaw, hsu, svs, av123, etc).

Lsi9

Let me tell you the Focals are a refined speaker, but if you are looking for similiar quality for less, then get your ears on Revel F12's IMO they cant be beat for the money. A friend of mine has them and they are excellent for roughly $1200, they sound more expensive. Of course I prefer my Focals, but Revels are sweet.

josh_parsons626

The spending of money more in the end doesn't bother me, it's spending a lot RIGHT NOW is the kicker. I would rather spend $10,000 and spread it out a few years down the road then dish out 10 grand on a complete system. It's least inexpensive to me and it gives me a better feel for this life-long partnership LOL. So...I'm really looking to not spend a lot of money right now but in the end have a like $10,000 - $15,000 HT & 2-channel system.

lanion

Buy a good amp right now -- that's the cheapest single component... say $1,000 or so on a used multichannel amp or a little more on an Outlaw 5 or 7 channel amp (125 or 200 watts is up to you)... then I'd wait a bit and buy a nice L + R speaker setup that has matching home theatre components (outlaw just announced a new $1000 pair of speakers... or Polk LSi9s.. whatever). Just use a 2 channel setup for a while. Then buy a nice sub (HSU or SVS)... then buy a bunch more speakers to get the 7.1 going... then buy an awesome pre/pro since that is where technology is moving the fastest and waiting will benefit you the most.

Willow

How about your speaker cables, maybe your ends are dirty or need clipping, or change out your speaker cables all together... possiblity ? paired with low end speakers.

Ern Dog

I had the Onky 502 and Monitor 70's for about 2 years before I reached a point were I was sick of listening to them because it sounded more and more crappy. I found that what was happening in those 2 years was that my ability for critical listening was growing. I was noticing more things that I didn't like- which I wasn't aware of early on.

It is definetly time for upgrading. I started with upgrading my AVR then got some Rti's. I'm very content now... for how long I can't say.

josh_parsons626

I'm having a hard time finding inexpensive receivers with preamp outputs. Easy to find expensive **** receivers but not cheap. Who can tell me what some cheap receivers with preamp outputs would be?

Refefer

Are you looking on Audiogon? Lemme see if I can't find you some good deals.

TN_Polk_Lover

josh_parsons626 wrote:

I'm having a hard time finding inexpensive receivers with preamp outputs. Easy to find expensive **** receivers but not cheap. Who can tell me what some cheap receivers with preamp outputs would be?

It seems that I remember someone saying that all H/K receivers have pre-outs, but I may be wrong. With Yamaha or Denon, you do have to get up into about the $600+ range before they have pre-outs. I bought a Denon back around Thanksgiving that normally sales for $1299. I really wanted that model, but had not planned on spending that much. But, when Tweeter put them on sale for $899, it was more than I could resist. I think that they are coming out with an updated version of my model, so the reason they lowered the price was to get rid of the stock of the older model. You can also search for a used one on ebay or audiogon. I bought a Yamaha 2 channel AMP off ebay and have bought a couple of ADCOM pre-amps off of ebay. I have not had any problems with them and I did save a lot of money over retail.