Polk Audio coming to Best Buy in June

heiney9

Yashu wrote: »

I wish they would let that damn tweeter go already and move to something that doesn't sound like shattering glass. This makes two refreshes where they keep the same tweeter. RTiA and now TSi.

That's why they have an LSi line. People who constantly complain about the RTi series do have another option. LSi is the next step. What use would it be for the RTi (RTiA) line to sound similar to the LSi's? Quite bitching about the RTi (RTiA) line and get LSi's if you are so unsatisfied.

H9

DeusExa

Roy Munson wrote: »

I know what you mean..I was in the market for a new computer mouse and I wanted a Logitech MX Revolution. Soooo, off to BB to take a look and sure enough they have the mouse I want, it's $99.95. I look around a little and low and behold they have one that's open and it's marked $89.95! WTF I see a sales guy nearby and I ask him if they can do any better on the open mouse, he says no that's the price. I tell him that they sell unopened brand new ones for $71.95 on Amazon.com and can they price match that. Of course he says no, so I left and ordered one from Amazon for $71.95 shipped free and no sales tax. I realize that brick and mortar stores can't compete with internet retailers but Jesus, it was an opened used item that was discounted a whooping 10%! I've noticed in the past that opened items are only discounted 10% at this store and I've never seen a really good buy on anything that's open.

I got my MX Revolution for $6.99 AR from Amazon on BFriday!..they pulled it from the site like 5 minutes after I ordered, though..so not too many people got it.

Roy Munson

Hope you weren't arrested! LOL

RuSsMaN

Blah blah blah.

Mastered on JBL? Try Tannoy, etc. Besides, when was the last time you had a 42 band EQ (or whatever per ch) and listened nearfield in your living room? The Monitor series offers a LOT of value at the pricepoint. The one thing I have ALWAYS loved about Polk is that the better back end you have going, the better they perform - but the entry level stuff still remains an 'everyman' speaker. The Monitor 40 for example simply cannot be touched at it's pricepoint. Hell of a speaker.

If you think Polk speakers are bright, move on, try something more mellow. Time and time again, one man's bright is another man's detail. The Monitor series is anything but bright in my book. Heritage. They didn't name that series without thought. This is a GREAT move for Best Buy AND Polk, Best Buy has been hurting for a decent sounding speaker since the Advent and Eosone days.

Cheers,
Russ

I love the 'worst buy' comment. Is that the best you could come up with? I love how you used it repeatedly in your thread. Loser.

I bet you call Ebay Epay, don't you? Do you sleep better at night?

Any grounds for any of it, or just being 'cool' internet guy?

F1nut

Spoken like a true company man.....who loves ya baby!?!

AndyGwis

I used to like Best buy, but can't find any deals there anymore. That's why I stick to Agon, Polk FM, Tweeter closeouts, Fry's clearance, ebay, etc.

Retail is for suckers. Street prices are for amateurs. I look for 50% off as a starting point for any and all audio purchases

I hope BB carries the higher end (Rtia / Lsi) stuff to breed and/or feed more polksters out there.

Yashu

Russman, you are missing... the point... by a mile...

(first let me say that I listen nearfield all the time, it's better than the best of headphones but won't bother the neighbors, as in big coherent sound, coming from the front, where it should be coming from, with proper imaging and soundstage, but that isn't the point)

Here is my point... my bitching about the RTiA, Monitor (modern) line tweeters are this, they are exactly what you don't want to hook up to already thin, tizzy little 5.1 receivers that are sold at BB. If they accept that the market for RTiA and TSi are going to be low to midfi, why the hell didn't they design the speakers for the kind of hardware in a low to midfi system? I am not here saying that you cannot setup a good RTiA system, because you can, I am saying that you better know a little about what you are getting into, find warmer amplification, strong, but a little on the warm side, to try an neutralize the color of the sound. Separates or a *good* receiver with a strong PSU.

There are many people here that would answer to someone that asks why their LSi15s sound like they are playing through a musty sock, what kind of amp you got, when that person replies back and says it's some sony receiver from the mid 90s, it's the same thing... except RTiA, instead of sounding like a must sock, sounds like nails on a chalk board. Just because they are built with HT in mind doesn't mean you can treat them like any less of a speaker than LSi, the "serious listening" speaker. They both need attention to amplification and sources, media, room acoustics, everything...

I had a set of RTi4s, I held them, I felt them, not in a naughty way, but they were built with quality, just like LSi, actually, I liked them better, at least the veneer looked nice, not two panels glued on the sides... they ask for a lot more than most people even know they need to give them, and I doubt that many BB employees even know what to tell their customers about them... they are paid on commission, whatever gets them out the door.

Both LSi and RTi have their purpose, but both purposes are demanding, and I don't think polk is doing the right thing by using that... we will call it demanding, how is that? tweeter, in a line that is going to see most of it's run hooked up to midfi, at best. If I was at Polk, I would be trying to engineer speakers that sound better on what people have and can afford, or what is available in the store even... not for stuff that you have to go out to some little hifi shop to get, or to even know that you have to get it in the first place, that your yamaha 5.1 that your son handed down to you *before* he left for college isn't the right thing for the job... how are the average consumer, the target for this placement, how are they going to know any of that? Why not just make it so they don't have to? That is what I don't understand. I never said that tweeter did not have a place, I said it had no place in that market. LSi, will at least, somewhat fit up there on the dusty magnolia shelves... but these RTiA, TSi, these are on the regular showroom floor, just like at CC... these are speakers that people pretty much buy on faith because 99% of the time the demo buttons aren't even working... ever been to a best buy or CC lately?

Yashu

Hopefully it will happen, do you have magnolia best buys there? I say hope, after all my bitching, because of people like yourself that know what polk is capable of... maybe it is time we be a little selfish. 90% of the people buying these speakers won't appreciate them over Bose, but for the ten percent that know the Polk name, know what that name can bring to your HT or Stereo, on a relatively modest price, as long as you treat them to good components in the rest of your system, it will be better for those people. The sales lately at Frys have been really good, same with Tweeter. They might not sell the best receivers, but the prices I have seen good Polks go for these days makes me want to give them a second shot. I just bought a vintage NAD 2155, non PE amp, it's supposed to be warmer than NAD's modern stuff, but I have noticed the opposite with some speakers and that it's true with others. *shrug*... like I said... I can't say the tweeter is not spacious sounding, which is why I put it into the "HT" camp. Now, with my other NAD amp (newer design, not considered very warm), when I did have the RTi4s in the house, the right recordings sounded nice, particularly jazz... I have kindof wondered what an amp that is considered "warm" would do with those speakers.

TroyD

Eff it. I'll take the five minutes for high sticking.

Why don't you take your nearfield POS JBL monitors, take a flying f**k at a rolling donut and go someplace else.

Let me think. Who am I going to side with when it comes to speaker design, Matt and the boys at 5601 Metro or Yashu and his 150 dollar passive nearfield monitors (ie bookshelf speakers). Anyone else need a minute to think that one over?

If you have crappy gear, you have crappy gear. What Polk should NOT do is to design thier speakers to compensate for **** gear. Buy better gear.

As for the rest of it, if listening in a studio environment is your thing, knock yourself out.

If you don't dig Polks, buys something else. Design your own. We get it, you think the tweeter sucks (although it MAY be your gear) and that your rig is the shiznit. Cool, we get it. Move on. (hopefully to another forum to peddle your schtick someplace else)

As for you personally, I don't miss you. I haven't been around much either. I've got other **** to do. I'm still shaking sand out of clothes and so forth. I ignore you for the most part but every once in awhile your BS just needs addressing.

BDT

George Grand

JBL's are for kids.

halo

well said BDT, well said.

tonyb

George Grand wrote: »

JBL's are for kids.

C'mon GG....Fisher-Price is for kids......JBL is for screaming Hanna Montana fans.

mrbigbluelight

JBL's were the big deal for studio mastering, possibly, back in the early 70's.

Best Buy and Polk ..... I give that two BIG thumbs up.

Polk needs a mass market B&M, and Circuit City just doesn't cut it. The last time we were in CC, the crew went off doing their thing, and I wandered over to CC's "sound room", looking for clearance/open box items.

There, sitting on the listening couch, were a pair of Monitor 40's, front grills torn, drivers pushed in ....... sad.
Speaker selector switches inoperative, amp selector switch inoperative, ....
.... geeeez.

I have higher hopes for Polk at Best Buy; I think that's going to work.

engtaz

Good to hear. (Best Buy and Polk)

engtaz

venomclan

I think this will be a nice shot in the arm for Polk. In S. FL, the only place to buy LSi's are Sound Advice/Tweeter. They don't know it yet but they are going out of business in the near future. CC carries the other Polk lines but their showing is dismal and I would not be surprised if CC filed Chap. 7 soon also. BB with the Magnolias arenot an ideal place to demo speakers, but it is the closest thing to J6P.
Venom

furball

The only thing Worst Buy is good at is pushing their worse than useless extended warranties. That's their cash cow, and that's the only thing they are interested in selling, plus those outrageously overpriced Monster cables, and Bose boxes.

The sales clerks just don't care, and the managers are a** holes.

If you don't call this Worst Buy, then get a grip on life.


Ebay should be renamed Fleecebay. Its only purpose these days is to fleece unknowing amateurs. Sleezy sellers fleecing gullible buyers, and the big daddy fleecebay fleecing the both of them with its obscene fees.

RuSsMaN wrote: »

I love the 'worst buy' comment. Is that the best you could come up with? I love how you used it repeatedly in your thread. Loser.

I bet you call Ebay Epay, don't you? Do you sleep better at night?

Any grounds for any of it, or just being 'cool' internet guy?

dkg999

I have to call BS on the extended warranty comments. Maybe the fine print doesn't jive with your expectations, but if you know what you are buying, then you can make an informed choice. I've had BB replace 3 iPods so far that my kids have had go bad. No complaints. I just had Tweeter refund my purchase price on a Sony 34" CRT after owning it for 2.5 years, because the repair was expensive and they opted to invoke the clause saying if they couldn't fix it I got back my money. It's the stores job to push product and services, it's the consumers job to be informed and make good choices. If you don't like it, then either find a way to offer constructive feedback to their management or move on.

Any on-going business that becomes a market leader is going to build up problems in the original business model. Is it eBay's problem that scammers work hard to find ways to use the business model to their advantage? I know somewhat how much eBay spends on fraud prevention, and it's a significant amount. They are working to fix the problems with fraud, and revise the business model. In the end it's about offering a service that their customers find valuable and that they can make money off of. There's always a compromise in that balance. If you don't like the way they operate, then either get involved in their feedback mechanisms, or again, move along.

07maximan

Ive been following this thread since it started an I have to say that Im shocked. I didnt realize people hated BB that much.To be honest the way alot of you feel about BB is how I feel about CC.At least you can still get some quality equipment at BB.CC is a joke,they dont sell anything good.Ive watched them go downhill for a long time now.

The other thing is this,out of all the people that posted here how many of you shop and will continue to shop at BB?? Im guessing everyone.BB has become like Walmart,everyone hates them,but when youre looking for a deal where might you go??

Just to clear things up Im not a BB employee nor do I care what people think about BB.Its just they are a force to be reckoned with and is not going away anytime soon.

mrbigbluelight

furball wrote: »

The only thing Worst Buy is good at is pushing their worse than useless extended warranties. That's their cash cow, and that's the only thing they are interested in selling, plus those outrageously overpriced Monster cables, and Bose boxes.

The sales clerks just don't care, and the managers are a** holes.

If you don't call this Worst Buy, then get a grip on life.

Well, it looks like Mr. Charm has emerged from the Happy Cave !


Best Buy: "Would you like to purchase an extended warranty ?"
You: "No".
Best Buy: "Okay".

Gee .... you're right ! That was tough ! Now the salesclerk doesn't like me !

:rolleyes:


In any event, good move, Polk !!

markmarc

I think we need to keep in mind that according to the press release the Polk lines that are going into BB are the basic intro stuff. The refreshed RTi and LSi's need a dedicated sound room, not the noise factory that BB has created.

If the Magnolia stores carry Polks then I'd bet we'd see one or both the RTi's and LSi's. Only time will tell.

aaharvel

R&D: 16 ohm cubes. Solved.

furball

Worst Buy: "Would you like to purchase an extended warranty ?"
You: "No."
Worst Buy: "But we have super duper coverage with our extended warranty."
You: "No."
Worst Buy: "But we can repair your product if something happens."
You: "I have manufacturer's warranty."
Worst Buy: "But that's only for one year."
You: "American Express doubles the warranty period."
Worst Buy: "But our extended warranty is better."
You: "Better:rolleyes:, like anyone in your repair department has any clue on how to fix anything."
...
Worst Buy: "But... but... but... [selling extended warranties is what makes us the most money, like selling those gift cards]
Worst Buy: "Okay, it's your loss".
You: "Thank God."

Worst Buy: "Would like some Monster cables to go along with that?"
You: "I have my own cables."
Worst Buy: "But Monster cables sound the best."
You: "I don't believe it."
Worst Buy: "But look how pretty those cables are."
You: "I'm not a 3 year old."
Worst Buy: "But... but... [selling Monster cables is our second most profitable business, right after selling those extended warranties]
Worst Buy: "Okay, it's your loss."
You: "Thank God."

Gee .... you're right ! That was tough ! Now the salesclerk doesn't like me!

:rolleyes:

heiney9

furball wrote: »

Now the salesclerk doesn't like me!

I'm guessing there is a line forming. Let it go already, we don't care if you like BB or Miceky D's or Walmart...............let it go and don't shop there.

H9

furball

Just as there are legions of people who like to speak up against the evils of Bose, I like to voice my concerns about the evils of Worst Buy.

heiney9 wrote: »

I'm guessing there is a line forming. Let it go already, we don't care if you like BB or Miceky D's or Walmart...............let it go and don't shop there.

H9

F1nut

Blah, blah, blah..........you're right, Russ.

L

furball

Another story to tell about Worst Buy.

The other day I was at my local Time Warner Cable office to upgrade my cable box. There was a lady in front of me. Like me, she just bought a new flat screen TV, and she was switching her old analog cable box to a new digital cable box.

Well, her number came up, and she went to the customer service desk, and told the customer service rep that she wanted to switch her cable box. The customer service rep took her old box, and gave her a new one, along with some component cables. The lady was perplexed, and asked what are the cables for. The customer service rep told her that these are for hooking up the new digital cable box to her new flat screen TV, and are provided to her for free as part o the upgrade.

Guess what, that lady just exploded right then and there on the scene. And the reason, she said that she just paid over $100 for cables, when she purchased her flat screen TV. Because the sales rep at Best Buy, where she bought her new TV, told her that she needed these cables to hook up to her new digital cable box.

$100 down the drain, for cables that she would have gotten for free along with her new digital cable box.


Another Worst Buy success story in fleecing unsuspecting customers.

Yashu

Troy, you're an idiot. I have more than one set of speakers, and I gave the BB Polk effort a thumbs up, I only said that customers are going to be mislead. I mean for ****'s sake, to use your language, they don't even sell proper amplification at the other big box Polk dealers... Frys, Tweeter, ect... so get off your high horse and go flame someone else.

Best buy is what it is, a big box HT store... it isn't a little hifi dealer that can setup a proper demo, infact, the RTiA and TSi be on the main floor, that means right in the middle of 500 people, no working demos, and when they are, connected to some no name 5.1 receiver. Yeah, real good way to sell a product that is supposed to be high end. LSi might find a place in Magnolia, but you still can't have a proper demo without the right components, which BB doesn't sell.

I also said that JBL, while made some great speakers, have also made some real stinkers, and they are going to be sitting right next to your beloved Polks in BB, connected to the same demo box and no name receiver.

If Polk wants to pick up this type of market they need to work to make their speakers sound good on the equipment that people are most likely going to buy... and it almost seems as if Polk has gone out of it's way to make it hard for buyers to setup a proper system. You have to get the speakers at BB or whatever, then do mounds of research to find out what amp(s) to buy, then find a local tiny hifi shop in town or online and buy it... like WTF!?!

They had a chance to take this TSi, and build it around the equipment that people are most likely going to be buying or already own, but no, they decided to cop out and basically use the same parts from RTiA in a different cabinet. I am not saying any of these are bad speakers, I am saying that Polk is now being run by their marketing department, regardless of how many great engineers they have, it doesn't matter if joe bloggs can't buy the speakers and the rest of the stuff at the same store and have it sound good. A few tweaks and this new series would have been much more friendly to the kind of equipment it's most likely going to be paired with, but obviously marketing just wants to get the brand out there regardless of anything rational. You would not understand that, troy, you are irrational. You take internet flaming to a whole new level sometimes... sometimes I wonder if the army amps you guys up on roids or something before releasing you to the world. I am sure all your buddies will take their place at your feet, and that's fine... I have a right to my opinion, and so does anyone else that doesn't tow your party line.

Polk makes fine speakers, but they market them terribly. It is as simple as that. A little research on their part, and a little work on the engineer's part to work with what people are most likely going to pair them with, would go a looong way. The silver lining to the cloud of strange marketing antics, is that at least we now have another place to go to get Polk speakers, and a place to tell our friends to go, but that doesn't change the fact that these speakers need more than some Insignia 5.1 channel syrup of ipecac for your ears receiver.

There was a time in Polk's legacy, where you *could* find a model that did work with lower power amplification, yet still sounded, refined, warm, full, and fun to listen to.

Polk's engineers are not the problem, troy, it's their overzealous marketing department that obviously isn't in touch with the new markets they are trying to penetrate.

Now don't write a big yashu insultathon and have you and your friends send me threatening PMs again, ok friend? I said all I have to say about this subject and wish for it not to explode into something you have to publicly apologize for... again.

halo

Keep Trolling

RuSsMaN

Yashu = windbag. I've never seen someone type so much, yet say so little.

polktiger

If Polk lets BB Magnolia carry LSi; I really hope they require Magnolia to stock at least one amp option to drive them. I really hate that so many places carry LSi; but so few actually have amps.