Modest System Review (Polk, Yamaha, Samsung)

stebesplace

I received my R150's and Yamaha sub from JR's a couple of days ago and have been testing them ever since. This is an upgrade system full of hand me downs, and Craigslist buys. The TV is the only new item I actually bought prior to the speakers and sub. My setup includes the following:

Polk R150's
Yamaha AX-450 Stereo Amp
Yamaha YST-SQ216 Sub
Samsung 26" LCD
Samsung 1080P8 DVD Player

This is a fairly modest, simple 2 channel setup for listening to internet audio, CD's, and DVD's through my Samsung LCD in a small apartment. My speakers are located about ear level on a set of bookshelves. The amplifier and dvd player are on an adjacent shelf. I have an Airport Express sitting behind the amplifier in addition to an iPod Dock in the front. Everything is hooked up via rca plugs with the exception of the DVD and TV hooked up via HDMI.

Remember that these are rear firing port speakers, and I have approx. 3" of space behind each speaker. My setup is somewhat confining overall, but this gets the job done for me. The amp is circa 1991 I believe, as I got it second hand and does an excellent job at powering these. I will say though, that this one is on its way out for something a bit cleaner. I believe there is an issue with this that causes intermittent channel cut-outs; That's a whole other topic!

The sound is pretty amazing for the price of these speakers. They have no bass, which is why I picked up the sub as well on sale. Total price for the sub, shipping, and speakers was under $200 thanks to free shipping! The sub makes all the difference and really balances out these speakers.

High's and mids on the R150's are clear and clean. The high's are not too bright for me, and the mids are moderate and punchy. A good combo for my listening needs (Classical, Alt Rock, etc.). Having these placed where the tweeter (which is on the bottom) is at ear level or up to maybe 9" higher than your ear really made a difference too. I placed these originally about 3 feet above my listening level on a top shelf, and I felt that the sound was pretty "flat." Having them a good 2 to 3 feet lower than my ears left them also sounding flat. So it really is key to have these at ear level to get the most out of them.

I really don't like my Samsung DVD player at all, and are not sure what I want to go to next. I listen to a fair amount of CD's however, that is slowly dwindling as I now rip them to the computer to listed to. Regardless, this DVD player has got to go soon for something a bit better. Not ready to jump on the B-Ray bandwagon yet. I have a 200 disk CD changer, but that thing is HUGE where I have the amp sitting now, and it cannot play DVD's so thats pretty much out.

Overall I would give these a solid 4.5 out of 5. I took a half point off for their looks, which are pretty bland if you ask me, and wish they had a cherry finish or more unique grill cover. Sound though gets a 5 out of 5 for this price point. These outdid a set of Bose AM-5 speakers I had tested in the same locations, sub and all, for considerably less money as a comparison. You really need to combine these with a sub, and if you can do it all for under $200 it really is worth it as an introduction into better audio than what I was working with!

stebesplace

Forgot to mention that I am using Monster Quick-Loc connectors. Spades for the speakers, only because I had them from another project; Banana plugs for the back of the amp. They are expensive, but worth it for as frequently as I move things around. I notice no sound difference using them (better or worse).

Kex

Nice review! It's refreshing to read reviews where money IS an object, and funds are not unlimited. So many seem to think that if you cannot afford it, you are unworthy of a speciality hobby forum such as this. I agree: the entry level Polk speakers really do deliver a lot of bang for the buck, and you should not feel the necessity to apologize for "a fairly modest system".

As for the player, I wonder if an Oppo might be worthy of your consideration ...

Sherardp

perfect environment you have there, pick up a book relax and read with some great tunes to boot. I'd fall asleep in there every time. Very nice review.

stebesplace

Thanks for the comments. Yeah I am going to take the player back to Best Buy and get something different. Even after I wrote the review, it was skipping tracks on a few CD's and a DVD I tested. Driving me nuts!

I have never heard of Oppo (http://www.oppodigital.com/) but they look pretty good. Problem is, I need to get something that exists within the Best Buy system at this point.

Yeah its a great place to read. I'm a chair nut, and have a few in there to choose from when reading. Could you tell I like to read? That is two of 9 full shelves. I need to get out more!

stebesplace

Well, I returned the Samsung 1080P8 due to disk skipping. Replaced it with a Sony DVPNC800H/B 5 disk DVD/CD changer. I had a 200 disk changer that was only for CD's which I loved a few years back, but got rid of it because I consolidated to HDD and didn't want a MASSIVE player here. What I missed the most was having the capacity of all of those disks, so I settled with this 5 disk changer as a compromise between the 200 changer and a single slot load. Its really nice when you are watching TV shows on DVD and don't need to switch between DVD's to see various episodes, etc. Ohh well, this is at least 100x better than the Samsung I had.

Sherardp

The Marantz CC4001 is a very nice option as well. I have one and love it.