so I got a pair of VM30's
I picket up a pair of the polished aluminum VM30's from the Polk direct store, and I hooked them up in place of my Lsi9's a couple of days ago to give them a test drive.
here is my impression so far
1. They look really cool - that polished aluminum look is very heavy metal. I think that all of polks speakers should have this finish as an option.
2. They are fairly light and easy to put together and set up, and I let my 10 year old son do most of it. Having the cable connections on the back instead of on the bottom would be much easier, but the connection is invisible where it is on the bottom. I used banana plugs.
3. The sound - I listen to a lot of music and for music these are not in the same league as the Lsi9's. Having said that, they are great for sound effects and play every little detail and are much more engaging for theater than the Lsi's. I liked them in stereo for watching TV and vocals were very clear. 3 pairs of these with a couple of good subs and a center channel with a 50" plasma would be a lot of fun.
here is my impression so far
1. They look really cool - that polished aluminum look is very heavy metal. I think that all of polks speakers should have this finish as an option.
2. They are fairly light and easy to put together and set up, and I let my 10 year old son do most of it. Having the cable connections on the back instead of on the bottom would be much easier, but the connection is invisible where it is on the bottom. I used banana plugs.
3. The sound - I listen to a lot of music and for music these are not in the same league as the Lsi9's. Having said that, they are great for sound effects and play every little detail and are much more engaging for theater than the Lsi's. I liked them in stereo for watching TV and vocals were very clear. 3 pairs of these with a couple of good subs and a center channel with a 50" plasma would be a lot of fun.
pop
media room: Lsi25 mains driven by an audiosource amp300, LSi9's driven by another amp300, LsiC drivin by an audiosourcAmp200, Lsi7 rear channels driven by receiver - Yamaha 863, Panamax 5300, epson 6100 w/ 106" elite cinatension2 screen, HPz555 media center, oppo 980, techniques SLbd3 turntable,xbox and ps3,
living room: VM30 mains driven by a niles 2125, VM20 center and VM10 surrounds, velodyne dsp10, yamaha rxv661, cambridge audio dvd89, panamax5300, philips 42" plasma
media room: Lsi25 mains driven by an audiosource amp300, LSi9's driven by another amp300, LsiC drivin by an audiosourcAmp200, Lsi7 rear channels driven by receiver - Yamaha 863, Panamax 5300, epson 6100 w/ 106" elite cinatension2 screen, HPz555 media center, oppo 980, techniques SLbd3 turntable,xbox and ps3,
living room: VM30 mains driven by a niles 2125, VM20 center and VM10 surrounds, velodyne dsp10, yamaha rxv661, cambridge audio dvd89, panamax5300, philips 42" plasma
Post edited by lumpy on
Comments
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I've heard them with two micropro 3000 subs and it was amazing
I heard them too at Polkfest two years ago. I didn't think they were amazing but they were pretty darn good considering they were being used in conjuction with a pretty vintage CD player. -
They make a great HT speaker. For 2 channel, you would want to go to the LSi9's anyway. That's where they shine. Thanks for the review lumpy.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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I have had the VM30 running for about a year in my system, and one thing I can say is they do require significant break in time, we are talking 90-100 hours of play. however once this break in is achieved they really open up, allowing those 4 4.5" drivers and 4 4.5" passive radiators to open up, giving a much smoother and less harsh roll off on the bottom end. No they will not compare to the Lsi for 2 channel, but for HT they are detailed, lively and uber responsive. I plan on using these once I get my own house as they take up very little floor space and will work nicely in a bedroom.
my pair of RT55i with modded crossovers will still be my primary 2 channel speaker though
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They also make a killer match with the Polk PSWi225.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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can someone post a photo of how the speaker cables connect, first I've heard that they connect in the bottom instead of rear.
Also is there a way to wall mount them like you can with the vm20's?
Id like to wall mount vm30's and if I cant I think I might just go with5 X vm20's
