Polk Audio Speakers - "I get no respect!"

Clipdat
Clipdat Posts: 12,560
edited March 2018 in Speakers
Like the late Rodney Dangerfield, I've had a few experiences in recent past that have been making me wonder why Polk Audio speakers seem to get no respect in the audiophile/high end audio world.

The most recent experience I had was when I inquired with Rogue Audio about their well regarded preamps. Per their instructions, I emailed them to ask if there was a local dealer in my vicinity that carried their products. I got a prompt reply informing me of the name of a local HiFi shop in an adjacent city from me.

A day later, that local HiFi shop emailed me directly, saying that they heard from Rogue Audio that I was interested in their products, and that they would be happy to help. I started corresponding with the HiFi shop, asking about new vs. used, what Rogue models they carried, etc.

They quickly replied the same day with some information, and then they asked "What sort of amp, speakers, and source would you be using with the preamp?". I answered with all the relevant information, including the speakers I have - Polk Audio LSiM 703.

This was 10 days ago, still no response as of today. So we went from same day replies, to no reply after I mentioned my speakers? Could be a coincidence...? Maybe, maybe not.

Another time when I was shopping for bookshelf speakers before I settled on the 703s, I was calling around to see what different brands were available for demo at local shops. Once they heard I was looking for bookshelfs they said that they carried some Paradigm speakers and asked what I was using currently. I said Polk TSi100s and immediately was told "Oh, Paradigm speakers are MUCH better than THOSE." in a super snotty tone of voice.

Yet another recent experience I had was when I was shopping for power distribution and conditioning products, and a retailer I had called started inquiring about my setup in order to find out what my needs were. I ran through a quick list of gear, and was asked "Speakers?" and again, informed them Polk Audio LSiM 703. Their delayed response was silence and then "Oh, okay. I heard you say Polk Audio, and uh...". As if to imply that if I had something other than 703s that I would've been met with a negative comment.

What if I had said S15, TSi100, or RTiA3? Again, I don't understand the lack of respect for Polk Audio speakers. Any of those would be more than revealing enough to show changes made upstream, like PCs/Power Distribution/Conditioning, SCs, ICs, etc. I know this for a fact because I had TSi100s when I demoed the several thousand dollar MIT SCs and ICs and I could clearly hear a difference in the improved cabling.

Lastly, back when I was getting into HiFi, I had purchased the TSi100s and then went to another local shop further away to look at integrated amplifiers. I spent some time demoing a NAD, and when I answered the store owner's question about what speakers I would be using and told him Polk Audio TSi100s I got an eyeroll and he walked away to let his sales associate assist me.

It just seems perplexing to me that there's been several times where upon hearing "Polk Audio", people just can't seem to resist negative remarks.

Just hearing the brand name alone is enough to make them completely disregard any positive characteristics or redeeming value?! Bizarre.
«13456

Comments

  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,505
    I have no negative feelings towards Polk audio, I like Polk audio and will always like Polk audio. I dont know why others have negative remarks towards it. It's a solid brand.
    Magico, JL, Emm, ARC Ref 10 line, ARC Ref 10 phono, VPI, Lyra, Boulder, AQ Wel, SRA Scuttle Rack, Bluesound
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    It was true way back in the day when SDA's were being sold. I remember being intrigued by them and being directed to something else instead by the sales rep. I said no, and I wanted to hear the SRS, and he again said what he was offering to demo were much better. .


    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • bikezappa
    bikezappa Posts: 2,463
    NOTHING HAS CHANGED in 40 years. It's all about opinions.
  • Jaybeez
    Jaybeez Posts: 737
    Fortunately my entry into the world of Polk (circa 1983) was at a high end audio dealer in San Diego that allowed me to A/B Monitor 7's against everything remotely in the price range, with no comment or bias.
    The Polks were the clear winners of the ear test with some of my own source material. The shop owner sold me the Polks without reservation.
    I may have other speakers rotate in and out, but one or more sets of Polk speaks will always be in my house.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited March 2018
    The funny thing about loudspeakers is that many/most/all of them sound different in ways that don't just boil down to breadth of frequency response, flatness of frequency response, phase linearity across crossovers, and impedance curve.

    Preference in reproduced sound is very much an objective matter of taste, and, as "they" say, de gustibus non est disputandum.

    There are numerous "audiophile approved" loudspeakers whose sound I simply don't like. Some of them are quite expensive. There are some much less expensive, "second tier" (or lower) loudspeakers that I love. Polk (vintage) falls in that latter list, I suppose -- but I make no apologies for my enjoyment of them.

    Not really a useful reply -- just something I felt the need to "say". :|
  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2018
    This is why I don't really miss the lack of "High End" audio shops around here. I have no patience for their snotty attitudes.

    My ears have told me for 28 years that I like Polks sound signature, they have also told me that they hate B&Ws sound signature.

    These shops can take their condescending attitude and stick it where the sun don't shine. It also means I won't be wasting any of my money on them!

    Purchase your gear online, and you won't have to put up with any attitude.

    When I was looking to upgrade my gear I went over to Comm Ave and first went into Tweeter. I told them what I wanted and that I was willing to spend 2000.00 to make it happen. Well the idiot salesman said that I couldn't do it for that small amount of money.

    I walked out of there, and went into Spirit Sound Audio next door, figuring I couldn't afford anything but since I was there...Well the salesman couldn't have been more different. That was how I walked out with my RTA-8Ts, Rotel Pre/Amp/CD player and Onkyo tape deck.

    The fastest way to lose a customer is to diss the gear they already have, or how much money they are willing to spend. There is always someone else out there who will be happy to help you spend your money with good customer service.
    Post edited by cfrizz on
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
  • Most people judge a line-up of any manufacturer by its 'halo' product. If Polk made a very limited run of ~ $7,500-$10,000 speakers people would automatically count them as a higher-end speaker company. For most people today it's just easier to judge a company that way than it is to actually listen and compare.

    I first got into Polk with a pair of 7C's and quickly upgraded to 10B's. When I purchased my 7C's the top of the line Polk were RTA12's.Before I knew it I was collecting SDA's and finally ended up with SRS's. I got hooked on Polk because they sounded better than almost anything else I listened to. Each model sounded better than the next smaller one and i preferred them over AR, B&W, Boston, EV, and anything in the same price range.

    OK. I confess I did have a weakness for A/D/S back then too.



  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2018
    Polk has never really marketed themselves as a high-end speaker company. Their mission has always been to put their speakers into everyones hands at different but affordable prices.

    So Polk is still going strong 40 years later by making their products available in diverse markets. In the meantime these hifalutin shops are closing year after year since very few can afford their prices in an ever changing job market.

    Speakers are a luxury item, and when there are more important things to buy, speakers get shoved to the bottom of the list providing they are on the list to begin with.

    Guess who's laughing all the way to the bank!
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    cfrizz wrote: »
    Polk has never really marketed themselves as a high-end speaker company. Their mission has always been to put their speakers into everyones hands at different but affordable prices.

    They did when SDA reigned supreme, and again when SRT was launched, but most have forgotten those days.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2018
    I don't think even then SDA's reigned supreme. They were a niche product, that Polk never repeated, but still uses the technology today. If they had sold tons of them, they would still be making them, but they didn't.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
  • rpf65
    rpf65 Posts: 2,127
    I've been in a few audio places where I've experienced a sales person seem to be less interested when I tell them I'm running Polk speakers. I continue to look at whatever I was curious about, even though I have no intentions of making a purchase.

    Bad customer service is simply bad customer service, and I'll spend my money elsewhere.
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    edited March 2018
    Why Polk advertising dept. decided to say "Fluid Coupled Passive Radiators" is a sales label I have questioned since I saw it on the speaker ad in the Music Store..

    I asked a salesman ( the Owner of the Music Store) if there was fluid in the cabinet. He grinned and said no. I told myself what a bunch of s**t sales gargin that made no sense. Yea, some say air is fluid. What fluid can be called air?

    I auditioned the Big SRS's that day but they were too close together. I didn't experience the SDA effect since a surround movie was playing through them. Tom Cruises first movie "LEGEND" was starting and it was AMAZING for surround effects!

    But I did hear the first home surround sound system by Yamaha that day. I later bought a 21" XBR Sony TV, a Mitsubishi VCR and the cheaper of the 2 Yamahas. He co-signed a note at a financial Loan Co. for me to be able to purchase that system. He was a Very Nice Man for sure. He got my Credit started!! He said he trusted me. I never missed a payment either.

    He had a cool store. B)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    The less respect, the better it is for me! Just means I'm spending less $$$ on something I enjoy.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,711
    edited March 2018
    cfrizz wrote: »
    I don't think even then SDA's reigned supreme. They were a niche product, that Polk never repeated, but still uses the technology today. If they had sold tons of them, they would still be making them, but they didn't.

    That must be why Polk made and sold the heck out them for 10 years.

    It helps to know what you're talking about.
    Post edited by F1nut on
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    cfrizz wrote: »
    I don't think even then SDA's reigned supreme. They were a niche product, that Polk never repeated, but still uses the technology today. If they had sold tons of them, they would still be making them, but they didn't.
    Wrong... They did sell tons of them, and they were very well reviewed by the snobby audio media of the time. Perhaps reading Matt's brief on why they were discontinued would offer some enlightenment on the subject?
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • mrloren
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    Polk never had decent respect.

    Back in the day everyone wanted Cerwin Vega.. BIG LOUD blasting things. I even had a pair. I knew a few people who had Polk speakers, mostly musicians. I did get a set of bookies in HS because stairway sounded soo good on them.

    The few months I worked at DOW/Tweeter I would tell customers, if you want your ears to bleed get Klipsch. If you want to hear every bit of the music get Advent or Polk. I did sell a lot of Polk and Advent but most people were just set on Klipsch or Bose.
    When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
    Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
    Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
    Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music
  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,042
    edited March 2018
    Tony M wrote: »
    I told myself what a bunch of s**t sales gargin that made no sense. Yea, some say air is fluid. What fluid can be called air?

    A liquid is a fluid but a fluid isn't necessarily a liquid. Air and other gasses can be classified as a fluid.
    Q: Is air a fluid?

    A: Yes! A fluid is any substance that flows. Air is made of stuff, air particles, that are loosely held together in a gas form. Although liquids are the most commonly recognized fluids, gasses are also fluids. Since air is a gas, it flows and takes the form of its container.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    Nightfall wrote: »
    Tony M wrote: »
    I told myself what a bunch of s**t sales gargin that made no sense. Yea, some say air is fluid. What fluid can be called air?

    A liquid is a fluid but a fluid isn't necessarily a liquid. Air and other gasses can be classified as a fluid.
    Q: Is air a fluid?

    A: Yes! A fluid is any substance that flows. Air is made of stuff, air particles, that are loosely held together in a gas form. Although liquids are the most commonly recognized fluids, gasses are also fluids. Since air is a gas, it flows and takes the form of its container.

    Oh Shite Josh going all DrH on us ;)

    No offense to either party, DrH keeps me as the Scrabble master at home :)
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    It’s a little known fact that glass is a liquid and NOT a solid. It is also a fluid.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    Gravity isn't just a great idea, it's the law... ;)
  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    I like my current Polk speakers and I've owned some other pretty spiffy speaker brands in my time. I've also been fortunate enough to own some of the vintage Polk speakers. My current speakers sound great to me so I'm not concerned much with the opinions of others in regards to what I have.

    Its been said many times on this forum that if YOU like it, then that is all that matters. No one else has to listen to these but me and I'm ok with that. I have no doubt that there are better speakers out there. However, I don't believe there are better speakers out there (new) at this price point. My current speakers are "scratch & dent" models from Crutchfield, so that lowers the price floor even farther, plus there was a $100 price break per speaker from Polk at the time. So, these are a ridiculously good value and there are many people out there that are posting positive reviews of the newer Polks. I'm really happy to see Polk putting out some seriously good products these days.
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    It’s a little known fact that glass is a liquid and NOT a solid. It is also a fluid.

    So your windshield is a fluid and not solid?

    What science teacher or books taught you glass is not a solid?

    Glass starts out as solid sand, it's heated to it's melting point, reshaped and cooled down to become a solid again. It is then called glass. Melted sand is just that, but if you're going to make glass from it, then the SUBSTANCE is called MOLTEN GLASS. The molten glass will ALWAYS want to return to its SOLID FORM.

    So according to you John, Aluminum is not a solid either. Or is that not in the book or teachings of little known facts I haven't been taught or read about yet?

    I'm never too old to learn something. As long as there is common sense involved.

    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    FestYboy wrote: »
    Gravity isn't just a great idea, it's the law... ;)

    It's the law according to Newton. ;)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited March 2018
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    edited March 2018
    Nightfall wrote: »
    Tony M wrote: »
    I told myself what a bunch of s**t sales gargin that made no sense. Yea, some say air is fluid. What fluid can be called air?



    A liquid is a fluid but a fluid isn't necessarily a liquid. Air and other gasses can be classified as a fluid.
    Q: Is air a fluid?

    Yes! A fluid is any substance that flows. Air is made of stuff, air particles, that are loosely held together in a gas form. Although liquids are the most commonly recognized fluids, gasses are also fluids. Since air is a gas, it flows and takes the form of its container.

    ^^^See hidden quote above.^^

    Substance;

    substance
    [suhb-stuh ns]
    Spell Syllables
    Synonyms
    Examples
    Word Origin
    See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
    noun
    1.
    that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material:
    form and substance.
    2.
    a species of matter of definite chemical composition:
    a chalky substance.
    3.
    controlled substance.
    Explore Dictionary.com

    The Oldest Words in English

    Only 90s Kids Will Get These Words

    The Saddest Words in English

    Insults We Should Bring Back
    4.
    the subject matter of thought, discourse, study, etc.
    5.
    the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.
    6.
    substantial or solid character or quality:
    claims lacking in substance.
    7.
    consistency; body:
    soup without much substance.

    Idioms
    14.
    in substance,
    concerning the essentials; substantially.
    actually; really:
    That is in substance how it appeared to me.
    Origin of substance
    Expand

    Middle English



    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,042
    That way will work too.
    flu·id
    ˈflo͞oid/
    noun
    noun: fluid; plural noun: fluids

    1.
    a substance that has no fixed shape and yields easily to external pressure; a gas or (especially) a liquid.
    air
    er/
    noun
    noun: air

    1.
    the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen.
    gas·e·ous
    ˈɡasēəs,ˈɡaSHəs/
    adjective
    adjective: gaseous

    relating to or having the characteristics of a gas.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,711
    cfrizz wrote: »
    In the meantime these hifalutin shops are closing year after year since very few can afford their prices in an ever changing job market.

    Just a little bit of attitude there.....tsk tsk

    Anyway that is not the reason. Brick and mortar stores of all types including the lowfalutin shops have and will continue to shut their doors because of one thing and one thing only, the Internet. That is not a good thing, IMO.

    Jumping back to audio, look at how many people now complain that they can't audition hifi gear these days.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,043
    I remember back about 1999 I wanted to "upgrade" to a brand new 2 channel stereo. So I head off to our local brick and mortar store (Bernies) and for speakers they steer me towards the Polk RT1000's. The salesmen are all in agreement that they're the best sounding speakers they have in the store. This may well have been true as the Bernies stores were geared towards ht and projection tv's. The end result is I left with a pair and was sorely disappointed with their finest sounding speakers here at home.
    I wonder if the rt series had anything to do with people thumbing their nose at Polk products? I do know it kept me away from their line up for a few years.
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    F1nut wrote: »
    cfrizz wrote: »
    In the meantime these hifalutin shops are closing year after year since very few can afford their prices in an ever changing job market.

    Just a little bit of attitude there.....tsk tsk

    Anyway that is not the reason. Brick and mortar stores of all types including the lowfalutin shops have and will continue to shut their doors because of one thing and one thing only, the Internet. That is not a good thing, IMO.

    Jumping back to audio, look at how many people now complain that they can't audition hifi gear these days.

    Nailed it.

    Those same people that complain they can't audition HIFI gear, are the same tire kickers that used to audition in a brick and mortar and then turn around and shop the internet to buy it.

    Won't be long though, they'll tax everything on there too.

    BTW Cathy,
    The SDA's, and all their iterations was probably the longest selling series of speakers Polk ever had.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,707
    Tony M wrote: »
    It’s a little known fact that glass is a liquid and NOT a solid. It is also a fluid.

    So your windshield is a fluid and not solid?

    What science teacher or books taught you glass is not a solid?

    Glass starts out as solid sand, it's heated to it's melting point, reshaped and cooled down to become a solid again. It is then called glass. Melted sand is just that, but if you're going to make glass from it, then the SUBSTANCE is called MOLTEN GLASS. The molten glass will ALWAYS want to return to its SOLID FORM.

    So according to you John, Aluminum is not a solid either. Or is that not in the book or teachings of little known facts I haven't been taught or read about yet?

    I'm never too old to learn something. As long as there is common sense involved.

    Ummmm....the molecular structure of silica changes after it's been heated. Especially as an polymer because the glass you are looking at this post through is not pure silicon dioxide. There are other components to the mixture that help create the structures that make opaque sand into clear glass. Glass is not just melted sand. Sand is silica in structured crystalline form. Glass is silica, well silicon dioxide in a specific type of non-crystalline form.

    Glass is also not a liquid but it's not a regular solid. It is an amorphous solid which is very much a solid but it's molecular bonds (remember, I said they change?) are more similar to the types of structured bonds found in liquids. In other words, it's a non-crystalline solid. That means that while the crystals do form, they form in a way that is not structured so they don't take the long form shape of a crystal that you would typically think of with the long planes of facets. Amorphous is a word derived from the Greek word for shapeless or without shape. As in "amorphous blob".

    So glass is a crystalline solid that forms like a liquid through specific annealing processes that form the structures and make the glass stable in it's amorphous form.

    The idea that glass is a liquid comes from very old panes of glass (several hundred years old) that have a measurably wider shape to the pane at the bottom of the pane than at the top. This caused less observant folks to believe that the glass was "running" down because of gravity. While that may be true, it's not because of age. The fat bottom of the glass pane occurred during the cooling process and is due to how the pane was handled during cooling. This has been studied and verified through examining, measuring and testing the chemical composition and structure of the glass and finding it to be a stable solid that had been stable for as long as the pane of glass was in existence.

    Modern glass is far less susceptible to such variations because of how refined the annealing processes are. The annealing process is critical because it relieves the stresses of the glass that forms as it cools and makes it more durable and less prone to shattering from minor impacts to temperature changes. In other words, we're way better at making glass now than we ever could have hoped to be a thousand years ago.




    Back to audio, who cares what anyone thinks about your speakers? Your stereo is for you, not the shop owner/sales guy. It doesn't matter what you have. If you are coming in to buy a component, nothing in that store is going to match what you have at home. Even if it's "close" as per the shop guy's systems and opinions. Biggest reason is because it's not your listening environment which has as much to do with it as the components used. If someone asks you what other stuff you are using, unless there is a possible connectivity issue, it doesn't matter to anyone but you. Just don't tell them. They aren't the ones making the decision. It's your decision, your money. They only thing they have to do is to inform you of your available choices.
    Expert Moron Extraordinaire

    You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!