New Polk Audio "Legend" Speaker Series shown at 2019 Hong Kong High End Audio Video Show

pitdogg2 · August 2019

la2vegas wrote: »

Well we can all put the speculation to rest about Polk reintroducing a modern version of the SDA. Sad to say, but expected.

The closest you're going to get to an SDA is in a soundbar.

mhardy6647 · August 2019

hochpt21 wrote: »

mhardy6647 wrote: »

rooftop59 wrote: »

All I’ll say for now is that if you listened to @D2Lo’s discussion, it was clear that the streamlined lineup of good (t series), better (signature series), and best (apparently legend series?) would put the best somewhere better the old rtia and lsim series. Clearly Polk can’t or is no longer interested in selling speakers at the LSiM MSRP (I suspect its the former), so they had to cut costs with this new flagship model to get the MSRP down. Or so I speculate...

^^^ Great post.

1) I didn't recall any of that; thanks for the reminder!

2) ... and I think it could be fairly and reasonably argued that superior sound at affordable prices would fit right in with the classic (dare I say Legendary Polk [Audio] ethos.

Ad from September 1977 (42 years ago )

https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/180156/a-project-for-2018-compendium-of-polk-audio-ads-etc/p1

This is actually where I thought they might go. Given Klipsch and JBL's recent re-introduction of some vintage lines.

Well, it's the way I hoped they might go -- didn't really expect 'em to do so... but, yeah, it coulda been the case.

dolbyd · August 2019

I think the towers look like an RT2000 refresh. I guess we will have to hear them.

vmaxer · August 2019

Hope they sound good

Upstatemax · August 2019

I’m trying to keep an open mind and wait out for more info and reviews, but I’m less than impressed so far.

Looks are awful, IMO. The RTI-A series look FAR better than these...

They were teasing this release YEARS ago and this is what they were working on all that time?!

ZLTFUL · August 2019

Clipdat wrote: »

The ring radiator reminds me of the Scan-Speak Revelator with the silver phase plug:

Not even remotely close. It is most likely still the Vifa based model they have been using.
The Scanspeak Revelator is a WHOLE other league. Just spend some time with any of Gunny's Sonner designs for verification.

mhardy6647 · August 2019

ZLTFUL wrote: »

Clipdat wrote: »

The ring radiator reminds me of the Scan-Speak Revelator with the silver phase plug:

Not even remotely close. It is most likely still the Vifa based model they have been using.
The Scanspeak Revelator is a WHOLE other league. Just spend some time with any of Gunny's Sonner designs for verification.

[emphasis added]

... with a price to match.

Which is not to say that the Revelator's not a very fine tweeter (it is) -- but it's pricey.

Clipdat · August 2019

ZLTFUL wrote: »

Not even remotely close. It is most likely still the Vifa based model they have been using.
The Scanspeak Revelator is a WHOLE other league. Just spend some time with any of Gunny's Sonner designs for verification.

All I said is that it visually "reminded me" of the Scan-Speak.

Any speculation on it's performance or about whether or not it's a Vifa unit is just that, speculation.

gudnoyez · August 2019

Well Jesse how much better or even if they sound better with your brief listening session, do they even compete with the 705's? The LSIM's are a better looking speaker than the Legends IMHO, the Legends look to much like the Signature series, did you listen to the bookies or the towers. Would you even consider them for yourself over the LSIM's?

mrloren · August 2019

I love these new Legend speakers.

No, I've never heard them. I've never had my eyes on them. I kinda don't care how they look or how they sound. Till this post I didn't even know what the name was.

The reason I love these new speakers is simple. I was able to get LSiM's at a blowout price. I could only dream about speakers like the LSiM in my house. Thanks to the new Legend I now have awesome speakers for almost the price of my Signatures

joecoulson · August 2019

WLDock wrote: »

Clipdat wrote: »

Another pic, quality isn't great though:

Something to consider....do they look any better or worst then theses:

IMO, I like the curved top of the LSiM more so than the flat top ELAC Adante.

DUDE! seriously? they are not even in the same playing field - I have owned both and can tell you the ELACs are stunning speakers

Upstatemax · August 2019

mrloren wrote: »

I love these new Legend speakers.

No, I've never heard them. I've never had my eyes on them. I kinda don't care how they look or how they sound. Till this post I didn't even know what the name was.

The reason I love these new speakers is simple. I was able to get LSiM's at a blowout price. I could only dream about speakers like the LSiM in my house. Thanks to the new Legend I now have awesome speakers for almost the price of my Signatures

It has nothing to do with these speakers. It all has to do with the fact that Polk has abandoned pushing the value segment in the speaker market. They don’t know how to market a class leading speaker anymore so “why bother” at this point!

LSiM failed because Polk failed to market or properly distribute the speaker. The “Legends” have nothing to do with your new speakers.

BlueFox · August 2019

From an aesthetic perspective, I just can’t stand the oval shape of the LSiM woofers.

halo · August 2019

Well, I'm glad to see that Polk (aka Sound United) is still producing and innovating new speakers. In my humble opinion, judging a book by its cover usually gets you nowhere. I am excited about the new line and I'll wait until after I've heard them to form an opinion. YMMV.

oldrocker · August 2019

BlueFox wrote: »

From an aesthetic perspective, I just can’t stand the oval shape of the LSiM woofers.

Ditto

ZLTFUL · August 2019

Clipdat wrote: »

ZLTFUL wrote: »

Not even remotely close. It is most likely still the Vifa based model they have been using.
The Scanspeak Revelator is a WHOLE other league. Just spend some time with any of Gunny's Sonner designs for verification.

All I said is that it visually "reminded me" of the Scan-Speak.

Any speculation on it's performance or about whether or not it's a Vifa unit is just that, speculation.

Call it "understanding supply chain management" and "an educated guess based on historical analysis" if you will. But the fact remains, the early LSiS used the Vifa radial ring tweeter. Then the LSiMs used a manufactured for Polk only Vifa based radial ring tweeter. Those supply avenues still exist and trying to source a new supplier costs a lot of time and money which we have seen is not the standard MO of Sound United. They want to keep margins as good as possible as they are in the business of making money.

So you say speculation while I say safe assumption based on existing facts and historical data.

Emlyn · August 2019

The ring radiator tweeter has sort of become a signature thing for Polk that in my mind is used to set them apart from their competitors. I'm not exactly sure, but the use of the ring radiator design may be the longest Polk has used any type of tweeter in its best speaker line. It would be a big deal for them to move to something else at this point.

Another obvious thing that will set the new line apart is the midrange driver. Better be some good marketing language for those, because they will look strange to most people.

The race track woofers were probably only used in the LSiM line to keep the front profile slim while maintaining a big radiating surface. Looks like that's been abandoned now, which may or may not make a difference in sound but I think it looks more conventional. It's hard to tell from the photos, but the more conventional woofers may have caused the cabinets to get wider. Certainly, if some forum members think negatively of the appearance of the oval woofers then the general public may have also thought something was a bit off about them.

rooftop59 · August 2019

I like that there are two bookshelf options. Surely there are also two tower options? But if you insist on only three models I think it’s better to have bookshelf options personally...

And I just realized no more three way bookie? No sure if it matters, lots of GREAT bookies are two way...

And I remember when I first discovered the LSi series being captivated by those nipple tweeters and loving my LSi7s and thinking the treble was amazing. Fast forward year and many bookies later and I agree that a really good soft some tweet is far superior, but I still imagine that ring radiator does set them apart with a lot of folks...

WLDock · August 2019

joecoulson wrote: »

WLDock wrote: »

Clipdat wrote: »

Another pic, quality isn't great though:

Something to consider....do they look any better or worst then theses:

IMO, I like the curved top of the LSiM more so than the flat top ELAC Adante.

DUDE! seriously? they are not even in the same playing field - I have owned both and can tell you the ELACs are stunning speakers

EXACTLY! ...and there lies the problem! Its about the almighty dollar and perception of the brand. Your ELACs are good looking speakers and so are the LSiM. Both have heavily braced MDF enclosures (and we all know that your ELAC enclosures had some quality issue), good crossovers, robust quality drivers, and respectable finishes with the Adante offering a walnut laminate finish for the same price as the gloss finish. As great as your Adante speakers may look or sound I still like the curved top of the LSiM better. That's just a minor subjective thing that I'm sure some others agree with. The same goes with the aesthetics of all the other brands out these. Some buy just for sound, and some buy for looks and sound. No surprise that the ELACs perform. However, all can find things they like and dislike regarding the aesthetics of any speaker out there.

Still.....The top of the line LSiM707 are $3,999.90 a pair,

The Adante AF-61 are $4,999.98 a pair, Revel Performa3 F208 $4999.98 a pair, Dynaudio Evoke 50 $4999.98 a pair, Focal Aria 948 $4999.98 a pair, Monitor Audio Gold 300 $4599.88 a pair, B&W 702 S2 4499.98 a pair, Focal Aria 936 $3999.98 a pair, Monitor Audio Gold 200 $3,599.98 a pair

Polks, top of the line speaker is cheaper than many of the so called "audiophile" brands yet I bet they had a hard time taking market share away from the 'small' list above...not to even mention the tons of other brands out these. I bet there are many that would spend more for the other brands above, even if the 707 outperformed some of them and and offered a pleasing sound to some. Its a tough thing to over come...its almost like a stigma. All one has to do is look around the web and its easy to see that Polk struggles with this.

IMO, ELAC hit the ball out of the park by getting Andrew Jones and hitting shows and doing interviews, etc. It was a marketing home run that automatically put the brand's new products in the 'audiophile' category.

So, IMO, this new Legend Series does not look much different than whats already out there in the marketplace. I'm sure the so so pictures and video are not telling the whole story. IMO, they look more like a Signature Series revamp than an LSiM replacement.

What the LSiM had going for it was the sexy curved shape but why pay more to manufacture this if there is not a good return. If you have to cur prices in half to more product then that is going to change your direction for the replacement line. If this new speaker is cheaper to make, and offers better performance, and is sold for less then.... that may be the best path for Polk. It would take a 'Serious' heavy hitting performance and looks beyond its price point to seriously take market share away from the so called audiophile brand above.

Why continue to chase the 'audiophile' stamp of approval? IMO, the Andrew Jones ELAC set the current bar for $5K and under speaker marketing. If there in no plan in place to heavily market and get the product out there to the masses via retail, then even a revamped Legend SDA would fail.

Lets wait and see what this thing looks like in person, sounds like, and how they market the product.

Clipdat · August 2019

WLDock wrote: »

Your ELACs are good looking speakers and so are the LSiM. Both have heavily braced MDF enclosures, good crossovers, robust quality drivers, and respectable finishes with the Adante offering a walnut laminate finish for the same price as the gloss finish.

I'm going to politely disagree here, as the quality of the crossovers in the Adante easily surpasses that of the LSiM series.

vcwatkins · August 2019

Not digging the port or the baffle; but the mid design and the old TV screen shape of the tweeter plate are pretty awful imo. Flagship with a name like "Legend"? To me, these look cheaper than the T series.

Are the aesthetics enough to keep me from trying? Probably. Unless they get rave reviews and value pricing, I'll pass and likely ignore future Polk products.

joecoulson · August 2019

WLDock wrote: »

joecoulson wrote: »

WLDock wrote: »

Clipdat wrote: »

Another pic, quality isn't great though:

Something to consider....do they look any better or worst then theses:

IMO, I like the curved top of the LSiM more so than the flat top ELAC Adante.

DUDE! seriously? they are not even in the same playing field - I have owned both and can tell you the ELACs are stunning speakers

EXACTLY! ...and there lies the problem! Its about the almighty dollar and perception of the brand. Your ELACs are good looking speakers and so are the LSiM. Both have heavily braced MDF enclosures (and we all know that your ELAC enclosures had some quality issue), good crossovers, robust quality drivers, and respectable finishes with the Adante offering a walnut laminate finish for the same price as the gloss finish. As great as your Adante speakers may look or sound I still like the curved top of the LSiM better. That's just a minor subjective thing that I'm sure some others agree with. The same goes with the aesthetics of all the other brands out these. Some buy just for sound, and some buy for looks and sound. No surprise that the ELACs perform. However, all can find things they like and dislike regarding the aesthetics of any speaker out there.

Still.....The top of the line LSiM707 are $3,999.90 a pair,

The Adante AF-61 are $4,999.98 a pair, Revel Performa3 F208 $4999.98 a pair, Dynaudio Evoke 50 $4999.98 a pair, Focal Aria 948 $4999.98 a pair, Monitor Audio Gold 300 $4599.88 a pair, B&W 702 S2 4499.98 a pair, Focal Aria 936 $3999.98 a pair, Monitor Audio Gold 200 $3,599.98 a pair

Polks, top of the line speaker is cheaper than many of the so called "audiophile" brands yet I bet they had a hard time taking market share away from the 'small' list above...not to even mention the tons of other brands out these. I bet there are many that would spend more for the other brands above, even if the 707 outperformed some of them and and offered a pleasing sound to some. Its a tough thing to over come...its almost like a stigma. All one has to do is look around the web and its easy to see that Polk struggles with this.

IMO, ELAC hit the ball out of the park by getting Andrew Jones and hitting shows and doing interviews, etc. It was a marketing home run that automatically put the brand's new products in the 'audiophile' category.

So, IMO, this new Legend Series does not look much different than whats already out there in the marketplace. I'm sure the so so pictures and video are not telling the whole story. IMO, they look more like a Signature Series revamp than an LSiM replacement.

What the LSiM had going for it was the sexy curved shape but why pay more to manufacture this if there is not a good return. If you have to cur prices in half to more product then that is going to change your direction for the replacement line. If this new speaker is cheaper to make, and offers better performance, and is sold for less then.... that may be the best path for Polk. It would take a 'Serious' heavy hitting performance and looks beyond its price point to seriously take market share away from the so called audiophile brand above.

Why continue to chase the 'audiophile' stamp of approval? IMO, the Andrew Jones ELAC set the current bar for $5K and under speaker marketing. If there in no plan in place to heavily market and get the product out there to the masses via retail, then even a revamped Legend SDA would fail.

Lets wait and see what this thing looks like in person, sounds like, and how they market the product.

Well said and sorry if I was accusatory

WLDock · August 2019

Clipdat wrote: »

I'm going to politely disagree here, as the quality of the crossovers in the Adante easily surpasses that of the LSiM series.

There is nothing really to disagree with or no reason for Joe to defend the Elacs. I never said one was better or worst, or equal from a performance standpoint.

They are good speakers and and I will repeat .... both the Adante and LSiM have good crossovers. The LSiM's 4-way high power handling crossover uses Poly for the tweets,air core inductors, Notch filter, zobel, and divided chassis....which is all good stuff. Not the best or not the worst. If the Elac is better in design and component quality, this does not mean that the Polk has a 'bad' crossover...also some might happen to like a speaker with a curved shape and top over a flat top box. However, there is nothing wrong with a flat top square shaped speaker. The discussion was about the looks of the Legend Series Polks. IMO, they don't look much different than much else out there. IMO the LSiM sexy curved shape is one of its strong points...which the Polk engineers say help with performance.

Each driver and woofer in the LSiM towers has its own enclosure (the LSiM707 tower has five separate chambers; even the tweeter has its own enclosure). The towers have no parallel surfaces;they do have massive bracing and curved tops, all of which help to eliminate resonance and standing waves. The isolated subwoofer enclosures also help eliminate internal standing waves.

Aside from its aesthetic appeal, the curved cabinet design also enables subwoofer columns of different lengths and shapes. This creates less organ pipe resonance (less column
resonance). Our engineers spilt the energy generated by the subwoofers into two small peaks, rather than one large spike.

The baffle has a very generous radius to eliminate edge diffraction; and the speaker grille, which attaches magnetically, is a zero-diffraction design. These details help stabilize imaging for a well-defined soundstage.

Take price, sound preference, and comparison to other speakers out of the equation. The scientist over at Polk have done a good job designing speakers and crossovers using the latest tools available. I took notice years ago with the SRS then the later the car audio SR6500 series speakers. Back then they were one of the few that offerd a white paper showing the science behind what they were offering. Their SR line could produce a pretty good response in the car which is not easy to do out of the box and takes some engineering and good components. It looks like the same engineering was used in the LSiM line.

SR6500 White Paper
http://www.specsserver.com/CACHE/FILE23773.PDF

Not the best, not the worst, but good design and crossover for the SR series, LSiM series, etc. Price to performance is up to the buyer to decide.

mhardy6647 · August 2019

So... it's not my place to be doing legal research for, umm, Sound United

but the post by @vcwatkins got me to thinkin' about the Legend moniker.

There's this other loudspeaker manufacturer who refers (or, at least, referred) to their brand as A Legend in Sound.

They even have had a Legend Series of loudspeakers.

Is there any trademark infringement issue kind of thing goin' on, here?

Just... you know... musing.

I muse, therefore I am.

mhardy6647 · August 2019

Oh.

and.

Realizing (again) that I'm not the target demographic for any of these (well, maybe a l'il pair of bookshelves if the sound and the price were right)

-- I will mention that aesthetics hasn't ever been a particular driver* for me vis-a-vis loudspeakers.

______________
* See what I did there?

WLDock · August 2019

Speaker of car audio crossover back when the SR line was out.

Focal was doing something like this in their super expensive Utopia Be No. 7 component set:

Alpine offer their SPX set and a pretty nice price that hand an exceptional crossover for the money.
msimz-albums-alpine-spx-f17t-xo-picture2969-picture-017.jpg

msimz-albums-alpine-spx-f17t-xo-picture2969-picture-017.jpg

Even given the above at two totally different price points, the Polk SR was a respectable product. Some may say the price was a little high at the time but the same has been said about the LSiM. Solid engineering of a solid product.

Conradicles · August 2019

Stop typing.

verb · August 2019

halo wrote: »

Well, I'm glad to see that Polk (aka Sound United) is still producing and innovating new speakers. In my humble opinion, judging a book by its cover usually gets you nowhere. I am excited about the new line and I'll wait until after I've heard them to form an opinion. YMMV.

Gotta agree with Vic here. Aesthetics, sure, everyone loves the handcrafted real wood cabinets and machined metal bits and pieces. Craftsmanship. Yeah! Heavy. Yeah! Love it too! But, how do these mass produced guys sound? We're gonna find out!

joecoulson · August 2019

I think therein lies the problem. Price seems high. The LSiM’s are great speakers, but for $4k? Like you said, there are probably more options now out there for the same or slightly higher that give much better performance.
I got mine used for $800 for the pair. Sold them for the same. You can now buy them brand new for the same. That’s awful for those who paid $3k (705’s) I can see the Elacs getting discounted every now and again for up to 30-40% off retail. But not 73%!

As an aside, the pic of the Lsim woofer (left) and the Elac woofer (right)

WLDock · August 2019

Both are nice drivers. Those Elac's look at if they have a hell of a stoke!

Funny thing about ELAC drivers. Their 400 series drivers just draw you in like a black hole and makes you(Me any way) want to listen to them. I've yet to do so however....Not that I can afford them.

The drivers are brutes! http://www.dynabel.no/filemanager/download_file/file/770816
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5LmGz6Nm0CCUP1DyswvA6mQnOe9jf4HDT-F7VULL6-qJPQFy3

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5LmGz6Nm0CCUP1DyswvA6mQnOe9jf4HDT-F7VULL6-qJPQFy3

...and yes....Polk may have a hard time in the $4K-$5K range. There is just too much out there today.

New Polk Audio "Legend" Speaker Series shown at 2019 Hong Kong High End Audio Video Show

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