Looking forward to L800 but have concerns, what are your thoughts?
Comments
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I have the SVS soundpath feet. They made the bass much more balanced. It blended the towers with the sub more and with better imaging.
On the towers, I have the Gaia II feet, but they connect with the carpet spike discs from isoacoustics so they are essentially coupled to the sub floor, but the fee themselves are not a rigid structure. They changed the sound for me also. Better midrange bass and again, more balanced through the lowers octaves.
I am a believer in these tweaks as they have presented gains in my system. They are not for everyone. -
I went a bit crazy and did it here as well...
So, now your speakers rock back and forth. Just what you don't want.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 -
Analog: Hana ML > MoFi UltraDeck > Bob's Devices Sky 20-S > Sutherland 20/20 w/LPS
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Hifiman EF600 > Hifiman Arya Stealth
Discogs -
i was just about to post this. this review puts them in a new light.
this might explain some of what we heard at the October bash.Post edited by marvda1 onAmplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
Totally agree. I was glad to see him get pretty honest and blunt in this review. My previous opinion was that he's always been a little too positive about everything he reviews, but the back half of this review was refreshing. I went in thinking "here's another 'astonishing' product" but when he said he flat out finds them hard to live with, I didn't see that coming.i was just about to post this. this review puts them in a new light.
this might explain some of what we heard at the October bash.Analog: Hana ML > MoFi UltraDeck > Bob's Devices Sky 20-S > Sutherland 20/20 w/LPS
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Hifiman EF600 > Hifiman Arya Stealth
Discogs -
you won't find any av receivers with a 2 ohm rating and not many mid-fi options. this will take some high $$$$-$$$$$+. the comment about source makes it even worse.
you would think polk would have made it more amp friendly.Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
He needs to do his maths.....8 cables to ech speaker with the height module ..wrong.
Every SDA speaker needs good placement for its full potential!
Regarding the differential balanced amps.
Do the old 1.2's and TL's have this problem?
Would a dreadnaught solve this problem?
His room looked pretty bright.I don't believe any speaker in there would sound to good at reference lvls, especially if it's bad source material!
Post edited by ptrooper on -
2-4 ohm WOW never knew they dropped that low. That integrated amp may not of been up to the task after all. The open concept floor plan strike 2.
I do agree some stuff did sound OK other stuff was terrible. I would of like to of seen a good CD/SACD player not all streamed audio there. I would also of liked to been able to move them closer to the back wall but with that dresser that would have interfered as well.
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2-4 ohm WOW never knew they dropped that low. ...
Yeah -- it'd be nice if someone'd publish impedance and phase curves, wouldn't it?
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I believe he said "below 2 ohms"2-4 ohm WOW never knew they dropped that low. That integrated amp may not of been up to the task after all. The open concept floor plan strike 2.
I do agree some stuff did sound OK other stuff was terrible. I would of like to of seen a good CD/SACD player not all streamed audio there. I would also of liked to been able to move them closer to the back wall but with that dresser that would have interfered as well.
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actually the specs he listed said 2.8ohm to 4ohms.
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I don't know about that guy. How does he think SDA is supposed to work without the SDA cable!?!
FYI review guy, it's walnut, not cherry wood......geesh!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 -
I'd say Polk was wise not to try wireless SDA.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 -
I'm not sure the wireless types would lay out $6k for speakers. They tend to go for consumer grade gear.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 -
I'm not sure the wireless types would lay out $6k for speakers. They tend to go for consumer grade gear.
No doubt it doesn't say "Beats" or "Apple". -
i was just about to post this. this review puts them in a new light.
this might explain some of what we heard at the October bash.
Sounds like I was right on with my questioning how they were set up and what gear was involved. Sounds like these are the modern equivalent of the Infinity RS as far as being a difficult load.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 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
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
Do you think an old sunfire signiture would pair up well ?
Ash black look pretty good!
I wonder if the next model L800’s will be modified in the future like the original SRS’s to 1.2’s due to Anplifier incompatibility -
I don’t know that I’d consider this guy the definitive word on a whole lot.
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nooshinjohn wrote: »i was just about to post this. this review puts them in a new light.
this might explain some of what we heard at the October bash.
Sounds like I was right on with my questioning how they were set up and what gear was involved. Sounds like these are the modern equivalent of the Infinity RS as far as being a difficult load.
I don't know. The front end was run by the flagship Cambridge Edge integrated amp, which should be plenty capable, being fed Tidal by an 851n streamer and appropriate cables. Maybe not the pinnacle of gear, but easily a 10k front end which should have been more than capable.
And yes, the room shape wasn't ideal, but it was approved by the on-site Polk rep. More importantly I still think that some what misses the excellent points in Andrew Robinson's review:
"You'll sit there and you'll wonder where all the imaging went. Your center will disappear. The speakers themselves will not aurally disappear, they'll be very much locatable. You'll only hear the right, you'll only hear the left. The soundstage will completely collapse, and you'll just be scratching your head."
"One of the more inconsistent speakers I have ever encountered"
"Sometimes it works great... other times it falls completely flat."
"Requires you on some level to conform to its needs"
"A big hulking speaker that actually is very difficult to live with."
"You have to kind of tailor your taste to what's going to make them work and perform at their best."
"I don't fully understand who this is for... other than a dedicated Polk audio fan."
Those lines really resonate with me, and reflected my experience. Not to say it doesn't have strong moments, and the review points those elements out as well. But to me those moments are overshadowed by the trade offs. Just my opinion based off one experience of course. I'd happily spend my time with them in another environment. But I can't ever see myself bringing out my wallet for these, even if I had the perfect room and upstream gear.Analog: Hana ML > MoFi UltraDeck > Bob's Devices Sky 20-S > Sutherland 20/20 w/LPS
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Hifiman EF600 > Hifiman Arya Stealth
Discogs -
The way he was headed I was half expecting him to say they should be wireless powered bluetooth speakers, the way he concentrated on how difficult it was to get a compatible amp that could deliver into a 2 Ohm load and the *dreaded* SDA cable. Other than that, I though it was a pretty good review.Post edited by Gardenstater onGeorge / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
I'd say Polk was wise not to try wireless SDA.
Can you imagine?
understatement of the century (hey, we're 20% of the way along now), @F1nut
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nooshinjohn wrote: »i was just about to post this. this review puts them in a new light.
this might explain some of what we heard at the October bash.
Sounds like I was right on with my questioning how they were set up and what gear was involved. Sounds like these are the modern equivalent of the Infinity RS as far as being a difficult load.
I don’t think the gear involved was an issue given that the L800s were being fed by a Cambridge Edge A integrated amp, 851n streaming Tidal and connected with appropriate cables throughout. I never once felt that power was an issue with anything we heard. On the contrary, I said the power and fun factor was one of the best traits of the L800s. And the room may not have been ideal for the SDAs, but the onsite Polk rep did say they were performing correctly.
I think the review highlighted some really important elements of the L800:
“One of the more inconsistent loudspeakers I have ever encountered”
“A big hulking speaker that is actually very difficult to live with.”
“Here we have the L800 kind of acting like a prima-donna… that requires you on some level to conform to its needs”
“You have to kind of tailor your taste to what’s going make them work and perform at their best”
“You’ll sit there, and you’ll wonder where all the imaging went… The soundstage will completely collapse, and you’ll just be scratching your head.”
“I don’t know who this loudspeaker is going to appeal to because it is so big, it is so cumbersome, and frankly it is difficult to live with.”
To be clear, I’m not saying Andrew Robinson is the ultimate authority on audio. But those quotes above align with my experience. If I have the opportunity to hear the L800s again, I would gladly take it. I’d love to hear the differences in a symmetrical room. They had strong moments and I’d love to hear them at their finest. But based on my experience, I wouldn’t be pulling my wallet out for them and I would be very shocked if a different room or different gear swayed me to feel differently.
That’s obviously just my opinion, formed from a somewhat limited exposure to the L800s. But I think this review will resonate with a lot of people who have heard these speakers, and I think it brings up valid points of consideration for ownership.
Analog: Hana ML > MoFi UltraDeck > Bob's Devices Sky 20-S > Sutherland 20/20 w/LPS
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Hifiman EF600 > Hifiman Arya Stealth
Discogs -
@mpitogo - I'd love to get your perspective on the review after having lived with them for awhile now.Analog: Hana ML > MoFi UltraDeck > Bob's Devices Sky 20-S > Sutherland 20/20 w/LPS
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Hifiman EF600 > Hifiman Arya Stealth
Discogs -
nooshinjohn wrote: »i was just about to post this. this review puts them in a new light.
this might explain some of what we heard at the October bash.
Sounds like I was right on with my questioning how they were set up and what gear was involved. Sounds like these are the modern equivalent of the Infinity RS as far as being a difficult load.
Given that the L800s were being fed by a Cambridge Edge A integrated amp, 851n streaming Tidal and connected with appropriate cables throughout, I don’t think the gear was an issue. I never felt power was lacking in that demo. On the contrary, I said the power and fun factor was one of the best traits of the L800s. The room may not have been ideal for the SDAs, but the onsite Polk rep did say they were performing correctly.
The review did highlight some valid elements of the L800:
“One of the more inconsistent loudspeakers I have ever encountered”
“A big hulking speaker that is actually very difficult to live with.”
“You have to kind of tailor your taste to what’s going make them work and perform at their best”
“Here we have the L800 kind of acting like a prima-donna… that requires you on some level to conform to its needs”
“You’ll sit there, and you’ll wonder where all the imaging went… The soundstage will completely collapse, and you’ll just be scratching your head.”
“I don’t know who this loudspeaker is going to appeal to because it is so big, it is so cumbersome, and frankly it is difficult to live with.”
I’m not saying Andrew Robinson is the ultimate authority on audio. But those quotes align with my experience. If get the opportunity to hear the L800s again, I would take it. I’d love to hear the differences in a symmetrical room. They had strong moments and I’d love to hear them at their finest. But based on my experience, I wouldn’t be pulling my wallet out for them and I would be surprised if a different room or different gear swayed me to feel differently.
That’s just my opinion, formed from a somewhat limited exposure to the L800s. But I think this review will resonate with a lot of people who have heard these speakers, and I think it brings up relevant points of consideration.
Analog: Hana ML > MoFi UltraDeck > Bob's Devices Sky 20-S > Sutherland 20/20 w/LPS
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Hifiman EF600 > Hifiman Arya Stealth
Discogs -
I'm aware that the vlogger Andrew Robinson had experience with the old Martin Logan CLSIIz speakers which also needed a high current amp to perform best. That high current amp requirement is my main takeaway from his speaking about the L800s. The 4 ohm rating is nominal with dips below. Not as easy to drive as the old SDAs because of the driver selection. Most likely the tweeters, of which there are two in each cabinet, but impossible to tell which frequencies present the toughest loads at this point. I recall on the CLSIIz speakers it was the high frequency range that caused amps to fall short, but if a suitable amp was found they would sing.
I think most of his videos are about lifestyle oriented gear which sells today. He talks a lot, but seems to put a lot of effort into what he does. The L800s are definitely "throw back" speakers in today's market and would miss his target demographic by a fairly wide margin. That's why I like the speakers. -
displayname wrote: »nooshinjohn wrote: »i was just about to post this. this review puts them in a new light.
this might explain some of what we heard at the October bash.
Sounds like I was right on with my questioning how they were set up and what gear was involved. Sounds like these are the modern equivalent of the Infinity RS as far as being a difficult load.
Given that the L800s were being fed by a Cambridge Edge A integrated amp, 851n streaming Tidal and connected with appropriate cables throughout, I don’t think the gear was an issue. I never felt power was lacking in that demo. On the contrary, I said the power and fun factor was one of the best traits of the L800s. The room may not have been ideal for the SDAs, but the onsite Polk rep did say they were performing correctly.
The review did highlight some valid elements of the L800:
“One of the more inconsistent loudspeakers I have ever encountered”
“A big hulking speaker that is actually very difficult to live with.”
“You have to kind of tailor your taste to what’s going make them work and perform at their best”
“Here we have the L800 kind of acting like a prima-donna… that requires you on some level to conform to its needs”
“You’ll sit there, and you’ll wonder where all the imaging went… The soundstage will completely collapse, and you’ll just be scratching your head.”
“I don’t know who this loudspeaker is going to appeal to because it is so big, it is so cumbersome, and frankly it is difficult to live with.”
I’m not saying Andrew Robinson is the ultimate authority on audio. But those quotes align with my experience. If get the opportunity to hear the L800s again, I would take it. I’d love to hear the differences in a symmetrical room. They had strong moments and I’d love to hear them at their finest. But based on my experience, I wouldn’t be pulling my wallet out for them and I would be surprised if a different room or different gear swayed me to feel differently.
That’s just my opinion, formed from a somewhat limited exposure to the L800s. But I think this review will resonate with a lot of people who have heard these speakers, and I think it brings up relevant points of consideration.
Looking at the specs for the Cambridge, I have my doubts that it was up to the task. Not saying it is a bad piece of gear, but if the Polks are that demanding, it may simply been a good pairing is all.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 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
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
displayname wrote: »...
“Here we have the L800 kind of acting like a prima-donna… that requires you on some level to conform to its needs”...
I would opine that this is true of many loudspeakers - even truly great ones - past and present. Maybe even more today than ever.
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“I don’t know who this loudspeaker is going to appeal to because it is so big, it is so cumbersome, and frankly it is difficult to live with.”
I cherry picked his one comment as I believe it reveals what the review guy is all about....life style consumer grade products.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 wrote: »Looking at the specs for the Cambridge, I have my doubts that it was up to the task. Not saying it is a bad piece of gear, but if the Polks are that demanding, it may simply [have not] been a good pairing is all.
So a connecting a $6k pair of speakers to a 54lb $6k integrated that does 100wpc into 8ohm and 200wpc into 4ohm isn't "a good pairing"?
At RMAF, Polk had them connected to a Marantz HT processor and a MM7055 multichannel HT amplifier. (https://www.audioadvice.com/marantz-mm7055-5-channel-power-amplifier.html) - They could've used anything and they used this pedestrian amp.
You seem to be hung up on the equipment or setup at Skip's Polkfest event being a culprit for what people heard and ignoring the fact that keeps getting mentioned about how the Polk representative was present and confirmed several times that the L800s were performing as intended.
Please try to accept and respect what people heard at the event and their opinions on the sound, instead of looking for any excuse as to why something wasn't "right" with the setup. -
So much negativity. I don't follow some of you guys. First, somebody implies the L800's won't perform unless you spend lots of $$$. But how much was the Marantz MM7055? Isn't it around $2,000? (the Cambridge Edge A is $6,000 retail, is that a lot? But as mentioned its only 100 watts into 8 ohms and apparenty not compatible with 2 ohm) And I thought the L800's got rave reviews at RMAF, didn't they? I can't remember, but maybe award winners? In any event, another review I read had the L800's hooked to Hegel H390, which is 250 watts into 8 ohms and 2 ohm stable. Similarly priced as the Cambridge Edge A IIRC. Reviewer had very good things to say about the L800's. Unless I'm mistaken, the Hegel is near the same price as the Cambridge but has some real juice. In any event, I would think the people who are buying the L800's would have real good quality power - but if they performed admirably at RMAF with the Marantz, then I'm just not following some of the logic here - maybe I'm all wet, but what I'm noticing is a lot of negativity by some toward the Legend series.
https://youtu.be/D3ezBecK788
