Legend L800 - Atmos Home Theater
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Have you heard any of those or the L800’s? Curious how the L800’s compare.
You can’t go wrong with any of those choices you listed.
Matt Poes (who I really respect) gave them really high praise
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I did scour the YouTube comments of Matt Poes review and he does explicitly call out that they are good for home theater.
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tjcinnamon wrote: »
No those exact models but I’ve heard and owned multiple older SDAs, heard multiple Salks and currently own a pair(not the SS8.5). Never heard the Statements but I have read a ton of positive things about them. -
tjcinnamon wrote: »Impressive builds! If these SDA's don't pan out I am looking at the Salk Sound SS8.5's, the BMR towers, or these Statements.You can’t go wrong with any of those choices you listed.
Yes, Yes, and Yes! I agree! I was looking at the Philharmonic Audio BMR myself at one point.
2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2 -
Just a heads up that I listened to these side by side with the Paradigm Founders F120’s which is one of their flagships. The paradigms sounded a touch cleaner at $8500. The Polks soundstage was insane and I bought them site on scene. I’m picking them up on Monday. I got them Open Box with the atmos modules installed full warranty for $4500. I got a discount on the center channel as well.
I bought an Anthem MCA 325 to power them and the L400 center.
I hope it all goes well. -
tjcinnamon wrote: »
I don't have money burning a hole as much as a bizzare obsession with chasing the audiophile dragon.
The name of that dragon is Money, and she can eat a heck of a lot of it, and quickly.
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 -
tjcinnamon wrote: »Just a heads up that I listened to these side by side with the Paradigm Founders F120’s which is one of their flagships. The paradigms sounded a touch cleaner at $8500. The Polks soundstage was insane and I bought them site on scene. I’m picking them up on Monday. I got them Open Box with the atmos modules installed full warranty for $4500. I got a discount on the center channel as well.
I bought an Anthem MCA 325 to power them and the L400 center.
I hope it all goes well.
Dayum that sounds like an amazing setup. Congrats!Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
Game Room 5.1.4: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
Bedroom 2.1Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer -
tjcinnamon wrote: »Just a heads up that I listened to these side by side with the Paradigm Founders F120’s which is one of their flagships. The paradigms sounded a touch cleaner at $8500. The Polks soundstage was insane and I bought them site on scene. I’m picking them up on Monday. I got them Open Box with the atmos modules installed full warranty for $4500. I got a discount on the center channel as well.
I bought an Anthem MCA 325 to power them and the L400 center.
I hope it all goes well.
Dayum that sounds like an amazing setup. Congrats!
Thank you! I just sold off 2 subs so I have only 4 behind the couch. I also added a bunch of room treatments today. My wife is pleased with the aesthetics. I’m sure the Polks will be considered too big but cest la vie.
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Congratulations! I was sure thinking about these bad boys but another speaker plowed me over and couldn’t do 2 sets at the time! Post some pics soon!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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tjcinnamon wrote: »Just a heads up that I listened to these side by side with the Paradigm Founders F120’s which is one of their flagships. The paradigms sounded a touch cleaner at $8500. The Polks soundstage was insane and I bought them site on scene. I’m picking them up on Monday. I got them Open Box with the atmos modules installed full warranty for $4500. I got a discount on the center channel as well.
I bought an Anthem MCA 325 to power them and the L400 center.
I hope it all goes well.
very cool !! Would love to see pix and hear your thoughts once you have them setup. -
TopperDude wrote: »tjcinnamon wrote: »Just a heads up that I listened to these side by side with the Paradigm Founders F120’s which is one of their flagships. The paradigms sounded a touch cleaner at $8500. The Polks soundstage was insane and I bought them site on scene. I’m picking them up on Monday. I got them Open Box with the atmos modules installed full warranty for $4500. I got a discount on the center channel as well.
I bought an Anthem MCA 325 to power them and the L400 center.
I hope it all goes well.
very cool !! Would love to see pix and hear your thoughts once you have them setup.
So far, not great. I can't get the same sound that I got in the store. I have room treatments. They are farther apart than I want. They are about 6.5ft and I have about 8 to 9ft back. To test, I had to move them in front of my media console and I moved them about 4ft apart so my listening distance was 7' and still wasn't able to get the sound I wanted.
I'm hoping it's the amp. The sound quality is good but it's a closer to a lateral upgrade relative to what I had (upper range Paradigm system) at this point given what I spent, not worth that debt thus far. That said, I'm going to try a different amp and I'm going to swap right and left just to hear it.
I'll try my Rotel tonight and may just use the Anthem on the woofers. -
It's certainly possible that the L800s are overall a lateral move/different flavor from a pair of high-end Paradigm speakers. I'd keep trying on the setup though to see how they sound the best in the space you're working with.
Is there sufficient space on the sides of the speakers? 3 to 4 feet is needed minimum. -
Haven't heard the L800s but did have the L200's during the CP demo, so have a taste for the sound signature of the Legend line.
That said, currently have 1.2tl's, 3.1tl's, CRS+'s. In my experience, one of the biggest limiting factors to good vs superb sound stage is having anything between or extending forward from a SDA and, found without exception, the depth and center imaging is so much better when everything is minimized or eliminated. Not easy to do for most folks but I built my current 2 channel rack with open sides and as low to the floor as possible for this exact reason. A large sound panel dead center rounds it out. My 1.2tl's are 6.5' center-to-center, 6.5" from the rear wall and my seated position is 8' from the plane of the speakers.
I really hope you can dial these in and they meet or exceed your expectations. Since you've heard them and they did it's not a question of the L800's abilities to do so. I'm rooting for you (and Polk) to have a real world success. Not sure when I'll get my ears on a pair but look forward to at some point.➀Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) ➁Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream ➂Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" ➃Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant ➄Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends ➅Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬ -
It's certainly possible that the L800s are overall a lateral move/different flavor from a pair of high-end Paradigm speakers. I'd keep trying on the setup though to see how they sound the best in the space you're working with.
Is there sufficient space on the sides of the speakers? 3 to 4 feet is needed minimum.
I have about 15ft on each speaker.. There is a wall next to one of them but the driver is 3" in front of that wall and it's about 6" away from the side of it. So the speaker should be clearing that edge. -
Haven't heard the L800s but did have the L200's during the CP demo, so have a taste for the sound signature of the Legend line.
That said, currently have 1.2tl's, 3.1tl's, CRS+'s. In my experience, one of the biggest limiting factors to good vs superb sound stage is having anything between or extending forward from a SDA and, found without exception, the depth and center imaging is so much better when everything is minimized or eliminated. Not easy to do for most folks but I built my current 2 channel rack with open sides and as low to the floor as possible for this exact reason. A large sound panel dead center rounds it out. My 1.2tl's are 6.5' center-to-center, 6.5" from the rear wall and my seated position is 8' from the plane of the speakers.
I really hope you can dial these in and they meet or exceed your expectations. Since you've heard them and they did it's not a question of the L800's abilities to do so. I'm rooting for you (and Polk) to have a real world success. Not sure when I'll get my ears on a pair but look forward to at some point.
Can you elaborate on this: having anything between or extending forward from a SDA and, found without exception, the depth and center imaging is so much better when everything is minimized or eliminated
Perhaps I have something in the way? -
My 2.3tl's are set up 4" off the back wall and nothing in between the speakers and the side walls are 5' minimum from the sides of the speakers. There is nothing along the side walls that sticks out either. I have also found that a credenza, cabinet or anything else in the middle between the speakers messes with the sound stage. My speakers disappear in the room and many think they are not even playing because the music comes from the wall in between and behind my speakers.
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I have a lot of constraints like position to the back wall, size of the media console (even if I could get a smaller console the TV is 70" wide). The diffusers are "art" pieces and I could remove them but very reluctantly.
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My 2.3tl's are set up 4" off the back wall and nothing in between the speakers and the side walls are 5' minimum from the sides of the speakers. There is nothing along the side walls that sticks out either. I have also found that a credenza, cabinet or anything else in the middle between the speakers messes with the sound stage. My speakers disappear in the room and many think they are not even playing because the music comes from the wall in between and behind my speakers.
Yeah, I'm missing the speakers disappearing. That's a great way to characterize it. They are locatable. -
The main acoustic issue I see with that setup could be bass loading in that front right corner compared to the front left side. Being close to the front wall isn't a requirement with the L800 as it is with old SDA speakers that relied on close placement for bass response, but having an imbalance could be an issue.
Having a 70 inch TV screen in between any speakers isn't ideal for two channel imaging, but you've got to work with what you've got. -
No doubt. I have the L400 center and then 4 in-wall Atmos in the ceiling and 4 in-wall in the surround bed. So it's not fully meant for two channel. But I want to "lose the speakers".The main acoustic issue I see with that setup could be bass loading in that front right corner compared to the front left side. Being close to the front wall isn't a requirement with the L800 as it is with old SDA speakers that relied on close placement for bass response.
Having a 70 inch TV screen in between isn't ideal for two channel use, but you've got to work with what you've got.
I accidentally removed my subs and played them with the crossover on, so that removed the bass to make that a non-factor (accidentally) and the speakers were localizable.
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Try moving everything over so that the left speaker is 6' from the left wall, and the right speaker is 6' from the right wall.Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
Try moving everything over so that the left speaker is 6' from the left wall, and the right speaker is 6' from the right wall.
I wish! I didn't put it in the diagram but there's a door to enter the room there. -
What about putting the TV and speakers along the longer opposite wall?Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
all my in-walls prevent that.
But an update. I just plugged in a Rotel 981 and it had a much smaller sound stage. That amp is bridgable and I think dimishes the effects. I'm hoping to get someone to help me experiment by unplugging the SDA and seeing. The weird thing also that a lot was coming from the right speaker for my test track but with the other amp, it sounded from the left.
So much so I put on a YouTube "right speaker left speaker" test. It literally was the correct so each amp had that big of an impact. I'm going to run Dirac to level match them and perhaps that will help. -
If you're running a surround sound processor, try turning off all processing on it and run them in stereo direct mode. Or use a two channel analog preamp to see what's going on.
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tjcinnamon wrote: »all my in-walls prevent that.
Good luck. Also, one more reason to never use in wall speakers.
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
I’ve been running it stereo direct with no processing. I turned off the crossovers too.If you're running a surround sound processor, try turning off all processing on it and run them in stereo direct mode. Or use a two channel analog preamp to see what's going on.
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My sda2a's sounded terrible using a marantz avr into my krell. I got a dedicated two channel preamp and it opened up the soundstage, everything else was better also. So if you are using anything other than a two channel preamp it might not sound ideal for music.
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I use it for basically all TV/Movies/Video games. Perhaps an AVR with a better DAC?My sda2a's sounded terrible using a marantz avr into my krell. I got a dedicated two channel preamp and it opened up the soundstage, everything else was better also. So if you are using anything other than a two channel preamp it might not sound ideal for music.
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My sda2a's sounded terrible using a marantz avr into my krell. I got a dedicated two channel preamp and it opened up the soundstage, everything else was better also. So if you are using anything other than a two channel preamp it might not sound ideal for music.
Also, this by no means sounds terrible. I would say the sound stage is good relative to a pair of high end speakers. It just doesn’t have the same effect as it had in the store. Which could prove your point. I’ll call the store and see what the signal chain was.
Basically, the SDA effect I heard in the store was buy them on the spot. The SDA I’m getting in my living area is basically a lateral to slightly higher upgrade.
Thank goodness I got that Anthem though. That Rotel sounded like crap. These do really require a beast of an amp to run.
