Polk Reserve Series

2

Comments

  • mrloren
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    dromunds wrote: »
    LSiM on sale were the best bang for buck in a very very long time

    Yeah, less than $900 for a pair of 705 and an 704C to the door :)
    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
  • Hansvelton
    Hansvelton Posts: 151
    Am I missing something, or are the Reserve Series not even on their products page?

    I find the website quite unnecessarily complicated to begin with, but can not even find the reserve series listed?
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,923
    Hansvelton wrote: »
    Am I missing something, or are the Reserve Series not even on their products page?

    I find the website quite unnecessarily complicated to begin with, but can not even find the reserve series listed?

    Yesterday it was on the splash page, i.e., https://www.polkaudio.com/en-us
    As of today, still seems to be.

    uunj3bajf4g3.png
    "Learn More" :)
  • Hansvelton
    Hansvelton Posts: 151
    Thanks for the links guys!!

    Just was not able to find it using the menus where you choose what series of speakers. Maybe it is me?
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,923
    The website's pretty convoluted (i.e., it's not just you)
  • Hansvelton
    Hansvelton Posts: 151
    edited March 2021
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    The website's pretty convoluted (i.e., it's not just you)

    I can see, to some extent, trying to make it look trendy, but convoluted for the sake of being convoluted, not so much.

    Almost all major manufacturers have SIMPLE drop down menus across top, where you choose "Series" of speakers, in order from entry level to top of line.

    Click on correct speaker line, and you are taken to a page with that choice, in order of size or price.....Simple right? :#
  • motorhead43026
    motorhead43026 Posts: 3,892
    edited March 2021
    ^^ Go to top of page click on products, scroll down to Shop HOME SPEAKERS click and click on bookies or floor standers. Seems pretty simple to me.
    2 channel: Anthem 225 Integrated amp; Parasound Ztuner; TechnicsTT SL1350; Vincent PHO-8 phono pre; Marantz CD6005 spinner; Polk SDA2BTL's; LAT International speaker cables, ZU Mission IC's and power cables all into a PS Audio Dectet Power center.

    Other; M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All vintage Polk have had crossover rebuilds and tweeter upgrades.

    The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

    It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.

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  • Hansvelton
    Hansvelton Posts: 151
    ^^ Go to top of page click on products, scroll down to Shop HOME SPEAKERS click and click on bookies or floor standers. Seems pretty simple to me.

    Says the guy that made the page, I am guessing?

    It is still very convoluted. I tried what you mentioned, brought me to a page with ALL speaker lines...not any specific one. '
    There is simply a lot of unnecessary stuff to scroll through, that should be self contained within drop down menus.

    No other site I frequent is even remotely as convoluted in design and usage.
    I think we will have to disagree about the site........
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,704
    It is convoluted.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

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  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,306
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    oob4uco51p7k.png
    Is that one of your photos, Mark?!?
    I disabled signatures.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,923
    yup. that's what happens when one has two monitors enabled as 'extended desktop', but one has put the second one on the floor to listen to the hifi that's in front of it. :p ...and when one is too effing lazy to edit the screen capture. :|

    That's one of my favorite "no charge for lousy sunsets" photos (and is 'as taken', no enhancement); I use it as the wallpaper on my old T430 (my urban warrior/teaching lappie for Boston).
    See more at https://flic.kr/s/aHskmvkw65 if you're bored or curious enough.

    We don't get much in the way of sunrise because there's a hill in the way -- but sunsets over the Connecticut River Valley/VT can be pretty awesome here sometimes. :)
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,306
    Nice collection on Flickr! I think I added you a while back for all sorts of in'trestingnessisms.
    I disabled signatures.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,306
    edited April 2021
    Apologies if this has already been mentioned/asked, but with the Reserve line getting such good reviews and being relatively more accessible than the Legend, why would Polk do this? If the Reserve is really that good, how much better are the Legend versions? Any?
    “The Reserve Series use the same custom-made transducers originally developed for Polk’s award-winning Legend Series loudspeakers,” said Frank Sterns, president of Polk Audio. “Featuring the proprietary Pinnacle Tweeter, Turbine Cone midrange and Polk’s latest bass-management and resonance control technologies – PowerPort and X-Port – the Reserve Series delivers against Polk Audio’s signature quality sound at an approachable price.”

    Do the cabinets, crossovers, and terminals make up the difference between the Legend and Reserve series?

    Curious to hear more as we start getting more feedback from people familiar with LSiM, Legend, and Reserve. I liked the L200 I had the opportunity to check out during the demo.
    I disabled signatures.
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 27,964
    edited April 2021
    The reserve series uses the same cone of the midrange but the motor structure is different
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,031
    VR3 wrote: »
    The reserve series uses the same cone of the midrange but the motor structure is different
    From what Polk said they are the exact same drivers. Only the Bass Drivers on the R700's are different as the Legends are 10 inch and the R700's are 8 inch

    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,031
    edited April 2021
    msg wrote: »
    Apologies if this has already been mentioned/asked, but with the Reserve line getting such good reviews and being relatively more accessible than the Legend, why would Polk do this? If the Reserve is really that good, how much better are the Legend versions? Any?
    “The Reserve Series use the same custom-made transducers originally developed for Polk’s award-winning Legend Series loudspeakers,” said Frank Sterns, president of Polk Audio. “Featuring the proprietary Pinnacle Tweeter, Turbine Cone midrange and Polk’s latest bass-management and resonance control technologies – PowerPort and X-Port – the Reserve Series delivers against Polk Audio’s signature quality sound at an approachable price.”

    Do the cabinets, crossovers, and terminals make up the difference between the Legend and Reserve series?

    Curious to hear more as we start getting more feedback from people familiar with LSiM, Legend, and Reserve. I liked the L200 I had the opportunity to check out during the demo.
    I plan on finding out. This line is the first line since the original LSI line I actually have interest in. When the LSIM series came out, I was intrigued but not enough to pull the trigger. Maybe a mistake but I wasn't able to get a demo other than the LSIM 703's.
    The Cabinets for sound on the Reserve series seem to be very good except finishes which without seeing in person can't really be judged other then they are vinyl instead of wood veneer. That might not be a deal breaker IF they are very nice. No Mention of the Crossovers that I know of is of any concern. I really don't care what crossovers they have as long as they perform top notch. The speaker terminals are Nickel from what I remember and that isn't the best conductor. A smile Binding post upgrade can handle that and that isn't expensive at all. You can get high quality copper with Silver or Gold plating pretty cheap. But the Nickel ones might be just fine who knows right?

    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,306
    edited April 2021
    VR3 wrote: »
    The reserve series uses the same cone of the midrange but the motor structure is different
    mantis wrote: »
    From what Polk said they are the exact same drivers.

    Yeah, I remember when you mentioned this Trey, and posted examples. It made sense. But then on Dan's other thread it looked like they were saying the same drivers, as in, entire. I pulled that Frank Stearns quote above from an article I found. When he says "transducer", is he meaning the entire driver unit, or just the cone?

    This is why I wonder just how closely to the Legend series the Reserve may perform. There's the guts and cabinets to consider and use design, whether one purely for 2ch refinement, the other for mixed use.

    Is the Reserve intended for the same purpose - a good overall use speaker - as the Signature? It would seem so if historical hierarchy follows.

    I suppose in the end, questions that can only be answered in hearing both.
    I disabled signatures.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,031
    edited April 2021
    msg wrote: »
    VR3 wrote: »
    The reserve series uses the same cone of the midrange but the motor structure is different
    mantis wrote: »
    From what Polk said they are the exact same drivers.

    Yeah, I remember when you mentioned this Trey, and posted examples. It made sense. But then on Dan's other thread it looked like they were saying the same drivers, as in, entire. I pulled that Frank Stearns quote above from an article I found. When he says "transducer", is he meaning the entire driver unit, or just the cone?

    This is why I wonder just how closely to the Legend series the Reserve may perform. There's the guts and cabinets to consider and use design, whether one purely for 2ch refinement, the other for mixed use.

    Is the Reserve intended for the same purpose - a good overall use speaker - as the Signature? It would seem so if historical hierarchy follows.

    I suppose in the end, questions that can only be answered in hearing both.

    You should watch this video, it's excellent and good in depth of the line. As I said on another thread, it's just like when we would go to manufactures training in Person. We would get this style and level of training. It usually lasted a full day or 2 and they would go even deeper into each model as we where selling and Installing said products.

    As far as price is concerned from this video they really saved a ton of money with the finishes. They really didn't go into anything else in detail to really know how they got the price to 40%-60% depending on how you look at it.


    https://youtu.be/TxnCXJ6IK18
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 27,964
    I watched the whole video with audioholics and they were very careful to only say they shared the same cone.

    Will have to see when someone gets their hands on it
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    I think it's clear from the videos that the tweeters are identical for the Legend and Reserve lines. The Pinnacle tweeter is an evolution of the ring radiator Polk started using in the LSi series with the newest iteration having a flatter frequency response than the LSiM tweeter, especially around 2.5 kHz. That difference in treble is quite audible from what I'm seeing and hearing.

    They do acknowledge that the woofers are different between the lines, but they say around the 40 minute mark in the video above that the mid-bass drivers are the same. Scott Orth is saying in other videos that they took the tweeters and mid-bass drivers from the Legend line and built a new set of speakers from the gound up to meet a price point. He does say there are many other differences. So they didn't cut things out of the Legend line to make the Reserve line they built a new speaker that incorporates the drivers from the Legend line. It's also funny to note that he says in one of the videos the Power Port 2.0 is an improvement on what's in the Legend lineup but the Legend speakers were put out to market before the new Power Port 2.0 was ready. No going back for that.
  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited April 2021
    I think it's safe to say that the Legend line was the work of all of their latest engineering. It has the higher price point with the better cabinets and maybe better crossovers.

    The Reserve line obviously uses that same technology and some new tech and is the line they hope to cash in on through larger sales volume.

    In due time someone will pull both apart and check out the differences in crossovers and the part numbers on the drivers. I wouldn't expect to see much difference in drivers based on what the engineers have already revealed.
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  • Hansvelton
    Hansvelton Posts: 151
    WLDock wrote: »
    I think it's safe to say that the Legend line was the work of all of their latest engineering. It has the higher price point with the better cabinets and maybe better crossovers.

    The Reserve line obviously uses that same technology and some new tech and is the line they hope to cash in on through larger sales volume.

    In due time someone will pull both apart and check out the differences in crossovers and the part numbers on the drivers. I wouldn't expect to see much difference in drivers based on what the engineers have already revealed.

    I would assume the reserve series will move in far larger numbers.

    I just wonder if they will be able to justify keeping the Legend line around, simultaneously.
  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited April 2021
    Hansvelton wrote: »
    I just wonder if they will be able to justify keeping the Legend line around, simultaneously.
    There's always consumers with deep pockets that want the flagship line and want the speakers to look like furniture. They will figure this all out at the fiscal year end when they tally the Reserve line sales.

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    polk-audio-reserve-towers-r700-brown-studio-r.jpg
    Rick88 wrote: »
    However, I have not nor will I ever warm up to the current big & ugly Polk logo. Too bad they didn't just put it on the grills only.
    Its a simple vinyl finish with a plastic stick-on logo. Can simply peel it off!
    Post edited by WLDock on
    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
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,031
    The Walnut is really nice looking.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,923
    yeah, yeah... ASR... I know... but take a look (it's quite positive) if you're interested in the R200! :)
    https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/polk-reserve-r200-spinorama-and-measurements-a-really-nice-surprise.23502/
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    Nice that they listen to speakers as well as measure them. :D

    The R200 seem like a bargain to me from everything I've seen so far.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,704
    The all white version is available now.
    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

  • benedium
    benedium Posts: 2
    If I buy the R200 for front left and right, which center should I get? I'll be placing it on the top deck of a rack with my denon avr x3600h on the bottom deck.
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    I'd go for the R400 to best match the R200. Same sized midrange drivers. The R300 would be fine as well if space is limited.