Legend line a bust...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S2wjSvX2D8

New24k wrote: »

Is the Legend line a bust...?
Don't really hear, or see, much about them anymore - especially since the Reserve line came out...
Polk dropped the Legend pricing shortly after they came out.
No one seems to carry them in their showrooms to demo, etc. (at least not in the Midwest, etc.).

As others have said, no, the Legend series is not a bust. The Legend series offers design differences and sound improvements over the Reserve. Each speaker has its place.

I get it, though - If you're out there and you don't have the opportunity to hear both for yourself, you're at the mercy of reviewers and reviews.

When all the Reserve reviews were coming out and everyone was stunned with the performance, talking about how great they are and how it didn't make sense to spend for the Legend, I immediately wondered just how many reviewers touting the Reserve line actually had experience with both the Legend and Reserve series for comparison, and with both powered properly. I'd hazard a guess to say very, very few.

There is a difference. If a person has only ever heard the Reserve, they might be perfectly happy. Even if that person were to hear the Legend, if they were powering the speakers with an AVR or were only using them for HT, or any number of other factors throttling the Legends' performance, they might not notice the difference, or might not feel it worthwhile to spring for them.

New24k wrote: »

And I think it was a huge mistake for them to use the cheaper veneers of the RTiA line on the new flagship Legends.

As opposed to what? Like the finish on the LSiM series?

Where exactly are you getting your bad information from? Unless you are privy to internal data from Polk, that you are legally allowed to disclose without facing a court case over, I would advise you to simply let this go and walk away from your keyboard.

You want a veneer upgrade
The look at Dynaudio, or Rosso

And yes you pay for it

New24k wrote: »

Wow... seemed to ruffle some feathers of some ultra-polk fanboys...

Sorry...

If you were to come here with a complaint about a Polk product that wasn’t working properly even customer support or host of other issues, this forum would rally behind you and help you even to find a warranty support or return your product. When you come in here, barking at the moon and spewing made up information that you can’t possibly know any answer to, then you can expect us to set you straight straight and do so quickly.

More than being loyal to the Polk Audio brand, we are loyal to each other as members of this forum and mis-information such as yours needs to stop. Left unchecked, such information can do damage to those seeking good information and prevent others from making an otherwise smart and educated choice for their listening pleasure.

You smell funny.

So, funny smelling one let me clue you in.

The LSiM cherry and midnight mahogany were not high quality veneer and the cherry wasn't even cherry veneer. The veneer was a very inexpensive Asian mahogany. To obtain the cherry color a toner was mixed in with the clear coat and sprayed on. It has an unnatural orange cast. The midnight mahogany was done with a black toner sprayed over the cherry toner. The result shows purple in good
light. Hardly top tier veneer or color.

On the other hand, the RTiA speakers used real cherry veneer with the ash version finished in black. Bottom line, much higher quality veneer. In fact, the cherry versions are about as nice as it gets with the perfect cherry tone/color.

So were they all orange to begin with, and the black toner went over the MVC color formula to make the MM finish?

Yep

New24k wrote: »

Polk shouldn't have cheapened out on the finish - and used their second-tier RTiA black ash and a very similar "walnut" - again, my opinion...

I find it strange that you would comment about the walnut veneer on the Legend series, having never seen them in person as you stated.

I have the L200 in walnut, and the veneer is understated and gorgeous. It also appears to be very high quality.

I dig the walnut veneer. On the pair Troy has of the L800, one of them has an incredible grain pattern

New24k wrote: »

F1nut wrote: »

When you show up talking out your arse you should expect to be put in your place regardless.

FYI, I like Polk...heck I like a lot of different gear, but that doesn't make me a fanboy for any of them.

..

Best Buy lists these on their website - but won't even stock these in their regional warehouses...

Wait - Best Buy still sells audio gear??

If Massimo (new corporate owners) found the Legends were not meeting sales targets they'd change something. They haven't. Polk has always discounted their speakers from MSRP, and that's especially true with the Reserve line too. People don't like thinking they're paying full price on things.

My guess is we're a couple years away from a refresh of the Legends since most speaker manufacturers do a refresh or replacement a few years after introducing a new line. Their calculus on whether to simply take the Reserve speakers and put wood veneer on them might include whether the anniversary edition R200 met sales expectations, how expensive new models would have to be, and what's predicted to be in style for a few years after introduction. Black is always in style.

New24k wrote: »

The Legend series was launched Oct. 1, 2019 - so just under 4 years now.

Polk gave them a 15%-20% price reduction shortly after launch - not something you do if your product is selling - especially when Polk actually increased the price of their Reserve series shortly after their launch - which is selling.

As stated by MANY - they liked the finish and color (at least in the midnight mahogany) of the LSiM series much better than the finish of the black ash and walnut colors (which almost every cheaper speaker has). The finishes on the Legends looks like every other cheaper speaker - the smooth finish on the LSiMs did not, etc.

No one (a very, very few?) has the Legends on display or to demo - Best Buy/Magnolia (the largest retailer of speakers in the US) has them listed on their website (with just 2 reviews in almost 4 years) - and doesn't/won't stock them at their regional warehouses, etc. If they were a product that sold, you can damn well be guaranteed that Best Buy/Magnolia would be stocking them at their warehouses.

And according to Crutchfield (the largest online retailer of speakers, along with Amazon), the Legends, according to a rep., were not, and are not, selling.

Sorry the majority of you don't' like the facts - it seems to be a popular thing in today's America - if the facts go against your opinions, just ignore them.

If Polk really want's to rejuvenate the Legend series (if it is not already too late) - they should do what they did with the Reserve R200 Anniversary Edition - and come out with a complete Legend series new, upscale, finish befitting a flagship speaker- in both the light (R200 Anniversary Edition) and dark cherry, etc. option - now that would sell.

This will be my last post on the subject - I will be un-following it after this - as this forum does not seem conducive to a constructive dialog - just a lot of fanboys throwing juvenile insults at anyone who dares to have a different opinion than them, or mentions facts that they don't like.

What was the point of this thread again? I forget. A discussion in answer to the question of whether the Legend line is a bust? And the community responded overwhelmingly to say that no, it's not a bust, and you don't like that answer or the reasons for it, or people taking issue with your assumptions and speculative statements with no significant supporting info?

It's not "facts" that people don't like, dude, it's the stretched liberties you've taken against the line, and your attitude.

I see you've been here since 2015, but you're not really active in the forum. That's a shame.


Re: Best Buy again - curious, which speakers do you see available for you to demo nearby?
Are the Reserves there? I'm curious to know what level of speakers, brands and quality you're seeing in store these days. I've not been inside a Best Buy for 3 years at least.


Here's a thought on lack of stock. People don't shop like they used to, and you likely don't either. You'd likely walk in to your local Best Buy to listen to gear you want, take up an associate's time, at least an hour or two. Once you're satisfied and have been able to reach a decision, you'd politely thank the associate for taking the time to help you, telling him you're going to think about it. Then you'd go home and directly order the same stuff online somewhere else to save money, essentially stealing service and knowledge from Best Buy. Lots of people do this. It's not sustainable for any business. It's one of the contributing factors for why electronics shops closed up, and likely a main factor for why shops like Best Buy don't bother stocking some merchandise.

The Legends cost more than the Reserves. They weren't as heavily reviewed as the Reserve series because they were out of reach for some people when they debuted. I get that. I wasn't able to get them at first, either. The Reserve series got a lot of attention and, to my knowledge, not a lot of direct, hands on comparison between the two lines, consequently, incorrect assumptions made and conclusions drawn. It's that simple. Cost, and lack of experience with both lines.

You just keep saying the same thing over and over again. So I ask again - I like Crutchfield, but what does it mean that a Crutchfield rep said the Legend series was not and is not selling?

I also said that it may have been a mistake for Polk to design the Reserve series so similar in design to some of the Legend counterparts. The Reserves are "good enough" for most, especially if a person hasn't heard them both properly broken in and properly driven. (You're not going to get that in a Best Buy, btw.) There are others who've heard both series and are able to appreciate the benefits.

Here's an example.
The R200 features a different port than the L200. This simple design difference alone presents a placement limitation. The Legend 200 bookshelf uses the original Power Port, which diffuses port airflow out to the sides instead of straight out the back like the R200's X-Port. This means that the L200 can be placed closer to a wall without the sound quality issues that occur with direct rear porting, say, right into a wall. I've experienced this directly. The R200 absolutely sucked in the same space and same system as the L200. I was able to get the R200 to work nicely in a very specific configuration, which required it to be well out from any walls. This alone was a reason for me to choose the Legend 200 over the Reserve 200, and this doesn't even factor in the sound presentation of the L200.

For the sake of context and curiosity, how did that statement about how the Legends have not and are not selling come up with Crutchfield? And what did the Crutchfield rep say was selling? Was the Crutchfield rep just trying to guide you to the Reserve over the Legend? or were you guys just hanging out chewing the fat?

F1nut wrote: »

Ooh that smell
Can't you smell that smell
Ooh that smell
The smell of arse surrounds you

SAY IT!!!!