Legend L800's - Need Advice & Opinions

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rtart
rtart Posts: 855
edited June 2025 in The Clubhouse
Hi friends,

I have a chance to buy a color mis-matched pair of L800's for a very good price. One is black, the other cherry/walnut. I am pretty handy and could veneer, paint or laminate both to match.

Any thoughts on the L800's in general? I saw their intro but have not seen a lot about them since. And they appear to have been discontinued a bout a year ago. I know they were high-dollar and maybe not particularly easy to incorporate into a multi-channel system.

I have a LSiM system now, 707s for LCR, 702's for sides and overheads, and a pair of 703s for rears.

Thoughts?
My 7.4.4 DIY 4k Home Theater:
Polk LSiM 707 L-C-R, LSiM702 side surrounds, LSiM 703 rears
Polk LSiM 702s x 4 on the Ceiling Atmos speakers
Subs: Eminence NSW-6021-6 tuned to 14Hz, NX6000D (front),
2 x SVS PB12/Plus 2's (rear) miniDSP HD2x4
Denon X3700H Emotiva XPA11 Gen 3
XBox One X 4k & BD and streaming
Panasonic UB-420 4k player
HD-A35 HD DVD
Oppo BD-103D for hirez audio
Technics SL-D2 TT, Grado Gold Cartridge
JVC DLA-RS2100/NZ7 projector
Silver Ticket 135" microperf AT screen
Berkline 090 electric recliners with Aura Bass Shakers
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,752
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    Having spent some time with the L800, it is a very very good speaker. As long as you are willing to put in the effort I think you would be happy. They can be said of any loudspeaker

    As far as why the L800 didn't preform sales wise.. I think we can all agree that the L800 speaker is the speaker everyone asked for but didn't ask for.

    If Polk had released a souped up throw back of the crs and 2b... I truly think that would have been super successful.

    Just my opinion
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,406
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    If Polk had released a souped up throw back of the crs and 2b... I truly think that would have been super successful.

    BINGO!!!
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  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,559
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    You should make sure you are buying one left and one right speaker, if I remember correctly Polk shipped some pairs of two left or two right speakers.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,562
    edited June 2025
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    ^^^ Yes, as @invalid says!
    My guess is they're mismatched for a reason -- related to some mishaps Polk (or maybe their retailers, in fairness) were having about supplying one leftie and one rightie. It... kinda matters. :#
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,906
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    Bear in mind that the differences in finish go beyond just the wood grain veneer color. The black veneer version has glossy black paint on the rest of the speaker and the brown veneer version has more of a satin dark grey finish. Other than the finish differences requiring extra work that involves redoing the entire cabinet, likely both cabinets to get a perfect match, there are no issues as long as there is a left and right cabinet to work with. The crossover components are different between the left and right cabinets. Things like grille cloth, driver materials, and foot color are the same. Driver bezels and tweeter face plates have different finishes.
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,174
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    I love my L800’s.
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  • rtart
    rtart Posts: 855
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    Thanks to all for their opinions and info. I have decided to pass on these... too many speakers already. If anyone is interested in a project and lives near/can drive to Atlanta, I can hook you up with my source.

    There is a left and a right, one is brown, the other black. Missing one grille. $500 for both.
    My 7.4.4 DIY 4k Home Theater:
    Polk LSiM 707 L-C-R, LSiM702 side surrounds, LSiM 703 rears
    Polk LSiM 702s x 4 on the Ceiling Atmos speakers
    Subs: Eminence NSW-6021-6 tuned to 14Hz, NX6000D (front),
    2 x SVS PB12/Plus 2's (rear) miniDSP HD2x4
    Denon X3700H Emotiva XPA11 Gen 3
    XBox One X 4k & BD and streaming
    Panasonic UB-420 4k player
    HD-A35 HD DVD
    Oppo BD-103D for hirez audio
    Technics SL-D2 TT, Grado Gold Cartridge
    JVC DLA-RS2100/NZ7 projector
    Silver Ticket 135" microperf AT screen
    Berkline 090 electric recliners with Aura Bass Shakers
    · Share on Facebook
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,752
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    Danngggg.. That's a good deal that a little pink paint could solve!

    Half bath rig coming soon!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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    edited July 2025
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,906
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    Tweeters alone are worth that much if they're not broken.
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,124
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    Dead thread but, as F1 and Trey said…..an updated 2B/CRS would have been way more market friendly…..

    The L800’s are different than legacy SDA’s in that they need to be free from the front wall at least 3 feet. The bass cleans up and soundstage depth increases by a factor of ten. They also like to be spaced a bit wider apart than legacy sda….

    I would argue that that they can compete favorably with speakers 2-3x their price point but I get why they didn’t sell crazy well….
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,124
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    When we were setting them up HERE at PF, I was surprised what pulling them out from the front wall did to the sound, for sure…
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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