Polk Paul is getting a bad rep over at 'The SPot'

[Ron-P]

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=85;t=000055

I also sent a email to Justin several weeks ago, he never responded. What gives guys?


Peace Out~:D

[mjk91383]

yeah, as of lately, it seems as if we only hear from paul if he's pushing a product or from justin if he's added some little feature to the site.

i'm with ron on this one, what gives?

joe :D

["Polk" Paul DiComo]

here's the reply I posted on the HT Spot:

"Ouch. This thread really hurts.
1. I have never received an email on this topic, I swear. If I get an email from a Polk owner I answer it if I can or forward it to Customer Service (Ken, etc.) when it is a topic that I don’t have the answer to (that happens a lot). In this case I would have answered it myself.

2. It is true that I rarely participate on the Polk Forum as I have taken on new responsibilities that take all of my time. Sorry guys, 60 hours a week is my limit. I have asked others at Polk to monitor the forum for questions that are appropriate for us to answer. Given the volume of messages on the forum it is entirely possible that we miss some. It is also possible that we saw the message on the forum and felt that some other forum member had answered the question. In that case we let it slide. If we missed a forum posting that we should have answered, I am truly sorry. I will ask the Forum moderators to alert me when a message is addressed directly at me.

3. If you need a direct response from a Polk person, the best way is to email that question directly to us. We answer EVERY email. My email address is posted here and plastered all over the Polk website because I want to hear from you and help in whatever way possible. Ken's email is kswauger@polkaudio.com. There are many topics where Ken knows three times what I know. The general customer service email is polkcs@polkaudio.com. You are also welcome to pick up the phone and call. My direct dial phone number is (410) 764-5201. I'm away from my desk and on the road a lot but I do return calls.

To answer your original question (and more):
Yes, two center channel speakers CAN cause cancellations and other phenomena that serve to alter the timbre of the center sound AND spoil the "the sound is coming from the TV screen" effect. But I have found that if they are far enough apart it isn’t a big deal and may be worth it to get the greater output of two centers. That being said, you are better off with one really good center that is positioned very near the TV than two crummy ones.

As for subs, two are better than one. Whether you have one sub or two you always have to do a lot of placement experimentation to get the flattest response and most even distribution of bass.

Now as for surrounds, a room that is deep enough to cause you to have this concern is deep enough to avoid too-close placement of side and rear surrounds, so from a sound quality point of view you'll be fine. We've done that sort of thing here and it worked great."

Let me add to this that Justin is our webmaster and while he loves audio as much as the rest of us, he doesn't know much about the technical side of audio. If he gets an email about a topic he knows nothing about, he should forward it to me or Ken, Kim, etc. I'll remind him about this tomorrow.

[Ron-P]

Glad to see the post over there Paul.

I actually emailed Justin (aka: car wash boy) about a web site update. I tend to believe he might be wrapped up in Micah's socks. Thus, no response.


Peace out~:D

[DarqueKnight]

At first I was using one CRS+ speaker as my center channel. The speaker was modified to bypass the dimensional crossover section. Two stereo drivers were wired in parallel on the stereo portion of the crossover.

I decided I liked the sound of two CRS+'s better and the one speaker setup was de-modified back to its original configuration. I run mine with the SDA cable attached, even though the center channel signal is mono. I have experienced no cancellation effects.
The speakers are raised at the rear 4 degrees to improve the anchoring effect to the television.

[-justin-]

Originally posted by Ron-P
Glad to see the post over there Paul.

I actually emailed Justin (aka: car wash boy) about a web site update. I tend to believe he might be wrapped up in Micah's socks. Thus, no response.


Peace out~:D

I didn't get no stinkin' email! I even searched my "old mail" archive! :confused:

Hey that's MR. Car wash boy to you!

~JB

[Steve@3dai]

Hey Justin, why don't you wash my car too :)

It needs a good Zaino'ing as well dammit.

Claybar too.

Get on it!

And I want every spoke of my 18" P1s licked clean.

:D

- Steve

[Larry Chanin]

Originally posted by "Polk" Paul DiComo
...Yes, two center channel speakers CAN cause cancellations and other phenomena that serve to alter the timbre of the center sound AND spoil the "the sound is coming from the TV screen" effect. But I have found that if they are far enough apart it isn’t a big deal and may be worth it to get the greater output of two centers. That being said, you are better off with one really good center that is positioned very near the TV than two crummy ones.

As for subs, two are better than one. Whether you have one sub or two you always have to do a lot of placement experimentation to get the flattest response and most even distribution of bass.



Hi Paul:

I've heard that it's better to stack subwoofers than to place them side-by-side. If this is true, could you explain the operating principle behind this tweak? Would this apply to stacking center channel speakers? ...assuming of course you didn't crush your TV? ;)

Thanks.

Larry

[-justin-]

Originally posted by Steve@3dai
Hey Justin, why don't you wash my car too :)

It needs a good Zaino'ing as well dammit.

Claybar too.

Get on it!

And I want every spoke of my 18" P1s licked clean.

:D

- Steve

No way dude, I wash my car enough as it is! In fact, I should wash it today (I need some claybar action too)

Oh yeah, I'm not going to get those seats... too much money! Besides, I love my seats now, I don't know what I was thinkin'.

And I just got some new 17's, but no tires to put on them. Know any cheap places to get some?

~Justin

[madmax]

Stuff does get missed now and then but I wouldn't take it too seriously. How can you expect someone to read all those posts and never miss one. The link below may be an example.

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3243

:D

[Steve@3dai]

Originally posted by -Justin-


And I just got some new 17's, but no tires to put on them. Know any cheap places to get some?

~Justin

Kumho ECSTA Supra 712

www.tirerack.com

Like 90 a tire. Excellent price performance, many people in TX run them for street and autox.

- Steve

[shack]

Justin - I agree on the Kumhos. I have them on my Mustang. I've run Goodyears, Michelins, Comp T/As, Continentials and Pirellis and the Kumhos are the best bang for the buck I've found. Tire Rack is a good place to buy since I can get my tires that would cost about $200 locally for around $100.

["Polk" Paul DiComo]

I've heard that it's better to stack subwoofers than to place them side-by-side. If this is true, could you explain the operating principle behind this tweak? Would this apply to stacking center channel speakers? ...assuming of course you didn't crush your TV?

Well that one about stacking subs is a new one on me and I confess that I have never tried it. My understanding of standing wave behavior tells me that it wouldn't do much good, but you never know. What I have found that works well when using two subs is to place then in very different positions - if one is in a corner, the other should be well away from walls - that sort of thing. The idea is to excite the air in the room in two different ways so as to lessen the effects of standing waves. You should get deeper, flatter and more uniform bass response throughout the room. I have found that getting great bass simply takes hard work and lots of time trying various room positions, listening and measuring and moving stuff again - whether you have two subs or one. You have to be nuts to be an audiophile. Just look at the people on this forum for proof. :D

Putting center channel speakers near each other is a whole different animal because the wavelengths that come out (mids and highs) are much shorter than bass wavelengths and that means you will get interference effects between the two centers. You should try it and you'll hear the tonal balance change as you change your position in the vertical and horizontal planes - the dispersion pattern will be erratic and not at all uniform across the listening window. It will sound bad to somebody in the room depending on their position in the room. And that is bad.

OK guys, starting tomorrow I will be on the road and not in touch with the internet so don't get pissed at me if I disappear for a couple of weeks.

[madmax]

Some of our posts get missed and missed and missed. And missed.

"Stuff does get missed now and then but I wouldn't take it too seriously. How can
you expect someone to read all those posts and never miss one. The link below may
be an example.

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum...=&threadid=3243

[madmax]

Just in case everyone missed it...

Stuff does get missed now and then but I wouldn't take it too seriously. How can
you expect someone to read all those posts and never miss one. The link below may
be an example.

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum...=&threadid=3243

[madmax]

Did I forget to mention the following post may have been missed:

Stuff does get missed now and then but I wouldn't take it too seriously. How can
you expect someone to read all those posts and never miss one. The link below may
be an example.

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum...=&threadid=3243

[madmax]

Did anyone miss this post? :) :) :)

Stuff does get missed now and then but I wouldn't take it too seriously. How can
you expect someone to read all those posts and never miss one. The link below may
be an example.

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum...=&threadid=3243

[Larry Chanin]

Originally posted by "Polk" Paul DiComo


Well that one about stacking subs is a new one on me and I confess that I have never tried it. My understanding of standing wave behavior tells me that it wouldn't do much good, but you never know. What I have found that works well when using two subs is to place then in very different positions - if one is in a corner, the other should be well away from walls - that sort of thing. The idea is to excite the air in the room in two different ways so as to lessen the effects of standing waves. You should get deeper, flatter and more uniform bass response throughout the room. I have found that getting great bass simply takes hard work and lots of time trying various room positions, listening and measuring and moving stuff again - whether you have two subs or one. You have to be nuts to be an audiophile. Just look at the people on this forum for proof. :D

Putting center channel speakers near each other is a whole different animal because the wavelengths that come out (mids and highs) are much shorter than bass wavelengths and that means you will get interference effects between the two centers. You should try it and you'll hear the tonal balance change as you change your position in the vertical and horizontal planes - the dispersion pattern will be erratic and not at all uniform across the listening window. It will sound bad to somebody in the room depending on their position in the room. And that is bad.



Paul:

Thanks very much for the response. Since posing my question I tried to recall where I got this idea about stacking subwoofs, and after a little research I found these comments below from people whose opinion I respect.


You are correct that a second identical sub, stacked on top of the first nets you 6dB.

Doesn't sound like much (no pun intended) but it is!

You are increasing total bass output and more importantly dynamic range and headroom.

At a given playback level each driver will be doing 25% of the work it would have to if on its own. This mean less distortion.

If there is a really good spot in your room for a subwoofer, the best place for a second one is on top of the first. If there is no one ideal location, then a pair of subs can be used to advantage by placing them in two locations which are the reciprocal of each other (ie two locations which excite different room modes).
__________________
Brian Florian
Editor, Canada

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity http://www.hometheaterhifi.com


If you stack the subs, they'll couple better and you'll get significantly more output than if they're placed in separate locations. More output means you can turn the level down, and they'll be more articulate. I like two subs over one because you can get the proper bass level with less excursion and you have more available headroom. Of course, you'll have to experiment with placement in your room to get the best results.
__________________
Paul Scarpelli
Director of Sales & Marketing, Triad Speakers, Inc.



So I was wondering if you were to stack identical center channel speakers, wouldn't this minimize the changes in the horizontal plane since the drivers are in the same position in the horizontal plane? Changes in the vertical plane shouldn't matter since it's not likely that the audience will be continually standing up and sitting down (other than to get beers of course). ;)

By the way, many of the purists say that most center channel speakers, including Polks, are already flawed because they are designed on their side. With two identical drivers spaced horizontally, this creates the interference situation that you discuss in your previous posting even without having a second center channel speaker located side-by-side.

Thanks again, and I'll wait patiently for you to circle back to the forum when your duties permit.

Larry

[Micah Cohen]

Just so's you know, Larry, Paul will be out of the office, spending company money traipsing all over the country, until 5/8. Hopefully he'll log on from his remote locs and see this, but please be patient.

Thanks!

MC

[Larry Chanin]

Thanks Micah:

Yes, Paul mentioned this schedule in his last posting.

Larry

[-justin-]

Originally posted by madmax001
Some of our posts get missed and missed and missed. And missed.

"Stuff does get missed now and then but I wouldn't take it too seriously. How can
you expect someone to read all those posts and never miss one. The link below may
be an example.

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum...=&threadid=3243


Have you actually tried to "click" those links????

~Justin

[madmax]

Yes, I did. After I post a link I always go back and check to make sure it worked. It does not work for me either at this point. I'll try to figure out why it is not working at this time.
madmax

[madmax]

Try this link:

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3243

Should be the same. It is in the Technical Setup section in case that makes a difference.
madmax

[madmax]

Yep, that one works. Maybe it changed over a period of time? It doesn't really matter to me because I already orded the four sets I need. I did note that on the ones I received that the info was the same on the packages as it was on the vibrapod site.
madmax

[madmax]

Did I win a set of LSi's???

[Ron-P]

Yes you did Max, there in the mail.


Peace Out~:D