You know it's Polk when...

[organ]

Ok guys, just wondering what kind of qualities do you like most about Polk speakers that is apparent on all models you've heard. You know, you're listening and you just know you're listening to Polk speakers. I'm talking pure sound quality here and not build/aesthethics.

The one thing that always stands out for me is the very robust and warm mids. I hear this on all Polk models I own. The upper bass is also very nice. My favorite tweets were the tri-lams.

Maurice

[Zero]

Same thing; A robust, powerful, and engaging mid-range that adds a certain touch and flavor no other speaker I've owned has carried. The highs always lean towards the more aggressive side to these ears, even the Lsi...

The certain sizzle and tang of the RTxxxi series of the old tri-lam tweet mixed with a less full, but fast and deep mid-range. How I still wish to one day own an entire RTxxxxi system. One day - one day..

And of course, the SDA - with the classic Polk aggressive high-end and a monstorous room engaging sound that will have your head turning with a smile on your face.

I also know its Polk when I hear a sub that craps out at 30 hz. :D

[organ]

Sean,
Me too. I'd love to own a complete RTxxxi HT one day. Maybe with 2000i or 3000's for the mains.

Still miss your 2000p's, eh?

LOL on the sub:D. That was cold man. But I guess it's true. I'm happy with my 650 though.

[Zero]

Maurice,

As much as I want them back, I cannot justify the set right now. Its a shame, because so many fantastic deals have come this way over the past two years, many of which were in my back-yard. Slowley, but very surely getting myself out of this audio-game. One thing is certain, I will have to keep a Polk speaker somewhere by my side at all times. I wouldn't go about it any other way.

[cmy330go]

.... I also know its Polk when I hear a sub that craps out at 30 hz. :D

Amen! I'm a proud owner of a PSW1000.

Aside from that. I agree with all others so far. Polk's midrange is definitely more pronounced than most. But, not at all in a bad way.

[*Seby*-Polk-]

I choose Polk instead JBL, Infinity or Klipsch for one thing ... *** CLEAN SOUND *** EXTREMELY CLEAN/CLEAR SOUND.

Agreed with the mids....fantastic. You need a sub for full bass response.

[audiobliss]

I really don't know how you can say that Klipsch isn't "clean/clear" sound. I would think the trait most often associated with Klipsch, being harsh, is actually being very clean/clear.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Boomy, over-exagerated bass.

Which causes the mids to be slightly muddy.

Havnt heard one Polk to this day that hasnt had this trait in SOME way...

[marker]

The certain sizzle and tang of the RTxxxi series of the old tri-lam tweet mixed with a less full, but fast and deep mid-range. How I still wish to one day own an entire RTxxxxi system. One day - one day..

Agree, that was my personal favorite series of RTis.

Not only the tri-lam itself, but the model choices as well. After that, there never really was anything comparable to the RT55i or the Rt15i. I guess the case could be made that the newer Rti150, and RTi10/12 are comparable to the RT2000i and RT3000p though, and there was a direct replacement for ther RT1000i for a while.

Not to even mention the SRT!

[organ]

Boomy, over-exagerated bass.

Which causes the mids to be slightly muddy.

Havnt heard one Polk to this day that hasnt had this trait in SOME way...

I have to agree and disagree with you there, Sid. There's a good chance you didn't have the right system synergy with your Polks.

OK, on *most* equipments I heard my Polks on, they were boomy, had exagerated bass and were a little sloppy. This is very apparent with my LSi9. IMO, the RT and especially the LSi line need neutral to cold sounding gear to solve this problem. Once they team up with these types of electronics, they just sound right. The RT can actually sound good on warm gear for certain types of music.

But tube amps and RT is a different story. Completely different speaker there.

[heiney9]

Boomy, over-exagerated bass.

Which causes the mids to be slightly muddy.

Havnt heard one Polk to this day that hasnt had this trait in SOME way...

Sid, your entitled to your opinion and I'm not trying to say you don't her what you hear, but the Polks I've listened too do not exhibit this trait. The bass repro on my Rta-11's is rock solid, clear, un muddy, and very natural no bloat or overhang whatsoever. I will say in my particular system, components, cables and placement made a huge difference. I have it dialed in now and they sound better than ever. The do exhibit that 10db spike in the upper freq because of the sl2000 tweet and some female vocals and piano can sound a bit unnatural on certain recordings because of what I believe are cabinet resonances. But I would never describe a Polk speaker that I've owned as having the chacteristics you describe. Their subs certainly do. Granted I've only owned classic Polk from the 80's-90's, nothing newer other than borrowing my brothers Lsi-7's occasionally.

Coherent, spacious, rock solid imaging, very buttery midrange and rock solid bass. That's how i'd describe my Polks

H9

[steveinaz]

The Polk upper bass/lower midrange "slam" without a doubt.

[organ]

The Polk upper bass/lower midrange "slam" without a doubt.

So true. I've heard Pdigms, PSB, etc and none of them have that. Even the higher end models. I guess the only way for me to describe the mids and upper bass would be "rich and full of texture" (if that makes any sense).

[Zero]

Not to rag on Sid at all, but please bear in mind his experiences have been;

In a very small room with less than optimal placement, or in a huge room (his dads house) with again, poor placement, or at the big electronic stores. The electronics he has heard them on that I know of has been Adcom, Sound Craftsmen, Yamaha, and B&K. Perhaps there is an experience he had that either has not been mentioned in the past, or I am simply forgetting - but with those experiences - I could see why the lad would feel that way about Polk's products.

I can tell you this much, the SDA 2B's are probably the only Polk speaker I've heard to where this is NO emphasis on the mid-range or bass. Match that bad-boy with a good sub and you are in the 'just right' territory.

As an aside (sorry to continue derailing the thread here); Maurice definately is on the right track. The LSi do require colder sounding equipment that take a very solid grip over drivers. Everytime I've heard the LSi shine its on equipment of that sort. Lemme tell you - that combination will have you taking out a pair of sunglasses. The RTxxxi series is a beast on good tube electronics. Hell, even the cheapos from the usual ASL, Rogue, Anthem and Jolida are a good match. Two opposite approaches and sounds. </end derail>

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

So your saying... (not to sound defensive)...

Mid to Low Fi gear is going to require high fi gear to gear rid of "boomy, exagerated bass and slightly muddy mids..."

I just don't see that...

The only two speakers by Polks that came close to getting off this trend was the 1.2TL and the RT5. The RT5 was by far the smoothest in its transition with the cleanest bass...

The RTi70 was the worst of my experiences, with the RT35i following close behind.

The 1.2TL has amazing bass, but again - the mids, I just havnt heard a pair that I felt werent "clouded" or hiding something.... (to an extent)

Im not saying they cant sound different, better - but in my house, someone elses house, in a store - wherever, there is always THAT common trait, be it alot - or a little. Some call it a midbass slam, at first - I called it that too, but once I got a real sub and heard some speakers with real low bass --- that midbass slam just equalled boom and mud...

I havnt had much experience with the LSi line, once I dumped the RTi line - my interest in hearing the LSi line dwindled to nothing. Maybe when they release a passive tower (no sub what-so-ever) - Ill give em a look. Might even buy it... ;)

But thats my general observation, gear aside.

Just curious, what on earth is cold gear? My B&K runs pretty cold, I consider it "cold sounding" compared to other gear that has come through here.

PS: Pioneer Elite has also come through these parts.

Also, dont think Im saying my current speakers dont have a slightly muddy midrange. I can notice a nice bump in the 60hz range, due to the design -- it sometimes clouds the mids... Its far from a bias or anything -- just again, general observations.

[Zero]

Sid,

As you have no doubt gathered, thus far in the thread most people would agree with you that the general character of most Polk speakers, especially recent, to be voiced to emphasize the mid-range and lower bass. This is a character trait of the speaker, and as such, it will remain no matter the electronics and room. However, personal preferences aside, whether that trait becomes a strength or a vice greatly depends on electronics. You yourself have preached synergy. This is the same gig, only on a different level. There are many of us who have heard Polk speakers on good electronics which resulted in maintaining the character of the speaker, but in a controlled manner. Of course, this thread is all about what YOU feel and relate the Polk sound to…. Its cool. No one is here to change your mind. I am just here to tell you that some of their products, even recent ones, will not sound ‘boomy’, at least given their design and price-range. Alls ya gotta do is to treat them right.

[organ]

I really don't know how you can say that Klipsch isn't "clean/clear" sound. I would think the trait most often associated with Klipsch, being harsh, is actually being very clean/clear.

Well, it really depends what gear they're connected to. They're not going to sound clean/clear on AVR's and even some good quality seperates.

It depends on the listener too. A lot of people find the Klipsch sound to be too forward so I can see them perceiving the sound as harsh, bright or too trebly.

But when it does come to the mids, both my Polks and Klipsch have their ups and downs.

I'll start with the Polk. The mids on my Polks, especially the RT5 and LSi9 can sound very realistic with perfect blending between the tweeters and mid-bass drivers. It's also very laid back compared to Klipsch. They're able to place instruments in their individual space within the soundstage better than Klipsch. I also find Polk's sound can very anywhere from being on the warm side of neutral to overly warm.

Now with Klipsch. During my direct comparisons it was obvious the Klipsch have it's own flaws in the mids. You can actually tell the tweeter and woofer don't blend together properly. This is only obvious during a/b comparisons. That's what you get with horns. Even the big Heritage line of speakers have some of these problems from what I've read on the Klipsch forum. But their design is also their strength. The horns/high sensitivity woofers bring their own magic to the sound. That's getting the micro/macro dynamics and slam better than conventional designs. This is what attracts certain crowds to the Klipsch sound. They also sound much more open to my ears. They sound like live music. They're able to pick up subtle dynamic swings especially in vocals that none of my Polks can. That's why Klipsch's motto is "Just like live".

So it's up to your ears as to what sounds more realistic to you. Excellent mids (timbre/tweeter to woofer blending) or more dynamics. I prefer dynamics. I feel that the dynamic swings in music is what brings out the emotion. But, to each his own.

Maurice

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

I agree Sean, of course - I get what you mean.

I was more so expanding my comment a lil bit...

[organ]

Well said, Sean.

Sid,
We weren't saying mid to low-fi gear require high end electronics. We were just saying that matching the speakers to brighter sounding electronics took the problems away. Especially, like Sean said, something that can really control those woofers. But yeah, even the low to mid-fi line from Polk can sound amazing on higher end electronics. Every (decent) speaker will gain something as you move up the ladder on gear.

[Dennis Gardner]

I know its Polk when.................those that visit my house hear what they think is high end yet my wallet is still thick enough to buy the beer.


Polk is audio speak for great value.

[organ]

Are you saying Polk is low end;).

Yeah, Polks can definitely hang out with the big boys. Even the LSi speakers won't look out of place beside 10k mono blocks.

[pjdami]

Polks in general that I have had or still own have good bass. More bass than some other speaker manufacturers that I have owned. Speaker placement and different rooms makes a big difference. Now whether it's boomy or exaggerated is left to the opinion of the listener.

Ya'll lost me on the colder sounding gear = better bass. I've never correlated the two. I tend to listen to warmer sounding electronics and I like the bass just fine.

[organ]

Paul,
By colder, we meant brighter or more on the neutral side compared to the warm gear we normally use.

[adam2434]

Cool topic - I've thought of this before, but never really crystallized my thoughts.

Agree with the comments about the forward midrange and the lower midrange to midbass kick the that gives certain types a music (especially rock and blues) a nice dynamic/rythmic snap - I call it "boogie factor". These characteristics also give male vocals and electric guitars nice heft and presence. To me, this doesn't sound muddy, it sounds full bodied and fleshed-out.

Polks also have a solid center image when placed correctly.

It's cool that these common attributes are present across different lines, generations, and price points. For example, my LS90s and R30s have more in common with each other than with any other speakers I've owned, regardless of brand, age, or cost.

[ND13]

I know it's Polk, because the grills say so...;) :D :D

[jakelm]

Polk should just come back out with their 77-84 vintage gear and be done with this.. Take any of the current models and compare them to any of the vintage Monitor or SDA lines....see what happens

No offence but that was the "real" Polk Audio.

[Joey_V]

When I think of polk, I think of a company that builds on good solid sound. Nonsense and no frills. I think of the LSi9 and what comes to me is its capability to make vocals palpable with a touch of midbass exaggeration for good measure. I miss them.

[heiney9]

Polk

[Ferres]

Boomy, over-exagerated bass.

Which causes the mids to be slightly muddy.

Havnt heard one Polk to this day that hasnt had this trait in SOME way...

If I hadn't listened to the Sensys DC's I would have disagreed. :)

But Polk does have that warm engaging sound(Referring to Lsi's). Most people will like this quality. To me they have more merits than flaws compared to others in the same price bracket. :D