Who is Polk Audio?

[kab]

Seriously!

Inside the building, we think we know who Polk is and what the brand stands for; however, in the end, what we think is wholly unimportant. What you and other Polk owners think Polk is all that matters.

So what ideas, images or thoughts come to mind when ask to describe the Polk Brand? How would you describe the personality of the brand? What does the brand stand for?

Here's an example. When I think of McDonalds these things come to mind:
- brought the 25 cent hambuger, fries and shake to America then to the world (not necesarily a good thing)
- cheap hamburgers,
- great tasting fries,
- consistent product,
- fast food,
- yellow arches,
- everywhere,
- uses kids to drag the family in,
- bad for my health.
- drive through
- friendly atmosphere
- making people fatter

With more time I could think of others but you get the idea.

Let us know what or who you think Polk Audio is?

Thanks.

Al

[Ricardo]

I prefer Burger King ;)

Who's Polk Audio?

-High in sound, low in price
-Friendly and Professional staff
-Best Customer Service
-Innovation


That's all for now....


Edit: Own polk speakers and XM tuner; had my first Polk product in 2005.

[edbert]

Polk Audio is...

Great customer service
Wide variety of products for all budget levels
Quality product no matter the price

Edit: Monitor 40's, 30's, CS1, PSW10, 2 pair GX series in my car, 2 pair GX series in my in-laws jeep I bought for them because I liked the way mine sounded

[AndyGwis]

Classic old gear.

Innovative new gear.

Big company with a small company mentality / customer service.

Polk products (12/2005): Monitor 7Bs, T20ebs (4), T90ebs (2), CSi3, CS2, PSW10 (but only for a week)

[shack]

Best in industry customer service.
Bang for the buck products.
Reliabilty.

2000 (RT15i)

Polk Products....SDA 1C, RT400, RT15i, RT25i, RT55i, CS400i, FX300i, XRt12, MiDock.

[kab]

As part of your post can you also state whether you own a Polk product or not? If you do, in what year did you get your first Polk product?

Thanks

[exalted512]

Polk Audio--

Fantastic customer service
pretty much what the others said, I like how rookie said it, high in sound low in price. I had to mention customer service again though, its absolutely fantastic and the number one thing that'll keep me coming back.

Been a Polk owner since 2000, no HA though. Ive owned MM6 components and mm120 and mm12 subs, currently have the SRs in my g/f's car.
-Cody

[izafar]

Polk Audio is:

- Quality sound for every one(products at multiple cost points)
- Best sound per $
- Great customer service
- Pioneer in connecting with customer base (club Polk initiative)

I bought my first Polks (a RM series HT speaker system) in 2000

[dorokusai]

-Exceptional Customer Service
-Solid user/fan base ala Club Polk that borders on obsessed, rock groupie level
-Product line that is always market relevant yet changing
-Grassroots mentality but with a secret
-Industry leader

1988 - Monitor 10B

2007 - 5.1 RTi(Older), SDA CRS+, Atrium 45

[Willow]

Customer service second to none
best price for quality speakers

Innovative
Quality
ahead of the game

Purchased back in 2004 rti4 csi3 2006, rti8

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Description of Polk Audio -

Innovative, truly brought the small midbass driver to the home audio market.
Concerning speakers, they stick to what they know, safe (6-7 versions of the RT line, a bulletproof LSi line, etc etc)
Excellent customer service and interaction
Solid products for the dollar
Expanding
Best bang for the buck overall in the mass market stores
Great company

Products Ive owned -
RT5, RT35i, RT25i, CS245i, RTi70, RT55 - family has owned SDA 1.2TL and Atrium 55.

First owned them in 2002.

[ben62670]

Best bang for the buck speakers out there.
By far the best costumer service anywhere, and this is a fairly large company. If you call them they give you answers. They still have driver replacements for speakers that are over 25 years old, and they don't tell you "we don't support those anymore". Try finding that anywhere else.
Costumer service, Costumer service, Costumer service

Ben

[danger boy]

Polk Audio is...

consistantly high value products
diversified audio products
Polk Audio listens to it's customers
classic sounding speakers

I first bought my Polk Audio speakers in 2001, beginning with a PSW 350, many other's since then.

[TennesseeOutlaw]

Reliable
Consistently solid product
Upper Mid-Fi
Quality construction
Aesthically pleasing (spell Check)

Ive owned Polk since 1995 (S8's)

[McLoki]

What I think of when someone says Polk audio -

SDA's
White Lab Coat (sorry Matt... :) )
solid mid-fi company with a few hi-fi offerings (or pretty darn close)
Excellent customer service (this would be more for current customers than new ones)
Club Polk.

[RuSsMaN]

Alrighty.....

....That 'Polk' sound - everything from Aretha to Alice in Chains, Vivaldi to Van Halen - it all sounds good

....American

....Products made by audio nuts, for audio nuts

....Blown / fragile tweeters - never had an issue myself, but all the pub / complaints from uninformed end users throughout the years

....Technology driven - raised bezel, power port, arc port, SDA, etc etc

....Team of mad scientists in lab coats with probes and various measuring devices

....Easy to drive, amplifier friendly

....Speakers (all lines) respond well to better electronics

[cfrizz]

Consistent high quality product.
Good value.
Longevity.
Outstanding customer service.
Values the opinions & concerns of their customers that they will even come on a public forum board to address such concerns.

That kind of commitment will ALWAYS have my loyalty!

I have owned Polk RTA-8T's since Feb 6, 1990 & they sound as good now as they did when I first got them!

[cmy330go]

As said multiple times before:

Superior customer support.
Great bang for the buck.
High quality.
Reliable
Outstanding on-line community.

First Polk Product: RM5400's (mid 1990's?)

Previously owned: RTi4, RTi6, PSW404, PSW650

Currently: LSi7, LSi9, LSi15, LSiC, LSiFX, PSW1000, RT25i.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

[read-alot]

Just a great company to do business with.

SDA II's in 1987 or 1986 - Still have them :)

My wife says it was in 86 that I brought them home, she's always right.

[Jstas]

Polk Audio is:

Matt Polk!
High value
Lotsa bang for your buck
Supportive of it's products and customers
run by regular guys like me
Innovative
A market leader
Affordable High Fidelity Sound
Dependable

Got my first Polk product in 1995, 4" EX series coaxials for the dash in my Ranger

Products owned:
Car Audio: EX401a, EX502, dB6500, dB3065, dB5250, dB9, dB104, dB124, DX104, DX124, C-4 (sub), MM2124, MM104

Home Audio: SDA2B, R15, XRt12 and several pairs of computer speakers with no model numbers that were built for Silicon Graphics and one pair of what looks like a prototype for Hewlett Packard.

[MattN03]

Polk means excellent customer service and a superior product at it's price point.

[George Grand]

Great products
Great customer support
Older products don't really deteriorate, and are highly sought after.
Best rapport w/customers in the industry
People who have been involved w/great sound since the 70's.
No real klunkers or dumb fad stuff.
Best labcoats.

1989, 2 pair of shiny, new RTA 11T's.

i don't have any Polk produce now.

[madmax]

My 5 minutes of thought on who polk is. Time was limited so this is just a glimpse.

Isn't polk audio that little speaker outfit who started out with decent sounding reasonably priced monitors? In the late 80's they competed with bose and created SDA speakers. They had a really hip engineer type who always wore a white lab coat, even on his days off. They have now become fairly large, have their products made in other countries for cost reasons and have moved from the smaller quantity higher end products to high quality lower priced products. Today they make high quantities which puts them out of the audiophile grade market but provide lower cost alternatives which compete quite well in the market place.

madmax

[MSALLA]

Entry level high-end audio speakers.
Bargin prices for the quality of the product.
Outstanding customer service.

Current polk product owner. 1st. polk product bought in 2001.

[ledhed]

High Quality at a low price

Fist experienced Polk in 2005, have owned an RM set, RT1000P RT5 and R15s

[strider]

At first Polk was a local company that had cool looking speakers in their ads in Stereo Review. I was 10 or 11.

Then I met one of my uncle's friends who worked there. I liked him, he was into music; I could relate to him on a mental level, too. Me- 12 yrs old

My uncle got a set of Monitor 4's. Wasn't in my dream system, but still loved their sound. I got into a lot of music I still love today listening to them.

Stereo equipment kinda faded when girls and partying came into the picture, at least until I got a "real" job. The first major purchases I made were a Carver amp, pre, and a set of RT55's in rosewood. I still have them all, and use them just about every day. That was in 2000.

Now I have the Rt55's with a CS400i and a set of LS f/x's on the way for the ole HT. Downstairs in the cave I have a set of SDA 2B's that are my current project. I've sold a set of RT55i's to finance the 2B's, also have a set of unused AB600's on the way from my uncle's friend, who's now my friend as well.

The Reader's Digest version: Matt Polk surrounded by towering SDA SRS's and the Monitor series, a local connection, good music, good friends (both old and new), and good times. Damn cool, especially considering it all centers around speakers.

[Ron-P]

- making people fatter

Not true, Mc-Dee's does not make people fatter. People make themselves fatter.

As for what Polk is when I think of them...Quality sound, great CS, great prices, honorable company.

[TN_Polk_Lover]

My first experience with Polk Speakers was with a place in Columbus, GA (my hometown) called Merit Sound City. I don't know if they still exist or not. Anyway, I remember they carried Polk, Klipsh, and Bose, and I think Mirage.

I just remember the first time I just walked through their main showroom area, wasn't even set up that well for real demo / listening and I heard the sweetest, smoothest, yet fully extended treble sound and I stopped dead in my tracks and asked the salesman, "Which speakers is that coming from?" He said, these Polks right here. I don't even remember what kind they were. I was hooked right then and there. He switched to some Klipsh which I found to forward - midrange was too overly emphasized - not terrible sounding, but I just preferred the Polks. And, Bose, well, lets just say, the salesman confided in me that they did not like the direction Bose was going, and the next time I went in there, they had dropped the Bose line.

So, many years later, after I reached the point I had a little more income and could start building a system, I ordered a pair of Polk RTi38's - cherry finish from brandnamez.com. I ordered them without really listening to them, other than just a casual listen at Circuit City, under less than ideal conditions.

I can't remember the exact year. I think it was about a year before the new (current) RTi series came out. I've added more of the RTi line to my collection. The RTi70s I bought half price at Circuit City, they were "open box" ones. That was just before the new RTi line came out. The others I have I bought used off of ebay.

I have never had to order new drivers or anything, so I can't really speak to the customer service issue, but everyone here says it is excellent.

I am totally biased of course, but I guess if I had to sum up my impressions:

Not highest of the high-end, but very affordable for what you get. Good value in other words.

More concerned with good sound quality instead of "hype" (Opposite of Bose)

Three well defined lines of speakers (Monitor / RT / LS) at different price points, each a good value for the intended market.

Excellent web site with good reading material to help you learn.

And last but not least, Matt in the white lab coat (at least in days gone by.) The younger whipper-snappers around here probably don't remember those ads.

[janmike]

No sense repeating others, but these really stand out:
1) Great customer service
2) People driven
3) Great product for different types of listening
4) Somewhat innovative
5) Very good prices
6) EXCELLENT FORUM - Other than that I may have moved away

2002 - RTi100
Since then
RTi28
RTi38
CSi5
LSi9
LSiFX
LSiC

[Holydoc]

My Opinions:
1) Big City Speaker Company with a Hometown Attitude
2) Willing to Take the Extra Step to Ensure Customer Satisfaction
3) Speakers designed for the Common Man and Upcoming Audiophile
4) Known for Quality Sound and Service in Both the Home and Auto Regime
5) Great Quality at Reasonable Prices
6) Best Forum of Speaker Knowledge on the Web

*********************************

Notice I focused on Customer service the most. Without a doubt I have been more impressed with that aspect of this company more than anything else. To be such a large company and still give personal attention to its customers is nearly unheard of. For this alone Polk will always have my recommendations.

I did leave off Innovative which seemed to be in most of the above posts. I guess I have seen Polk as more Evolutionary than innovative.

*************************************
My Polk Products that I still use proudly are in my signature.

[bknauss]

A paycheck :)

[BIZILL]

higher class than sony, which to the AVERAGE consumer, is a big deal. once you own a set, you're feeling better about yourself and your status.

[Ricardo]

A paycheck :)

Best so far ;)

[kab]

Not true, Mc-Dee's does not make people fatter. People make themselves fatter.

Ron,

Whether this or any of my thoughts about McD are factually correct is not at all important. It is what I believe; therefore, it's true for me. I am just one consumer and I'm sure others have their "true" idea of who McDonalds is.

It is the preponderence of consumer ideas that determine who Polk Audio or any brand is. They can be (and probably are) different for each person. What we hope to see are a few important and unique attributes common to all consumer ideas/images of our brand. And that they align with what we believe about ourselves.

Al

[tonyb]

To me Polk represents a good bang for your buck speaker company with great customer service.Though it's getting a tad crowded in that category,I think the LSI line and the I-SONIC,have seperated them a bit.I personally wish they would consentrate there efforts instead of trying to be all things to everyone in audio.Yeah,I know....market share...yada yada yada....just waiting for that stand out speaker from them like the SRT OR 1.2 TL that sets the bar for the rest.

[Fireman32]

To me Polk is all abount an excellent product made by excellent people. I have never had to call customer service but I know if I ever have to it will be top notch. Then there is this forum where I have met some of the nicest most knowledgeable people there are. And then there is Polkfest! I own a pair of RTA12b's since 2005.

[MillerLiteScott]

Polk Audio to me is a hometown company that produced a quality product that had great looks and sounded great for the money.

I also remember the white lab coat adds in Stereo Review.

Best customer service available.

I have had two issues since my first Polk purchase in 1993. My first issue was a cracked voice coil in a 5.25 mid driver from a pair of component car speakers which I still own and are installed in an older car. When I had the voice coil problem which was probably my fault, I called CS and I was invited to Metro Avenue to bring the driver back and they replaced the driver with out question.

Second issue in the past few months a terminal pulled of a MMC650 speaker I removed from my boat for the off season and Ken answered my e-mail and sent me yet another driver no questions asked.

I own RTi10, CSi5, Monitor 5's, MMC6500 and MM5250? component car speakers mentioned above.

Scott

[MacLeod]

What I think about when I think Polk Audio

- Best speakers on the market dollar for dollar
- Best customer service period
- Best people period
- Best forum period
- But most of all, the knack for making its customers feel like theyre a part of the company and one big happy family!!!

Im one of the few guys running Polk Audio gear in car audio competitions however I get no funny looks when people find out my brand. Polk has a lot of respect out there from what Ive seen especially among the more knowledgable and experiences enthusiast and the general perception is high quality and great value. Now that Polk is venturing into the high end car speaker market, that respect is sure to grow.

Been a fan of Polk Audio since the early 90's but my bought my first product in 2003.

MMC690
MM6
SR6500
SR5250
MM2104

[rskarvan]

Polk Audio is (most importantly) the site that hosts the "Tasteful Babe Thread".

[cmy330go]

Apparently also a great place to work.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=946243457

:D

[wingnut4772]

Polk Audio:

Great entry level foray into audio and 'audiophilia' ( an incurable disease)

Underrated

Undermarketed

All my friends have heard of Bose. Not one has heard of Polk Audio.


My first Polks were Rti 100s, Then a complete LSI set. Now I only have LC80is in my ceiling as rear surrounds.

[heiney9]

Quality, built and engineered to last a long time
Value
Performance
Affordable
Passion for music reproduction
Excellent R & D
Best Customer Service I've ever experienced
Grass Roots Values at a relatively large corp.
Club Polk

My first Polks were the Original Monitor 5b's circa 1985. My 2nd pair were my RTA-11T's circa 1987, currently have Lsi-9's and another pair of 5b's :D .

H9

[Shizelbs]

Polk Audio is:

The Balls

[warlocks1]

I have owned Polks since I bought RTA-11t's in 1989. I have owned most of their speakers over the years. It doesn't matter what product you have, it is always the best sounding speaker at the price.

I will never abandon Polk Audio due to the following reason and it is what seperates Polk from any other company in any market. Bottom Line:

Polk honestly and genuinely cares about people. Doesn't matter if they are customers are not. I will never forget the Polk Audio tour in Baltimore. What other company will invite you to their HQ and spend the day with you. Every person from the receptionist to Jim Herd and Matt Polk, as well as other VP's, were available to speak to and honestly listened to your opinion. The pride on their faces showing off the products and intense listening to opinions, both good and bad, was amazing.

It is the same every time I call customer service. Ken is a wealth of knowledge and always take the time to listen and explain. Thanks Ken!

There are probably products that can compete with Polk Audio on price and quality, but I will never consider buying them. You can't buy brand loyalty, you have to earn it and Polk has earned mine and I tell everyone I know about Polk Audio.

Don't forget the little guy and you will always have the loyalty you have earned and deserve.

Thanks Polk Audio!

[Polkersince85]

There are three products I own which I rely on and can trust. My Big Ben windup alarm clocks, Coleman camping products and my Polk speakers. They "git er done". I own the vintage line of speakers because I like the sound they produce. Polk Audio to me is the sound and dependability of the Monitor and SDA products. Whether a Monitor 4, a SDA, or anything in between; the music coming from them is simply put, just plain fun. I know I'm home when I see my Polks.

The speakers I own are:

SDA SRS 2
SDA SRS 2.3TL
Monitor 10B (2 pair)
Monitor 7B (2 pair)
Monitor 7 Peerless

[treitz3]

To me?


////// and//////, plus /////// (just kidding):D



Great customer service.
Awesome product for the price.
Incredible mid-bass and mids sound.
White lab coat.
Hell of a good price given the sound as compared to many other speaker manufacturers.
At performance levels......POUNDING OF CHEST without distortion.
Nice build......Quality.
Did I mention price yet?:p

Accuracy.;)

[dorokusai]

I think Jeff hits something on a solid note. Let me know what audio company has a representative that WANTS to come to some nerdfest gathering, like our annual Polkfest?

Don't forget your love for our resident Texan....he started alot of this machine but that's for another thread. We're borderline crazy but since TX PF II(2003-Texas-Russman) our forum has been supported by some hardcore Polk heavyweights....and a couple of them keep coming back for MORE!

Al Ballard
Paul DiComo
Hedy Klopfer
Stu Lumsden
Matt Polk
Ken Swauger

Every one of them has attended a Polkfest at one time or another. There's been 2 official Polk HQ tours and Jeff nailed it....we were like royalty/VIP that day. EVERYONE tour related was engaging and had a genuine interest to school us on their areas of expertise. Simply outstanding.

*Now back to your regularly scheduled programming*

[I-SIG]

Well, there's not a whole lot I can add to the discussion.

I'm quite surprised that no one mentioned the "heart-dotted-'i'"

As for my first Polk's, I succumbed to Crutchfield's advertising about 1995/96 and bought some MM (that's Mobile Monitor, not MOMO, to the young 'uns) for my pick-up and later some dx 4x6's for the rear. I talked my lil' sis into getting a dB 10" for her 200sx about a year or so later. Then some RT55's, a CS350ls, RT55i's, a pair of SDA-1c's, and finally some SDA-SRS's.

Wes

[hearingimpared]

World Class & World's Finest Customer Service;
Dollar for Dollar best products
Personable Owners


First Polk product 1984-1985 SDA/SRS

[disneyjoe7]

Every moment of owning Polk's is a pleasure. The workmanship in there products, the look, the sound, the people, all first class. Pride shows everywhere in this company, everyday and I believe this comes from the man himself Matt Polk.


First set RT800i 1999 still rocking.

[sbpolk]

Hmmm, Polk for me...

My first Polks were RT55's, CS400, and RT25's, I think I bought those in 99. It was a wonderful system. I listened to the RT55's in Circuit City, and then ended up purchasing the whole system from a boutique store for an awesome deal. I later swapped the 55's and the 400's for 55i's and a 400i. That was my core system for a long time. When the new RTi series was released, I picked up Cherry RTi70's and a CSi40. Had those for a couple of years, and then sold them about a year and a half ago when I sold my house.

I got into my new house, and went the rounds with several other speakers, and several other brands. I just couldn't find that "Polk" sound I knew and loved. I was not impressed with the looks of the current generation of RTi speakers, so I ended up going back to the "old" Rti's. I now have RTi70's in black, CSi40, RTi28's, and FXi30's. I love these speakers. I have looked at the current RTi line, and at the upcoming RTi line, and I really prefer the old veneer, the old grill cloth material, and the old Polk Logo found on the generation that I own. I am really dissapointed to see the logo changing!!

I really want to upgrade to LSi15's, LSi7's, LSiC, and LSiFX's..... Maybe someday soon. I didn't know what was missing until a recent visit to Showcase (Tweeter) and listened to LSi15's with a nice amp.

When I think of Polk Audio, I feel comfortable.... not really with anything in particular, I just get a good feeling! I have recommended Polk Audio to many friends and family members, most of whom ended up going that direction. They are just a good, safe speaker for me.

It seemed that when I bought my first set of polks back in '99, Polk was regarded as a good boutique brand speaker. When you told someone in the know that you had Polks, the response was generally very positive. Nowdays, that seems to have changed. It seems like unless the person has firsthand experience with anything higher than monitors, the response is generally negative. I wonder if this is a result of Polk hanging their hat on the Monitor an RM lines, and on Circuit City. It seems like the Polk Brand is much weaker now than it was eight years ago. That is too bad because LSi's and RTi's are really great speakers.

I think Polk might be coming around again though, as is evidenced by the fantastic new crop of in wall speakers that have generated a tremendous amount of buzz in the boutique shop realm. That has really put Polk back on the map, and I think has many people taking Polk seriously again. I hope that Polk can roll that momentum into higher end cabinet speakers, and really hit a homerun with a future release of new LSi's, and maybe even something higher end. A high end THX Ultra2 bookshelf setup would be awesome....

Well that is the end of my tale.... I love polk speakers, and would like to see a re-emergence of Polk as a player in the higher end world!

Oh, last thing. The forum has been awesome. Priceless really! Good people on here, it is shocking that it has stayed THIS good for THIS long!

[dkg999]

Polk Audio is:

High value audio products - you get more than you paid for in comparison to most competing products
Old School customer service - you still remember who pays the bills
Writing the textbook in brand building and loyalty - see the comments about Club Polk and supporting/interacting with your customers
The visual of Matt Polk in the white lab coat that you used in the '80's will forever be etched in my mind!

Bought my first Polk Audio product in 1985.

Keep up the good work!

[Polk65]

-A person and product readily comes to mind. Many companies have catchy names but trying to figure out what they are selling is sometimes impossible.
-The sound from their speakers is addictive.
-Their speakers have rubber surrounds that will last.
-Accurate sound that I can afford.
-I want my friends to hear these.
-Performance for my paycheck.
-They keep coming up with cutting edge products.
-Their forum attracts and retains non-Polk Audio owners.
-Their forum is family.
-Company involvement with forum members at annual get-togethers is awesome.
-Opening their doors to forum members for headquarters visits. This made me feel like a kid going to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.
-This is one of those companies that employees must like coming to work.

Their customer service raises the bar.
-I've never had a long wait time.
-Those who answer the phones are understandable both with their technical speak and lack of accent.
-A caring company that makes replacement parts for older models.
-No games. If it's within warranty, they will replace it. If not, give them a call. They will offer suggestions for repair.
-I will buy from again.

I don't remember exactly when I brought SRS 2.3's home. I do remember exchanging them within a year when the "new" TL version became available.

[george daniel]

It's pretty much all been said,, Polk Audio--" They Care"

Products, 1990--11 T's
followed by, Sda 1c x3
SDA SRS 2
SDA SRS 2.3
mon. 5 & 5 jr and 7c's

Edit; notice how the words customer service keeps poping up? Customer Service-the key to success, Polk does NOT forget about the customer after the sale,,product support,, and doing the right thing,,just makes you feel good.

[engtaz]

All of the above is why we continue to seek Polk products. AKA George sneaking into Florida for some 1C's. Ha Ha

Enjoy,engtaz

[george daniel]

All of the above is why we continue to seek Polk products. AKA George sneaking into Florida for some 1C's. Ha Ha

Enjoy,engtaz


why don't you run over there and pick them up for me,,keep them until thanksgiving and I'll pick them up when I visit my wifes family on turkey day? :eek: :D :D :D

[liordra]

well thought through product Design,
which makes products to good value for money.

[TroyD]

Two pages? That's IT? You slackers!

Ok, first, in context of who Polk was, when I was a newbie.....and the folks that I try to 'bring in to the fold' have similar impressions. Anyway, before I knew anything about audio, I knew the name Polk Audio, it SOUNDED (the name) higher end as opposed to say Infinity or JBL. Why, I don't know. Maybe because 'audio' was in the title. In college and thereafter I knew a few guys that were stereo guys. Many of them had Polk speakers. What I'm getting at is that I always associated Polk as a premium product. At least in terms of the general public's perception.

What does Polk mean to me now? Well, one word? Home. I honestly view my association with Polk as more of a reasonably close friendship basis more than a retailer/customer relationship. By design or not, that's how I see it nor do I think that my situation is unique.

Now, second to none CS, astronomical price/performance ratio....etc etc, that's all true but to a lot of us it's more than that. It's personal.

When I buy a Polk product, it's not a case of...ok, here is our widget. It's more a case of Matt, George, Al, Paul, Jim, Ken handing over to me something and saying this is our product, we are proud of it. This is why were proud of it. We think, within parameters, it's the best product you can get and that is important to us. Now that have one of our products, here is the secret Polk handshake. I dunno...it's hard to explain but hopefully you get my drift. Anyhow, I own other speakers and (blasphemy) I think some of them are better than Polk speakers (ie Quads). I do not, however, have an emotional attachment to the Quads. I also, as many of you know, own 2.3tl's. If money got tight, I would sell the Quads. No biggie, something else will come along. My 2.3tl's....I could be HOMELESS and I'd be humping down the street in a shopping cart.

Many of us remember when Micah left there was a fear (and this surface again with the DEI thing) that we would lose that sense of community with Polk. That was a real and palpable, if unfounded, fear. The fear was not so much about the gear, but the atmosphere and personal bond. Al said this: While Micah may have put his unique spin on it, Micah picked up the culture of Polk...not the other way around.
...and there you have it, the culture of Polk....cool shiite.

1999 - RT7's
2007-SDA 2.3tl's, CRS+, R10, R15, Atrium45, Mon7A, 5's


Anyway, that's my story.

BDT