Polk enters headphone market

[Zitro]

I'll demo a pair of UltraFit 500's and I promise I will buy a pair if I like them :). PM sent.

[pietro944]

Don't know if anyone posted this.....Crutchfield sent me an email today,highlighting the new Polk headphones.Nice pics.....WITH the specs......32ohm input impedance......gotta have a good head amp.

[gdpeck]

So does anyone have a review of this line? I would like to order a pair of 500's, but want to get some impressions of them first.

Here are my impressions. I think how much you will like them will depend on how you plan on using them.

I have the 1000s, which are very similar to the 500s, except that the 1000s have a play/volume control and mic for iPods and iPhones. I bought them to use for two things. First, I wanted something that I could use to listen to music at background volume levels from the iPhone. The mic/remote was a requirement, because I also want to be able to use them to make/take phone calls. The second purpose for me was as a headphone to wear outside while running.

I feel like they are ideal for outdoor exercise, and slightly less ideal for background/iphone use. The sound is nice, but seems a little laid back un-amped from my iPhone 4. They also kind of bug my ears when I'm just sitting at a desk.

I wore them for a run yesterday, and I love them for that purpose. My running rig is a 1st Gen iPod shuffle with a DLO neoprene armband. The short flat cable is a perfect length for me with the arm band, and there is no cable noise transmitted to my ears whatsoever. The fit is astounding for running, and at times I really felt like the earphones weren't even there. Also the sound was a little more exciting from the iPod shuffle.

The Polk Audio website states that the 500s and 1000s, have moderate noise isolation. My experience with them is that they have no noise isolation. That's fine with me, because I'm not looking for noise isolation when running outside. I haven't spent any time comparing them to my other favorite earphones (Yuin PK3s) just yet. All my listening with these headphones so far has been with mp3 files that I ripped using LAME and the V1 preset, which sounds very very good to my ears.

In summary, if you want these as headphones for exercising outdoors, where you need to be able to hear stuff like cars, these are nearly perfect. They may be less so for other purposes. I know I didn't comment too much on sound quality, but hope to do so at some point when I have time to do some comparisons with other headphones, and after these break-in (or I acclimate) a little more. I did feel like they sound better from the 1st Gen Shuffle than from the iPhone 4, but it also could be because I was listening louder when I was running.

HTH
George

[gdpeck]

Don't know if anyone posted this.....Crutchfield sent me an email today,highlighting the new Polk headphones.Nice pics.....WITH the specs......32ohm input impedance......gotta have a good head amp.

I got that email too. It's worth noting that the only headphones Crutchfield shows stats for are the UltraFit 2000s, which are entirely different from the other models, as they are not earphone/in-ear, but are over the ear with a behind-the-head headband. It's really likely that those use different drivers than the earphone/in-ear models, so the specs may not apply to the UltraFit 500s, and 1000s.

[cfrizz]

Does the volume control only work on the I-stuff, or will it work on my SanDisk mp3 player?

BTW the specs are up on Polk's website.

[Mon40CSMM10]

Who cares about spec's on a pair of headphones? Seriously? It's a pair of headphones not full size loudspeakers. The frequency response range for all headphones is damn near the same from every manufacturer that makes them. 20-20 is all you need to expect, the rest is a bonus.

I care.

I've used a much pair of Sennheiser portable headphones that were something like 50 Hz to 16,000 Hz--definitely could tell the missing bass and treble frequencies (I didn't buy them, they were included free back when I bought a cassette walkman type stereo from when the DOW stores still existed) even with bass and treble eq set to +6 on the cassette walkman type stereo. I've used (and still have) Sony MDR-E828 earbuds with specs of 20 Hz - 20000 Hz but to me the bass sort disappears around 40 Hz, I even put test tones through them and to hear the lower bass (but still not the lowest bass) I have to hook them up to my receiver and turn the volume to something like -30 dB with the max being -8 dB. I've used Koss The Plug that went down to 10 Hz in the specs and yet there was too much exaggerated bass, not the sound quality I wanted despite the low bass. I'm currently using Sony S2 J11 headphones with a frequency response of something like 16 Hz to 22000 Hz, they are decent, but still need a bass boost with an MP3 player equalizer (Rock or Jazz setting). I still have Koss TD-61's with a frequency response of 25 Hz to 15000 Hz--seems like not such good numbers on paper--and yet it seems they actually have lower bass and higher treble than the numbers would suggest; however, they are not very portable.

You get the idea. So yeah, it matters to me. Specs give me a good idea of where the frequencies roll off in the bass and treble. After that, it's how good the overall sound is.

I also understand that Polk now has the specs on the website so now I'll give their headphones the consideration they deserve. Edit: And after seeing the very impressive specifications for the UltraFit 500's, I will be getting the UltraFit 500's this weekend. I'll be able to get more output per volume unit with the combined ohms/sensitivity, which means my battery on my MP3 player will last longer. Furthermore, the frequency response for those exceed my expectations.

[Vital]

Frequency Response of 3000 is 8Hz-24Khz while 500 is 18Hz-23Khz
Which makes me raise my eyebrows lol. Really??? 3000s will go down to as low as 8Hz? WTF?

[Drenis]

If there placed in your ears properly I'm sure. Some models of in-ear ear buds sound like crap when not placed in your ear properly but when a proper seal is made... WOW the bass is awesome.

[dorokusai]

I care.

That was meant generically speaking MON40 as again, the spec's are not that radical between any pair of headphones. Excellent reply however and totally understand what you'e saying.

[Slinger182]

I've had the 500s for a week now and really like them. They sound way better than what I used to use.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-AS20J...8011359&sr=8-7

I have weird shaped ear canals from having tubes in them as a kid and have never been able to get a pair of ear buds to fit right so they sounded decent.

They don't seem to be near as loud as my old sony's but they don't need to has they block out the outside noise much better. I went cycling for a few hours and very much enjoyed these new Polk headphones.

[Lasareath]

I received my Ultra Fit 3000 headphones yesterday and i am very happy!

They sound Great!!!

At first they didn't sound good, there was no Bass whatsoever but then I tried on all of the ear tips until I found the one that worked best with me. After I did the sound was amazing!!!

I am very happy.

The only thing I wish they tought of is this: The remote control/mic section is only found on the 41" cable. I don't like using a 41" cable because it can get caught on things when I am exercising and then get ripped right out of my ears.

I wish that they made the mic/control section with a male & female 1/8" headphone connector on each end and then I would be able to add it to my 14" cable and people who like the 41" cable could add it as well.


Oh, I thought I should mention, the part that goes around your ear is completely flexible, there is a wire in there and you bend it to fit your ears. Very Cool Design!!!!

My wife was so impressed that she wants a pair now as well.

I bought the Ultra Fit 3000's in white/Grey

Order yours today!!

Sal

http://www.polkaudio.com/headphones/...t/ultrafit3000

[djperez81]

i won a pair of the 3000's at PolkFest 2011. I never knew headphones could sound so goood. Sal is right you have to find the correct ear bud to fit your ear if not they wont sound nearly as good.

[Lasareath]

i won a pair of the 3000's at PolkFest 2011. I never knew headphones could sound so goood. Sal is right you have to find the correct ear bud to fit your ear if not they wont sound nearly as good.

Congrats on winning the headphones! I like them a lot.

[bigaudiofanatic]

If they were not sport headphones I would snag a pair. But that will probably be down the road.

[engtaz]

I asked my son if I could get back the 3000's we won at PolkFest 2011. He politely said no and it was because these were the best he has heard. He has been through a bunch of different earphones. Love the bass form them.