Polk Audio Hitmaster - Gaming Loudspeaker - Demo

[dorokusai]

This demo is for a pair of Polk Audio Hitmaster Loudspeaker.

This is open to all active Club Polk members within the CONUS. Sorry, no Alaska or Hawaii at this time.

You'll have two(2) weeks to listen to the speaker(s) and when the demo is completed, contact me for shipping arrangements to the next person.

Please post your subsequent review in the product pages of the homepage. You HAVE to take the time to do this folks. You don't have to gush and pour sugar on everything, just be candid, be honest, be real.

Post your review here.

If you are interested in this idea?...please send your name, shipping address, phone number and email address to mnestor@polkaudio.com

DEMO LIST:
Leroyjr1 (Completed)
Demiurge (Completed)
Kawizx9r (Completed)
Messiah (Completed)
Discjockey (Completed)
Technokid - Canada (ACTIVE)
Wutadumsn23 (Completed)
Mmadden28 - PA (Completed)
Coolsax - TX (ACTIVE)
KASR (No Shipping Information Sent)
Serendipity - NY (ACTIVE)
Bigdawg (No Shipping Information Sent)
Jerryj12 (No Shipping Information Sent)
Engtaz (No Shipping Information Sent)
Polkitup2 (No Shipping Information Sent)
Nebborjk - IN
Edbert - TX
Adam2434 - OH
RT1 - GA
Petrym - NE
Jujur6 (No Shipping Information Sent)
Montoya - TX

[dorokusai]

I should be shipping 3 of these next week so get ready Polkies.

[comfortablycurt]

Not in since I don't have any game systems to demo it with.

Nice offer though!


Just out of curiosity...what speakers are those in the third pic? They look like some really old school Polk PA speakers.

Any good?

[JujuR6]

Im in. I have multiple game systems so i could give these a whirl.

[wutadumsn23]

I'll take a shot at it, think my kids would get a kick out of this. Thanks Mark.

-Jeff

[dorokusai]

These are shipping this week. I had to skip some names since you never sent me your personal information. I need your name, address, phone number and email.

If your next on the list, please send me your information.

Demiurge - I need a phone and email for my records.

Messiah - I need an email for my records. I tried calling you but could not leave a message. New phone number?

[wutadumsn23]

Hey Mark, did you miss my post, I was second in on this one. If it was because you needed my info, I will send you a PM. Add me to the list wherever, you have 3 of them going so it shouldn't take long to get in on this demo. Thanks again Mark.

-Jeff

[dorokusai]

I must have missed you Jeff...sorry but I was under the gun. I'll make sure you're next ok?

[dorokusai]

Im in. I have multiple game systems so i could give these a whirl.

Thanks for joining Club Polk and I'll add your name to the list.

However, you are pretty new so I'd suspect that you're going to hang out and participate in our awesome forum until then right? :)

[wutadumsn23]

I must have missed you Jeff...sorry but I was under the gun. I'll make sure you're next ok?

No worries Mark, I can only imagine how busy you are with these demos, I'm just happy to have the oppertunity.

-Jeff

[kawizx9r]

Hey Mark, just want to add that the Hitmaster arrived today. Haven't taken it out of the box yet but the outside looks to be in perfect shape. Good thing I found my rechargeable batteries in time!

Guitar Hero here we come :D

[Disc Jockey]

My Hitmaster arrived today also. No box damage. I should be ready to ship this right after Christmas.

[leroyjr1]

Hitmaster arrived safe and sound. Double boxed and packed very well. Small hole in the outside box but nothing I can't fix. Opened her up and played call of duty for about an hour.

Thanks Polk and Mark for setting this up for everyone.

Took a couple pics



http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...g?t=1261185388

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...g?t=1261185743


http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...g?t=1261185809

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...g?t=1261185869

[Serendipity]

Hey Mark,

Did you ever get my contact info? I posted about this in the other thread.

[Demiurge]

The HitMaster arrived today and I have been playing a little Rock Band 2 with it so far. Just switched over to Fallout 3 and I'll give Modern Warfare 2 a run later on.

[dorokusai]

I believe everyone but Messiah has received the first batch. We even got one up to Canada :D

Be patient guys, I have alot to do right now.

[Topper]

hows the initial impressions? :)

[TECHNOKID]

hows the initial impressions? :)

No auditionning yet but very impressive out of the box. Looks like the real monitor, Polk has really paid attention to the details and quality. I'll try to get some pics of the HitMaster between some real monitors during the holiday. That should be the kind of PIE Mark won't mind ;)

Cheers!
TK

[Demiurge]

I posted my review already, but it hasn't shown up yet.

I was surprised by how good it sounded considering the price point of $99. I think it's a definite value, and I can see it being a pretty big hit for the under 18 crowd and college students. All you need is a monitor, gaming console, and the HitMaster and you're good to go. One thing to take note of is that it's good for all games, not just Rock Band or Guitar Hero type games. Yeah, you're not going to get the surround sound from a 5.1 or 7.1 system.

The only real complaint was that the vocals/spoken word were a little too bright at higher volumes.

Now, considering I'm running much better speakers in my system that are amplified I wouldn't own one of these, but when I auditioned it I had to keep in mind that these weren't being marketed to someone like myself or most people on the forum who are into HT and gaming.

I'm ready to ship this off to it's next destination, BTW. :)

[PolkThug]

So, are you guys using it as a stand alone, or like a supplemental stage monitor?

[TECHNOKID]

So, are you guys using it as a stand alone, or like a supplemental stage monitor?

Right now, we have a screen and projector set-up in our warehouse and the single monitor is used as a stand alone (hooked up straight from the PS3). The volume is set at approximately 10:00 (between 1/4 - 1/2) and yet the technicians are quite impress. The only draw back using as a stand alone, you must go behind the monitor if you want to change the volume of the unit. NO subwoofer at this point and bass is quite surprising. Yet we have used 2 games: "call of duty" and "grand theft auto".

Cheers!
TK

[Disc Jockey]

I have been pretty much exclusively using this as a stand alone. My thoughts pretty much mirror Demiurge's, especially in regards to sound quality at just $99.

It also seemed very solid and built to take some abuse. In fact, in the beta testing form, we are encouraged to kick it, drop it, and generally see if we can break it. I didn't actually do this, but it shows some confidence in the build quality!

The hitmaster has some versatility too. It also makes a great replacement to internal tv speakers for regular tv and movie watching if you do not have a surround system. And with the 1/8" jack, it's a pretty nifty portable music solution as long as there's electricity near by.

I don't see myself owning one either, but I would have no qualms about recommending this to people.

[adam2434]

Have any of the first reviewers tried a music source with it yet?

That's what I'm curious about - how it sounds as a portable system with music.

How do those horn loaded tweeters sound - PA'ish or more like home speakers?

Here's another thought for Polk - since the Hitmaster can be sold for $99, could Polk make a similar product (at a similar price), but in a form-factor resembling a large standard center channel speaker? I'm thinking something like this could have a lot of versatility (gaming, A/V, portable music, etc.) and would blend into decor and furniture in a more conventional way. A conventional-looking, decent-sounding, self-powered speaker for $99 - I think Polk could sell a lot of these.

[TECHNOKID]

Have any of the first reviewers tried a music source with it yet?

That's what I'm curious about - how it sounds as a portable system with music.

How do those horn loaded tweeters sound - PA'ish or more like home speakers?

Here's another thought for Polk - since the Hitmaster can be sold for $99, could Polk make a similar product (at a similar price), but in a form-factor resembling a large standard center channel speaker? I'm thinking something like this could have a lot of versatility (gaming, A/V, portable music, etc.) and would blend into decor and furniture in a more conventional way. A conventional-looking, decent-sounding, self-powered speaker for $99 - I think Polk could sell a lot of these.

I agree with the versatility but when it comes to home decor, you have to keep in mind the monitor is rear ported so essentially must be kept away from the furniture. As far as using as a center, simply connect a Y to the HitMaster RCA and you have full mono powered speaker that can be used in just about any configuration you want (simply program your AVR accordingly). The monitor can also be seated so the speaker is fully upward (not angled monitor like).

[Demiurge]

I only used this as a stand alone unit.

I didn't hook my iPod up to it, but I would imagine it sounds as good if not better than all of the music games (Rock Band/Guitar Hero/DJ Hero), which were just fine. Again, a little bright, but I still consider the price point when saying that. That's why I think this will be a big hit to younger demographics, including college students. It works as pretty decent sound for games, music, and probably even makes your TV sound better (didn't try that).

[adam2434]

I agree with the versatility but when it comes to home decor, you have to keep in mind the monitor is rear ported so essentially must be kept away from the furniture. As far as using as a center, simply connect a Y to the HitMaster RCA and you have full mono powered speaker that can be used in just about any configuration you want (simply program your AVR accordingly). The monitor can also be seated so the speaker is fully upward (not angled monitor like).

I didn't mean to use it as a center, but rather build it with the form-factor of a center, using it as a standalone 2.0 system for gaming, TV, video, music, etc.

For example - take the Hitmaster's components and drop them into a CS20 cabinet (which is rear ported), do some port tuning and/or amp EQ tweaking (assuming the internal amp is EQ'd) specific to the CS20 box. I'm thinking something that will compete with the ZVOX speakers, but with the Polk name and for much less money.

I was wondering if it could be seated with the drivers facing forward. Is it pretty stable that way?

[TECHNOKID]

I didn't mean to use it as a center, but rather build it with the form-factor of a center, using it as a standalone 2.0 system for gaming, TV, video, music, etc.

For example - take the Hitmaster's components and drop them into a CS20 cabinet (which is rear ported), do some port tuning and/or amp EQ tweaking (assuming the internal amp is EQ'd) specific to the CS20 box. I'm thinking something that will compete with the ZVOX speakers, but with the Polk name and for much less money.

I was wondering if it could be seated with the drivers facing forward. Is it pretty stable that way?

It can be seated facing toward the listener (NOT monitor angled) but unfortunately the seating surface is somewhat small compared to the remainder of the speaker and unfortunately I feel it would be unstable in the long run (don't forget to account speaker vibrations along with simply knocking the furniture would probably be enough for it to fall). Its too bad because it does look good in that upward position.

[TECHNOKID]

The boys have left home and the system is idle now so I inserted BEATLES FOR SALE (mono). The first song sounded rather bassy however, keep in mind that I am using only one monitor and I guess straight out of the PS3 might not be the best conditions for music. Listening to the CD overall, it is not too bad at moderate level. Better than computer speakers but NOT to be compared with a dedicate 2 channel system. Keep in mind Polk is promoting this as a portable gamer utility speaker and it achieves this beautifully however, while it has limitations it can surely be used for more than simply gaming. I don't own any Ipod but will get someone that owns one to sample such. I want to also test this monitor using my computer with music and movies (if successfull, it would be a good speaker for portable system such as outdoor/patio movie/music nights).

[Serendipity]

How long does this demo take? I will be leaving for school and would like to know if this is possible within the next 2-3 weeks?

[messiah]

Messiah - I need an email for my records. I tried calling you but could not leave a message. New phone number?

Yep, new iphone and I forgot to set up the voicemail :o

Home phone has no voicemail, I pretty much have it just for the electronic entry system in the building. Gotta buzz the pizza guy in somehow :D

Oh and you got PM. Just got my speaker today. Details in my pm.