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Why Polk???

post #1 of 27
6/16/05 at 2:36pm
Thread Starter 
Anybody here care to explain why Polk speakers are so disliked??? IMHO, I like the monitor 40's and the monitor 30's a lot. The RTI 6 and the RTI4 were not bad either but for some reason I preferred the monitor 40's. The 40's sound stage was bigger, imaging was better, and the bass extension was also tighter and more controlled. However, the real wood veneer on the RTI series is very nice to look at but did not seem to improve performance when compared to the monitor series. Anybody here find the same thing? Thanks for your time. Please elaborate.
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post #2 of 27
6/17/05 at 8:33am
Ryan,

I have several polk speakers and I like them very much. I have a set of RTi8's as mains and RTi4's as surrounds. I have a set of Monitor 30's in the bedroom. I have did side by side comparisons of the RTi4's and Monitor 30's on my HK 335 (speakers were set to large for comparison) and I found that the RTi's sounded better. I can not speak for the Monitor 40's in perticular but IMHO the RTi line sounds better than the Monitor line.
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post #3 of 27
6/17/05 at 9:36am
Polk's LSi's are one of the best sounding speakers I have heard. I'm not a big fan of their other recent products.
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post #4 of 27
6/17/05 at 11:28am
The LSis are pretty much the only thing I like from Polk.
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post #5 of 27
6/17/05 at 12:22pm
Thread Starter 
Victor, I agree with you about the Rti4 being better than the monitor 30 BUT the same does not hold true for the Rti6. That is, the monitor 40 had deeper, punchier bass, better imaging, and a bit larger soundstage than the Rti6. And to address the LSI issue-its simple strictly out of my price range. Besides the 4ohm impedence can cause a lot of problems with most receivers. I was just wanting to know if anybody here liked the monitor 40 as much as I did? The rti6 was impressive nonetheless, but the the less expensive monitor 40 IMHO kicked butt. Anyone here find the same thing?
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post #6 of 27
6/17/05 at 1:32pm
LSi9's are awesome for 900$. enough said
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post #7 of 27
6/17/05 at 1:36pm
Who dislikes Polks ?....The rti and the rtxxi series are really good speakers for the price. I've become a polk fan, and the only thing that comes close to them in value wood be Athena.
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post #8 of 27
6/17/05 at 1:42pm
It's not like I see a lot of Polk bashing going on here or anywhere else. I've never had any issues with any of their products in particular. That alone gives em a thumbs up by me.
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post #9 of 27
6/17/05 at 2:55pm
I like My Polks for the money best speakers i have owned
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post #10 of 27
6/17/05 at 9:47pm
I second Craig's post. Love my polk's, best bang for your buck IMO(not a big Athena fan).
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post #11 of 27
6/17/05 at 11:34pm
I have a polk center channel (cs245i) and absolutely love it. Blends nicely with my Boston's with a little tweaking of the center eq on my Yamaha RX V1000. Very neutral sounding despite the titanium coated tweeter. No sibilance or hiss and male voices sound natural and not overly boomy. BTW, I also have a set of RT10's in the bedroom. Dirt cheap but sound great for the $$. Wish I could afford some LSi's...
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post #12 of 27
6/18/05 at 10:12am
I have 2 HT room set-up's of Polks speakers. I bought mine mostly on sale or they were trade in models in mint shape! could not beat the bang for the buck IMO!. Mine are all RTxxi series. Didnt really care for any of them after...though they are still nice.
Those who bang Polks...just dont have anything better too do.
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post #13 of 27
6/18/05 at 4:05pm
I love my polks as well. And I can't getover the price I payed for them. I have rti8, rti6, and csi3.
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post #14 of 27
6/18/05 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Anybody here care to explain why Polk speakers are so disliked???


That's new to me. I thought people like them. I like my mine.
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post #15 of 27
6/21/05 at 11:17am
Quote:
Anybody here care to explain why Polk speakers are so disliked???
Can you explain where did you get this notion? I love these "why no love for...........etc" threads. NOT!!
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post #16 of 27
6/21/05 at 11:54am
Way, way back in the middle of the so-called "high-end audio" era, it was mildly fashionable among the "golden-eared" crowd to slam Polk (remember the company's ads back in the 1980s, with Matthew Polk prominently featured, wearing a lab coat?). Yet Polk always made really decent speakers. And after high-end audio pretty much declined, no one was ever bashing Polk for whatever reason. The firm makes truly fine speakers.
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post #17 of 27
6/21/05 at 1:37pm
Thread Starter 
Well on various forums it seems to me Polk get picked on a lot. The reason I asked the question is because personally I like Polk speakers. I agree great bang for the buck. I also noticed just how nice the Monitor 40's sounded. I believe they are at least as good as the Rti6. But, it seems many dont like the Monitor series at all especially at the Polk forum. I ponder if it is because the Monitor 40 does not have a real veneer finish or is it because the price is cheaper than the Rti6.......hmmmm.........guess it could be both. The truth is we all know the Rti series does use better drivers and has real wood veneer. But, for some reason the 40's IMHO do much better than perhaps what is was designed to do. You know a "come out of no where" result with respect to the performance the 40 gives. Just wish I could get an unbiased opinion of the Rti6 vs the Monitor 40. Any takers out there?????
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post #18 of 27
6/21/05 at 2:13pm
The Rti6 is worth the extra money to me anyways.

The R20 is the one I consider the extreme value, if I were set on saving money and going with Polk bookshelves. I have used them on a couple of installs.

I just think the Rti6 is worth the extra $100 per pair over the Monitor 40's, I don't think the Monitor 40's buy you enough over the R20.

But I would rather have all channels with Monitor 40's or R20's than maybe a mix with RTi6's as only the mains.

I like the exact same speaker in every location.



Of course the one's I really love are the Rti12's, best left for a different thread.
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post #19 of 27
6/21/05 at 2:19pm
Sherwood receiver, $69. 3 pairs of R20, $150. 5.0 surround sound for $219. That's what I'm thinking of getting my ex-gf for her new house instead of HTIB. Add a small sub and you have a very good entry level surround package for a bargain price. $600 for DIY screen and FP and the HT is ready for less than $1k.
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post #20 of 27
6/21/05 at 2:54pm
You got some POLK LOVE right here! Love my LSI 9 and 7s.... cant really think of anything better than these for me at this price. I was thinking of upgrading, but I realized that in order for me to do so, it would take quite a bit more money for that little ounce of improvement. Soooo, I'm sticking with my LSIs.
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post #21 of 27
6/21/05 at 3:34pm
Thread Starter 
Have not heard the R20's but have the R15's. Must say for a little speaker and only about $120 a set it was impressive. Lots of sound and would make an excellent choice for rear speakers. Especially, if you decide to go with a 7.1 system. Bet the R20's are every bit as good if not better. Anyways people thanks for the info. Will keep it in mind.
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post #22 of 27
8/10/09 at 5:49pm
I for one am a Polk fan.  I've heard a number of better speakers, which cost a lot more than I can possibly afford.  For my budget, the Monitor series is awesome. 

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post #23 of 27
8/10/09 at 7:20pm
The only Polks I've heard, are the ones I own. I like my pair of LSi9sand LSiC a lot. My Onkyo 805 doesn't have a bit of trouble driving these three 4 ohm speakers, and four more 8 ohm speakers (different brand). Wouldn't mind having more, but just can't afford them.
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post #24 of 27
8/19/09 at 8:26am
edited....got my question answered.
Edited by smokin_dmax - 8/25/09 at 1:41pm
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post #25 of 27
8/21/09 at 3:07pm
Here's my home theater speaker set up:
Polk Monitor 70s - LF and RF
Polk CS2 - center channel - using a "kick stand" provided free of charge by Polk
Polk Monitor 30s LS and RS
Polk PSW 505 sub

I am a very happy camper with this system.
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post #26 of 27
8/25/09 at 9:47am
Hey!  A club I can join! 

I've got a real budget HT.  Polk R30 Towers for my fronts.  R 15 bookshelf speakers for my rears.  And, a Polk CSi25 for my center.  A decidely non-Polk Sony WA-M40 Subwoofer brings up the bass. 

I am quite pleased with the sound--considering the cost/deals at which I was able to get these. 

Until I get my last kid through college and start to right my financial ship, this will be my set-up for awhile.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...
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post #27 of 27
8/26/09 at 1:25pm
I've got the Inwall Polk TC 265's, TC610i's in ceiling,  RT1ib' bookshelf. Sub-Polk 180watt watt and on another system the polk inwall LC65i's, and DSW400.
 
The inwall Polks Rock !!!
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