[InfiniteZr0]

Ok, here's my situtation.
Right now I'm using the speakers straight out of my TV, so I'm wondering if these would be a substantial upgrade.
Also to note, I wasn't looking to buy new speakers, I just stumbled upon this while browsing and it looks like a pretty sweet deal.
So are these speakers worth it? Or are they not(which is why they're selling it for so cheap)
Polk Audio M20 Two-way floor-standing loudspeaker black Single
p.s. I just noticed it's only for one speaker

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

You will need an amp for these. You cannot plug them in directly to a TV or any other source, there has to be some sort of amplifier or receiver in between.

They are just ok sounding, I heard them last weekend at Fry's electronics. Surprising amount of bass for a single driver unit, but muddy, unclear sound overall. But for the price, if you have the room and an amp, it will definitely be an upgrade for TV sound. I've heard worse sounding speakers in the 200$ range.

 

[InfiniteZr0]

I have an old sub that has an internal amp I could hook the speaker up to.
But it's only one speaker, and if I got it, I'd only get one. I wouldn't get two.
So is it still worth it for only one speaker?

 

[Alai]

Meh... Lower-end Polk speakers are meh.

 

[MatsudaMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meh... Lower-end Polk speakers are meh.

LOL. "Higher-end" Polk are meh. Just not very good sounding speakers IMHO.

 

[Alai]

Personally, I love high-end Polk speakers. Particularly their vintage speakers.

Honestly, you're right about some of their high end, but I must say that you can't NOT like the LSi series. They rock alot of sox.

 

[mellows]

To answer your question, if you can only get one, then no, not worth it.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Only one? But why?

 

[tim3320070]

Buy some used powered monitors if your TV or cable box has RCA outputs. New retail Polk speakers are a waste IMO.

 

[skyline889]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatsudaMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL. "Higher-end" Polk are meh. Just not very good sounding speakers IMHO.

I used to have the Polk LSi9s, at full retail there are better bargains out there but at their used prices the high end Polks are modestly decent.

As for the floorstanders in question. For $60 each, its pretty hard to go wrong, but for what you're planning on doing it's probably not worth it. You'd need a cheap integrated or a cheap receiver bringing the total price to probably around $180 at the cheapest. Probably not worth it just to watch tv.

 

[DeusEx]

Love my LSi15s...beats everything under $2500..

 

[MatsudaMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeusEx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Love my LSi15s...beats everything under $2500..

Dude....you've got to be kidding. I'm happy that you're happy...I really am, but really? No freakin' way do LSi15s "beat everything under 2500" - that's just plain silly talk. Polks simply are not very refined speakers, the parts are not very quality (for example the crossovers are very low order) and they are made to impress those who are easily impressed with so called "sparkly highs" and "deep bass".

That being said, as long as you're happy, that's all that really matters. But beat everything under 2500...I'm still laughing.

 

[Bmac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeusEx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Love my LSi15s...beats everything under $2500..

To have listened to every speaker under $2,500 by 16 years of age is an impressive feat by itself. But then to be able to definitively pick one speaker, one considerably under the maximum budget and now over 7 years old as the best sounding speaker for all tastes and preferences, well, that is simply amazing. Well done.

 

[Alai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatsudaMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dude....you've got to be kidding. I'm happy that you're happy...I really am, but really? No freakin' way do LSi15s "beat everything under 2500" - that's just plain silly talk. Polks simply are not very refined speakers, the parts are not very quality (for example the crossovers are very low order) and they are made to impress those who are easily impressed with so called "sparkly highs" and "deep bass". That being said, as long as you're happy, that's all that really matters. But beat everything under 2500...I'm still laughing.

I didn't know they were known for sparkly highs... I always thought they were known for really laid-back highs due to the specific tweeter they use (Vifa radiator tweeter) which is a really high quality tweeter for a pair that sells for under $1k easy.

Also, the crossover part may be true. But once those have been upgraded, I hear the LSi outshine many entry level high-end.

 

[DeusEx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmac /img/forum/go_quote.gif To have listened to every speaker under $2,500 by 16 years of age is an impressive feat by itself. But then to be able to definitively pick one speaker, one considerably under the maximum budget and now over 7 years old as the best sounding speaker for all tastes and preferences, well, that is simply amazing. Well done.

I've heard Paradigm, PSB, Monitor Audio, Infinity, DefTech, Vienna Acoustics, Martin Logan, B&W, and Dynaudio setups from $1k-6k. (heard some McIntoshes that were $25k...)

I think I should have been clearer: I have not heard a high-end (under $2500) that rivals the Vifa tweeter on the Polk (perhaps that's a tribute to Vifa, not Polk?)..The extension, clarity, lack of color is amazing. Ring tweeters are usually used on speakers costing upwards of 10k (Krell, Sonus Faber)... The midrange is very good (only bested by Dyn and PSBs that were ~3-4K), but the bass is where you know you're listening to speakers under 2K.

No offense, but Polk's highest end LSi line is nothing like there entry/mid speakers (RTi+others). I know Polk has been bashed around a bit due to their "affordability" and "accessibility" (their basic stuff sells at Circuit City), but the LSi series are truly "diamonds in the rough". They use the real stuff in these.