[D-EJ915]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joey_V Please dont lump all polk speakers into your generalized statement.

Well, their subwoofers are indeed horrible.

As for a subwoofer, you could find an Alpine SWR-1041D sub (what I use, that's why I'm saying that one) and build a 1 cu ft box and it'll perform very well, or at least in my tiny room it does

, I keep it next to the wall and it busts out enough power to knock boxes from my bookshelf and rattle the windows, just imagine in the corner...I use the "250W" parts express amp. My total was 210 dollars w/o shipping or wood, a pretty damn good sub for the price. Oh, and it's a sealed box for that "1 cu ft" (probably more like .7 in reality bc of the sub) measure.

That sub integrates very well with my JBL E30 speakers.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joey_V Please dont lump all polk speakers into your generalized statement.

IMO.

I'm speaking from terms of build quality for the speakers, and sound quality for the subwoofers. The speakers contain pretty lackluster parts and the enclosures are quite awful. I feel like I could take a pair of scissors or a kitchen knife and put a hole through it! Once you get into the higher prices (WAY above this fella's asking price) they start to get slightly better, but still certainly not good enough for the price they ask. There is just TOO MUCH BASS! The highest-end Monitor speakers they had were at the top of my demo list - there's like 12 drivers on that speaker... and the mids were not there and the highs were non existent.

The subwoofers, on the other hand, while being very nicely-built, suffer from poor sound quality. They are too boomy and do not go down a deep enough range. The new monitor-series subwoofers have fixed this a little -- but I still would prefer many different speakers in this price range.

Again, I HIGHLY suggest increasing your budget -- just save up your money! If you've been this long without speakers, you can wait some more. Wait until you can afford speakers that are so good you don't even need a subwoofer. (And, best for you, the prices start for speakers like these not too far away from the price you want now). It isn't worth the immediate satisfaction to get speakers now -- wait until you can get ones that aren't mega-corp brand names - wait until you can get ones that will actually be an INVESTMENT. Again, you can get some VERY nice (or even used - a better idea - from audiogon.com) speakers for not much more -- maybe 100-200 dollars more can get you WORLDS better in sound quality... so good that you can put ALL the money towards the speakers since the sub wouldn't even be necessary for a stereo system. (Edit: Such as this http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ull&1126380823)

 

[bundee1]

Yeah but $400 speakers for a $40 amp? I think the cheaper the speaker the better, until he can get a much better and/or powerful amp.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bundee1 Yeah but $400 speakers for a $40 amp? I think the cheaper the speaker the better, until he can get a much better and/or powerful amp.

It's not like it will be WORSE because of the 40 dollar amp than if he got worse speakers.

He's got less to upgrade once he gets a better amp!

And again, it's a STUPID IDEA to buy such crappy, cheap speakers! I say SAVE YOUR MONEY - and if you must get a better amp, then wait even LONGER! Don't get immediate satisfaction -- wait until you can get something that is actually good and worth the cash! Just like everything else, speakers are an investment and should last a long time. It is not worth it! Wait until you can afford something that is worth the trouble and the money!

If that means you want/need a better amp too, then just wait it out. Unless there is some really important reason why you need speakers, you should just wait until you can get what you really want. I am on a really low, student budget -- I've been searching for good speakers for over 2 years and still haven't found the perfect speaker for me (though, I'm coming close).

You guys belong to headfi -- don't you? Treat speaker purchases like you treat headphone purchases! They are not little accessories... they are a primary listening hardware. The HEADPHONES are the accessories if anything... you should spend more money and get more quality from your main stereo gear over your secondary accessory headphones.

Honestly! Go to Audiocircles.com and tell them you are building a speaker system for 400 dollars. They will laugh at you! I was laughed at when I went there! They told me that there was most likely a 1000 dollar minimum for building a complete stereo system to get REAL results - to get an enthusiast-level and budget-minded system. And over the years, I have found out that this is very true. You really cannot get anything that will make you say to yourself "I did the right thing" until you are getting quality speakers and amps. And no, quality does not mean expensive - it means quality. Quality can be had at a price not too distant from the one you have now. Again, look at my reference audiogon.com link.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmmmcheese So those are powered monitors? Then how would I connect them to my preamp? EDIT: and if I did get a sub later how would I do the crossover? Sorry I am a complete speaker newb. What if I got these and the sbx?

You can run RCA to 1/4" interconnects from the preamp into the BX8 or BX5.


If you get the BX5s or BX8's AND the SBX then you run the preamp into the SBX (it takes care of the crossover) and then go from the SBX to the monitors.

 

[Joey_V]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman IMO. I'm speaking from terms of build quality for the speakers, and sound quality for the subwoofers. The speakers contain pretty lackluster parts and the enclosures are quite awful. I feel like I could take a pair of scissors or a kitchen knife and put a hole through it! Once you get into the higher prices (WAY above this fella's asking price) they start to get slightly better, but still certainly not good enough for the price they ask. There is just TOO MUCH BASS! The highest-end Monitor speakers they had were at the top of my demo list - there's like 12 drivers on that speaker... and the mids were not there and the highs were non existent. The subwoofers, on the other hand, while being very nicely-built, suffer from poor sound quality. They are too boomy and do not go down a deep enough range. The new monitor-series subwoofers have fixed this a little -- but I still would prefer many different speakers in this price range. Again, I HIGHLY suggest increasing your budget -- just save up your money! If you've been this long without speakers, you can wait some more. Wait until you can afford speakers that are so good you don't even need a subwoofer. (And, best for you, the prices start for speakers like these not too far away from the price you want now). It isn't worth the immediate satisfaction to get speakers now -- wait until you can get ones that aren't mega-corp brand names - wait until you can get ones that will actually be an INVESTMENT. Again, you can get some VERY nice (or even used - a better idea - from audiogon.com) speakers for not much more -- maybe 100-200 dollars more can get you WORLDS better in sound quality... so good that you can put ALL the money towards the speakers since the sub wouldn't even be necessary for a stereo system. (Edit: Such as this http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ull&1126380823)

You've not even touched the LSi series so stop thinking that you can say that the higher end Polks arent worth the money they charge.

You only auditioned the low-end Monitor series (which I think the RTi series easily outclass).

The subs may not be the best - not very good overall. But to say that polk speakers arent great is just like saying sennheisers arent that good but having only auditioned up to the 212pro.

Give me a break.

 

[Aman]

I was giving a personal experience, you dolt!

If you wanted me to tell you every Polk speaker I heard, you would have gotten a completely different post outta' me.

Thank you for telling me what the model of those speakers were! Now I know what those 3000 dollar pieces of crap were, and now I know that they're an even BIGGER waste of money!

You call the Monitor series the low-end, yet the most expensive RSi floorstander still is cheaper than the cheapest Monitor floorstander. I listened to a 1000 dollar pair of speakers in the story I told (it was the highest-end Monitor) -- and I also heard a 3000 dollar speaker (I assume this is the LSi you are speaking of). It's not like I auditioned this crap at Best Buy!

Both were too bassy and flabby. I didn't like it! It sounds like it's designed for its target audiences: People who want to blast rap music to it at 3AM, destroying all possible chances of being able to hear properly.

Is there something wrong with that?

I assume that it could not be much better as the prices went down!

A 3000 dollar speaker, and its enclosure is not even made of all wood? That's a friggin idiotic move on the design team's part. I expect most 1000 dollar speakers to be made of all wood, or at least mostly wood.

My father had a pair of vintage Polk speakers which I liked a lot. They contained a very good midrange but some-what thin highs and a smaller soundstage. I simply believe that Polk has gone way too consumer for its own good - the points above should be taken; 3000 dollars is a lot to spend to get flabby bass and a non-wood enclosure. Speakers are made from wood for MORE than just looks!

Anyway -- I've steered him in the correct direction. It's okay -- there's no reason to fill this thread up with complete and utter crap, when you know just as well that Polk speakers are almost as big of a rip-off as Bose speakers are. Don't tell me those clothes-hangers are worth their asking price when it's not even containing an enclosure designed from wood. And no, their "veneer" options are not different types of wood - but different "styles" to put on their pseudo-wood (aka PLASTIC) material.

 

[Joey_V]

Aman,

You turn to calling names.

1. Speakers arent made of wood, higher end have wood veneer. The cabinet is made of mdf.
2. What you expect out of a speaker isnt exactly valid. Since when did you become better than the speaker engineers?
3. What do you call an optimum setup? What was the front end powering the LSi?
4. You know nothing about speaker audio.
5. You're not even sure if you listened to the LSi.

Also, what kind of a price reduction are you talking about? The LSi rose in price.

Lastly, you said it yourself. You havent listened all (most) of the Polk line... so HOW CAN YOU MAKE SUCH A STATEMENT?! You want to tell me how a Ferrari Enzo drives when you havent driven one.

Go back to your room and listen to your non-boomy Logitech 680 since you know so much about high-end audio.

All I'm saying is this:
If you dont know, dont talk.

So shut up.

 

[Joey_V]

Aman,

It's people like you who give forums a bad name. You go all out - starting with calling people names. Then without true basis, you give unintelligent and obviously biased remarks regarding a speaker. You generalize and you act like you know all.

You obviously are too stupid to be taken seriously. You shouldnt go balls-out when someone offers their opinion of your otherwise "biased remark".

You cant go saying something sucks when you havent even heard it.

How would you like it if I said, "All ohm speaker suck."

Even if I havent heard it?

 

[Joey_V]

Lastly, this isnt plastic.

 

[mmmmcheese]

I don't know where you got that he said that all polk speakers suck. He was saying out of the ones that he has heard that they don't live up to what HE believes they should sound or look like.

 

[Joey_V]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmmmcheese I don't know where you got that he said that all polk speakers suck. He was saying out of the ones that he has heard that they don't live up to what HE believes they should sound or look like.

He mentioned it earlier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman Polk subwoofers are some of the worst I've ever heard -- and the speakers too aren't great.

The thing that gets me riled up is when this guy hasnt heard all polk speakers and makes a generalized based on his limited knowledge on a company's speaker lines.

I am not defending polk necessarily, Aman needs to learn when to make generalized statements and when not to.

I have never heard any BeyerDynamic headphones but it wouldnt be right for me to say they sound bad... this is the same thing.

 

[Joey_V]

dp

 

[Julz]

Joey, calm down.

You respond to name calling with a barrage of your own. We all know that Aman can sometimes be a little opinionated.

....

 

[Joey_V]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julz Joey, calm down. You respond to name calling with a barrage of your own. We all know that Aman can sometimes be a little opinionated. ....

He started it man... thats all. If he calls me names, then its fair game.

I'll stop.

I didnt mean to derail this thread, I just dont like it when people make stupid comments.

No more comments from me on this thread.... I'll stop and take it to PM.

Sorry OP.