Speakercraft vs. Polk?

[RobR]

I'm doing a kitchen remodel and plan on using a SONOS systen to power in-ceiling speakers. I'd appreciate any ideas on the differences in quality of Polk vs. Speakercraft. I'de also like to hear thoughts from anyone who has experience with the SONOS system. Thanks, R

[audio_dude]

polk audio is pretty great for budget stuff, i've never heard of SpeakerCraft, but just by looking at their website they look pretty sweet (motorized inceiling speakers that go from 33htz-20khtz anyone?)

my advice: pick what sounds best to you.

[PeruvianSkies]

I've personally never had any problems with Polk. A few years ago when I was a poor college kid I had Polk floorstanders for my mains, eventually adding Polk surrounds, then I gave that stuff away to friends, but still use Polk Monitor 40's for my surrounds. They are great speakers for $300. I probably wouldn't use Polk for my main listening, but for surrounds they do just fine.

[audio_dude]

true true, no objection to that, but from what i've seen/heard of their high priced stuff, its really not worth it, there are much better values out there.

[PeruvianSkies]

true true, no objection to that, but from what i've seen/heard of their high priced stuff, its really not worth it, there are much better values out there.

Yeah, like i'd have to be out-of-my-mind insane to pay $3,000 for Polks top-of-the-line floorstanders without giving a million other better companies a chance for the same mulla.

[igneous]

I'd look at Tannoy. Only problem is you've gotta deal with local sales/disty.
great speakers though
www.tannoy.com

[emorphien]

I've personally never had any problems with Polk. A few years ago when I was a poor college kid I had Polk floorstanders for my mains, eventually adding Polk surrounds, then I gave that stuff away to friends, but still use Polk Monitor 40's for my surrounds. They are great speakers for $300. I probably wouldn't use Polk for my main listening, but for surrounds they do just fine.

As a current poor graduate student who was until the past couple years a poor college student, I agree Polk is a safe choice for budget gear but if you've got enough money to be spending more than a few hundred for your fronts I'd look elsewhere. I in fact still use Polk for my home theater since I cannot afford to be bothered with upgrading them and they still do a decent job and sound fine. They're nowhere near as good as my Totems but for home theater they get the job done for now.

Of course if I were building the home theater up now, I would have a lot more options in the same price range. The HT I have now is about 4 and a half years old (polks sub and receiver all bought at the same time) or so and you can get a lot more on a budget now than you could then. I know I wouldn't be buying Polk were I to do it now for the same money but I have no regrets and for someone on an even tighter budget Polks can sometimes be found for a good price.

I figure my system will keep going until I blow the speakers up or until I finish my PhD and have enough money to do a system overhaul (the TV is a basic 27" CRT and the 5.1 receiver is as old as the speakers & sub now so by the time I graduate they'll all be at least 7 or 8 yrs old).

[PeruvianSkies]

As a current poor graduate student who was until the past couple years a poor college student, I agree Polk is a safe choice for budget gear but if you've got enough money to be spending more than a few hundred for your fronts I'd look elsewhere. I in fact still use Polk for my home theater since I cannot afford to be bothered with upgrading them and they still do a decent job and sound fine. They're nowhere near as good as my Totems but for home theater they get the job done for now.

Of course if I were building the home theater up now, I would have a lot more options in the same price range. The HT I have now is about 4 and a half years old (polks sub and receiver all bought at the same time) or so and you can get a lot more on a budget now than you could then. I know I wouldn't be buying Polk were I to do it now for the same money but I have no regrets and for someone on an even tighter budget Polks can sometimes be found for a good price.

I figure my system will keep going until I blow the speakers up or until I finish my PhD and have enough money to do a system overhaul (the TV is a basic 27" CRT and the 5.1 receiver is as old as the speakers & sub now so by the time I graduate they'll all be at least 7 or 8 yrs old).

Bi-amping your Polks? My monitor 40's sound great bi-amped!

[AVMASTER]

for a kitchen we typically use mid-price/performance speakers. Speakercraft is superior to Polk in every aspect and using a Sonos would not do justice to Speakercraft in-ceilings. If it's a relatively small kitchen, a single stereo speaker (dual tweeters) mounted in the center would be the best option; check out Niles cm6.5si. If a pair works better for you and you've got a good deal on Speakercraft ( no internet sales!) try crs6 one. If you prefer the Polks' check out either rc80i or rc60i

[Woochifer]

I've heard two of Speakercraft's in-ceiling models before, and they deliver generally mediocre sound quality for the money. Then again, you can say that for in-ceiling speakers in general. I've not heard Polk's installed speaker models, I can't say anything about those. The Paradigm in-ceiling speakers are definitely a step up from the Speakercrafts, but even they are a notable compromise compared to their bookshelf and on-wall speakers.

Using an adjustable angle tweeter helps a little bit, but there are just too many design compromises that go along with in-ceiling speakers for them to compare well with comparably priced bookshelf models. Just know going in that you're trading off audio performance for that design-friendly built-in look.

As an alternative, you should also look into options for ceiling/wall brackets. Those will give you the option for using a bookshelf speaker.

[PeruvianSkies]

Speakercraft is superior to Polk in every aspect

What basis do you have for that analysis???

[AVMASTER]

I should have pointed out that my reference is based upon Speakercrafts' AIM series and comparing architectural speakers only. My choice for the crs6 one is based solely on his choice of amplification; however having installed in-ceilings form both these companies, under various room conditions and sources-Speakercraft is superior to my ears. In fact I've dropped all other in-ceiling brands for Speakercraft AIM series only! But then again my saying so has no bearing on what others may hear, you'll need to check it out for yourself