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  1. #1
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    Underrated Speakers

    My sister is getting speakers for her living room. Her friends recommends Polk speakers. I seem to remember they were very much underrated....I have a few myself. How's the new Polk lineup of speakers.

    I couldn't think of any other speakers that are more underrated than Polk.

  2. #2
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    I think you mean Overrated. I guess it's all subjective and what you compare them to and what you have to compare. I have a friend with the big LSi-25s which are not impressive at all.

    Just my opinion tho...

  3. #3
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    Most of the newer Polk models are overrated. Some earlier models sound better and some say its underrated.

  4. #4
    Forum Regular harley .guy07's Avatar
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    Polk audio is not in the same league as they used to be many years ago and now they are like Infinity and other speaker manufacturers that used to make awesome speakers but sold out to bigger companies that go for numbers and department store type of sales rather than quality. I would think there are several other options out there that would make the polk audio speakers tuck its tale and run for the same price.

    Marantz SR5008(HT)
    Nu Force P8 Preamp (2 channel)
    Pass Labs X150.5(2 channel)
    Adcom 545 mk2 power amp(rear channel amp)
    Spatial Audio M3 Turbo S Mains Speakers
    Dayton 8" HO custom sealed subwoofer(2 channel)
    Yamaha NS-c444 center channel
    Emotiva ERD-1 surround speakers
    JBL e250p subwoofer highly modified
    Samsung 46" LED TV
    OPPO BDP-83 blue ray/multi format player
    ps-audio NuWave dac (2 channel)
    Dell I660 music server running fidelizer windows 8 audio optimizer
    PS Audio Quintet power center



  5. #5
    Retro Modernist 02audionoob's Avatar
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    I love the look of the Polk speakers I see at the electronics stores but they sound dull and cheap to me.

  6. #6
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    message from Raj J (melbourne)

    Quote Originally Posted by Mingus
    My sister is getting speakers for her living room. Her friends recommends Polk speakers. I seem to remember they were very much underrated....I have a few myself. How's the new Polk lineup of speakers.

    I couldn't think of any other speakers that are more underrated than Polk.
    greetings from melbourne!
    for a bedroom, of course it depends on the size of the actual room - even Bose would work fine! but for that money you may want to try these monitor speakers that I have used in my previous bedroom, and they were all very good - mostly driven with NAD & Musical fidelity pre /power amps using marantz transport & audio alchemy Dac. I have ranked in order of preference + sound:
    1. proac response 1 & tablet moniter speakers (beautiful sound!)
    2. paradigm studio 20 (excellent for the money)
    3. JM lab mini monitor (excellent overall, as musical as Proacs, slightly cheaper)
    4. Vienna Acoustics studio monitor (very warm & detailed, lacked low bass)
    5. Sonus Faber high-end monitors (outstanding with higher end electronics, not a good match with NAD & Musical fidelity!)
    6. Rogers LS ... forget the model (very nice, easy to listen to, easy to drive)
    7. Monitor Audio (same as above)
    8. Tannoy (same as above)

    I have used all of these in various small room setups and they all sounded very different when partnered with different kinds of amplification at the time. used various kinds from NAD to Parasound, Adcom, Carver, Luxman tube designs, & a vintage Leek tube amp. overall the Proacs were outstanding and were very reasonably priced. another top notch contender were the Sonus Fabers, but were more expensive than all these put together, because that's the way Sonus Faber is priced! however for a SonusF speaker to sing, you MUST drive them with top quality gear, otherwise they sound very mediocre.
    all the best! cheers, Raj J

  7. #7
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    I recently heard the Sonus Faber, Toy driven by a NAD integrated, rated at 120x2, I found them very impressive at $995.00 a pair. I'm thinking about taking a closer listen to SF but they do seem pricy for what they are comparatively.

    I also heard a Monitor Audio GS bookshelf driven by Mac and they sounded very good at $1500.00 a pair, seemed to do their thing despite the Mac.

    Any opinions on Focal?

  8. #8
    Forum Regular dwayne.aycock's Avatar
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    I have a pair of Polk RTi-8 towers. Can't beat them for the price. They need a little help on the low end, but with a sensible sub, you will have a winner in 2 channel and HT applications.
    Dwayne

  9. #9
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
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    My first pair of Polks were the huge RT2000p which included 2 -8" powered woofers. They were great for HT, but maybe average for music. I paid way too much for them new and kept them a year or two and sold 'em.

    Much better out there, i'd suggest PSB or Monitor Audio in the same price ranges.

  10. #10
    Charm Thai™
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    I think some of the Mirage omnipolar speakers are pretty underrated and don't get talked about all that often. I can see people loving or hating them based on the design and i certainly wouldn't ever use them in my main 2 channel system but in the right application they can be pretty damn effective. Filling a room with sound while entertaining friends/family or providing background music in various rooms of a house is what they seem to be be best suited for in my experience.

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