Best Home Audio Speakers Under $1000 ?! Polk Reserve R200 Bookshelf Speakers !
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2022
- Polk speakers have just started making one of the BEST audiophile speakers ! Polk Speakers have largely been home theatre oriented brand in the last few years.
Polk Reserve Series of Speakers: shop-links.co/cgBwbhNZSbI
Polk R200 Black: shop-links.co/cgBwb51HVDy
Polk R200 Walnut: shop-links.co/cgBwcIPUBMG
Polk R200 White: shop-links.co/cgBwc9sbeUm
Relevant Videos:
Buchardt S400 Mk2: • NEW Buchardt Speakers ...
Quad S2: • Are Ribbon Speakers Th...
KLH Model 5: • DEBAK! END-GAME Loudsp...
Totem Tribe Towers: • My new Hi-Fi reference...
Sonus Faber Electa Amator III : • Why I Might BUY These ...
Triangle BRO Speakers: • My new favorite best b...
Klipsch RP600m: • Klipsch rp600m Review ...
Initial Impression of PSB B700: • Initial Impressions of...
Elac Unifi Reference: • Get Ready To Be AMAZED...
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Follow soundstage take 2 reviews: • Jay's Soundstage! reviews
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Better speaker stands: solidsteel.it/my-product/ss-7...
acoustic panels I use: ua-acoustics.com/
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#hifi #audiophile #homeaudio - บันเทิง
Polk Reserve Series of Speakers: shop-links.co/cgBwbhNZSbI
Polk R200 Black: shop-links.co/cgBwb51HVDy
Polk R200 Walnut: shop-links.co/cgBwcIPUBMG
Polk R200 White: shop-links.co/cgBwc9sbeUm
Relevant Videos:
Buchardt S400 Mk2: th-cam.com/video/PJRBMCA3FzI/w-d-xo.html
Quad S2: th-cam.com/video/t6L1eSr_jHw/w-d-xo.html
KLH Model 5: th-cam.com/video/ACCS3Q_TcZM/w-d-xo.html
Totem Tribe Towers: th-cam.com/video/JOreZP9uNhA/w-d-xo.html
Sonus Faber Electa Amator III : th-cam.com/video/yYIAWzSh1pQ/w-d-xo.html
Triangle BRO Speakers: th-cam.com/video/vgY4ZSgklPw/w-d-xo.html
Klipsch RP600m: th-cam.com/video/PqQhRzJ18tI/w-d-xo.html
Initial Impression of PSB B700: th-cam.com/video/5tDHhML7l_A/w-d-xo.html
Elac Unifi Reference: th-cam.com/video/ScFTfEpvKDA/w-d-xo.html
Hey can you review the new Abyss Diana TC? Thanks in advance! 😀👍
I didn't like Quad S-2 either.
At last a speaker that is not assault to your ears with the upper mids and highs.The smoothest most refined high grequency with strong/deep bass.That's the kind of speaker i like.Excellent review!
I've heard many of the speakers you mentioned in comparison. The polks to me walk all over the kefs, elac's, and klipsch. They really are a fanatic value.
even over DBR62 ?
I had the elac dbr6 and agree 100%. the elac tweeters are way too soft and unresolving. Klipsch before the rp version II were harsh and lacked presence. Kef are overrated, with a metallic tinge to the sound. The LS50 do nothing for me. (or the cheaper Q) .
@@joeygonzo They destroy the dbr62. I got rid of my dbr 62. Not even close. The DBR 62 tweeters are too soft and unresolving. They roll off too hard.
You guys are young lol. Polk is one of the great American hifi brands that was well recognized in audiophile circles in the 70 and 80s- started loosing steam in the 90s with the whole HT. But Dr Polk and Sandy gross are legends of the industry.
There was also a change in ownership. Maybe that affected. I had polk speakers in my car since 1996 and it was the best speakers then!
I couldn'tagree more. Sandy Gross was actually still making some fantastic audiophile speakers with Goldenear until recently. The guy is absolutely a legend.
Polks were never Audiophile... always Midfi... sorry
Hear, hear! Matthew Polk's output in the 80s was as reference standard as it got. These young whippersnappers, I tell ya...
Yea I couldn't agree more until I heard Polk speakers and couldn't agree less.
I've owned a couple sets of Polk bookshelf speakers I thought were excellent for what they were. One of the sets I wish I had kept. Clean & detailed sound.
Love your videos!
This brand, especially the Reserve line, deserves praise. Been rockin' my R700s for a few months now and have always been pleasantly surprised with the performance the more I use them.
Hi sleeper I just bought My R700's 3 days ago. BOY!!! these are bloody amazing sounding speakers. I'm still yet to break them in. How long did it take you to break yours in and did they improve after breaking them in. The R700'S are huge and take to people to lift them. Seriously don't buy the R500 or R600 if you have the room. The R700's are on a different level. you don't need a sub when listening to music in 2 Chanel.
Which amp you have
Amp?
@@gab7344 at high volumes the bass is really solid. What a good deal
@@vaksilvaksil9939 I paired it with Marantz Model 30, Denon PMA-1600NE and Rotel RA-1592 MKII. Those are the main amps I use in order of personal preference.
Great assessment on the Polk's. I have owned and still do several different pair, deployed in a HT system. Likewise, I too also found them more than competent for music listening. The drawback with them, is in the treble, they still have a bit of bite. Albeit, the newer models do much better job of handling high frequencies and are much tamer than the titanium domed models of yester year. So, really do dig the new lines. I can also concur, with Polk's you need a quality amplifier/receiver that is tonally smooth and powerful. Without feeding them plenty of good clean wattage, I tend to hear a subtle over pronunciation of S and T sounds, when pushed at too hi a volume. The smoother the sound and more muscle the receiver has, the cleaner and clearer the treble becomes.
I own the now discontinued Polk LSIM707 and they are sneaky good! Another one of the best bargains in midfi! Great video, Jay!
Yeah man I own a pair also...picked themup as returns paid like less than 1,000 with shipping ,I love them ....
I own a pair also and I still cannot believe the deals from 2 years ago from Adorama. The only thing lacking with those LSiM speakers are the detail retrieval n the treble. I really wish I could swap out the ring radiators with scan speak beryllium tweeters. And make appropriate tweaks on the crossover. Just cannot find the correct sized replacement. I’d have to remove the midrange as they are embedded together.
I bought the elac's and polks and was able to a/b compare them. I thought the polks where more similar than different. They are both detailed, have airy highs, and lush midrange. Where they differ (to me at least), Is the bass. The polks have a full sound and play more like a floorstander whereas the elac's need a sub. I have kef q950 and to me the little polks have a bigger Soundstage than the big q950's. Long story short the kefs are gonna be up for sale shortly and the polk r200's have found a new home. They are that good.
Which Elacs?
I've got the KEF iQ90 towers and while they're still legitimately better than the Polk R200, it's surprisingly closer a comparison than I expected, and that's shocking for a 2-way speaker coming up against a 3-way.
I own the elac unifi reference and I think they have very good bass. At first I thought it was lacking too but boy do they open up once broken in. Tight and articulate bass.
Amazing sound.
Polk is my favorite brand. I've owned everything from the Monitor series, RTI series, and L/LSIM series. Loved them all. The whole range is a great value. The only series I didn't care too much for was the XT series.
i had the RTI A9 ... until i replaced them i never knew how garbage they actually were
Another Polk fan over here.🙋🏾
I like your reviews but I'll put my Polk M10s Series II against anything for Authentic Sound That Plays All Music Incredibly Amazing. Other Brands including Super Expensive Speakers Color The Sound. I Agree with Using Your Expensive Amplifier's But My Onkyo TX-NR747 Hi Res Audio Sony X800M2 Hi Res Audio DVD Polk LSIM 704 Center Polk R200AE Surrounds Polk Sub Polk RC65I Back Surround System Up Against Anything. I Have Polk MM1 in all My Cars I Haven't heard a better Car Speaker Ever.
Having purchased Innuos Zenmini mk3 and Smsl vmv d1se trusting your review, you never dissapointed so I took a leap of faith and just pulled the trigger for a pair. Hopefully, they will replace my Dali Rubicon 2s ( and I put them on sale) if they r not par with Dalis then it is a sign for me to build my second system. I am very excited. ✌
Mid 80s i heard the Polk sda srs upstairs in a stereo store,It almost sounded like Judas Priest was upstairs rehearsing,its one of those memories I'll never forget, didn't have ghe funds to buy them,but they were impressive
“An all good rounder”? Lol, thanks for the review, very curious about these.
Really enjoy the language Jay used to describe the sound of this product. When someone says “could be comparable to a floor stander”? I have to wonder how it compares to a mini Lore. Or Lore reference.
Off topic a bit but so curious about the differences. Keep doing what you do Jay!
Always interesting to here your thoughts on gear.
In my small apartment’s front room, the R100 hits the room integration sweet spot with a very good subwoofer or two. Because I don’t have lots of space, the baffle 2 feet out works very well. Huge bargain and a steal if you can find them used. Delighted.
I’ve had mine 6 months now I replaced my KEF 300 with the Polk R200 these speakers put the KEF’s to shame the bass throws you an awesome punch the highs are crystal clear all around I love them there keepers .I’m running them with a Yamaha 801 fluance R85 turntable you can listen all day and not get tired of them .
I'm going with Yamaha too for my R 200s
How are they at low volumes?
Wow! You're the one I need to talk about! I also have q300s and I'm planning to replace them with R200s! Tell me more about your experience, please! I'm really afraid of abandoning the concentric design and losing quality in the imaging. So, what do you think?
Very entertaining vid.
Nice job describing these speakers and the strengths of their competition. I just recently got a like new used pair of Heco Celan Revolution 3’s for $820 delivered. The build quality is equal to 3-4 grand speakers I think, beautiful in every way. I still much prefer my Canton Vento 7 towers but these are a work of art. Even the Cantons with three 7” drivers don’t have too much bass for my room because I think they’re so far from the side walls. If you have to have bookshelves I don’t see how you can do better if you want something built to a higher standard. Rounded cabinets have a somewhat less boxy sound that once heard is hard to give up.
Can you mention where you bought your Heco Celan Rev 3's? Thanks in advance!
Vintage Polk used to be pretty amazing and very much audiophile, glad to see them going back to their roots
Matt Polk really did his best to approximate the performance of much more expensive speakers of the day like Harbeth, Kef and Vandersteen. The Polk monitor 5 and 10 were the best in my book. Most balanced designs.
Me: I just paid $800 for very good Polk speakers.
Neighbor (who bought $20 Polks at yard sale): Hey! I just bought some good Polks also.
Me: smh
Great review as usual! I am a headphone user, has a few DACs, Head Amps which can be pre-amps. I am a dummy on speakers Hi Fi setup and was considering the R700 but don’t have the space for it (my Work Room space is 3.65 L x 2.51 W x 2.48 H in meters or 11’11” L x 8’2” W x 8’1” after deducting the rows of book shelves and my work desk at the end of the room) so I am recommended the R200. All reviews I saw are favorable for this speaker.
This pair of speakers will be on my new work desk in my Work Room at home first for music listening purposes, I may add a subwoofer or 2 as I like soundstage, musically clear and warmer sounds. My LG sound bar is not meeting expectations so if the R200 can fit the little space I have on each side of my tv and can be placed on the console, that’s when I’d consider making it into a home-theatre-like setup. I will then get the Centre, upward firing Atmos and surround speakers for a Home-Theatre-like setup. To anyone who can help me, I need your advices for these questions:
1. R200 with 1 or 2 subwoofer? Brand and model please?
2. Amplifiers and/or other equipments for the above?
3. Which Centre and surround speakers to get if turning into a Atmos/DTX-S “Home-Theatre” (it’s just or living room, not a dedicated big room for real Home Theatre)?
4. Which amplifier, brand and model should I get if I am doing (1), (2), and (3) above?
5. What other equipments do I need?
Too bad I live in a country where I can’t just purchase something and then return because I don’t like it.
Just got the JBL Studio 590's on sale for 800 a pair. Came up the driveway on a pallet. Driving them with the Sony 190, a Denon rack mount CD player , a VPI Scout, UA Twin Quad Mk 2 interface for studio and Mac Mini playback,, and 24 dollar bluetooth receiver for laptop.sounds great. and cheap
JBL's sound kinda dry to me
hearing these refired my passion for audio. they do it all, and do it well, and youd have to spend an obscene amount of money to get much better. These will be the last main speakers i own
Love my Polk Lsim 703s Their 30 pounds each and the bass is like a tower speaker also 😆 Thanks Jay
thanks for your thoughts, helpful and funny presented =). I had the Elac debut reference dbr62 amp is a musical fidelity m2si streamer bluesound node (2021) for a week now.... today the Polk r200 finally arrived. I might consider trying another DAC. If someone has an idea, I'd love to hear it. I'm honestly new to stereo audiophile. and I'm not a cable fanatic either, but maybe I can try something out if it's not too expensive. cool video guys! be blessed!
These are astoundingly good for the money. I had a chance to spend a fair amount of time with a pair of these at Audio Advice Live and their sound blew me away. Might have also been the ludicrously expensive CD player and amplifier that they powered them with that helped to really make them shine, but I loved their sound. Great bass, rich and airy sound quality as called for, and the tweeters are exceptionally agile, so everything gets rendered well. If I didn't already have my KEF iQ90 towers, these would be on my short list for consideration. Unfortunately, they're tuned similarly to my KEFs and my towers do tower things and have more bass extension and punch, so they're obviously going to win. Still, for a 2-way bookshelf to make me appreciate it to that extent is pretty special.
agreed, these are just beautiful non-fatiquing and not boring speakers. love them!
i can get a semi-used pair for $500. Should I jump on em ?
Thanks for the Review, How does it compare with the Sonus Faber Lumina I or II ?
It’s hard to get excited about bookshelf speakers when you like a good low end. It seems that getting a well matched sub to an accurate speaker that’s good down to say 75 Hz and rolls off quietly, with the sub largely handling the bottom octave would be the way to go.
Great review!
How do they compare to the Totem Skylights?
Same price range.
These are 400$/pair in my country. Really good deal. I like that black diffuser on your front/back wall.
Lucky you! 749 in Europe.Quite pricey!
@@andreassouth1523 lucky you 1000 here in canada
Hello Jay, are you able to do some review on the cheaper speaker like edifier compare to those more expensive speaker?
Hi Jay, between the R200 and the Mission QX2 MK2, that you also reviewed, with regard to sound quality alone which would you recommend? Thanks for the wonderful reviews you make.
Cheers
Jay, can you tell us more about the diffraction panel you are using between the two speakers?
Hey Jay -Nice review, how does it compare to the Mission QX2 MKII - they have similar tweeter design - and you compared the Buchardt as well...which do you think is a better speaker - better overall Tone?
I just got Amphion Argon1 made in Finland speakers for under 2k for a small room 10 by 12 so i couldn't go bigger than a 5.25" BUT the things go down to 45 htz.
The term ,,best,, is very difficult, because there are so much speakers under 1k specially in the active segment like studio monitors. But most of them never gets recognized because only the bigger hifi / consumer brands get a review. For arround 1k i would probably go with the Neumann KH80 and later uprade with the 750 Sub where youve the Room Correction from Neumann. Than youve a setup with the complete Frequency spectrum + room correction... but Studio / Pro Audio is completly overlooked from most people.. sadly
I’m with Jay on this one. Port chuffing bugs me to the point that I can’t enjoy the music.
Hey Jay, awesome video man.
When are you going to texas to visit gr research? He's thrown down the gauntlet to all you hifi youtubers 😀
Versatility is very important to me so this could be my speaker. Do you have any plans in testing the r100s? My room isn't that big so i'd be interested to know your opinion on how those sound. From what I've heard they're more on the neutral bright side. But I don't have the room to have speakers very far from a wall (1.5 feet would be max), so maybe it would balance them out.
@Jay - I have the Triangle Comete EZ, I'm very happy with them, but looking for a sonic and visual change after 3 years.
I can get the R200 new for 500 EUR (pair) here in Slovakia. Do you think I will see a difference in quality between them and the Comete's? Thanks!
Do you like your new diffuser set up better than your last?
Hi Jay looking at buying a new system , do you still have a liking of the gershman speakers, looking at using only tidal for music to start out , what are your thoughts between 10 and 20 thousand dollar system thanks..
Jay, I currently have a base layer with four Polk LSI9s with an SVS SB2000 and a dual 15 inch PSA sub, bass managed by my Devon x4400h, with an old Monitor Audio centre. I am keen to upgrade, but need the fronts against the front wall. Would the Buchardt s400 ii or these be suited for this purpose, given the Buchhardts radiator/R200's port, or would Audyssey be able to sort out the bass and let the midrange shine (ideally). Also would either be a truly noticeable upgrade? Thanks for the channel! (whether you reply or not 🙂)
Compared to Q3030i that I have.. are these a step Up in soundstage scale and depth?
How would you compare these speakers with elac carina? What you would buy for you?
In a 2.1 configuration, how does the Polk R200 compare to the Elac UBR62 (in UK both are in the same price)?
I have had alot of different polls through the years I gave the lism707 they are fantastic and I run them with caryin tube integrated amp....yes they were killer for HT....they get no respect from the Audiophiles out there ....WGAS...lol....your video's are great and I'm a 70 years old Stereo nut....oh i I have about 30 pairs of speakers...lol.....
Am I seeing the Denafrips Apollo in the back ?! when is the review coming ?
I have the older model b and w cm5 S2 speaker..Would these polk speakers be an improvement on the b and w. Or are the polks a lower grade speaker that won't give me an even better sound.
Too bad Jay, that you don't have more freinds. Sound like these speakers bring the party. They Sound good with multiple genres of music and bring the bass.
Going off your impressions I would Imagine the towers would be rocking. Assuming they are close to the same sound signature with add bass power and demension.
We need a R700 review!!!
I have the Polk L100 which is harder to drive. I’m using the Schiit Saga and Vidar to power them and it’s wonderful especially with a sub to just help with the power suck they require at 86 sensitivity and 4 ohm. I’ve never been happier with a stereo.
From what I understand the R series is just below the L series and uses many of the same parts.
The crossover is different and the l100 cabinets are much better braced. L100 is a fantastic speaker for the price.
How does this compare to the Triangle Borea 02? Especially the highs?
Hi there,they sound better then dali oberon 3?? Thanks
heyy sorry to bother you, I really stuck between Evo 4.2 and R200, which is better in terms of sound quality alone? thankss
Is this better than my svs ultra bookshelf?
I purchased r100 for surround speakers. Is it possible to wallmount? Will it sound good if wallmounted using brackets ?
The r200 vs Polk Monitor 60 series 2??? Which is better for all around use (music, video games, movies)?
Hi which bookshelves you prefer polk r200 vs elac unfi reference ubr62. I live in the Caribbean so i cannot demo
Mimicking S400, nice. Any budget speaker that's as close to mimick the Sf Electa Amator among the less than USD 1k? Magnepan, Polk, Triangle, BW, Elac???
I have the R200, the Sound Artist LS3/5a, and an Emotiva T0+ with my CXA80 and SMSL VMV A1. This is a very "muscular" speaker with meat on the sound. It is not as lush as my LS3/5a, and not as crystal clear/wide sound stage as my T0+. But as this review calls out, it is a great all rounder, great detail retrieval, and is good (not harsh) for poor quality recordings like TH-cam where others would be unforgiving. As a result, it is going to sound similar tonally regardless of pairings; when hooking up to my A1, the class A sound character is not that pronounced compared to how the A1 sounds on the LS3/5a. This allows it to be paired up with pretty much any amp/dac and still get a decent sound. This is definitely a good recommendation for a beginner that they likely keep for the long run as well. In my setup, I think I managed to get some port noise from the R200 at about 1 ft off the walls, but I use a RSL speedwoofer with a 70Hz crossover (miniDSP)and so it hasn't been an issue in my case. So I would say these speakers need some breathing room in the back. I have the LSiM 702 surrounds in my home theater and always loved its sound signature and was very excited when Polk released these at a lower price point than LSiM 703. The sound signature is very similar between the LSiM and Reserve with a smidge more detail retrieval in the Reserve. Makes me wonder why the LSiM didn't get the same attention as the Reserves. I suspect the Legend series overshadowed the LSiM series along with the significantly higher prices.
So you think 20 or 30 cm from the rear wall is not enough?Port noise at very loud level or even at medium level of volume?
@@andreassouth1523 It has a very powerful bass and so caution is necessary. 20 to 30 cm may be ok if you don’t listen loud.
@@mrenlightened how is the r200 at low volumes are they still satisfying to listen?
can you review this as Hometheater combining with
R100 -surround
R300,350,400 - center
17:36 .... play it .... pause the video ... i wait ! xD ... what a genius ;)
Can this drive 4ohms amp.
how do they compare to the jbl 630 you reviewed ?
What would be your opinion of pairing these Polks with a pair of the older REL T/5is that I already have? Overkill? Medium-small room.
How do these compare to the Focal Chora 806’s? I have the book shelf version but I’m considering Polk Reserve R700 floor standers vs the Focal Chora 806 floor stander’s. Love the reviews Jay! Keep up the great work!👍
@@Truthbetold857 thanks for the input very much appreciate it! I do love the Focal Chora 806’s detail, space/imaging, speed and definition of mid base as well as a pretty impressive soundstage! Hard to beat at the price! I found a barley used set (stickers and protective plastic peel off still on them) for $600.00 all in shipping and everything! Jay did a review of the tower version and was very impressed! So I was hoping to get his take on a comparison. As I hope to purchase some towers in the near future and my two leading candidates are the Focal tower Chora 806’s and the Polk Reference R700F they are at almost exactly the same price point! Again thank you for your impressions.
The one speaker I would like to see compared to this is the Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1.
What integrated amps do you recommend? Please name a few. Thanks so much for this nice review!
has anyone on here ever combined polk r200 with cxa81? Can you tell me if the highs are too harsh? Thanks
C"mon Polk has been making decently performing & well reviewed LS series speakers for years.
How would you compare these to the LS50/Meta?
Steve G preferred them to the LS50
How to buy this outside of the US??? Im in indonesia 🙄
I can believe it. I can also say I'm blown away by my RP-600M with the GR Research upgrade. Sure, it alters the frequency response, but for the better IMO. You'd have to spend a whole lot more $ to get the same quality level of components & cabinet treatment.
Downside is the time it takes to DIY, but well worth it IMO.
I would hope at some point you would do a inventory and ask yourself if you want to keep reviewing bookshelf,cheap audio gear.. doesn't really look like you are killing it Jay.
Hello Jay are these speakers better than the Triangle BRO 3 that you talked so much ?
I just bought r200s and demoed triangle br03. Owning Dali Rubicon 2s and having demoed kef ls 50s. I can easily say that triangle br03, kef ls 50 and dali rubicon2s are on the bright to neutral side. And they sound not as full bodied as r200s. If u like bright to neutral tonality, br03 are really good but not as much resolving as ls50 and ls50 is not as much resolving as rubicons. What I am trying to say is looking from where I am standing, if I would have a thick sounding budget amp I would go for br03. Up to like yamaha a-s801. Ls50 can resolve higher gear you match them with and rubicon is above that like yamaha 2100 or hegel h390.
I got these in order to listen to trash metal, hard rock stuff so for the rest of the genres go the other direction get the above mentioned speakers.
take a look at phasetech for bookshelves!
I have Quad S2 and buy the Polk but just send them back, I like Quad much better and I have wharfedale 12.2 and like them better too
I just got the jbl studio 530 for $230 on jbl website they sound very good well rounded and audiophile grade sound. I have 200 wpc power so that helps. Thanks for the videos
Max, I just ordered a pair of the JBL Studio 590's for $799.00 delivered! 50 inch tall towers with two 8 inch woofers. Should have them any day now. The whole Studio line is a crazy good deal when they discount them.
@@danbrodersen5838 nice. Hope you like them. My next, and possibly final, speaker upgrade is likely to be the tekton double impact towers. Only thing is they are very expensive ( by my standards) and may take 6 months to ship after ordering… and the hobby continues
UBR62 be R200?
KLH Kendall vs Polk r700 vs Polk r200????
Ummm the LSI series have always been great. Polk lsi9s are still some of the best speakers I've owned even compared to towers costing much more.
They’re amazing, right? Almost up there with Kef R3
Lol these are better than Kef R3 in every aspect. It’s already been compared multiple times. The kefs can’t compete
@@oldassgamer9138 Really ? Where ? And by who ? He briefly references the Q series, not the R series.
I loved the Polk Audio of the 80s/90s. Then the brand turned into mass market garbage. So now they back to a decent built sounding product. It is good to see this brand making a comeback. Now if we could get Boston Acoustics back in the game.
the r200 are more than decent. they're very good. I have dyn focus 140 and Bw603s2...i prefer the r200 over both. andrew robinson compared the r200 with the bw 600 anniv and sonus faber lumina 2.
Why didn't you record these with a mic so we can hear what it sounds like?
I'm torn between Polk R200 vs Elac DBR62/BR03/RP-600M. These are my first pair of speakers. My priorities are the following. I'm looking for that Unicorn:
1. Which works for my music: Eclectic (ranging from Electronic to Rock to Instrumentals and sometimes Vocal). Imagine Orchestral, Prog-Rock, IDM (eg. Aphex-Twin), World, Jazz, Vocal etc.
2. Source: Quite flexible with buying an amp ($500 budget), but should do well on anything from TH-cam to Tidal Hi-Res decently; have a few 24 bit-FLACs but nothing beyond that. Like quality of bass (quick and tight) is a must with some quantity TOO.
3. Works in my room; My room's depth is quite shallow so less space to move it too much away from the wall. It's also a bedroom so don't want too much of a sweet spot.
4. Can consider building a good surround system with it (like a 5.1 for movie watching in the future)
5. Does a good job with movies by themselves (not necessarily a deal-breaker);
The Klipsch RP 600M would be perfect here. I wish I could just sell you my pair. The Klipsch just sound a bit too lean and cool to my liking. But they're awesome with electronic music and hip-hop. The bass is quick and tight. BTW, you're not looking for a Unicorn. Almost any speakers will do.
I'm still stuck on your Tekton Lore review. It's funny you never mention them.
You kidding? Polks are great. I buy 2 months ago polk audio signature elite es55. Great bass. Good highs and middle is ok. Look great. No need better in my not big salon.
Enjoyed this video - thank you. I'd like to share my (very recent) experience with the R200. I got back into HiFi less than 18 mos. ago and bought a pair of BW 606 S2. Over the past 13 mos. I've found them to be very program dependent - some recordings are simply unlistenable (Eric Dolphy "Out to Lunch" Blue Note CD, Dvorák "Symphony No. 9" RCA/Victor CD, David Bowie "Station to Station" Rykodisc CD), very fatiguing to my ears. I don't think the BW are a good match for my Rotel Int Amp. Electronic or House Music works well with them, but any of the '80s Post Punk or New Wave - hit or miss (thin guitars, no low end, etc.) '70s Pop/Rock seems to do okay. At a local record store recently they were spinning one of my LPs I'd brought in - using some inexpensive ELAC (model unknown) and I thought to myself "Why am I enjoying this LP more on speakers a third the cost of mine?" As a result of that experience I picked up a set of Open Box R200s - based partly on this review and the R500 review at Zero Fidelity. Using them for five days nows I've yet to decide they whether they are keepers, but I can say everything I've played on them has been easy to enjoy: Vinyl, Cds (even Eric Dolphy), Streaming - everything. Sound stage is deep and wide, midrange is pleasing (missing in action on the BWs), high frequency is detailed, but not as much as the 606 S2s. They are not as exciting to listen to as the BWs, but I can listen to them for hours without fatigue. If these are Baby Buchardt's, then maybe I'll return these, bite the bullet on costs, and order a pair of S400 MkIIs. Wondering if the Focal Aria 906 may be more in line with 'excitement' factor I get from the BWs? The second guessing persists.
That's the opposite of me lol. Watched many good reviews of the Polk R200 so went to the shop to try it out. Ended up walking out with the BW 606 s2, after doing ab compare with the Polk and the Klipsch RP600M. I much preferred the BW sound and it's been a week now and I love it.
Right on, glad for you 👍
Used market tekton lore is under 1k...
I am sold. What is your favorite pairing for a simple budget integrated with streaming?
Hey Jai, what is your fav Dac under 1000$?
I guess it would be Ares II
Smsl vmv d1se.
Can someone explain what's the benefit of buying home theater speakers when you could buy studio monitors that are much better at a better price?
Music and HT gear is designed for their appropriate entertainment goals. Studio monitors are meant for production.Like food with and without salt. The taste is more “original” without salt and may be your cup of tea, but the vast majority like salt in the food. And some unfortunately like obnoxious amounts of salt in the food to a point where nothing remains of the original flavor.
@@mrenlightened nonsense…all audiophiles want clarity, realistic toning and the truth, but when a speaker deliver that (thats the job of an monitor, good sounds realy good but bad sounds bad) they argument with ,,its not for music listening,,. The truth can be also entertaining and fun at the same time (when you want salt or pepper, use an DSP an build your on EQ Curve, thats the benefit of 2022 technologies). Ìm pretty sure 97% of the People who say that monitors are not good for a normal Listening Setup are never heard a (active, highend) Monitor in the 2k-6k pricerange to even compare. Did you ever heard a ATC, Genelec, PSI, Unity or Neumann Speaker…? its an eye /ear opener how wrong so much ,,consumer,, hifi gear sounds and that you can so much quality even in the small Bookshelf Actives like a KH120
Because the R200s measure like a studio monitor, their LW is the best Ive seen, including studio monitors, at this price.
@@MMK___ I have some reasonably good powered studio monitors. They sound a bit different to hifi speakers, by design, and they are DSPed to be flat through the volume range. I don't want speakers that fatigue my ears if listeneing to them all day, and they help me hear everything in the music I'm producing. Usually better than hifi speakers. The hifi speakers you pick up more in the bass and trebble.
7:25, you mean Psy Trance?
Sounds like you guys have Port-Noise Complaint? 😂
Enjoyed your review but I think it is (very) important to only compare apples to apples. That is, speakers in roughly the same price category. While you did do some of that, it makes no sense to compare speakers that cost 2 or 3 thousand dollars to speakers that cost $750.
this or linton 85?
Linton better quality of construction but harsh treble.
I prefer the polks as I just sold my Linton’s. Build quality is a little better on the Linton’s and the walnut finish was gorgeous but it was missing something to my ears.
Just demoed linton, denton, evo 4.2 having already bought r200s. I am thankful for my decision. For me linton was a dissapointment. The sound I was expecting from lintons were produced by denton 85s. But out of wharfedales evo 4.2 was my favourite. Lintons were sounding like a mist in the air not so precise. 4.2s were sounding tall and clear all tue frequencies seperated between 3 drivers and dentons sounded more like made for nearfield, boxy enjoyable.