I own the same L600, legend series is on of the best in this price range if people don’t recognise it then it’s really sad going after big Europian brands only. What audiophiles think of Polk as only American household brand but they have evolved giving everyone everything in every budget. More videos should come comparing Reserve, Legend series with other Hi-Fi brands.
I have the L800’s and they are end-game speakers. I auditioned them right next to Paradigm founders that were $12000 for the pair, L800’s destroyed them
Polk was my very first hifi speaker ever. (Monitor 5b early 1980s) I was 12 years old and I saved up two months of tips from caddying to buy them. They were epic sounding. As a teenager they blew my mind.
5:30 thru 6:00 - when I finally heeded this advice (many many years ago) and crossed over my huge towers flat to 20hz at 40hz and implemented a single (sooner after duals) subwoofer it was the BEST thing I ever did to improve my music..., and ever since DESPITE what the manufacturer claims please consider taking the last Half (or even Full) octave away from your Bookies, mini-Tower, Tower, and even fullfledge fullrange Towers which play flat to 20hz and cost you a pretty penny (i.e. park the ego and emotions 😊)... you'll be so glad you did.
You know, Danny, all your videos are always informative and educational, but with respect to this particular review, I think you've set a new high bar. Here's why: you've done an excellent job on conveying the key _requirements_ (requirements are a formal, codified language in product design for product functionality, features, and quality attributes) for effective loudspeaker and crossover design, but more importantly, the topics and information you discussed provide *context* to understand WHAT is important in loudspeaker design and most importantly, WHY. Teaching to these key principles then drives true UNDERSTANDING for your viewers. I used to teach some really complex stuff (like Central Composite Design of Experiments 😉) to my fellow PhD-level scientists and engineers during my career in corporate Biotech, and I always strove to teach in the manner you're dong here. Well done!
@stephenscharf6293 As an educator, you have probably used examples to show some of the concepts that are key to COMPREHENDING the information that is being presented on the subject. The laboratory portions of Chemistry, biology and anatomy classes are essential to students getting a grasp on the material. A lot of the technological advances that have improved the quality of life in this world came about because of experimentation done at institutes of higher learning. Teaching the basic concepts of what is already known and accepted at any given time would not have brought about advances. That SNL skit about "Theodoric of York, medieval Barber" comes to mind as an example of where we might still be. Some of Danny's videos on the precepts of open baffle speakers are also excellent examples on explaining the principles that he has advanced through experimentation.
@@mitchdowning8188 Completely agree, MItch. I''ll just respectfully counter your point that a lot of the technological advances that have improved the quality of life in this world have not just come about at institutes of higher learning, but in companies and other organizations, as well. The development of the transistor was done at General Electric, and I was fortunate to be in the right place and time with the right skills to be one of the inventors of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) at Cetus Corporation back in the day. Cheers.
@@stephenscharf6293 What do you think of combining some technological developments of the PCR process in the production of graphene? There should be some symbioses there. Carbon and carbon life forms, you know?
@@stephenscharf6293 I will look that up, it seems to me that it would be easier to let a living organism produce something than a machine. Limestone might be a good example.
Preach Brother! People complain about pricing on things all the time because they do not understand the realities of business. Keep teaching the people so they understand. FYI, this used to be common knowledge that most people my age learned from their after school jobs in high school. Or, for us athletes, the 5 mornings a week stocking shelves from 6:00 AM until 8:00 AM. This gave us the 5 minutes to walk the 4 blocks to the highschool for 8:05 AM first period. It's almost like they planned it that way...
I just got some. They are better than paradigm and the pathetic sonus FAILURE lumina. Polk deserves accolades, especially since they floundered for so long.
Went with Reserve R700 for the better bass response. We did an A/B comparison with the L600 the R700 in the same room with the same Anthem receiver and the R700 had the bass punch that I could feel across the room in my chest. Bravo Polk Audio! They're both fantastic speakers, but since it was a larger room and I liked the bass response more, ultimately I landed on the R700, it will be one year in May. The best audio upgrade that I made in several years. We moved out restored Eosone dipoles, also made by Polk in the 90'e to another room. The L600 needs a subwoofer to sound amazing. The R700 you could definitely get away with no powered subwoofer. 🤷♂️
I edit all of Danny's videos and get an early preview of them, which I find enjoyable. However, I have a minor critique about one part of this video. When Danny mentioned, "who cares about movies," I personally appreciate movie soundtracks and often attend films just to savor the music and soundtracks. I'm certain I'm not alone in my passion for movie soundtracks. Anyway, those are my two cents on the matter!
@@aronwhitesell9427 I was a surprised at Danny's remarks that it wasn't great for music. Every owner review, rates them very high for music. At least what I found on Crutchfield. It's subjective I guess.
Looking at the bass drivers, there is one thing I can recommend (from experience) and that is to damp the basket. I use a sound deadening butyl mat, used in the automotive industry. Cut it to size and stick it to the spiders of the basket. This stops the basket from ringing and has made a huge difference to the speakers I have 'played' with and it is relatively cheap.
No “allegiance” to Polk, but Polk did exactly the right things based on what see from what you shared in this video. They did exactly what they should’ve done because to turn this $3500 pair of floor standers into a $5500 pair, the average consumer of this product would probably not perceive a sonic achievement worthy of a 50% increase in cost, and may just find favor in another $3500 pair of speakers. Kudos to Polk for knowing where to draw the line commercially.
I’ve owned 7 pairs over the years. I have two old Monitor 5b sitting in the closet. Polk and Infinity were the gateway brands into audio for me. Polks are great values at all price points.
Thank you. I own the L800, the mid drivers are aerated polypropylene and the woofers I’m pretty sure are also some polymer. I posted an image of the L800 crossover on your forums. Would love to see an upgrade, but I bi-amp with an active crossover.
Hi Danny. Thanks for the work you do. I am a senior so i do not have alot of cash but i did purchase the Polk S60s and to my old ears they sound great. However if you do have a upgrade kit for these i would certainly be interested in it.
I got the S55, been wanting to experiment with adding bracing, I was thinking just lining the inside with tiles and recover w damping material. think some adjustments to this speaker could make it go from good, to great...
Keep me posted. Although I enjoy the S60's as they are they could use maybe a little massaging. My worry is how to get that plastic off from the front baffle though.
Who would have thought, an expensive speaker is actually good... And he says that most speakers that he receives have flaws that's why he receives them. So it's really not surprising that most speakers we see on the channel are not great, and they usually are a part of the cheaper product lines
Interesting video - this manufacturer managed to make money and not destroy the product's quality in the process. Polk sucked for years, but their various speakers have gotten very good reviews for their price points as of late. Something obviously happened at Polk, they are selling much better product these days and that is wonderful to see. Polk is a mass market company that has to build product to a budget as Danny pointed out, but for mass market "plug and play" speakers Polk is very competitive. Danny's advantage is there is no middleman and the customer supplies the labor to assemble the final product. In return, the customer gets high quality parts that they wouldn't receive from the mass market companies.
I'm building the three separate boards , best caps, and air core inductors that drive the ribbons , 8ohm. No filters. Best for my budget any way. Using 2 in vertical vifa(2), open baffle 5x7 in plate on top center of tower,800hz to 4500khz .. midbass 8in sealed.. .78 cuft. 70 hz fmod hipass and douk preamp . Do I need a notch filter on the duo 2's ,with the bandpass 12db/octave ? All connections soldiered,amps to. Great advice 👍 👌 taken..
No way! This will be a good one. I really want this speaker to replace my modified CerwinVega! Speakers and if I get it I will definitely be giving it the GR-Research treatment
Thanks Danny ' love my Polk Lsim 703, especially for price point picked up 2 sets ' from audiorama 3 years ago ' for $450 a Set new was $1500 a set ' love these speakers with Jazz/blues - I know we talked b4 about me sending you one of the new ones that never been opened ' Sorry been working hard long hrs building the New Corvette C8 which is a flat-plane crank for high reving V8 ' It's getting tuff finding workers now days ' but anyways I got today off want me to go ahead and send to ya ? PS internal build quality is 🔥 I have pop the Hood video every driver tweeter has its own internal cabneit front baffle is 1.5 inch thick let me know and I will send out today to your online address my 1st day off !!
Looks like the mid is 12 up 12 down and the tweeter is 18 up, with bypass caps for both. Probably an impedance circuit for the tweeter to keep that flat by the looks of the xo board (and the impedance graph). I'm experimenting with removing my bypass caps on my Polks atm actually, initial impression (for a very quick second) is I cant tell at all.
Re: 5:30, bi/triamping only really makes sense with active crossovers because of the associated benefits of actives (only wire between driver and amp, ability to use better matched amp power per way, etc etc). There's not much point to doing it with passives. Better to get an amp that can drive it full range. Crossing with a sub isn't a bad idea either.
Should i use 1/3 smoothing in rew when i measure my speakers like you do? or should i use 1/12? What do you suggest and why? Thank you for your videos, they are great!
I'm pleased as punch with my r700 with a Naim amp and it's a godly match. Great naim sound from these highly capable speakers that create a monstrous wall of hidef sound. No need for a sub.
I'm a big fan of Polk, and my mains are currently their original SDA-SRS, origin probably 1988 - they still sound amazing. 35-years old and still look & sound good. I've looked at a couple of other brands (using more modern tech), and we'll have to see...I'd love to see their NEW SDA (Legend L800) reviewed and analyzed on this channel (hint hint) :)....
Was looking for a set of these to pair with my Ashly FTX1200 series III Sadly Polk speakers are not easy to source here in Great Britain 🧐 Plus; HiFi stockists are real keen for you to try the speakers with your own amp, right up until they see me struggling to carry in the Ashly power amp 🤗 What would I change; 1st id add some more dampening foam, then swap out the Bass low pass inductor for a heavy duty Air wound ( or maybe remove the low pass completely, and have a listen to how it sounds ) 🙃
This is there Flagship line and they use cheezy parts……. These are $2799 EACH in Canada Danny …what makes these almost $5600 a pair ,with lots of cheap parts a value?
Bi-Amp on a speaker is useful to me because it allows me to use 1 Dayton DTA-1 amp per speaker. I can have twice the power in places without access to a wall outlets for power. (The amp uses 8 AA batteries each.)
You don't get twice the power when you do a vertical biamp. Its still the same amp putting out the same amount of power. Having the amp power one speaker instead of two definitely makes the amps job easier, but its nowhere near double the power. A vertical biamp is done to improve sound quality, more than to get extra power.
I would improve caps and correct that dip at around 400 hz which afect the sound of conga by changing the woofers crossover point fron 300 to 400 hz leaving the mid identical, that would correct that dip
Hey Danny, I've been using your crossover upgrades in my RS750 and RSC200 speakers for home theater for something like 15 years and I disagree a bit that home theater doesn't benefit much from the upgrade. I love having clean and non fatiguing sounding speakers for home theater, and as someone who spends as much time watching movies or TV as I do listening to music, I wouldn't want to be without these crossover upgrades. Your crossover upgrades are one of my favorite purchases ever made, often in the context of home theater. Some movies and TV shows also have brilliant scores that are just as good as some music albums, things like The Fall or The Knick come to mind that have really blown me away.
You're right, all of that makes a difference. I should not have trivialized their use to being okay for home theater, because they could be used in that application without much complaint. If they were mine and all I used them for was home theater, then I don't know that I would upgrade them. I would just replace them with some of our speakers.
I'm curious what brand of caps you think are the cheapest but still 'good enough'? For example Epcos, Kemet , Panasonic all make PP, are they not as good as 'audio' brands?
We are currently using the JB poly caps as our go to budget level caps. They sound better than any of the other budget level caps we've tried. Sometimes we supplement them with a .1uF by-pass cap too.
Thanks Danny! I have a pr of L600s and the center L400. I heard you mention that rolling off the low end of the L600 with the crossover would be perfect for my set up as I have added 2 REL ti9 subs. 1 for each L600. I would love to have the 600's rolloff and let the REL's take the low end. Is this possible? Could it be a kit or upgrade to the parts kit you are making for the crossover? And for the L400 can we just upgrade the parts also? Thanks!
All the values of the Polk crossovers, and many others, are printed on the crossover boards. For the coils, you have to remove the part to see the value. Might as well measure though in case they subbed out a different board.
Getting component values is easy, trying to work out their purpose is quite another. For example, are these resistors and caps part of the high pass filter, or impedance correction?? Could be either
This was one i wanted to see. I saw some good reviews on them and Jay liked them he said they moved some air but they aren't audiophile level. But at least they put effort into it.
I've owned the L600s for several months now, and they continue to surprise me at how good they sound. I upgraded from B&W CM10's, and the Polks are far better sounding, more musical and great audiophile speakers. Using a Anthem STR integrated amp at 400watts per channel.
@@aronwhitesell9427 nice I never heard them I'm just going off a review but I like them I like what I have seen in reviews. I would like to own a pair if I didn't already have room of storage full of speakers.
Boy, I hate the audiophile term. I have a pair of these, and from someone who’s owned many speakers (Nautilus 802 and Martin Logan Prodigy, to name a couple) these sound really good for the money.
@@stevenbullock9276 I think it's an elites term. I wonder how much they really hear in different systems up to a certain price point they look at it like the more you spend the better it should sound. But I disagree I'm trying to spend the least I can and get good sound at the end of the day we are music lovers and it is only reproduced recordings
@@stevenbullock9276the speaker Jay reviewed was for the Reserve series. These Legends have better bracing and more clarity (this is what Polk told me).
I'm trying to do my homework before I buy a set of speakers and have about a $2200 budget for a pair of towers. I'm considering the Polk R700. what's your opinion on them? I'm a guitar player so music will be what they are used for the majority of the time but I also want to use them for a home theater system I'll have to add other speakers as soon as I can. I'll be connecting them to a Onkyo RZ50 AV receiver.
The dolby atmos capability of these Polk speakers is one of its design features that seems to fly in the face of conventional stereo sound and the "standard" frequency response testing which your graphs display. Loudness compensation in amplification (RE: Fletcher- Munson curves) is also one of the most misunderstood concepts in sound reproduction. The fact that sounds at different frequencies are "heard" by humans in different ways (e.g. - humans ears are said to be most sensitive to sounds in the 2K-5K hertz range) are due to natural adaptations of a species where directional information is important to hunting and self preservation in the wild (among other things) . There is a lot more going on with our perceptions of sound than can be addressed by getting a loudspeaker to reproduce a 20-20kz signal on axis in a linear fashion. That is certainly not the best way to reproduce the a sound that was PROPAGATED (spread) into the space in the original venue where it was produced. The reason why dipole speakers sound more "live" to some listeners has to do with the spread and reflections of sound in the listening room which somewhat simulate the dispersion of sound in the original listening space. The use of horn midrange in the relative role of the atmos speaker properly integrated into the design of a stereo speaker will drastically improve the "live" sound performance. However testing procedures must be adapted to room rather than on axis response criteria.
@@rapfreak7797 Right you are. Every listening room is different and the only way you can approximate the original sound field in MOST rooms is by using the recorded signal that has been supplied and dispersing it into the new listening room in a way that simulates the space where the microphone took the sample. This sample must be multiplied and spread into the listening room as a sound field and at the same volume that occurred in the space where it was produced. Is any of this information available or can it be practically applied. NO - its is not available. As a matter of fact most recordings are composed of multiple sources recorded in different environments (rooms, booths, etc.) by microphones of differing types, and then often adjusted and mixed to achieve the desired "musical" result. Stereo is based on two ears and provides a pseudo-reality of the original sound, but as anyone who has listened to music performed at live venues can attest, it is not nearly the same. Should audiophiles continue to refine the same designs in the same fashion. Have they seen that it is at a dead end yet? Is it time for a new approach to attain HIGHER fidelity?
@@AZ-rv8wp While there may be an "average" ability for humans to hear certain frequencies of sound, there are wide variations in hearing abilities of individuals at any given frequency, Sound levels that listeners find pleasing in a listening room are also an important factor to consider. Some of the older Yamaha receivers had a variable loudness control that was useful in that regard . I completely agree that designing a speaker with a response that has equal output at all audible frequencies should be a goal; however, it should provide that output dispersed over a larger area to "saturate" the listening room with sound to better simulate the "typical" venue in which the sound would have been made (as if it were recorded live). So having a speaker that responds in a linear fashion in terms of frequency on axis (and beamed towards one sweet spot in the listening room), and having a speaker that actually "couples" the sound into whatever listening room it is placed, (taking into account the innate " tendencies" of human hearing in regard to frequency and volume) are two vastly different goals. I contend that the latter is where audiophiles must aim if they intend to find a more true to life listening experience.
I almost bought these. I ended up with Revel F 206's instead. To me, they just sounded better though I know the internals are probably a little more "cheesy".
Yes, Revel has a different sound... at least their higher end. I found the soundstage much much larger and less forward than some comparative speakers. It really comes down to personal taste at the point. Nevertheless, The F206 have cheaper parts and would benefit from just changing out the parts with better quality. So, you have an upgrade path if you choose to do so at some point.
@@walterdockins8475 I'd love to upgrade them but I'm about as useful as two left shoes when it comes to things like that. Hopefully, I can find someone that can help me(or do it for me) and I can just pay them for their services.
Based on the math - I can only imagine how cheap the internals are on my adam audio t5v’s… 🤣🤣🤣 I am guessing that on powered speakers they try to dsp their way out of cheap parts?
So back in the day the margins for profit in stereo systems started shrinking mostly in the electronics and turntables Speaker manufactures recognized this and started making speakers for retailers to increase the profit margins One Canadian company in Toronto made many different branded speakers in the same factory such as Mirage Paisley I think Sound Dynamics and several other brands I think that larger profit margin in speakers still exists today
They are 3 things that are tied together. Think of your speakers as a Television. The better the quality of the drivers and components within them are, the more it is like having a high-resolution TV, which means you will be able to see more detail, given that you are providing it an equally high-quality signal. (If you only watch VHS videos you won't benefit from a 4K TV) "Detail" is the ability of your speaker (or TV) to actually reveal small, subtle details within the music or video signal it is being given. (You won't benefit from a 4K Blu-Ray signal if you only have a 720p TV) and "clarity" is the focus or precision of those fine details within the soundstage. The lower the "resolution" or the lower the "detail" the less "clarity" there is and the harder it will be to pinpoint the fine details.
Hello. I have listened to this speaker and it has a little midrange coloration or a type of midrange that doesn't. sound 100% right. Although it measures well, it doesn't sound quite right in the midrange. Not much but you can hear it The treble has a good sound
@@dannyrichie9743 If I had to replace anything, it would have to be iron core coils and resistors. I don't think polyester vs an expensive polypropylene does so much on the sound that you manage to dampen a coloring in the sound. Correct me if i'm wrong
@@ford1546 I would say that the biggest differences in performance of everything in a circuit would be the capacitors. They can vary significantly and would be high on the list of parts to upgrade.
There are a lot of parts in the R700 too. Some of the electrolytic caps have really high values (125uf, 390uf). I was going to upgrade mine but with the number of parts (7 resistors and 10 caps just on the mid/highs X 2)plus the very high values, it gets super expensive, very quickly. Caps over 5uf or so jump up big in price. There are big improvements to be had though, idk if the number of parts in the crossover will negate those improvement much or not.
@@Pete.across.the.streetI agree. I took a peak into mine and there is a lot going on in there. I feel the enclosure could use better bracing. I've perceived some ringing and resonance on certain occasions
@@mcplutt Polk had a great sale on the R700 last year and I missed out. I work for Fox and get B&H discounts. During the sale they dropped under $600ea with my company discount, however my car got totaled around the same so I didn't have the spare cash. Sad times.
@@SimplestUsername unfortunate what happened to you with your car. $600 a piece would be a great price.. hopefully you will get another opportunity like that again in the future. I think it would be very hard to fault the R700 in any way for that "special" price.
You can upgrade the tweeter’s capacitor with same uFarads as the original with a film capacitor. you can also buy no Rez from gr research to solidify your cabinet.
@@jordantewari Oh yeah, everything in there can be upgraded. Wiring, binding post to tube connectors, and No Rez goes a long way if you are looking for something simple.
I have the Lsim705's as well as the big center and the bookshelfs as part of an atmos set up. I love them, have definitely thought about sending them to Danny... but like he said, im just using them for home theater mostly and im pretty satisfied with the sound im getting from them currently. I have KEF Reference 1's for mastering and music listening.
Someone before you posted that the R700 has 7 resistors and 10 caps just on the mid/highs X 2) of very high values. It would be expensive to upgrade. Maybe return your R700 and go for the L600 when they go on sale.
Also keep in mind that the R700 has a lot of parts also, would be expensive to upgrade. Someone posted on here that it has 7 resistors and 10 caps just on the mid/highs X 2) of very high values.
Great Job Danny for showing and educating us on the differences between quality and inferior parts, for example Air Core and Iron Core Inductors using any parts that have iron in the signal path that degrades the signal path based on stored energy with proven analytical Data.
You can’t argue with the fact that parts quality is an issue. There is no substitute for high end components whether it is a speaker or elsewhere in the audio chain. Products are built to a price point so it only figures that the quality of the parts used will be reflected as to that decision making. There is no place in any part of the audio chain for mediocrity. You only get out of a system what you are willing to put into it.
$1750 speaker + ~$900 for crossover upgrades? + $200 taxes + ~$20 shipping + 4-5 hours of labor. (Trash your factory warranty, risk damaging something and not reassembling the speaker properly introducing buzzes, noises and cosmetic damages) OR Take that $2,870 and buy a speaker that will make you happy out of the box.
$1750 is the price for a single speaker. So it's more like $3500 + ~$900 in parts +$25-30 for shipping. But there's no guarantee that a $4500 speaker is going to measure or sound as good.
@@hoth2112 Yea be around $4,600 USD for the pair *PLUS* 4-5 hours of labor, trashed factory warranty, potential damages/defects/noises you might impart upon your speaker during disassembly, installation and reassembly (that is worth $). Also, you have no guarantee that you will like the sound of the speaker with the new crossovers. Just cause it measures well on paper does not mean it will subjectively measure well. Also new crossovers may decrease the sensitivity of the speaker making it harder to drive, so you may need to up your amplification. So if you factor that all in, you might be better off buying a reputable, well measured, well reviewed pair of $5,000 speakers that already has higher quality crossovers (if that is your thing).
First of all, finding really high quality parts in budget level speakers is not likely. Just about anything you buy from any mass marketing brand is going to leave a LOT of room for improvement. Secondly, high quality crossover parts will not effect the sensitivity. Lastly, the performance gains by improving the signal transfer from binding posts to drivers can be significant and are always an improvement. No one is going to drink muddy water, compare it to clean water, and have to debate which is better. Cleaner is always better. Also, many hobbyist really enjoy the whole upgrade progress. Some people like building puzzles and some people just want to see the picture. Our customers like the process.
@@dannyrichie9743 OK so a total of $4,600 for these Polks with your upgrades Plus labor, void factory warranty, and potential damage during install is considered *BUDGET* ???? I understand that speakers can cost $250k, but $5K is certainly NOT budget even for "audiophiles."
20 parts in the tweeter crossover.. Why?? Roll the tweeter off with a single cap and hardwire the woofer speaker input.. They may sound better than recapping etc
That small mid ain't gonna take much voltage full range. Half the crossover board is for the mid alone, requiring 2 seperate crossovers, high and low. And that ring radiator just the same as the mid won't barely take any voltage with a 6dB hpf. And the shallower the slope the more phase interference is an issue over a wider range.
I’d take issue with ghe statement “EI inductors are really bad”. They’re not. Properly rated above actual duty point they have many advantages including no or low saturation, zero hysteresis and ultra low dcr = great damping factor. That’s exactly what you need on a woofer. I use 6A rated silicon steel laminated cored inductors on bass duties which are rated to take way more than duty current and voltage loads. The testing has shown them remarkably low in distortion as a result. Way better than using standard duty ferrite or permite cored inductors which can saturate and have high distortion.
@@ReferenceFidelityComponents naw bro, "should still be fine" isn't top of the line. I freakin hate statements like those, I want the mother****ing BEST!
Wow , this is super depressing . those of us that are not rich but still enjoy music must do with a nice sounding speaker that has crappy parts which will wear out too soon ?
What is this supposed to mean, that measurements show how accurate a speaker is m, not how good it sounds? An accurate speaker sounds good by definition, one would think,
Antther great analysis and explanation, but Danny the upward firing Atmos speakers if driven correctly with an atmos surround decoder and amp are not just providing some ambience, they're producing actual steered surround objects that will place things in space around the listener and steer things around the room. Bullets whizzing past, helicopters and eagerly awaiting the new Spielberg-Hanks series in January - masters of the air. Can't wait to be in the middle of the B-17 / B-24 formations with P-51 and P-47's doing it out against the Me109's and FW 190's. Gotta get my new Atmos home cinema ready for that!!
It would have been nice if Dolby Atmos had come along sooner in the development of Surround sound systems. It has not received enough support by a generation who are complacent enough to settle with soundbars. If a more broadband (midrange) HORN or WAVEGUIDE had been used for the atmos section , there would be an even greater enhancement of the effects due to room coupling.
He's not saying they can't or don't do ambiance. He was explaining why he wasn't going to measure them. Could you listen again and you'll know what I mean?
@@seanjoell I get it, potentially a dual purpose speaker; but Danny isn't trying to address anything other than response performance that his equipment can measure.
@@seanjoell yes I know that but he refers and has before to these atmos top speakers as providing ambience which is not accurate as I pointed out in my comment. I agree with what he says about not testing it
![ทททททททท #27 [หลุยส์ เค โตมายังไง ณ สระบุรี]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CaKoYw_Xmtg/mqdefault.jpg)
I own the same L600, legend series is on of the best in this price range if people don’t recognise it then it’s really sad going after big Europian brands only.
What audiophiles think of Polk as only American household brand but they have evolved giving everyone everything in every budget.
More videos should come comparing Reserve, Legend series with other Hi-Fi brands.
I have the L800’s and they are end-game speakers. I auditioned them right next to Paradigm founders that were $12000 for the pair, L800’s destroyed them
I love my Polk L600s! Absolutely beautiful sounding speakers, wide soundstage, accurate, and very musical.
Love mine as well. Awesome speakers!
Yeah mine too.
I wonder how they compare to lsim 705s?
Polk was my very first hifi speaker ever. (Monitor 5b early 1980s) I was 12 years old and I saved up two months of tips from caddying to buy them. They were epic sounding. As a teenager they blew my mind.
Finally someone giving it some love. Not sure why this speakers have been under the radar for so long...
They haven't I have seen a lot of reviews on them
not anymore
These aren't under the radar. These speakers are everywhere.
Because it’s Polk, and they’ve been making lackluster Best Buy stuff for awhile until these and the reserve. (Lsim went under the radar too I guess.)
Wow. I had these speakers, but sold them when I moved. Now I wish I had kept them.
5:30 thru 6:00 - when I finally heeded this advice (many many years ago) and crossed over my huge towers flat to 20hz at 40hz and implemented a single (sooner after duals) subwoofer it was the BEST thing I ever did to improve my music..., and ever since DESPITE what the manufacturer claims please consider taking the last Half (or even Full) octave away from your Bookies, mini-Tower, Tower, and even fullfledge fullrange Towers which play flat to 20hz and cost you a pretty penny (i.e. park the ego and emotions 😊)... you'll be so glad you did.
You know, Danny, all your videos are always informative and educational, but with respect to this particular review, I think you've set a new high bar. Here's why: you've done an excellent job on conveying the key _requirements_ (requirements are a formal, codified language in product design for product functionality, features, and quality attributes) for effective loudspeaker and crossover design, but more importantly, the topics and information you discussed provide *context* to understand WHAT is important in loudspeaker design and most importantly, WHY. Teaching to these key principles then drives true UNDERSTANDING for your viewers. I used to teach some really complex stuff (like Central Composite Design of Experiments 😉) to my fellow PhD-level scientists and engineers during my career in corporate Biotech, and I always strove to teach in the manner you're dong here. Well done!
@stephenscharf6293 As an educator, you have probably used examples to show some of the concepts that are key to COMPREHENDING the information that is being presented on the subject. The laboratory portions of Chemistry, biology and anatomy classes are essential to students getting a grasp on the material. A lot of the technological advances that have improved the quality of life in this world came about because of experimentation done at institutes of higher learning. Teaching the basic concepts of what is already known and accepted at any given time would not have brought about advances. That SNL skit about "Theodoric of York, medieval Barber" comes to mind as an example of where we might still be. Some of Danny's videos on the precepts of open baffle speakers are also excellent examples on explaining the principles that he has advanced through experimentation.
@@mitchdowning8188 Completely agree, MItch. I''ll just respectfully counter your point that a lot of the technological advances that have improved the quality of life in this world have not just come about at institutes of higher learning, but in companies and other organizations, as well. The development of the transistor was done at General Electric, and I was fortunate to be in the right place and time with the right skills to be one of the inventors of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) at Cetus Corporation back in the day. Cheers.
@@stephenscharf6293 What do you think of combining some technological developments of the PCR process in the production of graphene? There should be some symbioses there. Carbon and carbon life forms, you know?
@@mitchdowning8188 To be honest, Mitch, I think DOEs would be more effective in the production of graphene than PCR. Cheers.
@@stephenscharf6293 I will look that up, it seems to me that it would be easier to let a living organism produce something than a machine. Limestone might be a good example.
Preach Brother! People complain about pricing on things all the time because they do not understand the realities of business. Keep teaching the people so they understand. FYI, this used to be common knowledge that most people my age learned from their after school jobs in high school. Or, for us athletes, the 5 mornings a week stocking shelves from 6:00 AM until 8:00 AM. This gave us the 5 minutes to walk the 4 blocks to the highschool for 8:05 AM first period. It's almost like they planned it that way...
I just got some. They are better than paradigm and the pathetic sonus FAILURE lumina. Polk deserves accolades, especially since they floundered for so long.
Thanks for the info. Been looking at them.
What Paradigm speakers are you comparing?
Just curious. What was the issue with SF Lumina?
@@marct9587 listen to them and you tell me.
@@quincekreb6798 I always compare them to similar priced models.
Glad to hear Polk came to play :-) Those measurements look really nice.
Nice work Polk.
Went with Reserve R700 for the better bass response. We did an A/B comparison with the L600 the R700 in the same room with the same Anthem receiver and the R700 had the bass punch that I could feel across the room in my chest. Bravo Polk Audio!
They're both fantastic speakers, but since it was a larger room and I liked the bass response more, ultimately I landed on the R700, it will be one year in May. The best audio upgrade that I made in several years. We moved out restored Eosone dipoles, also made by Polk in the 90'e to another room. The L600 needs a subwoofer to sound amazing. The R700 you could definitely get away with no powered subwoofer. 🤷♂️
I edit all of Danny's videos and get an early preview of them, which I find enjoyable. However, I have a minor critique about one part of this video. When Danny mentioned, "who cares about movies," I personally appreciate movie soundtracks and often attend films just to savor the music and soundtracks. I'm certain I'm not alone in my passion for movie soundtracks. Anyway, those are my two cents on the matter!
I am a movie watcher too and I do have nice speakers for home theater. I probably should have chosen my words more carefully regarding movies.
I have a pair of Polk ES50 speakers and love them!
hearing my roomates polk speakers 19yrs ago is what got me into hifi, also a fan of there car audio speakers in the early 90s
I remember when those were introduced. Great series. Home theater speakers are great.
Thank you for the review!
I've been shopping that speaker.
Thanks for the post!
They're great speakers! I've had them for a while now, and I really enjoy listening to music and movies sound great too.
@@aronwhitesell9427 I was a surprised at Danny's remarks that it wasn't great for music.
Every owner review, rates them very high for music.
At least what I found on Crutchfield.
It's subjective I guess.
I'm very happy with my r 700 for music and movies. Really smooth deep bass and nice tweeters.
Looking at the bass drivers, there is one thing I can recommend (from experience) and that is to damp the basket. I use a sound deadening butyl mat, used in the automotive industry. Cut it to size and stick it to the spiders of the basket. This stops the basket from ringing and has made a huge difference to the speakers I have 'played' with and it is relatively cheap.
Yep, that's a great tweak.
I see "Bully Baroo"! Ohh... Bully Bully Bully Bully...
We are waiting!!!!!
It especially sounds great on Sam the Sham and the Pharoah’s “Wooly Bully”
No “allegiance” to Polk, but Polk did exactly the right things based on what see from what you shared in this video. They did exactly what they should’ve done because to turn this $3500 pair
of floor standers into a $5500 pair, the average consumer of this product would probably not perceive a sonic achievement worthy of a 50% increase in cost, and may just find favor in another $3500 pair of speakers.
Kudos to Polk for knowing where to draw the line commercially.
I’ve owned 7 pairs over the years. I have two old Monitor 5b sitting in the closet. Polk and Infinity were the gateway brands into audio for me. Polks are great values at all price points.
Did you ever have a problem with the magnets shifting in your mid bass drivers , I did years ago .totally bummed me out .
@@jasontimothywells9895 I don’t know. It’s been so many years in storage. I plan to put them back into use for my garage system someday.
Thank you. I own the L800, the mid drivers are aerated polypropylene and the woofers I’m pretty sure are also some polymer. I posted an image of the L800 crossover on your forums. Would love to see an upgrade, but I bi-amp with an active crossover.
Polk has a few winners over the years. I have been lucky, owned more than a few and enjoyed them all.
Means a lot coming from you Danny! Hope for Polk again!!
I have the polk l200... pretty good.
Hi Danny. Thanks for the work you do. I am a senior so i do not have alot of cash but i did purchase the Polk S60s and to my old ears they sound great. However if you do have a upgrade kit for these i would certainly be interested in it.
I got the S55, been wanting to experiment with adding bracing, I was thinking just lining the inside with tiles and recover w damping material. think some adjustments to this speaker could make it go from good, to great...
Keep me posted. Although I enjoy the S60's as they are they could use maybe a little massaging. My worry is how to get that plastic off from the front baffle though.
Who would have thought, an expensive speaker is actually good... And he says that most speakers that he receives have flaws that's why he receives them. So it's really not surprising that most speakers we see on the channel are not great, and they usually are a part of the cheaper product lines
Interesting video - this manufacturer managed to make money and not destroy the product's quality in the process. Polk sucked for years, but their various speakers have gotten very good reviews for their price points as of late. Something obviously happened at Polk, they are selling much better product these days and that is wonderful to see.
Polk is a mass market company that has to build product to a budget as Danny pointed out, but for mass market "plug and play" speakers Polk is very competitive. Danny's advantage is there is no middleman and the customer supplies the labor to assemble the final product. In return, the customer gets high quality parts that they wouldn't receive from the mass market companies.
Nice T-shirt this time, Danny!
I'm building the three separate boards , best caps, and air core inductors that drive the ribbons , 8ohm. No filters. Best for my budget any way. Using 2 in vertical vifa(2), open baffle 5x7 in plate on top center of tower,800hz to 4500khz .. midbass 8in sealed.. .78 cuft. 70 hz fmod hipass and douk preamp . Do I need a notch filter on the duo 2's ,with the bandpass 12db/octave ? All connections soldiered,amps to. Great advice 👍 👌 taken..
No way! This will be a good one. I really want this speaker to replace my modified CerwinVega! Speakers and if I get it I will definitely be giving it the GR-Research treatment
Thanks Danny ' love my Polk Lsim 703, especially for price point picked up 2 sets ' from audiorama 3 years ago ' for $450 a Set new was $1500 a set ' love these speakers with Jazz/blues -
I know we talked b4 about me sending you one of the new ones that never been opened '
Sorry been working hard long hrs building the New Corvette C8 which is a flat-plane crank for high reving V8 '
It's getting tuff finding workers now days ' but anyways I got today off want me to go ahead and send to ya ?
PS internal build quality is 🔥
I have pop the Hood video every driver tweeter has its own internal cabneit front baffle is 1.5 inch thick let me know and I will send out today to your online address my 1st day off !!
Yes, please send me one of those new C8's. The one with the flat plane crank will be fine. 🙂
Sure send the speaker too....
Looks like the mid is 12 up 12 down and the tweeter is 18 up, with bypass caps for both. Probably an impedance circuit for the tweeter to keep that flat by the looks of the xo board (and the impedance graph).
I'm experimenting with removing my bypass caps on my Polks atm actually, initial impression (for a very quick second) is I cant tell at all.
I wish you could review some of the models from Arendal.
I am not a reviewer. I just work on whatever people send in.
Re: 5:30, bi/triamping only really makes sense with active crossovers because of the associated benefits of actives (only wire between driver and amp, ability to use better matched amp power per way, etc etc). There's not much point to doing it with passives. Better to get an amp that can drive it full range. Crossing with a sub isn't a bad idea either.
I would love to find a scratch and dent pair of these in Canada to restore
Should i use 1/3 smoothing in rew when i measure my speakers like you do? or should i use 1/12? What do you suggest and why? Thank you for your videos, they are great!
Polk Reserve 700s next please! 🙏
I'm pleased as punch with my r700 with a Naim amp and it's a godly match. Great naim sound from these highly capable speakers that create a monstrous wall of hidef sound. No need for a sub.
Someone before you posted that the R700 has 7 resistors and 10 caps just on the mid/highs X 2) of very high values. It would be expensive to upgrade.
I'm a big fan of Polk, and my mains are currently their original SDA-SRS, origin probably 1988 - they still sound amazing. 35-years old and still look & sound good. I've looked at a couple of other brands (using more modern tech), and we'll have to see...I'd love to see their NEW SDA (Legend L800) reviewed and analyzed on this channel (hint hint) :)....
I have the L800’s. I’ll never be able to go to another speaker
Was looking for a set of these to pair with my Ashly FTX1200 series III
Sadly Polk speakers are not easy to source here in Great Britain 🧐
Plus; HiFi stockists are real keen for you to try the speakers with your own amp,
right up until they see me struggling to carry in the Ashly power amp 🤗
What would I change; 1st id add some more dampening foam, then swap out the Bass low pass inductor for a heavy duty Air wound ( or maybe remove the low pass completely, and have a listen to how it sounds ) 🙃
You're welcome, Danny.
Exactly. Use your audiophile grade speakers for music. Theater can do with less critical listening and nuances. That's what I've always said.
This is there Flagship line and they use cheezy parts…….
These are $2799 EACH in Canada
Danny …what makes these almost $5600 a pair ,with lots of cheap parts a value?
Whatttt
Surprise! Import costs and conversion rates are a bitch. 😉
Maybe not a value at that price, can you buy a speaker for that price in Canada with a good crossover though?
Bi-Amp on a speaker is useful to me because it allows me to use 1 Dayton DTA-1 amp per speaker. I can have twice the power in places without access to a wall outlets for power. (The amp uses 8 AA batteries each.)
🤣🤣🤣😆😂😆🤣🤣🤣😆😂😆🤣🤣🤣
You don't get twice the power when you do a vertical biamp. Its still the same amp putting out the same amount of power. Having the amp power one speaker instead of two definitely makes the amps job easier, but its nowhere near double the power. A vertical biamp is done to improve sound quality, more than to get extra power.
Wow Danny! Very objective and honest. Bravo to you sir!! Thanks for not muddying the video with pseudoscience, much appreciated✌️✌️🙏🙏
Thanks. I am not into pseudoscience.
I would improve caps and correct that dip at around 400 hz which afect the sound of conga by changing the woofers crossover point fron 300 to 400 hz leaving the mid identical, that would correct that dip
Can you make a monitor three way with purify ten inch woofer and dome mid 5inch from blismatee i don't remember exactly 😮😮😮
Hey Danny, I've been using your crossover upgrades in my RS750 and RSC200 speakers for home theater for something like 15 years and I disagree a bit that home theater doesn't benefit much from the upgrade. I love having clean and non fatiguing sounding speakers for home theater, and as someone who spends as much time watching movies or TV as I do listening to music, I wouldn't want to be without these crossover upgrades. Your crossover upgrades are one of my favorite purchases ever made, often in the context of home theater. Some movies and TV shows also have brilliant scores that are just as good as some music albums, things like The Fall or The Knick come to mind that have really blown me away.
You're right, all of that makes a difference. I should not have trivialized their use to being okay for home theater, because they could be used in that application without much complaint. If they were mine and all I used them for was home theater, then I don't know that I would upgrade them. I would just replace them with some of our speakers.
Danny, how did you remove the outer ring on the woofers without damaging the cabinet? The rings on my speakers are impossible to remove.
Every video is entertainment and education. Thanks!
I'm curious what brand of caps you think are the cheapest but still 'good enough'? For example Epcos, Kemet , Panasonic all make PP, are they not as good as 'audio' brands?
We are currently using the JB poly caps as our go to budget level caps. They sound better than any of the other budget level caps we've tried. Sometimes we supplement them with a .1uF by-pass cap too.
What are your thoughts on this vs the R700. This L600 was supposed to be miles ahead but im wondering what your thoughts are.
Hi Danny,
What is the cost of your upgrade on the L600?
And I’m wondering about the L800’s? I have a pair of each I use for atmos music
Thanks Danny! I have a pr of L600s and the center L400. I heard you mention that rolling off the low end of the L600 with the crossover would be perfect for my set up as I have added 2 REL ti9 subs. 1 for each L600. I would love to have the 600's rolloff and let the REL's take the low end. Is this possible? Could it be a kit or upgrade to the parts kit you are making for the crossover? And for the L400 can we just upgrade the parts also? Thanks!
See this video: th-cam.com/video/65eFr2rKy3M/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nZ7mH7cYgViraf5g
Is there a Standmount model from Polk as linear as this?
L100, L200 both measure well.
How do you figure out the schematics like the crossover points and other values?
Trace the connections and draw out a sematic from it. I also have to left one leg of the coils to measure them to get that value.
All the values of the Polk crossovers, and many others, are printed on the crossover boards. For the coils, you have to remove the part to see the value. Might as well measure though in case they subbed out a different board.
Getting component values is easy, trying to work out their purpose is quite another. For example, are these resistors and caps part of the high pass filter, or impedance correction?? Could be either
@@minus3dbintheteens60 you don't need to know their purpose at all. I've built upgraded crossovers before, no clue what any of it actually does.
This was one i wanted to see. I saw some good reviews on them and Jay liked them he said they moved some air but they aren't audiophile level. But at least they put effort into it.
I've owned the L600s for several months now, and they continue to surprise me at how good they sound. I upgraded from B&W CM10's, and the Polks are far better sounding, more musical and great audiophile speakers. Using a Anthem STR integrated amp at 400watts per channel.
@@aronwhitesell9427 nice I never heard them I'm just going off a review but I like them I like what I have seen in reviews. I would like to own a pair if I didn't already have room of storage full of speakers.
Boy, I hate the audiophile term. I have a pair of these, and from someone who’s owned many speakers (Nautilus 802 and Martin Logan Prodigy, to name a couple) these sound really good for the money.
@@stevenbullock9276 I think it's an elites term. I wonder how much they really hear in different systems up to a certain price point they look at it like the more you spend the better it should sound. But I disagree I'm trying to spend the least I can and get good sound at the end of the day we are music lovers and it is only reproduced recordings
@@stevenbullock9276the speaker Jay reviewed was for the Reserve series. These Legends have better bracing and more clarity (this is what Polk told me).
That's going to sound good with better parts. I would to hear the difference. There's a lot of parts.
I'm trying to do my homework before I buy a set of speakers and have about a $2200 budget for a pair of towers. I'm considering the Polk R700. what's your opinion on them? I'm a guitar player so music will be what they are used for the majority of the time but I also want to
use them for a home theater system I'll have to add other speakers as soon as I can. I'll be connecting them to a Onkyo RZ50 AV receiver.
Right on
Did the rings come off without much trouble?
Yes.
The dolby atmos capability of these Polk speakers is one of its design features that seems to fly in the face of conventional stereo sound and the "standard" frequency response testing which your graphs display. Loudness compensation in amplification (RE: Fletcher- Munson curves) is also one of the most misunderstood concepts in sound reproduction. The fact that sounds at different frequencies are "heard" by humans in different ways (e.g. - humans ears are said to be most sensitive to sounds in the 2K-5K hertz range) are due to natural adaptations of a species where directional information is important to hunting and self preservation in the wild (among other things) . There is a lot more going on with our perceptions of sound than can be addressed by getting a loudspeaker to reproduce a 20-20kz signal on axis in a linear fashion. That is certainly not the best way to reproduce the
a sound that was PROPAGATED (spread) into the space in the original venue where it was produced. The reason why dipole speakers sound more "live" to some listeners has to do with the spread and reflections of sound in the listening room which somewhat simulate the dispersion of sound in the original listening space. The use of horn midrange in the
relative role of the atmos speaker properly integrated into the design of a stereo speaker
will drastically improve the "live" sound performance. However testing procedures must be adapted to room rather than on axis response criteria.
But every room is different. At least frequency response gives a more universal comparable starting point.
@@rapfreak7797 Right you are. Every listening room is different and the only way you can approximate the original sound field in MOST rooms is by using the recorded signal that has been supplied and dispersing it into the new listening room in a way that simulates the space where the microphone took the sample. This sample must be multiplied and spread into the listening room as a sound field and at the same volume that occurred in the space where it was produced. Is any of this information available or can it be practically applied. NO - its is not available. As a matter of fact most recordings are composed of multiple sources recorded in different environments (rooms, booths, etc.) by microphones of differing types, and then often adjusted and mixed to achieve the desired "musical" result. Stereo is based on two ears and provides a pseudo-reality of the original sound, but as anyone who has listened to music performed at live venues can attest, it is not nearly the same. Should audiophiles continue to refine the same designs in the same fashion. Have they seen that it is at a dead end yet? Is it time for a new approach to attain HIGHER fidelity?
@@AZ-rv8wp While there may be an "average" ability for humans to hear certain frequencies of sound, there are wide variations in hearing abilities of individuals at any given frequency, Sound levels that listeners find pleasing in a listening room are also an important factor to consider. Some of the older Yamaha receivers had a variable loudness control that was useful in that regard . I completely agree that designing a speaker with a response that has equal output at all audible frequencies should be a goal; however, it should provide that output dispersed over a larger area to "saturate" the listening room with sound to better simulate the "typical" venue in which the sound would have been made (as if it were recorded live). So having a speaker that responds in a linear fashion in terms of frequency on axis (and beamed towards one sweet spot in the listening room), and having a speaker that actually "couples" the sound into whatever listening room it is placed, (taking into account the innate "
tendencies" of human hearing in regard to frequency and volume) are two vastly different goals. I contend that the latter is where audiophiles must aim if they intend to find a more true to life listening experience.
@@mitchdowning8188 Nah man you just gotta swap out the crossovers and make the graphs flat 🤡
I almost bought these. I ended up with Revel F 206's instead. To me, they just sounded better though I know the internals are probably a little more "cheesy".
Yes, Revel has a different sound... at least their higher end. I found the soundstage much much larger and less forward than some comparative speakers. It really comes down to personal taste at the point. Nevertheless, The F206 have cheaper parts and would benefit from just changing out the parts with better quality. So, you have an upgrade path if you choose to do so at some point.
@@walterdockins8475 I'd love to upgrade them but I'm about as useful as two left shoes when it comes to things like that. Hopefully, I can find someone that can help me(or do it for me) and I can just pay them for their services.
How much for the bully?
It will be on the website soon.
Based on the math - I can only imagine how cheap the internals are on my adam audio t5v’s… 🤣🤣🤣
I am guessing that on powered speakers they try to dsp their way out of cheap parts?
Does all of this mean these will not last very long? How much longer would upgraded parts last? You seem to contradict yourself at the end.
This dealer markup is crazy
Have you ever paid rent for a brick and mortar store? Probably not! The landlord markup is fucking insane!!! They are the thieves and criminals!!!
So back in the day the margins for profit in stereo systems started shrinking mostly in the electronics and turntables Speaker manufactures recognized this and started making speakers for retailers to increase the profit margins
One Canadian company in Toronto made many different branded speakers in the same factory such as Mirage Paisley I think Sound Dynamics and several other brands
I think that larger profit margin in speakers still exists today
I’ve had dozens of polk speakers. Lsi 15’s with modded crossovers were my gate way drug into 2 channel audio.
Polk R700 review please🙏
If someone sends us one, we'll take a look at it.
Please someone: send in a pair of Jamo Concert 11's!!
What are the two speakers in the background?
GR Research Old School Bully
What's the difference between 'clarity', 'resolution', and 'detail'???
They are 3 things that are tied together. Think of your speakers as a Television. The better the quality of the drivers and components within them are, the more it is like having a high-resolution TV, which means you will be able to see more detail, given that you are providing it an equally high-quality signal. (If you only watch VHS videos you won't benefit from a 4K TV) "Detail" is the ability of your speaker (or TV) to actually reveal small, subtle details within the music or video signal it is being given. (You won't benefit from a 4K Blu-Ray signal if you only have a 720p TV) and "clarity" is the focus or precision of those fine details within the soundstage. The lower the "resolution" or the lower the "detail" the less "clarity" there is and the harder it will be to pinpoint the fine details.
Hello. I have listened to this speaker and it has a little midrange coloration or a type of midrange that doesn't.
sound 100% right.
Although it measures well, it doesn't sound quite right in the midrange.
Not much but you can hear it
The treble has a good sound
That could all be due to the cheap parts that these are loaded with.
@@dannyrichie9743 If I had to replace anything, it would have to be iron core coils and resistors. I don't think polyester vs an expensive polypropylene does so much on the sound that you manage to dampen a coloring in the sound.
Correct me if i'm wrong
@@ford1546 I would say that the biggest differences in performance of everything in a circuit would be the capacitors. They can vary significantly and would be high on the list of parts to upgrade.
For him to praise this speaker, means this must truly be a unicorn 😂
I'm shot video's now praising quite a few.
I'm far more interested in the R700. I think it uses similar drivers and tuning but with cheaper crossover components making it a better upgrade host.
There are a lot of parts in the R700 too. Some of the electrolytic caps have really high values (125uf, 390uf). I was going to upgrade mine but with the number of parts (7 resistors and 10 caps just on the mid/highs X 2)plus the very high values, it gets super expensive, very quickly. Caps over 5uf or so jump up big in price. There are big improvements to be had though, idk if the number of parts in the crossover will negate those improvement much or not.
@@Pete.across.the.streetI agree. I took a peak into mine and there is a lot going on in there. I feel the enclosure could use better bracing. I've perceived some ringing and resonance on certain occasions
I bought the R700's last year. They are great 😊
@@mcplutt Polk had a great sale on the R700 last year and I missed out. I work for Fox and get B&H discounts. During the sale they dropped under $600ea with my company discount, however my car got totaled around the same so I didn't have the spare cash. Sad times.
@@SimplestUsername unfortunate what happened to you with your car. $600 a piece would be a great price.. hopefully you will get another opportunity like that again in the future. I think it would be very hard to fault the R700 in any way for that "special" price.
I have the Polk LSiM 705s is there any improvements that I could make to them or should I get new speakers instead?
I can't say. I have not worked on that one.
@@dannyrichie9743 is there anything I can improve like wires or something else that you can assume would improve the sound?
You can upgrade the tweeter’s capacitor with same uFarads as the original with a film capacitor.
you can also buy no Rez from gr research to solidify your cabinet.
@@jordantewari Oh yeah, everything in there can be upgraded. Wiring, binding post to tube connectors, and No Rez goes a long way if you are looking for something simple.
I have the Lsim705's as well as the big center and the bookshelfs as part of an atmos set up. I love them, have definitely thought about sending them to Danny... but like he said, im just using them for home theater mostly and im pretty satisfied with the sound im getting from them currently. I have KEF Reference 1's for mastering and music listening.
Not to mention massive compression through youtube
Great review. I just bought the polk r700 . Have you made an upgrade for that?
Thanks
We've not yet looked at that model. One would need to be sent to us.
We are all waiting for that to happen 😄
Someone before you posted that the R700 has 7 resistors and 10 caps just on the mid/highs X 2) of very high values. It would be expensive to upgrade. Maybe return your R700 and go for the L600 when they go on sale.
@@walterdockins8475 Or maybe just wait for the verdict 😃
Sigh, I wish we had a complete list of every manufacturer/model that did things right, but that is far beyond the scope of one overworked man.
Will this work with the Polk R700 ?
Very unlikely unless the drivers and layout are identical. We would need to have one sent in to know for certain.
Also keep in mind that the R700 has a lot of parts also, would be expensive to upgrade. Someone posted on here that it has 7 resistors and 10 caps just on the mid/highs X 2) of very high values.
6 commercials during this... seriously?!
Blame TH-cam.
Sorry man, I can't control that.
I didn't get any commercials.
Great Job Danny for showing and educating us on the differences between quality and inferior parts, for example Air Core and Iron Core Inductors using any parts that have iron in the signal path that degrades the signal path based on stored energy with proven analytical Data.
BRUTE look nice in full black behind you
Those are the new Bully.
You can’t argue with the fact that parts quality is an issue. There is no substitute for high end components whether it is a speaker or elsewhere in the audio chain. Products are built to a price point so it only figures that the quality of the parts used will be reflected as to that decision making. There is no place in any part of the audio chain for mediocrity. You only get out of a system what you are willing to put into it.
i think his tongue is in cheek
Whats up with the end of the video? It looks like he really had to go.. poop?
all parts 12 cents, "good job polk/ Ridiculous.
$1750 speaker + ~$900 for crossover upgrades? + $200 taxes + ~$20 shipping + 4-5 hours of labor. (Trash your factory warranty, risk damaging something and not reassembling the speaker properly introducing buzzes, noises and cosmetic damages)
OR
Take that $2,870 and buy a speaker that will make you happy out of the box.
$1750 is the price for a single speaker. So it's more like $3500 + ~$900 in parts +$25-30 for shipping. But there's no guarantee that a $4500 speaker is going to measure or sound as good.
@@hoth2112 Yea be around $4,600 USD for the pair *PLUS* 4-5 hours of labor, trashed factory warranty, potential damages/defects/noises you might impart upon your speaker during disassembly, installation and reassembly (that is worth $). Also, you have no guarantee that you will like the sound of the speaker with the new crossovers. Just cause it measures well on paper does not mean it will subjectively measure well. Also new crossovers may decrease the sensitivity of the speaker making it harder to drive, so you may need to up your amplification. So if you factor that all in, you might be better off buying a reputable, well measured, well reviewed pair of $5,000 speakers that already has higher quality crossovers (if that is your thing).
First of all, finding really high quality parts in budget level speakers is not likely. Just about anything you buy from any mass marketing brand is going to leave a LOT of room for improvement.
Secondly, high quality crossover parts will not effect the sensitivity.
Lastly, the performance gains by improving the signal transfer from binding posts to drivers can be significant and are always an improvement. No one is going to drink muddy water, compare it to clean water, and have to debate which is better. Cleaner is always better.
Also, many hobbyist really enjoy the whole upgrade progress. Some people like building puzzles and some people just want to see the picture. Our customers like the process.
Not really.
@@dannyrichie9743 OK so a total of $4,600 for these Polks with your upgrades Plus labor, void factory warranty, and potential damage during install is considered *BUDGET* ???? I understand that speakers can cost $250k, but $5K is certainly NOT budget even for "audiophiles."
20 parts in the tweeter crossover.. Why?? Roll the tweeter off with a single cap and hardwire the woofer speaker input.. They may sound better than recapping etc
You should apply for a job at Polk, they can use a guy with your knowledge. Probably make you the VP or even the CEO.
That board with all the parts contains both the tweeter AND mid circuits, not just the tweeter alone.
I doubt those drivers would respond well to a first order filter.
That small mid ain't gonna take much voltage full range. Half the crossover board is for the mid alone, requiring 2 seperate crossovers, high and low. And that ring radiator just the same as the mid won't barely take any voltage with a 6dB hpf. And the shallower the slope the more phase interference is an issue over a wider range.
I’d take issue with ghe statement “EI inductors are really bad”. They’re not. Properly rated above actual duty point they have many advantages including no or low saturation, zero hysteresis and ultra low dcr = great damping factor. That’s exactly what you need on a woofer. I use 6A rated silicon steel laminated cored inductors on bass duties which are rated to take way more than duty current and voltage loads. The testing has shown them remarkably low in distortion as a result. Way better than using standard duty ferrite or permite cored inductors which can saturate and have high distortion.
Yeah, but these are not in the woofer circuit. They are used on the mid. So an air core would be a much better choice.
@@dannyrichie9743 good point. Hadn’t realised they were in mids. Should still be fine though if rated high enough👍
@@ReferenceFidelityComponents naw bro, "should still be fine" isn't top of the line. I freakin hate statements like those, I want the mother****ing BEST!
@@ajafterparty you’re easily offended then😂
Nobody does this better.
Thanks Danny, we need this.
Wow , this is super depressing . those of us that are not rich but still enjoy music must do with a nice sounding speaker that has crappy parts which will wear out too soon ?
we can't see what the speakers look like it dark in you room
What is this supposed to mean, that measurements show how accurate a speaker is m, not how good it sounds? An accurate speaker sounds good by definition, one would think,
When you are looking at the x-over, how can you tell the difference between a polypropylene and a mylar/polyester cap?
They are usually labeled MET or MPT. The polyester ones are also a little smaller.
Antther great analysis and explanation, but Danny the upward firing Atmos speakers if driven correctly with an atmos surround decoder and amp are not just providing some ambience, they're producing actual steered surround objects that will place things in space around the listener and steer things around the room. Bullets whizzing past, helicopters and eagerly awaiting the new Spielberg-Hanks series in January - masters of the air. Can't wait to be in the middle of the B-17 / B-24 formations with P-51 and P-47's doing it out against the Me109's and FW 190's. Gotta get my new Atmos home cinema ready for that!!
It would have been nice if Dolby Atmos had come along sooner in the development of Surround sound systems. It has not received enough support by a generation who are complacent enough to settle with soundbars. If a more broadband (midrange) HORN or WAVEGUIDE had been used for the atmos section , there would be an even greater enhancement of the effects due to room coupling.
He's not saying they can't or don't do ambiance. He was explaining why he wasn't going to measure them. Could you listen again and you'll know what I mean?
@@seanjoell I get it, potentially a dual purpose speaker; but Danny isn't trying to
address anything other than response performance that his equipment can
measure.
@@seanjoell yes I know that but he refers and has before to these atmos top speakers as providing ambience which is not accurate as I pointed out in my comment. I agree with what he says about not testing it
someone send cheaper $1100 Reserve R700 and do an upgrade. R700 have (2) 8" low speaker
So it only toom Polk 40-50 years to figure out how to match components?
What do you mean 40 to 50 years? I've had Polk speakers for years now. No problems with them.
LSi (2002), LSiM (2012) were good offerings.
GR-Research = GReat Research! You provide the facts on both the market and technology. Thayn-Q for keeping your Halo plugged-in through it all, Dude!