I am not considered to be an audiophile because I listen on Polks. Fortunately, what others think of me does not in any way lessen my enjoyment of music on them 😀😀😀

The Common people own Polk , Therefore audiophiles hate them.It’s in the Audiophile Club rule book.

I never heard of Polk being bad. All I remember is quality.

Wow-- didn't know people disliked Polk Audio. I always thought they were well regarded within their price range. The ones I've heard sounded fine.

I've been in (used to even work in) car and home audio for 29 years (though now a software developer). I absolutely love polk audio. I think the reason people hate them (which is news to me) is because they sound so damn good for the price range and it makes them feel silly that they spend so much. The truth is they hit way above their weight class. If somebody spends $10,000 on a speaker they don't like to be told that they could have gotten the same sound for $1500, so they convince themselves that their garbage in some way to make themselves feel better.

I'm extremely happy with my Polk 707's, can listen to them all day with no ear fatigue. They are built like a tank and beautifully styled.

I didn't know Polk became the new Bose to some people. That's some bullshit.

I own a pair of the Polk Audio Signature 60 series tower speakers. They are 7 feet apart with a very slight toe-in, I sit roughly 7.5 feet away. Very happy with the way they sound. Good lows and although my 64 year old ears roll off at 16KHz, I'm happy with the highs as well.

A few years back, following your recommendations to use subs Paul, I bought two 12" subs by Polk on an incredible deal at Newegg, of all places. I've been totally satisfied with them and have never felt the need to upgrade from them to match my admittedly much more highly regarded other components. Probably the best $325, inc. delivery, I've ever spent.

I have a pair of Polk Audio bookshelf speakers that I bought 37 years ago while still in high school. They still sound amazing! Screw the so called "audiophiles"

Sandy Gross went on to found another relatively affordable speaker company, Definitive Technology. My PS Audio S300 amp powers my Def Tech 9060s, assisted by the built-in 300 watt power amps in the subwoofer base of each speaker. They sound great to my older ears and to everyone who hears them. No one has accused them of being audiophile speakers, but I notice that Sandy Gross’s current company’s Triton speakers, which do get high marks from the audiophile reviews, incorporate much of the Def Tech design concepts. I think Sandy is a speaker genius or at least employs folks who are. He tends to put his principal effort into the actual speaker performance and no more than necessary into the cabinetry.

Thanks Paul. I own the last three generations of flagship Polk, LSi25, LSiM 707 and Legend L800 and really enjoy them.

The headline caught my attention. Polk audio speakers are freaking amazing! Polk 10bs have unbelievable imaging and staging.

Had a pair of Monitor 5 back in the day. Loved those speakers.

Never heard a BAD sounding polk speaker.I think they sound pretty good myself.

Nice rig! Love the Manfrotto tripod. I have the same model, heavy, but solid in every way!

Polk makes THE go-to budget subwoofer.

Polk is good if you don't want to break the bank and have more than a descent sound! I know they have few expensive models too!

I still listen to 20 years old Polk. Still producing good tunes. Very good price. I really really enjoy them.

Watching this clip and listening to you speak through my Polk SDA CRS+ speakers!

I've loved my Polk stuff from my old Polk car db12 subwoofer to my Goodwill Polk monitor 5s which were mint practically like new for $25! What a find! I was blown away at the amount of bass from just that little woofer and passive radiator, that's some engineering for the day, I have a home theater setup but want to build a room in my basement and would love to piece together using vintage monitor series setup with a set of SDA1 for mains and many even build some nice subs using Polk MM series car audio drivers

I own the lsim 707s and lsim 703s. They are amazing speakers. Always been a polk fan. They rival some of the best speakers out there!!!! They just need some good electronics driving them. I find this model to be considered high end. They have everything a high end speaker has, complex crossover system, furniture grade cabinets, and top of the line technology. Polk allows the consumer to choose how much they are willing to invest in great sound by offering various priced speakers.

Got a pair of SDA 1c. Love them. Need to do some upgrading, but as it is it sounds pretty darn good.

Hello Paul, Maybe you can help me out (or someone reading this) with this question, as I am researching marine speakers for my motorcycle. The question is, what is the difference between your MM1 and DB series. I what a 6.5 up front and the 5.25 at the rear. Thank you, Tim.

Polk make great speakers! Legend in my eyes.

Probably because they are mass produced and you can buy them at a big box store...

I'm still using my old RT1000i tower speakers with built-in powered subwoofers. I can afford better now, but can't bring myself to part with these old friends.

I have the RT 100 series for my home theater and separate stereo system. I feel they sound great. The only other speakers I've ever owned where circa '70 AR-14s.

I've owned Paradigm, Def Tech, Klipsch, Boston, PSB, and others but I keep coming back to Polk Audio. I think my RTi-A1's sound great. Awesome performance for under $200/pr.

As a photo guy, I'd love to see a video about your view camera setup. I'm assuming that besides having the high f/stop you're using it as a tilt/shift lens adjust the plane of focus to increase depth of field as well. If you're not lucky enough to have a fancy setup like yours, focus stacking also can be a useful way of getting a similar result.

I got some old Polk Monitor 12s I like them. I met Mathew Polk back in the mid 90s.

I've bought several Polk Audio speakers over the years. I'm pleased with what they've done at their price points. I've recently purchased their Monitor 40 Series II bookshelf and their T50 tower speakers. I augment those with a Definitive Technology 10" subwoofer. I'm quite pleased with these choices, and I'm quite sure there are many examples of better speakers. I enjoy my music, nonetheless.

Their new reference line is amazing. I'm not the biggest fan of their subwoofers, but I'm not really a fan of anyone's subwoofers (save for maybe Seaton and JTR). That said, they make great stuff and phenomenal prices!

Carver did the same thing with Sonic Holography. I actually use it in in my small, PC-dedicated system I have on my desk, with small Mission speakers. The soundstage expansion is amazing! I would not use it for critical listening, and it only works well at certain distances and angles, but when I sit on my desk both me and the speakers are in fixed positions, so that's fine.

I owned the Polk SDA CRS+ for thirty years and they were more then amazing. I just replaced them with the LSIM 707 and 706C and if setup properly they will astound you.

Hello Paul, Nice job on the camera. Nikon had a PC (perspective correcting) lens that was fabulous for those shots of objects where you could not get the image without making the film plane parallel to the object. The old building is falling away from you image. Great images can be had with your adapter I am sure. I used some of the book shelf Polks for organ speakers in home installations. They were quite efficient and did a good job producing the organ sounds.

My stereo/surround consists of a pair of Polk RtiA9 with Advent center and Baby II surround. Coupled with a pair of BIC 12" subs, this system rocks movies and sounds so nice in stereo mode. The entire setup was under $2000, including the Onkyo TX-SR703 reciever. It sounds fine to me, that's all that matters.

I have a couple sets of Polk SDA'S...I really like them...they are a great value also, You can get a very nice vintage speaker for a decent price. The Monitor 7 is also an honorable mention, also a fine speaker.

I love Polk speakers. I have their 11T speakers which I purchased way back in the day. They sound great and listen to them quite often. n fact, I've been looking for a set of Pièce de résistance SDS SRS speakers to complete my stereo setup. I love Polk speakers of way back when.

Wow really cool camera set up! Always love the pictures produced by old Schneiders and Taylor-Hobsons!

Love the camera Paul, I’ve got a couple of 4x5s, I suspect quite a view of your viewers are into both hi fi and photography.

Very happy with my HTS-10 sub. It sounds fantastic, its smooth and hard hitting, way to must for the unit that I am in

Great work on the camera Paul. Thanks for telling us about it's working. I have been a Polk fan for years.

The Polk lsim703's that I bought new for $450 are quite amazing. I'd say it was probably the best audio deal I've ever seen.

I love how right after he reads the question he starts talking about the cameras in the room. Lol.

I've had Polk Audio as my main speakers since roughly 1990. My first pair was the SRS SDA 2.3 model that was mentioned here. They fit in just fine playing the audio from my other gear, such as: Bang & Olufsen Beogram 8000, Nakamichi Dragon, Nakamichi RX-505, Luxman R-117, Clearaudio Concept turntable, Yamaha DSP-A1, Nakamichi 730 receiver, Sony DAT machine, and so on.....

Got my Polk used ,god knows what it went through from the scuffs on it , and my friend totaled his car with them inside . Box smashes and splinters , Polk still fine

I use a variety of enlarger lenses using adapters I get made by a guy in Portugal and some bellows with my Pentax camera for indoor macro work. Its nice to see someone else getting creative too. Oh and I have some Polk RTI A3 speakers too.

I have a timbre matched polk RTxxi 7.1 surround setup powered by a Yamaha RX-Z9. My front L and R are a pair of RT55i set to large. In the center is a 1000W Velodyne sub with a remote control. My sweet spot is about 15 feet away. Put on some Gavin Harrison and I can feel the bass really thumping. Then I switch the Velodyne sub on and off and - no discernable difference! All that bass is coming from the RT55i bookshelf speakers. Truly incredible.

Up until very recently I ran a pair of LiSM 707's on my main system powered by a $17k T+A PA3000HV amp, the better electronics you throw at the 707's the better they perform - they hit way above their price points.

My Polk Rti12's are quite nice. Very impressive engineering. Great sound stage and imaging. Tremendous speaker value. Thank you, Polk, for making an affordable quality speaker.

I still have a pair of classic Polk Audio Monitor 10 speakers. Even at 30 years old, they are still some fine sounding speakers. I have replaced them but have never been able to make myself sell the Polks. I still go back and give them a listen from time to time.

News to me! I have the entire RTiA line, including centers and surrounds, bookshelf speakers and 8 RTi A9s in various roles throughout the house. I wouldn't trade them for anything. They are the sound of music for me.

Glad I found this. I still have my RM6900 5.1 rocking my living room. After nearly 20 years, they still sound great for my needs.

I have Polk/Denon setup in the house and a Vector Research VR5000 and some Bose 601 II's in the garage. Love them both. Of course id love to do some high end stuff one day. My Vector Research really is high end, its just very old.

So how come the lense is round but the picture is square?????

My dad still holds on to his Polk RTi A1's till today paired withthe PSW125 sub , sounded great btw ❤️❤️❤️ paired it with a Marantz SR5009 receiver

I have a pair of Polk SDA CRS speakers, I've seen some with only 1 tweeter, while mine has the two tweeters, (does anyone know if there's a name change?), mine are true oak, I bought them in 1984 or 1985, they still sound as good today was when I bought them over 35 years ago. Yes, I paid just a little over 1000.00 for mine which included the stands. I still love them today.

I have 4 Polk Audio T15 in my surround system, 2 center, two rear surround and a pair of B&W DM6 monitor loudspeakers for stereo and mains. No sub woofer needed. Sounds awesome.

I have had two sets of SDA speakers (the 2Bs and the CRS+), and they truly were amazing - as long as you sat equally between them. It took a long time for me to put the big ones away, but I finally graduated to something better. I think...

I have a pair of B&Ws but i still love my polk rt7s they are the only pair of older speakers i have that i refused to get rid of.

I agree with this video. I’m not a “discerning audiophile” who spends tens of thousands of dollars on equipment. The audiophiles who knock Polk Audio don’t represent the vast majority of people who actually buy the largest volumes of audio equipment. Sure, they have had their lemons (as has everyone else), but in general Polk Audio speakers have been decent quality with decent sound for the working class who enjoy listening on equipment they can afford. No one can deny Polk speakers are engineered very well for their price point. In the past few decades where hundreds of names in true audiophile equipment have come and gone along with many who made inexpensive disco pumper garbage, Polk Audio has stuck around. Why? Because they make decent products folks can afford, they have remained a step above the bottom feeders, AND equally important they build products that can be sold at a profit for stores and the manufacturer in order to remain in business.

They still make some higher end speakers like the legend series

Never knew that. I always regarded them as a very good product.

i just bought a set of polk T15 bookshelf speakers. for the $80 for the pair im very impressed. i bought a 5.1 surround sound klipsch set and one of the speakers went bad after cranking them a little. i bought the polk to replace the bad speaker. i want to buy another T15 set and a T30 speaker for a complete 5.1 setup with the larger speakers. im quite happy with them. satellite speakers are too limiting. bookshelf speakers with larger woofers are better.

I use to be an audio snob but then I got married. I had to get rid of my big old circa-1970 ARs for something that would better fit in our living room. Polk's are a good compromise, just like good marriages. I first got their entry level bookshelf speakers with a sub and center channel. They served their purpose. I eventually upgraded them to their mid-tier line and I am very pleased. Even my wife noticed how much better they sounded compared to the entry level ones. Most people who think of Polk think of the cheap entry stuff they sell at Best Buys. They sell more than that. I was able to get decent sound without pillaging my kids college account and my IRA. I love your videos. They show me much things have changed since I did PA for crappy bar bands and got my FCC first class.

Paul, does your camera leave a huge puff of smoke after the flash goes off? I’ve got no problem with Polk Audio speakers, and owned a pair that I grabbed for like $20 at a yard sale many yrs ago when I was just getting into HiFi. They were just part of the journey that luckily never seems to end. Thanks, Paul! 🎶👍🔊🙂

There it is in a nutshell, affordable. Audiophiles don't want what the masses can get even if it is good. How can they brag that they have a unobtanium speakers when everyone has them? There is nothing in a speaker system that can justify some of the costs that some of the high end people want. In a day and age that chips and caps cost pennies, the average speaker cost a couple bucks and the production of boxes can also be done for a couple bucks each, builders wanting thousands and thousands is nuts for the most of us and Polk knew it and filled the void.

I did hear some SDA Polk speakers that sounded pretty good.

Loved the photography tangent and respect your answer to the question!

Paul, first off, I didn't know people hate Polk. I'm surprised. But, then, I've sorta lost touch with high end audio. I've started watching your channel to re-kindle my interest and learn about the state-of-the-art. I heard my first Polk Audio speakers in the mid-1980s. I was about 20 years old, and I was house sitting for my boss at the time (who managed a camera shop! I was a medium format guy, myself - never got to play with the big view cameras. So sad!). I was blown away by, what to my perhaps inexperienced ears, was the fidelity of those Polk speakers. I always hoped I would own a set of my own someday. That, and a pair of Klipsch horns. I note, now, that Polk Audio's offerings bear little resemblance to what I recall from the 1980s.

Polk has always made a good mix of speakers, budget minded and upwards to hi-end. It all boils down to what you are willing to spend. But with that said they have always made a decent speaker. I just recently put together a budget system with a Rotel RB990bx amp, topping D50s DAC, Definitive technology Pro sub 800 and the Polk S20 bookshelf speakers. This rocks, the s20's have good bass but I like a little thump now and then. The s20's were only $225 a pair on sale, they are impressive. The Polk Lsim 703s are next on the list.

I have just exchanged my recently purchased soundbar and subwoofer for a POLK soundbar and subwoofer. The previous equipment had a fault so the shop offered to let me exchange it for another brand at the same price point. I had never heard of Polk but decided to give it a go. Wow! I could immediately see and hear that this was of a superior quality. So I was a little surprised to come across this KZfaq (clickbait??). Surely any comment on people 'hating' Polk is because insecure audionutters look at the price and declare them inferior. I would love to read BLIND tech reviews i.e. the reviewer just listens but does not know what equipment they are listening to.

In the '80s I first became aware of Polk speakers, seeing the ads with Matthew Polk in the white lab coat, kinda resonated with the inner engineering geek in me. I don't know, he just seemed like a person who stood behind his speaker designs. Heck, if he didn't, he would not be in those ads. I have owned both home and car audio products from Polk. To name a few, RT55, RT35, RM101, Monitor Series 2 5JR, small passive PC speakers, and some 5.25 inch 2-way car speakers. I have my eyes on the LSi9 ones, the RTiA3 ones, and some others. The performance/quality you get at such a low price point is really hard to beat. I don't own any new ones to give my opinion on, but I'm sure the bang-for-the-buck is still there. Lastly, I enjoy your vids Paul. Fun, transparent, and informative.

Having been an ardent audiophile for these best 40 years (of my 51) ofmy life I've always done my best to "upgrade" with each new speaker or component purchase. My Snell Type KII's were replaced by a pair of Polk LSI9'S. Built my own stands and filled them with #9 lead birdshot. Those Polks amazed me for a solid 15 years paired with M&K v-125 subs, and later the addition of a Velodyne. Driven by SAE separate pre and power amps. This set-up is currently on stand-by and lately the Amp has been a Nakamichi AV1 receiver driving Bowers and Wilkins DM7 MkII and same subs. Point is, I'm not made of money and ecstatic with the performance of some 30 and 40 year old equipment in my listening room. Set-up IS critical but....I herein declare that the Polks, short of burning up will always remain in my listening room. They have more than once sent chills through me and at EVERY listening session put a grin on my face. 15 years is a long time to be satisfied, especially someone who once sold hi-fi gear for a living, and has auditioned equipment FAR beyond what my budget allows.

The original SDAs were the GOAT of in home stereo sound stage. i had a friend back when i bought my SDAs in 1985 ,that was a certified audiophile snob . when i told him about the SDAs he laughed and i retorted with , " ok smart ass " come over tomorrow and have a listen . he brought his own music , put it in my cassette tape player ( that's all we had in those days 😂) became quiet as he listened and when the song ended he turned to me and said " shit man , you were right " .he said where did you buy them and drove there that weekend and bought the biggest ones they had .😎

I agree they even still make a great speaker! Oh nice camera 👍👌

I love my 5s and my 10s. I must say what they sell now at the box store sound nothing like what I have.

Polk Monitor 5s are great bookshelf speakers. I have loved all my Polk stuff. Great cost!!!

I had a pair of Polk Audio R50 speakers 🔊 from Craigslist for 50 bucks. Needed a new tweeter so I replace both and thought they sounded just fine. Replaced them with Cambridge Soundworks Tower speaker for 120 a pair. My son has the Polk Audios along with a turntable and receiver I gave him. And they still sound great.

My first "real" speakers were Polk Monitor 10s. I chose them over some Missions (cannot remember the model). I used and loved them for a long time. Think I gave them away. Later, I had some towers (again I cannot remember the model). They were sweet until we had a break-in and they were stolen.

I came here for Polk and was greeted by someone who uses almost a identical camera rig that I made as well, Sony A7, modified macro bellows, and a old view camera lens. I thought that was pretty cool lol

hi Paul love your videos and your spirit... much love from switzerland

I bought my first Polks, sda-1cs, sophmore year in college '90. Pretty big for the dorm room, and under powered by cheap Paradyne amp. Once I got the Carver TFM42, everyone on the floor heard about it. Still have them, upgraded mids, added cs400i, fxi4 surrounds, and rtia1 back surround. Gets me by *shrug*

Tell us more about your photo rig. Super cool!

Bought my first polk speakers back in 1989 8T Towers decent sound for a basic cabinet design, really thought that was their best soft dome tweeter to date. Not a big fan of the tweeter in the ATI series can get a bit harsher in the high frequencies but its only a minor kibble.

I use polk audio sda 2 signature series with caver pm 900 never disappointed with this classic speaker

Thank you !!!! I have a pair of Polk Monitor 70's (original) that I bought as New Old Stock 10 years ago. They are amazing. I am not saying that because I own them. I say that because the detail, the soundstage, the beautiful mids and non-fatiguing highs. If they lack anything it may be the smallest % light in bass but my Polk sub takes care of that. I drive them with a modern era marantz as a pre-amp, a Velleman tube am that I completely revamped with 6L6GC output GE tubes from 1961 (8) and the most stunning sylvania 12Ax7 input tubes (yes, I have rolled a dozen brands) The polks are perfect. I have tried Klipsh, Pioneer and others (in my price range) and they cant come close to the Polks. So bottom line, thanks for giving them respect

Exceedingly happy with my pair of Polk s20s.

Speaking of Polk Audio. The Ati A9s are on sale at crutchfeild.com Anyone own a pair? Are they any good?

I own a pair of S8's and they sound phenomenal. I absolutely love them

Polk Audio is a very good brand. The RTI and LSI series perform really good. By the way please make a video on your camera and lighting gear.

About a year ago I bought a pair of polk RTI - ,A-3 book shelf speakers . These speakers are amazing great sound stage no more sub needed and if you close your eyes they disaper. 240.00 a pair

I'm just fine with my Polk center channel & surrounds. I've also used Polk ideas as Paul described by out of phase signal between speakers. Dramatically widens the sound stage.

Obsured,I've owned and sold high end speakers for over 20 years and my recent purchase Polk RTI a9,have to be 1 of the best sounding speakers I've heard in ages

Insanely cool camera rig!

In my 7.4.4 sound system Paul, I employ as my front tower's, a pair of Polk Signature Series s60's, for me these being USA speaker's made in China, are the equivalent to my Accusound Australian speaker's made in China too, that make up the rest of my system, simply a lot of bang for the low budget bucks, I'm very happy with it all and enjoy daily.

Own some Polk RTA 15TLs from late 80's-early 90's and they sound amazing. Couldn't hate on them even if I tried.

Cool camera, f64 and you made it!

Where does this question come from? Everyone that's owns Polk that I know is happy. I have the Lsim 705 the 706 and the 703 surrounds all powered by dare I say a receiver . Pioneer elite . I would be happy to blind test anyone with my system and confident they would be impressed with good quality sound. Clean and clear at every listening level . I invested about $6000 in everything ,do I need to spend $6000 just on cables to be called and audiophile? The laws of physics can not be broken ,math does not lie and The emperor has no clothing on !