Cost
Paintable
Easy to install - Hangs 2 different ways
Crisp, clean sound
Easy to hear & buy
White or Black in color

Can't mount at an angle (facing down or up, only side to side)
POLK: FIX THIS & IT WOULD BE HARD TO KEEP THEM ON THE SHELVES!!! SERIOUSLY!!!

Bought on eBay for $115 for the pair + $10 shipping, BRAND NEW IN SEALED BOX, Installed myself, powered by a Onkyo 85watt/channel receiver using the powered second zone. These speakers are the only ones I would buy again! I looked & listened to the comparisons (Bose, Dual, Infinity, Klipsch, Yamaha, etc) in the mind set that I need to spend $200-$300 to get the sound clarity I need due to the fact that I live behind a major street here in Denver (6 lanes of traffic!!!!) Let's just say that the traffic only bothers me when the speakers are NOT on! Great Speakers, just ask my neighbors!!! These were the second pair of Polk speakers I have bought (Polk RT15, now have 2 pairs & CSI30) & just like the others, the price for what you get is unmatched. Created instant atmosphere for my deck & hot tub area!

Remember when installing or getting these installed to make sure that you use a UL Listed speaker wire, this type of wire is the only wire acceptable for outdoor use buy home inspectors. I'm a Realtor & these issues do come up!! You can find UL Listed wire at any home theater shop that sells wire. I paid $0.70 a foot for 14 gauge. Prices vary from $0.50-$1.50 a foot. Anyone that tells you that any speaker wire will work is NOT wrong, but if you plan on selling your home, which you will sometime, spend the extra couple of bucks & do it right the first time! They make this special type of wire for a reason!

Customer Service

Haven't had to contact. Easy website with tons of info, even on the older speakers!! A+++ Keep it up Polk!!

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Actually bought the Dual outdoor speakers at the same time to compare with the Polks. I wanted to hear for myself, on my receiver, what the difference is between these besides price. The Polk's sounded better, are made better, and have a better warranty. Needless to say, the Dual speakers went back to the store & the Polks are still Rockin'!!

Soundstage is the best realism I have ever experienced in my some 40 years of hifi-life ! Every instrument, small and big are there for your ears to hear. Focus is absolutely precise. In a nut shell I wouldn''t use any otehr speaker configuration from now.

As Ausio Physic said: sensitivity of the listening position is the main drawback. Can''t accomodate more hifi fans sitting at the position of the " throne "

I tried out the Audio Physic configuration. Wow, I can''t believe my ears. I only have good words about this apparently " absurd - looking " arrangement until I tried it. I have three audiophiles to whom I introduced this configuration. All say the same as I.

This information is based on scientific research and observations of Audio Physic and some of their most successful dealers.

The solution presented here is aimed at limiting the interference of the room, with speaker placement and listening position, through the
application of psycho acoustics and physics. This method can give superb results through experimentation without the use of special room
treatment. However, it may be possible to get even better results by carefully using room treatments in addition.

The way we locate sonic events in space is by the brain measuring the time delay of the sound between the two ears. if there is no delay the
sound emanates from directly in front of us, if it reaches the right ear first it is to the right, etc. This spatial information is determined by the brain
in the first 800us of the transient because this is the maximum time delay between the two ears. It is after this initial recognition of the occurrence
of a sonic event, that the hearing of tonality starts. This has recently been proven in scientific studies and is believed to be a critical part of our
survival historically. In other words, we first locate the source of a sound, a potential danger for example, and then try to identify what made the
sound.

So, the first step to getting a good stereo soundstage is to eliminate early reflections of the leading transient as much as possible. Or, in practice,
to have the sound from the speakers arrive at your ears before any reflections. This also has a secondary benefit. According to a psycoacoustic
phenomenon called the Haas effect, the brain prioritizes the first sound wave to avoid confusion, if the reflections are low enough in amplitude.
The result is that, if the speakers measure flat under anechoic conditions, the brain will register flat behavior even if instruments measure severe
deviations in frequency response due to reflections.

To illustrate the ideal set-up using these principles lets start with a well proportioned room that is dedicated to listening. The ideal location for the
speakers is at the two center points of an ellipsoid touching the walls of the room. The best listening position is 1 to 3 feet from the rear wall.

Here are some of the advantages with this arrangement.

In this position the sound from the speakers reaches the ears before any reflectons coming from the side walls resulting in better soundstaging
and an unaltered perception of the speakers tonal balance.

Setting the speakers along the long wall allows maximum possible speaker separation for the widest desirable soundstage.

The close proximity of the head to the rear wall has two effects. At the room boundaries (walls) the room nodes are suppressed - because the
sound pressure is high and the velocity is low. Sitting in the maximum pressure area gives the best perception of deep bass. Secondly, the
reflections are shorter than the circumference of the head, so the brain can not measure the time delay between the ears. When the brain cannot
localize reflections it ignores them. Here is a simple example of how the brain ignores unwanted or unessential information. Imagine the situation
of being in a somewhat noisy public place and conversing with the person next to you. Even though a recording made from your listening
position would sound like random noise, you can follow the conversation. If you hear your name spoken several feet away, you can change
your focus, and "listen in" on the other conversation. Our brains do this automatically all the time to, for example, filter out the annoying natural
resonance of a room to facilitate speach, or to identify potential dangers.

To sum up, it is usually best to locate the listening position so the first information to arrive at the ears is from the speaker and the secondary
reflections arrive much later and at a much lower volume. Place the listening chair near the rear wall, because the distance ( 1 to 3 feet ) is too
short for the brain to measure the time delay and locat the source of the reflection. Also, it places you at the room boundary where the
perception of bass is greatest. In regards to the bass reinforcement advantage, we will expand on that in the next section.

Lets move on to some room physics information. This is a method Audio Physic calls room mapping. The principle of this technique is that of
wave phenomenon. Since it is uncommon to have a dedicated listening room, and one of ideal proportions at that, here is how to locate the
speakers according to room dimensions. Accurately measure the room and draw a simple floor plan. Divide the room into even divisions. At
even points in the room, bass frequencies are reinforced.
A B C
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
| | | | |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|- 1
| | | | |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|- 2
| | | | |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|- 3
| | | | |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
Referring to the above example, the cross points 2A and 2C with the listening shair at B and the wall, are the ideal speaker/listening situation. If
you want to set the speakers on the short wall in a more traditional arrangement, you can get almost identical results for bass reinforcement by
placing the listening chair against the wall at line 2 and placing the speakers at B1 and B3. This will NOT give you the advantage of wide
speaker placement with the maximum distance from reflective surfaces. The next best results would be obtained at A1 and A3 or C1 and C3.
You can also place the listening chair at 2B and the speakers at A1 and A3 or C1 and C3. Another option is the chair at 2A and the speakers
at C1 and C3. The practical decision of where to place the listening chair and speakers can be determined by the room size and furniture layout.
The point is that, by placing the speakers and/or listening chair at an even division of the room, you will get natural bass reinforcement from the
room.

A method of tuning the bass and midbass is by using the same principle to cancel, rather than reinforce, low frequencies. To do this you move
the speakers into odd divisions of the room.

An important point to remember is that the room can be divided into far mor than just quarters or thirds. At the even divisions the bass is
reinforced and at the odd divisions the bass is canceled.

DAVE,ROBERT( BY OVERLAYING TO FORM A GRID OF THE EVEN AND ODD DIVISIONS OF THE ROOM YOU CAN SEE
THE SMALL MOVEMENTS THAT CAN HAVE A LARGE EFFECT ON THE SOUND)

For tuning, consider that the tendency is for lateral movements to effect the midbass and forward and backward movements effect lower bass.

The basic set up process is as follows and should be done in the order presented.

Afer determining the general placement for deep bass with the above room mapping technique, the next step is to determine the distance betwee
speakers. Using a recording with strong center information, a voice works well for this, listen to the center fill with the speakers about 6 feet
apart and pointed slightly behind the listeners head. Move them further apart, about 6in. each, and listen again. When the wenter image thins out
and becomes diffuse you've found the point where the separation is to great. You then know how wide you can place the speakers and still get
good center fill. Our preference is to get the widest possible soundstage without losing centerfill energy.

The next step is to adjust balance. If the system balance is adjusted for equal output, and the center image is not centered, it could be that one
speaker is closer than the other. This is compensated for by moving one speaker slightly forward or backward. For example, if a lead vocal that
should sound centered sounds slightly to the right, the right speaker may be pushed back or the left moved forward. Usually one inch
movements are audible.

The final step is to focus the sonic "image". The basic technique involves rotating the speaker face to change the dispersion pattern. This is easier
to do with 2 people. Start with the speakers aimed slightly behind the listeners head and the same distance from ear to tweeter on each side. Put
on some music with a voice or violin. One person should listen for focus. The other person should rotate the speaker around the inside front
spike (for reference ). The listener signals to indicate the best speaker location. When this is done neither speaker has to be readjusted to "look"
like the other. The reason the speakers are not usually symmetrical is that rooms are not symmetrical and these differences affect dispersion.

IF YOU SIT ON THE WALL YOU SHOULD STILL USE SOME SORT OF LIGHT DAMPING DIRECTLY BEHIND YOUR HEAD.
YOUR BRAIN MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROCESS THE REFLECTIONS BUT BELIEVE ME, THEY CAN STILL A SLIGHT
EFFECT ON THE SOUND. I CAN EXPLAIN THIS IF YOU ASK. I HOPE THIS INFO HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND THE
PRINCIPLES OF STEREO SOUND A LITTLE BETTER. LET ME KNOW WHAT KINDS OF RESULTS YOU GUYS GET IF YOU
TRY IT.

MARC
MLAIBSON@EROLS.COM
MLAIBSON@UMD.EDU

Minimises room interactions
Holographic imaging

Proximity make awkward movement with lights out!

After reading their wp I tried this in my large listening room with very high ceilings. My couch is against the wall with angled damping behind the couch. My system consists of QUAD 57s Crosby modified, Arcici Stands, stereo JANIS W-1 woofers placed in room corners at far end, Bedini 25/25 amp, Interphase 3T crossover (100HZ), Parasound 1205A mono bass amps. The QUADs are placed aprox 9' away and 11' apart.

Results:
1. Bass localisation greatly improved.
2. Bass cleanliness improved.
3. I removed a pair of timedelayed surround system - didn't need it - artificial. Put it in the den with the TV.

4. The most amazing improvement is the 3 (4?) dimensionality of recordings. The speakers are no longer in the sound field. I am now perceiving instruments, not just with concert hall depth, but to the left and right of me if this is on the recording. Others have perceived this too so it's not an abberation nor is it technically impossible.

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n/a

Helps a lot.

Not the final answer.

Yes, speaker placement as mentioned will help significantly cut down room interactions and improve the sound of your system, but it will only take you so far. If you're really interested in taking the room out of your equation then look at the TacT room correction system. The improvement is no less than spending twice as much on speakers...it is that significant. Once you hear your system with room correction, regardless of where you place your speakers, you won't want to listen without it. This is the future folks...give it a try and you won't go back.

Tim

This is the way to listen to stereo.....Mr. Blumien would be pleased

oh drat....all that money you spent on room treatments was not really needed

I had more or less adopted a form of this method before reading the Audio Physics info. Needless to say, I was pleased to find an expanded and systematic approach to proper placement of speakers that was in-line whith what I found by trial & error.

It is really surprising how many (the majority?) serious listeners do not have their speakers set up properly. This is undoubtedly the single biggest problem in home music reproduction and the easiest/cheapest to overcome. It will make a bigger improvement to the sound of your system than any equipment/cable/accessory change ever will.

You do not have to follow the method exactly...but adopt the the big themes listed below and you are making a giant step toward audio heaven:

1. Start with you and the speakers in an equilateral triangle. This alone will come as shock to most listeners. From here you can play with the exact distance based on your speakers and room. I would wager that most will find themselves sitting a lot closer to their speakers than they had ever anticipated.

2. Toe-in.....probably will be a lot more than you would expect. Start with the speakers pointing directly at your ears. Play with them from there. I have found that pointing them even futher in (so the apex of the triange is within a few feet in front of your face) works with most cone driver speakers. Again, this depends on your speakers and room. Planar/ribbon speakers do not neeed as much toe-in as cones do in general.

3. Listen along the long wall. This is an irony. In most homes where the stereo is part of the living enviroment, the speakers are set along the long wall. But what is the first thing that the audiophile does when he gets a dedicated listening room? Puts the speakers on the short wall. This forces the use of room treatments to deal with early reflections. If you can place them on the long wall do so, if they are already there...great don't change them.

4. Move the speakers out into the room and position yourself as close to the back wall as possible. This is the big item I picked up from the Audio Physics method that I had not yet tried myself. I works. I have small speakers so I am free to keep them close to the front wall for background music/movies and bring them out into the room for serious listening.

These are the main points. I am sure that just these changes alone will open up a whole new world for you. You can expext to the folowing improvements:

- more 3D imaging (especially image depth)

- a more natural mid-range tone. The mid-range is often sucked out when you are too far from the speakers.

- a more coherent sound from the bottom to the top of the audio spectrum.

You WILL hear these basic improvements, on any speaker in any room if you follow the general steps above. After that, feel free to experiment with the particulars in the Audio Physics method (or the Wilson Audio method) and judicious room treatments. It will only get better from here.


This should not be a secret.....it should be preached to all audiophiles/music lovers with Luther's zeal and Calvin's clarity.

5 stars of course, and since it is free the value is infinite.

Well, this product doesn't cost nothing so I'll make a 2nd & final post. Sorry to upset you Ted, but I'm still saving up for my TacT Millennium mk. II digital amplifier. I'm one of the "Digital votes" in the One on One forum, and I cited the TacT as a strong reason for digital (sources) winning over analog.

I was speaking in terms of budget audiophile systems, and I know what the TacT can do: "The master clock in M1 is running at 90.3 MHz - 2048 times faster than standard CD sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. For 96 or 192 kHz DVD audio it will be set at a master clock of 98 MHz - 1024 or 512 times faster than the format itself. For the SACD format the master clock will be set at 90.3 MHz which is 32 times faster than SACD format of 2.822 MHz." This is at: http://www.tactaudio.com/web-files/Millennium/Millennium.htm

Thank you.

Beats "assuming" how best to set up your audio system

Not the best advice around

Nice idea, except I don't agree with placing speakers against the long wall, and the listener's position near the far wall. My room is rectangular (11' x 23'), and I've got my system setup along the "Golden Cuboid" rules. Thanks to Mr. George Cardas who specifies speaker placement according to Fibonacci ratios. State of the art recording studios use the Golden Cuboid, with recording along an equilateral triangle/near field setup.

In fact the Egyptians used this technology as well as cathedrals built in the middle ages (for ultimate sound). Even facial features align with Fibonacci ratios - Cindy Crawford's ratios are very close, Howard Stern's are "way off". Fibonacci ratios are used in trading Stocks and Futures as well.

Check out http://www.cardas.com/insights/index.html and http://www.theaudioconsortium.com/MagazineColumn.htm for full details on this setup. Also, if you do use the Golden Cuboid rule, there would be no need for a TACT digital feedback system, that's for "imperfect" room conditions and dimensions (although it can make cheap Radio Shack speakers sound like $5,000 speakers)...

Fibonacci was a 12th century mathematician who wanted to find out how rabbits "multiply". He discovered the perfect ratio in doing this.

Fascinating captain......Fibonacci changed the world.....he's dead Jim.......

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Cardas audio setup beased on "Golden Cuboid"