Monitor audio vs Polk Audio

D

dafirst

Junior Audioholic
Good evening fellas. Hope you had a great day today in this messy snow weather. Anyway my question is, which of these speakers is better. Monitor Audio or Polk Audio
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
you have to be much more specific than this, but in general given same retail price, I'd go with anyone else other than polk. Exception to this rule is LS/i or LS/im series at 1/2 the retail price. Then these fine speakers change to outrageously expensive to somewhat expensive but now competitive.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Hey don't jinx it for me, hope to have seen the last of the snow at my place for the year, had way more than normal already (and the last one just melted a few days ago at my elevation, altho my neighbors a bit further up the hill I think still have a bit left).

I'd bet on Monitor Audio in general but like BSA said....
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Yeah, that's a little vague but I'd shop monitor before Polk.
Just came home from watching Kong, Skull Island. It's 18deg outside. I'm so done with this....
 
Y

yepimonfire

Audioholic Samurai
I'm a big fan of polk. Their monitor series are hard to beat if you're on a budget. It really depends on what you're looking for though. I'm not sure I would buy their higher priced models like the LSi, for the price you've got much better options, but if you need a pair of floorstanding speakers that will happily shake the house at reference level for under a grand, they've got you covered. Their RTi a9 speakers are a force to be reckoned with and can dig deeper than most subs at that price range without breaking a sweat.

I used to have a pair of monitor 70 series II towers, powered by a marantz sr 7400, they gloriously made the windows and doors rattle during the avalanche scene in inception cranked to 0dB without any audible distortion or port noise.

Their subwoofers should be avoided at all costs. Their lower priced models will bottom out at low volume levels and their psw10 can't even break 40hz.

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Tapatalk
 
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j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
IMO, the only Polks worth owning really are the LSiMs, and as mentioned, at the price point they still aren't the best choice. As for which you'd prefer, you need to actually do some listening first to see what you like. Between those two, there's no question I would listen to MA.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
I tend to look at Monitor Audio -- they do make some nice stuff. The Silver series is a good series.
 
E

<eargiant

Senior Audioholic
It all depends.

Years ago I had the budget Polk RtiA1's in the office. You could do much worse for the $225 I paid new. I liked them better than the stock Pioneer BS-22's that were getting rave reviews.

I recently had Monitor Audio Bronze 2's and I didn't like them at all. It would have been interesting to compare them to the RTiA1's. I did audition the MA Silver line and higher and liked what I heard but have never had them in here for a real trial.

I've had the LSiM 703's and liked them quite a bit. A beautiful speaker with a high end fit and finish. Very dynamic with a wonderful mid-range and deep bass. I auditioned the Sonus Faber Olympica 1's and the sound signature reminded me of the LSiM 703's.

I still own Polk SDA SRS 2's and I like them better than the LSiM line. The Signature Reference Series will change the opinion of the most ardent anti-Polk individual out there. Jaw-dropping good even if you don't take the soundstage into account.

Polk RTiA1



Polk LSiM 703


Polk SDA SRS 2



 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
I think we could all agree that Hi-End Polk speakers are not bad at all, the problem is their price is crazy high vs competition at same performance league.
It all depends.
Years ago I had the budget Polk RtiA1's in the office. You could do much worse for the $225 I paid new. I liked them better than the stock Pioneer BS-22's that were getting rave reviews.
You also could do better than RtiA1 for $200-225 new. There is Philharmonic AA at same price point for example or even better if you're a patient man, you could grab pair of JBL LSR305 for same money. It a active studio monitors and you won't need amp for them.
Here are measurements of Polk RTi A1:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/polk-rtiii-a1-loudspeaker-measurements
Notice 5db boost on trebble... Most people with good hearing would find such speaker overly bright or even harsh and unpleasant to listen for longer periods.
 
J

Jetblack3

Audioholic Intern
Monitor Audio has some really good looking speakers and most on here would steer you that way over Polk. Just not much love for Polk on this site. What Polk does do fairly well is offer a good sounding speaker for an attractive price, it all depends on your application and your personal taste in sound. I recently added a pair of Polk signature series S-55's to my set up and they have exceeded my expectations. Very accurate and crisp
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
What Polk does do fairly well is offer a good looking speaker for an attractive price for it's budget series speakers
FTFY
I recently added a pair of Polk signature series S-55's to my set up and they have exceeded my expectations. Very accurate and crisp
I'm happy for you that you found speakers at your budget and you like them, but if you want to hang around here and be "cool", please stick to highlight that this is your personal and subjective opinion about these speakers "accuracy"
These speakers are accurate: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/M2System
I am literally going to eat my shoes if your polk towers come anywhere even near to accuracy/flatline FR m2 has.
But as far as crispy - I don't doubt that. Polk is known to have overly enthusiastic tweeters setups and as result most of their speakers (again except top end) are typically overly bright or even harsh. Some people may confuse that with speaker accuracy. it's isn't.

I know cool place you're sure to like with same minded folks and no Polk haters. I promise. http://forum.polkaudio.com/
 
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E

<eargiant

Senior Audioholic
I think we could all agree that Hi-End Polk speakers are not bad at all, the problem is their price is crazy high vs competition at same performance league.
Have you ever had the LSiM's in your home? Personally, I think they can put a lot of speakers in their price range to shame.

You also could do better than RtiA1 for $200-225 new. There is Philharmonic AA at same price point for example ...
No kidding? The same could be said for just about any speaker at any price-point. It just depends who you ask.

Incidentally, I've owned not one but both versions of the AA Monitors. To my ears, the original AA Monitors were much better than the Pioneer BS-22's they're based on. As you know the original BS-22's were getting rave reviews from almost everyone from online reviewers to audio rags. I mean the hype was unbelievable. You should have read what some people were saying on some of the forums.

I bought them because I had to hear them for myself (that's what I always do). I even did a shootout between the stock Pioneer BS-22's, Polk RTiA1's and Bowers & Wilkins 686 which were the three lowest priced speakers I had in my home at the time. I used the 3 speakers mentioned, two amplifiers and a Niles selector with volume control that can switch between 4 speakers and 2 amps. I also used an SPL meter and audio test tones to get the playing field as even as possible.

Out of that pack, I ranked the B&W's first, RTiA1's second and the Pioneer BS-22's third. Based on your theory, my son who thanks to the laws of nature has superb measurable hearing should have found the RTiA1's to be "overly bright or even harsh and unpleasant to listen for longer periods", on the contrary- he ranked them first, the 686's second and the BS-22's third. He said the BS-22's sounded "tinny and harsh". Go figure.

Original AA Monitors


New AA Monitors



Even found an old picture of the shootout for you:
B&W 686- Polk RTiA1- Pioneer BS-22

 
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BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
I have heard the all of the polk bookshelves at same place and with less than 10 minutes between sessions. In my humble opinion every single bookshelve they had wasn't great except for lsi/9. It had good sound, but was hugely expensive.

As far as your shootout, since it was a sighted and of very limited sample size, it's results present mostly anecdotal evidence.
I have no doubt that Dennis did a great job of modifying original bs22 and that second generation AA are even better speakers.
A while back Harman did extensive research on which frequency response MOST people would like and "shockingly" the speakers with neutral (ie flat) frequency response were generally more preferred. This means that most people would not prefer cheap b&w or Polk speakers.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
Incidentally, I've owned not one but both versions of the AA Monitors. To my ears, the original AA Monitors were much better than the Pioneer BS-22's they're based on. As you know the original BS-22's were getting rave reviews from almost everyone from online reviewers to audio rags. I mean the hype was unbelievable. You should have read what some people were saying on some of the forums.second and the BS-22's third. He said the BS-22's sounded "tinny and harsh". Go figure.
I have owned the BS-22 and I agree with many that they are nice for the price. However, I will no longer pay full price for them. I have also auditioned the proto-type first AA monitors and they are a clear step above the BS-22 -- and are better than many entry level mass market speakers.

I have owned a few Polk speakers including the RTi4. I could not live with them. However, I understand why some people do like them.

All in all, this Audio world is a hobby and tends to be subjective -- and is something one can enjoy. All ears, rooms and minds are not alike -- however, as long as one enjoys what they have then that is cool and is a good thing. Continue to enjoy your audio adventure.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
The BS22s are an easy recommendation on a budget because they don't do a lot wrong for the price. That does not mean they're better than everything else, but I did like them a lot too. The new AAs are noticeably better than them.

I had a chance to review the RTiA3 and I actually liked it. I had expected bright highs and average mids but was pleasantly surprised.

The SDAs don't count. I've said many times they are still better than anything Polk has made since them.
 
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J

Jetblack3

Audioholic Intern
FTFY

I'm happy for you that you found speakers at your budget and you like them, but if you want to hang around here and be "cool", please stick to highlight that this is your personal and subjective opinion about these speakers "accuracy"
These speakers are accurate: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/M2System
I am literally going to eat my shoes if your polk towers come anywhere even near to accuracy/flatline FR m2 has.
But as far as crispy - I don't doubt that. Polk is known to have overly enthusiastic tweeters setups and as result most of their speakers (again except top end) are typically overly bright or even harsh. Some people may confuse that with speaker accuracy. it's isn't.

I know cool place you're sure to like with same minded folks and no Polk haters. I promise. http://forum.polkaudio.com/
WOW !!... Think your implying a little ? Thanks to others who have taken the time to answer Q's and offer helpful ideas. 20G for the M2's or less than 7 bills for S55's, not even close to a fair comparison. Guess I made the only choice I could afford.
 
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yepimonfire

Audioholic Samurai
I personally think Klipsch's lower priced reference series are a whole lot better in the same price range, unlike most polk speakers, they actually do measure fairly accurate, have much better low end extension, and very low distortion even at ridiculous volumes.

Another huge issue with polk speakers is the fact that most of their multi driver configurations are all MTM designs. When I owned a pair I had difficulty getting good imaging because of that.

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Tapatalk
 
Klipschhead302

Klipschhead302

Senior Audioholic
I personally think Klipsch's lower priced reference series are a whole lot better in the same price range, unlike most polk speakers, they actually do measure fairly accurate, have much better low end extension, and very low distortion even at ridiculous volumes.

Another huge issue with polk speakers is the fact that most of their multi driver configurations are all MTM designs. When I owned a pair I had difficulty getting good imaging because of that.

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Tapatalk
I own the RF series for the mains and center and for movies the entire system is a home run. For music they will take a bad recording and force you to not listen to it. Surround HD music sounds incredible and this year when the RF-7 III's come out I'm getting them.
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
WOW !!... Think your implying a little ? Thanks to others who have taken the time to answer Q's and offer helpful ideas. 20G for the M2's or less than 7 bills for S55's, not even close to a fair comparison. Guess I made the only choice I could afford.
I found this image which I found useful to show my point:


Which Is again: You shouldn't make bold statements about any speakers such as "accurate". This is your own personal subjective opinion and you're welcome to provide it here, given you understand and make it clear as such.
I have heard many budget Polk speakers and none were accurate imo.
JBL's M2 is just an example to explain my point what accurate speakers look like. I could add that $210 2nd gen Philharmonic AA monitors come quite close to very similar accuracy, minus maximum volume and lower bass capacity.
 
Y

yepimonfire

Audioholic Samurai
I own the RF series for the mains and center and for movies the entire system is a home run. For music they will take a bad recording and force you to not listen to it. Surround HD music sounds incredible and this year when the RF-7 III's come out I'm getting them.
Their old reference II series was piercingly bright, both the lower end models and new premier models are not, they're very accurate and everything sounds good on them. I'm using the R-15m bookshelves in a 20'x12' room and can effortlessly achieve reference levels with very little distortion. I've got a very long detailed review including lots of measurements in the works.

The new series is all of the good things about klipsch (high sensitivity, effortless dynamics, huge sound stage etc.) without the bad such as painfully shrill brightness.

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Tapatalk
 

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