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@P T The point isn't that the tweeter is attempting to make it seam like we can hear above 20kHz, it's about the fact that the tweeter can reproduce those frequencies meaning it doesn't roll off as strongly as tweeters that cannot extend beyond 20kHz. Make sense?
Honestly there are MANY OTHER Critics that are saying things similar. ... YOU (Andrew) have said twice now that so far as straight on this product XXX is about as good as it gets TWIST is what I think THE INDUSTRY freaks out about. So, to me, If I were those *other companies.* I'd be breaking your DOOR DOWN to get you to Test my Product so I can PROVE you were wrong! .... There in lay the 2nd Caveat to the puzzle, which is don't wake sleeping dog (the public) that it's equipment is far from sonically better as a whole but cost a whole lot more. THE FUNNY THING is I don't agree with your assessment Andrew _BUT_ I do agree that anyone who is ditching you from products to review of theirs have more to fear than they think. THE OTHER CRITICS may not have done what you have done, but they do often say along the lines of what you're talking about. Okay, (I don't have any rights to, but) Steve Guttenberg approach seems to be if it's interesting to him he might review an item, and if it's uninteresting like the KLH Model 5 he said, Paraphrasing, "They don't have anything I really want to review." Now was that true he had the chance or was it SOUR GRAPES.... ;)
1. Polk really needs to restock these in white 2. I like Kristy coming out with that truth bomb and you being so honest and vulnerable. Thank you for sharing this moment with us and being raw.
This was the most revealing review to date. I appreciate your effort and occasionally get blown away by Kristi's insight all around. Was super glad to hear the Emotiva reveiw. Now, if you have the opportunity to get Tekton to review-life is complete.
@@carlosfranco no sub. Don’t feel it’s necessary with these in my two-channel system. If I were using them in a home theater, however, I might want a sub.
I just bought a pair of the r700 about 4 months ago and absolutely love them. I cant say iv listened to another pair of speakers costing less then 10k that sound better. Great video keep up the great work
First, I'm not an audiophile, but love, love my music and movies. Being retired now for ten years and able to afford to dip my toes into the Hi-End audio realm a bit, I just set up a whole new system with Sonus Faber, Sonetto VIII speakers. I was replacing my old Klipsch RP-280-F speakers which I've really enjoyed for decades. What am I trying to achieve with the Sonus Fabers.....I don't know? They were $7,000 pr. and to be honest, they do defiantly have a deeper, warmer, overall soundstage than the Klipsch's, but in truth, I just wanted to step up a few notches because I can. With companies out there like Wilson Audio, where you can spend $685,000 on a pair of their top of the line speakers, I think the whole audiophile industry is insanely way, way over the top for what they're charging considering the finite nuances my 68 year old ears can actually detect. I've often wondered: If you blind folded five people in the same room, with the same acoustics, using the same supporting equipment, playing five of the same songs over five different Hi-End speakers, could they tell you what they're listening to or could they differentiate between a highly rated $2,000 pr. set of speakers vs. a $10,000 a pair set or something in between?
I reckon a genuine "audiophile" started off being a music lover first & foremost & from a very young age (unless that was just me but i seriously doubt that) Then a genuine audiophile happened to notice by chance, or sought out, or were shown how their own enjoyment of whatever music they like could be vastly elevated, improved upon & indulged in, when they heard it being played through certain hi'fi equipment that they had never previously heard the like of. And maybe they were utterly shocked by how good it could sound & be enjoyed & also shocked by how much more they are emotionally moved by certain music. (unless that was just me but i also seriously doubt that) While a fake "audiophile" is somebody who owns music in some physical form (or accesses music via some vitual digital form) just to listen to their equipment with & love to show it off to others with. If that was my or anyones only motivation to buy hi'fi equipment, then we'd be fake audiophiles & only need 3 or 4 L.P.s (or CDs) max ...just to hear & enjoy "showing off" our equipment with. Maybe some fakes do exist & if so, i pity them for missing out on the love of music which is majestic & transcends price when one considers how buying a 350 thousand £ or $ car is their major love in life
Never try to understand the Audiophile industry or try to explain what things cost or what people spend, this logic can be applied to homes, cars, watches, cameras, televisions, motorcycles bicycles, some costing over 10,000 dollars, comic books, some over 50,000 dollars. If you have never heard a pair of $685,000 speakers be it Wilsons or not in your home with your equipment, you really don’t know, heck we really don’t know. Too often we try to justify other peoples purchases through our own wallets by saying what is or what isn’t too expensive and saying it can’t be better or talking about the laws of diminishing returns. Your wallet will run out far quicker than any piece of audiophile equipment or consumable goods. So then here comes the justification and envy, that person is an Audiophool. If you don’t have that item or have ever heard the item more expensive or not you really don’t know and are guessing. I don’t care about 685,000 speakers that I won’t be buying, but I have no problems in listening to them and congratulating those who can afford them because it takes nothing from my man hood and it doesn’t make me feel any kind of way. I just care about what’s in my system and I make sure that I have the best that I can afford at that time because there is always the used market, what might be 685,000 today might be 300,000 tomorrow if not less. I use reviews only as a guide, relying more on demos, preferably at home. I don’t care what other people have or spend and I have no problems congratulating people who spend 50.00 or 100,000 dollars because it takes nothing away from me or my bank account. We all need to enjoy the hobby for what it is, a hobby and worry less about who hears what or how much someone spends on what. Enjoy the hobby because we have a very short time on this planet. We all hear differently and there are people that love bass more, mid band more and treble more, so yes there will always be someone who can tell a difference between speakers and equipment, but the more important question is, is the difference worth the cost and for some it is. There will always be something better in life that sounds better. What is important is what Andrew Robinson has always said, “The only person that needs to like your system is you”.
The second half goes beyond bonus conversation status. Kristi's take is integral to the channel and I think we all appreciate the candid conversations. Keep 'em coming!
I bought a pair of r700 after your review and FINALLY after almost 5 months of waiting I received them today and oh my me!!! they are killing it... I use them with Yamaha r-n2000a and wow what a sound. Thanks for your great review! I'm going back to revisiting Pink Floyd's discography :)
I paused this video about halfway through the special bonus conversation and became a member because I take this channel and you both seriously. I don't consider myself an audiophile...I just love music and excellent products that help me enjoy it more. Your passion, effort, and the content you bring is more important to me than your "street cred" in a gatekeeping community.
This channel is so refreshing. Thank you both! I have always questioned the prevailing wisdom and attitudes of this hobby, but, for what its worth, one experience in particular laid any self doubt I had to rest. I visited a local hi-end boutique and auditioned a set of speakers on a system worth nearly 3X the value of my own. The audition was behind closed doors, with zero distractions, and I was allowed to listen to whatever I wanted for as long as I wanted. I'll never forget the moment that I realized that the system I was auditioning sounded negligibly better than my system at home. Thank you for telling the truth in your reviews!
I completely agree with the gatekeeper comments about this hobby. When I was 26 (and not nearly as successful as Andrew was), I walked into my neighbourhood stereo shop in Toronto and they had Bryston equipment (local high end gear made in Peterborough). I had heard of but never seen it in person before, so I started to check it out. The shop owner bellowed from behind the counter to stop touching the gear unless I was there to buy it. Insulted, I immediately walked out. That store quite deservedly went out of business, and I’ve never been treated like such a vagrant before nor since. This hobby needs to bring more people in, but unfortunately a lot of it is built on snobbery, wealth, class, and exclusion. Thank you Andrew and Kristi for addressing it, and know that your channel is literally my favourite on all of RUclips. Your videos have sustained me over the last year, and I deeply thank you.
Had the same experience maybe about a year back. I went to a high-end store and wanted to demo a few stuff. Nobody accommodated me well, and when I got the chance to listen to a few tracks, they wouldn't let me play the songs I brought with me. I looked 'too young' to be in the hobby for them (well, I am) and it just so happened that I was wearing casual, baggy clothes that day. Walked into a couple of other stores and the customer service was fantastic. I got about 2 pairs of towers, 4 amps, 4 subs, among other things. Paid in cash. Screw gatekeepers.
Challenged by Kristi, and you rose to the occasion! Great review! (They are on sale at Crutchfield for 895.00 each! They truly seem to be an affordable option for all but the most discerning. Polk used to be a very good speaker manufacturer. IMHO, they become overwhelmed by the home theater phenomenon and became a victim of their own success. Thank you!
I think the tweeter is the only driver that actually Carrie’s over to the Legend series. The rest of the drivers share some similarities, but are built at a cheaper price point. What a great speaker🔈👍🏻
I’ve replayed this review for a lot of people, particularly around the 13 minute mark. It’s a breath of fresh air… I enjoyed your channel before but you took it to another level by going as transparent as you did. Much respect gained! Kudos! ❤️🔥💪🍻
Just bought myself a pair! After 10 mins in the testroom i knew these would be an good upgrade since i wanted to own a new pair of speakers! They will be replacing my Canton Karat S8 DC as fronts, however the subwoofer will stay. The bass didnt go quite deep enough for hardstyle or other heavy electric music, but anything else was insane! Also thanks for the great content! Its sad to hear some companies refuse to work with you guys becus your giving us an honest opinion and with no bias. Everyone should be able to have great sound no matter there budget!
Honestly, your reviews are without a doubt the most knowledgeable I’ve ever heard and without boasting that $80000 worth of gear is necessary. Not to mention your production quality is three times anyone else. You guys are literally the best and I never miss an episode. What am I looking for? Exactly! Idk and that’s why I watch you, because you heard the really expensive and the $200 a pair speakers and amps. You’ve helped me realize that overspending isn’t the answer to reference or near reference quality. For that, thank you.
That discussion with Kristy was one of my favourite moments in all the audio videos I've watched over the last few years (and there have been many). Thank you for that! I have and love the RP8000F (mostly based on your review, which I 100% agreed with!) and now am wondering if going to the Forte 4 is worth the money, it's really expensive here in Canada. Curious how the 8000F mk2 will compare.
Andrew alone is the gold standard. Kristy's contribution and partnership put the channel on a whole other and higher level. They are lucky to have found each other. Luck, but also perspectives that are complementary and respectfully explore complex audio truth. This last conversation started haltingly but ended like the Beethoven 9th. It was passionate and detailed but never brash. Priceless.
Hi Andrew and Kristi, After a near 6 month wait I received my R700 Black Friday deal ($825.00 ea.) and I have to tell you they blew me away. They are paired with an Emotiva XMC-1 and a Crown XLS Drivecore 1502 along with my Plex streaming server hosted in Amsterdam. I didn't do any real tweaking, nor did I apply Dirac treatment. I just set the XMC-1 to reference stereo and enjoyed my jazz playlist for hours last night. You are 100% correct. Placement isn't a huge issue. They're very forgiving on source material and with the exception of only a few "meh" recordings I had goosebumps for the entire listening session. I sold my Klipsch RP 8000F's last year and the R700's just blow them out of the water. I couldn't get the Klipsch's to sound right in my room. Thanks for being our eyes and ears, giving everyone honest advice as having the ability to audition audio equipment is becoming more and more difficult with box stores closing everywhere. All the best, Richard Rigg
FANTASTIC! It’s been a while since I commented on your channel. That’s because I moved from watching using my computer to using my Apple TV and my 55” TV. But this time around, I felt I HAD to take the time to pick up my iPhone, open up the history of watched videos on RUclips and comment. With that introduction, back on topic: As usual, great review. But what really motivated me to add a comment was the extra comments at the end between you and your lady. I mean, there was a bit of everything there (in a very good way). I feel that the opening question completely took you off guard and it was almost like watching a therapy session where the shrink challenges the patient to truly reflect on something important. And you both delivered a very candid and transparent conversation. THANK YOU for that. It was great to watch you guys opening up to the difficulties you face, to the exposure that the channel has, etc. With all that said, I do have a question for you. And you are probably going to immediately think “Hey, you’re asking me to compare Apples to Oranges!” But you know what..? Not really. Both are pairs of speakers, and their job it to deliver sound. So, here it goes: How do these R700 compare to the far costlier La Scala? Thank you so much for the GREAT content that you BOTH put out here for us subscribers. Peace, be well, Raphael
I thank you for the comment. Objectively, if you can believe it, the Polk is capable of feats the LaScala simply isn't, for example bass. The LaScala isn't what I would call a bass-head's dream come true, whereas the R700 is capable of hitting the low notes with a startling amount of finesse. All that said, LaScala's make an almost indescribable emotional connection with the listener --likely due to their near "you are there" sound signature . While by no means perfect (they are not) the LaScala is the type of speaker that becomes difficult to quantify because I fear or feel it will either connect with the listener...or it won't. Whereas the R700 has a more traditional sound, one that is insanely good and well versed that I cannot see a potential listener or customer having much, if anything to complain about in the end. Hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching!
Raphael, - just to be clear that was a bot pretending to be another creator. Hopefully you didn't actually respond. The account was reported and that comment was deleted.
Literally, I have bought these speakers 2 weeks ago. I had wharfedale 4.2 but I wanted stand speakers. I‘ve heard and tested 4 speakers: 1. Polk Reserve R700 2. Paradigm Premier 700F 3. Wharfedale EVO 4.4 4. Focal Aria 948 At the end, it was a difficult choice between Polk and paradigm but I’ve chosen Polk because in stereo without sub it did better. 6 - 7 month ago, I made a mistake and bought musical fidelity’s m2si over Audiolab 8300a. I corrected my mistake. I sold m2si and bought 8300a. The shop where I bought the Polk audio recommended to me to drive the r700 with dual mono block from audio lab in a bi-amp config with my 8300a. But I said no because I am really satisfied with how the Polk are driven by 8300a. 8300a is capable, very neutral and silent amp ( it has the 50hz hum from the transformer which I don’t hear in my listening position). But I should say that I loved the paradigm 700F but the Polk was reduced to 1798 Euro for the pair(yeah you have read it right). I couldn’t look away.
This review epitomized why I continue to support your channel. Honesty, integrity and truthfulness. Because I don’t have a store where I can sample the products, I rely on reviewers to help me with my purchase decision. You have never let me down. You’ve answered my questions and helped guide me to products in my price range. From the KLH model 5’s to the Klipsch Heresy IV’s to receivers, turntables, CD players and even streaming services. What you two bring to the table is your truly honest “opinions” that I’ve found to be accurate and extremely helpful to me. Thank you for what you are doing
Agreed. I especially prefer the dichotomy of industry objectivity AND personal insight/interpretations. You guys essentially provide what other reviewers offer, but with extensive knowledge/expertise and personal feedback while injecting your personas into a well prepared, polished presentation. Accolades may be white noise at this point, but everyone needs to hear praise whenever possible to validate and incentivize their continued efforts. 🙏
Don't change a thing about this channel. You're the number one hifi/av channel for a reason. One thing no other channel has is a Kristi. Her take at the end really makes the videos stand out! I've watched nearly all your videos and I'll be damned if you're channel isn't the most entertaining to watch. Keep up the great work.
When Henry Kloss revealed that after designing an expensive speaker for months, they could get a Radio Shack speaker to sound just as good by using a 10 band equalizer, it pretty much killed any desire to spend lots of money on speakers.
Hi Andrew, these are great sounding speakers for the price. They do sound better than a lot of speakers costing a lot more. You mentioned B&W. I can’t stand B&W at any price. Their brightness is unbearable to me. I have the Dynaudio Contour 60is at $11,000 a pair and the Polks don’t really compare to them. If you ever get a chance to audition the Dynaudio Emit 50’s, at about the same price, you might find that there are at least some manufacturers out there that offer great speakers at a reasonable price. Plus the Emit 50’s are available in white with a more refined and attractive cabinet. Cabinets, drivers and crossovers all made by Dynaudio in Denmark. By the way, your channel is great and I can’t imagine why anyone would complain about your honesty.
AR's reviews are simply awesome. I bought the 700's without listening to them (I was unable to find anywhere in Chicago I could actually listen to them even best buy).
Kristi- great question Andrew- you are human but one of the reason I follow is you don't slap me in the face. My I absolutely believe as you, what makes each you, the individual, makes happy. Don't change, stop worrying . . . Are you tired of me saying great job you two I am motivated make a two drive to listen to them I did spend more money for Martins. I had no other goal than what sounded good to me. I listen to vastly more expensive speakers and yet the Martine's made me happy. At some point I should tell you about working for Greg Shugg and how that related to Polk's Audio
As usual it's a great review as it stands. However, the bonus conversation might be the best I heared so far. Love the point Kristi makes and how you two go in depth here. Great stuff!
I watch you and Kristi regularly and enjoyed this review as it seems heartfelt, honest and not swayed by the price of the Polk R700. My question is "what centre(Canadian spelling) channel did you use with them"?
Been watching tons of your video but the conversation at the end about gate keeping got me to subscribe to your channel. Love honest and meaningful content.
First off , I think this was your best video ever. Thank you for this video, excellent work. Anyway , I want to tell you I've been in this business for 25 years. I hear everything your saying and I get the words your not speaking. Thank you for all your words and honesty. Anyway, I have been considering the Monitor Audio Silver 500 and the Polk Reserve 700. I really want to demo both of them and see what I would think. Monitor Audio is a fantastic line that I hold pretty dear to my heart. The Polk lines over the decades I grew up with and have own many Polk speakers. I grew away from them decades ago but always keep my ear to the ground of what they are up to. I met most of the polk grew along time ago and got a tour from someone I knew there who ran the place. Anyway I really want to demo the entire Reserve line and do wish they had better finish options like the R700 coming in white, they don't. I wish they had more finish options. Thanks again, your my favorite Audio Video channel. I'm glad your doing RUclips over writing for magazines.
Daniel Hunsinger I think that I am much like you are in terms of audio and particularly agree that I wish Polk had a slightly different approach to their finish options. Their speakers IMHO have always excelled in that most important facet of speaker manufacturing,that being how they sound. I don't have any qualms about their build quality either. About the only thing I have ever thought that Polk could up their game is in the aesthetics department.
@@richardwestmoreland4796 Without seeing them in person, the Black color looks like entry level Subwoofer finish. I could be wrong but that's what it looks like in pictures and video. Not offering the entire line in White is also a mistake I think they made. Finish is one of the most important parts of a speaker. I want to find somewhere I can go to listen and see them in person. This is becoming harder and harder these days.
Polk bring back the white speakers. I would have purchased the R700 in white for my living room but because no white I purchased a different brand. (I have Legends in my home theatre L800,L600,L400, R900). The white is so sexy. Bring it back!!!!
I've been following you two since your were doing the $5 vinyl finds and you have gotten better and better each time. This is one of the best RUclips channels out there and your honest, down to earth, reviews and dialog are refreshing. Keep it going I do love what you two do. Thank you.
The only one I have to please is me when it comes to my A/V equipment."If it makes me smile it becomes my child" The reason I watch reviewers, especially you on a given piece of equipment is to see if I can respect the reviewers opinion. This requires three things. Firstly, that I get a clear sense that you respect me as a genuine consumer. Secondly, that the reviewer respects variance of opinions and lastly that the reviewer respects himself. You Andrew as well as your wife get big thumbs up in all these things I mention above. I always feel comfortable watching your videos and it comes through very clearly that you have high respect for your audience. Keep up the good work, we need people like you and your wife to continue give us honest, caring and thoughtful reviews 🙂
Hi Andrew just Purchased a pair of Polk R700s They sound amazing especially percussion instruments and drums really a true sound thank you for the review it was awesome
This was my first video I ever watch on your channel. You seem so nice, professional and knowledgable. My local dealer recommended your channel. You also answers many people their questions. Can I humbly ask you one? What's your take on triangle speakers? I just bought Borea br08 and I love them :)
Ive paired the R700s with a cheap Crown XLS 2502 and a Topping D90SE DAC acting as a pre in a showroom and Im going to pair up my future R700s with the exact same combo. Gate keep that!!!!!
Kristi and Andrew, I love all your reviews. Your “best of” episode led me to this episode. I truly want to say that you made this tech professional an audiophile. I’ve learned so much from you. You all are amazing. I wish you the most success.
Hi all! Just a warning about Polk's warranty and customer service... We purchased the r700 from crutchfield (excellent customer service) about 8 months ago and have only been using them for approximately 3 weeks. One of the speakers has an awful buzzing from one of the woofers right from the start. The speakers are under warranty. Polk would not send us a replacement speaker or send a technician out to fix the speaker. They only offered us a replacement woofer and instructions on how to replace it ourselves. Crutchfield would have been willing to send a new speaker, but they are out of stock with no known stocking date. It is very disappointing to get a broken speaker from Polk and an unsatisfactory rectification of our problem.
I’ve got a pair of the R200s, thanks in part to your review and they are absolutely fantastic. I’m feeding them with my Parasound HCA-1500a and they really respond well to adequate power.
Andrew and Kristi, I’ve been watching many of your videos and I will honestly say I love your viewpoint’s and the details and depth of your in which you relay them. You’ve inspired me. You’ve reinvigorated my journey into listening to quality HIFI music again. I setup my system again and am looking forward to endless hours of quality audio. Keep up with your journey and please continue to keep it honest. Thank you! ❤
Wasze podejście do produktu z dziedziny audio daje nadzieję że kupię dobry sprzęt. Mam dość marketingowego bełkotu i dlatego u Was czuję się jak w domu. Dziękuję Wam! Pozdrawiam z Polski
*I will be purchasing 3 of them and use the CROWN XLS DRIVE CORE 2 for the power. And probably will go with a Dayton Audio Reference 12" Sub + Enclosure, fire towards the ceiling, being as though in recording/mastering I am only 6 feet away from the rig. My RME I/O are going to fall in love! CANT WAIT!!!! Finally found replacement for my MONITOR AUDIO SILVER RS6's*
After some rigorous hunting down singles from two different places because so many said SOLD OUT, I finally got a pair yesterday. Listened rather unimpressed until late last night. Spent a lot of time tweaking sound different from my B&W CM-10's. Got up early and couldn't wait to get them cranked back up, so I just got SXM going on the Roku and let them play for a few more hours. I noticed they were starting to come alive, more spacious, effortless, but seemed a little boomy. So I opened the app for my SVS SB3000 sub and took it off the Music preset and it immediately sounded better. These speakers need very little if any sub, so I basically set the sub to play anything BELOW what the speakers won't, and that with a lot of tweaking to the EQ in my Yamaha Aventage RX-A3080, which I plan to keep and not upgrade to the newer one, in two channel stereo listening, these Polks are HEVEANLY now. Dare I say approaching that hallowed "HIGH END" sound. I LOVE them, and I'm sure they'll just sweeten up even more as time goes by. But I trusted your review and you were SPOT ON, they are PHENOMINAL. THANK YOU for the review. I've been looking for a couple YEARS for something new. Not that the B&W are bad, I just wanted something different, and lo and behold these are not only different but BETTER, and for HALF what I paid for the B&W. The only issue I had was when unboxing, I noticed the split in the vinyl wrap in the back, it was actually even coming lose. I had to take a black sharpie and color in the crack to it wasn't that evident, and smooth the wrap back down best I could, even though it really wasn't sticking, it was at least flat. But if that's the only issue, I'm still a VERY happy camper. PS: I plan on adding a pair of those Emotiva XPA HC-1's. Thankfully the Yamaha has L&R XLR pre outs.
I have owned these loudspeakers for 6 months now and have also owned electrostatic and planar magnetic units. I have auditioned models from Wilson, Vandersteen, mbl, and the list goes on. I rank the R700s as among the best. I’m not even talking price. I have been in high-end audio for three decades now and have also been a manufacturer of high end speakers. Polk nailed it with this model! Enough said…
Yes! The Polks sound perfectly wonderful and hold up quite well against the most exotic and expensive products available and thru the years I've heard a lot of very expensive speakers. I am not impressed by a speaker that costs more than a car or even a nice house and sounds good. A speaker that an average person can actually afford that sounds amazing is impressive. Thank you Polk Audio!
Never comment, but thought I might do so here. This was one of the most honest and forthcoming talks I've seen on this topic, and the part with Kristi was really fascinating. Aside from the topic itself (which was great), I think it really speaks to your personalities and relationship with each other when a) she's not afraid to say anything to you, even if she knows it's not going to be an easy conversation, and b) the way you never interrupt her and really listen to what she's saying. I think that speaks volumes about you both as people, and it also shows a respect to your audience that you are willing to just bare yourselves in front of everyone like that. About the 'gatekeeping', yeah, I get that sometimes, and not only in hifi. In some ways I suppose it's unavoidable (at least to some degree), and I guess it's up to each of us to take it seriously or not. Don't want to wait on me? I'll gladly shop elsewhere or consider another brand. I've got my little system here and I'm happy with it, and that's good enough for me. Though I do want another amp that I don't really need...haha! Thanks guys for keeping it real!
Thanks for your review of the R700s. I especially like the conversation that you and Kristi had at the end. I love a phenomenal surround sound experience. There is such a large plethora of speakers out there and i found that maybe 90% of them are just crazy expensive and that has alway bothered me. I have watch a lot of you speaker reviews in 2022. This review convinced me to upgrade my very old Polk RT800i towers to Polks R700s. I purchased them January 2023 from Audio Advice over the internet. I also went ahead and bought two Outlaw 2220 monoblocks to power the R700s and they sound phenomenal. Thank you for all of your reveiws.
Andrew, not only are you one of the most knowledgeable people who review online, you’re by far the most eloquent. It’s like listening to Churchill rally the nation. Cheers, from Canberra - Australia. P.S. Kristy is correct, it’s just snobbery and it’s rife and it’s something I think of in this way: Wolves don’t bother themselves with the opinions of Sheep.
Got my r700 three days ago. All I can say is WOW. It is sooo freakin good. I’ve been practically mesmerized listing to songs I’ve heard hundreds of times! Thanks for the review Andrew. I was about to upgrade my Klipsch R600m ii to the 8000f. Love this sound!
Yeah, I'm drooling over Dali's Epicon series. I have auditioned them, I think they sound great, and I think they're gorgeous. They're also unique-looking enough that lots of people will really not like the looks. I have the Epicon 2s (book shelf) but it's really hard to argue that going up to the floor versions (Epicon 6) is money well spent as that puts you in territory where you could buy a very decent complete home cinema package. From what I understand Dali's packaging was bad so you don't review their products (I had no complaints with my packaging, but book shelves are another thing than floor speakers). Still, I'd absolutely love if you got a hold of the Epicon 6 or even Epicon 8. One can dream :).
Andrew, I am a DJ/Audio Head; I know a good thing when I hear it bro and I have been around some of the best sounding HiFi thanks to a family member who taught me what to listen for in music about 35 years ago. Having said that I appreciate your honesty and spot on reviews, 2 thumbs up; you and Kristi keep up the good work. The R700s' sound better than the Wilson Audios' my friend owns that cost almost 4 times as much. I listened to them in an untreated room and was blown away! So I ordered a pair for my home theater. In short U were Right.
Don’t change a thing with this channel. A real living room, not some dedicated listen environment; like most people. Some high end stuff to dream about, but mostly attainable goods, spoken about in real world terms. And I agree with the how much better does money get you question; the data and testing is out there, good sounding speakers are a formula now. Aesthetics can change, but they are kinda like a printer. How much better (for a higher price) can you make them? Not much. Good performance just gets cheaper now.
I Almost never comment on videos, but this is hands down the best review I’ve watched on any product. Seeing you go off topic to identify what I think is the biggest issue in this industry was extremely gratifying. I too have experienced “gate keeping”. It’s absolutely mind boggling how any business survives while alienating potential customers. I was considering the new 700 series 3 line from B&W, but the local dealer quite frankly has a bunch of condescending tools turning their nose up at customers in their showroom. I just want a speaker that will give me noticeable improvement on my old 604 S3s. The R700 is now on my list for auditions. Thank you for this review.
I listened to both, but I can compare them from memory only (different places - same day), the 700 S3 has more details and more high-end and unique sound, while R700 is almost as good as them, but I didn't hear anything special besides their price
Do not sell yourselves short on your influence. Keep the authenticity going. It's refreshing. This is in reference to your comments later in the review. If I were a speaker manufacturer I would have my ear to to YOUR ground at all times.
I stay away from absolutes and superlatives. But damn it... Best review you guys have ever done. I understand where you're coming from. Amazing episode. You just set up a new standard.
The gatekeeping I'm sure is a huge reason why there are no longer any brick & morter hi-fi shops around. I live in Memphis, a pretty big city, and I don't know of one hi-fi shop here. Excuse me while I Google this... Ok, there's a few, but it looks like they specialize in providing video/audio/lighting for churches and that type of installation, not home audio. There's a still a bunch of car audio shops though.
Thank you Andrew for your awesome work. I bought the R700 after watching your review and I am beyond happy with my new speaker. My current amplifier is the Rotel RA-12 (60w). How much of an improvement would it be to replace it with the Rotel RA-1592 mkii ? I listen mostly at low volume (65-75 db) so it's not like the RA-12 can't drive them loud enough, but I feel like I'm leaving potential on the table. Thanks!
Wow, that video hit hard on so many levels. Great job to the both of you! So many mic drop moments throughout this video. Preach on 🙏 ... I think that Andrew, along with myself, need to go cry in a corner for a bit now while we question the meaning of our lives... 😅 The hobby needs more of this real talk, keep it up! 🍻
Honestly, I love your videos, not just the data & points of the speakers but what your heart and gut tell you about them! I love the fact that you compared it to the Kplisch to these Polk - just bravo because I was thinking about it before we got to this part of the video and was pleasantly surprised and ECSTATIC you made the comparison and that you gave your OPINION on which one is better, most reviewers leave it as "you decide" which is hard since most people don't have the ability to listen to both? MAKING NEUTRAL REVIEWS USELESS! This is what makes your channel and review method so great. The reality is most people haven't heard as many speakers with different amps and receivers as you have, making your TAKE, your review all the more VALUABLE. Thank you, Andrew, your attention to detail and your ability to compare speakers to the macro speaker environment is bar none.
Great review! I like your style. Would you have an idea of how these compare with Wharfedale Evo 4.4? Thanks! Keep up the good work! I’ll keep watching and recommending your channel.
Andrew, great name by the way. I would like to add a few comments, especially regarding your wrap up with Christie. Firstly you and your team have an excellent, balanced podcast and one of the most important takeaways for me after watching a review is trust. What Christie said at the end was extremely intuitive and important. Your response was very raw and truthful and I fully respect you for that. I do however question your purpose and what you are trying to accomplish with your show. My comment may sound rather negative but it is not, it is to remind you that your podcast is more important now than ever. As Technology is now capable of delivering a high end, affordable Hi-Fi audio experience, it still needs confirmation and validation by someone like you, experienced and passionate about the Hi-Fi world. ‘the only person who has to like your system is you’, great byline. Too many people use cash as the deciding factor. But value is the most important element of any purchase or investment, and that value is tripled when you share it with someone special.
Double PS. The Triangle Borea 9s cost about the Same amount, Similar specs Both are sold at Adorama. That would be a interesting Compare. Are you going to Review any of the Triangle speaker lines in the Future??
Great review guys. I been a polk fan for a minute and to be honest I have other speakers brand but no matter what I still come back to my polk speakers. They are just that GOOD! I still got my polk monitor 4 or my fx1 30 bipole speakers because they are just awesome. Kristi is right alot us don't have much money and we always going to come back to company or speaker brand who's been good to us and they built right.
Always on the search for an guter upgrade for my KEF Q500 which I really love, except for the obvious lack of bass and scale. Really high quality sound. The R700 really seems like a "more affordable" upgrade than the KEF R7 e.g. Found your reviews always to be honest and helpful and love to get Kristi's opinion on top. She really carries her heart on the tongue 👅. Really glad you both used your reach to spread the word! Kudos 👍👍
For once I bought speakers without listening.....after positive reviews...my R700...R400 center in black are with me...for about 2 weeks now...I love these Polk's,paired with XPA 2 running Anthem AVM 70...no regrets 😂
To answer your question at the end, for me it would depend on the room. I am facing this decision at the present time. My wife and I are about to begin building a new home. My current speakers in my main listening room are Zu Audio Essence speakers. I like them a lot and I’m also aware of the criticism of those speakers. However, in the new room I’m considering speakers that will have a more pleasing finish and look because it will be a main room of the house. If I was in the market for new floor standing speakers in my current listening room I would probably buy the Polk R700s. In the new room, I would still consider them and would probably try to look and listen to them in person. My final decision will be a mixture of sound and appearance that will possibly cost more money.
I recently bought the r700s plus the r400s plus the r900s (as surrounds).. plus 2 pairs of polk rc80i for atmos.. waiting eagerly for these to be delivered and installed.. i auditioned the r700 at my local retailer and was blown away.. listened to some stevie ray vaughn, hendrix, beat it by mj, some metallica, sadie, fleetwood mac, bob marley, norah jones, steely dan, rhcp... whatever i threw at it, these speakers just kicked ass.. speakers i compared to included focal (theva and vestia), kef (q750 and r7), sonus faber (lumina), q acoustics (5040), dynaudio emit and some dalis... The choice was as clear as night and day! Thanks for your review, i would have never heard of these speakers otherwise!
There seems to a be a solid niche for your channel in covering audio equipment that lies between that covered by Cheap Audio Man and the more traditional high-end and audiophile channels. Products which many of us can still afford while offering a mix of sound quality, design, and luxury that is impossible in true budget gear. I think honest reviews, and useful recommendations, are anathema to the "high end" audio industry because most of the industry are selling BS . The term "high end" means only one thing: expensive. When a company describes itself or it's products this way it is a clear indication that they have no goal other than being expensive for the sake of being expensive, and everything else is just a justification. In contrast, when a company describe their products as "high fidelity" it means they are at least _trying_ to reproduce music as accurately as possible. Or conversely, if they talk about luxury it indicates that their focus is on design, build quality, and exotic materials. The pretentiousness and vindictiveness Kristi describes does exist in other industries, not mass market focused industries, but luxury industries that focus on image over performance. A prime example being the luxury watch industry.
Thanks for this review- I put together a 7.1 system using the R700s, R400, R100 for surrounds and R900 atmos last fall, and have been very satisfied. Not sure if I’d recommend the atmos speakers since the R700 soundstage is already so awesome. Sometimes when I’m listening in stereo I get up to make sure the center speaker isn’t actually on. These all go on sale every few months it seems, so keep an eye out if interested. Andrew, I power these with an Onkyo RZ50- do you think I’d get a tangible benefit from adding a pre-amp?
This review really surprised me when Kristi and you started chatting.. I heard something I didn't expect from a "review" FEELINGS. Honestly guys. WOW!!!!!
Sorry I'm a bit slow in understanding what the issue discussed is; what are these "things" you would like to do, and why are producers not willing to send you these things? Because they don't want to get an honest review? Because you are associated with the modern consumer of moderate means? Don't let the b@stards get you down! F#@k them all 😊
BEST video to date. Why?? As a frugal, best for the money (cheap) kind of guy I feel ultra high end gear is only obtainable for a very small percentage of the population so what is the point. Many people could afford the R 700's but how many could afford a pair of Wilson's? That's why the new Chevrolet C 8 Corvette is selling like hot cakes...many people can afford it but only a select few can afford that Ferrari. Keep up the good work. I love ALL your videos.
20:16 - .. YYEEESSS !!!! .... Gate Keeper Snobbery ... Like.. " who the F%&$ do you think you are? " **sorry.. this toxicity annoys me .and I express out of empathy for everyone else who gets shafted by these ' Self-Important Egomaniacs '.. It's soo bad.
I am curious how the R700 compare to the Focal Aria 926’s? I am currently using Polk Audio Rti’s in a 5.2.2 paired with dual Defiance X12’s for subs and I am looking to upgrade. The reserve line does not have a dedicated rear surround speaker so if I went with Polk I would continue to use my LSi M 702 FX’s.
In my opinion, spending more will usually get you a better product. The big question is, how much better? 75%? 50%? 5%? 1%? Usually as you go up, the % gets smaller. A pair of these will run $2k. Is it worth another $14k for a pair that'll only improve 1%? I enjoy your content because I can hear the passion in your voice. AV equipment is meant to bring art, whether it is music alone or audio in a movie, to us. Art is meant to invoke emotion. To rely only on numbers would be to ignore the art and would miss a large part of what we're hearing and feeling, what we're trying to accomplish with AV equipment. Also, I love how Kristi always seems to catch you off-guard.
I know Kristi has been in on the reviews for a while but I just want to say, her views and opinions are part of what make this channel special. Having two people with differing preferences listening to the same system in the same room is so valuable. Thanks again for a fantastic review guys.
@@joeykitty2892 So my opinion is chasing the diminishing returns is a fools errand. I wouldn't spend more to get barely any improvement because your ears adjust to what you have and tend to prefer it anyway. Now, spending more for better build quality and thus appearance, I can understand. Something like the Sibelius being hand built with thick solid oak could absolutely be worth it.
Yep, I also always watch to the end for Kristi's opinion as well. There aren't nearly as many women in audio as I would like, so I won't pass on the chance of hearing a women's opinion if I can. To be honest, upgrading really DOES make a difference, but when you start adding up the costs... Brr. I love products like the R700's!
Love the convo at the end between you both! Let the gatekeepers go pound sand, in this or any other industry or hobby. They are zombies, just walking dead. It isn't just hifi, IMO. Cheers to you!
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Morning to the both of you.... :)
... this might be the 2nd time I've posted.
@@Labor_Jones All good Marvin! Thanks for tuning in!
@@Labor_Jones Thank you for joining us today, Marvin!
@P T The point isn't that the tweeter is attempting to make it seam like we can hear above 20kHz, it's about the fact that the tweeter can reproduce those frequencies meaning it doesn't roll off as strongly as tweeters that cannot extend beyond 20kHz. Make sense?
Honestly there are MANY OTHER Critics that are saying things similar.
... YOU (Andrew) have said twice now that so far as straight on this product XXX is about as good as it gets TWIST is what I think THE INDUSTRY freaks out about. So, to me, If I were those *other companies.* I'd be breaking your DOOR DOWN to get you to Test my Product so I can PROVE you were wrong!
.... There in lay the 2nd Caveat to the puzzle, which is don't wake sleeping dog (the public) that it's equipment is far from sonically better as a whole but cost a whole lot more.
THE FUNNY THING is I don't agree with your assessment Andrew _BUT_ I do agree that anyone who is ditching you from products to review of theirs have more to fear than they think. THE OTHER CRITICS may not have done what you have done, but they do often say along the lines of what you're talking about.
Okay, (I don't have any rights to, but) Steve Guttenberg approach seems to be if it's interesting to him he might review an item, and if it's uninteresting like the KLH Model 5 he said, Paraphrasing, "They don't have anything I really want to review."
Now was that true he had the chance or was it SOUR GRAPES.... ;)
1. Polk really needs to restock these in white
2. I like Kristy coming out with that truth bomb and you being so honest and vulnerable. Thank you for sharing this moment with us and being raw.
This was the most revealing review to date. I appreciate your effort and occasionally get blown away by Kristi's insight all around. Was super glad to hear the Emotiva reveiw. Now, if you have the opportunity to get Tekton to review-life is complete.
Agreed I’d love to see some Tekton review happening 👊🏻
I agree amazing vid.
For what it’s worth, to anyone who sees this, I bought the R700s on this review and couldn’t be happier. Thanks A & K.
Do you have them with a sub or all alone? I’m thinking of these for my living room. It’s not a huge space.
@@carlosfranco no sub. Don’t feel it’s necessary with these in my two-channel system. If I were using them in a home theater, however, I might want a sub.
What amplification are you using with your Polks?
@@richardcranford5604 Cayin A-100T.
How does it work for dual purposes? 2 channel and home theater. What is a good match for the center channel for the perfect match? Thanks?
I just bought a pair of the r700 about 4 months ago and absolutely love them. I cant say iv listened to another pair of speakers costing less then 10k that sound better. Great video keep up the great work
First, I'm not an audiophile, but love, love my music and movies. Being retired now for ten years and able to afford to dip my toes into the Hi-End audio realm a bit, I just set up a whole new system with Sonus Faber, Sonetto VIII speakers. I was replacing my old Klipsch RP-280-F speakers which I've really enjoyed for decades. What am I trying to achieve with the Sonus Fabers.....I don't know? They were $7,000 pr. and to be honest, they do defiantly have a deeper, warmer, overall soundstage than the Klipsch's, but in truth, I just wanted to step up a few notches because I can. With companies out there like Wilson Audio, where you can spend $685,000 on a pair of their top of the line speakers, I think the whole audiophile industry is insanely way, way over the top for what they're charging considering the finite nuances my 68 year old ears can actually detect. I've often wondered: If you blind folded five people in the same room, with the same acoustics, using the same supporting equipment, playing five of the same songs over five different Hi-End speakers, could they tell you what they're listening to or could they differentiate between a highly rated $2,000 pr. set of speakers vs. a $10,000 a pair set or something in between?
I reckon a genuine "audiophile" started off being a music lover first & foremost & from a very young age (unless that was just me but i seriously doubt that) Then a genuine audiophile happened to notice by chance, or sought out, or were shown how their own enjoyment of whatever music they like could be vastly elevated, improved upon & indulged in, when they heard it being played through certain hi'fi equipment that they had never previously heard the like of. And maybe they were utterly shocked by how good it could sound & be enjoyed & also shocked by how much more they are emotionally moved by certain music. (unless that was just me but i also seriously doubt that)
While a fake "audiophile" is somebody who owns music in some physical form (or accesses music via some vitual digital form) just to listen to their equipment with & love to show it off to others with.
If that was my or anyones only motivation to buy hi'fi equipment, then we'd be fake audiophiles & only need 3 or 4 L.P.s (or CDs) max ...just to hear & enjoy "showing off" our equipment with. Maybe some fakes do exist & if so, i pity them for missing out on the love of music which is majestic & transcends price when one considers how buying a 350 thousand £ or $ car is their major love in life
Never try to understand the Audiophile industry or try to explain what things cost or what people spend, this logic can be applied to homes, cars, watches, cameras, televisions, motorcycles bicycles, some costing over 10,000 dollars, comic books, some over 50,000 dollars. If you have never heard a pair of $685,000 speakers be it Wilsons or not in your home with your equipment, you really don’t know, heck we really don’t know.
Too often we try to justify other peoples purchases through our own wallets by saying what is or what isn’t too expensive and saying it can’t be better or talking about the laws of diminishing returns. Your wallet will run out far quicker than any piece of audiophile equipment or consumable goods. So then here comes the justification and envy, that person is an Audiophool. If you don’t have that item or have ever heard the item more expensive or not you really don’t know and are guessing.
I don’t care about 685,000 speakers that I won’t be buying, but I have no problems in listening to them and congratulating those who can afford them because it takes nothing from my man hood and it doesn’t make me feel any kind of way. I just care about what’s in my system and I make sure that I have the best that I can afford at that time because there is always the used market, what might be 685,000 today might be 300,000 tomorrow if not less.
I use reviews only as a guide, relying more on demos, preferably at home. I don’t care what other people have or spend and I have no problems congratulating people who spend 50.00 or 100,000 dollars because it takes nothing away from me or my bank account. We all need to enjoy the hobby for what it is, a hobby and worry less about who hears what or how much someone spends on what. Enjoy the hobby because we have a very short time on this planet.
We all hear differently and there are people that love bass more, mid band more and treble more, so yes there will always be someone who can tell a difference between speakers and equipment, but the more important question is, is the difference worth the cost and for some it is. There will always be something better in life that sounds better. What is important is what Andrew Robinson has always said, “The only person that needs to like your system is you”.
The second half goes beyond bonus conversation status. Kristi's take is integral to the channel and I think we all appreciate the candid conversations. Keep 'em coming!
100% agree!
I bought a pair of r700 after your review and FINALLY after almost 5 months of waiting I received them today and oh my me!!! they are killing it... I use them with Yamaha r-n2000a and wow what a sound. Thanks for your great review! I'm going back to revisiting Pink Floyd's discography :)
Nice!! I just literally ordered the same combination today!! Can't wait!!
@@scottseven let me know what you think when you'll get it and experience it :)
I paused this video about halfway through the special bonus conversation and became a member because I take this channel and you both seriously. I don't consider myself an audiophile...I just love music and excellent products that help me enjoy it more. Your passion, effort, and the content you bring is more important to me than your "street cred" in a gatekeeping community.
We really appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you around more!
This channel is so refreshing. Thank you both! I have always questioned the prevailing wisdom and attitudes of this hobby, but, for what its worth, one experience in particular laid any self doubt I had to rest. I visited a local hi-end boutique and auditioned a set of speakers on a system worth nearly 3X the value of my own. The audition was behind closed doors, with zero distractions, and I was allowed to listen to whatever I wanted for as long as I wanted. I'll never forget the moment that I realized that the system I was auditioning sounded negligibly better than my system at home. Thank you for telling the truth in your reviews!
I completely agree with the gatekeeper comments about this hobby. When I was 26 (and not nearly as successful as Andrew was), I walked into my neighbourhood stereo shop in Toronto and they had Bryston equipment (local high end gear made in Peterborough). I had heard of but never seen it in person before, so I started to check it out. The shop owner bellowed from behind the counter to stop touching the gear unless I was there to buy it. Insulted, I immediately walked out. That store quite deservedly went out of business, and I’ve never been treated like such a vagrant before nor since.
This hobby needs to bring more people in, but unfortunately a lot of it is built on snobbery, wealth, class, and exclusion. Thank you Andrew and Kristi for addressing it, and know that your channel is literally my favourite on all of RUclips. Your videos have sustained me over the last year, and I deeply thank you.
Had the same experience maybe about a year back. I went to a high-end store and wanted to demo a few stuff. Nobody accommodated me well, and when I got the chance to listen to a few tracks, they wouldn't let me play the songs I brought with me. I looked 'too young' to be in the hobby for them (well, I am) and it just so happened that I was wearing casual, baggy clothes that day.
Walked into a couple of other stores and the customer service was fantastic. I got about 2 pairs of towers, 4 amps, 4 subs, among other things. Paid in cash. Screw gatekeepers.
Challenged by Kristi, and you rose to the occasion! Great review! (They are on sale at Crutchfield for 895.00 each! They truly seem to be an affordable option for all but the most discerning. Polk used to be a very good speaker manufacturer. IMHO, they become overwhelmed by the home theater phenomenon and became a victim of their own success. Thank you!
I think the tweeter is the only driver that actually Carrie’s over to the Legend series. The rest of the drivers share some similarities, but are built at a cheaper price point. What a great speaker🔈👍🏻
You may be right, nevertheless I think the Reserve Series is better than the Legend. Thanks for joining us!
I’ve replayed this review for a lot of people, particularly around the 13 minute mark. It’s a breath of fresh air… I enjoyed your channel before but you took it to another level by going as transparent as you did. Much respect gained! Kudos! ❤️🔥💪🍻
After watching the review and a few others I decided to get the R700 by Polk and both my wife and I are extremely happy.
Just bought myself a pair!
After 10 mins in the testroom i knew these would be an good upgrade since i wanted to own a new pair of speakers!
They will be replacing my Canton Karat S8 DC as fronts, however the subwoofer will stay.
The bass didnt go quite deep enough for hardstyle or other heavy electric music, but anything else was insane!
Also thanks for the great content! Its sad to hear some companies refuse to work with you guys becus your giving us an honest opinion and with no bias. Everyone should be able to have great sound no matter there budget!
Honestly, your reviews are without a doubt the most knowledgeable I’ve ever heard and without boasting that $80000 worth of gear is necessary. Not to mention your production quality is three times anyone else. You guys are literally the best and I never miss an episode. What am I looking for? Exactly! Idk and that’s why I watch you, because you heard the really expensive and the $200 a pair speakers and amps. You’ve helped me realize that overspending isn’t the answer to reference or near reference quality. For that, thank you.
That discussion with Kristy was one of my favourite moments in all the audio videos I've watched over the last few years (and there have been many). Thank you for that! I have and love the RP8000F (mostly based on your review, which I 100% agreed with!) and now am wondering if going to the Forte 4 is worth the money, it's really expensive here in Canada. Curious how the 8000F mk2 will compare.
Andrew alone is the gold standard. Kristy's contribution and partnership put the channel on a whole other and higher level. They are lucky to have found each other. Luck, but also perspectives that are complementary and respectfully explore complex audio truth. This last conversation started haltingly but ended like the Beethoven 9th. It was passionate and detailed but never brash. Priceless.
Hi Andrew and Kristi, After a near 6 month wait I received my R700 Black Friday deal ($825.00 ea.) and I have to tell you they blew me away. They are paired with an Emotiva XMC-1 and a Crown XLS Drivecore 1502 along with my Plex streaming server hosted in Amsterdam. I didn't do any real tweaking, nor did I apply Dirac treatment. I just set the XMC-1 to reference stereo and enjoyed my jazz playlist for hours last night. You are 100% correct. Placement isn't a huge issue. They're very forgiving on source material and with the exception of only a few "meh" recordings I had goosebumps for the entire listening session. I sold my Klipsch RP 8000F's last year and the R700's just blow them out of the water. I couldn't get the Klipsch's to sound right in my room.
Thanks for being our eyes and ears, giving everyone honest advice as having the ability to audition audio equipment is becoming more and more difficult with box stores closing everywhere.
All the best, Richard Rigg
FANTASTIC!
It’s been a while since I commented on your channel. That’s because I moved from watching using my computer to using my Apple TV and my 55” TV. But this time around, I felt I HAD to take the time to pick up my iPhone, open up the history of watched videos on RUclips and comment.
With that introduction, back on topic:
As usual, great review. But what really motivated me to add a comment was the extra comments at the end between you and your lady. I mean, there was a bit of everything there (in a very good way). I feel that the opening question completely took you off guard and it was almost like watching a therapy session where the shrink challenges the patient to truly reflect on something important. And you both delivered a very candid and transparent conversation. THANK YOU for that. It was great to watch you guys opening up to the difficulties you face, to the exposure that the channel has, etc.
With all that said, I do have a question for you. And you are probably going to immediately think “Hey, you’re asking me to compare Apples to Oranges!” But you know what..? Not really. Both are pairs of speakers, and their job it to deliver sound. So, here it goes:
How do these R700 compare to the far costlier La Scala?
Thank you so much for the GREAT content that you BOTH put out here for us subscribers.
Peace, be well, Raphael
I thank you for the comment. Objectively, if you can believe it, the Polk is capable of feats the LaScala simply isn't, for example bass. The LaScala isn't what I would call a bass-head's dream come true, whereas the R700 is capable of hitting the low notes with a startling amount of finesse. All that said, LaScala's make an almost indescribable emotional connection with the listener --likely due to their near "you are there" sound signature . While by no means perfect (they are not) the LaScala is the type of speaker that becomes difficult to quantify because I fear or feel it will either connect with the listener...or it won't. Whereas the R700 has a more traditional sound, one that is insanely good and well versed that I cannot see a potential listener or customer having much, if anything to complain about in the end. Hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching!
Raphael, - just to be clear that was a bot pretending to be another creator. Hopefully you didn't actually respond. The account was reported and that comment was deleted.
Literally, I have bought these speakers 2 weeks ago. I had wharfedale 4.2 but I wanted stand speakers. I‘ve heard and tested 4 speakers:
1. Polk Reserve R700
2. Paradigm Premier 700F
3. Wharfedale EVO 4.4
4. Focal Aria 948
At the end, it was a difficult choice between Polk and paradigm but I’ve chosen Polk because in stereo without sub it did better. 6 - 7 month ago, I made a mistake and bought musical fidelity’s m2si over Audiolab 8300a. I corrected my mistake. I sold m2si and bought 8300a. The shop where I bought the Polk audio recommended to me to drive the r700 with dual mono block from audio lab in a bi-amp config with my 8300a. But I said no because I am really satisfied with how the Polk are driven by 8300a. 8300a is capable, very neutral and silent amp ( it has the 50hz hum from the transformer which I don’t hear in my listening position). But I should say that I loved the paradigm 700F but the Polk was reduced to 1798 Euro for the pair(yeah you have read it right). I couldn’t look away.
This review epitomized why I continue to support your channel. Honesty, integrity and truthfulness. Because I don’t have a store where I can sample the products, I rely on reviewers to help me with my purchase decision. You have never let me down. You’ve answered my questions and helped guide me to products in my price range. From the KLH model 5’s to the Klipsch Heresy IV’s to receivers, turntables, CD players and even streaming services.
What you two bring to the table is your truly honest “opinions” that I’ve found to be accurate and extremely helpful to me.
Thank you for what you are doing
Thank you so much Gary! Appreciate that!
Agreed. I especially prefer the dichotomy of industry objectivity AND personal insight/interpretations. You guys essentially provide what other reviewers offer, but with extensive knowledge/expertise and personal feedback while injecting your personas into a well prepared, polished presentation. Accolades may be white noise at this point, but everyone needs to hear praise whenever possible to validate and incentivize their continued efforts. 🙏
Don't change a thing about this channel. You're the number one hifi/av channel for a reason. One thing no other channel has is a Kristi. Her take at the end really makes the videos stand out! I've watched nearly all your videos and I'll be damned if you're channel isn't the most entertaining to watch. Keep up the great work.
What's your answer to the question?
When Henry Kloss revealed that after designing an expensive speaker for months, they could get a Radio Shack speaker to sound just as good by using a 10 band equalizer, it pretty much killed any desire to spend lots of money on speakers.
🤔🤫😬
Hi Andrew, these are great sounding speakers for the price. They do sound better than a lot of speakers costing a lot more. You mentioned B&W. I can’t stand B&W at any price. Their brightness is unbearable to me. I have the Dynaudio Contour 60is at $11,000 a pair and the Polks don’t really compare to them. If you ever get a chance to audition the Dynaudio Emit 50’s, at about the same price, you might find that there are at least some manufacturers out there that offer great speakers at a reasonable price. Plus the Emit 50’s are available in white with a more refined and attractive cabinet. Cabinets, drivers and crossovers all made by Dynaudio in Denmark. By the way, your channel is great and I can’t imagine why anyone would complain about your honesty.
AR's reviews are simply awesome. I bought the 700's without listening to them (I was unable to find anywhere in Chicago I could actually listen to them even best buy).
Hey Andrew , I always admire your honesty and unbiased reviews , please keep up the good work 👏 Bravo
Thank you so much Kenneth!
Kristi- great question
Andrew- you are human but one of the reason I follow is you don't slap me in the face. My I absolutely believe as you, what makes each you, the individual, makes happy. Don't change, stop worrying . . .
Are you tired of me saying great job you two
I am motivated make a two drive to listen to them
I did spend more money for Martins. I had no other goal than what sounded good to me. I listen to vastly more expensive speakers and yet the Martine's made me happy. At some point I should tell you about working for Greg Shugg and how that related to Polk's Audio
Always appreciate a "good job" comment and no, it doesn't get old.
As usual it's a great review as it stands. However, the bonus conversation might be the best I heared so far. Love the point Kristi makes and how you two go in depth here. Great stuff!
Thank you SO much for watching. I'm so proud of the conversation we were able to have in this one.
Thanks so much Alwin!
I watch you and Kristi regularly and enjoyed this review as it seems heartfelt, honest and not swayed by the price of the Polk R700. My question is "what centre(Canadian spelling) channel did you use with them"?
We didn't use one this time but we have used the Reserve center in past reviews - bit.ly/3Ckogo4
I've been looking at the 3-way center in the Polk Legend line (L400) as a great possible match. 😉👍
yes I hear the Legend 400s are really good
Been watching tons of your video but the conversation at the end about gate keeping got me to subscribe to your channel. Love honest and meaningful content.
Same here
First off , I think this was your best video ever. Thank you for this video, excellent work. Anyway , I want to tell you I've been in this business for 25 years. I hear everything your saying and I get the words your not speaking. Thank you for all your words and honesty. Anyway, I have been considering the Monitor Audio Silver 500 and the Polk Reserve 700. I really want to demo both of them and see what I would think. Monitor Audio is a fantastic line that I hold pretty dear to my heart. The Polk lines over the decades I grew up with and have own many Polk speakers. I grew away from them decades ago but always keep my ear to the ground of what they are up to. I met most of the polk grew along time ago and got a tour from someone I knew there who ran the place. Anyway I really want to demo the entire Reserve line and do wish they had better finish options like the R700 coming in white, they don't. I wish they had more finish options.
Thanks again, your my favorite Audio Video channel. I'm glad your doing RUclips over writing for magazines.
Daniel Hunsinger I think that I am much like you are in terms of audio and particularly agree that I wish Polk had a slightly different approach to their finish options. Their speakers IMHO have always excelled in that most important facet of speaker manufacturing,that being how they sound. I don't have any qualms about their build quality either. About the only thing I have ever thought that Polk could up their game is in the aesthetics department.
@@richardwestmoreland4796 Without seeing them in person, the Black color looks like entry level Subwoofer finish. I could be wrong but that's what it looks like in pictures and video. Not offering the entire line in White is also a mistake I think they made. Finish is one of the most important parts of a speaker. I want to find somewhere I can go to listen and see them in person. This is becoming harder and harder these days.
Polk bring back the white speakers. I would have purchased the R700 in white for my living room but because no white I purchased a different brand. (I have Legends in my home theatre L800,L600,L400, R900).
The white is so sexy. Bring it back!!!!
I'm with you. I love the white finish. Sad to see them go back.
Best, most honest and pertinent review to date! Bravo 🙌
Came back to this is review, after your best of wrap up.
To watch it again.
Once again reminded me of why I enjoy your channel.
I've been following you two since your were doing the $5 vinyl finds and you have gotten better and better each time. This is one of the best RUclips channels out there and your honest, down to earth, reviews and dialog are refreshing. Keep it going I do love what you two do. Thank you.
The only one I have to please is me when it comes to my A/V equipment."If it makes me smile it becomes my child"
The reason I watch reviewers, especially you on a given piece of equipment is to see if I can respect the reviewers opinion. This requires three things. Firstly, that I get a clear sense that you respect me as a genuine consumer. Secondly, that the reviewer respects variance of opinions and lastly that the reviewer respects himself.
You Andrew as well as your wife get big thumbs up in all these things I mention above. I always feel comfortable watching your videos and it comes through very clearly that you have high respect for your audience. Keep up the good work, we need people like you and your wife to continue give us honest, caring and thoughtful reviews 🙂
Hi Andrew just Purchased a pair of Polk R700s They sound amazing especially percussion instruments and drums really a true sound thank you for the review it was awesome
This was my first video I ever watch on your channel. You seem so nice, professional and knowledgable. My local dealer recommended your channel. You also answers many people their questions. Can I humbly ask you one? What's your take on triangle speakers? I just bought Borea br08 and I love them :)
Ive paired the R700s with a cheap Crown XLS 2502 and a Topping D90SE DAC acting as a pre in a showroom and Im going to pair up my future R700s with the exact same combo. Gate keep that!!!!!
I appreciate the honesty that you both bring to this channel. Thank you.
Kristi and Andrew, I love all your reviews. Your “best of” episode led me to this episode. I truly want to say that you made this tech professional an audiophile. I’ve learned so much from you.
You all are amazing. I wish you the most success.
Really enjoyed the bonus convo. Sub'd to your channel. And I don't even care much about audio! Also ordered the R700s :)
Awesome, thank you! I hope you enjoy them!
Hi all!
Just a warning about Polk's warranty and customer service...
We purchased the r700 from crutchfield (excellent customer service) about 8 months ago and have only been using them for approximately 3 weeks. One of the speakers has an awful buzzing from one of the woofers right from the start. The speakers are under warranty. Polk would not send us a replacement speaker or send a technician out to fix the speaker. They only offered us a replacement woofer and instructions on how to replace it ourselves. Crutchfield would have been willing to send a new speaker, but they are out of stock with no known stocking date. It is very disappointing to get a broken speaker from Polk and an unsatisfactory rectification of our problem.
I’ve got a pair of the R200s, thanks in part to your review and they are absolutely fantastic. I’m feeding them with my Parasound HCA-1500a and they really respond well to adequate power.
Andrew and Kristi, I’ve been watching many of your videos and I will honestly say I love your viewpoint’s and the details and depth of your in which you relay them. You’ve inspired me. You’ve reinvigorated my journey into listening to quality HIFI music again. I setup my system again and am looking forward to endless hours of quality audio.
Keep up with your journey and please continue to keep it honest.
Thank you! ❤
The "second part", when Kristi chimes in:
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
No one can bring you back on the ground as the woman next to you. Loved the review AND the constructive criticism
Wasze podejście do produktu z dziedziny audio daje nadzieję że kupię dobry sprzęt. Mam dość marketingowego bełkotu i dlatego u Was czuję się jak w domu. Dziękuję Wam! Pozdrawiam z Polski
*I will be purchasing 3 of them and use the CROWN XLS DRIVE CORE 2 for the power. And probably will go with a Dayton Audio Reference 12" Sub + Enclosure, fire towards the ceiling, being as though in recording/mastering I am only 6 feet away from the rig. My RME I/O are going to fall in love! CANT WAIT!!!! Finally found replacement for my MONITOR AUDIO SILVER RS6's*
Thanks Andrew for all you do for us. I personally find your videos very educational. Thanks again.
After some rigorous hunting down singles from two different places because so many said SOLD OUT, I finally got a pair yesterday. Listened rather unimpressed until late last night. Spent a lot of time tweaking sound different from my B&W CM-10's. Got up early and couldn't wait to get them cranked back up, so I just got SXM going on the Roku and let them play for a few more hours. I noticed they were starting to come alive, more spacious, effortless, but seemed a little boomy. So I opened the app for my SVS SB3000 sub and took it off the Music preset and it immediately sounded better. These speakers need very little if any sub, so I basically set the sub to play anything BELOW what the speakers won't, and that with a lot of tweaking to the EQ in my Yamaha Aventage RX-A3080, which I plan to keep and not upgrade to the newer one, in two channel stereo listening, these Polks are HEVEANLY now. Dare I say approaching that hallowed "HIGH END" sound. I LOVE them, and I'm sure they'll just sweeten up even more as time goes by. But I trusted your review and you were SPOT ON, they are PHENOMINAL. THANK YOU for the review. I've been looking for a couple YEARS for something new. Not that the B&W are bad, I just wanted something different, and lo and behold these are not only different but BETTER, and for HALF what I paid for the B&W. The only issue I had was when unboxing, I noticed the split in the vinyl wrap in the back, it was actually even coming lose. I had to take a black sharpie and color in the crack to it wasn't that evident, and smooth the wrap back down best I could, even though it really wasn't sticking, it was at least flat. But if that's the only issue, I'm still a VERY happy camper. PS: I plan on adding a pair of those Emotiva XPA HC-1's. Thankfully the Yamaha has L&R XLR pre outs.
I have owned these loudspeakers for 6 months now and have also owned electrostatic and planar magnetic units. I have auditioned models from Wilson, Vandersteen, mbl, and the list goes on. I rank the R700s as among the best. I’m not even talking price. I have been in high-end audio for three decades now and have also been a manufacturer of high end speakers. Polk nailed it with this model! Enough said…
Yes! The Polks sound perfectly wonderful and hold up quite well against the most exotic and expensive products available and thru the years I've heard a lot of very expensive speakers. I am not impressed by a speaker that costs more than a car or even a nice house and sounds good. A speaker that an average person can actually afford that sounds amazing is impressive. Thank you Polk Audio!
Never comment, but thought I might do so here. This was one of the most honest and forthcoming talks I've seen on this topic, and the part with Kristi was really fascinating. Aside from the topic itself (which was great), I think it really speaks to your personalities and relationship with each other when a) she's not afraid to say anything to you, even if she knows it's not going to be an easy conversation, and b) the way you never interrupt her and really listen to what she's saying. I think that speaks volumes about you both as people, and it also shows a respect to your audience that you are willing to just bare yourselves in front of everyone like that.
About the 'gatekeeping', yeah, I get that sometimes, and not only in hifi. In some ways I suppose it's unavoidable (at least to some degree), and I guess it's up to each of us to take it seriously or not. Don't want to wait on me? I'll gladly shop elsewhere or consider another brand. I've got my little system here and I'm happy with it, and that's good enough for me. Though I do want another amp that I don't really need...haha! Thanks guys for keeping it real!
Thanks for your review of the R700s. I especially like the conversation that you and Kristi had at the end. I love a phenomenal surround sound experience. There is such a large plethora of speakers out there and i found that maybe 90% of them are just crazy expensive and that has alway bothered me. I have watch a lot of you speaker reviews in 2022. This review convinced me to upgrade my very old Polk RT800i towers to Polks R700s. I purchased them January 2023 from Audio Advice over the internet. I also went ahead and bought two Outlaw 2220 monoblocks to power the R700s and they sound phenomenal. Thank you for all of your reveiws.
Love the polish and effort that go into your vids, but it's the bonus conversations are what makes this channel keep it up
Thanks! Glad you enjoy it!
Andrew, not only are you one of the most knowledgeable people who review online, you’re by far the most eloquent. It’s like listening to Churchill rally the nation.
Cheers, from Canberra - Australia.
P.S. Kristy is correct, it’s just snobbery and it’s rife and it’s something I think of in this way: Wolves don’t bother themselves with the opinions of Sheep.
The most honest conversation I've heard in decades. Have experienced similar situations in my 66yrs. Thank you Kristi for keeping it real.
Got my r700 three days ago. All I can say is WOW. It is sooo freakin good. I’ve been practically mesmerized listing to songs I’ve heard hundreds of times! Thanks for the review Andrew. I was about to upgrade my Klipsch R600m ii to the 8000f. Love this sound!
Glad you're enjoying them!
Yeah, I'm drooling over Dali's Epicon series. I have auditioned them, I think they sound great, and I think they're gorgeous. They're also unique-looking enough that lots of people will really not like the looks. I have the Epicon 2s (book shelf) but it's really hard to argue that going up to the floor versions (Epicon 6) is money well spent as that puts you in territory where you could buy a very decent complete home cinema package.
From what I understand Dali's packaging was bad so you don't review their products (I had no complaints with my packaging, but book shelves are another thing than floor speakers). Still, I'd absolutely love if you got a hold of the Epicon 6 or even Epicon 8. One can dream :).
Andrew, I am a DJ/Audio Head; I know a good thing when I hear it bro and I have been around some of the best sounding HiFi thanks to a family member who taught me what to listen for in music about 35 years ago. Having said that I appreciate your honesty and spot on reviews, 2 thumbs up; you and Kristi keep up the good work. The R700s' sound better than the Wilson Audios' my friend owns that cost almost 4 times as much. I listened to them in an untreated room and was blown away! So I ordered a pair for my home theater. In short U were Right.
Don't invest without a decent DAC i,e ARES ll or higher grade ones cheers.
@@Greg.Siucrazyforaudio2016 okay 👍
Gosh, that Pretty Women reference got to me. Thank you guys for talking about this topic ❤️
Don’t change a thing with this channel. A real living room, not some dedicated listen environment; like most people. Some high end stuff to dream about, but mostly attainable goods, spoken about in real world terms.
And I agree with the how much better does money get you question; the data and testing is out there, good sounding speakers are a formula now. Aesthetics can change, but they are kinda like a printer. How much better (for a higher price) can you make them? Not much. Good performance just gets cheaper now.
Appreciate you weighing in Kiter! Truly. And I pretty much agree with everything you said!
I Almost never comment on videos, but this is hands down the best review I’ve watched on any product. Seeing you go off topic to identify what I think is the biggest issue in this industry was extremely gratifying. I too have experienced “gate keeping”. It’s absolutely mind boggling how any business survives while alienating potential customers. I was considering the new 700 series 3 line from B&W, but the local dealer quite frankly has a bunch of condescending tools turning their nose up at customers in their showroom. I just want a speaker that will give me noticeable improvement on my old 604 S3s. The R700 is now on my list for auditions. Thank you for this review.
I listened to both, but I can compare them from memory only (different places - same day), the 700 S3 has more details and more high-end and unique sound, while R700 is almost as good as them, but I didn't hear anything special besides their price
Do not sell yourselves short on your influence. Keep the authenticity going. It's refreshing. This is in reference to your comments later in the review. If I were a speaker manufacturer I would have my ear to to YOUR ground at all times.
#CoSigned
I’d like to nominate Kristi for the position of Hi-Fi therapist.
I stay away from absolutes and superlatives. But damn it... Best review you guys have ever done. I understand where you're coming from. Amazing episode. You just set up a new standard.
Appreciate that, Francesco. Thanks for hanging out with us today.
Why on earth did Polk stop making the white finish? I hope they change their minds. Such a large speaker in black is simply too much for many.
The gatekeeping I'm sure is a huge reason why there are no longer any brick & morter hi-fi shops around. I live in Memphis, a pretty big city, and I don't know of one hi-fi shop here. Excuse me while I Google this...
Ok, there's a few, but it looks like they specialize in providing video/audio/lighting for churches and that type of installation, not home audio. There's a still a bunch of car audio shops though.
Thanks for your true review and the way you honestly feel about your passion. excellent reviewer.
i will be ordering my R700s shortly
Thank you Andrew for your awesome work. I bought the R700 after watching your review and I am beyond happy with my new speaker. My current amplifier is the Rotel RA-12 (60w). How much of an improvement would it be to replace it with the Rotel RA-1592 mkii ? I listen mostly at low volume (65-75 db) so it's not like the RA-12 can't drive them loud enough, but I feel like I'm leaving potential on the table. Thanks!
Wow, that video hit hard on so many levels. Great job to the both of you! So many mic drop moments throughout this video. Preach on 🙏 ... I think that Andrew, along with myself, need to go cry in a corner for a bit now while we question the meaning of our lives... 😅
The hobby needs more of this real talk, keep it up! 🍻
Honestly, I love your videos, not just the data & points of the speakers but what your heart and gut tell you about them! I love the fact that you compared it to the Kplisch to these Polk - just bravo because I was thinking about it before we got to this part of the video and was pleasantly surprised and ECSTATIC you made the comparison and that you gave your OPINION on which one is better, most reviewers leave it as "you decide" which is hard since most people don't have the ability to listen to both? MAKING NEUTRAL REVIEWS USELESS! This is what makes your channel and review method so great. The reality is most people haven't heard as many speakers with different amps and receivers as you have, making your TAKE, your review all the more VALUABLE. Thank you, Andrew, your attention to detail and your ability to compare speakers to the macro speaker environment is bar none.
Great review! I like your style. Would you have an idea of how these compare with Wharfedale Evo 4.4? Thanks! Keep up the good work! I’ll keep watching and recommending your channel.
Andrew, great name by the way. I would like to add a few comments, especially regarding your wrap up with Christie. Firstly you and your team have an excellent, balanced podcast and one of the most important takeaways for me after watching a review is trust.
What Christie said at the end was extremely intuitive and important. Your response was very raw and truthful and I fully respect you for that. I do however question your purpose and what you are trying to accomplish with your show. My comment may sound rather negative but it is not, it is to remind you that your podcast is more important now than ever. As Technology is now capable of delivering a high end, affordable Hi-Fi audio experience, it still needs confirmation and validation by someone like you, experienced and passionate about the Hi-Fi world.
‘the only person who has to like your system is you’, great byline. Too many people use cash as the deciding factor. But value is the most important element of any purchase or investment, and that value is tripled when you share it with someone special.
Double PS. The Triangle Borea 9s cost about the Same amount, Similar specs Both are sold at Adorama. That would be a interesting Compare. Are you going to Review any of the Triangle speaker lines in the Future??
love your conversation in the end with Kristi, really shows how you guys really love doing this review for your audience.
Thanks so much!
Great review guys. I been a polk fan for a minute and to be honest I have other speakers brand but no matter what I still come back to my polk speakers. They are just that GOOD! I still got my polk monitor 4 or my fx1 30 bipole speakers because they are just awesome. Kristi is right alot us don't have much money and we always going to come back to company or speaker brand who's been good to us and they built right.
You said it right there, "we always going to come back to company or speaker brand who's been good to us and they built right." TRUTH!
Always on the search for an guter upgrade for my KEF Q500 which I really love, except for the obvious lack of bass and scale. Really high quality sound. The R700 really seems like a "more affordable" upgrade than the KEF R7 e.g.
Found your reviews always to be honest and helpful and love to get Kristi's opinion on top. She really carries her heart on the tongue 👅.
Really glad you both used your reach to spread the word! Kudos 👍👍
Get a sub
For once I bought speakers without listening.....after positive reviews...my R700...R400 center in black are with me...for about 2 weeks now...I love these Polk's,paired with XPA 2 running Anthem AVM 70...no regrets 😂
Thanks for the great review. I bought the R700 along with R400 5 months ago, mostly based on this review and I couldn’t be happier. Much appreciated!
Fantastic chat at the end. You are so true I no longer strive to buy more expensive hi fi gear because what I got is what I like. Well done Andrew
that bonus conversation was great, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
Want to come back and say you were right about these speakers. With a emotiva they sound insane
To answer your question at the end, for me it would depend on the room. I am facing this decision at the present time. My wife and I are about to begin building a new home. My current speakers in my main listening room are Zu Audio Essence speakers. I like them a lot and I’m also aware of the criticism of those speakers. However, in the new room I’m considering speakers that will have a more pleasing finish and look because it will be a main room of the house. If I was in the market for new floor standing speakers in my current listening room I would probably buy the Polk R700s. In the new room, I would still consider them and would probably try to look and listen to them in person. My final decision will be a mixture of sound and appearance that will possibly cost more money.
I recently bought the r700s plus the r400s plus the r900s (as surrounds).. plus 2 pairs of polk rc80i for atmos.. waiting eagerly for these to be delivered and installed.. i auditioned the r700 at my local retailer and was blown away.. listened to some stevie ray vaughn, hendrix, beat it by mj, some metallica, sadie, fleetwood mac, bob marley, norah jones, steely dan, rhcp... whatever i threw at it, these speakers just kicked ass.. speakers i compared to included focal (theva and vestia), kef (q750 and r7), sonus faber (lumina), q acoustics (5040), dynaudio emit and some dalis... The choice was as clear as night and day! Thanks for your review, i would have never heard of these speakers otherwise!
She is completely right about the sales people losing sales because of pre-judging people’s ability to afford something.
There seems to a be a solid niche for your channel in covering audio equipment that lies between that covered by Cheap Audio Man and the more traditional high-end and audiophile channels. Products which many of us can still afford while offering a mix of sound quality, design, and luxury that is impossible in true budget gear.
I think honest reviews, and useful recommendations, are anathema to the "high end" audio industry because most of the industry are selling BS . The term "high end" means only one thing: expensive. When a company describes itself or it's products this way it is a clear indication that they have no goal other than being expensive for the sake of being expensive, and everything else is just a justification. In contrast, when a company describe their products as "high fidelity" it means they are at least _trying_ to reproduce music as accurately as possible. Or conversely, if they talk about luxury it indicates that their focus is on design, build quality, and exotic materials.
The pretentiousness and vindictiveness Kristi describes does exist in other industries, not mass market focused industries, but luxury industries that focus on image over performance. A prime example being the luxury watch industry.
I like your comment, Dennis. I think that, by and large, you're right.
I just purchased the walnut color from upscale audio for steal at $1860/pr
Thanks for this review- I put together a 7.1 system using the R700s, R400, R100 for surrounds and R900 atmos last fall, and have been very satisfied. Not sure if I’d recommend the atmos speakers since the R700 soundstage is already so awesome. Sometimes when I’m listening in stereo I get up to make sure the center speaker isn’t actually on. These all go on sale every few months it seems, so keep an eye out if interested.
Andrew, I power these with an Onkyo RZ50- do you think I’d get a tangible benefit from adding a pre-amp?
This review really surprised me when Kristi and you started chatting.. I heard something I didn't expect from a "review"
FEELINGS.
Honestly guys. WOW!!!!!
Sorry I'm a bit slow in understanding what the issue discussed is; what are these "things" you would like to do, and why are producers not willing to send you these things? Because they don't want to get an honest review? Because you are associated with the modern consumer of moderate means? Don't let the b@stards get you down! F#@k them all 😊
BEST video to date. Why?? As a frugal, best for the money (cheap) kind of guy I feel ultra high end gear is only obtainable for a very small percentage of the population so what is the point. Many people could afford the R 700's but how many could afford a pair of Wilson's? That's why the new Chevrolet C 8 Corvette is selling like hot cakes...many people can afford it but only a select few can afford that Ferrari. Keep up the good work. I love ALL your videos.
I love this channel and your reviews. Ive purchased the r700 based on your review.
20:16 - .. YYEEESSS !!!! .... Gate Keeper Snobbery ... Like.. " who the F%&$ do you think you are? " **sorry.. this toxicity annoys me .and I express out of empathy for everyone else who gets shafted by these ' Self-Important Egomaniacs '..
It's soo bad.
I am curious how the R700 compare to the Focal Aria 926’s? I am currently using Polk Audio Rti’s in a 5.2.2 paired with dual Defiance X12’s for subs and I am looking to upgrade. The reserve line does not have a dedicated rear surround speaker so if I went with Polk I would continue to use my LSi M 702 FX’s.
In my opinion, spending more will usually get you a better product. The big question is, how much better? 75%? 50%? 5%? 1%? Usually as you go up, the % gets smaller. A pair of these will run $2k. Is it worth another $14k for a pair that'll only improve 1%?
I enjoy your content because I can hear the passion in your voice. AV equipment is meant to bring art, whether it is music alone or audio in a movie, to us. Art is meant to invoke emotion. To rely only on numbers would be to ignore the art and would miss a large part of what we're hearing and feeling, what we're trying to accomplish with AV equipment.
Also, I love how Kristi always seems to catch you off-guard.
I know Kristi has been in on the reviews for a while but I just want to say, her views and opinions are part of what make this channel special. Having two people with differing preferences listening to the same system in the same room is so valuable. Thanks again for a fantastic review guys.
What's your answer to the question?
@@joeykitty2892 So my opinion is chasing the diminishing returns is a fools errand. I wouldn't spend more to get barely any improvement because your ears adjust to what you have and tend to prefer it anyway. Now, spending more for better build quality and thus appearance, I can understand. Something like the Sibelius being hand built with thick solid oak could absolutely be worth it.
Yep, I also always watch to the end for Kristi's opinion as well. There aren't nearly as many women in audio as I would like, so I won't pass on the chance of hearing a women's opinion if I can.
To be honest, upgrading really DOES make a difference, but when you start adding up the costs... Brr. I love products like the R700's!
For the love of God, please sell them in white!!!
Love the convo at the end between you both! Let the gatekeepers go pound sand, in this or any other industry or hobby. They are zombies, just walking dead. It isn't just hifi, IMO. Cheers to you!