Polk Audio Reserve R200 - ListenUp $549 - MSRP $749
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- Опубліковано 25 січ 2023
- Polk Audio Reserve R200 - ListenUp $549 - MSRP $749
Average Guy HiFi Rating - 35.5/40 = 89%
Specs:
Type - bass-reflex enclosure with rear-firing X-Port
Tweeter - 1" ring radiator Pinnacle tweeter with an integrated waveguide
Mid/Bass Driver - 6-1/2" Turbine Cone
Frequency Response - 51-38,000 Hz
Nominal Impedance - 8 ohms
Sensitivity- 86 dB
Recommended Amplifier Power - 30-200 watts
binding post speaker terminals
removable magnetic grille
Dimensions (measured by Crutchfield)- 7-9/16"W x 14-1/16"H x 13-15/16"D
Weight: 19.11 lbs. each
MSRP - $749
Where I Purchased - ListenUp
How Much I Paid - $549 (open box)
Condition (not included in score) - 90%
These were open box so they weren’t perfect but they were very close. There was a scrape on one of the top corners and one of the waveguides had a slight bend, but it bent back pretty easily. Otherwise, totally acceptable since they were open box.
Quality - 8.5
The cabinets are solidly built and the speaker components are high quality, especially the turbine woofer.
The vinyl wrap seems to be nicely adhered to the cabinet. It would have been nice to have 5 way binding posts at this price point but definitely not unusual.
Like usual, I’m a huge magnetic grill guy, and these didn’t disappoint.
Sound - 9.5
These speakers rock out! As you already know, I’m a big Klipsch Reference Premier fan but these speakers have a very well rounded sound. Great mids, large soundstage and great bass.
You’ll be hard pressed to beat these R200, even if you spend more.
MSRP Rating - 9.0
These great speakers are no doubt, one of the best sounding speakers under $800/pr.
They are well build, sound great and have great output.
Aesthetics - 8.5
The curves of the cabinet and the the white vinyl make for a very visually appealing speaker.
I just love the grey, magnetic grills. This one of the few sets of speakers I actually prefer the looks with the grills on.
Nice size and clean looking design.
Average Guy HiFi Rating - 35.5/40 = 89%
Final Thoughts -
I’m a big bookshelf speaker fan, as you probably already know. Polk is really on to something twitch this Reserve lineup,
With the trickle down technology from the Legend series, the R200 punch way above their weight class.
Equipment Used -
CD Player - Oppo BDP-93
Integrated Amp - Peachtree Nova300
Surge Protection- Panamax M5100-PM
Subscriber Count At The Time Of This Video - 8,250 (somehow, the channel continues to grow, even with my pretty low output. Just motivates me more:) - Розваги
![Best Floorstanding Speakers 2024 [don’t buy one before watching this]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Nq7GjbSgtnU/mqdefault.jpg)
you don't have a theater room you have a theater house! let them send you stuff. just be straight about it and if they leave it with you give it to a fan. great video
You have one of those channels that I trust your thoughts and opinions, no matter how you get the speakers. I’m just trying to figure out my path. But trust me, there’s definitely a few brands I wouldn’t turn down.. I’d love to get my hands one one of those Arendal subs:)
I just love your channel and your vibes! I try to steer folks your direction, whenever possible. It’s a bit of an honor you watched, actually. Haha
Cheers, my friend!
Keep doing what you're doing Dustin.
I really have enjoyed your format and appreciate the deal theme you focus your reviews towards.
Thank you very much for the support, my friend!
I’m kind of doing this thing my way, the way I would have liked to have watched back in the day. With all of the great audio content providers now available, I think keeping this channel focused on helping everyone save money and keeping things pretty basic, I’ve carved out a unique niche:)
Woot first. Excited to watch it!
Thank you! Let me know what you think, once you’ve had time to watch.
I’m trying to not be so nervous on camera, hopefully that is translating a little.
Cheers!
Dustin is back
good bookshelf speakers
Hey man! Hope your new year has gotten off to a great start!
Just got the R600S on scratch and dent plus the sale price. The MSRP on the 600s was 1700 so getting a pair for 600 off list was a no brainer. Had the R100s and they lacked some low end to my ears but they where replacing my 33 year old Polk monitor 5 floor speakers. I am very impressed with the reserve line. Love the 600s driving them with a Rotel A11 the 600s have are actually a 2.5 way so the second driver is tuned for lower bass and the bottom firing port keeps the breathing issue of the rear firing port on the 100s 200s and 500s out of the game. Go for the 600s by the time you purchase a good stand for your 100s or 200s its only a few hundred more plus the 600s are a more sensitive speaker. 50 watts from a high performance integrated amp drives them fine and no need for a sub with the down firing port on the 600. Just my thoughts. I can say the 100s sounded magical and the 200s would be even better.
I like the way you roll, I've always been one looking for good deals. I'm 64 and have been into the hobby since I was 17. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for such kind words. I’m a pretty easy going dude but that doesn’t always come out in my videos, since I’m always a tad nervous.
There’s definitely more professional channels out there but I’m not trying to compete with them at this point. Just going to keep putting out videos in my style, and see if it sticks.
Thank you again Fluor the kind words, my friend!
You are correct about looking for and finding open boxed or even demos. I just yesterday got a killer deal on a pair of Martin Logan 60xti for $890 a pair with tax. They were Best-buy close out demos in excellent, near mint condition. I was floored as they were less than the 40xti that were also demos at $450 a piece, my 60xti were $422 a piece.
Great review as usual! I am a headphone user, has a few DACs, Head Amps which can be pre-amps. I am a dummy on speakers Hi Fi setup and was considering the R700 but don’t have the space for it (my Work Room space is 3.65 L x 2.51 W x 2.48 H in meters or 11’11” L x 8’2” W x 8’1” after deducting the rows of book shelves and my work desk at the end of the room) so I am recommended the R200. All reviews I saw are favorable for this speaker.
This pair of speakers will be on my new work desk in my Work Room at home first for music listening purposes, I may add a subwoofer or 2 as I like soundstage, musically clear and warmer sounds. My LG sound bar is not meeting expectations so if the R200 can fit the little space I have on each side of my tv and can be placed on the console, that’s when I’d consider making it into a home-theatre-like setup. I will then get the Centre, upward firing Atmos and surround speakers for a Home-Theatre-like setup. To anyone who can help me, I need your advices for these questions:
1. R200 with 1 or 2 subwoofer? Brand and model please?
2. Amplifiers and/or other equipments for the above?
3. Which Centre and surround speakers to get if turning into a Atmos/DTX-S “Home-Theatre” (it’s just or living room, not a dedicated big room for real Home Theatre)?
4. Which amplifier, brand and model should I get if I am doing (1), (2), and (3) above?
5. What other equipments do I need?
Too bad I live in a country where I can’t just purchase something and then return because I don’t like it.
I never knew they were so big! wow!
Wow 😲 I love the look of this Polk.
Yeah, I do to! The rounded edges, the grey grill and the white wrap really do add up to a great looking speaker.
I wanted to mix it up a little so I tried white, I’m really glad I did.
Their true beauty is their sound ☺️ wow! You'd be surprised how lovely they make music☺️
Best regards
Excellent review! I’ve had these for about 2 weeks now and the soundstage is dare I say silky and warm. I wasn’t used to a flat speaker so it took a day or so to have that AHA! moment where I really got it. Prefer listening to music on these now over my Klipsch RP8000f II’s. These really are an almost unbelievable deal for what you get.
Hey could you do a review on the Philharmonic BMR monitor. Big Big Surprize in sound
Great review!! You really know your stuff!!
Well, I really know some stuff anyway. Haha
What do you think has a better sound stage… the Polk r200 or the klipsch rp600? I’ve been eyeing balling both of these.
What do you think of using a Sansui Au 717 with theese speakers?
👍👍👍👍👍
Ps How do these and the Polk Lsims 703 s compare? If you still have them?
Can you compare them to the Monitor Audio speakers?
Try a couple of manufacturers to see if you like it!
Ηi thanks for the review!!Do you think that they will be ok for nearfield listening?
These would work great for near field listening, no doubt about it. But I might be inclined to go with the R100, due to the smaller cabinets.
This ring tweeter throws a nice wide soundstage so with proper setup and placement, I think you’d be very happy with the R200 or even the R100
Watch cheapaudioman’s review on these 2 speakers. His thoughts on the R100 have me wanting to try them.
@@blazermdx thank you so much!!!!!
You mentioned in the unboxing video about the slightly bent waveguide. So what happened about that did you manage to sort it out.
Like I mentioned in my recent post, it was very easy to bend back to perfection.
People just need to be more careful putting these speakers into the box and taking them out.
@@blazermdx I really need to know how you did that. I just received my r600s today and the tweeter is a little bit bent. Where can I find that blog posts of yours thanks.
I don't doubt these speakers quality and performance but there are SO many speakers available at this price point. Shop around is my advice. Not everyone enjoys the same characteristics in loudspeakers.
Most definitely! This price point is SUPER competitive. My advise is to always try a few different speakers before committing to anything.
I’ve just found these are some of the most well rounded speakers, that I’ve owned, at this price. But I’m also one that truly believes we all interpret sound a little differently, to comparisons are very important.
Great point. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
So did you keep the LSIMs as well? Also how do they compare?
Unfortunately, I’m a boob, and I sold them for what paid for them. Still regretting that decision. It’s just I’m limited on funds and space.
There’s another used pair here locally for $650. I’ve been eyeballing them👀
@Average Guy Hi-Fi I think you may be happier wit the Reserves. I have the LSIMs. I'm holding on to them until something substantially better comes out.
So which do you prefer Polk reserve or Klipsch rp? Would you choose the ultra 2s over both of those?
My sound demo video got blocked, due to copyright infringement.
It’s really a tough question, as both are great sounding speakers. They both have their perks.
The edge goes to the R200 though. I think Polk bought and tested a few pairs of 600M to improve on, at least that’s what I’d recommend, if I was working at Polk.
I just think the R200 is a more rounded speaker, especially when it comes to mid-bass.
Man that speaker is massive for a bookshelf.
Yeah, these and the RP600M are quite large. Not as big as my KEF R3 though.
I’m a fan of larger bookshelf speakers, always have been.
Yeah. No one talks about how ridiculous these giant "bookshelf" speakers look sitting on average sized speaker stands.
I've got the Monolith, homemade, and Kanto spl26 stands. 13" deep speakers are just too big if one cares about aesthetics.
I had the original RP600M, they were too harsh for near-field. The crossover wasn't good. MII, OTOH are a big improvement and close that mid/tweeter gap. The RP500MII are better speakers than the rp600m, simply because the smaller woofer better integrates and hands off to the tweeter seamlessly. Like my other speakers, i run them with a sub.
Peachtree amps are great sounding, but their not reliable because of they over heading issues. D amps are not supposed to over head? I had the Peachtree 300.
That’s really strange. I did tons of research before buying this Nova300 and I only ran across a couple people who had heating issues. That’s supposed to be one of the big Class D benefits.
With that said, I was rocking out this weekend for a few hours and this unit barely got warm. Maybe they made some design improvements?
Sorry to hear yours was overheating. What did you replace it with?
Is the sound comparison video still coming? Thanks
Unfortunately, it’s not. I spent quite a bit of time setting everything up, level matching and making the video.
I posted the video and it was instantly blocked. First time this has ever happened. Probably since I ended up monetizing the channel.
Sorry my friend, I truly tried to follow my promise!
@@blazermdx I would be willing to pay for a patreon if it gave access to those kinda videos, I know some creators do this :)
Actually you’d be surprised how little wattage your speakers use on average. 86 dB although fairly average for speakers efficiency is fairly loud in practice for only 1 watt of power. Your amp is probably loafing around under 10 watts most of the time.
Oh yeah, I’m familiar. 86 dB is the loudness measurement at 1 watt at 1 meter, which is actually pretty darn loud.
I’m always in the camp of its better to have too many unused watts than it is to have too few watts. And in the grand scheme of Polk speakers, these are more on the inefficient side of things but Polk speakers are usually pretty efficient.
Just wanted to make sure people that buy these speakers, to realize that they aren’t the easiest to drive off entry receivers, especially at reference.
These are excellent speakers though and they are worth feeding good clean power to.
Great points and thanks for taking the time to comment, my friend!
Buy sorbothane pads and those speakers will NOT move. Those things are like glue! My stands will fall over before my speakers do.
They are so White!!! Ahhaha
There is nothing “Bookshelf” about these speakers. You need to, in order to be taken seriously, call them what they are, Stand Mount Speakers. You show no set up images or video or discuss what stands, if any you had them mounted on. The footprint of these speakers is quite large and discussing the set up is an unacceptable omission in your “review”. Having an idea of your listening space is essential to a proper review as your space looks fairly small. Referencing your test media and formats should also be included in every video. And FYI, almost all new loudspeakers include magnetic grills, which by the way, good ones are designed to protect the drivers, unlike these which a child can still push right through them. For review listening grills should always be removed as even thin cloth will filter high frequency response. I am a retired videographer/filmmaker and Audio Enthusiast of fifty years.
There are plenty of other options for you out there.
Stand mount, like I said in this video, are universally referred to as bookshelf speakers. If you’ve been in the Industry that long, I’m sure you know this.
Manufactures are just now really getting behind magnetic grills but this should have been the standard a long time ago, in my opinion. The bulkier grills actually have an impact on sound, which is why I commend Polk for this thin, unobtrusive grill.
I put all the equipment I used for my listening sessions in the description..
Thanks for the input and for stopping by!
Uhhh no that isn’t true. Manufactures have been utilizing magnetic grills for almost ten years. Almost all speakers except for the under a hundred a pair, have them as I write this. Your moniker is “Average Guy”, if other average folk watch they may not know these need to be mounted on stands. What you listen to them on makes a huge difference and that should be in your discussion, not just listed, and most certainly visually represented….it’s a video Dude!! If you reference a piece of equipment, “cutaway” and show it….it’s a video, don’t be lazy in your production!! This critique will serve you well.
@@Csnumber1 SOME manufacturers have been using magnetic grills for 10 + years but not the majority until around 5 or so years ago.
And no, these speakers don’t need to be mounted on stands. Polk calls these bookshelf speakers on their website.
It looks like you’re looking to argue but I know arguing on the internet is a lost cause, especially with someone so set in their ways.
Like I mentioned, there’s plenty of other content creators that aren’t as lazy as I am. I’d advise you check out other higher quality reviewers like Cheap Audio Man, Erin’s Audio Corner, Youthman etc.
I’m getting back to my day job. Cheers!
Klipsh and polk are very different speakers polk is a much better all around speakers