Polk Audio

"Funny how a thread about Polk can morph into a discussion about Best Buy."

That was my doing. Someone was complaining that audiophiles don't like Polk anymore because they lost their "snob appeal" (I think thats what they called it), and are sold in big stores. I just pointed out some of the other lines offered in Best Buy. As far as this whole Best Buy/Magnolia thing, you got me. I don't really like BB so I'm not keeping track of what's sold in each store. Every one I've ever been to has a Magnolia section. Also, when you do a search for products on their web site, they list all the Magnolia products right along with regular BB items. I really don't see what the big deal is with Magnolia anyway. The one decent thing about BB is that if they don't have something in stock, they will ship it to your local store.

I do think its a foolish move for high end brands to sell in BB/Magnolia. But not because of the whole snob factor thing. Everything is about equipment matching and setup. Its a miracle that the people who work at BB can even turn the equipment on in the morning when they come in to work, let alone sell it, and set the stuff up for customers. Thats the real problem. I wouldn't trust those people setup and place a pair of speakers on a boom box.

I really didn't know who started the discussion about Best Buy ZD, but thanks for stepping up to the plate and admitting it.

While I agree with you that sales personnel in the Mini-Magnolias probably don't have the expertise to properly system match and sell someone high end goods, I will not make this same comment of a Magnolia stand alone store since I have never gone to one. Maybe they are qualified to properly guide someone to designing a high end system and I will leave someone who has been to one to comment.

Regardless though, I applaud Magnolia for bringing components of this caliber to the market as more and more B&M HIFI stores are closing due to lack of interest by the consumer and of course ID companies and internet sales in general. I hope they succeed. So even if the sales folks are not qualified at Magnolia, is it any different than buying off the internet that is a trend we are all moving toward? The consumer better be educated and know what he or she wants because it is a self service world we live in! Finally, in my area we once had over a dozen specialty HIFI shops and are now down to three. At least having this equipment available at Mini-Mags and now Design Centers, bring our total up to 4 B&M outlets. For an area of over three million people!

I have had a pair of Rti-a9 speakers for over a year. Very happy with them. Would like to upgrade but not even sure what to, as speakers better than these cost a lot more. Any suggestions anyone?
As to the Polks. I am very satisified with them. They take a lot of power. I had them hooked up to a 250 watt per channel Hafler 9505 and it couldn't handle the speakers. I ended up Bi-amping them with a Hafler XL-600 on the low end and the 9505 on the tweeters/mid range. Sounds Great. Not fatiguing. I can listen to them for hours no problem.

Paraneer,

All of your points are excellent and make sense. That said, I still partially disagree. The vast majority of people have no idea what high end audio is. Given the lack of B & M stores, the most likely way an average person will come in contact with better gear is by walking into a BB store. Here's my fear of what they will say upon leaving BB: "Those damn BMW speakers are way over priced, just like their cars. The speakers I have at home sound every bit as good.". You have to admit, its a possibility.

I had two pairs of Polk Audio RTi for a surround system. I also tried them with music.... They are terrible for both applications, not even worth a two line review. Sold and gone.