Review - Polk T15. Hudson Hi-Fi speaker isolation, Tertullus P1915 , Beznaka Banana Plugs

Budget Esoterica Review Magazine

December 2023 Issue

Polk T15 Bookshelf speakers plus 3 inexpensive tweaks

I would like to start this review by telling you the differences I heard by adding the Hudson Hi-Fi isolation pads to the Polk T15 speakers. The Polk speakers are excellent for listening to jazz and what a great way to showcase this with one of the best jazz musicians, Lee Morgan. Specifically , Lee Morgan The Complete Live At The Lighthouse from Hermosa Beach California. I listened to cd number two from this eight cd collection and heard the following improvements from my listening notes. 

Cleans up the highs, better separation and focus which equals better coherence. Tighter bass. Background details were easier to hear. Slightly smoother sound, tighter sound. Slightly more open sound. More bass slam and a slightly purer sound. During the upright bass solo the sound dug a little deeper with more detail. The Hudson Hi-Fi isolation pads are available at Amazon.com. I paid $17 for a set of 8. I highly recommend this speaker tweak. It made the overall listening experience much more enjoyable. 

For people who like to use bulk speaker cable , the Beznaka banana plugs are an excellent value. I definitely heard a difference with these also. These are pure copper connectors and that is what you want to look for when shopping for banana plugs. They use 9 leaf banana plugs for the best possible area of contact when terminating. $ 12 for 8 pairs also from Amazon.com.The Beznaka plugs are the best plugs I have tried. 

Most of you are familiar with the Polk T15 speakers. This is somewhat of a cult speaker that has sold for as little as $ 50 a pair. If you only paid that much for them you got somewhat of a sleeper bargain that is good enough to show the slight perceived differences between amps, cables and tweaks. Even more of a bargain if you love listening to jazz. Loved by many, poo pooped by a few, give the speakers a chance and you should like them.

If you don't mind a power cord that is stiff and unwieldy , the Tertullus P1915 power cord Is an excellent choice. This is an 11 AWG power cord with a silver plated conductor. The plugs are very robust and also plated with Rhodium.

Bass from the relatively small Polk speakers was very good. "Hot Stuff" , from the Donna Summer Icon cd was hard hitting, tight and dense. Vocal clarity was good also. Track number 4, "On The Radio" , I noticed silvery shimmering highs that were slightly delicate sounding. The vocals were colorful, almost like a tube amp. Track number 10 is a good example of the bass performance you can achieve coupling a good quality speaker to an excellent pair of speaker stands with excellent isolation devices. "Last Dance" was crisp and slightly open sounding with a sock it to me bass. 

So, I think the most impressive points of the Hudson Hi-Fi tweak , lies in its ability to clean up the sound and make the small details more apparent. "And We Will Fly" from Kurt Elling Nightmoves cd had an impressively clean and somewhat smooth sound with a velvety overtone. Track number 2, "Tight" had that same cleanliness and smooth sound and the shimmering piano was a joy to listen to. I was able to discern the different inflections in the singer's voice and I admire his scatting ability. On track number 3, "Change Partners" , it was the silence between the notes that impressed me.

Three excellent tweaks , affordable and highly recommended by me. One good pair of entry level speakers. Pass the hot sauce.