Polk Audio has announced the launch of the Reserve Series, a high-performance, versatile loudspeaker line designed to deliver serious performance for music, movies, and gaming. IMAX Enhanced and Hi-Res Audio Certified and compatible with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the Reserve Series includes nine models available in matte black, matte white, and walnut woodgrain finish. The Polk Reserve Series is now available on www.polkaudio.com/reserve and at select specialty audio/video dealers and custom integrators worldwide.
The Reserve Series consists of nine models, including three floorstanding models, three center channels, two bookshelf speakers, and a wall-and speaker-mountable height module, all designed to give listeners flexibility in terms of configuration by incorporating matching transducers and consistent voicing. The center channel speakers are available in three sizes. The R300 center channel is designed to fit in most AV cabinets, while the R350 is only 5.5-inches tall, and is wall mountable so it can be used as left, right, or center channel. For the first time, Polk is introducing a height module (R900), which can be placed on the floorstanding speakers or wall mounted. The height module features a toggle switch, which tunes the speaker for the application, whether that be on-speaker or wall mounted.
“You’d be wrong to think the Reserve Series is just ‘Legend-lite’ though,” says Scott Orth, director of audio and acoustical systems at Polk Audio. “While Reserve does use the same transducers as Legend, it also features multiple new developments of its own, including a new patent-pending X-Port filter and advanced cabinet construction to minimize undesirable resonances. In return, you get a classic Polk Audio loudspeaker that is amazingly balanced, offers an expansive sound stage, detailed imaging, smooth mid-range and deep effortless bass.”
Seeking to retain as much of the Polk Legend flagship performance as possible within a moderately priced package, Polk Audio engineers created rigid, internally braced cabinets while leveraging driver and port technologies from the Legend Series speakers.
With a focus on every aspect of performance from music playback and home theater systems, Polk used—and created—multiple technologies for the Reserve Series:
- Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeters: Decades of tweeter innovation, design and prototyping led to the development of the new 1-inch, high-definition Pinnacle ring radiator tweeter. Developed by Polk Audio, The Pinnacle tweeter features a finely tuned waveguide, which improves the dispersion of high frequency energy, ensuring a broad sweet spot, while the critically damped rear-chamber helps defeat unwanted resonances. A Hi-Res certified driver, the Pinnacle Tweeter is designed for today’s 2-channel music listening as well as multi-channel 3D audio found in music, movies, sports, and video games soundtracks.
- Turbine Cone Midrange: The Turbine Cone combines Polk’s proprietary foam core driver design with molded Turbine geometry, which increases stiffness and damping without adding mass. This results in a smooth, detailed midrange across the entire bandwidth of the driver.
- X-Port Technology: The Reserve Series marks the debut of Polk Audio’s patent-pending X-Port technology, which uses a set of closed-pipe absorbers precisely tuned to eliminate unwanted cabinet and port resonances. X-Port is most beneficial to the lower mid-range, ensuring balanced, clean mid-bass for amazing detail and dynamics. X-Port is found on all vented models in the Reserve Series.
- Power Port 2.0 Design: Power Port 2.0, found in the R600 and R700 floorstanding models, is a Polk-patented loudspeaker port application that enables bass frequencies to extend more deeply and at higher output levels than traditional ported speakers. The Power Port 2.0 combines the new X-Port and Enhanced Power Port design into a unique loudspeaker application. The port tube base was redesigned in aluminum and sits closer to the floor than previous Power Port designs for added performance characteristics and aesthetics.
- Advanced Cabinet Construction: The R700 tower speaker model features advanced point-to-point bracing with new Cabinet Resonance Control technology (CRC) that eliminates panel resonances for enhanced detail and clarity.
Availability and Pricing
The Polk Audio Reserve Series was designed and engineered in the USA under strict standards for quality and includes a five-year warranty standard. All Reserve Series products are currently available for purchase at PolkAudio.com.
- R100 Bookshelf – $599/pair
- R200 Bookshelf – $699/pair
- R300 Center Channel – $399
- R350 Center Channel (slim) – $549
- R400 Center Channel – $599
- R500 Tower – $599 each
- R600 Tower – $799 each
- R700 Tower – $999 each
- R900 Height Module – $599/pair
For more information, visit www.polkaudio.com.
This article originally ran on residentialsystems.com.
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