Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Planning to build a stereo rig for my basement and looking for some speaker advice. Have always wanted some Polk 1.2TL's, but since finding this site I have this longing to give some AL-III's a shot. The room will be quite large and open. Total sq foot will probably be about 1000. Will be an open concept basement with a living area, bar area, and pool table area. Power will not be an issue as I will get whatever is needed to drive them. I am a believer that speakers are at least 80% of the sound quality so I am willing to get the speakers I need and let my OCCD take care of the power requirements. I like my music loud and love the feeling of bass hitting me in the chest. I realize that with this size room it will mean the addition of a few subs. I honestly like and listen to almost all types and generations of music except classical and true jazz. Really hoping that a member of two has had the opportunity to either own both of these speakers or spend some quality time with them to give me an opinion. Won't need them for another 8 months, but as you know both of these are getting harder and harder to find so my search is beginning now. Thanks for any advice you can offer. 1
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 And of course if you feel you know of other speakers that would fit the bill, would be happy to hear your opinion of those as well. 1
PMAT 2,054 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 BuY both and eliminate one after using your ears in your space. Perhaps Silvers or Plats. 1
compwaco 1,129 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 I have owned both but they were separated by about 10 years so this is from memory. For me, the ALs had more natural timbre when playing woodwinds and strings. The polks were more open and dynamic. While I would choose the AL's, I think for what you listen to the Polks would be better suited. If you could here them side by side in your room that would make things easier. You might also consider Infinity Kappa 9s which while I haven't had a chance to play with yet come very highly recommended. 1
B-Man 4,783 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Your title says AL-III Plus or 1.2TLs. Funny, I have both and another pair of AL-III's that have had the woofers replaced with JL Audio subs as well. They can deliver pretty impressive bass, but they fall short of the chest pounding experience you seek. The AL-III Plus pair will not create a wall of bass that will hit you in the chest. 1,000 sq. ft. is a large size listening area. IMHO it is too large for any of the speakers you are considering to pound your chest, so to speak. I believe the Polk's would win any contest in sheer output, especially with deep bass in the mix. That said, I love the ribbons in the AL-IIIs and they won't be leaving any time soon. Good news is both are relatively popular and you can sell them if they don't fit the bill. There are a pair of PRISTINE 1.2TLs on CL in SC right now... Polk 1.2TLs 2
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 BuY both and eliminate one after using your ears in your space. Perhaps Silvers or Plats. I like the way you think!! Unfortunately for me, the Polks will probably be quite hard to find and I may end up having to travel quite a distance to get them. I have been watching for almost a year and have only seen 1 pair within a days round trip. And with the demand for them, people are beginning to ask some crazy $$ for them. Besides, I know if they both were in my house it would be quite hard to part with either of them, and that could get me into some trouble here at home 1
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 I have owned both but they were separated by about 10 years so this is from memory. For me, the ALs had more natural timbre when playing woodwinds and strings. The polks were more open and dynamic. While I would choose the AL's, I think for what you listen to the Polks would be better suited. If you could here them side by side in your room that would make things easier. You might also consider Infinity Kappa 9s which while I haven't had a chance to play with yet come very highly recommended. Thanks for the info. I have considered Kappa 9's, but like the Carver ALS originals, I feel they are just too hard to drive at the kind of listening levels I am looking for. 1
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 Your title says AL-III Plus or 1.2TLs. Funny, I have both and another pair of AL-III's that have had the woofers replaced with JL Audio subs as well. They can deliver pretty impressive bass, but they fall short of the chest pounding experience you seek. The AL-III Plus pair will not create a wall of bass that will hit you in the chest. 1,000 sq. ft. is a large size listening area. IMHO it is too large for any of the speakers you are considering to pound your chest, so to speak. I believe the Polk's would win any contest in sheer output, especially with deep bass in the mix. That said, I love the ribbons in the AL-IIIs and they won't be leaving any time soon. Good news is both are relatively popular and you can sell them if they don't fit the bill. There are a pair of PRISTINE 1.2TLs on CL in SC right now... Polk 1.2TLs Thanks for your input B-Man. I thought I remember someone on here saying they had both of these on a previous post. Guess I should have been clearer on the room layout. I am not expecting to feel the bass in the entire 1000 sq foot area. The basement would basically be three rooms in an approx 20 X 50 area, that are not divided up by walls. I would only expect to feel the music while in the main area of the speakers. Those are some nice 1.2TL's, but yikes that is about the highest asking price I have seen on them!! At that point I might have to start looking at some Infinity RS1B's 1
B-Man 4,783 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 That's the asking price. I bet he is negotiable. If you are planning on attending Carverfest this year you could buy them now, I'll store them here at my house and bring them with me to Carverfest for you to pick up. Just throwing it out there. It's only 3 1/2 hours or so from me to them. 3
dcl 3,283 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Showmodel, I've had Silver ALS & 1.2TLs at the same time, alternating between them as whim dictates. The room sizes have been small compared to your space, about 180 sq. ft and 325 sq.ft. They were powered with a non-inverting M1.0t or two M1.0ts switched to mono hookup. The latter set-up afforded no apparent benefit or detriment in sound, it was an experiment at a time when I was concerned about possibly entering the headroom exhausted zone to the detriment of the gear. It never happened in either set-up. The speakers were never compared A-B but my wife preferred the low end of the Polks but the mid-to-highs of the ALS. I prefer the ALS. Not the same as ALS III like B-man, mind you. 1
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 That's the asking price. I bet he is negotiable. If you are planning on attending Carverfest this year you could buy them now, I'll store them here at my house and bring them with me to Carverfest for you to pick up. Just throwing it out there. It's only 3 1/2 hours or so from me to them. Thanks so much for the offer, that is very kind of you. Would really like to attend Carverfest this year but we will be in the middle of building a house. I would still like to at least swing by for a day or so if possible to meet everyone, but will just have to see how things are going at the time. I see that he has had them listed for a while and will contact him to see what his thoughts are on $$. I have seen them go for more near 1500 - 1800, so his asking price is quite a stretch. From what I have read about them on the Polk sites, there is quite a bit of upgrading that should be done to them as well, so that would even be additional $$. With what has been said above, my plan is to grab which ever pair comes up for sale within my area at a reasonable price and go from there. As mentioned earlier, as long as I can buy them at a decent price they will always be easy to sell if I find the other pair and like them better. What are you driving your Polks with? I believe I have seen that they came out with an interconnect cable that would allow the use of inverted amps. That is another issue, I LOVE the sound of my M-500T's and would hate to not be able to hear them on the Polks.
PMAT 2,054 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 No One really mentions it but I think the piano black amazings are stunning works of art to look at. They are magical and crazy good. A lot of talk about ribbon problems but who cares. If you get a A set of Silvers or platinum's it will blow your mind. I have silvers and AL threes and I use to work selling the polks. The polks are great no doubt but they're just big rectangular coffins compared to the amazings. The al threes are elegant as well and sound fantastic but the base detracts from the looks. If the speakers are going in a nice room in a new house I would vote for the look and sound of the amazings. Great deals do happen and you have plenty of time. Do you just need to be a Carver sniper. P.m. me and I'll tell you how to do it.
Daddyjt 9,805 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 I'm going to buck the trend here, and reccomend the Polks. I have experience with both, and for my money, the Polks do everything at a "B+". The Amazings do mids and highs at an "A-" to an " A", but bass at a "C". While I'm not a "Bass monkey", I will not go without a SOLID low end, and I just don't get that from the Amazings. I have invested in an active crossover to try and get what I want out of my Amazings, but have not implemented it yet, so who knows what the future may bring. Please, before anyone gets defensive, this is just MY OPINION... All of that being said, I would find a set of Kappa 9s. As for the impedance challenges, put a 1.0t (mkII?) on the bass, and a 500t (mkII?) on the highs, and don't look back - You'll get the solid bass you are seeking, and everything else
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 No One really mentions it but I think the piano black amazings are stunning works of art to look at. They are magical and crazy good. A lot of talk about ribbon problems but who cares. If you get a A set of Silvers or platinum's it will blow your mind. I have silvers and AL threes and I use to work selling the polks. The polks are great no doubt but they're just big rectangular coffins compared to the amazings. The al threes are elegant as well and sound fantastic but the base detracts from the looks. If the speakers are going in a nice room in a new house I would vote for the look and sound of the amazings. Great deals do happen and you have plenty of time. Do you just need to be a Carver sniper. P.m. me and I'll tell you how to do it. I totally agree on the Amazings looking....well amazing!! If I went with those it would have to be upgraded originals or Plats and both are hard to find in decent shape. And then there is the low end issue, but I was planning on a pair of monster sub boxes anyway because I AM a bass monkey. Get it from my old car stereo installation days I just assumed go with the AL-III's because they were newer and replacement ribbons were more easily available. I would almost feel like I couldn't crank er up with 60" ribbons in fear of damage. Do Plats, upgraded originals or Silvers sound that much better than the III's?
PMAT 2,054 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/ele/4905348248.html
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 He IS a Bass Monkey!!!! More like a Bass Gorilla!!!
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 I'm going to buck the trend here, and reccomend the Polks. I have experience with both, and for my money, the Polks do everything at a "B+". The Amazings do mids and highs at an "A-" to an " A", but bass at a "C". While I'm not a "Bass monkey", I will not go without a SOLID low end, and I just don't get that from the Amazings. I have invested in an active crossover to try and get what I want out of my Amazings, but have not implemented it yet, so who knows what the future may bring. Please, before anyone gets defensive, this is just MY OPINION... All of that being said, I would find a set of Kappa 9s. As for the impedance challenges, put a 1.0t (mkII?) on the bass, and a 500t (mkII?) on the highs, and don't look back - You'll get the solid bass you are seeking, and everything else Appreciate your opinion and honesty. While I have never listened to Kappa 9's, they have always been on my radar due to the amazing reviews I have read. Have you been able to drive your 9's hard for extended periods of time with a Carver bi-amp setup of 1.0T's and/or M-500t's? What is everyone doing for the Polydome cracking issue?
Showmodel 86 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/ele/4905348248.html Nice deal and set up....seems like they are always in CA. Bit to far of a road trip for the family truckster. Hmmm...is this a job for uship???
Daddyjt 9,805 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 I'm going to buck the trend here, and reccomend the Polks. I have experience with both, and for my money, the Polks do everything at a "B+". The Amazings do mids and highs at an "A-" to an " A", but bass at a "C". While I'm not a "Bass monkey", I will not go without a SOLID low end, and I just don't get that from the Amazings. I have invested in an active crossover to try and get what I want out of my Amazings, but have not implemented it yet, so who knows what the future may bring. Please, before anyone gets defensive, this is just MY OPINION... All of that being said, I would find a set of Kappa 9s. As for the impedance challenges, put a 1.0t (mkII?) on the bass, and a 500t (mkII?) on the highs, and don't look back - You'll get the solid bass you are seeking, and everything else Appreciate your opinion and honesty. While I have never listened to Kappa 9's, they have always been on my radar due to the amazing reviews I have read. Have you been able to drive your 9's hard for extended periods of time with a Carver bi-amp setup of 1.0T's and/or M-500t's? What is everyone doing for the Polydome cracking issue? I am currently running mine with a pair of 1.0t mkII all day long. At my realistic listening levels (LOUD), they tickle the yellow lights, but they are never pushed to distortion. The 500t is fine on the highs, but not the lows - The drivers are where the wild impedance dips occure. Polydome repair is best farmed out to Michael Marks here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/INFINITY-Kappa-6-7-8-9-PolyDome-Driver-Rebuild-Service-I-Can-Fix-These-/221485612227?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3391923cc3
TNRabbit 371 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Personally, I think the AL-IIIs image better than ANY of the other Amazings, perhaps due to tha narrow, shaped wing. Supplement the low end below 40 hz with a quality sub & you're set! 2
Showmodel 86 Posted February 25, 2015 Author Posted February 25, 2015 Here you go Bass Monkey <br /> Thanks Chuck!! Cranked this up at work and got some strange looks. After an explanation my new nickname at work is now Bass Monkey. Going to have to play this on the rig later to see how cruel it is to speakers. Maybe it's time for a profile name change???
hewlew1 258 Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 The bottom end on AL3's is lacking. I use mine with a Sunfire MKII sub and to me this is a match made in heaven. 2
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