Loudspeaker manufacturer, Polk Audio has unveiled a new range of loudspeakers, the Reserve Series.
Reserved for home cinemas, media rooms and gaming, the high-performance and versatile loudspeaker range is the result of extensive research and development in advanced materials and acoustics.
Hi-Res Audio Certified, the range features IMAX Enhanced and is compatible with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The series is designed for immersive multi-channel home cinema systems as well as classic stereo listening.
“The Reserve Series use the same custom-made transducers originally developed for Polk’s award-winning Legend Series loudspeakers,” said Frank Sterns, president of Polk Audio. “Featuring the proprietary Pinnacle Tweeter, Turbine Cone midrange and Polk’s latest bass-management and resonance control technologies – PowerPort and X-Port – the Reserve Series delivers against Polk Audio’s signature quality sound at an approachable price.”
The Reserve Series comprises of nine models: three floorstanding models, three centre channels, two bookshelf speakers, and a wall and speaker mountable height module. The centre channel speakers are available in three sizes. The R300 centre channel is designed to fit in most AV cabinets, while the R350 is only 5.5” tall and is wall-mountable.
For the first time, Polk Audio is introducing a height model (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.
Trying to keep as much of the Polk Legend flagship performance but at a moderate price point, Polk Audio engineers created rigid, internally braced cabinets while leveraging driver and port technologies from the Legend Series. However, the Reserve Series has multiple advanced technologies created specifically for this range.
The new one-inch HD Pinnacle ring radiator tweeter was the result of decades of tweeter innovation, design, and prototyping. It features a finely-tuned waveguide, improving the dispersion of high-frequency energy to ensure a broad sweet spot, while the critically damped rear-chamber helps defeat unwanted resonances, delivering clear, crisp audio without colouration or distortion. A hi-res certified driver, the Pinnacle Tweeter is designed for two-channel music listening as well as multi-channel 3D audio for music, movies, sports, and gaming.
The Turbine Cone Midrange combines Polk’s proprietary foam core driver design with moulded Turbine geometry, increasing stiffness and damping without adding mass. This creates a smooth, detailed midrange across the entire bandwidth of the driver – the frequency that the human ear is most sensitive to.
Patent-pending X-Port technology is featured in the new Reserve Series, which uses a set of closed-pipe absorbers precisely tuned to eliminate unwanted cabinet and port resonances. X-Port is mot beneficial to the lower midrange, ensuring balanced, clean mid-bass for clear detail and dynamics. X-Port is found on all vented models in the Reserve Series.
Both the R600 and R700 floorstanding loudspeakers in the new range feature Polk’s patented Power Port 2.0 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 aluminium and sits closer to the floor than previous Power Port designs for added performance characteristics and aesthetics.
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.
The Reserve Series comes with a five-year warranty and are available in matte black. A matte white finish is also available but only on the R100, R200, R350, R500, R600, and R900 models.
The R100 Bookshelf speaker is priced at £499 / €549 / $599 per pair; the R200 Bookshelf is priced at £649 / €749 / $699 per pair; the R300 Centre Channel speakers are priced at £399 / €449 / $399; the R350 Slim Centre Channel is priced at £499 / €549 / $549; the R400 Centre Channel is priced at £599 / €649 / $599; the R500 Tower speaker is priced at £1,199 / €1,299 / $599; the R600 Tower speaker is priced at £1,399 / €1,599 / $799; the R700 Tower speaker is priced at £1,999 / €2,199 / $999; and the R900 Height Module is priced at £499 / €549 / $499 per pair.