Polk Audio Legend L800 - Floor Standing Speaker - Pair

Polk Audio found enormous success with their former flagship loudspeaker line, the LSiM series, which was launched in early 2011. However, after nearly a decade, Polk thought it was time to refresh its top-of-the-line speakers. In late 2019, Polk launched their ‘Legend’ speaker line which supplanted the LSiM series. The announcement of the L800, the big dog of the ‘Legend’ series, caused a wave of excitement throughout the audio community. This excitement was not only due to the heavy-duty specs on the L800 but also the return of Polk’s SDA technology that Polk had left dormant for nearly 25 years. The L800 was by far the most ambitious loudspeaker that Polk had ever launched, not to mention the most expensive.

Warranty:

3-year manufacturer's warranty

Features:

• Drawing from more than 45 years of experience in developing loudspeakers, the Legend Series defines the next generation of Polk
• The Legend L800 is a high-performance floor-standing loudspeaker that renders the most lifelike, detailed, true stereo imaging you have ever heard.
• Next-generation patented SDA-PRO technology makes the loudspeakers disappear, revealing the accurate imaging of the original recording.
• Features twin newly designed high resolution 1” Pinnacle tweeters, dual Turbine Cone mid-range drivers, and dual 10” woofers with Enhanced Power Port.

Video Review:

Legendary Technology Returns
For the first time in nearly 25 years, Polk is introducing a new SDA speaker – the Polk Legend L800. The Legend L800 floor-standing speaker features new patents that build on the original SDA mission of maintaining full stereo separation from the source to your ears. As a result, L800 renders the most lifelike detailed, stereo imaging you have ever heard from Polk. The speakers seem to disappear as the sonic images fill your listening room with startling realism. It does this by minimizing the inherent distortion found in all stereo speakers known as interaural crosstalk (IAC) by utilizing the second column of transducers called a dimensional array. Conventional speakers restrict what you hear due to their failure to maintain complete stereo separation from the source to the speaker to your ears. The new dual 1” Pinnacle Tweeters add incredibly clear highs whereas two new Turbine Cones mid-range drivers deliver a detailed, smooth mid-range in the critical listening area. Dual 10” woofers, and the addition of the newly revamped Enhanced Power Port, delivers unmatched clarity, balance, depth, and detail. The Legend L800 speakers are the most revealing and best-sounding SDA speakers Polk has ever made.

L800 FLOOR STANDING TOWER SPEAKER WITH SDA-PRO
Polk SDA speakers were the first true stereo speakers because they were able to maintain stereo separation from the source to your ears.Eachh ear hears only the correct stereo channe by acoustically isolating the two stereo channelsl. The left ear hears the left channel, and the right ear hears the right channel. Recordings come alive in your listening room. Musical images are reproduced with clarity and pinpoint accuracy. You are immersed in an awe-inspiring three-dimensional sound stage that extends from wall-to-wall (width), floor to ceiling (height) and extends both in front and behind the speakers (depth). Only with Polk SDA speakers can you hear all the spaciousness and life-like imaging of the original performance. More importantly, the image is neither smeared nor torn by excessively wide speaker positioning. Since SDA does not utilize any DSP or sound processing, it is 100% compatible with today’s home theater audio formats including Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Virtualization Technology, DTS:X, and DTS:X Virtual, and IMAX Enhanced.

PINNACLE RING RADIATOR TWEETER
40 plus years of tweeter innovation, design, and prototyping has led to the development of the new 1” high definition Pinnacle ring radiator tweeter. Developed by Polk Audio, it delivers ultra-clear, crisp highs without unwanted coloration or distortions. The Pinnacle Tweeter features a finely tuned waveguide that dramatically improves the dispersion of high-frequency energy ensuring a broad “sweet spot” while the critically damped rear chamber helps to defeat any unwanted resonances. Hi-Res certified, the Pinnacle Tweeter is designed for today’s two-channel music listening as well as multi-channel 3D audio found in music, movies, sports, and video games soundtracks.

NEW 5.25" TURBINE CONE
Polk developed the new Turbine Cone specifically for the Legend series to ensure the natural reproduction of the mid-range, the frequencies our ears are so sensitive to. The Turbine cone combines Polk’s proprietary foam core and the molded Turbine geometry which dramatically increases stiffness and damping, without adding mass, resulting in a smooth, detailed mid-range and effortless bass – hear every detail.

ENHANCED POWER PORT
Traditional bass ports make noise (chuff) and mask the low-frequency bass notes you want to hear. The new enhanced Power Port® design smoothly transitions air flow from the speaker into your listening area for louder, cleaner bass while minimizing turbulence, distortion, and port noise. Polk refined their current Power Port technology specifically for the Legend series by fine-tuning the geometry of the port flare. Hear and feel the difference; Polk Enhanced Power Port® produces less port noise and more powerful clean bass than traditionally ported loudspeakers. Dual high-excursion 10", long-throw woofers deliver deep, tight, effortless bass for music and home theater.

OPTIONAL HEIGHT MODULE
For the ultimate listening experience, the L800 can be used for the front stage of any home theater or as side and rear surrounds. Elevate the sound of your home theater with our optional Legend L900 height module (sold separately). This works with today’s new home theater technologies including Dolby Atmos, DTS, DTS:X, DTS:X Virtual, IMAX Enhanced, and Auro-3D.

The Legend L900 Height Module is Dolby Atmos-certified and designed to meet DTS:X specifications. Traditional height speakers and toppers orient their tweeter and woofer vertically, resulting in a small “sweet spot” and can leave you underwhelmed. The L900 Height Module’s horizontal orientation ensures both the phase and time alignment for the tweeter and the woofer delivers a large “sweet spot” for a truly immersive experience.

PATENTED SDA-PRO TECHNOLOGY
SDA PRO, the next evolution of SDA, features a 15-degree baffle that angles both the stereo and dimensional arrays. By angling the baffle, Polk Audio has enhanced the quality of the stereo arrays by aiming them more precisely towards the listener (similar to toeing a pair of speakers). It also allows for a narrower speaker (reduces the width by 25%) while still maintaining the correct width and positioning of the dimensional array. To improve interaural crosstalk (IAC) cancellation, we have enhanced the bandwidth of the dimensional array to more completely match the relevant frequencies of the IAC through the use of paired tweeters in addition to paired mid-woofers. In addition, L800 employs special “Head Shadow” filters in the Dimensional array to more exactly match (and hence cancel) the IAC.

HIGH-RESOLUTION CERTIFIED
Your sound is only as good as your source. For your investment in DSD, FLAC, or a high-resolution streaming service, the Polk Legend L800 is Hi-Res certified so you can be confident that the speaker will faithfully reproduce your favorite songs. Trust the Polk Legend series to bring out all the detail of every track.

ANTI-DIFFRACTION MAGNETIC GRILLE
Comes with a grille to cover the front baffle and a second grille for the top to cover the optional height module when installed. Computer modeled for a precision fit and to minimize sonic interference. The acoustically inert magnetic grilles offer a clean aesthetic without sacrificing sound.

LARGE DUAL 5-WAY BINDING POSTS
Large, widely spaced dual binding posts ensure the most direct, efficient, and loss-less connection possible while supporting both bi-wire and bi-amping.

DUAL-FLOOR COMPATIBLE FEET
Customized for improved stability and bass coupling to the floor, the speaker tower feet are designed for a carpet but also come with a rubber boot for hard floors. The feet are also adjustable so you can level or angle the speaker to your preferences.

L800 INTERCONNECT CABLE
Each Legend L800 model (LC and RC) comes with one 12’ interconnect cable. This cable is used to connect the two speakers so that both SDA transducers can cancel out unwanted signals from the opposite speaker. Additional interconnect cables are available for purchase.

CABINETS BUILT FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE
Polk believes cabinets should be beautiful but add nothing to the playback. Polk Legend cabinets, braces, and internal enclosures are carefully engineered to minimize unwanted internal standing waves and eliminate unwanted resonances. The result is a cabinet that rigidly holds the transducers while faithfully reproducing recordings.

REAL WOOD CABINETS
From the first hand-made cabinets built in 1972 to today’s new flagship speaker series, Polk has been designing wooden cabinets with real wood for over 45 years. Inspired by our heritage, Legend carries forward that tradition of the classic design of a high-performance loudspeaker. Available in two real wood veneer finishes: brown Walnut and black Ash.

Technical Specifications: