The Extraordinary Polk Audio LEGEND L100 Premium Bookshelf Speaker In The House: First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!

Check out our full review of the Polk LEGEND L100 and DENON PMA-1600NE! 

Last Fall, at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest outside of Denver, Colorado, I‌ had the good fortune to be there when Polk Audio unveiled their new flagship speaker line called the Legend Series.

The star of the show was their new L800 “True Stereo” floor-standing speaker, which featured the latest version of their renowned SDA‌ (Stereo Dimensional Array) technology.

They were undoubtedly impressive, but while everyone was fawning over those gleaming pillars, I was drawn to the smaller room in the rear of the Sound United suite where the Legend L100 PREMIUM BOOKSHELF SPEAKER demo was taking place.

If you’ve read my stuff, you know I’m a sucker for small bookshelf speakers with a big sound, and what I‌ heard in that room was blowing my mind. At that point, I‌ knew I‌ had to get a pair in my listening room.

With their compact size, 1″ Tweeter, 5.25″ midrange/woofer, and $1200 price tag, my mind immediately drew comparisons to the reigning king of that price point, the Kef LS50. I was thinking, could we have a new champ?

So I‌ finally got the L100 in my room, along with the same integrated amp they used to demo them at the show, the DENON PMA-1600‌NE. The amp is a beast (I‌ almost threw out my back picking it up off the porch)‌ with a throwback look that reminds me of the DENON‌ amps I‌ sold back in the ’90s. Memories.

Be on the lookout for that review, as well as the L100 review.

Today, I set up the L100s on my heavy metal stands and give them a quick listen with the Cambridge Audio CXA81 amp I‌ already had hooked up. I’m already impressed with the imaging!‌‌

I played my new favorite album, “Jesus Is Born” by Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir, and I was amazed at how the choir lept out at me! The texture of the voices was also lovely. I’m gonna have fun with these.

The Legend Series is Polk’s first new high-end speaker line in a long time, and it looks like they are serious about making a good impression.

First Impressions:

-Beautiful Imaging

-Love the real wood veneer

-Sounds pretty balanced

-The new Power Port is remarkable

Specs:

• Total Pieces

  Pair

• Orientation

  Vertical

• Height

  13.64″ (34.65 cm)

• Width

  7.78″ (19.76 cm)

• Depth

  11.29″ (28.68 cm)

• Weight

  16.9 lbs (7.67 kg)

• Driver Enclosure Type

  Power Port Bass Vented

• Driver Complement

  • (1)  1″ (2.54 cm) d (Round) Pinnacle Ring Radiator – Tweeter
  • (1)  5.25″ (13.34 cm) d (Round) Turbine Cone – Mid/Woofer

• Recommended Amplifier Power Setting

  70W

AUDIO QUALITY

• Total Frequency Response

  43 Hz → 50,000 Hz

• Nominal Impedance Range

  3 ohms → 4 ohms

• Sensitivity (1 watt @ 1 meter)

  85.5 dB

• Lower and Upper -3dB Limits

  57 Hz → 38,000 Hz

CROSSOVER

• Type

  2-Way Orth Crossover

• Peak Power Handling

  160 watts

• Tweeter/Midrange Crossover Frequency

  2900 Hz

• Power Handling (per channel)

  30 watts → 160 watts

Features from Manufacturer and Unboxing Pics:

• Drawing from more than 45 years’ experience in developing loudspeakers, the Legend Series defines the next generation of Polk.
• Legend standmounts reveal every detail from the delicate finger taps on a guitar’s fretboard to the deep bass of an orchestra’s kettle drum.
• The L100 delivers power without sacrificing detail and fidelity—perfect for stereo listening or as a front stage in any home theater setup.
• The L100 features a newly designed high resolution 1″ Pinnacle ring radiator tweeter and 5.25″ Turbine Cone mid/bass driver with Enhanced Power Port.

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