Polk Audio L800LC, L800RC Owner's Manual

OWNER’S MANUAL

OWNER’S MANUAL

L800LC AND L800

SDA FLOOR-STANDING LOUDSPEAKER

RC

Contents

Expect Great Sound — The Legend Legacy .................................... 2

Patented SDA Pro Surround Technology .......................................... 2

Safety Instructions ........................................................................................ 3

What’s in the Box ........................................................................................... 5

How to Connect Your System .................................................................. 5

Legend Series Speaker Positioning ...................................................... 6

System Diagnostics ....................................................................................... 8

Caring for Your Legend Loudspeakers ............................................... 8

Specifications ................................................................................................... 8

Warranty ............................................................................................................. 9

Expect Great Sound – The Legend Legacy

Thank you for choosing the Polk Legend Series of
loudspeakers. With sound that virtually transports the listener
to the scene of the recorded performance, the Legend Series
oers great Polk sound housed in bold, American design. Listen
to music with crisp, lifelike detail and natural reproduction of
complex low-frequency instruments — even during extended
listening at performance levels. Dive into your music collection
and bring the live show home, or amplify your home theater
entertainment. With its American modern styling, each speaker
in the Legend Series features gorgeous curves and aggressive
accents that elevate the décor of your room. Pure and simple,
the Polk Legend Series is engineered and designed with your
entertainment in mind.

Patented SDA Pro Surround Technology

Polk Patented SDA Pro (Stereo Dimensional Array) surround
technology creates an expansive soundstage and detailed
stereo image, while delivering a natural multi-dimensional
sound experience. A wide, detailed soundstage is accomplished
by revealing the original recorded signal. By positioning
additional drivers to deliver a precisely derived interaural
crosstalk cancellation signal to your ears, SDA Pro enables
you to hear the sonic image just as the recording captured
it. Individual instruments appear across a wide stage, as if
the performance were in front of you at that very moment. In
addition to processing two channel audio, it also integrates
with 5.1 surround sound and is compatible with modern
decoding technologies.

HOW SDA PRO
(STEREO DIMENSIONAL ARRAY) WORKS

The original recorded left and right stereo signals are intended
for the left and right ears, respectively. With conventional
stereo speakers, sound from the left and right channel cross
paths and are heard by the opposite ear (Figure 1). This is
called Interaural Crosstalk (IAC). IAC distorts the imaging
process, causing a narrow, shallow sound field (Figure 2). SDA
Pro technology employs an acoustically inverted “dimensional”
signal to cancel IAC, without impacting the original recorded
signal (Figure 3). The result is that only the correct, original
recorded signal reaches each ear, and the full width and depth
of the sound stage is accurately reproduced (Figure 4).

Stereo

Having built a reputation as the makers of great sound for
more than 40 years, Polk Audio takes pride in superior sound
and build quality, which features many patented and
award-winning audio innovations. For Polk, building audio
products isn’t just a job — it’s a passion to deliver great sound
that’s accessible for everyone!

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L IAC

L

Figure 1. Conventional Speakers

R IAC

R

IAC
Stereo Signal

SDA

True Stereo

R IAC

L IAC

L Dim R Dim

L

Figure 3. Polk TRUE STEREO SDA

R

Stereo Signal
IAC
Dimensional Signal
Cancelation

Figure 2. Compressed Sound Stage due to
Undesired Signals

Figure 4. Accurate Reproduction of the Full
Sound Stage by the SDA Loundspeakers

OWNER’S MANUAL

SDA HEAD SHADOW AND
ANGLED BAFFLES

Legend L800 SDA Pro speakers feature new developments in
Polk-patented SDA technology.

Head Shadow – When the IAC passes across the listeners face,
it is modified in the same manner as light trying to go around
an obstacle. This is known as the “head shadow.” Polk L800
speakers feature sophisticated dimensional HS (head shadow)
crossover to more precisely match and cancel out IAC noise,
creating precise, immersive and expansive imaging.
Angled Baes – Angled baes in the L800 allow the main
stereo speaker arrays to point directly at the primary listening
area, providing the best natural dispersion of the stereo signal.

Technical Assistance or Service

If anything is missing or damaged, or if your speaker fails to
operate, notify Polk Audio Customer Service immediately at +1
800-377-7655. If you experience diculty after following the
directions to connect your speakers outlined in this manual,
please double-check all wire connections. Should you isolate
the problem to the speaker, contact the authorized Polk Audio
dealer where you made your purchase, or contact Polk Audio
Customer Service at 800-377-7655 or via email at
[e-mail]. Outside the US & Canada,
call [phone].

WARNING: Listen Carefully

Polk Audio loudspeakers and subwoofers are capable of
playing at extremely high volume levels, which could cause
serious or permanent hearing damage. Polk Audio, Inc.
accepts no liability for hearing loss, bodily injury or property
damage resulting from the misuse of its products. Keep these
guidelines in mind and always use your own good judgment
when controlling volume:

Product Disposal

Certain international, national and/or local laws and/or
regulations may apply regarding the disposal of this product.
For more information, please contact the retailer where you
purchased this product or the Polk Importer/Distributor in your
country. More information is also available at www.polkaudio.
com or by contacting Polk Audio at 1 Viper Way, Vista,
California, 92081, USA. Phone: [phone].

This symbol on our electrical products or their packaging
indicates that it is prohibited in Europe to discard the
product in question as domestic waste. In order to ensure
that you dispose of the products correctly, please dispose of
the products according to local laws and regulations on the
disposal of electrical and electronic equipment. In doing so
you are contributing to the retention of natural resources
and to the promotion of environmental protection by the
treatment and disposal of electronic waste.

Safety Instructions

CAUTION:

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER
SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an
equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the
product’s enclosure that may be of sucient magnitude
to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

• Limit prolonged exposure to volume levels that exceed
85 decibels (dB). For more about safe volume levels,
take a look at the Occupational Health and Safety
Administration (OSHA) guidelines at
http://www.osha.gov/.

WARNING:

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO
NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

1. 3

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.