In the beginning; life was good. Rewinding the clock back to the year 2000 when I was just a teenager, myself and a neighbor went out to waste time and check out the local electronic scene. One of our stops was Circuit City. Prior to this evening I’ve visited their home audio department months before and was taken back by the performance of speakers from a company with a funny name; Polk Audio. Polk Audio, waa? Visions of a funny looking guy in a polka dot shirt with an accordion danced in my head. What an odd name (and thought). Regardless of the name, it was the sound that stuck in my mind most profoundly. Like most kids, I was into music – but never did I really consider attaining better sound quality. Those were the good days, the pure days.
So the neighbor and I ventured into the store expecting to look and drool, eg; window shop. We made our way back to the home audio department where I was once again confronted with the impressive array of towers offered by Polk Audio. As we figured out how to switch the components in the sound-room, I made it over to the big towers called the RT2000P. Oh man!!! I was taken back by how different, and how much better they sounded than the rest of the Polk’s in formation next to them. I just had to have them! That is, until I looked at their price tag. $2000 a pair. Ouch! With shoulders to the ground, I started walking out until I noticed something by the sound-room doors. It looked like the same speakers yet they were unplugged. After closer inspection I found it was the same pair I was just listening to. I looked at a tag that said “OPEN BOX” with a price of $500 each. My heart jumped for joy! I was practically jumping in the store!! Then reality set in. I didn’t have that kind of money on me at the moment! My nearest bank was over an hour away and the store was going to close in a half hour.. not to mention, the nearest ATM had a limit of a $200 withdrawl. To make matters worse, there were two other gentlemen debating on snatching up the speakers! NOOO!
Seeing my range of emotions from pure excitement to panic and disappointment, my neighbor reached into his wallet and pulled out his Circuit City credit card. He went up to the salesmen who already informed us we were second in line to the other gentlemen, to wrap em’ up as he flexed the plastic. The philosophy of “money walks” applied here and much to my advantage. My neighbor backed his truck into the loading dock as my new 95lb speakers were loaded in. We came home and put them in the living room floor. I didn’t have a receiver, but that’s ok.. I had the speakers! As I thought “a boy cant be any luckier than this”. That night, my neighbor became a hero.
The one important thing I’ve left out of this story is the fact that my parents were away for a few days. Now I was a good kid, so they expected to come home to a clean house with everything the way it was when they left. Well, it was, for the most part. When they walked through the door, my mother let out an “oh my God..what the?SEAN!!!!”. My father just busted out laughing. The story ended well; they ended up paying the neighbors debt and called them a graduation present. Works for me!
For years I enjoyed those Polk RT2000p’s. I loved them, my friends loved them, even girls that came over loved them. I didn’t become an audiophile then, but it sure kick-started the whole thing. It wasn’t until many years later when I heard the Polk Audio Lsi-9’s in a treated room, that forever converted me towards hi-fi.
Don’t get me wrong, hi-fi is great and all. Enjoying your music at ‘the next level’ is a very rewarding experience, and one that is difficult to get away from once you’ve had a taste. Still, in the beginning, for me at least, is when things were more pure.. a time before I even had the concept of a critical ear. A time where it was just some real cool toys, the music, and nothing more.
