Bookshelf Speakers — Polk Audio Legend L200

Within the Legend family that Polk Audio launched in 2019, the L200 occupies the upper of its two bookshelf positions. It sits above the Legend L100 and alongside the L400 centre, the L600 and L800 towers and the L900 height module. It reached the market on 1 October 2019, a month before the L800 SDA tower followed on 3 November, at USD 1,799 per pair, and Polk backs it with a 5-year warranty that cannot be transferred.

Key specs that matter

A 1 inch Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter and a 6.5 inch Turbine Cone mid/woofer make up a two-way system, crossed over at 2,600 Hz by a two-way network Polk labels Orthodynamic. Overall response is 38 Hz to 50,000 Hz, and the -3 dB limits are 46 Hz and 38,000 Hz. Polk rates sensitivity at 85.5 dB for 1 W at 1 m and gives a nominal impedance range of 3.6 to 4 ohm. The suggested amplifier power is 80 W per channel, the usable range runs from 20 to 200 W per channel, and peak power handling is 200 W. Each speaker is 398 mm tall, 212 mm wide and 338 mm deep and weighs 10 kg. The design is Hi-Res Audio certified and comes in black or brown.

Engineering and use context

Polk's ring radiator tweeter is placed in a finely tuned waveguide that Polk says widens high-frequency dispersion, backed by a critically damped rear chamber against resonances. The Turbine Cone was created for the Legend series to handle the midrange. It joins Polk's proprietary foam core with moulded turbine geometry, forming seven fin-shaped ribs arranged in a vortex pattern, so that stiffness and damping rise without extra moving mass. The cabinet is bass reflex, vented through Polk's Power Port, whose smoothed flare eases the transition of port output and adds several dB of bass compared with a conventional port. Internal bracing is used to control cabinet vibration. The speaker is intended for vertical orientation, and its grilles fix magnetically and can be taken off.

Pairing

Because the load dips below 4 ohm and efficiency is modest, a sturdy amplifier that copes well with difficult loads is preferable, ideally close to the power Polk suggests. Legend family members such as the L400 centre and L900 height module allow the L200 to be used in a multichannel system for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.

Alternatives

The Polk Audio Legend L100 offers a smaller cabinet from the Legend line, built around a 5.25 inch Turbine Cone woofer and a crossover at 2,900 Hz.