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Polk Audio XRt12 Reference Home XM Satellite Radio Tuner (Black) Buy this product from Amazon
Company : Polk Audio
List Price : $329.95
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Average customer review : 3.5
 


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Accessoies

Features

  • XM Satellite Radio tuner with component-standard 17-inch width; lets you store up to 10 artist name/song records for future recall and reference
  • TV text video output for easy visibility of channel, artist, and song information right on your TV screen
  • Optical and coaxial digital-audio outputs, as well as analog stereo RCA outputs, for easy integration with other audio equipment
  • Burr-Brown digital-to-analog converter chip, quality analog components for the best possible XM sound quality
  • Measures 17 x 2.3 x 10.5 inches (W x H x D)

Product Description

Polk XRt12 reference tuner is designed to be a permanent part of your home audio system. It is there when you want it and ready to deliver up the quality programming that XM is famous for. It is easy to connect to any home audio system and comes with everything you need to enjoy XM radio the day you bring it home. Its unique video output allows you to display channel number, name, and artist name and song title on your TV screen so you can see what you need to see from across the room. Yes there are other ways to get XM radio to play through your home audio system, but only the Polk Reference XM tuner brings out the best sonic performance from XM radio. Polk Audio uses premium digital and analog components and superior construction techniques to bring you the highest possible audio performance allowed by XM's digital standard.

Customer reviews

XRt12 3
Good over all product. The gray buttons on the reciever stick sometimes and I was dissapointed with the remote control. The remote is much bigger than it needs to be and is just a plain rectangle that feels akward in your hand. Sound is good though and the menues are easy to use. I also like the bright display which is big enough to read without to much effort. Keep in mind that if you want xm in your car also you might be better off with a portable unit and a home docking system or you will have to pay for a second radio which isnt cheap.

expensive and not delivering 2
Summary
This review is for the Polk XM reference receiver Polk XRt. In summary this receiver exposes way too many compression artifacts for its price. As a 2005 (2004?) model its algorithms are not up to state of the art that portables show.

Background:
I am not an audiophile. I do however have a decent pair of ears on my head. The biggest blame I have for the Polk XRt is that it does not mask the compression artifacts well. Talk channels are very distorted, a bit less so for music channels. The best channel quality I perceive is on the classical channel, most likely because they play mostly instruments rather than vocals.

Details: I bought a Delphi SkyFi3 4 months ago and hooked it up to an analog receiver. My only grief with the DELPHI was the frequent lockup which is described under respective review sections. Actually the Delphi sounded good, if not great. As I said I am not the expert but I think they just mask the compression artifacts with a little less fidelity. Anyways it sounds to me as good as FM radio at least. Based on the lockup problem and since I only listen to XM at home I thought I'll upgrade to the Polk. However no upgrade it was. The Polk clearly exposes the compression artifacts that can be heard mostly with vocals and talk stations. I find it quite annoying but hope to get used to it over time (have it for 2 weeks now). I destroyed the Delphi cradle and object to returning items that work so I stick with the Polk for now(well at least it looks very cool) but I would not recommend to anyone to buy it. I think the portables have newer and usually better algorithms (the Delphi certainly does).

Supplement: I also bought a new receiver with the POLK with a digital input. However both digital and analog input show the same amount of distortions.

PPS: Some audiophile might say that the Delphi lacks in clarity. This could very well be true but I rather have lacking clarity in the output than being exposed to every single detail in the compression artifacts.




Excellent product 5
After one month of use. Excellent product, works well; easy to set up and use. Don't listen to the XM Radio people about having to set up the antenna on the SW side of the house or even outside the house. Try it first on top of the TV or the unit itself and play around with it a bit; see where you get a decent signal. IF that doesn't work, then do what they say and worry about drilling holes, running cable and having to get an outside antenna. My antenna sits on top of my TV in the entertainment center and gets an excellent signal.

Polk Audio XRt12 Tuner 4
This is the correct tuner to add to my stereo unit, but a bit pricey when you compare it to the portables out there. With the portable units you can switch from home stereo to car stereo using one account. With this unit you only get one account and cannot use it for a stereo care unit. Therefore, I had to pay for two subscriptions.

Radio's great for news but too much compression for music 3
I bought this tuner last year after finding out this receiver had optical and coax digital outputs for SS, expecting great soon to be 5.1 surround sound and entertainment, but was disappointed when I found out XM went to another system (neural sound decoding). This receiver is great for News but you will be diappointed if you decide to hook it up to your home entertainment system for music. You would think anything coming off of a satellite in digital would put you close to the sound of a philharmonic but because of the number of channels XM has and the high compression they use...you would be better off listening to the transmission of your local AM radio statiion. If you are a news/sports junkie, this receiver is for you, if you want cd quality sound....don't waste your time or money. I have recently sold my receiver on E-Bay and am looking at over the air HD reception using the Ibiquity system. If local FM radio stations decide to use more then two sub-channels (after going digital)and thus lower their bit rate, I'm afraid, it too, will sound as poorly as XM and this polk receiver. Polk csr said, Polk does not intend to update or support the XRT-12 with a Neural Sound firmware update, to enable this receiver to function as a 5.1 ss receiver using the backside output of optical digital or coax.

ABOUT NEURAL SOUND:
Neural Audio Corporation, an audio development company specializing in digital signal processing solutions for broadcast and consumer electronics, is the developer of Neural Surround™, a proprietary audio format that embeds the rich envelopment and discrete image detail of surround sound and is 100% compatible with stereo content. Chosen by XM Satellite Radio as the format for their 24/7 XM HD Surround programming, Neural Surround™ will introduce the excitement of surround music to a broad audience. Neural Surround™ is supported by major home theater brands and automotive OEM's and is expected to be available in more than 50% of surround sound receivers starting in Spring '06. Neural Audio Corporation is a privately owned company headquartered in Kirkland, WA.[...].


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