There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Not interested in: Polk Audio
Polk's Signature line is one of the best values in passive speakers... and would wipe the floor with JBL's Studio 3 or ELAC's Debut speakers.
The JBL LSR305 is an active studio monitor, not a home speaker. It has extremely flat frequency response, but limited dynamics and a slightly muddy mid-bass. But still, for $300 a pair, including amplifiers, it's amazing.
I hadn't looked at Polk Sigature series. I looked for a review and found this: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/polk-signature-s60-speaker-system-review-test-bench
It looks like they have a bump in the response at around 12 to 13kHz, along with a pretty good dip in response centered around 1kHz, often found in Polk Audio designs. The last Polks I heard, I could hear that pretty clearly. That would give a big presentation (like having a mild loudness contour engaged) with a little extra sheen to the highs. Some folks might enjoy that, especially if distortion is reasonably low (which wasn't measured in that review, so I don't know). There is a taste question to be answered when it comes to one's choice in speakers.
You make some excellent points. While I've never listened to the 305P JBL powered monitors in person, I have heard from others that they are quite impressive, especially considering their modest price. As far as Polk goes, I own a pair of the Signature S15, which is the 5.25" bookshelf. They sound rather forward and and tight... and easily fill a medium-size room. I would be willing to bet that they are among the best all-rounder passive speakers available for under $200.
I don't know who sells the the Polk Signature series in my area, but if I see them on display somewhere, I'll try to take a listen.