Have had this up and running a few days now and I am totally delighted with the XM Broadcasts and the Polk XRT12 Tuner. The Yamaha T 1 tuner is now retired, not because of failure or poor performance. But because of the poor AM and FM stations in the area. None of them broadcast programs that interest me in the least. On the XM have found several channels that play precisely what I am looking for and with better quality. I particulary like Real Jazz 70, Watercolors 71, XM Cafe 45, and The Loft 50. Subscription costs is $12.95 a month or about .43 cents a day at this point, well worth the expenditure to get the music I want. The current price of the Polk XRT12 tuner is $249.00 and a $20.00 rebate currently applies until June 30,2006. It is priced very right, for its overall price/performnce ratio in todays market.
Using the Polk XRT 12 tuner. This is the first home audio tuner made for audio systems and fits right in with other components in the rack. Set up was a breeze and the unit is quite easy to use. It sounds fabulous and in the future may use the outboard dac feature.
I like the display settings that allow one to select the larger scroll screen option. Very helpful when recording to Mini Disc music I want to save for the libaray. Plus one can save up to 20 selections for playback later, for me another useful feature.
There has been some carping on the use of the word reference in describing the Polk XRT Tuner. When the word reference is used in audio, it simply means that this is sota for the time. As the Polk XRT12 is the only home based audio tuner on the market at this time,the term reference can be applied. The Polk XRT 12 cannot be judged against conventional AM/FM tuners as the Polk is a satellite receiver.
Others may come along in the satellite tuner field with their products and the Polk XRT 12 will be the reference to those. Other products may be better or worse than the XRT 12, but that remains to be evaluated. I feel sure that this medium will be expanded by other manufacturers in the near future. Reference means simply "refer to" there will always be better or lesser products, than a reference product and the better ones will set the standard for a new reference. But until that happens the Polk XRT12 is the current reference as a home audio based satellite component and should not be compared to car based satellite tuners or the traditional AM/FM analog home tuners. The Polk XRT 12 must be based on its own merits as the current reference in this medium. Like all genesis products it is clearing the path for future satellite home based tuners.
I for one applaud Polk Audio for bringing this to the market place and look forward to better and better home based satellite tuners in the future.
