Polk LS-90 (c. 1994)
Documentation on the Polk LS-90 is thin. No factory spec sheet survives in the archive, but the period press gives a real picture. Audio's February 1994 review (p.68) opened with a familiar lament: too many audiophiles end up making severe performance compromises when they buy loudspeakers, thanks to what the reviewer called "decorator syndrome." The LS-90 was presented as the answer to that compromise - a speaker that was, in the same breath, admitted to be neither small nor cheap.
The review went on to describe a seriously built cabinet. It was about 12 inches wide and slightly tapered, with a wood finish and grille done well enough to qualify as high-quality furniture (p.70). Construction was no-nonsense: internal rigid bracing and a 1-inch-thick medium-density fiberboard baffle cut to tight tolerances around the drivers (Audio, February 1994, p.70). The drivers are the interesting part. A high-frequency driver covers from just above 1 kHz up to 26 kHz. Four new 6½-inch midrange/bass drivers stayed clear of their first resonant mode until 1,800 Hz and remained smooth up to 3 kHz (Audio, February 1994, p.72).
Polk's own advertising later that year called the LS90 the flagship, built around the company's Dynamic Balance technology, and promised audiophile-quality sound at an affordable price (Audio, October 1994, p.37). By the fall of 1994 it was also the anchor of Polk's new LS home-theater/audio system, joined by a matching center speaker, surrounds, and a powered subwoofer (Audio, October 1994, p.227).
Known specs from the 1994 review:
- Roughly 12" wide, slightly tapered cabinet
- 1" MDF baffle with internal bracing
- Four 6½" midrange/bass drivers
- High-frequency driver covering just above 1 kHz to 26 kHz
Beyond that, the record goes quiet. No production dates, original pricing, or complete specifications have surfaced.
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