Polk Audio LSiM703 First Impressions

LSiM703 First Impressions

When the UPS delivery truck pulled up to my home to drop off the LSiM703's, I quickly signed off for them and started the unboxing process. The first thing I noticed was a hole in the side of the box large enough for me to fit my entire hand in. So, what did I do? I stuck my hand inside the box to see what type of protection the speakers had from punctures to the box. I was able to reach in and grab the speaker without opposition. As I started to unbox the 703’s I noticed that there was only Styrofoam on the top and bottom, with no protection in the middle. The speaker sat loosely in the Styrofoam, and the Styrofoam sat loosely in the box, allowing for everything to jostle around a bit during delivery. The speaker itself is wrapped in a soft cloth and a plastic bag, to prevent damage from dust, dirt, or moisture. Fortunately, there wasn’t any damage to the speaker, but I would like to see a little more robust package design for such a nice speaker.

Polk Audio LSiM 703 Binding Posts

After I unpacked the LSiM703, I visibly inspected them and noticed some minor scuffs on the bottom and around the logo. I am not sure if these had been used previously (as is sometimes the case with review samples), but nobody looks at the bottom of the speaker anyway, and the mar on the logo scratched off easily when I rubbed it with my fingernail. The scuffs on the speaker might also be due to insufficient buffing at the factory. Either way, they were only noticeable under very close inspection and shouldn’t affect your purchase decision. Once I had them setup, I stepped back to take a look at the whole package, and they looked great! There’s no getting around it, they’re big, but the glossy front baffle and curved top make them look nice and big, not big and ugly.