Official Polk Press Release from their site:
http://www.polkaudio.com/home/partners/press/release.php?id=44

Available Here:
http://www.myradiostore.us/xm-radio-receivers/polk-audio-xrt12.html

Polk Audio Unveils XM Reference Tuner For Premium Audio Systems Destined to be the XM hardware choice for owners of premium home audio systems

Today Polk Audio announced the development of a high performance XM satellite radio component tuner for use with existing premium home audio systems. Named the Polk Audio XM Reference Tuner 12™ (XRt12™) the product is sized and styled to match standard premium audio components and offers the best audio performance to date from an in-home XM tuner.
The XM Reference Tuner 12 will start shipping on or about November 1, 2004 with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $329.95. The tuner features audio component size and styling to match standard premium audio components and is loaded with convenience and performance features. A composite (RCA jack) video output permits the tuner to display Channel, Artist and Song Title on a TV or video monitor for easy viewing at a distance. Both Optical and Coaxial digital outputs allow the unit to be directly connected to audio components with digital inputs for lossless, pure performance. Stereo analog RCA-type outlets allow the XRt12 tuner to be connected to any stereo receiver or amplifier. A built-in audiophile-grade Burr-Brown Digital to Analog Converter chip ensures that even analog connections will result in superior sound quality. The rear panel RS232 connector allows the unit to be integrated into whole house audio distribution systems such as the NetStreams IP addressable digital system.

The analog gain stage of the tuner is robust, providing more than enough output to deliver a full volume, low noise signal to any amplifier or receiver. A menu-accessible three-stage volume control allows the user to match the tuner's output to that of other sources in the system to avoid large volume swings when switching from source to source.

Command and control functions are handled by large, easy to see and use front panel buttons and a four-line blue LCD display panel. A full-function remote control duplicates the front panel controls plus adds numeric keys for direct channel access. Control features include menu selection, category scan, memory, channel scan, display brightness control, 20 channel presets and more. The rear panel RS-232 connection jack enables the tuner to be integrated into the control functions of whole-house music distribution systems such as Crestron and NetStreams.

An XM antenna with 20-foot cable will be included with the tuner and a 50-foot extension cable will be available as an optional accessory. A built-in signal strength meter will aid the user in finding the best possible antenna location in the home.

"We are big fans of XM Radio,” said Polk Audio President Jim Herd. "The audio quality is excellent and XM's content is outstanding. Furthermore we see a close match between a large cross section of XM subscribers and Polk Audio's customers.” Polk Audio and satellite radio customers share an interest in premium audio component systems and high-quality sound, he said.

”It is a true privilege to associate the XM brand with that of Polk Audio, a company that has distinguished itself in delivering outstanding performance and value to a very loyal customer base,” said Dan Murphy, SVP Retail Marketing and Distribution. “We’re very excited to be partnering with Polk to take XM’s commercial-free music and premier talk content to the next level for home audio. The discriminating listener will enjoy XM as never before.”

Preliminary Specifications
Signal to Noise Ratio - >80dB
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise - <0.05%
Channel Separation - >50dB
Dimensions 17” w x 2.3” H x 10.5” D
Product Weight 5 lb.
Color Black

Polk's stock photos are here:
http://www.polkaudio.com/home/partners/press/showimages.php?list=Home/NEW+Home+Tuner

OK, there's all the official stuff... Now for the unofficial stuff:

The tuner is definately a nice piece to add to an existing high quality home stereo system. The inclusion of both an optical and coaxial digital output is by far my favorite feature of this product as we have already been pushing receivers with optical output for over a year at MyRadioStore.com - the sound quality achieved through direct digital output from XM tuners is simply that of the highest possible caliber.

The fact that this is a Polk Product and they are already partnered with Netstreams on their DigiLinX IP addressable system only sweetens this units appeal for whole house integration.

Available Here:
http://www.myradiostore.us/xm-radio-receivers/polk-audio-xrt12.html

Read about the NetStreams DigiLinX System here:
http://www.xm411.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1313






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www.MyRadioStore.com - XM Radio & Opie & Anthony Hats/Shirts. The latest XM Hardware and ALL Accessories! Pioneer Inno, Skyfi 3, Samsung Helix, and More!

Last edited by Ziggy on Tue Jan 04, 2005 11:16 pm; edited 2 times in total

my first thought is that the actual circuitry inside the box probably takes up about 1/10th of the space provided. LOL.

That's a nice addition to the XM radio hardware line. I do like the fact that the channels can be displayed on a Monitor.
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FRPWHB

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From another report in the stock forum:

Of particular note was an interesting new home stereo tuner from Polk Audio. In addition to sporting both optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, as well as analog ones, Polk's new XM Tuner also has two video outputs – one for a TV/home theater display and the other for a computer monitor. That’s so you can see the song title and artist from across the room.

Were there VGA and composite video outputs? It isn't obvious from the picture. There is a laptop with the all too familiar artist "David Bowie" being displayed. Guess we'll have to wait for the full specs to be released.

Wished they had also used TCP/IP connectivity.

In response to DesertRat and to correct a slight inaccuracy in the posting elsewhere on the forum:
There is a RS232 output but it is not compatible with PCs. It is there to interface the unit with whole house audio distribution systems, including the soon-to-be-released NetStreams DigiLinx system. It allows the tuner to display channel/artist/song data on the system displays. We will have a fully functioning NetStreams system here next week and will report on exactly how the tuner integrates with that system.

The video output is composite only.
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Paul DiComo
Polk Audio, Inc.

Welcome Paul- very good to have you here.

I'll be interested to hear the Polk tuner when it becomes available. I wonder that, within the limitations imposed by the XM codec and its associated bit rate, how good XM can really sound on a quality home system. My present experience has been that XM is actually much more enjoyable on budget oriented systems because higher quality setups end up exposing all the artifacts used to encode the signal.

The fidelity gained using a digital output on the SkyFi certainly suggests that there's room for improvement, so I'm anxious to see what Polk has done with this tuner.

It's funny you should say that since I'm listening to XM right now on my bedroom system, which uses a pair of Polk RT25i's. Those things were an awesome value when they went on closeout ahead of the new models. I think I picked mine up for something like $180 a pair.

quote:

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I agree with Mike. A straight factual answer from the vendor! I'm totally impressed that Polk took the time to visit us. Paul, thanks for the feedback. Wished XM would show a little interest once and while.

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That's their problem.
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www.MyRadioStore.com - XM Radio & Opie & Anthony Hats/Shirts. The latest XM Hardware and ALL Accessories! Pioneer Inno, Skyfi 3, Samsung Helix, and More!