Members kvmoore Posted November 1, 2006 Members Share Posted November 1, 2006 I've been seeing quite a few of these on ebay for a while: http://cgi.ebay.com/Polyvox-Polivoks-RARE-USSR-Russian-Analog-Poly-Synth_W0QQitemZ120048393939QQihZ002QQcategoryZ38071QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem However, I've noticed no one ever bids on them. Is there something bad about these synths or are people in the US not buying them simply bacause of overseas shipping costs. Shipping would definitely be my reason for not buying one. However, I'm just curious as to whether these synths are any good or whether they're just overpriced. Me personally, I'd rather have a Sequential Pro One, Korg Mono/Poly or something similar for that price. That's just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SaltyDogg Posted November 1, 2006 Members Share Posted November 1, 2006 I have no first-hand experience but allegedly the Polyvoks is the best one. Even so, I wouldn't really buy into the hype. How many times do all-star producers and top acts use the Russian synths? I am sure if they are THAT good (better than moog, prophet etc) we'd have heard by now. Plus, they apparently suffer from vodka-induced corrosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 edit: Umm ... double post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BonsoWonderDog Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 There's no way I'd ever buy anything Russian. Lada. Enough said. Damian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgearguy Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 I've had a few Russian synths over the years (Polyvoks, Aelita, Altair). The Aelita and Altair suffered from extensive shipping damage and I never got the Altair completely functional. The Polyvoks is definitely a cool synth. pros - oscillators sound great on their own and stay in tune/track well. The filter is completely unlike anything else you've heard. The envelopes have an autorepeat mode that trigger w/o a keypress. In addition, you can use the A,D,S controls in that mode to shape the repeats. Has external audio inputs. Built real well inside and out - definitely a synth you can take on the road and will stand up to abuse. Schematics available on line. cons - LFO range is not as wide as some other synths (may be easy to modify). Stock unit does not have a cv/gate interface. Front panel is in Cyrillic (although the layout conforms to standard synth design so it's pretty easy to learn). Parts are Russian and there may not be a western equivalent. 220v only with a slightly funky power cord connector. I/O is on the old European DIN connector standard and you'll have to wire up DIN to 1/4" connectors. neutrals - the only synth I know of that uses magnets and reed switches for the keyboard. (no j wires or carbon plungers to clean/go bad, but unique design). Common problem after shipping - note is stuck on. Cause - a magnet came unglued from under a key and is sitting on a reed switch. There is supposedly a cv/gate mod (schems available at the same site as the service docs), but I only know of 1 Polyvoks with a working cv/gate mod and it didn't exactly follow the published docs. Of all the Russian synths I had, I sold the rest and kept the Polyvoks. Is it worth a 'vintage rare' price? No. Is it a different tone color and external signal processor that some might find useful? Definitely. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Umbra Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 I guess the reason no one has one is because russian music that uses synths is generally pretty bad and almost painful to listen to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kvmoore Posted November 3, 2006 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 Thanks everyone for your input on these synths. Very good info. I can now understand the headaches involved in possible shipping damage, power supply compatibility issues, and incompatibiliy in terms of setup intergration (DIN connectors). Oh well, at least they sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stikygum Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 Yeah, I think everyone is just too scared to try one out and because of that no one really knows about them or pays attention to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members korgmp Posted April 19, 2015 Members Share Posted April 19, 2015 and if someone tells me that it sounds bad then he doesnt have ears ...More to that, of course its a taste preference, but it sounds more interesting than a moog prodigy or rouge in my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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