This Baltimore-based manufacturer of high-quality loudspeaker systems reported yesterday that its earnings for the third quarter, which ended Dec. 30, dropped 32 percent compared with the same period a year ago.

"It's not a very good retail environment out there, and it's putting a pressure on our profit margins," said George Klopfer, Polk's president and co-founder. "The outbreak of war in the Persian Gulf has made things worse, and we are not looking for immediate improvement" in the numbers.