Thoughts on Polk
- Thread starter Haywood
- Start date
I haven't auditioned any of their new models, but a few years ago I found them to be as equally harsh as their older models. Historically they have been "bright" speakers to me with a boosted upper bass in many cases. That said, they weren't terrible overall, just voiced in a way I found harsh and slightly boomy.
But, I cannot speak for their current models.
But, I cannot speak for their current models.
I used a pair of Polk TSi-200s and a CS20 center in my living room for a while. I recently relocated them to my home office.
I don’t have a Golden Ear but I really like them and can’t identify any obvious flaws in performance. I wouldn’t trade them for many other $200/pr speakers.
I don’t have a Golden Ear but I really like them and can’t identify any obvious flaws in performance. I wouldn’t trade them for many other $200/pr speakers.
They are indeed. They're not terribly well made but they do sound awfully good for the money.
Dentman
Well-Known Member
Their old Lsi series of speakers were extremely well reviewed and thought of. At the time I thought they were the best 1k speakers I ever heard.
As for the lower end models I always thought they sounded better them most gave them credit for. They were/are an easy target because of where they are sold.
As for the lower end models I always thought they sounded better them most gave them credit for. They were/are an easy target because of where they are sold.
There are some Polk in-wall speakers that get very good feedback for speakers in their price range. I've been considering them, but I'm a little gun shy with Polk vs options from Paradigm and Definitive Technology. The attraction with the Polks is that they are quite a bit less money and have over a thousand positive user reviews across Amazon, Crutchfield and a few other sites. The issue in general with all of the speakers I can afford is that there are ZERO professional reviews and not even a ton of feedback on the A/V forums. <sigh>
Relax … you’re building a living room system right?
The main system is starting out in the living room, but will move downstairs as soon as phase 1 of the basement remodel is done. This is for the family room/kitchen area, which is the hub of the house. The system will see a ton of use, mainly for background music, TV and games. I want it to sound as good as possible and have enough power to fill the area with music, but I do not want to spend huge money either.
We decided to go with in-walls for a variety of reasons that have to do with room layout, use and aesthetics. The only exception is the center, which needs to be a traditional speaker small enough to mount under the TV like a soundbar. The TV is above the mantle and we are going to use a pull-down TV mount, so we need the center channel to move with the display. Definitive Technology, Paradigm and Polk all make center channel speakers small enough to mount like soundbars. I can put together a five speaker system from any of them for $1100 or less.
We already have an entry-level Yamaha receiver, a 50" 1080p display, subwoofer and source components.
Ok here's a thought: these are in-walls, so get the smallest size speakers you can find that look decent, and try those first. If they suck, it's much easier to carve out a bigger hole in your wall than to make a large hole smaller.
D
Deleted member 133
Guest
I'm pretty sure I've not listened to a Polk speaker since the early '80s, but if I recall correctly they sounded pretty good to me (at the time.) I think they were the RTA-12 - or something like that. They had two 6.5" woofers and a big passive radiator, and a tweeter on top. The reason I remember is that I've got four of those woofers and a passive radiator sitting on a shelf in my office about six feet away from me. I got them from a Polk dealer friend for a six pack of beer and used them in a custom-built unpowered sub that I designed.
Jeff
Jeff
These are the contenders for the front mains:
Paradigm CI Home H55-LCR
https://www.paradigm.com/products-current/type=inwall/model=ci-home-h55-lcr/page=overview
Definitive Technology DI 5.5 LCR
https://www.definitivetechnology.com/products/di-55lcr
Polk 265-LS
https://www.polkaudio.com/products/265-ls
Paradigm CI Home H55-LCR
https://www.paradigm.com/products-current/type=inwall/model=ci-home-h55-lcr/page=overview
Definitive Technology DI 5.5 LCR
https://www.definitivetechnology.com/products/di-55lcr
Polk 265-LS
https://www.polkaudio.com/products/265-ls
Xgm3
Active Member
What about these in-wall speakers from Hsu research http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hiw-1.html
My past experience with "horns" that are not based on compression drivers has not been good and I need to spend more time looking at the room to determine whether I'm willing to forgo the center channel.
malsackj
Well-Known Member
MTM configuration has been stated by Flint as having lobes in the horizontal plane that can be heard as you move around the area.
M
T
M configuartion moves the same lobes into a vertical lobes and makes them harder to locate as you move around.
They both have the lobes but the vertical ones will work better for listening in most rooms.
M
T
M configuartion moves the same lobes into a vertical lobes and makes them harder to locate as you move around.
They both have the lobes but the vertical ones will work better for listening in most rooms.
I would never use horizontal placement of an MTM speaker anyplace other than a center channel. Were it practical, I would go with a vertical center, but it usually isn't.
I have not found center channel lobing to have any discernible audible impact unless seated more than a chair or two off-center. This may be because I have never had a dedicated space or an acoustically treated room, but I've never been able to hear it anywhere on a couch in front of the system.
I have not found center channel lobing to have any discernible audible impact unless seated more than a chair or two off-center. This may be because I have never had a dedicated space or an acoustically treated room, but I've never been able to hear it anywhere on a couch in front of the system.