Thunderball

I'm using Polks as my current surround set up.

RT800 in the front
245i as the center
PSW140(or 120...which ever is bigger )

and my surround are just two KLH fullrange bookshelves(very good deal, and for my surrounds, they work great!)

Anyway, just wanted to hear the general consensus for the Polk speakers, as I've been *MILDLY* considering a new brand...

Brian Shannon

Since you are asking for opinions I will give you mine.

Polk speakers are very bright to my ears and I have never been a fan of their sound.

The only way to buy speakers is to listen to them. If you have doubts, go out and listen to as many different kinds as you can. Even if you cannot afford them, at least listen.

Good luck.

svadas

better than bose

Brian Shannon

So is the single speaker in my twenty year old sony tv.

Thunderball

BEC

Even though Polk is a mass market company, their RT series is usually very well reviewed, typically described as neutral:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/Sou...ht0130p07.html

(There are also good reviews for the rt35i and rt55i, but those aren't relevent to you).

The 245i already has a pretty clean frequency response curve. To get better, you could use a single rt25i as a center or set the 245i on its side. The best match is an identical speaker to the fronts, but for many that's not practical for many. I've found the best results with identical speakers for L/C/R.

I'm not familar w/the rt800s.

There are better subs out there, if you want deeper bass for less than $400 (HSU, Adire's Rava, SVS).

Thunderball

The sub actually gets pretty low, so that's not a real big thing for me, I dont have the best conditions to begin with.

I'm not really looking for "reviews" per se, just the overall satisfaction/opinions of this company. I'm looking to see if the $1000 or so it would cost to upgrade would be worth it.

Thunderball

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BEC
[B]
I'm not familar w/the rt800s.

QUOTE]

The RT800s are the largest tower polk makes without built in powered subs.

skar

What kind of upgrade are we talking?

IMO, Polk is a solid brand, but a number of other brands are going to give you a better sounding speaker at the same price. For almost any situation I would recommend using another brand of speakers. But if you like the sound of your Polk's, don't let us change your mind. There are many brands that are much worse.

Thunderball

Local Tweeter has a nice set of Mirage Floor Models for $650 and a nice center for about $400.

Dr. D

I'm a fan of Polk speakers: I have the RM7500 satellite system and they create a very full soundstage for such small speakers (I live in Manhattan so size is essential to me). They did sound a bit bright with some receivers I tried, but with a Denon 3801 they sound quite nice for both music and home theater.

I can also vouch for their customer service: my subwoofer blew out after about a month so I emailed Polk. They immediately provided detailed instructions on a simple fix and when that didn't work, they replaced the sub very quickly. They answer their emails and seem to really care about supporting their products so that may be something to consider as well...

Oliver Clothesoff

I have the RT400s as my front speakers. Had them for about two years now, and have been quite happy with them. They're certainly very loud when they want to be, although, compared to higher-end models, the sound could be a bit cleaner.

BEC

Funny, I don't really think of Mirage as a big step up. Which model? If the Mirage center were a better match to the towers (at least the same drivers) I might try it - but then I'm fussier than most about that sort of thing. I'd rather have identical LCR than big towers and a wimpy center. For improved performance, I 'd shoot for better speaker integration, unless you wanted to emphasize a dedicated 2 channel music system.

Thiel, B&W, Martin Logan, Maggies on the other hand probably would be a substantial step. I can attest to B&W's first hand. I've just replaced my tried and true NHT "2.5i"s w/B&W 803's. That was a big change.

NHT "2.5i"s go for $600-$700. I've seen Paradigm Studio 60's in that range. The 100's are closer to $900. These are usually more respected than Polk speakers in the HT forums.

Again, Polk is mass market. I think there may be slight bias because of this. My brother has Polk "RT35i"s powered by a Denon receiver. I'd say they sounded about as good as NHT 1.5's or Paradigm Monitors. I've audtioned quite a few other speakers as well. As heretical as it sounds, I'd put some Polk, NHT, Paradigm, Tannoy, Mission, Mirage in the same company for monitors. Towers maybe another story.

While you may not care for reviews, the slightly more "objective" frequency response curves found in these reviews back this notion up. Some Polk speakers have frequency responses comparable to (or better than) more "prestigious" or expensive speakers.

Then again, this is also true of the lowly JBL N-24.

I better sign off before I get burned in effigy by the Paradigm crowd or tried as a traitor to NHT.

Thunderball

I've decided to stay with my Polks for now, and hopefully, in a few months, I'll be able to pick up either Klipsch or Paradigm.

DVD-Desi

Thunderball,

Sounds like you are in the same dillema I was in a month ago. I had a few polk components in my old system and liked them, so I wanted to get a whole new upgraded polk theater. I did lots of reading and posting around the home theater forums to get an idea of what people recommend. I eventually decided to go with a paradigm system. So I went to a few high end audio stores ready to get a complete Reference 100 system with center, rears and sub. I go there, listened and loved and was ready to buy. Then one of sales men just mentioned I listen to a B&W CDM7 speaker. I simply was stunned by the openness and clarity of the B&W vs the Paradigm. Now I know paradigm is a wonderful speaker and I am in no way bashing it. I however thought the B&W's were much more pleasing to my ears. I eventually went with CDM9's - front, CDM CNT - Center and CDM1's rears. For the Sub I was still unsure of what to get. After looking around and hearing what other recommend I went with SVS Subwoofers twin 20-39's. Damn those things bring the house down.

One other piece of advice is to try to get the best you can afford. You never want to have buyers remorse a few months down the road and wish you had gotten a slightly better sounding model for a little extra cost. Remember a good speaker should be with you for many many years so make sure you are 100% happy with what you get.

Anyhow. However, my best advice to you is start early and make sure you actually listen to what you are interested in. Don't be afraid to listen to other things, you may just like them better. And never buy at the first store. I was almost suckered into spending an extra $1000 just by not being a good consumer and pricing at different dealers. FYI expect about 20% off retail for Paradigm for a decent deal and for B&W 20% off is very good to get on those speakers. Best of luck on your search. Any questions, just post.

wmunn

While I can not vouch for the quality of their main speakers,
I have a set of the FX/300i surrounds, and have been generally pleased with their performance. these are paired with klipsch reference series speakers for the rest of the system.