Excellent handling of vocals AND effects; bi-wirable

None

My review of the Polk Audio CS400 is not a casual one. I have spent 2 full months searching for the perfect center channel speaker and have an extremely critical ear. Regarding components for my system, I do not settle for anything. I am completely satisfied with my decision in choosing the CS400. The following will explain why.
First, despite what most dealers will tell you, center channel speakers are NOT for dialogue only. Incredible amounts of data are funneled to the center channel speaker in todays recordings. So, it is of great importance that the speaker can perform well with effects and vocals. During the demoing process, I used concerts (i.e. James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre) and sci-fi/action (i.e. The Matrix) titles to reveal weaknesses or strengths. The Polk CS400 can handle both with amazing ability. The projection capability of the speaker is beautiful. It throws the sound out of the box to create a great sonic image. This is where most centers fail miserably. The low-end centers tend to sound shrill and fatigueing. This brings the Infinity CC-3 to mind. It was harsh to the ear and had a thin presence; very bright. On the other hand, the hi-end centers (Sonus Faber Piccolo Solo), touting there astounding capabilities to reproduce vocals and dialogue with great prowess, retain the sound stage in the box. In there effort to make the human voice sound natural, they put an unwelcomed layer of "smooth" over the output, keeping gunshots and the like boxed up in the cabinet. A good example is a vocalist with a guitar. The voice sounds great, but the guitar licks have no crispness. Granted, the vocals ARE wonderful in these hi-end pieces, but the sacrifice of effects is simply not worth it. Regarding vocals, the Polk tranverses the frequency band effortlessly without peaking to shrillness or dipping into muddiness. Again, it throws the voice into the room and establishes great depth. It performs just as well as the high-end pieces. In addition, it is the ONLY center I demoed that was bi-wirable. I am in the group that believes heavily in cables, having just upgraded mine all-around. I am running a 5-ft length of AudioQuest Type 6+ speaker cable, bi-wired, to the CS400. Bi-wiring this speaker DOES make a difference. I highly recommend putting a quality cable into the CS400 and taking advantage of the fact that they supplied double posts. Without it, vocals may suffer marginally in naturalness.
I paid $350.00 for my CS400. It is worth every penny. I tested the following units: Infinity CC-3, DefTech CLR2000, Boston Acoustics VR12, Sonus Faber Piccolo Solo, B&W, Klipsch RC3, Regnar RG-3, Bose VCS10, KEF, Monitor Silver Centre, Acoustic Energy,...can't remember any more. I hope this review was informative. I am pleased to share my findings with you and am grateful that Polk has an understanding that the center channel speaker is expected to reproduce a variety of recorded material. They have built a speaker around that understanding...and it shows. Good luck!

Similar Products Used:

Listed in review

Bass response, bi-wiring capability, build quality

Muddy dialogue, size

I bought the 400 to match my RT55s. Overall, I like the speaker but dialogue sounds a little muffled. The CS275 sounded much clearer on voices, probably due to the smaller drivers used (4.5" vs. 6.5"). This speaker is huge, so it looks rather imposing on top of direct view TV. I think the speaker would benefit from a high powered amp (above 150 wpc). I had no defective equipment problems. Polk speakers seem to have excellent build quality but they do tend to melt down if you overdrive your amplifier. I thought the speaker was slightly overpriced. I would think one should pay no more than $350.

Similar Products Used:

Polk CS275, Polk CS225

BUILD QUALITY

SIZE, PRICE

I agree with Don. I am not totally satisfied with my Polk CS-400. I find while watching dvds that the voices during conversations seem muddy, not as clear as it should be. I also noticed that the bannana jacks vibrate when the volume is turned up. It also takes up a lot of space, even on my 40" mitsubishi. Perhaps mine was manufactured on a Friday.

The CS400 is one of the cleanest centers i have heard in the 4-500.00 dollar range.You can hear everything but you hear it as there is no speaker there i mean it seems like it disappears. It's also mates well with my RT16s,LS in the back i think polk has done a great job with this product keep up the good work....

I have read the orhter reviews and wish I had the same experience with the CS-400. I find it to heavy on the lower frequencies and that in turn muddies the midrange where the voices are. My wife and I often ask each other what was said and will usually reverse the DVD to hear it again. I am in the market for a replacment and will report back on my findings. I am a discriminating listener and have invested a very large amount of money in my theater room and find the only weak link is the Polk.

I upgraded my CS300 to the CS400. I noticed a big difference on the loud end and bass management. I have the RT800's (fronts) and the RT35's (rear) and with the newly aquired CS400, I have a very good home theater system. The CS400 is a much bigger speaker that can handle a little more high end and imaging is much better with the RT800's. The 400 has the same drivers as the RT800's which will give you seemless imaging. I recommended this speaker to anybody with Polk speakers.

CLARITY OF DIALOGE, BASS OUTPUT

NONE

This is a killer center for the money. Sound is clear and full. Makes you remember what you got into home theater to begin with. The opening scene from Lost in space is spectacular.

tweeter, construction

Bulky

When I upgraded last year my home theater from Prologic (9 years)to Dolby digital I just added the center bose vcs10 speaker to compliment my bose 201's series II, what a mistake, in order to hear anything on the center speaker you had to turn the volume all the way up.
I found out about this site recently to determine the right speaker(s) without blowing the budget and after listening at the local circuit city and Pc Richard stores, I decided to go with the CS400 for center and RT55s for front, for voice matching and RT25s for surrounds.
What a difference The sound is much deeper and not boxy and I could hear things I haven't heard before when playing Saving private Ryan and every other DVD I own, I was satisfied immediatelly , worthy upgrade for Dolby Digital, I will be set for at least another 10 years

Similar Products Used:

bose vcs10

I purchased the CS-400 center about 4 wks ago after owning Polk RT7's for about 9 mths. Superb center channel,
dialogue clarity second to none that I've heard,and I've
heard quite a few (definitive 1000's,infinitys,energy's).
I am presently running in wide mode (pro-logic)and on
large (full-range) in Dolby Digital. You have to experience
the amount of increased bass response this center has added
to my system.It has added foundational bass extension in
DD.The opening sequence in the Super-Speedway DVD is now
downright FRIGHTENING!!!!.Its off-axis presence and
intelligibility is excellent, better than many much more
expensive centers I've heard. This is probably due to its
cacaded driver array,which I personally feel should be
used in all D'Appolito configurations used for center
channels.To my ears ,off axis it combats lobing problems
quite well(read exceptionally).Lastly it has that trademark
Polk midrange presence and a treble that is extended but
not harsh. Thumbs Up!!!!

Bass response, High end, and overall sound and value

None

I upgraded my CS-225 with a Polk CS-300. I thought I had found the ultimate center channel. I then saw that Crutchfield had the CS-400 on special for $279.00. That was only $40.00 more than what I paid for the CS-300. After testing one in Circuit City, I knew the CS-400 was the one for me. My wife had always said that the voices in movies were not loud enough. With this center channel that is not the case. The highs are stong, and the voices and bass response are perfect. I am using Polk RT-400's in the front and Polk RT-3's in the rear. If you are looking for a great center channel for under $300.00 this is the perfect choice. I know Crutchfield had a few of these left, but they were going fast.

Similar Products Used:

Polk CS-225 and Polk CS-300