Very rich sounding, warm and full bodied,a taste I prefer

As other's have pointed out; a bit large for a 27" Television

I have never experienced the "You are there factor" until
the purchase of this speaker. Voices actually sound real,
which is a spine tingling sensation to say the least. The
bi-wiring option is a definite must, it makes all the
difference between a simply good speaker and a truly great
one. It is the cornerstone of my Polk family, which includes the following:
Center:CS400i (biwired)
Front:RT55i (biwired)
Rear:RT35i
Subwoofer:PSW120 (weak link)
Receiver:Marantz SR7000
CD Changer:Marantz CC3000
DVD Player:Sony DVP-S530D
Speaker Wire:Home Depot 12gauge
Television:Panasonic 36"

Similar Products Used:

Polk CS275

Incredible Dynamic Range, Excellent Imaging, All around great center channel speaker.

Absolutely None

When I was constructing my most recent theater system, I bought the Polk RT800i to use as my front channels, coupled with a powerful PSW650 sub. I initially thought that the Polk CS245i center channel would be sufficient to complement so much performance up front. Although the CS245i is a wonderful speaker in its own right, when coupled with the RT800i (1000i or 2000p) it didn't seem to be able to live up to the performance of my front channels. The imaging was adequate; however not perfect. The CS245i would be a much better match for many of the smaller Polk front channel speakers on the market. So I decided to return the 245, and give the CS400i a spin. Boy was I glad I did! The CS400i is a remarkable full range center channel speaker that is constructed with the exact same components as my RT800i front channel speakers. The result is absolutely perfect imaging, and full dynamic range unlike any center channel speaker that I have ever auditioned. Dialog is clear and precise and I can run my center channel speaker on the LARGE setting now, thereby tying many of the effects closer to the screen. Bottom line - - this is a terrific high performance speaker to be reckoned with in any price range!

My current system is as follows:
Polk RT800i Front
Polk Fx300i Rear
Polk CS400i Center
Polk PSW650 Sub
Yamaha RX-v5880 Receiver

The Polk CS400i ties all of my speakers together for flawless imaging and incredible performance. I highly recommend this speaker to anyone looking for truly high end performance at a great price.

Similar Products Used:

Polk CS 245i

Big and rich sound with full range capabilities. Great looking!

May be too big for some TVs.

A truly excellent speaker! I started off with the CS175 because my initial plans were to use RT15's all around. But I blew them at my new years eve party and traded them in for RT55's. What a difference that made! So then I traded in for a CS300 because my TV couldn't handle the size of the CS400. Then I got a bigger TV so I went for the CS400i. The speaker has the capability to whisper quietly and then come to life and blow your socks off. It has incredible range and dynamics. I even put my centre speaker setting to large and it handles bass with ease. It has no problems keeping up with the RT55's, F/X 500's, and Velodyne CT-100. What a great setup! I am currently running it with a Sony 935 but am planning on moving to an H/K 210.

Similar Products Used:

Polk CS175 and CS300.

BIG,STRONG SOUND

NOPE

IF YOU HAVE 800i OR SAME SPEC'S SPEAKERS THIS IS THE CENTER FOR YOU,I HAVE 800i FRONT,400i CENTER,FX500 SURROND,PSW650 POWERED SUB,HARMAN KARDON 500A/V RECIVER.= SOLID HOME THEATER.

Great sounding CC with correct voice definition that most center channels lack.

Big and somewhat heavy.

It sounds awesome!! The clarity of the sound from this center channel is second to none in this price range. I listened to a lot of centers and they were either very harsh or had no sonic balance what so ever. They just could not reproduce any bass unless you were going to spend $500 or more on a center. The salesman at one audiophile shop had me listen to all high dollar centers and of the 5 CC I listened to only one was equal or better than the Polk. That was a Paradigm. It also cost close to $1000. Enough said, great center speaker for the money but would make sure your other speakers are up to the task. The CS400i will drown out lesser fronts or front effect speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, Advent, Paradigm, klipsch

I had the opportunity to compare the polk to various other center channel speakers including an array of Infinitys. The Polk provided full size speaker punch compared to the others and was rich in the midrange.

Not as "crispy" as the infinitys on the high end.

I am extremely pleased with the full size speaker performance that the cs400i offers. Although it is much larger than most center channels that are offered, it lives up to the size.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, Optimus

Sound Quality.

None at All!

The Polk Audio CS400i Center is the absolute best sounding center I have ever. I listened to them all at Future Shop and this was by far the best sounding.

Along with the rest of my Polk's,

Polk Audio RT800i
Polk Audio CS400i
Polk Audio f/x300i
Polk Audio PSW250

Solid Home Theater!