I own a pair of RT12s and still get that first time "Wow" feeling everytime I listen to them. The imaging is excellent, the bass is tight, but not too thin, and the frequency response is smooth. It's like having a cochlear message. I know they are not the most expensive loudspeakers on the market, I have auditioned many, but they can easily compete with higher-end speakers. .Thanks Polk, Sincerely,
A Graduate Audiology Student

Yes I would agree that Polk referance series are quite superb and well affordable. I also own a pair of Cerwin Vega's and they are really really lound But when I compaired the R-12 to the Cerwin vega's The Polks came out on top
the Cerwins are loud but the Polks are clean crisp and accurate and yes loud
I also own a pair of Polk M-5 rear surrounds and CS-3500 Front Channel all
powerd by Onkyo oh I allmost forgot my recent purchase Definitive Technoligy
PF-12 Powerd Sub I would admit not bragging that this set up is a real killer
not only for music but movies too.
If anybody is in the market for some new speakers definitely audition all
of Polks Referance Series and I mean Really audition them "loud" you'll
be impressed I assure you.

The polk RT12 is a very fine $800 pr. speakers, It is an excellent $515 pr. speakers, and that is the price I paid. The build quality of these speakers is good. They feature biwire/biamping. The polks rock, very good imaging, solid bass, plenty of punch, and detailed highs. I use them for both stereo music and DD/AC3 movies. The polk's are truely a full range speaker.

The Reference Theatre 12's are stunning to ear. Their size is not proportioned to the pure power that they are capable of. The bass output is superb. The Midrange flawless, and the highs can crack glass.
Used in conjunction with the Polk CS250-S and a couple of rears, these pups will turn your viewing area into a raging home theater. Even your lame eared friends will love it.

Bravo! Bravo! Polk!
The RT12 integrates everything you need: smoothness
in the highs, clarity in the mid-range, and
deep...deep bass and still accurate.
It is also a very versatile speaker: sounds great
with any type of music, and creates quite an impact
with movies...
I just wonder why this brand-name is left over by
audiophiles...

My wife purchased a pair of Boston Acoustic loudspeakers for Christmas. The speakers were very smooth but seemed be lacking in the midrange. Since we plan on purchasing a new house in the near future, I decided to upgrade my speakers. I wanted something with a clear and accurate midrange and a tight bass. I also wanted a bigger sound to complement my 85 per channel amp. I read everything I could on speakers. Since I was limited on what to buy because of where I live, I narrowed my choices down to Energy, Polk and Boston Acoustics. I also considered Paradigms. The Paradigms were very good and are hugely discounted here, but they seemed lost with classical music. Price was also an issue. I wanted something in the 1000 to 1500 Canadian price range. I auditioned the following speakers: 1. Boston Acoustics VR 40
2. Energy Audissey 3.2 Bipolar
3. Energy C8
4. Polk RT12
It didn't take long to eliminate the Energy C8. Too boomy and no treble. The midrange seemed chesty on female singers. The VR 40 had no midrange. It just seemed cut-off. It was smooth and musical, however. The Audissey bipolar had a deep tight bass and decent midrange. The highs though seemed dead and dull. The Polk was just fabulous with all types of music. The bass was tight and clean. The midrange was forceful and clean. It was oh so natural. The highs were crisp and clean. And the soundstage and ambience was fantastic. It was so musical.
Of course I bought them.
After 2 weeks of heavy listening the Polks get better and better. They sound much better at home then they did at the store. They really sound lifelike. Even though they are advertised as theater-type speakers they are very musical. I recommend that you try these speakers side by side with other brands to see what I mean. Way to go Polk!
2. Energy Audissey 3.2 Bipolars
3. Energy C8's
4. Polk RT12
After numerous tests I was able to eliminate the C8's. Bass was too boomy,midrange chesty and treble seemed cutoff. The VR 40 had asmooth sound but seemed to lack any drive in the midrange. I brought my choices down to the Audisseys and Polks. The Audisseys had a deep bass, good midrange and a descent high end. The Polks, however, were outstanding in every type of music. The bass was deep and tight, the midrange jumped at you and was clear and ambient. The treble was crisp and concise. Not only that, the sounstage and depth was fabulous. To top things off the price was the cheapest of the lot.
I purchased the Polks about 2 weeks ago. The sound was even better at home and keeps getting better. Although they are sold as a theater spaeker they are highly musical. I suggest that you at least try theses speakers in a side by side comparison with other speakers to see why I chose them. Good job Polk!

Good bass

tweet is good, but not polks best

I manage a futureshop (similiar to circuit city) in Canada, and I have had the chance to audition 100's of combination of the above brands with a multitude of amplifiers. I purchased these ones for 370.00 Canadian as they were on their way out. I currently have them hooked up to an H/K 75. They sounded good when first purchased but came alive when I got my hands on a pair of Polks trilaminate dome tweeter, MUCH better highs, extended response, easier on the ears during long listening sessions. Great bass for the price/size of drivers. Rt 800 which replaces it is slightly better low end, way better tweeter. If you own these speakers order the trilaminate tweets from polk. YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY. They drop right in in about 2 minutes flat. Also for ht you need a subwoofer, of course i fell that way about most speakers. If you want this sound quality without a sub, buy the rt2000. They will rock your world.

Similar Products Used:

Most Infinity, Polk, Cerwin, Jbl, Bose, other

good sound

other Polk speakers have gone bad, will these?

We purchased 2 sets of RT20's, RT16's and RT12's for our two home theaters. We have had all the subs and most of the mids go bad in the 16's and 20's. None in the RT12 have gone bad to date. All the drivers in the 20's and 16's mfg in Oct 96 went bad. We do not listen to loud music, mostly movies and classical music. Polk has replaced these with their 5 year warrentee, but are getting reluctant now to do so even though with some talk they have done it. I really like the polk sound, but I'm worred that the rest of my speakers will go bad. We have 4 RT20's, 4 RT16's and 4 RT12's. I think I would think twice before purchasing more Polk.