Price, natural sound, very clear and true sound reproduction.

You need a sub to really wake up the bottom end. Fortunately Polk has taken the guesswork out of finding a matching sub, and the PS350 is a perfect complement.

What can I say? I went and listened to these and several other sets of speakers at a local audio store before deciding on the Polks. Then I went to Crutchfield to order them because Circuit City didn't carry the cherry model and didn't have the free sub deal. I upgraded from the 8 to the 10" sub (PS350) just because I occasionally like the sofa to shake when I'm watching movies with bass. If you read on further you will note that my review sounds very close to alot of previous reviews. The sound of these speakers is undeniably the best sound that you will get for a speaker in this price range. You would end up spending over a grand for speakers before you find something of this quality with better sound. The highs are very defined and bright. If you like REALLY bright speakers, like Klipsch, you will need to bi-wire these speakers. Also, don't skimp on the speaker cable. 18 gauge lamp cord will not do it, cough up the cash for some 10 or 8 gauge monster wire or better. Next is the amp. You better have something with a little more capability than a 200 dollar Sony or JVC, because these speakers need some current to bring them to life. I currently have a middle of the like Denon that I'm replacing with an NAD to get more out of them. Get a good set of stands with spikes to get them up and to the ground solidly. And lastly, let them break in. Mine sounded totally different about a month after I got them home, much better than out of the box.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch Legend series, BW, KEF

Crisp solid bass, sweet highs! Nice Cherry cabinet. Solid built!

Can't come up with any!

Never had a better set of speakers for the buck!!! I'm running them through the Denon 5800 and they sound wonderful! Very nice highs, very deep solid base! I can listen to them all day..no fatigue..at all! This is probably one of my most satisfy-ing investments!!!! Pick them up..you won't regret it!

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Yamaha..JBl and stinkin' Bose.

bang for buck, great sound, DVD movies sound fantastic, well built cabinet

for this price? none whatsoever

great speakers, have listened to speakers at almost twice the cost but still went with the rt55, with no regrets. not many speakers with a better sound bang for buck. I have heard no speakers in this price range that beat them. The speaker cabinet is very well built. real wood, feels solid.

Similar Products Used:

bose, yamaha, technics, EPI

GREAT SOUND!!!! When compared to other speakers with the sound quality these boast the value is excellent.

If you want deep bass you need a subwoofer but thats no surprise.

So surprised with this speaker. I read the reviews and was impressed with them but no where as impressed as when i hooked them up. Great sound quality and the break in period isnt even done yet. Hits really low considering they only use two 6 1/2" drivers. Very developed highs and mids. I can hear every little detail clearer than i have ever heard out of a pair of speakers. These speakers work well for both music and home theater also. what more could i ask for. I previously had the speakers wired with just 8 AWG speaker wire but now i have them biwired them with 12 AWG wire. I can hear alittle difference in detail but mostly in the higher frequencys.

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Infinity, Klipish, Paridgim, Sony, Advent

Quality Sound Cost

None

I traded my R40''s in for the 55i''s (open box) even trade after 1 day of use. The 40''s sound great don''t get me wrong but the 55i''s matched my 245i''s much better. HT and CD play sound much better on the 55i''s. I run the 55i''s in small mode and run everything under 80 HZ to a 15" Sub. Therefore, I saw no need in the 800i''s and plan on placing the 55i''s on 18" to 22" stands. I run everything on a Harman Kardon AVR - 65. This high current unit feeds the speakers with plenty of power for me. They are loud and CLEAR. I''ve never been able to actually hear flaws in a CD recording before I purchased the 55i''s. Sad to say I owned a $4000 car stereo without the clairty that comes with these $300 speakers.

Similar Products Used:

R40 R10 245i

looks,stick it on a low power sub call it rt2000,after you remove 1 spkr.ha

all but strengths

i must have gotten 2 bad pairs,cause these speakers do not sound,loud,clear,no bass,and i have them in my bdrm!i thought i got a buy at cc,wrong,for 150 ea.non musical,ht ok for bdrm

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most other mid fi

clean, clear top, solid bottom

slight rolloff in mid-frequencies

Bought these from Circuit City as an open box special. Great speaker - Compares with some 2x it''s price. I compared these in-home with a $500/pr JBL S-38. While the JBLs had a more "warm" tone, the Polks were quite close, and almost 1/2 the price. My subwoofer, which caused bass to sound muddy in conjunction with the JBLs, compliments the Polks nicely. I decided to keep the cash I saved by buying the polks over the JBL''s and invest in a better DVD player. Excellent home theater speaker.

Similar Products Used:

JBL S38 Studio Series, KRK K-ROK

I purchased the RT55's for my front mains after demo in store. I hooked them up to my Yamaha receiver and WOW! These are incredible! I was a little worried at first hook up, but after I tried everthing from City of Angels soundtrack, Sara Mcglocklin, to AC/DC's "You shook me all night long", I was amazed at the clarity of vocals and the beautiful mid's. The thing that surprised me the most was the bass output. I have a 100W Paradigm powered sub and I really didn't need it to enjoy the harder edge stuff. I was so impressed with this unit, I went back to the dealer and bought a second pair for the surrounds. Paired with the CS400 center channel, you can't ask for much more. A true diamond in the ruff.

bright, crisp highs - enveloping midrange.

low end bass

I was lucky enough to pick up a pair of demos at Circuit city for $175 each, plus a free center channel. One of the best purchases I've ever made. Comparison testing won me over as I was looking at other tower models to upgrade my front speakers. Although the selection isn't the greatest in a CC listening room, to my ears they hands down outperformed every other speaker

Similar Products Used:

Polk rm3000 satellite/sub

Clean sound at mid to upper volumes. Solid build quality.

Placement important at lower volumes.

This is a follow-up to my review of these speakers dated 8/16/99. I've been very happy with them since I wrote that review but....Circuit City (CC) now has the RT800's on sale for only $600 a pair!! I paid $549.99 plus tax for the 55's back in August at CC. I'm thinking that the 800's are unquestionably worth the extra $50 plus tax that the trade upgrade will cost. Anyone out there NOT agree? By the way, after I trade the 55's in at CC for the 800's, I'm going to order a set of...RT55's from Crutchfield (dot com..)- they're on sale right now for only $399.99 a pair. I'll use them as my rears - why pay an extra $100 ($499) for the FX500's when I can have the 55's? Any comments?

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Mission 707's (early 1990's)