Handle loads of power,deep bass,clear well defined highs,balaced natural mids.

Nothing exept you can pick up bad recordings and inpurities in a music CD.

This is a follow up review for the RT-800 towers.First of all my system for anyone who cares:

YAMAHA AV-35 Intergrated Dolby Surround ,115 watt ,RMS at 8 ohns,20-20,000 Hz ,.008% THD
YAMAHA CD-29 single disc cd player
YAMAHA T-33 Tuner
YAMAHA K-31 Tape deck
YAMAHA P-31 Turntable
TEAC 10 Band Graphic EQ
JVC XV-501 DVD player
Technics SL-P400C 6 disc magazine changer
Sony Mb115 Bookshelf surround speakers
Sony KV25-XBR 1028i compatable TV
Sharp VCH-985 Hi Fi VCR

All in all its not a bad setup for a 14 year old(15 december 4th).These speakers are awsome!With the Yamaha for power you dont even need a subwoofer.Bass is great so long as you have power .A good High Current amp like a yamaha like mine or a good JVC,PIONEER Elite,ADCOM,MARK LEVINSON,SONIC FRONTIERS (ANTHEM MCA-5),Harman-Kardon,NAD,and more will give you great output with little no audible even at 30Hz,and good response to about 25 Hz,almost unheard of for a 6 1/2 woofer.I tried Bi wiring ,but to replace the Gold plated jumpers with quality speaker cable you will get better,more natural sound.The only better way is to Bi amp ,isolating high and low outputs in seperate amps to get the best ,clearest sound that is not at all distorted due to bandwidth related harmonic distortion.In my eight year experience (been building speakers with my dad since the age of 6)with building and wiring speakers I belive Polk is the first manufacture to use good quality inductors ,capacitors ,reisistors and wiring in a speaker.Th cabinet is guarenteed to not rattle,its 1 1/8 inch thick MDF in the front ,1 inck on the sides,with crossbrasses and ARC 9acoustic resonnence control)for low resoonance sound.These towers are as close to get to the holy-grail of audiophile heaven exept for the SRT system and RT-2000,RT-3000 powered towers.So go ahead buy these or the RT-800i towers you wont regreat it you have my word.

Rick


Speaker Specs:

DRIVERS
1 1 inch Dynamic Balance tweetwer(250 watts RMS,2500hz-26,000 +- 3db)
1 6 1/2 ich Dynamic Balance woofers(125 watts RMS, 26Hz-3,000 Hz +- 3 db)
POWERHANDLING
250 watts
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
47-25,000 Hz +-3db
28-26,000 Hz +-6db
SENNSITTIVITY
90 db
CROSSOVER
2500 Hz with 2 ohm reisistor for tweeter ,6db octave
WIRING
Tweeter - parallel to imputs
Woofer - series to inputs
Bi-Amp/Bi-Wire Capable

Enjoy,Rick

Similar Products Used:

Bose 401/901,Cerwin Vega,KLH 9154,Sony MB-1555,Optimus PRO-CS5 center

I had been looking to upgrade my aging (10 yrs) mains for a long time when I wearily stumbled into a local audio store and listened to the Polk RTs. I was immediately impressed by the Home Theatre performance of the RT1000 (mated to the CS400 center and complemented by Polk surrounds). It was exactly what I was looking for. The excellent imaging of these speakers (and the incredible sound dynamics of the auditioning room) brought the opening sequence of Outbreak off of the screen and exploded all around me. I loved it.
The real test for me was in listening to a wide range of music. Here I felt the RT1000 exposes its ability to be too much in a single box. The bass (even after adjusting it) was too boomy for my taste, and I fatigued quickly. I was depressed at how close I had come to finding the golden speaker (in my price range).

The sales guy suggested listening to the RT800 and A/B comparing to the RT1000. I was amazed at how well the RT800 held up musically in comparison. It was the Goldilocks "just right" feeling I was looking for. Rock/Jazz/Classical, it didn't matter -- the imaging was just as good as the 1000, but the bass (IMHO) was tighter and felt much better. The lack of a sub and the extra midrange driver evened the sound -- more to my taste.

But what about HT??? Could it hold up as well as the 1000? I love the rumbling of a good subwoofer behind the action and dialog. The RT800 sounded great! No rumble, but the music passages made up for it. I think the answer is the addition of a truly capable (read Velodyne) sub. The RT800 matched up well to the CS400 center (much better than the cheaper CS300). I tried similar configurations with the RT600, but not enough mid range to please my ears.

So it was to be a compromise... RT800 mains, CS400 center and (when I can afford it) Velodyne subwoofer. I took the packages home and set them up. Positioning took a while as my listening room is much more acoustically lively. Music sounds great (more important) and the DVD performance is stellar. I miss the rumbling of window panes, but the sub will fix that. Even the wife is impressed (less objective reviewer).

After a few days, I'm still impressed with the power and range of these speakers. In this price range (MSRP $900/pr. -- paid $750) the RT800s are a tough speaker to beat.

Clean, well balanced sound, great detail

A little light on bass, no problem with a sub :)

The RT800s are good looking, compact towers that produce some of the best sound I have heard in the under $800 price range. The mids and highs are very detailed and IMO very accurate. The only real weakness of these speakers is that they are a little light on bass, but I don't consider this a major drawback because today's 5.1 channel systems require a true subwoofer for best performance anyway. Check these out if they meet your budget criteria, and as with any speaker you should make your final decision after auditioning them at home.

This is a follow-up. Gee, I'm not crazy.The RT800 do sound slightly better with the speaker wire upgrade. After a little reseach I found that Polk Audio ships the RT3000P with a piece of 12g wire to connect the upper unit (high/mid) with the lower unit (subwoofer) instead of those little jumpers (yeah I know because of the physical location of the inputs it makes it impossible to use the jumpers but they are doing this without fear of degrading the sound). I'm not saying that Polk is doing any thing wrong by using the jumpers on the RT800's just that now we can have some fun by trying different things to try to improve the sound. Have fun. I increased my ratings because now they sound like the speakers I knew they could become.

First and foremost, before buying a pair of main speakers, listen to them objectively, taking into account they may sound quite different in your listening environment! The POLK RT 800s are excellent in reproducing midrange and treble sound. These speakers offer clarity and imaging unmatched by others in the $600/pair price range. The treble is very precise and offers superb resonance. I have compared these to comparably priced Infinitys and the Polk sound more realistic; althouth they distort quicker as the volume reaches high levels. I have heard musical notes on CDs that I never knew existed. However, the bass response was very, very disappointing when used at home-quite a contrast to the showroom floor. Yeh, the bass shook the walls and the floor, but it was more of a rattle than a solid thud. If dance/rock music will not be played, the speakers will do fine without a sub, otherwise it is a must.

RT800i

Mini Review

I listened to these new versions of the RT800 at Circuit City this week. I also listened to the RT1000i and 2000i.

I have never been a big Fan of Polk, but the 800s made a better impression on me. The midrange is improved now, what I always found lacking. For music I thought the dual woofers on the 800i helped fill in a warmth. For HT I like the 2000i best. The 1000i did not impress me for either music or home theater. Plus I really like the new Cherry finish that is available on the new "i" series.

The RT800i are selling for $399 at CC. Matched with the Velodyne CT800 or 1000 made a real nice setup for some consumer/mid-fi gear. In my opinion, Polk has done a good job upgrading the RT series. I also listened to the new infinity's but where I used to like Infinty better, now I like the new polk's better. (though the new infinity's are also an improvement over the old reference series). Also the little RT25i at $124 (they offered me the ones on the shelf, in perfect shape for $99) is a great little speaker. The PSW woofers did not impress me very much. Not bad, just not very good.

5 stars for value, 4 stars overall because they don't compare to hi-fi speakers. But for ~$400 they sound real good and a real improvement over last years model.

Accurate, great highs, good looks

Don't seem to handle power well

I auditioned the RT-800's in CC a little over a year ago. They defintely had the Infinity and Bose beat in my opionion. These things are great for listening to dvd's at moderate volume but my Sony555es just seems to overpower them at anything over the 9:30 position. The bass gets muddy and the highs start to blur. I suppose I was used to listening at the same level with the CV's. The RT-800's are definitely meant for moderately loud home theater rather than loud home theater and/or rock/dance music.

Similar Products Used:

Cerwin Vega vs-120's

Sharp, Crisp, Clean sound (great hi-fi speakers!)

None

I just bought these speakers about 2 months ago and they are incredible. I bought the RT800s with the cs 400 center channel. These two models should be packaged together because they compliment each other perfectly. After reading other people’s reviews I have to say I haven't had a problem with them being under driven at low levels or even any distortion at really high levels. These speakers sound excellent with all music and even better with home theater. I tested alot of speakers and found these to be the best out of the bunch. These speakers out performed other speakers that weren't even in there class. They lack bass by themselves but adding a powered sub remedies this. I highly recommend these speakers to anyone who wants awesome sound and doesn't want to pay thousands of dollars to get it.

Similar Products Used:

Bose, Infinity

Style, Crisp Sound

None

In choosing speakers I came down to these and JBL's. I went to the store with a Pearl Jam CD and it was a no brainer. A guy at work tried to tell me how good these speakers were but I didn't believe him, now I listen to everyhting he tells me.

I bought these pair for $700 along with a Sony receiver (STR DB830, $350) at J&R Music in Manhattan. They are really crisp and clear. The louder I went the better the sounded. They lost a little clarity at high volumes until I shut off the bass boost. I have now added a powered sub (JBL PSW1000). I now have no limit to the volume. There is no distortion of any kind up to 3.5 on the receiver volume. That's only because I can't get it any louder and still have eardrums. The speakers are very nice looking and fit well into any room. They now come in wood finish but it looks crapy. I have played all sorts of music from rap to metal to classic rock and they perform well in all cases.

Just recently hooked up DTS. Don't have a DVD yet but the sound is still intense. Matched with a pair of Cerwin Vega rears and a Sony center they rocked in Armegeddon.

Good price, great looks and superb sound. What are you waiting for go buy them.

Similar Products Used:

JBL

Great Sound, great power handling, Good looks. Excellent build quality.

POLK RT800I's have none considering they only cost 800 retail a pair. They handidly spank any sub 1000$ pair i have heard

They are they best speakers i have heard in the price point;PERIOD! Tri-laminate dome tweeters are the best of both worlds. Great home theatre speakers. The RT800 have better midrange than any other speaker polk makes except the rt3000's.

Similar Products Used:

INFINTY OVATUREs, INFINITY INTERLUDES, POLK RT800P,
rt1000, rt3000, rt55i's Boston Acoustics