Great sound

Size, poor manual

My wife required me to ditch my large speaker system, so after reading reviews I picked up this speaker system. I am extremely pleased with the sound quality (I've not heard even the slightest bad sound of anything that I've played - DVD and CD). My wife's one complaint is that they weren't as small as she'd like (then again, she would probably only be happy with tiny cubes that wouldn't sound so good). The rear satellites are mounted to the wall, and that was a snap. My only complaint is the manual - there is a lot of things on the back of the subwoofer and the manual doesn't talk about them at all; but the subwoofer works great!

Awesome sound, plenty of bass out of the sub.The polished black speakers are stylish not cheap looking.Sounds as good as the movie theatre.

My system is set up more for movies (dvd). My setup is the Polk RM7500,Onkyo TXDS777 Receiver,Onkyo DVC600 DVD/CD,Mitsubishi 65" Wide screen Diamond series, and tons of Monster cable. I don't need to go to the movie theatre I have one at home.

This product kicks major butt for the price. The sound quality, clarity, and aesthetics make this an excellent purchase.

Rather awkward when trying to use speaker stands. The bottom is rounded. Surpisingly heavy ...but is this a weakness...maybe not.

In all honesty, if you are looking for this system to equal and beat systems that cost upwards of $3000+, forget it. However, I purchased this system for $1200 complete. I ALSO used Liquidprice.com. The BEST price quoted me was $1175 including shipping. Basically, put a reserve price of $1100 and you will get this. I might also try using $1150, wouldn't be surprised if someone jumped on it.

I decided to use this price and email REPUTABLE dealers, no offense to etailers, it was worth it to me, to pay a little more from a dealer that will be here 1 year from now. This dealer gave me 100 Ft. monster cable speaker wire and a 15 ft. cable for my subwoofer, also monster cable. So, deals can be made, just be patient.

The System - well, I have researched systems for over three months. Comparing, listening, searching, etc. This to me, is the BEST system under $2000, notice I said $2000 and not $1300. The system is incredible in clarity, depth, and richness.

I LIKE this system for these reasons: First, this system sounds great when listening to Home Theater AND normal music. I wanted a system that wasn't JUST for home theater but would have flexiblity to sound great when playing music CD's. Second, this system looks great and complements anything. Third, the five year POLK warranty...I mean come on, this is great also. Fourth, the Sub just rocks your world. I am not sure of some people here, but you can seriously raise these levels to lease-breaking levels EASILY, or at least, piss off your neighbors. Fifth, reliability. Reliability was a HUGE factor to me. I mean, some people here buy speakers every other year. Not me, I have Klipsch KG4.5's that are 15 years old, but weigh a ton. I believe a speaker should last AT LEAST 10 years, similar to when buying a mattress. You buy it to last, not to turn around and buy something 5 years from now.

Weaknesses: This system is awkward to place on a speaker stand, if anyone has had luck in finding speaker stands for this, please let me know. I don't want to mount it on the walls, would rather use speaker stands. Just looks more aesthetically pleasing in my mind. Subwoofer can put out too much bass, you have to be careful [not necessarily bad in some people's eyes]. However, you don't want the sound in DVD's, etc. and the bass to hit and you can pinpoint the source of the bass. I have found this unit works best when you move the bass unit towards the front of the room RIGHT by the wall in a corner. you get resonance and it acts like a ported box in some manners. I suggest about 5-10 feet away from the TV. Next, you can't really interchange the speakers. If you are purchasing this, you gotta stick with POLK. I have used a VELODYNE sub with this to compare and it sounds a little funny to me. So, if you are going to upgrade in the future, you either got to stick with POLK, or buy everything new.

For the money, this sounds great. I know neighbors who have spent literally, tens of thousands on equipment and they all agree that this system sounds incredible for the price. They were surprised. They said that it sounded really good with CD's and DVD's. Plus, you can't beat the small size of this unit, although it is a little heavier than BOSE.

In closing, BOSE is overpriced. I mean sure the speakers are small, but I like the depth of these POLK speakers. I mean how small and unobtrusive do you want your speakers? If size matters [LOL...when DOESN'T size matter], then buy the inwall speakers to hide them. If you are looking at the 6600 or 6200, don't, spend the EXTRA $200-300 and purchase this to get the PS650 sub. The sub is WORTH the extra money because you won't have to worry about bottom-end in the future. I like this system because I move about every 3 years because of my job. I HATE lugging heavy speakers all over the place....even the bookshelf speakers have irritated me.

With the price approaching $1150, you CANNOT beat it. It doesn't sound like the SONY 815, or the other systems. The 815 is a waste of money and sounds pathetic in comparison. In general, don't buy the ALL-in-ONE systems, they are ultimately a waste of money. Buy components and then speakers. These speakers are worth every penny in my book, heck, they are worth MORE than what I paid. But, since the prices are great now, if you are thinking, jump on it. I give it a four star overall rating, b/c I KNEW what I was comparing it to, and some of the systems were upwards of $2500 and albeit, sounded better. NOT enough sound difference to justify paying $1000-2000 more in my mind.

My system:

HK AVR500
POLK RM-7500
Toshiba 40H80
Sony DVP-570S [actually thought I would purchase a WEGA TV]
Sony NLV-81 VHS
Playstation 2

Thanks and I hope this has helped

Similar Products Used:

Compared the Pioneer Elite TZ-F700's [complete surround], Klipsch Quintet System, JBL system, BOSE and others...

Realistic soundstage. Good musically,amazing with movies.

Subwoofer weights a hernia ton.

Well folks the word from unity is "seamless". I came to Home Theater Gallery in Lovingston, Va. looking for a new tv,when behold I heard these babies sing. Forget about the t.v, my mind was on something else. The owner was playing "Air Force One" and the vocals, surround, and the bass were amazing. Music has an unbelievable presence,especially with live recordings. I knew it would take something special to replace my ADS Sat6 system , and now I have. The bass weights a ton, but it trully lives up to all the hype. For this price range, you are hard-pressed to find better.

Similar Products Used:

Boston, Energy,and Bose

Low cost, smaller than bookshelf size (though larger than satellites)

Flat sound, lack of sound stage, overall unconvincing.

As for any major purchase, it pays to listen to these before committing. After reading all the great reviews, I decided to make a visit to Good Guys to have a listen. At first I was pleasantly surprised to find Good Guys selling this set for $850 regular price vs. my best LiquidPrice.com option of $1260. I can't believe Polk's website lists MSRP at $1769.95!

However, when I listened to the setup, I was unimpressed by the sound produced for both 5.1 surround as well as stereo music. The sound was very flat and unmoving. The bass also seemed a bit uncontrolled or messy. The Energy system had less bass but had a clearer sound in my opinion. I then switched the main speakers to the Polk RT55i's. The sound here was also shallow and unimpressive. Most disturbing with the RT55i's is that many sounds in the high range were almost inaudible. The Klipsch was better but my ears really turned up when I heard Boston Acoustics' VR-M60 bookshelf speakers. As many people have mentioned, this speaker really excels in crisp, clear, and almost melodic highs. It's a very smooth speaker, all around, especially when combined with the Boston PV1000 sub. I fell in love with the sound right away.

This shouldn't be a review on Boston so I'll move on. In the distant past I've had a lot of success with a Pro-Logic HT setup using audiophile quality main speakers and relatively inexpensive surrounds and sub - used phantom center (no speaker). Because of this and my audition experience today I'm also beginning to think the idea of a matched set of HT speakers is really not necessary. My decade old college HT setup was composed of:

Sony 20" Trinitron TV
Sony MDP-333 Laserdisc Player
Pioneer Pro-Logic Receiver
Nakamichi PA-5AII Amp (to drive mains)
Maston Audio main speakers (about $2000 at the time)
dbs surround package (rear & sub) (about $350 at the time)
Audioquest & Straight Wire interconnects/speaker cables

This was an amazing system at the time, especially with the Nak driving the mains. Top Gun and T2: Criterion Edition on LD rocked! I had a separate source/pre setup for stereo. Needless to say, I've moved many times over the years and now I'm finally settling down again so I can look into rebuilding. I was interested in a simpler setup this time around which is why I auditioned the Polk's.

If you want to get the Polks, seriously listen to the Boston Acoustics speakers. Good Guys didn't have a discount on these but at about $1800 ($1000 for VR-M60 mains, $350 for VRS surrounds, and $450 for PV600 sub) without a center channel, I believe this system is a serious contender. It should be noted that the VR-M60's are bookshelf speakers and not satellites, but they are very satisfying. Boston has a center for $350. I'm in the process of convincing myself this is the way to go, using the Polk RM7500's MSRP of $1769.95 as justification. If you have the budget and space, I believe the Boston setup will provide much more enjoyment than the Polks. Give them a listen.

The Polk RM7500 might be useful if: (1) audiophile quality isn't necessary, (2) there really is no space available for bookshelf speakers, and/or (3) budget restraints prevent higher quality speakers from being purchased. As for me, the Polks are so below what I'm used to, I can't justify buying them, even at $850 for HT only. Just my opinion - no flames please ;-)

Similar Products Used:

Boston VR-M60/VRS/VR910/PV1000, Energy Encore HT System, Klipsch KLF10, Polk RT55i

Sub!

no remote for the sub

I've bought the Polk RM7500 system over 18 months ago and had no complaints ever since. I only use the system for movies. Outstanding value and quality for small satellites. Subwoofer shakes the house, especially during helicopter crash scene in "The Matrix" and opening battle in "Saving pryvate Ryan".
Besides RM7500 I use
1.Sony 32XBR45 TV
2.Sony SLV940 VCR
3.Yamaha RV1105 receiver
4.Sony DVPS550D DVD player

Sound quality for their size, stupendous (literally, and metaphorically :-) subwoofer.

Gloss black finish smudges if you look at it wrong! Adding
extra satellites for 7.1 sound will set you back $500.

This is quite an impressive speaker system. Until recently, I used them mostly for home theather. I recently added a SACD player to the system, and I'm even more impressed than before. You have to use the pre-amp outs for the front channels to connect to the sub's L/R input to get any bass out the sub for stereo SACDs. I was stunned how much better the bass gets with all other sources as well.

The gloss black finish smudges too easily, and is bound to get scratched up. That's a minor issue. If you decide to upgrade to a 7.1 system, the only way if found to get an extra pair of satellites is direct from Polk for $500. That's just slightly more than I was willing to pay, so I'm auditioning a pair of Axiom M22ti's and have a pair of Ascend CBM-170's on the way to potentially replace the front speakers which are now relegated to rear surround. The Axioms sound perfectly fine in this setup and seem to match the rest of the system pretty well.

This system has been superseded by the RM7600, so you may be able to pick up the RM7500 for a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge Soundworks HT-III

Great sound and range

None

These are the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. I am quite pleased with their performance with my Onkyo 797 and my wife loves their sound and looks. I really can't think of any negatives. The bass is really much more than I need for my home theater, but maybe someday I'll be able to watch a movie when the rest of the house isn't asleep!

Similar Products Used:

Jamo, Pro Cinema 80, Infinity, Polk RM6600

pure sonic joy-the best i've heard

sub weighs a hulva ton

took advantage of polk/chruchfield's 149.95 discount on
polk speakers totaling 399+ (includes sub) So now i'm the proud owner of the rm 7500/psw 1200! first up the sats are
small enough in size to be unobtrusive and large in total
sound range pure perfection completelely enveloping the listener transporting you "there". So much so you can't tell
which speaker's sending what! I chose the psw 1200 over the 650 because the back panel/carpet spikes-aka stand-keeps the sub from resonating against your floor. now the back panel has so many imuts/outputs it was the ONLY choice.
this monster's bass will rock your world literally
the 2 12 inch wofferes can put out enough bass to be suttle
then when you pop in saving private ryan-DTS version beware!
I'm using a sony de-945 reciever and it is far better than i
could have dreamed. the only thing that hurt was the cables
proabably spent at least 200 on all the monster/acustic
resarch 1 way subwoffer cables(2) and rca digital enhanced audio / video stuff (i wrote my review like this cause it's
sold as a "set" sat/sub from chruchfield)

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thx audio system(brothers HT setup)

It was quickly pointed out to me that the price of $850 only includes the satellites. Sorry for getting anyone's hopes up. You can find information at http://www.goodguys.com. Their stores have a number of listening rooms set up which makes side-by-side comparisions easy and fun.

I did, however, listen with the recommended Polk sub. This sub certainly has a lot of power but as I said earlier, I didn't think it was very precise. I will go back in a couple of weeks to get the exact model number I listened to for reference.

I'd be interested in hearing feedback on anyone who's auditioned the Boston Acoustics Video Reference Monitor Series or the Monitor Audio Silver Cinema Series. Boston's mains are smaller than the Monitors so that's a plus for me but they're surrounds aren't di-pole/bi-pole capable from what I understand. Also, any opinions on di-pole and bi-pole surround speakers would be appreciated.

My apologies if I'm lowering the average, but I didn't want to leave incorrect information regarding pricing on the site.