Sound, construction, di-pole/bi-pole switch

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These are great little surrounds. They fill my room with clean sound (17' x 18'). Bought all Polk speakers except for sub and could not be more pleased with the system consisting of:
Denon AVR-1801
Panasonic RP-56 DVD
Polk RT55i fronts
Polk CS400i center
SVS 25-31pc sub

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aegiss, PSB

Great bang for the buck surround

Pole switch could have been on the side like the fx500i

For the price I paid for these new, they do a fantastic job of complimenting the rest of my system.
Center : Boston VR12 (doesn't match, but one badass speaker I boughtfrom a friend. cheap too)
Mains : Polk RT55i (keeping up high away from the todler)
Rear Surround : Polk R10's (came free with the RT55i)
All work well with our Denon AVR3801 the wife bought. See, women are enthusiasts too!

AWESOME SURROUND SOUND!, Solid Build, Great Look, Banana type speaker jacks, and did I mention AWESOME SURROUND SOUND!!!

Just a little heavy. That's it, honest.

I auditioned these speakers at Circuit City before I made the commitment. When I first heard them in the store my first impression was, WOW! After getting them home and listening to The Gladiator in DTS and Bi-Pole mode, my second impression was, Holy SH*T these things are incredible!

As soon as I got them I couldn't wait to hang them in the back corners of my living room. I decided to go with the bi-pole mode of the speaker. The di-pole sounded ok too, but for my room and placement, bi was best. Which, by the way, the toggle switch option between Bi-pole and Di-pole, make these speakers very easy to place and still get the desired surround sound effect.

The 5 1/4 inch woofer produces plenty of bass. More in my home than the store it seems. The tweets are very clear and create a very smooth balance between themselves and the woofer. These Polks also work flawlessly with my Acoustic Research S-50 towers and SC2 center. I got lucky in one aspect that the Polks use the a silk dome tweeter as do the AR's. I think a horn tweeter, like the ones on the Klipsch RS-3's, wouldn't have matched as well tonally. The surround effect from these Polks is suprisingly dispersed. They make the sound source difficult to pin point and emit a room filling sound that I've never heard before. I have found myself watching my movies all over again! DTS really kicks butt!

One word of CAUTION to anyone else who wants to wall mount these babies. MAKE SURE the screws in your speaker mounts are digging into something other than just drywall. Try to find a stud if possible. These speakers are heavy and would probably pull a drywall anchor right out. Most likely with a chunk of drywall too, so make provisions for good mounting hardware. The $44 speaker mounts at Best Buy will fit the mounting brackets on the Polks very well. I also recommend you use a 1 1/2 inch X 1/4 bolt with washers for extra support when attaching the speakers to the mounting brakets. Make sure, if corner mounting, you take into account the width of the back of the speaker. If you place the wall bracket to close to the corner, you might not be able to attach the speaker. I got lucky when mounting mine, but I could have made this mistake, so I'm passing it on to you.

I have not doubt that the money I've spent on these surrounds has been well spent. This is my first Polk product and from what I've seen, it won't be my last. I only wish I had discovered them sooner.

BTW: The available white speaker color is ALOT more favorable to the wife acceptance factor calculation. :)

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Smaller AR speakers

EASY TO MOUNT SHARP LOOKING GREAT SOUND

NONE

AN INCREDIBLE SOUND GOOD HIGHS AND MIDS BASS IS PERFECT.I HAVE A FULL POLK AUDIO SET UP FOR MY HT.I REPLACED MY 35I WITH THE F/X 300I AND FOUND THAT THEY ARE BETTER FOR MOVIES THAN FOR MUSIC THANKS FOR TRIANGULAR DESIGN AND THE DIPOLE/BIPOLE FEATURE. FOR THE MONEY, YOU CAN'T GO WRONG.
MY HT SYSTEM:

SONY 333ES
SONY DVD 560D
POLK 800I (FRONTS)
POLK CS 400I (CENTER)
POLK F/X 300I (REAR)
POLK PSW 350 SUB TWO OF THESE BABY'S
POLK 35I FOR MY MUSIC

AND IM STILL MARRIED!!!!

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POLK 35I&25I

everything from looks to performance

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These are phenomenal. All of my freinds keep wanting to watch movies at my house now. Even my wife smiles when the sound test screen comes on before the movie starts. If your room is monstrous huge, then buy the FX500i's. Otherwise, buy these speakers. I shopped for 4 months before deciding, so, I know what you are going through. Trust me on this one, you will be pleased.
Fronts: Polk 600i's
Surrounds: Polk FX300i
Center: Polk CS 245i
Sub Polk PSW 350

Fuller sound, richer bass

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The Polk surrounds blow the crappy Minuette speakers I had away. Furthermore, the Infinity quadrapoles sound tinny compared to the Polks. Shop a little though, I overpaid because my wife had to have the white ones.

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Infinity Minuette

Di-pole/Bi-pole switch, cabinet design and material, weight, frequency response

None so far

These speakers are amazingly accurate and have great low, mid-range, and high response. I traded in my quadropoles at Circuit City for a pair of these amazing speakers as they just sounded so much better. I have these matted to Infinity RS-5s for fronts, a CC-3 Center, a Carver Sub, with power coming from a Yamaha DD/DTS 1105 receiver. The rear soundfield is diffussed, yet has good separation between left and right and front to back. I have them in Di-pole mode and they just blend in terrifically with the rest of my system. Highly recommended, especially for the price.

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Infinity Quadropoles

Great sound field, flexible for both music and HT

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I had owned the Polk RT/FX for 11 months, and although they were decent for HT surround effects, they were weak for music. So, I went to CC for my speaker upgrade expecting to buy the F/X 500's. As many have found out, CC doesn't stock the 500's anymore. So, I had the choice: the 300's or the F/X 1000's. Since I'm not ready for a divorce, I went with the 300's. Wow. I am grinning from ear to ear over this purchase. Cost me $60 to upgrade, and the improvement is unbelievable. Watched the Patriot on DVD and was amazed at the sound field these babies put out. Then I tried playing music in 5 channel and again was blown away. Couldn't be any happier with these speakers. Plus, the trade difference was so small even my wife is happy! Other equipment:

Harman Kardon AVR 500 (my third after the first two died)
Polk RT2000p
Polk CS 400
Panasonic DVD 120U
Yamaha CD (some cheapo unit)

Similar Products Used:

Polk RT/FX