[DSkip]

These should either be at Best Buy now, or hitting the shelves soon.  I had a meet at my place recently and Polk stepped up to the plate and shipped a pair to me.  I've owned the Pioneer BS22's and respected them greatly.  However, these speakers are well worth the retail price at twice the price of the BS22's.  Especially when paired with the iFi Stereo 50, the sound is just incredible for a speaker at this price.

The midrange is excellent, the tonal balance is spot on, and the bass... oh my the bass.  Speakers this cheap shouldn't put out this kind of bass.  Its tactile and deep.  Other than the added bass extension compared to the BS22, these also do something the BS22 could never do - disappear.  I always knew where the Pioneers were, regardless of gear, position, or room.  The Polk's have an ability to disappear - not completely, but very respectably - that is quite an accomplishment considering this is a true budget tower speaker.

Due to the passive radiator design it has (2 of the 3 woofers are actually PR's), there is an ease of placement for these that most other budget speakers don't have.  Even corner loaded, they do not sound terrible like most rear ported speakers you find in this price bracket.  They really did a great job designing this thing.  The completely new tweeter also boasts a wave guide to improve high frequency performance.

One thing to consider is that these speakers are lightweights, which makes it even more impressive that they are able to disappear as well as they do.  However, if you are putting them on carpet, you will want to add a small plinth underneath them to stabilize them for best sound.  Adding spikes to these won't add much assistance because there simply isn't enough heft to them to make them effective.  I had mine on a slab of 3/4" MDF that did wonders tightening up the sound.

http://www.polkaudio.com/t50/d/1259

[Letitroll98]

I have a completely different model Polk speaker in my bedroom system, the RTi6 bookshelf model and I keep trying to tell people how great these speakers are and they look at me like I have three heads.  So I quit talking about them, but Polk has been making some great budget speakers for awhile now, glad you found some you like.

[FireGuy]

I have a completely different model Polk speaker in my bedroom system, the RTi6 bookshelf model and I keep trying to tell people how great these speakers are and they look at me like I have three heads.  So I quit talking about them, but Polk has been making some great budget speakers for awhile now, glad you found some you like.

I've never owned Polk but I've heard them on many occasions.  I cannot agree with you more.   I suppose it's that cost relationship aspect again.  "They don't cost much so they can't be that good".  Given the success of Andrew Jones with Pioneer and now Elac should cause us to reconsider this skewed line of thinking.  Before settling on Omega I was very close to getting a pair of Polk's LSi9's.   I'm convinced I would have loved the pair.

[Zero]

I would have never gotten into this hobby had it not been for a pair of Polk Audio RT2000p's.  Still love the brand. 

[RDavidson]

The late Robert J. Reina, who was probably my favorite reviewer for Stereophile, opened his review of the semi-classic RT25i with...

"Polk Audio is the Rodney Dangerfield of high-end audio. Why does this conscientious, innovative, and well-organized company garner no respect from hard-to-please audiophiles?"

[Early B.]

I started on this journey with Polks -- RTi6, LSi9's and others. Great speakers, great company.

[DSkip]

I've been a member over at the Polk forum for 11 years now, so I've been a Polk fan for a long time.  Their budget offerings of late have been less than stellar in my opinion, but these new T50 really bring their A-game.  It's a nod to the budget speaker of old, the original Monitor line, that so many people fell in love with and still fall in love with today.  These are speakers anyone can enjoy.  If this is where Polk is heading, the rest of the entry-level world (including Elac) should be very concerned.

The BS22's have been my go-to answer for anyone looking for speakers under $400 a pair.  That is no longer the case though.  These easily best the Pioneers and will probably be my recommendation for those looking at speakers under $700 a pair.  Can you do better?  Of course.  Much better?  Well... not for multiples of the MSRP.


Please don't waltz into a Best Buy and judge these based off a horrendous demo setup.  If they tickle your fancy a bit in the store, take them home and find out what they are really capable of.



This is everyone's notice that these are easily the speakers to beat in the $300 and under range.  You heard it here first.