M10

by John, May 11, 2008

Strengths:

-Very detailed tweeter. -Compact size, and with the keyhole mounts, they are perfect for surrounds. I have owned the Paradigm Atoms (the V3, not the new ones) and the M10s can handle more power than the Atoms. Not to say that the M10s are on the same level as the Paradigms. The Atoms are on a whole different league,especially the new ones, and have much smoother bass extension. For my particular application,(gash,high-volume, inexpensive computer speaker) the M10s are perfect. -Come with poly-fil ALREADY installed! -Belie their small size by projecting sound over a wide area of space.

Weaknesses:

-Naive people expecting huge bass from a small speaker.It is meant to be compact, to save space. (If you put the same diver in a larger box, the bass would be better.Furthermore, a high-current amp would bring out more bass than a cheap, entry-level Sony receiver might.) -I still hear port noise at high volumes: Ha-Hah! -Is this real Polk engineering, or just the "Polk" name, made in China????

Review:

Hope this helps, and I hope Polk appreciates my unique perspective on their fine speakers. Construction: Cute little compact speaker. I guess you could say, "Good design semantics." (Its looks make you want to listen to it) This speaker has the same cabinet dimensions as the the R10 and the R15. I have owned both of those speakers. I went through a "speaker fetish" phase where I searched for the ultimate inexpensive bookshelf speaker.I bought, returned or sold many speakers in my quest.I always ended up using the R10s and 15s for surrounds:Great dispersion,ie, sound projected over a wide area.(And I never returned or sold the legendary Cs400i center channel) I did sell my last R15s a couple of years ago (during financial difficulties) to a pawn store, where they diappeared fast. I needed new surrounds this year for my computer system. The finish is the same as the R15, and the "polkaudio" logo is the same style and color. The grilles have changed though. They are convex (curving outwards)as if to give the firing port more space, and thereby reduce chuffing.They look a lot like Rti4 grilles. Performance: Drivers: Same Dynamic Balance driver as the R10s and the R15.Great bass for size, especially if you position them right. Positioning is very important. As a general rule, the closer the speaker is to the floor, the better the bass.Every room has a "sweet spot"(usually in a corner) for bass. you need to find it. I peaked inside the firing port with a curious, probing eye,and noticed what looked like poly-fil inside. Cool, Polk obviously reads reviews of its speakers. Neither the R10 or the R15 had any stuffing inside the cabinet, but many reviewers have put poly-fil in them, to reduce both boominess and port noise. Tweeter seems a bit more detailed than either, and maybe a bit "itchy" and bright for some. But awesome in this price range.Silk dome is a great tweeter material because it doesn't tend to fatigue the ear over long listening periods as much as metallic tweeters do.

by Chris, April 7, 2010

Strengths:

Very good in the upper levels of the midrange. Great open sound with a forward soundstage.

Weaknesses:

Considering the price, the value for dollar eliminates any weaknesses!

Review:

I would not consider myself an audio expert, but an audio enthusiest just the same. I bought a set of M10s about 3 years ago for surround speakers to complement the Monitor 30s in the front of my system. As of late, I have been listening to more direct(pure sound), from my music as was intended when recorded. As an experiment, I decided to connect the M10s up to the alternate fronts on my Onkyo reciever and compare to the Monitor 30s side-by-side. To my surprise, the sound was extremely better in the upper midrange with a more open sound. They do not have as much bass, but that was to be expected with the smaller cabinet. When switched to only stereo, I increased the bass with each and again was surprised at how much better the M10s were in their ability to blend as one unit. The Monitor 30s are good speakers, but are a little less forward in the upper midrange. When paired with my PSW10 and adjusted properly to blend together as a unit, the sound becomes truly amazing for the amount invested! It will truly rival speakers that cost 2-3 times as much and that is including the subwoofer!

by Bobb Cramer, February 14, 2007

Strengths:

clean clear pristine sound recommend to any one who said good sound has to be expensive? thanks polk

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

love em. I use them as rears for my surround sound and the monitor 50's for my fronts and a polk center. A great set up with more than realistic and clean sounds

by Frank B, October 29, 2009

Strengths:

Even sound. Versatile applications.

Weaknesses:

Lack of low end (but then, they are not supposed to go low)

Review:

These were purchased with the intent to be used as rear speakers in a surround application. After an initial break-in period as rear speakers, I decided to do an experiment. They were disconnected and redeployed as stereo speakers in a two speaker application. What a pleasant surprise! Except for the lack on the very low, these guys did exceptionally well. Very easily these units could be incorporated into the main speakers of a system with the employment of a sub-woofer. Perfect for a small apartment, bedroom, university residence life facility, etc. Just do not overdrive them to try and get them to cover the low end - it's just not going to happen.

by cjv, December 30, 2005

Strengths:

dynamic range, bass response for a small speaker, great value

Weaknesses:

can't think of any

Review:

I just bought a pair from CC for about $100 to replace older Kenwood HTIB speakers for use as my front speakers. I knew anything would be an upgrade from what I had but I did not expect such clarity and performance for such a low price. I am space limited, but did not want tiny speaker set, so these are about as large as I can go. Wow, the highs are crisp and clear and the bass response was more than I was expecting for such a small speaker, and you can crank them fairly loud without losing much clarity. I paired them with an 8" Yamaha sub and they blend incredibly well. The finish is tasteful and they look great with the speaker grill on

by Chris Allen, March 18, 2006

Strengths:

great sound....remember only $100.00 what more could you want

Weaknesses:

on bass heavy music like rap i feel like its missing the quick snap of some sweet midbass but that could be that i am used to in your face high-end car audio systems make no mistake i am very satisfied

Review:

awesome speaker i have them hooked up with 100 watts each as main speakers with csm center also tied into computer system which is awesome i have found that with these speakers are best when close to the listenerat least according to my ears hear every detail never distortion i love them they got me turning off my sub so i can listen to them in stereo

by Mark Pulliam, May 26, 2006

Strengths:

The excellent sound you expect from Polk in a compact, affordable package.

Weaknesses:

Need a sub if used as mains. That's about it.

Review:

No compromises here. Aside from not reaching as deep as larger speakers, these have 100% of the sound quality Polk is famous for in a small, affordable package. Mids and highs are clean and clear. There is plenty of volume and dynamics for a medium-sized room with no distortion. Voices and acoustic instruments sound lifelike. The very small baffle area gives even better imaging than many large speakers. I bought these as surrounds, and they have ended up as my stereo mains (with a sub.) Highly recommended.

by mike nardini, October 9, 2006

Strengths:

solid construction, high efficiency good price

Weaknesses:

poor extension on low and high frequencies medium range too much in evidence

Review:

The construction is well done: nice and robust. The woofer element looks to be good, but the sound is not adeguate to its class. The tweeter is not enough efficient compared to the woofer. The overall result is poor and sounds as a much cheaper loudspeaker. I've tried to modify the crossover reducing the medium range with good results, but probably Polk could do much more with a little effort.

by Jackie, November 12, 2006

Strengths:

It has everything that you want in a small speaker.

Weaknesses:

Nothing to write home about.

Review:

The clarity of the sound is incredible. Could use a little more bass but that to me does not detract from the speaker since we all supplement our systems with a sub-woofer. Well Done, Polk.

by Simon, April 23, 2007

Strengths:

Very affordable "top of the line brand" speaker.

Weaknesses:

None yet.

Review:

A nice, affordable speaker. In my setup im using it as a surround speaker. Paired it up with Monitor 50's.

by Duke Stevenson, July 16, 2009

Strengths:

Perfect size /sound for addition to 7.1 home Theatre.

Weaknesses:

None so far , paid $89 for the pair.

Review:

I bought these M10's as front R/L speakers for my 7.1 Home Theatre sym . They added the right amount of bass to work with the RM 6750 speakers.

by lessthanzero, November 13, 2009

Strengths:

They are made by Polk Audio. Nice size, great sound.

Weaknesses:

Are you kidding me? These are Polk's. Just the term "weakness" and Polk Audio in the same sentence is not logical and should be against the law.

Review:

Picked up a pair of M10's to compliment the M50's I have for the fronts. I'm using the M10's as the surrounds, of which I had been using the Polk 6750's (which were great too), however, these M10's add so much more "presence" to the sound. I'm using the Onkyo 507 as the pusher. This whole system just sounds great. Dialog is crisp and clear, and the bass is not "boomy" but concise.

by john from sc., December 10, 2005

Strengths:

clean sound, better than average performance.

Weaknesses:

none really, you will need a sub if used for front channels.

Review:

these little speakers sound great. for the money you would be hard pressed to find somthing better. great as a surround or a small room bookshelf. very clean and responsive sound. if you close your eyes you would swear you were listening to a small three-way speaker.

by Robert Durkot, December 12, 2005

Strengths:

Price and build quality

Weaknesses:

none so far

Review:

I bought just two at first then I added two more I am using this as surround speakers with my 29 year old dlk three way 12 inch woofer front speakers. I also am using the csm for the center speaker.The new plus the old speakers work well together.

by Brian, January 7, 2006

Strengths:

Great response from a small speaker

Weaknesses:

Bulky for a satelite, but if you want the response and have the space these are awesome.

Review:

Fantastic. Replaced my small front Sony speakers that came with my home theater kit, and added the CSM center channel. System never sounded better and can't wait to upgrade to a set of towers and move these into the satelite position

by Doug, July 30, 2006

Strengths:

Great highs, Good mids, incredible Price

Weaknesses:

Not great bass response but what do u expect from a 100$ 2-way?

Review:

I bought a pair of these about a month ago for a budget stereo for my room, and i really wasn't expecting a whole lot, but man these blew me away, incredible clarity, if you use them as a main, as i do, i suggest a sub-woofer. Other than that great little speakers, I would recomend them to anybody looking for a budget surround or stereo.

by Hayes R., December 29, 2009

Strengths:

Clear highs.

Weaknesses:

Mid-range is weak and low-range is entirely absent. Even pushing 100w through these, there is no bass whatsoever. In order to hear any bass, these speakers need to be cranked -- and then you hear lots of port noise. A sub-woofer is a must if you want balanced sound.

Review:

Very bright, clear-sounding speakers.

by Steve, June 4, 2009

Strengths:

Price and sound clarity

Weaknesses:

Review:

I bought these speakers to serve as rear speakers in a 4 speaker stereo system. They match very well with my Sony 750 floor-standing speakers. Both the Sonys and the Polks have a very clean clear sound. With these speakers, I was able to understand the lyrics in songs that I couldn't quite make out before.

by Mike Greenberg, July 14, 2009

Strengths:

very clean sound even at higher volume. Very compact so space is not an issue. Very high quality product

Weaknesses:

Bass is a bit weak but not bad. For you bass freaks a sub woofer is in order.

Review:

I used to have JBL 2800 bookshelf speakers which were great but too big for our new apartment. I got these M10's and the sound is awesome. I was really surprised by the sound quality these little guys put out. Especially with my old JVC stereo (purchased in 1991)