Satellites
OWM5
High performance multi-application speaker.
6 1/2" W x 16" H x 4 1/10" D
16.51cm W x 40.64cm H x 10.41cm D
$11995each
|
|
OWM5
Nine. It’s a magic number. Did you know that for any number multiplied by 9, the sum of the digits of the answer will equal 9?
6 x 9 = 54,
5 + 4 = 9
628 x 9 = 5,652
5 + 6 + 5 + 2 =18
1 + 8 = 9
This has nothing to do with the incredible performance of the OWM5, and it might be only peripherally related to the fact that it’s so versatile that there are at least 9 different and unique ways you can install the OWM5. But it’s interesting nonetheless.
The World's Most Versatile Loudspeaker
The OWM5 offers more. It offers more performance than any speaker in its class, because it uses unique technology to enhance its performance beyond what you’d expect from a speaker this size. It offers more unique and versatile mounting options than even the unique and versatile OWM3, its slightly smaller cousin. The OWM5 offers more options for expanding the reach of your home entertainment without spending a bundle and without sacrificing your performance standards. We could have called this versatile, multi-application, high performance loudspeaker “the more.” But we didn’t.
OWM5 Features:
More versatile mounting options than any other loudspeaker, with a modular, removable, switch-around base and built-in keyhole slots.
Mounting Options:
-
Vertical wall mount
-
Horizontal wall mount
-
Vertical shelf mount
-
Horizontal shelf mount
-
Corner mount
-
Horizontal corner mount
-
Vertical 45° mount
-
Vertical corner wall mount
-
Use an optional articulating bracket (such as OmniMount 10.0 not included) for ceiling or swiveled wall use.
The OWM Series is timbre-matched to other Polk loudspeakers, so you can mix and match them to build or add to existing systems.
Dynamic Balance® composite cone drivers are lightweight and stiff, with excellent damping qualities, for high efficiency, excellent mid-bass and low distortion even at extreme volume levels.
Patented Dynamic Balance materials technology tunes out cone resonances before they become a part of the finished product, so you only hear the most realistic, natural audio reproduction.
Durable, high performance fabric dome tweeters deliver clear and detailed high frequency response and excellent imaging.
Capacitive Coupling Technology (CCT), an advanced signal-blocking technology that overcomes the usual limitations of small-enclosure loudspeakers (slim dynamics and no low frequency response), delivers extended dynamic range and enhancing deep bass response for clear, detailed musicality with little or no coloration.
Glass-filled ABS enclosure is super-dense and acoustically inert, ensuring an extremely clean and low coloration midrange response.
Paintable white finish blends into any decor.
5-way gold-plated binding posts, for the best connections, are easily accessible no matter how you mount your speakers.
All Polk products are made using the best materials and the most advanced manufacturing techniques. They pass the industry’s most exhaustive quality tests, including drop testing, extreme signal response and UV & salt exposure testing. Polk loudspeakers are built to perform for a lifetime.
Driver Complement | |
|---|---|
| Tweeter | |
| Quantity | 1 |
| Diameter | 1" (2.54cm) |
| Type | Silk/polymer dome |
| Midrange | |
| Quantity | 2 |
| Diameter | 4 1/2" (11.43cm) |
| Type | Dynamic Balance driver with polypropylene composite cone |
Electrical | |
|---|---|
| Total Frequency Response | 60Hz-25kHz |
| Upper -3dB Limit | 22 kHz |
| Lower -3dB Limit | 80 Hz |
| Nominal Impedance | 8 ohms |
| Efficiency | 91 dB |
| Recommended Amplifier Power | 20-150 watts per channel |
| Inputs | 5-way binding posts |
Amplifier Specs | |
|---|---|
| 220V Availability | No |
Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Cabinet Dimensions | |
| Height | 16" (40.64cm) |
| Width | 6 1/2" (16.51cm) |
| Depth | 4 1/10" (10.41cm) |
| Mounting Options | Nine Different Mounting Options: Vertical Wall Mount, Horizontal Wall Mount, Vertical Shelf Mount, Horizontal Shelf Mount, Corner Mount Horizontal, Corner Mount Vertical, 45-degree Wall Mount, Vertical Corner Wall Mount, Standard Articulating Wall Mo |
| Product Weight (each) | 6.90 pounds |
Shipping | |
|---|---|
| Unit of Measure | each |
| Total Shipping Weight | 9.70 pounds |
| Included Accessories | Base |
Warranty | |
|---|---|
| Speaker Warranty | 5 years parts and labor (original purchaser) |
Specifications, dimensions and features subject to change without notice. For more information call us at 1-800-377-7655 (USA and Canada). Outside of North America call +1 (410) 358-3600.
Customer Reviews
4 reviews with an average of 4
Write your own reviewby John Jacobs, December 27, 2009
60 out of 61 people found this review helpful.Strengths:
Timbre matched with the TSI series and extremely efficient at producing clear and concise sounds, much larger sound field than the OWM3's. Low profile, does not stick out from the wall making it great for surround and sides as well as ability to mount virtually anywhere.
Weaknesses:
"depth" is not as present as the TSI200's or FXIA6's because they are not in a deep enclosure, but surrounds and rears produce very little of this effect. Produce a TSI version of the FXIA6 or FXIA4---this would be fantastic.
Review:
I was extremely surprised at these OWM5's. These were purchased to replace the OWM3's that I had for about 2 weeks before. I was looking for sides and rears and decided upon these after trying the OWM3's as well as the Polks' FXIA6. Some might ask why the FXIA6's did not make the cut. I have a CS20 center and 2 TSI500'2 for the front center sound stage; I was looking to round out the setup with sides and rear and originally went with FXIA6's and OWM'3s for rears. After watching movies like Transformers and 300 I was suprised at how much clearer the sounds were coming from the OWM3's over the FXIA6's, the FXIA6's were loud-almost too much but they had depth. But, the FXIA6's were not timbre matched with TSI line and I DID notice this. There was much more "depth" to the FXIA6's, this was a huge plus. I went ahead and watched Transformers again with only the sides and rears on and was shocked and what only simple sounds came through. Bullets, "whooshes", screeches, lazer noises, and ocasionaly background melodies. I thought i would hear full explosions and music but not so. The sounds that did come though sounded a bit muffled on the FXIA6's and clear on the OWM3's. Even though the little OWM3's sound field was small and centered on the side wall I still settled on the OWM3's because they sounded clearer and reproduced the sound with clarity; the price was right also, 1/4 of the FXIA6's. But then I stumbled upon the OWM5's and found more of what I was looking for. The OWM5's had the exact same clear sound with quick tight resilient midbase noise as the OWM3's. Better yet, the sound field of the speaker was now 6" wider with an extra midrange so the pinpointing was not as centered on the sides and rears like the OWM3's; I now felt more immersed in the sound than ever before. What I like most about these OWM5's over their little brothers is the extra sound they produce. The OWM3's are great but these punch a little deeper and produce more sound for sides and rear the room. I turned them sideways to produce an even "wider" sound field rather than a "taller" sound field, this was excellent for my setup. My other thoughts about the OWM5 is that they look fantastic, they match the TSI line and dissapear into the room...excellent. They can also get loud if you want them to, they really push when turned up and sound clear with 0 distortion. However, you will not have base depth on these like the TSI200's, or FXIA6's, but for sides and rears you simply can pass on this---for front I would use a speaker with "depth". I also would not go with the TSI100 or TSi200's for sied and rears because they are sizeably large that they look really odd when mounted on a wall-anywhere. These mount everywhere in almsot any position and do not get in the way, physically or visually. One other thought, I would like to see a TSI version of the FXIA6 or FXIA4 because I believe it would introduce even more sound immersion as well as being timbre matched.
by Daniel J Hunsinger, February 7, 2010
8 out of 24 people found this review helpful.Strengths:
Mounting abilities and very good for the money.
Weaknesses:
For the money there really isn't any.
Review:
What's up all? I kinda finished my review of the OWM5 speakers . I plan on keeping here for a few more days before I send them to the next person which I will need the shipping label or address of where they are going. Ok enough with all that lets get into my review shall we? It snowed here in Lower Bucks County just North of Philadelphia and I had nothing better to do then connect up the OWM5's and give them a serious listening. Ok so thats not a bad thing to resort to reviewing speakers. It's what I do and love. I have a few systems around the house and decided to use my house system to test these flat guys out. it consists of a Sony receiver , Jamo speaker selector box , Onkyo Tape deck , zone 2 feed from the theater system for anything I want which in this case I used the Apple TV in Apple lossless recording quality. I use Audioquest cables in the system. So I have a workout room in the basement where I currently have a pair of Atrium 45's . They cover the space well and I enjoy them. I decided to disconnect them and replace them with the OWM5's. At first when I did the swap I hated the OWM5's right off the bat. They sounded like a really cheap speaker. I was shocked that they sounded so terrible. I figured as they have been used by other members they would be fully broken in. So I left them play and I went on with my workout. I use my iphone to control the apple tv. I have a workout playlist that I had running for about 45 minutes. I changed it up and put on some Minnie Driver "Hungry Heart" to hear some female voice. I had to stop working out and sit and listen to the OWM5's so I could judge them more accurately. My Speaker selector box is a Jamo as I noted and I reconnected the Atriums back in for a A B vs demo with Minnie Driver singing for me. I noticed the mid range on the OWM5's where more pronounced . The Atrium 45's mid range lacks clarity and punch the OWM5's have. Kinda cool. I also noticed the tweeter sounded more blended on the OWM5's over the Atrium 45's. Another shocker. Ok so they don't have good low end , understandable as they have limited cabinet space and are flat. I have a older polk psw300 that just sits around so I decided to connect it via left and right preouts for a pure stereo integration. I found that 100hz seemed to blend pretty nicely. Under that and they seem to have a hole in the low bass above that they tend to bloat. Onward to more and more musical selection I threw everything I had at them from Jazz to crushing death metal. What I noticed is they are a pretty balanced speaker. They played everything I gave them and didn't really shine or fall on any one given music genre. Thats pretty assuring as one who might use such a speaker might have many different tastes. To make this review slighty short I'll wrap up with some thoughts. First off these are not high end speakers. They don't have a high end clarity to them. They lack detail and control. They also try to dig a little deeper then maybe they should. They also tend to be on the bright side. All this is perfectly fine due to there price point. They also have excellent mounting options. You basically can mount them any way you want or where you want. I have not ran them as theater speakers but judging from there musical abilities they will make most very happy. I would use them in a nice budget system with a good quality sub. I liked the older PSw300 with them. It really made them sound pretty damn good considering what they are and how they are shaped. Fit and finish is average to good. I'd say for the money they are well built. Anyone who is looking for a nice cheap yet musical speaker that can go just about anywhere needs to check these out. I was thinking my bedroom doesn't have a surround system in there. I just have a pair of in walls(polk) for house music. I would like to add a full 5 speaker package with these and my psw300 sub in there and a nice Pioneer ELite vsx21 receiver. This would make a nice well balanced bedroom system.
by Jim Linke, March 20, 2010
4 out of 8 people found this review helpful.Strengths:
Good sound in a small, unobtrusive package.
Weaknesses:
Since it is not timbre matched to the SurroundBar 42, I can't recommend it for a sixth channel.
Review:
I have had 42" SurroundBar for a few years now, and recently got a used Outlaw 1050 AVR to run it. This AVR includes a sixth, center rear surround channel which can run either with Dolby Surround EX from DVDs with that type of encoding, or it can derive a sixth channel from the two surround channels in standard 5.1 surround sound. An opportunity recently arose to try out the OWM5 and see if it is a suitable speaker for use as a sixth channel. I received a pair of these, wired them up in parallel and set them up behind and to either side of my main viewing position. I also tried using just one speaker directly behind me. My favorite DVD for testing surround sound is Master & Commander which has lots of good creaking ship noises as ambient sound in the surround channels as well as good sea battle sequence with lots of directional cannon fire sounds. The SurroundBar 42 can, at best, develop a surround field of about 150°, with an occasional sound that appears to come from directly to the side. Adding the OWM5 pair produced a diffuse sounding rear ambient sound stage which really complemented the SB42. Using just the single OWM5 directly behind produced a distinct rear channel which sometimes is just right for very directional sounds like cannons, but is sometimes too much for ambient noises. To get a good blend of the rear surround with the surround channels it is important to choose a speaker with a timbre that matches the surrounds. I wanted to do an A-B comparison of the drivers of the two speakers. My Outlaw 1050 doesn't have a B channel but my old Yamaha RX-V496 does. I hooked up the left and right SurroundBar fronts to the A channel, and the OWM5 to the B channel (no subwoofer). I tried a variety of music genres and it was very clear that these were two quite different speakers. The SurroundBar is so much brighter than the OWM5 that I did not feel that it is a good match. So I will keep looking for a used RM series center speaker. I also gave these a try as office speakers, hooked up to my Mac by way of the same Yamaha AVR and a Griffin iMic for a computer interface. I placed the OWM5s on either side of my dual monitors, about 3 feet apart. Speakers this close to the listener often sound grainy but the OWM5s sounded quite clear, good enough to tell the difference between 320mbs mp3 files and Apple lossless format. Bass response was acceptable and, as noted earlier, they are not as bright as other speakers in their size category. I think this is a good thing in this close in situation. I can recommend the OWM5 for a small office rig and suggest that a subwoofer be added to improve the bass. Finally, I tried these speakers in place of my Monitor 7a pair in my main 2 channel rig, powered with a Parasound HCA 1000A. Again, the bass response was nowhere hear as good as a full range speaker like the sevens, but at higher volumes they do put out a surprisingly good sound for small speakers, not too bright or harsh like you might expect. I did not try any of the wall mount methods, but I did set them up both vertically and horizontally on tables. For horizontal set up there are two self adhesive feet and a 3" piece of padded tape that you can apply to the bottom of each speaker, a simple and inexpensive solution. For a vertical orientation there is a snap on stand. This must work well for the OWM3 but it felt a little light for the OWM5, like it would be easy to knock over. So I can recommend the OWM5 for a small office rig or a starter budget 2 channel system. I would bet that 3 OWM5s and 2 OWM3s would make a good surround system. They just don't match well with the SurroundBar in a 6 channel system.
by grimmace, October 22, 2012
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.Strengths:
Easy to mount, good price, do what are asked of them
Weaknesses:
None so far
Review:
I was looking a set of speakers to upgrade my HT from 7.1 to 9.2. I wasn't looking for anything to expensive. I found these on sale at a great price and use them as my front high speakers. Mounted them directly to the wall with no problems. They produce the sound for the front high position with no problems. It's not a major speaker position. So no issues, they are doing what they are supposed too and sound fine when the discrete channel kicks in, subtle but there.
OWM5 Media
OWM5 Literature
Want to know more? Want to dig just a little deeper to learn about this product? Here's a list of source material that will give more detail, other perspectives, and answer questions you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What speaker should I buy for the surround channel?
- Why are my speakers distorting and popping?
- What wire should I get? What gauge?
- How do I choose between all the different home audio speakers?
- How long is the warranty on Polk loudspeakers?
- How do I obtain service for my loudspeakers?
- Why did my speakers break?