R20

by Robert Melloni, July 3, 2002

Strengths:

Good assembly and construction

Weaknesses:

Poor clarity and imaging. Sounds seem muddy and muted lacking the original clarity of the instruments they are attempting to reproduce.

Review:

I received a pair of R20 speakers as part of Polk Audio's current promotion, where if you buy $ 499.00 + of Polk Audio products you get your choice of a pair of Atrium 45 or R20 speakers for free. I tested these speakers using a Yamaha 5660 receiver and a Sony DVP-NS500V DVD/CD/SACD player. Having used a pair of Polk's RT25i speakers as surrounds and (2) CS245i speakers as front and rear center channel speakers in a HT system, I anticipated sound reproduction of similar quality from the R20. The RT25i and the CS245i do a wonderful job of reproducing both music and movie soundtracks. Individual instruments are presented in a lifelike manner and retain much of their original dynamics. Vocals are also produced well with male and female voices sounding natural and clear. I am very happy with the RT25i and CS245i speakers but I am sorry to report that the R20s performed well below my expectations. The sound of the R20 was muddy. The mid range and bass sounds were particularly indistinct. The highs were a little better but not nearly as clear and balanced as the RT25i or the CS245i. Vocals on the R20 sounded hollow and subdued. I kindly rated this speaker at 3 stars since the price I paid for these speakers was $ 0.00. However, even for free I find it difficult to listen to them. Not having much experience with speakers in this price range perhaps these speakers are representative in their class. However seeing what performance can be obtained by Polk in similar speakers (R25i,) at a similar price point, I feel the R20 leaves much to be desired. Perhaps it is just that Polk did such a great job on the RT25i and CS245i that the R20 just suffers from the comparison.

by Erf, September 17, 2002

Strengths:

nothing

Weaknesses:

sounded like a box...high were terrible also...just awful

Review:

This probally one of worse speakers I have ever heard, The rt15i, the bottum of the line rt**i line, kicked this suckers tail and used it as a mop. It sounded muddy, like it was inside an inclosed area, the sound was only within the box, it sounded enclosed, it just didnt sound good!! The rt15i, had a more natural and airy sound than this speaker...overall this is a very bad speaker, i wouldnt quite consider this speaker audible. newayz the rt***i and rti*** line is better good...thos are some awesome lines...i would recomend any of those speakers from thos lines...

by Jeramie, December 4, 2002

Strengths:

Power, good midrange.

Weaknesses:

Too deep.

Review:

Excellent speaker for its size. Purchased as mains for a new system matched with R10's in the rear. Plenty of power when matched with a sub. I'm very happy with it.

by Bruno, January 1, 2003

Strengths:

Great Value Mid's, Highs, and lows are clear and distinct. The above reviewers I am sorry to say need their ears checked

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I am using these speakers as my surrounds, and I have to say that the sound they produce is exceptional. When positioned behind the audience, six feet up from the ground, facing each other, and hanging from the side wall, these speakers surround you in sound that seems to come from all angles and not from the actual speaker, giving the listener the felling of actually being in the movie. All these speakers need is a good quality receiver and they come to life.

by christopher ian walker, January 4, 2003

Strengths:

solid construction

Weaknesses:

lack clarity

Review:

these speekers struggle to get the sound out clearly ,have to much bass .RTi28 are much better

by jeff, January 10, 2003

Strengths:

Price and Sound.

Weaknesses:

Review:

Great warm sound. Silk tweeter is smooth and accurate. Sound is definitely not muddy. A prefer a flat response and the r20's deliver.

by Anthony, January 28, 2003

Strengths:

Clearity, size and looks

Weaknesses:

A little too pricey, but other than that nothing.

Review:

When I bought these I was originally planning on using them for my front channels. The sound was alright but not the greatest. I then used them as my side channels and WOW what a difference. In my opinion they should be meant for side channels rather than front's. The clearity of these speakers made watching the movie SIGNS a totally unique experience. Get these and the CSI20 Center speaker you will be extremely pleased, I know I am.

by Mike Wright, February 24, 2003

Strengths:

good rear special effects, fairly good music sound

Weaknesses:

Too deep sounding for many audio applications. For having the key hole slot, I found that you still need a bracket to mount properly. Speaker is large and top heavy.

Review:

I found the R20's to be a good speaker for rear surround sound. They make special effects come alive during movie watching.

by Daron Green, May 6, 2003

Strengths:

Excellent sound ,classy looks.

Weaknesses:

Let me know when you find any so that I can call you awful names.Polks Rules Forever!

Review:

These speakers are awesome and I feel so complete.The sound is incredible and it is not muddy its rather husky because this speaker is a baby BEAST!If you dont like these speakers then clean your ears and try again.

by Chris, March 16, 2004

Strengths:

nice size, price, sound is nice and clear

Weaknesses:

none at all

Review:

these speakers are great. i use them for my front speakers, and i have some R15s as my rears. they sound great together. these are very clear, and sound great with movies or music.

by chip dayton, April 21, 2004

Strengths:

very clear, especially with mellow music

Weaknesses:

just don't handle loud rock too well, but I'll take 'em at $60 apiece

Review:

Sounds great as regular two channel speakers in my very small living room

by Stephen, May 5, 2004

Strengths:

Small Size, Big power.

Weaknesses:

None! If you find any you must be forgetting that these are Polk Audio's there is never anything wrong with them!

Review:

R20's are the perfect size. The power is more than you would think for such a small speaker. I have a per of Monitor 5's as my front speakers and with the R20's as my rear it sounds great on high or low volume. Polk audio continues to be the greatest speakers I have ever heard. And for some of the people that rated these speakers below a 4 has to get there ears checked because these speakers are great! Polk Audio will be the best forever!!!!

by Dean, June 6, 2004

Strengths:

Clean, clear bass, nice open sounding vocals and mids and not overscreeching highs.

Weaknesses:

Where??

Review:

I bought the R20's for a 28 year old Marantz receiver I have. That little bugger never sounded so good. I've since bought 2 more pairs for my HomeEnt system. Best small speakers I've ever heard.

by Tom H, July 9, 2004

Strengths:

Smooth open mids and highs. None fatiguing.

Weaknesses:

Cabinet resonance clouds some detail and bass can be somewhat excessive around the port resonance.

Review:

Excellent speaker for the money. This speaker is connected to a Dynaco tube preamp and tube power amp in a relatively small room. The sound is very natural and open. Mid and highs are reasonably transparent and neve harsh. I've got an excellent high end system with Martin Logan electrostatics and though not in the same league, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the sound of these very inexpensive speakers. Highly recommended.

by Alexander Pablo, October 27, 2004

Strengths:

Excellent build quality. Extraordianry highs, and warm and deep mids. Perfect for surround and surroundback speakers. Although it is more than capable of being frontLR speakers.

Weaknesses:

Polk speakers have no weakness. The weakness lies on haphazard set ups of man. Kudos to Mr. Matthew Polk and his entire team.

Review:

These guys are Pocket Hercules! Like there bigger brother the R50's, they like to be driven loud. Although small in stature, they are big in sound reproduction. Crystal highs and solid mids. Unbeatable sound quality for the price and it's category <(bookshelf). For the peoples who rated these 4 or below. Maybe it is either your receiver, amplifier, or yours ears that is a problem. Might I suggest either buying stronger amps or receivers; or go to your medicine cabinet and clean your ears.

by Mark McIntyre, December 29, 2004

Strengths:

None.

Weaknesses:

Lack of musical definition.

Review:

I already had a set of R15s when I bought these on sale. Sadly, they don't come close to the R15s. In fact, few speakers come close to the R15s, which are clean, crisp, warm and tight, especially with a vintage Pioneer reciever. Sound of the R20's is soft and mushy. Sold them on EBay. Bought more R15s on sale at Fry's. Can't beat the R15s.

by Jim Wood, January 16, 2005

Strengths:

Very clean highs and mids. When you push them with power they hold up well.

Weaknesses:

Low end can get muddy. Most likely because a bookshelf speaker/ porthole issue. Some can be avoided by repositioning the speakers slightly. Sound best once I used speaker mounts to angle them down from the ceiling.

Review:

Purchased to see if these would work well in a small home studio (for radio imaging and production) and they sound great. Impressed with the sound and they have far less of the problems usually found with bookshelf type speakers. For the price they are a GREAT buy. Even with the weaknesses I had on this review they are far better than I expected for the price. For a studio setting I'd give them a 4 but they are designed for home use...I'll give them a 5 there. Great product.

by Matthew Scranton, February 3, 2005

Strengths:

Great overall sound, great reliability. Sound handling is amazing and imaging is insane! low-end sounds great even with out a subwoofer

Weaknesses:

Not a fan of ported speakers

Review:

The Polk R-20 Bookshelf speaker is one of the best buys out there. They are clear, crisp and the low-end for a bookshelf is supurb. They do best in a small room environment 10'x12' for example. They work great in a home studio environment, and are better then a lot of the comparable monitor systems advertised elsewhere. For the price you can't beat them.

by Taylor Dozier, March 31, 2005

Strengths:

clear,sound good,and have good bass for a 6.5 inch woofer.

Weaknesses:

Not good for big rooms without a sub,if your planning on buying a sub,they'd be fine

Review:

I think these speakers are great,the only reason I rated them a 4 is because my dad has a pair of Infinity 2-way 6.5 inch woofer that are better,but also cost twice as much.I listen to rap music and hav an about 10x12 room.I think they are perfect for that size room.I got them at Circuit City for $200 a pair.I think the bass sounds fine for a small room and i am used to listening to 4 3-way 12 inch speakers.Basically if you are looking fo a 2-way 6.5 inch for around $200 dollars get these.I started out looking at sonys,Not as good,then i looked at Infinity,Bose,Jbl,Athena,and Klipsh.for similar products I thought the Infinity were the only ones close.I think they are a good buy.I am planning on getting R50's soon and i am going to use my R20,s as backup.

by Thomas Kelly, May 1, 2006

Strengths:

Size, Sound, Price.

Weaknesses:

Black ash finish gets dusty. But so what.

Review:

I am on the verge of purchasing the LSi15 series speakers, in large part because of the sound my R20s have supplied at a stunningly low price. These speakers (the R20s) were not bought to replace a speaker. I matched them to an older Pioneer receiver that affords little in the way of power or refinement for use in our master bedroom. I was in the market for speakers at about $50 a piece, and was surprised to see these at Circuit City for about $40 each. I felt like I was robbing the place when I walked out the door with them! I have had these speakers for over 5 months now, and the sound coming from these speakers is remarkable given the price point. Clear distinct highs (although an audiophile might call them “bright”) highlight a system that features a 6 ˝” driver that plays through a wide frequency range very well. They are not going to shake the foundation of the house, no, but again they aren’t designed to. I could listen to these speakers all day long. I am surprised to see that some reviewers were not satisfied with the sound, that other Polk products (albeit pricier) sound better. That’s GREAT! Now I totally sold on the LSi15s!

by Scott, August 23, 2006

Strengths:

Size, better sound than what you expect. Look, blends well with cabinet.

Weaknesses:

None that I found.

Review:

I love these speakers, I replaced my Monitor 5's with these due to space requirement in home theater. I run them as Mains with Polk RM 7000 satelites, center and sub and push them with Harman Kardon AVR 235. To me, I was expecting a big let down from the 5's but was suprised at how they performed. There isnt any muddiness like described in other reviews. They play clean and with presence. I have only owned Polk speakers since I bought those Monitor 5's in 1987, and will continue with them untill hell freezes.

by Mark, January 2, 2007

Strengths:

Good well-rounded sound. I use mine as rear surrounds, but I used them as my primary speakers for a few days while I was moving my setup to another room. Wonderful!

Weaknesses:

Nope. Okay, maybe that I couldn't find cheap rear surround speaker brackets for them since they are so heavy...

Review:

Great sound at a great price! I was able to buy these used last month from someone off eBay. I cannot believe how great the sound is for the price. I knew, based on my other Polk purchases, that I'd be getting a quality product, but this little gem has exceeded my expectations.

by giovanni cardenas, August 26, 2007

Strengths:

clarity sound, solid, it`s the best!!!!!

Weaknesses:

none.

Review:

these speakers it`s the best,can compare with expensive speakers.