R30

by R Claudio, February 11, 2003

Strengths:

price,sound, and I did nt have and imaging problem.

Weaknesses:

just wish the cabs were finish in oak

Review:

Just purchased the R30 2 days ago. I spent time in the sound room at circuit city. And tried at least 6 pairs of speakers even BOSE. I jus want to say that I preferred these over all the others. Full rich sound for the price. They are a great addition tomy surround system .Using them for my fronts with a sub.Very happy with my purchase and I have been all over the net looking at towers.would recomend.

by JD, February 26, 2008

Strengths:

sleek design, small foot print, matches the other speakers

Weaknesses:

none that I have found

Review:

I have owned these speakers now for about a year they are the main speakers in my 7.1 system that gets used quite often. I think they sound great. I have them running off a Denon AVR588 along with a Csi25 center, 4 R10 surround speakers, and a PSW 350 sub. This system so far has impressed anyone who has been over for a movie

by David Beauregard, May 19, 2002

Strengths:

everything

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

They are Great!!!!

by Ron, October 11, 2002

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

The best sound in low cost towers, great for small to med size room. These speakers have a nice overall tone and can push out moderate bass. I am using these with a sub.

by Fabie, December 26, 2002

Strengths:

size of tweeter. size of woofer. very stylish speaker. price is affordable.

Weaknesses:

none, I can think of!!

Review:

Wow!! Awesome sight and sound!! These speakers really kick! The crystal clear sound of the highs and lows are just incredible!! I'm so happy with them; thanks PolkAudio for constructing quality speakers!!

by Ryan, December 29, 2002

Strengths:

everything

Weaknesses:

height of speakers are a little short

Review:

I'm running the R10's for my rear drivers and the R30's for the front and the CS175 for the center channel and a 10' subwoofer AWESOME SOUND! Polk Audio is the best for your dollar (even our Canadian dollar ;) )

by joe, January 19, 2003

Strengths:

Semi-decent power handling.

Weaknesses:

Poorly made,cheap to make,mark-up is way to high at stereo shops. Tweeters distort easily.

Review:

I had a chance to listen to these speakers durring a large sound demo. I must say that these speakers have decent power handling (35rms) but they have no imaging. If you are on the right side of your room you will only hear the right channel. And they do not create a good listening environment. I was listening to these speakers w/ a top of the line Denon amp and we were rotating different polks. It's sad to say but I found that the R15 bookshelves had a more crisp tone then these towers. But you can't expect a miracle with speakers at this price. If you are on a tight budget and you wan't a very respectable speaker system I suggest Energy Loudspeakers. Please Polk try and put some more effort into your entry level towers. I would pay $200(Canadian) for these speakers at the most and I would bet they only cost about 2/3 of that to make. Please Polk put some decent crossovers in your entry level speakers. I know Polk makes great sounding hi-end speakers but more money,time,and effort should be put into next years R tower series speakers.

by Mark Worthy, April 1, 2003

Strengths:

Sharp lookng, great low end, wide range

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

I have the R 30s as my L/R Surrounds, I replaced some old Polk M1's which I thought were great until I heard these! They give me a much greater range and deeper low end. All I need to do now is replace my bose fronts with the RT/150's and I will be complete. I love all of my Polk speakers and the M1's now serve nicley as rear surrounds in 6.1/DTS. I would suggest these speakers to anyone that asks. Best buy for the money that I have found.

by H Jones, April 28, 2003

Strengths:

Tightness, pleasing sound quality and looks.

Weaknesses:

None for the price.

Review:

I am very pleased with these speakers. I have a 5.1 system set up with a Denon 1803 Receiver, 4 R-30s for front and rear, a csi175 for center and a modified sony wm-40 sub. I have bass management set small for all speakers. I find myself going back and listening to old cds on this system using pro-logic II. These speaker are incredible sounding for the price. You could double the price and they are still a great value.

by Milo Cordero, May 31, 2003

Strengths:

Clairty and bass was good enough, but I added a YST-SW105 to make it even sound better.

Weaknesses:

None that I can find.

Review:

Very happy with the R30s. I compared them with the NS 7390 and decided to keep the R30s. They sound great in our large bedroom.

by Francesco, July 28, 2003

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

In Italian : Io li ho pagati 350 euro ,sono una bomba , quando vedo un film ho ascolto un cd (o mp3) dal pc, tremano vetri, porte, oggetti sulla scrivania (non sto scherzando),i bassi te li senti dentro al corpo . Se vuoi veramente delle buone casse consiglio le Polkaudio R30 , ogni cassa pesa 14 Kg e mezzo sono alte 86 cm e sono fatte in vero legno (non in compensato compresso come quelle che usano i mini hi-fi , ricordati che la qualità dell'audio è dovuta anche al legno usato ). Con queste casse non c'è bisogno di subwoofer perchè ,secondo me, i bassi sono già ultrapotenti, se dovessi mettere un subwoofer crollerebbero gli oggetti che ho sulle mensole Ciao

by Jim M., September 21, 2003

Strengths:

Smooth, detailed sound with very little coloration at typical listening levels. The highs especially are effortless.

Weaknesses:

You can detect some strain if the bass is dialed up at high volume, but that applies to many small woofer designs. I don't think these are meant to be party rockers and they stay clean within their volume limits.

Review:

I think these sound as clean as anything I've heard within $200 or more of their price range, unless you're looking for huge bass without a subwoofer. Even without one (which I think is needed to solidify the bass) they are impressive. Highs are crisp, midrange is smooth and the overall sound is natural and spacious. They also have good eye appeal and look costlier than they are if you care about such things.

by James Shilson, November 28, 2003

Strengths:

I listen to classical,folk andeasy listening.I needed clairity at softer listening levels,but the punch needed for listening to the audio on movie CD.

Weaknesses:

The bass seems to be a bit weak if you crank on the bass adjustment.I do have a sub-woofer and with that,the R30 Towers are perfection.

Review:

Being plauged with a small livingroom,not to mention at 50 years of age,my ears are shot,for myself the R30 Towers are perfect.I have a pair of the older Rt 25,which now are my rear surround speakers.Where I bought the speakers had the R30 Towers on sale for less than 100 bucks each,but even at the normal retail price they would be a bargin.

by Don, January 2, 2004

Strengths:

Value, highs and mids

Weaknesses:

bass on the weak side, but that's what subs are for.

Review:

I purchased these at Future shop for $199 a pair, and had seen these earlier at a much higher price, I am using a HK av reciever. Great sound from these, i now need to change the rest of my speakers and sub. Just using these as my fronts made an incredible difference.

by BOB, February 29, 2004

Strengths:

GREAT CLEAR SOUND - NON DISTORTED - NICE LOOKING CASE - EASY TO HOOK-UP

Weaknesses:

NONE - I JUST HOPE THAT AS LOUD AS I PLAY THEM, THEY DON'T BURN OUT - HANDLING WELL SO FAR

Review:

JUST PURCHASED THESE SPEAKERS AT A PAWN SHOP FOR $75 APIECE. AFTER LISTENING TO THEM, I WOULD HAVE PAID THE FULL PRICE. VERY CLEAR HIGHS AND MIDRANGES. BASS IS A LITTLE WEAK, BUT WITH AN ADDED 150 WATT POWERED WOOFER, AN EXCELLENT SOUNG EVEN CRANKED. A LITTLE LEARY ABOUT THE 100 WATTS POWER HANDLING, BUT NO PROBLEM YET.

by Daron Green, February 29, 2004

Strengths:

Everything

Weaknesses:

Nothing

Review:

These speakers are awesome. I love guys!

by mike brooks, May 3, 2004

Strengths:

real value for your money , stay clean even at high volume

Weaknesses:

none that i could comment on

Review:

i just purchaes these speakers to be used as part of a home theater package , although entry level these speakers are fantastic. paired them up with a psw202 sub and r15 surrounds for a pretty impressive home theater experience , for the money you will not be dissapointed . the r30's have excellent imaging all by themselves when listening to music only as well. these are my first polk speakers , they definatley will not be my last

by mike, July 16, 2004

Strengths:

crisp sound cheap tower speakers

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

very nice crisp speakers go perfect with my jbl sub!

by Julianh, September 27, 2004

Strengths:

Smooth, detailed without being overly bright, dynamic, can play quite loud with 100watts. Excellent for the price.

Weaknesses:

They can't handle the deep bass, but that's what a subwoofer is for.

Review:

My Father in law needed some new speakers, we auditioned these in the store, but really didn't need to compare them to anything. First time I heard them, thought they sounded wonderful. After my dad compared them to some other models he decided they were a great bargain and decided to get them. Such an affordable price, but such a great sound from, by all appearances, a very basic design. These are being powered by an Onkyo receiver. When my dad got them home and we got them all hooked up and put in his favorite CD, we each had a huge smile on our face.

by Peter J Sammon II, October 1, 2004

Strengths:

Superbly balanced natural unoveramplified wide-dispersing sound that will never tire the listener! Clean and involving for sure! Wide range! Emotional! Has the ability to make you cry or jump for joy!

Weaknesses:

I do not see the "cherry finish" as an option on this website!

Review:

I like small speakers. In general I do not care for larger transducers that kill music with their overdone hyped-up bass. Give me something small that will portray the music's emotional quality yet not have its clarity muddied up with overly bassy sound. This circumstance will induce "Listener Fatigue" quicker than a duck on a June bug! Thankfully, the Polk R30 speakers will have none of that. They are as neutral sounding speakers as you are ever likely to find anywhere. The sound is emotional and transparent with excellent transients that only serve to make the speakers disappear. In its price range, I don't think anything really comes all that close to it and I've heard many over the years! The fact that it is a small speaker system in tower form gives it its charm...which is deep smooth bass reasonably flat down to 50Hz along with smooth mids and highs that are well dispersed throughout the listening area while giving a tremendous impactful clear soundstage that belies its size and price! Mine are setup in my humble 8' x 12' computer room with the towers placed in the two corners of the 8' side and turned slightly inward. The speakers are driven by my quite modest vintage Pioneer SA-500 Integrated amp that is rated a mere 15 watts p/ch rms from 10Hz to 40KHz and they sound awesome and can play quite loudly without amplifier clipping being present which can kill any speaker regardless of its rating. Yes, it can shake the room when the source calls for it but amazingly...the sound is never overdone and Matthew Polk has managed to create a sound reproducer that somehow just makes itself disappear leaving you only with the music! That is a tall order for any speaker at any price but at this price level...it is absolutely unheard of. You get small speaker sound with extended well-defined bass without having to spend extra on pedestals. The superbly designed front firing ports also mean that one doesn't have to pull the speakers out from the rear wall as much as one would have to if one of the popular Canadian brand speakers with their rear facing ports would require. I love these cherry red R30's and I believe that these are the last set of speakers I'll ever own. Hopefully Matthew will keep them in the line for years to come. In time...they are sure to become legends. I just have one major complaint...Why did Polk Audio remove the nice red heart that used to dot the "i" in "Audio"??? 'Cause obviously much TLC went into the R30's creation!

by Spenser Estrada, October 17, 2004

Strengths:

Excellent sound, well made, gorgeous.

Weaknesses:

Nothing at all worth mentioning.

Review:

I got these speakers at a great price ($130) and have been extremely pleased in the six months I've owned them. I would have gladly paid full price. I have very little in the way of funds (I'm a sophomre in high school) and Polk beats every speaker in this price range in regards to affordabilty and, of course, breathtaking sound. Just smooth, and warm overall. Couldn't be happier. Keep makin' good speakers Polk, I'll keep buyin' them

by Rocky Oliver, November 29, 2004

Strengths:

Realistic, clear sound - and able to handle quite a bit of power as well.

Weaknesses:

None.

Review:

I am not an audiophile like others who have posted, so I'll leave the technical specifics about these speakers to those better qualified. I am, however, a movie lover (last count: over 300 DVDs), and unfortunately this is coupled with frugality. I want simple speakers that sound great and are reasonably priced. These speakers fit the bill to a T. I am driving these speakers from an Onkyo TXSV90Pro (yeah, old but gets the job done for me), and they sound fantastic. My movies haven't sounded this crisp, clear and realistic - ever. My family and I also listen to a decent amount of music through this system, and these speakers are a joy playing music as well. Now onto the best part of all... As I mentioned earlier I am a bit frugal, and I am always looking for a deal. Well, I found a fantastic deal. Fry's was having a day-after-Thanksgiving sale, and I bought four of these speakers for $39.95 each. Yes, that's right - I got 4 of these speakers for a total of less than $160 - and I couldn't be more happy.

by Steven Spears, December 28, 2004

Strengths:

crisp, clean, precise highs and midrange.

Weaknesses:

need a sub to compliment them, but in a surround, who doesn't have one anyways

Review:

Before I purchaes my set of R30's I came here and read the reviews. I thought they would be a good compliment to my existing PSB speakers. I use the Yamaha HTR-5750 receiver with PSB stratus golds up front and I put the r30's in the rear. After using them and pushing things I then decided to get another set for fronts and just use the psb's in another room. These have become the mainstay for my surround. Excellent for the $199 price tag for the pair.

by Tobin Bradley, January 7, 2005

Strengths:

Crystal clear sound at any volume. Extremely accurate sound reproduction. Great for music and movies.

Weaknesses:

Not really a weakness, but with a floor of 55hz, a sub is a good idea if you like a lot of bass or for movies with lots of LFE.

Review:

I use a Pioneer VSX-811 receiver with Harmon Kardon sub and rear surround and a Yamaha center channel. The R30's I'm using as front channel speakers, replacing Pioneer speakers that were in turn replacing Harmon Kardon's that were in turn replacing Sony's that in turn were replacing Marantz's (ug). First off, these things are like pieces of fine furniture. I got the cherry ones, and they are absolutely beautiful. Build quality is exceptional. Sonically, these speakers totally changed the sound of my system. The sound is crystal clear, even at high volumes. You don't realize how high you have the volume cranked as they are so articulate. You can hear everything. I listened to classical and rock and threw The Day After Tomorrow at it and everything sounded incredible. I couldn't be happier. I lucked out and won a brand new factor sealed set on Ebay for $140. I highly recommend getting a pair.

by tom, January 9, 2005

Strengths:

wide sound for both music and movies.

Weaknesses:

Review:

I use these as a pair or rear surrounds, they are leaps and bounds better than my old sonys. with a bob carver sunfire sub and jbl fronts these are exactly what i needed to finish things up in the back.

by Philip Weber, February 4, 2005

Strengths:

great sound, nice detail, good depth, easy on the ears, and they look nice.

Weaknesses:

I hope the material on the grills holds up?

Review:

For the price, these are fantastic. excellent range, good dynamics, and superb detail. I would have paid 3x the price I paid for them. I don't what why some reviews were lower than a 5 star. I am extremely happy with these speakers two months after listening to them every chance I can.

by Joe R, February 15, 2005

Strengths:

sonic clarity and richness. Great for misuc as well as movies.

Weaknesses:

needs a subwoofer for full musical bass sound

Review:

The moment I poped in one of my favorite test CDs I knew these were a keeper. These little guys have a great full rich sound. I immediately noticed the detailed stereo imaging and clarity. While there is plenty of bass on these for movies they are slightly lacking in music. The Polk PSW202 Subwoofer is an excellent companion with them. I have four in a quadraphonic setup and the surround sound with a Denon receiver and the surround sound is awesome! SACD and DVD-A discs really sound great in them. I fully recommend these to audiophiles on a budget looking to get into hi-res multi-channel music.

by Matt, April 14, 2005

Strengths:

Great sound at high volume. Perfect for surround with an added sub.

Weaknesses:

They sell out too fast when on sale.

Review:

I bought four of these on sale at circuit city for my fronts and rear surround speakers. I was very impressed immediately with the sound quality but realised that my recevier wasn't enough for these. I then bought a PS202 sub to bring out the lows and a Pioneer D912K receiver to add some extra wattage. This was almost perfect but I needed a matching center. After browsing for a Polk center I ended up buying another pair of the R30's for front and back center. So now I have a very nice 6.1 surround set up that only cost me $650. Everything brand new. I pays to wait until the good sales come.

by john evers, April 16, 2005

Strengths:

Great highs, and mid range with just enough bass. I have a sub but rarely use it.

Weaknesses:

The only weakness is my wife say 4 is my limit. I don't think folks with a love for music and good ears could find any weaknesses. I have tried but I can't find any.

Review:

These speaker are as good as it gets for under $1000.00. I have 4 and no complains. I never would have believed speakers could sound so real. I have tried rock to classical with and without the sub. These speakers are like your first kiss and you can enjoy them for ever. I look forward to getting a break fom the routine and listen to CDs. I hear highs and lows that I never knew existed until I got these speakers.

by nathan l, May 8, 2005

Strengths:

high range and mid range response is decent

Weaknesses:

bad frequency crossings leave the sound echoey

Review:

I ordered the R30 over the internet because of a great price. The reviews were good so I ordered them. I am nothing but disappointed with them. I don't consider myself to be a true audiophile, but I take great pride in being able to identify a great sound. I also own a pair of Definitive Technology BP6's so I use them as a reference. From what I have listened to so far, the R30 are overly echoing and give a distorted sound near the 50 hz level. I use a nice Onkyo 7.1 Dolby digital receiver to drive the sound and I'm pretty sure the bad sound and imaging is not from the receiver end.

by Mark, May 22, 2005

Strengths:

Clean, crisp and enough bass in a small floorstander. Cherry finish makes them look even better than they sound!

Weaknesses:

None IMO.

Review:

For speakers in this price range. I don't see how one could go wrong. C'mon people, under $300? Great clarity, imaging and soundstage. I have these 10' apart and no drop out in the middle at all. Sweet, warm sound is spread evenly. They're easily handling my vintage Pioneer SX1080. Nice clear highs, mids and enough bass for me. In my opinion they out perform my Paradigm Mini's.

by Dmax, June 3, 2005

Strengths:

Beatifitul sound

Weaknesses:

Hmmmmmmmmmm,uhh,NONE!!!!!!!!!!

Review:

If you find fault in these speakers whether you catch them on sell or pay regular price something is wrong with your ears ,these speakers are wonderful.

by Kendall Gross, June 10, 2005

Strengths:

AWESOME.DOES WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO BETTER THAN EXPECTED.

Weaknesses:

JERKS THAT WONT EXCEPT HOW GOOD THEY SOUND BECAUSE THEY ARE TO AFFORDABLE TO THE MASSES.SPEAKER SNOBS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review:

Outstanding value for your dollar and the low prices you can find these gems for now is absolutely incredible,it also doesnt hurt that consumer reports rated these speakers better than many other speakers costing much more.Also,to the 2 creeps that claim that the sound of these speakers are not good,maybe you just feel that these speakers are simply beneath your Denon and Onkyo top of the line receivers,or maybe the price is to cheap and affordable for you to considered it a good speaker.By the way,im running mines through a 100watt Pioneer(you know,that cheap equipment)and the sound is AWESOME.

by Gabe, June 12, 2005

Strengths:

Great mids and pretty decent highs, don't complain about bass it only has a single 6.5 and you knew that before you bought them!

Weaknesses:

For the price that these are currently going for none, but for what a lot of people paid maybe a better tweeter...nevermind.

Review:

The R30 is an excellent speaker for the class it is in. Prior to this I used sony ssmb650h towers as the front pair and thought they sounded awsome for the price, but i wanted a better name for my home theater and thought Polk was the perfect name to impress people with. So, I bought a pair of R30's and hooked them up and was very dissapointed. Then I remembered THESE ARE SPEAKERS, AND MOST HIGH QUALITY SPEAKERS NEED TO BE BROKEN IN!!!. After about 60 hours of breaking in they sounded freakin awsome, so good I bought a pair of R50's and put those in the front and placed the R30's in the rear and a new csi30 for the center. Not sure what to say about the two individuals who didn't like them, but one is using a onkyo, well so am I. I use the tx-sr702 and everything sounds great maybe he got a bad pair. Don't get me started on the other guy who listened to them in a store, i usually disregard those reviews. Anyways, these are really good speakers for most people with small to medium sized rooms, not to mention you get a great name in your home at a small price...didn't think that was possible.

by Greg Cook, June 14, 2005

Strengths:

Crisp, Clear, Accurate and very attractive design.

Weaknesses:

None at all!!!

Review:

I must admit that when I saw these on sell on Circuit City's website for only $119.00 for the pair I wondered what the catch was. Were they just trying to get me in the store or was the price correct, but the speakers sound terrible. I figured for that price how could I go wrong. When I brought them home hooked them up to my Sony surround receiver with my Polk CS1 center I fell instantly in love with their Crisp, Clear and Accurate highes. The mid base was tight and Accurate. They also looked great next to my Mitsubishi 65" widescreen TV. I liked the sound so much I moved my Bose AM-3's to my bedroom!!! I used to think that Bose was the best, but after hearing what Polk sounds like these days I won't waste any time with any other manufacturer.

by allen, August 18, 2005

Strengths:

great in sound for movie as a front speak as well as back music sound awesome

Weaknesses:

nothing

Review:

the r30 is one of the best speakers i ever own

by Michael, August 27, 2005

Strengths:

Cost for a Polk tower.

Weaknesses:

Porting is horribly balanced. Blew (over heated) the woofers yesturday with relative ease-Sony 3100ES-not a low quality receiver with outstanding discrete amplification.

Review:

Comparatively to the R20s they don't rate. I have owned 2x10s, now own 2x15s, 4x20s, these 30s and R-Series sub and center. I have pushed them all with different receivers and have never injured a set of R-Series. Being gone with the military extensively, theses have only seen service in my 9.1 setting for 6 mos max. I am very dissappointed.

by daryl, September 16, 2005

Strengths:

crisp,clean,clear highs and mids. size and appearance. price.

Weaknesses:

none.(assuming you have a powered sub of course)

Review:

i purchased 2 pair of r30's and a csi3 center channel on boxing day of 2004 at future shop. i didn't know anything about these particular polk speakers. they were to good deal to pass up at $150/pair. my former roomate had an incredible sounding polk home theatre using rti series speakers. i didn't think these would be in the same league and bought them with the intention of upgrading to rti8's as fronts in the future. without even listening to them or reviewing them i bought them on reputation and name alone. i am totally and completely blown away by these speakers. 8 months later i still haven't upgraded the fronts. my movies sound incredible and so does my music. i have read some of the complaints about the bass response of these speakers. the reality is without a powered sub most people will not be happy with the bass of their system until they get one.

by Ben, September 27, 2005

Strengths:

Great Highs and natural smooth midrange, great price

Weaknesses:

aquadite bass for some music, but needs a sub for movies and classical music.

Review:

I have these for a year or two now, and they are fantastic for an entry level tower speaker. they produce very clear highs and have fantastic midrange for a speaker of this price. Its too bad they stopped making the R series, I have heard the new monitor 50s, and I was not terribly impressed with the sound quality compared to R30's (although they do look pretty cool).

by Robert J, September 28, 2005

Strengths:

These speakers are strong,with clean sound, good bass, clear highs, love the sound

Weaknesses:

The bass is good, but not real deep, but then again, that's what Sub Woofers are for.

Review:

I bought a pair of R-30 due to being on sale at Circuit City for only $119.00 ($59.95 each). I connected them to my Onkyo-TX8511, played a few CDs, listening to Luther Vandross, Boney James, Will Downing, and a few more artist,and I must tell you, the sound quality is excellent clean, and clear. I placed them in my living room and used them as surround speakers with my Polk R-50. All my movies have my friends turning their heads because of great placement and sounds quality.

by Apodaca, October 15, 2005

Strengths:

Better, accurate sound than anything near its price range. Excellent fit and finish.

Weaknesses:

Sensitivity seems low.

Review:

The R30 have an amazing price performance ratio when purchased on sale. Comparing to the Monitor towers they definitely dont go down as much on the lower frequencies so they wont blend in as well with a sub but they are more neutral. Still, the sound is accurate and much better than anything near its price range and they dont distort much at higher volume levels. The tweeter is also not as good in that sometimes it can be harsh on certain recordings but it still delivers. The main issue I had was that I felt that the sensitivity was lower than what the specs say.

by Guy, October 16, 2005

Strengths:

For the money you can not do better, trust me I have tried and paid the price. The sound is very clear and sets the bar for the range they were designed for.

Weaknesses:

I would like more bass but that is not the reason I bought these, I wanted clear sound and I got it

Review:

For anyone having problems with these speakers you might want to consider that they could be damaged. It happens when objects get shipped and dropped or knocked over. For those of you with home systems set up for movies you need to select a setting for these speakers, do not just plug them in and expect for it to be perfect. You need to take into consideration bass, decibels and watt ratio. In other words if you have a system pushing 200 watts per channel in the front you are going to fry the them so do not say that they are bad speakers. Make sure you take a moment and look at the range of power these speakers can handle.

by EZ NUPE 4, November 2, 2005

Strengths:

Crystal clear sound. Great for home theater.

Weaknesses:

Low bass response, but don't we all have subwoofers anyway?!?!?!

Review:

Wonderful set of speakers. I currently own four of them. Two in the front, and two for surround left and right rear channels. The sound is crystal clear. It is absolutely amazing how wonderful they sound. I replaced two pairs of sony bookshelf speakers with these, and the difference is unbelievable. I still have to replace my sony front center, and rear surround channel with two Polk CS1s. Have to convince the wife first though. I have these connected to a Panasonic SA-XR70 fully digital receiver, and the sound is amazing. There is absolutely no distortion at any volume level.

by David, December 30, 2005

Strengths:

Biggest is value. Great product.

Weaknesses:

None that I can hear!

Review:

Have spent 3 weeks with our new Polk R30's. They are the front mains in a system with a cs175i and R10's in the rear and an Infinity IL 250 sub. Love them. Great for movies and music.

by Bruno, December 31, 2005

Strengths:

Cler crsip sound, and they look great! Somewhat space-saving.

Weaknesses:

If you like it loud and deep, must have sub.

Review:

I just purchased these speakers over the Canadian Boxing Day Specials and on line with a pait of the R15's. Why the purchase? the name brand, reviews and the price. I paid the R30's (pair) $129 U.S. and the R15's $65 U.S also for the pair and it included delivery. All 4 speakers for under $200!

by Steve, January 12, 2006

Strengths:

Great sound stage They do not take up a lot of room Nice looks Great price

Weaknesses:

Bass lacking (that's what a sub is for) Would be nice if the tweeter was bigger

Review:

Prior to last year, I never owned a Polk Audio product. I was into the HTB scene. Once I began shopping around, I found Polk has great products. Hence this quality made, good sounding model here. I have them as LR mains, paired with R15 as surrounds, and an Infinity sub. The system sounds fabulous! Now If I could only find a deal on the CS1 center channel. Hint Hint Polk. Great product, buy them if you can find them.

by Jeremy, February 20, 2006

Strengths:

Clear, crisp high frequencies. Bass is actually pretty good (the port helps). Price (on sale) is AMAZING: $150 CDN. I wouldn't pay $400+ though.

Weaknesses:

High frequencies sometimes too harsh (depending on material being played). Mid-frequencies sometimes sound muddy and get lost in the mix.

Review:

I'm using them 95% of the time for music, listening at moderate volume levels, and I'm very satisfied. I've had 2 months to break them in. I read people complaining about poor low frequency response, so when I bought my pair I was suprised by how good the bass actually sounds. Only the lowest bass notes are weak (but I don't have a sub). Vocals sound amazing!: great clarity and imaging, but other instruments can sound a wee bit muddy. Is this the cross-over, or just that one little driver working too hard? I find tweeking the treble down by -2dB with my receiver (Onkyo TS-XR501) gets rid of the harshness and brings out the bass and mid freqencies.

by Jon, February 24, 2006

Strengths:

Terrific value, excellent soundstage, attractive

Weaknesses:

Not a lot of bass response for a tower, and some distortion or resonance in the midbass at high volume levels.

Review:

Ridiculously good sound for the price. Well balanced, excellent soundstage, but the midbass can get muddy at high volume levels. Some complain about the bass response, but with a single 6.5" woofer, you shouldn't expect much. It does get you plenty low enough for an 80Hz crossover to a quality sub, which is a necessity.

by Todd, March 10, 2006

Strengths:

Price is great. Looks great. Sounds Great.

Weaknesses:

None!!!

Review:

Wow, best bang for your buck. I have four R30s, two per channel - wired in series, with-out a sub, and the bass response is great. Tone, tone, tone, I don’t need to say anything else.

by Raoul Renaud, April 24, 2006

Strengths:

Sound quality Construction quality Price

Weaknesses:

Can't think of any.

Review:

Clear, crisp, accurate high and midrange on all types of music. Balanced sound; no peaks. Bass is amazing, especially for the size; some people might want to add a sub, but for listening at all but the highest volume levels I think most people would be completely satisfied with the bass. The cabinets look great, and are obviously very well made. Not at all fussy about placement. I have mine tucked into narrow spaces between bookcases and a spinet piano, in a very large room. The sound is excellent everywhere in the room.

by joshua roley, August 11, 2006

Strengths:

punchy bass just like polk explainations said . for a gamer who wants monster sound but not the bills .... this is the front speakers for you

Weaknesses:

sounds flat compared to r50's or monitor 50's , i dont know if there is monitor 30's :P

Review:

Wow beat the tar out of anything i have ever heard before , becuase i got them as discontinued product at me store i was just hoping they would suffice compared to the stuff i had heard before , i love them and i cant imagine how good other polk stuff sounds. (update) i heard the monitor 70's turned me inside out and left me broken in half .

by William Sands, August 18, 2006

Strengths:

If you bought them on clearance, you got a great deal. They are good entry level speakers that can out perform a lot of crap on the market.

Weaknesses:

They are not worth the original MSRP and build quality seems lower then my older polks.

Review:

I gave it 3 stars because they are not good enough for the original MSRP. For the price I paid, it was a great deal. I hope no one acually paid $399 for them. They sounds clear and crisp, but the highs seem to be cut off. I compared them to the first set of polks I bought, Monitor5 Jr. both speakers running through a Infinity BU-1 sub. I found my original speakers to have a much better mid range and the tweeters sound much more alive and fill the room with crisp clear highs. The ported speakers can work without a sub and are they have a nice deep sound, but they work best with a sub.

by Chad, September 14, 2006

Strengths:

Small floor footprint. Value. Perfectly balanced speakers.

Weaknesses:

I wish I had another set of them!

Review:

Great speakers. Perfect range with surprisingly deep lows. Crisp highs. Very happy with purchase.

by PJ, September 20, 2006

Strengths:

Crisp sound, impressive low end bass, look great!

Weaknesses:

None!

Review:

I purchased these speakers on sale at a electronics retail chain on sale. I was alittle apprehensive when it came to how they would sound, particularly the low end bass. I have a SONY non-surround sound basic reciever pushing these speakers and when I hooked them up and listened to them I was absolutely blown away. I did not expect such crisp, clean sound and the low end bass was not an issue at all. I could not believe how incredible these speakers sounded. I will not think twice about purchasing another POLK product after listening to these speakers. I recommend these speakers to anyone looking for a reasonably price and great sound.

by Brad Dann, January 29, 2007

Strengths:

Look good, sound good

Weaknesses:

Seem to not be able to handle 115 Watts (or less.. amp at half volume) even though they are rated 150 Watts

Review:

I bought my set of speakers as a Christmas present to myself to replace my ageing Technics SB1950 speakers (20 yeras +) The sound is clear and crisp, and I was very happy with them until last weekend, when I purchased a Jean Michelle Jare DVD. I have a Denon amp (1906) with 115 Watts output power per channel, and the Polk speakers stopped working half way through the show. I reconnected my old Technics speakers to watch the rest of the show at the same volume, and they worked fine (they are rated less than the Polk speakers.) I have returned them to the distributer for comment.

by nick, April 16, 2007

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

tweeter blew

Review:

first polk product i bought and I was very impressed by the clarity even at high levels the bass response is weak but thats what they make subwoofers for.Blew the tweeter out on one speaker after one long nite of partying

by Ryan F, December 21, 2007

Strengths:

clear as can be. Other speakers sound like they are missing the top 1/3 of the sound spectrum.

Weaknesses:

I read reviews of polk speakers where people claim the highs are shrill. I believe this refects on the clarity of these speakers. You will not find better speakers under 1k.

Review:

I've had these speakers for about 7 years now. I bought them when I was living in a tiny apartment just out of college. Fast forward and the living room of my house is 4 times the size of the old apartment. Let me tell you these speakers can fill some space. Granted its a tile and stone room, but on 75 watts per channel they send highs and mids through the whole house with no distortion. It has never occured to me to replace them because they are the best sounding speakers to my ears, and for the money you have to be kidding me. I once had the pleasure of listening to a 150k home stereo, and yes it beat the pants off these little guys, but until I win the lottery my R30's are here to stay. The best part is since these aren't paper cones they will last forever. I have a 3 way polk center, jbl 500 watt sub, and bose 141 surrounds. Running off a Yamaha natural sound reciever with fiber optic connection to my dvd/hd dvd setup.