R50

by Dylan Krohn, February 11, 2007

Strengths:

Stong bass and clear sound, tweeters still work great, look great, and shake the house.

Weaknesses:

Tired of the dang neighbors calling the cops.....i think their jealous.

Review:

I have owned these babies for nearly 4 months and love every second of them. Powered with my yamaha reciever, they make my house shake with awesome bass and extreme clarity...One set of these and do not need anything else, except my hearing of course...

by justin, May 2, 2008

Strengths:

Trust me no better speaker with price and specification comparison.

Weaknesses:

Review:

No way else to put it, these are the best tower speakers for the price. Check the specs and compare to similair speakers by klipsch, infinity, jbl, and definitive technology. Not even close. I own 6 myself and have set family and friends up with numerous pairs. Just make sure to get a clean new high end receiver like harman kardon, dont blame the speaker if you try to use a 10 - 15 year old ancient receiver. They were not designed to run on 15 year old receiver, pretty much goes for all new high end speakers. The style and size are also modern and fit nicely in any size room.

by RICKY GALLERNO, November 17, 2006

Strengths:

VERY LOUD,CRYSTAL CLEAR, RICH SOUND

Weaknesses:

TWEETERS BLOW AT HIGH VOLUME

Review:

I LOVE MY R50S THEY HAVE A NICE RICH,CLEAR SOUND ALONG WITH MY PSW12 THEY SEEM TO MAKE A GREAT SYSTEM. I HAVE REPLACED MY TWEETERS IN THE R50 TWICE AND WILL AGAIN IN FUTURE IF NEED BE BECAUSE YOU WONT FIND THIS KIND OF SOUND IN THE AVERAGE FLOOR STANDING SPEAKER THANKYOU!

by John, May 31, 2002

Strengths:

Excellent high end clarity with robust mid-range.

Weaknesses:

None!

Review:

I bought these speakers not only because I wanted to start a home theater, but because I enjoy listening to clean music with sharp treble and a solid mid-range. The R-50's are just that...clean and full. They are plenty loud for any sized room, and for the price, I doubt there is a better speaker on the market. These speakers are a perfect compliment to the R20 bookshelfs (for surround) and the P350 10-inch sub.

by Vikram Arya, June 20, 2008

Strengths:

Fabulous bass & mid range

Weaknesses:

Looks can be improved.

Review:

I have connected R50s to a Pioneer VSX 1017 K. Using RTI A1 for surround along with CS1 (Centre) & PSW10(sub). They sound just awesome. I have connected this set up to a 50" Samsung plasma. With a THX certified receiver they produce fabulous mid range & higher frequency sounds. I have seen speakers which cost several thousand dollars more & you can hardly differentiate those from these awesome speakers. I have become a fan of Polk audio.

by Nathan, October 22, 2008

Strengths:

Tweeter sounds crisp. great speaker for the price.

Weaknesses:

Over all speaker is quiet and after one week of listen the mids still don't sound that great.

Review:

Good speakers for the price. The tweeters sound really good. The mids sound a bit quiet. The over all sound seems a bit quiet for me. I have to turn it way up to really enjoy them. I've only had them for a week. Not sure how many hours in needs to be broken in. I hear it sounds really good after the break in period.

by Peter, December 14, 2009

Strengths:

Sound was incredible for the price paid at Fry's. Their return policy leaves little to be desired. No boxes for return and they charged me a fee for it!

Weaknesses:

Quality. Period. Polk is the only name I have had driver failures with. I now full reservation on their products.

Review:

Sounded good for about a day. Like another reviewer, I heard things in my music that I had never heard before. The tweeters are bright, but with a few eq adjustments they were fine. I rate these low because it only took a day for a tweeter in my pair to fail. Polk has disappointed once before with quality, albeit in car audio. Lesson learned. Save the money and go for better as I did in car audio.

Polk Response:

No speaker is indestructible. The only way tweeters fail is if the system is pushed beyond its limits and the receiver or amp starts clipping or the speaker cannot accept any more power. If you want to play it that loud, you'll need either more power or look for a speaker that has a horn loaded tweeter design. There is a reason why speakers used for bands and DJs use horn loaded high frequency drivers- it plays loud. Just keep in mind just because it plays loud doesn't mean it sounds good.

by Brian High, May 28, 2002

Strengths:

Perfect for a small room. Exciting highs and incredible lows.

Weaknesses:

I recommend a powered sub for movies!

Review:

I'm a novice when it comes to home theater design. These were an upgrade to an earlier sub/sat system I bought several years ago. They sound INCREDIBLE! For anyone just starting out these are the speakers to buy. A great SOUND at an AFFORDABLE price! I would recommend these or any Polk system to anyone.

by tim, June 25, 2002

Strengths:

looks good

Weaknesses:

terrible sound

Review:

They started out alright. But after the first time i used it they broke out at a high pitch and failed to produce any sound after that

by Nate, July 3, 2002

Strengths:

Good highs and mids. Incredible looks.

Weaknesses:

Lows

Review:

These are very strong speakers for the money. They reproduce sounds in CDs that Ive had for years and have never heard before. The highs and mids are excellent and lows are decent.

by Chani, July 22, 2002

Strengths:

Incredible sound.

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

This R50 gives very nice and clear sound. They look very nice with wood enclosure and they don't take too much of your space. For this price range, this is the best speakers you would ever get.

by Bahudda, August 14, 2002

Strengths:

Well balanced, crisp and solid sound reproduction. Great looks and with a size you can work into the decor (my girl friend wanted me to add the decor part). And... reasonably priced. Pound for pound the champion speaker for this season!

Weaknesses:

None. Virtually flawless!

Review:

I am a staunch Polk fan and that is for a good reason. Great quality at a reasonable price. I was raised by an audiophile and consequently have been surrounded by quality systems all my life. When I spend a dime I better get a dollar's worth! So, combine a cultured ear with a tight wallet and what you get is a discerning buyer. Ok, now let's talk about the R-Five-Ohs! I have been looking for the perfect speaker all my life and when I came across the R-Five-Oh! I drove the dealer crazy testing them out in the store. I played Reggae, Jazz, classical and contemporary music. I compared the R-Five-Ohs! with everything in the store (even their bigger brother - R70s). I bought the R-Five-Ohs home and I was delighted with my decision. An incredibly smooth sounding speaker. The highs sparkle and the middle is clear as glass. All the music content comes out in the most accurate proportions. These babies handle the most complex passages with a smoothness not found in speakers costing 10 times as much. They have become my benchmark for what a speaker is suppose to sound like. I think what I like most about them is that they do not get in the way of whatever is played through them.

by James, August 31, 2002

Strengths:

Crisp, clear highs, detailed mids, thumping bass (to my surprise) and superb imaging. Oh, and they look GREAT!

Weaknesses:

Can't think of any.

Review:

The first thing that hit me about the Polk R50s when I saw them in the store was how stunningly beautiful the cabinets were. They're not just black; the grain of the natural wood veneer adds character, and the finish is superb and silky smooth. But you probably want to know how they SOUND. Well, right out of the box they sounded good, but they didn't bowl me over, but after just a few hours of break-in time I started to notice things in music that I knew well that I had never noticed before. Subtle details, particularly in complex passages, were coming alive like I had never heard before in my own living room! There were instruments in some pieces of music that I had never known were there. The highs and mids are very clear and detailed. The R50s replace a pair of old Fishers which had 12 inch woofers. While it was clear the Fishers had to go after I upgraded to an Onkyo receiver, I really didn't think that "small" drivers would ever be able to equal the Fishers' bass output. I was WRONG! The R50s pump out an unbelievable amount of clean, tight bass. I do not own a subwoofer, but I live in an apartment, and my listening space is not large (about 13 x 16 ft). The R50s deliver plenty of bass for my needs, and, yes, movie explosions rumble just fine! These puppies can be played LOUD. Bottom line: These speakers are an excellent value. If you are looking to build a quality home theater, and/or music system, but have to watch your budget Polk is the way to go! And the R50s ought to be high on your list of candidates for main speakers.

by David C., September 5, 2002

Strengths:

Appearance, crispness even at extremely low volume. Nice deep cabinet creating good mid bass sound.

Weaknesses:

Not having the new style down firing style choked bass reflex holes. Even Polk down talks this style and have it on this nice speaker. Too bad.

Review:

These are really great speakers for the price I got them on sale for, only $199 each. The mids and highs are awesome, and turning up the bass gain on your receiver gives them a little more punch. I know these speakers are designed to be accompanied by a powered sub so I accept the fact that they suffer from poor low's. What can you expect from small drivers. Very nice looking and exceptional sound on cd's and surround movies alike. Good Job Polk!!!!

by Gregory Hart, October 27, 2002

Strengths:

Sound is tight..crisp Great looking cabinets..solid

Weaknesses:

May lead to irate neighbors

Review:

Really, this is not a paid endorsement. I just purchased my first Home Theater setup which include Polk R50 mains, RT25i surrounds, CSi 30 center and a PSW 350 sub. These Polk speakers are mated with a new H\K 320 A\V receiver and H\K DVD player. After watching my first DVD movie (Pear Harbor) i'm just....just. ...well never mind...I'm going back in to watch it again. These speakers are unbelievable!!! Don't even think about buying anything other than Polk. I had listened to other systems prior to my purchase, Polk not being one of them and decided to purchase the Polk speakers anyway on the reviews that I read through various on-line chat sessions. These people knew what they were talking about. A quick thought on the H\K 320 A\V receiver. Don't let the 55x5 watts rating fool you. If you think 55x5 is not enough I would invite you to feel my entire house vibrate when the H\K and the Polks decide to kick butt. One drawback as an owner of Polk speakers is that you must anticipate frequent visits from your local law enforcement agency. NOTE: I purchased this system primarily for Home Theater. But when I inserted a Craig Chaquico music CD I knew I had purchased something special with the Polk speakers and H\K components.

by Kim Pries, October 29, 2002

Strengths:

Good sound across the spectrum Slender and attractive

Weaknesses:

Seem to suck juice on the amp some (could be me though). Haven't been able to assess the high treble.

Review:

I replaced a Bose system with these speakers. Added an Onkyo TRX-600 with two Bose 301s for surround and a Polk Csi30 for center. I am hearing sounds I could not get from the Bose system. The shrillness is gone! I compared these babies to Bose 601s and 701s. The 601 and 701 speakers drop out in the low mid. The R50s seem to put out across the range. I also listened to Polk RTi70 and Infinity IL40. The Infinities were shrill. The RTi70 was very good but the big surprise was the R50s. A good bet for the money. The people who complain about bass or treble must be using inferior amplification.

by Kurt, January 1, 2003

Strengths:

Full range of sound reproduction in a slender package delivering versatile placement in small quarters. Easily fits most modern home decors.

Weaknesses:

At higher volumes the protective grill tends to resonate.

Review:

Quality reproduction of the entire audible range: I am thoroughly impressed with the mid to low frequencies; a sub is not necessary for small room applications. I have no reservations in recommending a pair of R50 loud speakers to satisfy musically diverse requirements.

by Michael Wright, February 24, 2003

Strengths:

Clear distinct sound, nice looking, not too big, lots of sound for small cash.

Weaknesses:

None so far

Review:

I have shopped alot for my newest stereo system, and compared many speakers both in store demos, and online. The R50's blew me away! For the price and the sound quality. I matched them with the CSI 30 center, the R 20 bookshelfs for surround, and with Polks speaker deal the psw 202 was thrown in free. I have an Onkyo pushing the 5.1 system, and the sound is absolutely incredible.

by Barry Elliott, February 27, 2003

Strengths:

Terrific sound for a couple of hours.

Weaknesses:

After a couple of hours all the high end falls out of them.

Review:

These speakers sounded great for 3 hours, before the tweeters stopped working. I returned them,and got a new pair, hooked them up and blew them as well. In all fairness to Polk, I was powering them with a Sony 100 wpc receiver. I contacted Polk and they said the Sony didn't have enough dynamic headroom. I bought(at the representive of Polk's suggestion) a Rotel preamp and matched It up with an SAE 2200 amp (100 continous watts per side)(200 watts max), and proceded to blow the 3rd set of R50's. So much for the headroon arguement. The 3rd set blew with only 30 watts being drawn from the amp. I don't get it. I'm now waiting on delivery of an Acurus 250 continuous watts per channel amp. Perhaps that will be enough to fed these speakers. That's my story with the R50's. You decide!

by George Noriega, March 2, 2003

Strengths:

Very deep bass. Good sound and performance at a decent price.

Weaknesses:

DEFINITELY need a high-current amplifier for these speakers.

Review:

I purchased a pair of R50s after blowing out a Kenwood receiver while running a set of RM 7500s. I decided to separate my home theater and music-listening equipment, and wound up purchasing the R50s and an Onkyo TX-8511 to run them. First off, the sound on the R50s is very clear and amazingly deep in the bass department. Granted, it doesn't go as deep as when I was running the 7500s with the PSW650 supplying the bass, but it does go deep enough; save for certain material, the difference is almost neligible. After a few days of break-in, the sound is VERY smooth. Almost all processors have treble and bass adjustment, so you can tailor the sound to your liking. Once you do, the R50s produce amazing sound for their price. If there is any drawback, it's the fact that you DEFINITELY need to get a high-current amp/receiver to run the R50s. When I run the R50s with the Onkyo receiver, the receiver barely runs warm. In comparison, the old Kenwood would run extremely hot. As someone who likes to listen and FEEL their music, I can say that a high-current receiver/amp makes a big difference. That's a minor nit, though. At this price level and performance, the R50s are definitely worth the money. They produce the (sonic) goods.

by robert donnelly, March 22, 2003

Strengths:

Highs are strong base is very subtle and rich

Weaknesses:

I feel the speaker grilles should be of the same quality as the R100 grilles. To flimsey.

Review:

i have just purchased R 50 to team up with my R100,s teamed to Harmon Kardon 3370 a truly wonderful listing experience. No sub needed.

by t. stone, June 29, 2003

Strengths:

Excellent range and imaging at low volume. Superior quality compared to anything remotely in its price range that I've auditioned.

Weaknesses:

Nothing significant.

Review:

I upgraded from R30s and am impressed with the increased dynamic range and clarity of the R50s. Their ability to produce musical nuances at low volume are a characteristic usually found in speakers in a much higher cost range. The R50s really breathe new life into my music collection!

by Paul Nguyen, July 17, 2003

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

Very deep bass. Good sound and good performance.

by Dave, July 21, 2003

Strengths:

Again, seperation, range, & clarity.

Weaknesses:

None that I have discovered as of yet.

Review:

I bought the R50's to upgrade from the R30's as my fronts.What a difference! While the R30 isn't a bad speaker, the seperation, range, & clarity of the R50's has added a whole new dimension to my CD's. I think the Lows are outstanding also. I don't have a Sub yet. I have a Harmon Kardon AVR225 with Polk R15's as Surrounds, & an Acoustic Research Center. I plan to get the Polk CSI30 Center to replace the AR. I compared the R50's to many speakers in the sound room, & for the money, nothing compared.

by Matt Clark, July 28, 2003

Strengths:

good range wonderful bass

Weaknesses:

none.

Review:

Plugged them in Now I cant get away from them They have added a new quality to my cds

by Robert J, August 6, 2003

Strengths:

Sonic Clarity, Faithful reproduction of music, Bass is strong and natural. Real wood, Thank you.

Weaknesses:

Haven't found any yet. Wondering if Matthew Polk and his team knows of any weakness.

Review:

The R-50 produced sound that was very clear and strong. Nothing artificial as for as my ears can tell. This is my first pair of polk speakers after listening to JBL's , Altec Lansing , and KLH , most of my life. These speakers are the BOMB. I'm keeping these for a while.

by Harry B, September 1, 2003

Strengths:

Excellent response to both music and DVDs. Amazing detail and clarity for speakers of this size and price range!

Weaknesses:

Only my own, for not having purchased them sooner!

Review:

Purchased online from Crutchfield (ALWAYS go with an authorized retailer, especially one with such a good return policy!), and I couldn't be happier.You really do get what you pay for in life. My first pair of "real" speakers, Polks or any other for that matter, and they're truly amazing. Even Emily, my 5 year old,likes the way they sound! I listened to these, along with comparable JBL, Bose, Klipsch, and Yamaha, and the Polks won out easily. I've since added a pair of R15 surrounds, and a PSW450 is on order! Can't wait to see (HEAR!) The Matrix once it's all hooked up! I would recommend Polk Audios' products to anyone.

by Nicholas, September 25, 2003

Strengths:

Exceptional midrange accuracy with and a tweeter so liquid smooth, the snares of drums will make you blink.

Weaknesses:

Screen does feel a bit flimsy, but it does what it is designed to do.

Review:

I just upgraded from the RM6000 and oh what an up grade! The sheer accuracy of these speakers will allow you to notice the detail in your music that you never knew existed. Some complain about a lack of bass, well these provide the kick while your sub will provide the rumble. The complete set produces a surreal music or movie experience. Clearly the best speaker for the money.

by juan carlos leal, December 26, 2003

Strengths:

Tweeter and units, excelent quality

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

Amazing sound, I have a pair of R40 too, in Hafler conection plus one PSW250 and a Magenta ACRH-1 stereo hibrid integrated emplifier of Margules Audio of México (Viva México), ADE-24 analog digital enhancer of Margules audio and Onkyo compact disc player with monster cable all of them, the combination it`s wonderful. I´m form Toluca, México.

by Upali Joseph Weerasinghe, February 22, 2004

Strengths:

All the way Polk, Thanks

Weaknesses:

didn't find any yet...let ya know if any

Review:

Whooow......Polk is the coolest Speakers I ever own... about 7 years ago I gave smaller version of polk to my Mom....she is still loving them. Now I got a R50 and Yamaha HTR-5660 AMP, I can't explain how I feel when I listen to them

by brandon, February 27, 2004

Strengths:

a nice open sound

Weaknesses:

distortion and procution isn't as good as the RT55i

Review:

Pretty decent speakers for the money. They cost a little bit less then the Polks RT55i that i use to own. And the RT55i i feel had a more open sound. I also hear some distortion when i play music but im not sure if its my yamaha RX-V800 or the speakers. i also own a whole set of definitive technology speakers and am driving them with a Denon AVR-5800. WOW! now those are good speakers but cost more then twice as much as the RT 50s.

by JP, March 14, 2004

Strengths:

Low cost, sounds good.

Weaknesses:

Cheap looking black box.

Review:

I think it's only fair that when compairing speakers one should categorize it based on price. And theses speakers, for the price, sounds excellent.

by Ricardo, March 27, 2004

Strengths:

Clean, clear sound across the mids and highs. Tight, though unenthusiastic bass. Fine to stand alone as mains for 2 ch. music but subwoofer is a nice add on for movies. Real wood veneer.

Weaknesses:

Review:

The sound was a bit bright before a short break-in period. I was looking for a good quality speaker on a budget and was incredibly surprised by the R50's wide frequency range. It sounded on par with speakers costing twice as much as I was auditioning speakers. No doubt, there are better sounding speakers out there but for the price, (I paid $199 ea. on sale) there is no comparison. It's appearance is understated but it has real wood veneer! I couldn't ask for a better speaker at it's cost:benefit ratio and I got the PSW202 free as part of a promo to round out the lower bass! I am extremely happy with my purchase.

by Daron Green, April 22, 2004

Strengths:

Excellent but save some money and get the R30s

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I like the R50s BUT they cant do anything the R30s cant do plus Consumer Reports have rated the R30s an excellent buy and the R50s just a good buy so you decide.

by Ryan Anderson, May 14, 2004

Strengths:

Excellent sound quality, strong bass, great tone. Good for movies and music

Weaknesses:

Don't know of any, I would recommend these to anyone looking for quality speakers w/o spending a fortune.

Review:

I recently dumped by 15 year old floor speakers and entered the market, unsure of all the new technology out there. I was definitely on a budget, and needed an amplifier and 2 floor speakers to fit my price range. I went to my local Fry's Electronics and demo'ed several speakers between $100 and $300 per speaker. They had the R50 on sale for $99 each. This was well within my price range, and I compared them to much more expensive speakers, but the R50's really held their own, and for the price they were a total bargain. I was able to use the money I saved to buy a much better amp than I though I would be able to. Now the they're at home, I've been using them for about 3 weeks, and am very impressed. I've yet to buy a subwoofer, but the bass that comes out of these speakers is very impressive. I've been playing my CD's loud, and there is very little distortion. I very pleased. Thanks for making a great product Polk.

by Kevin J. Kracht, May 23, 2004

Strengths:

A good price for good quality speakers

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

My wife and I were looking to replace our Bose 201's with a pair of floorstanding speakers. The 201's were good for our movie sound but we wanted something with more range so we could get good sound for our music. We compared the R50's against the Bose 601 series IV and the R50's were much better.

by David Yohler, July 17, 2004

Strengths:

Excellent across the full range. Best value anywhere.

Weaknesses:

Bass while clean and crisp lacks presence (get PSW202 to complete the system).

Review:

I just bought a whole new set of speakers (R50 front, R20 rear, and PSW202 sub) for my ent. room. I've got to say, this is an excellent package. I got the R50 for $150 a piece (I guess they are clearing them out for the Monitor series). My advice is to scoop these up now. An unbeatable value. I had an EQ to fine tune my old speakers, it is essentially flat now, the response is excellent across the full range. The sub completes the system (I've got the gain set at about 1 o'clock). Enjoy.

by Joe, August 18, 2004

Strengths:

They look great. They are able to reproduce the detail and warmth that comes from a vacume tube Hi-Fi amp.

Weaknesses:

None..

Review:

Great sounding speakers. Very well balanced. The bass responce is very controled and tight. Very accurate and able to reproduce detail. I use a Fisher tube amp running 20watts per side and a CD player only, no EQ. The music I like is mostly classical but the radio is also sometimes played.

by Alexander Pablo, October 27, 2004

Strengths:

Tweeter provide accurate reproduction of high pitched sound fields. Midrange is warm and roomy. Unbeatable price and build quality. If you see these get them.

Weaknesses:

There are no weakness for this floorstanding. It does what it is built to do. Listening to music with a DVPNS999ES conjointly with R50's is dreamy. If you are a movie fanatic you might want to get PSW505 <(this is a sub) to further enhance the experience. But no weakness found here.

Review:

There are no words to describe these floorstanding speakers. They love to perform and be driven LOUD. On the other spectrum it performs fluidly and flawlessly on strings & piano music fields. Sound reproductions by R50's beat higher end and elusively more expensive speakers. I own Canton "Karat" floorstanding speakers, and believe me there is no difference in sound. R50's actually sound much clearer. To Mr. Matthew Polk and his team; every single one of yous, KUDOS. Keep up the unprecidented excellent job. By the way these are my 1st Polk speakers, DEFINITELY NOT MY LAST. I own a pair of R50's for frontLR and 2 pairs of R20's for surroundLR and surroundbackLR; also CS1 center. this being driven by a Sony STRDA1000ES. Sub soon, I'm going to purchase a PSW505.

by Henry Ward, November 6, 2004

Strengths:

Balance of high range frequencies to bass response does not compromise mid range detail - full, clear and very present

Weaknesses:

Cannot adjust speaker feet without spikes on bare floor - small potatoes for these!

Review:

Replacing my previous RT600's these incredible speakers are superior to most supposedly comparable (& way more expensive) speakers such as Infinity, Bose, JBL etc that I have sound tested. I am a classical fan (strings, symphony, choral) but have found sound 'retreats' behind normal speakers. Not here - the R50's literally place sound right between your ears - music projection and clarity places you right in the centre of the orchestra. I like being there! In terms of other musical genres, from jazz to dub, these speakers match the music intent without compromise. For those Jeff Buckley fans - he lives again when you close your eyes. I wanted a pair of speakers - I have bought a fully comprehensive sound (without buying extra sub or appliances) which is not 'satisfying' in midrange, treble and bass - it is broad, literal, and sumptuously reproduces the recorded original. I'll have them for years.

by Dick Kanda, November 24, 2004

Strengths:

Nothing better for the price - or for that matter, based on years of experience and research, any reasonable higher price.

Weaknesses:

You do need a PSW if you are in a relatively large room - not a true weakness though - these are not three way speakers.

Review:

I have been an audiophile for quite some time. Once had a set of JBL L212s w/ PSW. If you know what those are, you can "date" me and know how much I was willing to spend. Well, these R50s are exceptional. I am not sure there is anything out there that will beat them no matter the price. Flat response, tight imaging, dynamic range are all there. The R50s coupled with a PSW404, R30s for surrounds, and a CSi3 compose the ultimate system for the price.

by avi maser, December 15, 2004

Strengths:

none you cant go wrong buying them.

Weaknesses:

i wish i had them befor

Review:

i got them at frys for 80$ apieace and i cant belive my ears.amaizing sound and real deep base,i can hear all the deatailes that i didnt know even exist.i hooket it to onkyo tx-sr502 and im in heaven,really no need at all for sub woofer.

by Gus B, December 19, 2004

Strengths:

Looks, sound, price.

Weaknesses:

Cant think of one.

Review:

Just purchased these on sale. I cant beleive how great the sound. The produce a very wide range of frequency from very solid bass to great mids and highs. The sound fantastic for both music and movies. You cant go wrong with the R50's. They will make your system sound as if you spend thousands when you actually spend a few hundred. I actually paid less than $200.00 for the pair and I am floored by their rich, precise, and expensive sound.

by Brian Fulmer, January 3, 2005

Strengths:

Great sound provided by nice precise low end and more than adequate mids and highs. The build quality is top notch also.

Weaknesses:

Ha Ha....good one

Review:

Tremendous bang for the buck. These are a real bargain. I continue to see that people are spending an arm and a leg for speakers. I'd have to ask why, because there's no way a couple of hundred dollars more is going to reap any significant benefits over these unless you like to listen to stuff extemely loud. Try them, and if you're not impressed just use them for surrounds because their just as cheap as most bookshelves. These will keep up just fine for the average user. Bravo Mr. Polk.

by dan lara jr., January 10, 2005

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

I love the highs and mids on my new pair of R50 over my pervious R40. Excellent range of highs, with help from a psw404 for the excellent lows.

by sbspjunglist, January 31, 2005

Strengths:

Nice and tight.

Weaknesses:

Lacking the punch I was looking for.

Review:

After looking at speakers for the past couple of months I finally decided on these. Im quite pleased with the R50's. Im using these as my fronts with two R15s at the rear. Yes the R15s not the 20's. They really compliment each other. I cant wait for my next day off to really let these things lose. They do lack bass in my opnion espcially for jungle and drumNbass. This will be remedied soon enough. Let me put it this way. Ill probally be a polk buyer for life.

by RMI from Las Vegas, May 9, 2005

Strengths:

Excellent build quality/sound: Open, clean and tight with no audible distortion.

Weaknesses:

For the price i paid, not a single one.

Review:

Just got these pair of R50's(Cherry) from Outpost.com with their almost give away price.My intention is to use them as rear surrounds on my current set up, but after tweaking my 3 year old Sony DB830 receiver, i ended up having them as my front ones, it's that good!!! the sound is tight and clean, i have no complain as far as the low end since i'm using a 12" Velodyne sub. I never thought my LSi7's(Excellent Bookshelf) would end up as my surrounds. I could not believe that i got this beautifully finished great sounding R50's for $77 each. Life's good, get them while you can still. Thank you very much to the folks @ Polk. My current set up: Front -- R50 Center -- Csi3 Rear -- LSi7 Sub -- Velodyne CHT12 Sony 5.1 DB830 Receiver Denon 910 DvdPlayer

by Julz, May 13, 2005

Strengths:

Clear highs, strong mids and good bass response, overall well balanced speaker system

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I just bought a pair of R50s from FRY'S Electronics....They were on sale for $69.99 each and I just listened to them and they sound really well balanced; clear highs and impressive mids and just enough bass to satisfy me...these speakers are brand new, so they may take a few hours to "break in" and sound the best like all new speakers....I have sub, which I might use if more bass is needed. The R50s are a good deal for the price I paid $140+tax.....Get them on sale while you can!!!

by Johnny, July 10, 2005

Strengths:

Good quality Build, Beautiful Cherrywood Finish. Attention to detail. Sound Quality.

Weaknesses:

Doh!

Review:

My first listen to Polk. Bought them because of the Low price I paid and the Polk reputation. I am not disappointed with these fine speakers. I bought mine with the cherry wood finish and they are lovely. My wife and I are very pleased with the overall look of these speakers. These are replacing another brand of towers that use 5&1/4 dual woof/mids and a tweeter. One reason I picked the R50's is because of the 6&1/2 inch drivers for a little lower coverage of the audio spectrum and of course the use of Dynamic Balance Drivers. They are being driven with a Harmon Kardon 230 Rated at 55 wpc. That's not a lot of power as compared to many home theatre recievers but it is capable of High Current delivery when needed on demand. Running the R50's at the flat settings, just as it comes off the disc, I heard a well balanced sound that was quite pleasing. The Bass was not thumpy nor overpowering but when the mix called on it to be there, the R50 reproduces the bass with quite impressive results. The midrange is so smooth and lively that you'll take notice. You hear the mix of the dics with a punch that sounds like a recording studio. Vocals are really good. The high end is good, smooth but not overpowering. It's there when it is supposed to be there. Speakers are a hard product to write a review about because each person has different taste and this is the part of the Stereo That YOU hear. One Good test of a Speakers Abilty is the reproduction of the Piano. The R50's do an excellent job of reproducing the sonics and vibrancy of the piano. It's a big instrument with a lot of sound and you'll heard it the way it was recorded through these fine speakers. I like these so much, I ordered a second pair.

by zippy, August 10, 2005

Strengths:

Tons of bass - clear, detailed highs, and very warm mids. Solid build quality.

Weaknesses:

Absolutely nothing.

Review:

I've owned these for almost a year and they continue to surprise me. I've heard details in music that I never knew were there before. These speakers are the real deal - don't let the price fool you (I think people want to believe that speakers have to be expensive to sound good & in this case they couldn't be more wrong). I've owned many different speakers (JBL, Cerwin Vega, Bose, Infinity, Advent) and none of them even came close to providing the ACCURATE FULL RANGE of sound that the R50's consistantly deliver. I'm a definate fan of Polk Audio now. They can consider me a LIFETIME customer from here on.

by jeff smit, September 22, 2005

Strengths:

Great sound and overall performance until you turn it up and blow the tweeters

Weaknesses:

TWEETERS KEEP BLOWING EVERYTIME YOU GIVE IT A LITTLE POWER

Review:

Love the speaker. great style and design. but the r50 can't handle power. 1st day blew the tweeters and popped the speakers with an old scherwood reciever. then i called polke and they said get a better receiver. Got an Onkyo tr-sx601 and don't blow the speakers but the tweeters go everytime i turn it up and even blew the psw 404, not the speaker but the amp cut out and died, the only kick ass speaker is the center channel csi3. which better not blow cause it's my only highs right now

by Maestro, October 6, 2005

Strengths:

Natural, breathy and warm mids and highs - not brittle and forced. The bass is round, smooth, and tight. The speakers have great dynamic range and sound presence with good articulation. The ride cymbal in Miles Davis' "So What" is clean and crisp. Coltrane and Miles sound like they are playing live in your living room! The upright bass is smooth and tight, not boomy at all. Stravinsky's "Petrushka" really jumps out at you: the brass section blows right in your face, and the percussion section really punches. The speakers show no sign of bottoming out or distorting and performs like a charm with funk and pop music. I listen to music at a very comfortable level, never extremely loud. My ears didn't suffer from fatigue after hours of play. I did push the level a bit more than normal just to satisfy my curiosity and the R50s stood its ground. Outstanding. Perfect speakers at a great price!

Weaknesses:

You call these entry level towers? Puleeeeez!

Review:

Bought a pair of Cherry Wood Edition R50s to compliment my already impressive R30s/R15s/CSi3/PSW12 (also Cherry). I got one word for you - WOW! After about a week of letting them "settle in," I decided to push them with my HK AVR635: Played some of my favorite listening CDs like Holst "The Planets," Stravinsky "Petrushka," The Yellowjackets "Dreamland," Miles Davis "Kind of Blue," and some good old funk - Earth, Wind, and Fire and Ohio Players! The R50s are just... (tears in my eyes!) absolutely wonderful!!! :-) Great job Polk. For the price, these towers are (expletive) amazing! For my first ever home theater, I went R Series crazy and I love it. Recently I invited some friends over for movie night to view Chronicles of Riddick. They were blown away!!! A buddy of mine returned his over-priced Bose Home Theater System after hearing my R50s and the like. My name is Maestro and I'm a Polk-aholic! Get these speakers while you can; you won't be disappointed. The reviewer below must not have known how to connect them properly or pushed them too hard too early. Would you drive your brand new car at 100 MPH right off the lot? I don't think so! My home theater 7.1 is now complete: Main - R50s Center - CSi3 Surround - R30s Rear - R15s Sub - PSW12 All Cherry Wood Edition Amp/Receiver - Harman/Kardon AVR635

by Chris, October 8, 2005

Strengths:

the highs and lows are unbelieveablly acurrate and the bass it can handle is amasing for their size

Weaknesses:

I have seen no weaknesses yet

Review:

These are almost the highest quailty speakers I have ever seen and are reasonablly cheap for their performance. I've found that the R series speakers sound best on a Pionner reciever putting 100 watts to every speaker. the speakers have outstanding bass and can go reasonablly loud in a meadium size home. But the bass really comes out when playing cds, mp3 players and video games. it is also a great pair for movie's The best place Ive seen to get a inexpencieve pioneer reciever is at circuitcity.com

by Apodaca, October 15, 2005

Strengths:

Price, excellent fit and finish. Enough low end output to be run as full speakers without a sub in small rooms.

Weaknesses:

Tweeter not as goos as current Monitor speakers.

Review:

For sure the best of the R series. The R50s have enough bass to be run as full speakers in a small room and the sound is more laid back than some of the Monitor towers but tweeter is not as good. Like all othe Polk speakers, fit and finish is excellent and I especielly liked the fact that they include spikes for the bottom. At the current clearance prices, they are a great value for those on a budget.

by Erik, December 14, 2005

Strengths:

Good quality for the price... Cabinet, grill, stands and finish comparable to higher end speakers.

Weaknesses:

Lack the punch I was expecting from Polk Audio... Tend to clip at high volume!

Review:

I wanted to replace my old Cerwin Vega DX-9’s. I did my research to find some speakers that did not cry out 1980's but would not break the bank either. Based on reviews and word of mouth, I went with the R50’s. Once I got them wired up, I cranked up the music. At first, I was impressed with the clarity, especially for movie watching and classical music; however, I think the 15" drivers on my DX-9's spoiled me. I would defiantly suggest going with a powered sub to make up for the lack of bass. The R50’s also seem to be clipping when my Onkyo is turned up beyond mid volume, a problem I did not have before, even at very high volume levels. For the price, they are good speakers and I can’t complain. I wish I would have taken the plunge for a more expensive pair now though because they lack the punch that I’m used to.

by Eduardo Alvarez, December 20, 2005

Strengths:

Everything you could possibly think of!.

Weaknesses:

None so far.

Review:

Wow!, I have never seen finer speakers that are this incredible to believe. It's hard to believe that such a superior sound is produced by such a speaker of small size. They are very slim and small, yet, able to produce a fine sound that even the neighbors across the block can hear so clearly!.

by Jeremy, December 29, 2005

Strengths:

high quality sound, even with no sub or a good center speaker, or high amp or receiver as some call them. Absolutaly love them, cannot live without them.

Weaknesses:

only weakness i can see is that with my 5 00 watt RCA rceiver is that they overload the reciver at very high sound, i belive i do not have the power to fully equip them as of now.

Review:

i love these speakers alot, i am on a low budget and got a VERY great deal on these speakers. i am very pleassed. puts very high quality sound for music and movies, even across the street or for partys, weather out side or in the house, always great, although some niegbors comlain, i do not. the RCA reciver 500watt does not do it for these, so i am looking to get a good reciver and then go for a very powerfull polk audio sub and center, and two rears for movies. as of now, i cannot find and recivers from polk, wishing sold them id get one, unless i just cant find them. ;)

by Mark, February 18, 2006

Strengths:

What a value! Cheap in price, but not in quality. Excellent bass extension and mids while the highs are smooth and not forced.

Weaknesses:

No bi-wire terminals, and the bottom of the speaker looks awkward with the cherry finish.

Review:

I can't believe I got such a great speaker for such a great price! I was moderately impressed the first night (muddy sound, etc), but I let them play all day to break them in. My next listening session was amazing! I've got 125 watts of clean power, and I can crank the volume up and these speakers stay sophisticated. Other reviewers complain about the lack of bass, but the thing that impresses me most about these speakers is the bass! You're not going to shake the pictures off the walls or need earplugs with these, but the bass extension definitely surprised me.

by HDSCHULTZ, March 16, 2006

Strengths:

I got my R50 (silver) in Germany. Thomas B. my friend in Berlin use only POLKs in combo with Yamaha High-End THx Amps. He recomended to sell all other speakers and buy the Polks. My R50 has high quality sound, and my SONY 5.1 Receiver (5*100Watts) drives this R50ties very smooth, sharp and christal clear. I love the POLKs R50.

Weaknesses:

see nothing

Review:

Big win: My Studio is filled with powerfull and christal clear sound. All my party guest asked me, how I can blow my studio with only two Polks R50 into a Buddha Bar Lounge. Great stuff produced in USA !!

by Jim Revis, April 27, 2006

Strengths:

Great fit and feel. Very good balance and bright sounding. Have the look and feel of fine quality furniture. Great speaker for the price.

Weaknesses:

Not as bright as other higher end speakers but not significant enough to worry about. Unknown as to service in the future if they are being phased out for newer model.

Review:

Have now purchased 4 R50's and find them to be well worth the price from Fry's Outpost. They are well made, sound great and have a solid no nonsense feel to them. Although not as bright as other higher priced speakers they are great for movie watching and produce no fatigue during long listening periods. Great speaker for the price, highly recommend them.

by Mario Brisebois, May 25, 2006

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

i love the sound of my surrount and my music with my psw202 and r-50, sorry for my english but i try but my tweeter is no goodnow i just call polkaudio and somebody talk with me in french thank you George. they mail me a another tweeter when i have you gone have the fifth stars lol thank you very mutch

by rob, May 30, 2006

Strengths:

great speaker at incredible price

Weaknesses:

none for what they cost

Review:

these are my first floorstanding but they havent disappointed me in any way. I only use them for music with the rest of my 5.1 system. they handled the lows pretty well before i finally got a sub but i had to do some adjusting on my reciever. great speaker and i wouldn't hesistate to buy again

by Neeko, June 14, 2006

Strengths:

Greaat sound overall; bass goes fairly low and the highs and mids are beautiful sounding

Weaknesses:

Sarcasm right?

Review:

These are some of the greatest speakers I've ever heard in my life! I use them as rears in my setup next to my Velodyne DD-15. they sound superb. My fronts are NOT Polks, but some KLH speakers which I would whole heartedly also recommend. :)

by John Keller, July 21, 2006

Strengths:

Clean crisp sound. Oustanding appearance.

Weaknesses:

No weekness.

Review:

Outstanding sound. I picked up a pair of R-50's for fronts driven by my NAD receiver. I am extremely impressed and that is saying alot considering how picky I am with sound. Speakers deliver an excellent range of sound. If you intend on picking up the full range of the sound spectrum I would suggest buying a small 10 inch sub. With that combination you should be satified. I bought a Polk 10 inch sub from Fry's Outpost.

by aleksandar Lucic, August 7, 2006

Strengths:

realy dont need a sub at all it has some nice bass in it... i am using a Onkiyo TX-NR801

Weaknesses:

the weakenes on them is that the tweater blows up soon as you turn it up....

Review:

great speakers.... love them and sound great... but

by Jonathan Ward, August 29, 2006

Strengths:

High Quality Drivers. High Quality Cabinet, looks very nice and passes the Wife Acceptance Factor. Sounds good at any volume. Needs High Quality Receivers to get the best sound.

Weaknesses:

Doesn't have a cup holder.

Review:

I have owned my R50's 4 of them, for a year now. For the prices I paid, they are a really great value. The sound is crisp and clean. It's a very well balanced speaker. The bass is very good and the mids excellent, as for the tweeter in this speaker, it is a very good unit it does cover the sound spectrum without being overly bright. That is a good thing if you listen to music at high volume levels. I've read where some people burned out their tweeters, thats because thay are using low quality receivers and they are clipping and burning up these drivers, Use a high quality receiver such as a Harmon-Kardon or in that class and you will have no problems. I play my speakers in satellite viewing of the TV and the systems doubles for music and so they play 24 hours a day and not one complaint from me. So I have about 9,000 hours on these speakers and I think they sound as good as the day they were delivered. I expect a lot from my sound system and Polk products really deliver for me.

by J.Underwood, September 19, 2006

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

I have also blown 2 tweeters in 2 years

Review:

Overall good buy for the money

by Big Chris, October 9, 2006

Strengths:

Incredible sound for next to nothing!

Weaknesses:

I haven't owned them long enough to find any.

Review:

I listened to a pair of the R50's at my local hi-fi shop and was blown away by the quality of sound these speakers reproduce! I just purchased 4, yes 4 of them! Along with a CSi25 center channel. I am going to give them at least a week to warm in. But, I know they will rock in my home theater. I can't wait!

by Jason Wilson, May 12, 2007

Strengths:

Looks, smooth sound and power. If you set your receiever up right you don't need a sub.

Weaknesses:

If you want to shake the walls you need a GOOD sub to do them justice.

Review:

I just bought the polk R50 from Fry's. I had two sets of R30's and a csi25 center cannel all black. The R50's in cherry are beautiful the wood finish is real, not plastic. Receiver-Onkyo TX-SR503 7.1-NO SUB Front R50-cherry, Surround R30 Surround Back R30, and Center Csi25

by marc, May 12, 2007

Strengths:

cheap! Guess you get what you pay for?

Weaknesses:

tweeters are inferior, parts seem cheaper than the ones in my 12 yr old sub-woofer (purchased in 1995 and still works)Also have 1995 monitors that seem to have better parts and tweeters that WORK !!!!

Review:

I have never been so let down by my Polk Purchase!!! Almost 20 yrs. of buying and swearing by your products, I bought a pair of these R-50 speakers and added them to my PSW100 subwoofer (Polk). After hooking up the speakers to a compatible receiver, I had great sound. That lasted 3 hours and then I realized the tweeters were not working !!!!!! The volume was not even at the 10pm position !!!!! A search on the internet revealed that many people have had the same tweeter problem. Why is this happening to so many people??? Is there a recall that I missed here? Please inform me of how to replace these faulty tweeter's as they are under a 5 yr. warranty. I have wasted my whole weekend and from what I am reading online my next stop is the BBB and Attorney General of Florida. Why has your quality fallen like this? I have bought many of your products in the past and told others, now I am being told from friends I recommended that I am buying cheaply made in China speakers?!?!?! Please help me gain your trust again by standing behind your products. And maybe some of my friends that are left will believe that Polk stands behind their products after all !! HELP

by CHARLES SCHMITT, May 17, 2007

Strengths:

Great sound whether listening to CD's, FM or DVD's

Weaknesses:

NONE,I'M SMITTEN

Review:

This is the 2nd pair of R50's I've purchased. Bought my first pair about 3 yrs ago and have been very satisfied with them.I was reading the reviews here and someone mentioned he purchased a Cherry wood pair for $70 each @ Outpost.com, I immediately went to their site and ordered a pair,$189 a pair w/shipping to Colo. I know there should be no difference, but I swear these have more punch than the old pair. Very satisfied.

by avi golan, May 26, 2007

Strengths:

clear sound and nice speakrs for my living room.

Weaknesses:

i look and canot find any.but i will keep on looking.

Review:

class A speakers for a low pay.very good buy from frys.

by Jon, May 28, 2007

Strengths:

Price, Looks as I like the cherry, and Sound

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I have only had these a few days but am very impressed with them. The first night I compared them to my R10's. I did not notice much of a difference but was only using low volume and with a sub since it was late. The next day I got to turn them up some and they sound very good. I went to turn off the sub just to see how much bass they were putting out and was shocked to find that I turned it off the night before. I am very impressed with these.

by Brent Brandstetter, June 23, 2007

Strengths:

clarity, volume, price, looks, its great.

Weaknesses:

Bass isnt loud enough for my liking, but then thats what a separate powered subwoofer is for, isnt it?

Review:

WOW! i got these on frys.com for cheap. i had high expectations, as the MSRP on these particular speakers is high. These speakers blew my expectations away. the sound is detailed at both low and high volumes running of a pioneer 517 reciever. when i say loud, i mean neighbors calling the cops loud. they did call the cops too! i compared these to my dad's bose 301's and they KILLED them. then i compared them to his mighty 901's...i prefer these. lower bass and a LOT less expensive. and these look far better. go for cherry

by Mini 14, July 11, 2007

Strengths:

Sound Quality, Space Saving, Appearance

Weaknesses:

Just like anything these days: Way over priced

Review:

These are the best speakers Ive evered owned. Sound quality is fantastic. These speakers sound very clean and clear. Im using a cheap amp and they still sound great. I would recommend these speakers to anyone.

by Rudy Watton, July 23, 2007

Strengths:

Bass response is pretty good.

Weaknesses:

The highs seem to lack crisp, clear sound and they are not bi-ampabled/wireable. At $600 cdn or less, a good deal but not at any price beyond that.

Review:

I purchased these speakers on sale at Future Shop and they are worth every penny. But at the MSRP, they are disappointing. I have them running side by side on a Denon AVR-685 receiver with a set of Paradigm Monitor 7s which are/were priced the same at around $850-900 cdn. While the lows are good and the mids are ok, the highs leave a lot to be desired. Compared to the Monitor 7s, the R50s are dull and lack any crisp, clear sound. The Monitors have far supperior imaging and an overall better look and quality box. The fact that I have the Monitors bi-wired (A feature that the R50s are lacking), has certainly contributed to my opinion.

by Chris, July 25, 2007

Strengths:

Sound quality, clarity, wood veneer, look cool

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

WOW, bought these on sale at , so couldn't pass this deal up...using them for my fronts and using the R-35's for the rear with CSR for the center channel speaker...with the PSW250 sub not a bad little package on a tight budget...can't say enough about the R50's though...what a difference! Sound quality and clarity is superb! No problems with the tweete yet (I understand from other users a common problem of blowing the tweets) Great price, great product...thank you Matt POLK!!!

by Kent, August 11, 2007

Strengths:

Tight crystal clear sound! Low price! Do a web search for best price.

Weaknesses:

Haven't found one yet. I've been rocking with these for two months.

Review:

These speakers sound better than the monitor 60's in my opinion. Close your eyes and you can point to each instrument. You can "hear" the space between the instruments. The base is OK for music , but you'll want a sub for movies. I've had no problems with the tweeters even though I often play them at very loud levels. I believe the problem has either been fixed, or others are using inferior, low current amps. These speakers are very under-rated. Do yourself a favor...buy 'em!

by Russell, August 20, 2007

Strengths:

Good Looking! Great sounding! Awesome Price!

Weaknesses:

None for the price.

Review:

I actually bought a pair of these for $183 shipped to by door. I audiotioned these against 3 different bookshelves. I use these for my living room and was in the market for bookshelves for my bedroom. These actualll BLEW AWAY the competition. I compared them to Klipsch RB60, HTD level 3 bookshelf, and AV123 reference 0.5. It was a tough call between these three, but SOeasy when these came in. I now have 2 pair.

by Sam Anwar, September 24, 2007

Strengths:

Excellent Sound quality.

Weaknesses:

The look can be improved, not a big deal for me since I didn't buy these for how they look.

Review:

After spending hours at Bestbuy, Circuit City and Tweeters listening to all kind of speakers, I found these speakers at a local store decided to give them a try. I connected them to a Sony receiver and I was shocked, the sound quality is simply top notch, crisp highs, very clear mid range and nice deep low range. I do not think you can get anything that can beat this speaker for less than $400.

by Gary Holmes, November 10, 2007

Strengths:

Nicely made for the Price

Weaknesses:

Lacks deap base need a sub-woofer.

Review:

These are nice speakers for the money I bought mine At Frys outpost. I also own a pair of Monitor 60s and these sound every bit as good and alot cheaper nice speaker for movie watching or music.

by Josh Jones, November 15, 2007

Strengths:

Punchy bass for monitors, clean crisp sound, Good range overall! And great price!

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

These are great speakers! Sure they may not have the best bass or highs but for the price I don't think you could beat these! I was using Bose bookshelfs before these and these sound MUCH better and were much cheaper! Add these to a full setup and they should work GREAT!

by Hari Krish, November 23, 2007

Strengths:

Room filling sound, Enough power when paired with a good receiver, Excellent highs and mids, Binding speaker posts, Low price

Weaknesses:

Aesthetics, Could sound much better for music on its own if bass response is improved. However still for a good home theater setup, a sub is quintessential.

Review:

First off, I decided to buy this for no reason but my fancy to own a pair of tower speakers and the advertised price. I bought it at Fry's in the Black Friday sale. I personally think thats by far a steal for these towers. To give the readers a background, I am upgrading from a pair of Onkyos that are part of the HTS 780 to these towers as my front speakers. I am running these off a Pioneer VSX-1017 that I recently bought and Its simply outstanding to my ears. Yes, I admit I am using the Onkyo Sub-woofer that accentuates the lows. I turned down the sub completely and frankly I may have to wait a week or two to see what that does to the performance. However, I think these have fantastic mid and high range performance and cannot do without a sub to go with them. In all, the sound is crisp, powerful enough to produce room filling sound in my living room that is by no means acoustically designed. For anyone looking to build the home theater from scratch, I would recommend pairing these speakers with at least 110 watts (mind the claims on mfr websites) of receiver power do do it justice. I am happy for the price I paid and the sound I am getting out of it.

by Eric White, November 29, 2007

Strengths:

Great Crisp and clear sound at a high volume.

Weaknesses:

None at this price

Review:

Just bought a pair of these from frys.com. I can't believe how nice these are for the price. If I had the room in my living room I'd buy 2 more. The sound is crisp and clear with great base. I'm using them on a Harman Kardon AVR 145 which is a lower wattage HK receiver but still cranks and has great sound.I can crank it all the way up and the sound is perfect. I would recommend a Sub Woofer with these if you don't have one. My biggest problem is trying to figure out where I can fit another pair.

by Mayank, December 5, 2007

Strengths:

Crazy clearness and great bass. Great start up speakers. i LOVE polk!

Weaknesses:

The tweeters give out before my bass speakers at high volumes. These are 150 watt speakers running on a 100 watt amp and they rattle to some extent when i knock it up to "-15 Db" maybe i think it might be the amp but great speakers overall

Review:

Great speakers, they produce great mid-tones, okay bass, tweeters are weak, but clear, see weaknesses. I have 5.1 smaller polk's with sub in the basement those are 5 stars and hence kickass.

by A.G.Godeke, January 4, 2008

Strengths:

cabinet fit and finish,range and quality of sound,small footprint

Weaknesses:

For what I paid,NONE!!!

Review:

After reading 70+ reviews I bought the R50's sight unseen and sound unheard.IF you buy these right I think they are a real find.I agree with the findings of the majority of reviews.They are,quality cabinet work(cherry),small footprint,and very good sound(for the money).If I had the MSRP$ to spend I would do some serious shopping and listening!Do give these speakers some time to 'break in'.I use an 8" PSW with these to help with the bass.

by Shon Pree, January 6, 2008

Strengths:

Great highs and mids, very responsive, good bass (but I use a subwoofer)

Weaknesses:

None, for the money!

Review:

I have these paired with 2 sets of R300s and have me wishing that I had 4 more. I bought the pair at Fry's for a hundred bucks and definitely a GREAT value. They are the reason that I feel that I now am going to purchase an amplifier, because they are screaming for more power than my puny Pioneer receiver can provide.

by Trent Ruiz , February 2, 2008

Strengths:

Great bass reception. Incredibly clear mid-range and highs.

Weaknesses:

As far as I know there is none.

Review:

When going through Fry's one day I saw these speakers. I stopped to listen and to my surprise they sounded great with out a sub-woofer. The first time I saw them I did not buy them and lost out because they sold out within a couple hours, but the next time they went on sale I bought them in a heart-beat. They sound great. For any one who says that they have terrible sound you obviously don't know good speakers when you hear them. In addition if you say that the tweeters are inferior and the highs fall out after a couple of hours of play-time then maybe you shouldn't play them full blast, what were you thinking? Dollar for dollar they are a great buy,if you want to spend five-grand for a better system knock yourself out, otherwise these are a sweet deal.

by Jason, February 29, 2008

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

Overall great sounding speakers! Great bass response even without a subwoofer. Very clear and wide mids and highs. You can't find a better speaker for the money until you jump up in the $300-400 range. The cherry finsh looks great very light cherry which I like. The overall build quality is great and the gold plated 5 way binding posts are much better than the spring clips usually found on low end speakers. Not on these polk made a quality product that sounds much better than the rivals. Oh yeah the grills and front bass port look cool.

by Jim Miller, June 16, 2008

Strengths:

Excellent speaker for all around use and enjoyment and an unbeatable bargain

Weaknesses:

None at this price point.

Review:

I have been living with a pair of R50's for about 6 months and feel I can now comment on their performance and overall value.First,the tweeters are doing just fine.Second,I am now past the mythical "break in" period and they sound great.They also sounded great on day one.Third,I listen to music.Lots of music.Classical,jazz,blue grass and contemporary or "new age".They are an excellent music speaker.In my audio experience,which is considerable,a good speaker sounds well in any application.My only concession to Home Theater is an 8 inch powered sub-woofer to take full advantage of the LFE effects.Fourth,I always use good quality audio equipment.My surround sound receiver is a Sony ES series. Finally,the R50's are a great deal.They sound good, look good[cherry finish]and it would be nearly impossible to match the performance/value ratio they offer.

by YoYomon, July 2, 2008

Strengths:

I'm going to say highs (I'm shockingly impressed with the highs) I totaly didnt expect it.

Weaknesses:

Guilt that you ripped Polk off

Review:

I got these from FRYs for such a great deal, I dare not mention it here. It may make others who bought them for more - go get another pair. Simply put YOU CANT FIND A BETTER SONIC TO PRICE RATIO even on the black market. Get them heck at the price you can have tower rears or sides...

by JACOB SIMPSON, August 5, 2008

Strengths:

Heavy Built, Excellent Price from Frys, Unbelievable Customer Service From POLK

Weaknesses:

ARE YOU KIDDING WITH THIS PRICE YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE WEAKNESS, VERY FRANKLY I COULD NOT FIND ANY.

Review:

Awsome is little less word to describe for the price what i paid and the performance that it throws out, For people who say it has less bass and require a sub, i never felt the need for Sub, i have run this on Movies for 7.1 as well as pure stereo for Varied music, either those who complain have very less music inclination or need artificial boomy Bass as in a Car Sub. Thanks you Polk. ADDED TO THIS I GOT MY TWEETER DAMAGED IN SHIPPING JUST CALLED UP POLK AND THE FIRST ONE WAS LOST IN TRANSIT BY COURIER GUYS, BUT IMMEDIATELY 2ND ONE WAS SHIPPED TO ME ITS UNBELEIVABLE THE KIND OF CUSTOMER SERVICE.

by Justin, August 16, 2008

Strengths:

Slim design, price, and sound reproduction.

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

Clean sounding, affordable, and attractive loudspeakers. I am familiar with the R series, I own a pair of R30, R15's and now a pair of R50's that are all utilized in a home theater system. If you are looking for a high quality-affordable product... I recommend these speakers!

by Eric Malloy, August 27, 2008

Strengths:

Imagine for sure. They are also very quick on the attack and quite detailed.

Weaknesses:

Really none. Most complain about weak bass. They are faithfully doing the job designed to do. Fabulous bass for twin 6.5's

Review:

I've always been partial to Polk speakers mainly for the sound quality and imaging. These speakers are simply outstanding. I have these in a 5.1 set-up with R50's as mains and surrounds and a CS1 center channel. These are driven by an entry level Yamaha receiver. The R50's are approx. 10 feet apart and toed in slightly. I was frankly not perpared for the imaging that these produce. On par or better than a previous set of 5B's from long ago. The tweeters have not been an issue. Remember, these are more of an entry level line for Polk but don't sound like it. A recommened buy. Sharp shoppers can find them for ridiculous prices like I did.

by Movie Watcher & Music Lover, November 29, 2008

Strengths:

SOUND!! Tweeter sounds amazing, crisp sound, Strong natural bass on FM, Great for price.

Weaknesses:

For the price I got them for, NONE!!!!!!

Review:

I Bought these 2 of these speakers from my guitar teacher. I got them for an unbeatable price. The sound quality is extraordinary!! I love how they take up minimal amount of room and the best sound for the price by 10 fold. GREAT SPEAKERS. Recommended for any music lover/movie watcher.

by Marcelo Culotta, June 7, 2009

Strengths:

Sound is excelent and they look great

Weaknesses:

Specifications are not clear and even though it is listed as an 8 ohm speker online, the R50 is a 4 ohm speaker.

Review:

The only reason I take away one star is that the specifications are not very clear. Speakers should state power handling and impedance. The manual that I got has no power rating and it states "compatible" with 8 ohm systems. If compatible means matching impedance by adding extra components, then it is compatible, but still a 4 ohm speaker. Luckily, my amplifier takes 4 or 8 ohm speakers. They look great and sound even better.

Polk Response:

Speaker impedances are quite often misunderstood. If you are using a multimeter measuring at the back of the speaker terminal and getting around 4 ohm, that is merely the DC resistance of the speaker- or resistance at 0 Hz, something the speaker never plays.

by Sheila Fox, September 2, 2009

Strengths:

Bass is rich and full even with out a sub-woofer

Weaknesses:

I don't care for the speaker posts being all the way at the bottom of the speaker. Makes connecting them a little challenging.

Review:

I have been looking for months for decent, reasonably priced speakers to match my vintage Onkyo TX-2500 receiver from 1976. Nothing sounded good...Nothing that is until I hooked up a pair of these R50s. I was so incredibly pleased. I thought I would have to use vintage speakers for this 2 channel set-up, but my R50s carry the day and the sound with ease. Even without a sub-woofer the bass is full and rich and every detail of both music and movies is clear. I heard there was a long break-in period for these, but if all that means is that they are just going to get better with time, life is good!

by Jim Duke, October 25, 2009

Strengths:

Imaging, Good midgrange, decent tweeters

Weaknesses:

Lack of bass, poor cabinet dampening

Review:

I suppose these speakers are no longer a current Item, but you can still find them through electronic stores such as Frys. I bought these speakers based on my past experiences with many Polks, and for what I paid for these they are a very good deal. Obviously to some degree you get what you pay for, but I think these are overachievers for the price. They are definitely lacking in bass to some degree, but considering the small drivers, they are adequate. They are very clear, good imaging, and fairly low distortion. Mid range is very good, especially voices. These are an excellent choice for a budget home theater system-but you will need a subwoofer for best results. One deficiency with these speakers if inadequate damping-and cabinet resonance. The bracing inside is insufficient, and there is almost no damping material inside the cabinet, which really hurts the effective enclosure size of the cabinets (I used to build speakers when I was a poor college student). A cheap and easy remedy is to get some fiberfill batting at a fabric or craft store. I used a whole bag per speaker, stuffing it in one of the removed speaker holes. It makes a noticeable improvement in imaging and even bass response. Overall, for the money, it's hard to go wrong with these-you could do much worse!

by Robert, November 30, 2009

Strengths:

nice bass and it sounds great

Weaknesses:

For the price that we paid there should not be any weaknesses. If we paid full price then I would understand the bass deepness.

Review:

Omg what a steal... I went to fry's on black friday and I step into the sound room... come to find out some people were going to the back of the room to get these speakers out cause they were running out.. I was like nah it can be at that price... I must of asked about 5 times... so I went ahead and got them... I got home and hooked them up to my old sony reciever... the sound comes out nice and crisp. Bass is nice. overall I am happy with it.

by Mack, March 8, 2010

Strengths:

they work/sound good after however long the previous seller had them for save for the blown tweeter. i myself have no complaints as of yet.

Weaknesses:

only the fiberfill and the weak tweeters.

Review:

Got these off of craigslist for pretty cheap. first time polk audio speaker user. i'll have to check the serial # or the back to see when they were made. the seller auditioned them for me but come to find out later after i got them home that one of the tweeters was blown, something i didnt notice in the audition. looked online and see others have the same problem that if you breath on them they blow. i didnt blow it so not sure what the seller did to blow it. all other drivers work fine so thats good. i wouldnt get the warranty from polk because of how they were purchased, so i replaced the tweeters with boston acoustic tweeters. amazingly good match, i was very surprised especially since they are 8 ohm CAR AUDIO tweeters lol. reading a previous reviewer, i see there's little damping material inside. havent checked mine but am stopping by wallyworld to pick some up just in case mine are lacking it. being a previous speaker builder myself, i do not see how you can NOT line the walls with fiberfill or insulation of some sort to enhance soundstage and fill out the sound more. bad polk, bad! i cant comment on the highs (but they are REALLY good now, i dont know what they sounded like before) as i had to replace the tweeters but midrange is crisp and the lows are good. the bass is surprisingly deep, but if anything, lack deep bass VOLUME. these with a sub sound really good.

by PowerGuyMark, July 30, 2010

Strengths:

Value-Priced with a small footprint.

Weaknesses:

Bottom end is not "toe-tingling", but at this price range is is adequate.

Review:

A classic Polk value. Not exactly ruler-flat, but perform well unless pushed too-hard. (Bass gets a little muddy when driven hard)