RC65i

by Karl, January 7, 2007

Strengths:

Great Sound. Good looking when painted. Easy installation.

Weaknesses:

None.

Review:

Tip for painting: I didn't have spray paint to match my walls and didn't want to pull out my compressor's spray gun for such a small job. I brush painted the grills and then immediately blew air through them with my air compressor to insure that no holes were blocked. Looks great. You could do the same with a can of compressed air if you don't have access to a compressor.

by Mike54935, November 22, 2008

Strengths:

Great sound Ease to install Price

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I have owned Polk speakers for about 10 years. Bose too expensive and way over rated. My living room has space issues and the Polk RC65's helped me out with their ease to install and shoring up some need space. The speakers has such great range that I'am thinking of buying 3 more sets for other rooms in the house. Polk Audio has meet all of my needs. In the yard are 2 pair of Atrium 45, The garage has the classic M5's. In the living room the RC65's work above expectations paired with RT6's in the front, CSi3 center and a 404 sub. All powered by Denon 2808. In my home now and in my future homes POLK audio will always have a home.

by steve janetta, January 14, 2006

Strengths:

great sounding, easy to install, good imaging, surprisingly deep bass, excellent overall clarity, price (look around, they do sell for less than the list price).

Weaknesses:

none i can think of.

Review:

easy to install--the depth specified is correct. i don't know what the previous reviewer was talking about. no problems with the spring connectors--binding posts really are not necessary with in-walls, since the won't accomodate banana plugs due to the overall depth of a 2x4 anyway. the spring connectors grip well. out of the box, they sound great. i did use r-19 insulation behind them on an interior wall. this is not in the literature, but should be done to control vibration and resonance. they image well, better than i expected, and the bass is a lot better than i expected. a sub should be used for the really low end anyway, but these do more than their fair share. i would highly recommend these speakers to anyone considering the in-wall route.

by GLENN PAVLIK, March 4, 2004

Strengths:

GOOD SOUND

Weaknesses:

WAY OVERPRICED AND THE DEPTH OF THE RC65 IS WAY OFF. MUCH DEEPER THEN SPECIFIED

Review:

SPEAKERS ARE OK.

by Jim Livengood, March 17, 2002

Strengths:

Among the strengths of these speakers are their ability to make instruments sound like the real thing. They have good dynamics, good balance, and very good resolution. For the money, these are a steal!

Weaknesses:

The one weakness, which I find inexcusable, is the lack of binding posts. Had I known, I probably would not have bought them. Please don't do it again.

Review:

These speakers exceeded my expectations. They are neutral, resolving, and "disappearing." When used with a subwoofer, they are wonderful for both music and home theater. Just make sure that the wall is stuffed with good damping material. I also used foam to deaden the part of the wall not directly behind the speakers. I can't believe how good they sound! Well done, Mr. Polk!

by Bill's Video Design, Inc., September 25, 2002

Strengths:

Clarity of every instrument, drums low and strings high...Great!

Weaknesses:

Those darn spring terminals.

Review:

Polk Audio is the only speaker I recommend with every install. Unless a customer makes another request...Polk is IT!!! I must agree that all speakers should have binding posts instead of spring terminals. It can't increase cost by that much. Thanks! BVD Pres. Bill Hughes

by Sam A, December 15, 2005

Strengths:

ease of install, value

Weaknesses:

Review:

we bought these for a home cinema system 65's for the front, and 55's for the rears. a really good combination - easy to install, sound really good, dont distort at high volume, and really good value

by Mike, December 21, 2005

Strengths:

Great price, easy to install and great sound reproduction.

Weaknesses:

Wall clips and wire spring terminals as previously mentioned.

Review:

Great sound for an inwall speaker. I placed 3 across the rear wall for surround and used 2 RTi6's and a CSi3 in the front. Powered by a Pioneer Elite VSX-45TX Receiver. I was worried about the combo of bookshelf style with inwall but as Soundscape promised, I was very pleased. The sound and imaging is fantastic. They are basically seamless together. I was worrried also because the room is 2 stories high but only 13' X 15' and connected to the kitchen. In combo with my Sunfire True sub (sorry Polk)this system will blow you out of the room.(and the neighbors like it too). It sounds great with movies and music.

by John Baumann, July 20, 2006

Strengths:

The installation was easy. The sound is dynamic and tight at any volume. Painting them turned out to be easy and really make them disappear into the wall.

Weaknesses:

This isn't a weakness, just a suggestion: You have to pack some R25 or similar insulation around these speakers inside the wall. This dramatically improves the sound quality of any in-wall speaker, especially these.

Review:

I purchased these speakers a few weeks ago and just finished installing them in my wall. After putting a little Nick Warren in the CD player, I can honestly say that the sound is crisp, the highs are clear, and the lows are tight at any volume! These speakers are absolutely sick! I love them, and I'm certain that my neighbors are going to hate me!!!

by David, October 18, 2006

Strengths:

Very good sound for the small size, reasonable pricing, easy installation

Weaknesses:

Fold out securing tabs on the long sides limit lengthwise installation immediatly adjacent to joists or studs

Review:

After reviewing about 40 differnet speakers split among the top end manufacturers, I chose these based on the sound available, cost, and the relative size of the speaker grills. I have 11 pairs split between a six-room system (Russound A-Bus) and two different surround setups (Yamaha DSPA1000 and RXV1) with both inwall and in-ceiling installations. The original wiring was done by a contractor, but I ended up doing the speaker installation myself. Very easy to install if you pay attention to final grill positioning and the stud or joist location. The sound is exceptional for an inwall installation when they are backed by insulation with some slight cavity resonation when insulation is not used. I do feel that large main speakers or a subwoofer are needed for additional base in the surround installations, but the pairs used in the multiple room system provide a very good sound from their ceiling installations. The trasparancy of the sound and excellent dispersion are good enough so that small sounds from the rear speakers during scary movies have their intended effect on both my wife and me. Part of my reason for choosing these speakers was the low cost in comparision to the level of base provided without the overpowering grill size. The speaker placement and size let me leave the covers white to match the eye rings used around the recessed lighting. This size compliments the recessed lights without overpowering them with a large grill.

by jastclark, March 26, 2007

Strengths:

the clarity and warmth of the sound is off the charts

Weaknesses:

not a weakness at all, just an installation suggestion make sure you use some packing foam inside the walls to minimize vibration because this will also maximize your sound.

Review:

These are great speakers, easy installation and the sound that comes from these is incredibly warm and room filling. I am hooked on these speakers and will use them in other installs in the future.

by JACOB SIMPSON, October 8, 2008

Strengths:

Very natural sounding, compares with some of the tower speakers

Weaknesses:

Little less on the Bass front (could not give 4.5 stars but i cant do justice by giving just 4 either hence 5 stars.

Review:

I picked up a pair last week, and still to explore its full potential, few early tests and observations Easily can compete with any Tower speakers except for a little lower end on the Bass spectrum, but the mid and high are so natural sounding without any miss in the cross over from mid to high like some towers or bookshelf speakers of certain brands (no need to elaborate on which ones) Its rated at 89db spl but sounds very natural and high as if it has 91 db spl, put it simply if there are any coffee drinkers its like getting that perfect cuppa in the morning, imagine if you get it wrong.