TSi500

by Conradicles, July 14, 2009

Strengths:

Looks, these are very attractive speakers. Bottom firing port helps bass response and cuts down on port noise.

Weaknesses:

Hard to find a weakness, but maybe the really low end bass response.

Review:

First of all, these are great speakers for H/T and 2-channel. During my evaluation, they were placed in 2 different rooms with 3 different amplifiers. 1st set-up: H/T room about 18' x 12'. The TSi500's were placed on the long wall and driven by an Audiosoure AMP300 pushing 150 watts per channel @ 8 ohms. I am one of the few that does not use a subwoofer in my H/T system because my Polk SDA's produce great bass response when my system is properly calibrated. These TSi's had fantastic imaging and the detail was top notch. They could not dig quite as low as the SDA's, so I would use a sub with these speakers. But still, I could feel the sofa vibrating at times! 2nd set-up = 2-channel room which is about 24' x 23' and a very "live" room. This is where I really was impressed with these speakers. They are very musical. Driven by a harman/kardon HK-3490 stereo pushing 120 watts @ 8 ohms, these are silky smooth. I really like the tweeter design. Then when we broke out the old Denon POA-1500 amp rated 150 watts per channel @ 8 ohms, an wow the TSi500's came to life! The muddy bass was cleaned up and there was no limit on how loud these would go. No distortion whatsoever at extremely loud levels that would make most folks say "TURN THAT DOWN!!!". In the end, these are fantastic floorstanders in an age when most affordable speakers are not even worthy to own. Great job Polk Audio!

by pvsat, April 22, 2009

Strengths:

Detailed mids and highs More than enough bass..goes down to 40..have it crossed over at 80Hz and they sound even better

Weaknesses:

The grills seem cheap compared to the speakers..they need to redesigned to beat the comparable klipsh, PSB, paradigm products.

Review:

Got the speakers and unpacked them to an amazing sight of cherry finish with the high gloss back top. My wife absolutely loved it. I am moving up from an entry level R300 system to TSI500 and CS20 fronts. The whole soundstage became about 3-4 times wider. I am running the towers using an external emotiva amp and the stereo sound is absolutely amazing. The hardcore audiophile might need a sub to satisfy his needs...even though i am running a sub for HT i take it out when i hear music. Pianos, violins and all the instruments that are hard for speakers to reproduce are done with ease on these. For HT these are beasts...provides an in theater experience once the lights go out. Must buy for the sheer value provided at this price range. I compared it to Klipsh Icons and even the TSI400s sound better than them. defenite buy for anyone looking for high quality sound. Consider myself an entry level audiophile as I am a musician(play the piano/bass and drums) and have listened to more expensive systems (Paradigm Studios, PSB Image T65s to name a few)....but the return of value for ur money is not that much if you are not investing in high quality equipment to run your speakers. For any person with enough money for a 1-2K budget for an entire home theater system should take a close look at the TSI line from Polk..incredible value.

by Tim, October 5, 2008

Strengths:

Good design clear range sound from solid bass to crisp highs.Performance is more than I imagined.

Weaknesses:

None except you can step up to rti or even rtia's right now for the same price.

Review:

Once again Polk comes through with a high quality speaker.I now have the full tsi line 7.0 And I am very happy.These where the icing on the cake.I immediately noticed an almost 10db increase after replacing my monitor 50's with these.I love the look and design the cherry cabinets are very pretty and these pump out a good full range of sound and can stand on there own with out a sub easily hitting down to 38hz.Midrange and highs are all there crystal clear as always with Polk!

by Upstatemax, January 12, 2010

Strengths:

Looks, they hit fairly hard and tight in the low end for what they are.

Weaknesses:

Not as detailed and fluid as I would like, depending on your setup, they can be overpowered and take backstage. Too much of a focus on HT application, I think these take a step back in "dual application" speakers.

Review:

Here are my thoughts on the TSi 500's against my Monitor 70's: Looks: I was hesitant on how I would feel about the piano black top, I imagined it as cheesy looking and would take away from the speaker. However, I was dead wrong, they look great. Much nicer looking than my Monitor 70’s, it’s just no competition there. The huge “upgrade” in looks in my opinion is the “wood” fascia under the speaker grill, unlike the cheap silver one the Monitor line has. I never take my speaker grills off since I think it makes the speakers look really cheap. The opposite is true for the Tsi line in my opinion, I liked them better with the grill off. Sound: As a starter I guess I should run down what my system is; Denon AVR-2808ci receiver, PS3 for gaming and Blu-Ray, Usually have Monitor 70’s as the front mains, CS2 center, Fxi-3 surrounds, PSW10 sub (I know it sucks, but it’s what I got…). For the first “face off” I threw in John Mayer “Where The Light Is” Blu- Ray, I really only listen to the middle set with the Trio, major focus on blues and highlights the guitar (played in 2 channel). I found the low end to hit a little harder on the Tsi 500’s and seemed tighter, that’s where the highlights end in my test… The top end did not seem to differ at all from the Monitors, where I noticed to difference was in the mid range. It seemed not to flow at all and I felt disconnected from the music compared to the Monitors. The sound field also seemed to be much more narrow than the Monitors, I really had to put a premium on where I was sitting and speaker placement that I never have with my Monitors. After the music I put on Iron Man (Blu-Ray) and tested the HT chops of the Tsi 500’s. I know Polk says that the Tsi 500’s are more efficient than the Monitors 70’s, but I after playing the movie for five minutes (first time listening in five channel) I had to crank down my CS2 since it was overpowering the Tsi 500’s. I decided to stop the movie, run a calibration and restart. Once the system was calibrated to the Tsi’s I restarted the movie and found it to be MUCH better. The Tsi 500’s handled HT far better than they did music, the tight lowend really shined in HT, however some effects still sounded distant and disconnected. A few days later I put “Where The Light Is” back on and gave it a whirl in 5 channel… I found it impossible to listen to it, once again the CS2 just plowed over the Tsi’s. To make sure it was just not the recording, I played several other recordings in 5 channel and 2 channel. David Gilmore “Live in Gdansk“, Metallica “S&M”, ZZ-Top “Storytellers” and “Live From Texas”, Coldplay “Storytellers”… All had the same issue, the Tsi’s just seemed to fall into the background and never really present themselves. Combine that with the detached feeling I got from them in 2 channel listening, I really just started to miss my Monitor 70’s… Sure they might not be as pretty, might not have as nice of a lower end (Tsi 500’s hit harder and tighter), but they are so much more fluid and detailed to me that I feel like Polk went backwards with the Tsi 500’s. The main issue seems to be that Polk swapped out the Cascade crossover with a more conventional crossover. The only other major change I can sniff out is the port, it’s been moved from the front of the speaker to the bottom of the speaker firing into the floor. Bottom line, I would most likely like these more if it were my first real HT purchase and I never heard my Monitors, but now that I have something to put them up against I just feel that they fall short. I will still give these a four star rating because I think that they are a great speaker for the money,I just wish they sounded as good as they look…

by reeltrouble1, November 18, 2009

Strengths:

Very musical sounding speaker which will also do well in an HT application. Dialogue and movie sounds are crisp. Nice looking speaker.

Weaknesses:

Some bass notes sound a bit loose, in an HT setup with a subwoofer a non factor. Even without though it is a small thing.

Review:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First off if your familiar with the Polk Audio RT line you should know that this speaker faithfully follows the established Polk sound for dual use theater/music speakers. The overall timbre was lively with a sense of the musicians being "there", a non-audio lady I know walked in front of theses speakers while playing Steely Dan's Deacon Blues and commented "wow, they sound like they are playing right in here in the room". There was a certain detailed forwardness, but certainly not overbearing or harsh in any aspect I would say quite snappy and toe tapping. Upon initial play a looseness in the bass driver was present, fortunately the amplifier being used in the system incorprorated an adjustable circuit which when activated for the lower Hz did tighten the bass into a seemless integration with the mid ranges. This resulted in a full body of sound, quite enjoyable. I was certainly taken back a bit at the perfomance this speaker exhibited. Although the soundstage was not huge, it was adequate and imaging was quite good, not at the level of the older Polk 2.3TL SDA the Carver Amazings or Quads I have used but still instruments could be easily placed with well recorded CD's, stage depth was a bit flat sounding with the vocals providing the most dominant forward sound and other instruments placed behind them. Mid-range instruments were quite liquid when used with the tubed powered gear. The soft domed tweeter provided plenty of sparkle and seemed to respond well to the top end smoothness the tube power provided. There was a sense of air and space present between intruments, on Alison Krause--New Favorite SACD, the title track provided plenty of full body for Krause's voice from a wet your lips whisper to her fully letting loose in the treble with perfect pitch the speaker faithfully captured the emotion of it all. These speakers are quite nice to look at. A return to Polk's wood veneer with a black gloss top, the speaker employs a curved cabinet to reduce unwanted resonance, certainly I much prefer this look to the VM line, these will fit in your living room without that "plastic" look on the skinny that many speaker manufacture's mass market products now seem to build. These are an easy recommendation for anyone looking to step up there audio sound or break into home audio with a floorstander that is easy on the eyes the wallet and sound good doing it.

by "Ole Geezer", June 22, 2010

Strengths:

Sonically outstanding, astheically pleasing, and they didn't break the bank.

Weaknesses:

Waiting the 15 to 30 hour break-in period to realize the full range which is a moot point now. Other than that...What weaknesses?!

Review:

Well, after a number of years I decided it was time to update my home audio system. Out with the old Denon and in with a new Yamaha. 130 watts a side and 7.1 to feed into some new boxes. I started with a HK Surround set that was reviewed to be the best thing since sliced bread. They were so so for home theater at best and simply terrible for my musical taste. Found a set of TSi300s on Craigslist for a good price and added them to the mix as my fronts keeping the HKs for the surrounds. The TSi300s simply killed the HKs. I had the Polk bug. Long story short... My AV room now consists of TSi500 fronts, a CS20 center, 2 TSi200s, 2 TSi100s, and my Velodyne DLS4000R sub. I'm hearing things on 5,10, and 20 year old CDs and Vinyl I've never heard before. And as far as home theatre, neighbors are asking if they can bring their movies here to view and listen to. I do use the sub for home theatre but now that the 500s are broken in I find myself putting my Yamaha into "Pure Direct" eliminating the sub altogether and the listen to TSi500s carry the full music spectrum fabulously. The build quality is exquisite. the sonic range is to die for, and asthetically their simplicity of design is in itself their beauty. The piano gloss tops match my Velodyne subwoofer too so that's a plus. If you're "looking"... stop, look, and listen to Polks. For my money Polks are the best bang for the buck you can consider.

by shawn474, May 28, 2008

Strengths:

The fit and finish of these speakers are beautiful. The sound is amazing and there are no flaws in highs, mids or lows that I can find.

Weaknesses:

WAF factor - these are big!!!! A little pricey.

Review:

The TSi500 is the latest entry to the Polk loudspeaker family. I used these primarily in a home theater set-up and was continually impressed with the diversity of this speaker. Many speakers this size are one trick ponies, with muddy bass and clear highs and vice versa. This speaker is exceptional in all ranges - bass response is tight, mids are clear and highs are accurate. In 2 channel mode, the speakers performed quite well. I would rate their HT performance higher than 2 channel listening, but not by much. The fit and finish of these speakers are impressive! The cheery finish is beautiful and the piano gloss tops are a nice touch. Overall, considering looks, performance and value, I would rate these a solid 5 stars. Polk continues to make quality, affordable products with the best customer service around.

by Nate Perrine, December 18, 2009

Strengths:

They look and sound fantastic

Weaknesses:

I guess you dont get much bass from these, but thats what a sub is for.

Review:

I got a pair of Tsi 500's a couple weeks ago, and just wanted to write how impressed I am with these speakers. Currently I have these TSi 500's in the front, and a pair of TSi 300's for the rear surround. My receiver runs them at about 110 watts per channel. So i listen to music, watch movies, they perform well all around. I just cranked up TOOL to an 11 and my windows were shaking, and i just had a huge grin on my face, it was about as loud as i could stand and everything was sounding crystal clear. Would definitely recommend to anybody. This is my first home theatre/stereo setup and for me im not sure how it could sound any better. I guess someday ill try to hear how the LS or RS models sound but right now im very satisfied. Thanks Polk for making great products. Youve definitely earned a new loyal customer!

by John, February 12, 2010

Strengths:

Great looks and sounds for the price.

Weaknesses:

Shipping boxes do not have enough padding to keep dings and scrapes from occurring during shipping. Check before signing.

Review:

Beautiful looking speakers with outstanding performance for the price. I use mine mostly for home theater applications. The music end is also very good. Again for the price. I must also compliment Polk's customer service. I bought a pair of TSi500's from NewEgg. I later found out that Polk had a special of adding a 10" powered sub to the deal. They contacted NewEgg, and I had my sub within days. Great product, great company.

by ment, March 7, 2009

Strengths:

good imaging. decent bass. not harsh (but not that laid back). Very Good Clarity

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

boy it was worth travelling about 90KM from my place to the store and back ..... at first i was skeptical. was wanting a much more expensive other british brands I was able to auditioned and polk's RTI-a's series ..... but since i have other priorities with money. I compromised and got my self this ... Turns out it was not a compromise at all ..... it was the very best decision i have made. very very nice stereo sound .... just the right sweetness. ain't harsh too ..... adding a subwoofer and cutting off the low frequency from these speakers, and you'll get detailed and nice gentle midbass ... all these at good price I would definitely recommend this to all my friends. Thanks polk!

by John Adams, October 2, 2008

Strengths:

Styling and sound quality.

Weaknesses:

Poor bass and cheap cabinet

Review:

Surprisingly cheap speaker cabinet. When I knock on the side of the cabinet, it feels like it's half the thickness it should be. Very nice design and styling. Sounds very nice for it's price.

by Tom, December 6, 2011

Strengths:

Clarity, Physical appearance, imaging, soundstage, customer service.

Weaknesses:

None as of yet.

Review:

I had originally purchased the TSi400's but due to some shipping damage and some other concerns, I was upgraded to the 500's. This is a fantastic speaker regardless of if you factor in the price point or not. My last speaker system where all Definitive Technology speakers, and considerably higher priced. That said, these speakers compete very well. They have better clarity, comparable balance, and oddly enough...they seem to have roughly the same superior imaging the Def Tech's had. I say "oddly" enough because the Def Tech's were Bi-Polar with front and rear firing drivers which in theory, enhanced imaging. The 500's clearly don't have the bass that Def Tech's provide as they have built in amp'd subs in each speaker. That being said, I am very impressed with this speaker. Fantastic speaker in both appearance and performance. As I said above, I was upgraded to the 500's for any inconvenience that I had with the 400's. Customer service at Polk is second to none. They took care of everything, kept me posted by email, offered to upgrade me at no cost, and paid for shipping both ways on everything. I've been in electronics for a long time, and it's amazing to dial the phone, talk to one person from start to finish, and stay with that rep through the entire process. Their effort and their product ensured that I will be a Polk customer for life.

by Jeremy, April 14, 2009

Strengths:

Clarity, styling, mid bass, highs.

Weaknesses:

NONE

Review:

I purchased this center to go with a pair of the T15 bookshelf speakers... my sony center couldn't stand out with the T15's. This center is a great value. I looked at a few different brands, just to compare, and am very impressed with this speaker. It is awesome with music and even better with movies. The vocal dialog from movies really come thru with this center and it is very well balanced. It is not harsh at all, very good sound for the price.

by brian, June 28, 2009

Strengths:

Clarity, and highs. Cherry finish looks better than the pictures on this site.

Weaknesses:

None.

Review:

These speakers are great! Polk is one if not the best speaker makers out there.

by JAMES BOND, January 18, 2012

Strengths:

great bass and play very loud and clear at high volumes

Weaknesses:

poor stereo separation, weak tweeter,not a good choice for listening to music

Review:

i just purchaced a set of these and was upgrading from a set of 1984 bose 501 series 4 speakers. i hooked these new speakers up and the very first thing i noticed is that the tweeters are very weak, they have great bass and play very loud and clear but have very poor stereo separation compared to my bose 501's. i also noticed that there is a large amount of music missing when listening to almost any song the bose 501's pick up so much more music. so if your upgrading from bose 501's you will be very unsatisfied with these. if you want loud bassy speakers these are for you. i like to hear everything in a song so i am not happy with these speakers.

Polk Response:

The tweeters are the weakest link of any speaker system. If the tweeters are being damaged on a regular basis, the system is just being played too loud. The key is, everything has to be played within their limits, the speakers AND the amplifier powering the speakers. If the amplifier is being pushed beyond its limits, the amplifier will distort, which is very harmful to the tweeters.

by Richard, May 4, 2010

Strengths:

Great sound, looks great , and the price is very low for this quaility of speaker.

Weaknesses:

well other than my neighbors telling what type of music I listen to , NONE!!!!!!!

Review:

Now that I have had ample time to break and try these out , I have found that I will not be looking for another brand of speakers! I have purchased these and the TSi200 bookshelf , TSi20 center channel speakers , I have them powered by a Yamaha RX-V1065 and now all I want to do is listen to music , my HDTV rarely gets turned on. I never thought that I could get as good sounding speakers at the price but polk has truely changed my mind , I have yet to find the point of distortion in these speakers , and that is even with the reciever at for power and kick'n with Nine inchnails , jackyl , godsmack ect.... I have also been listening to jazz , classical , you can guess it , I have the same results. Excellent sound quality and no complaints not even a concern that these will blow. For anyone evn thinking of trying these out , do it soon as possible as these are the best I have heard for the price. If you don't believe me just ask my neighbors that live about 1/8 of a mile away from me. they even told me what songs were playing and in what order!!!!!!

by jain, December 7, 2010

Strengths:

Great Looks, Great Price

Weaknesses:

There is always a possibility to improve on anything

Review:

I recently got TSI 500 pair with CS 20, SW 125 and OWM3 (surround). I am based in India I think I got the recommended combination, but I have a problem of sound. I am very sure it is because the setting with my Denon AVR 1911, is not proper. The speakers are not giving the required output and sound quality. Can anyone help me ?

by DORSEY, December 30, 2010

Strengths:

SOUND

Weaknesses:

NONE

Review:

I WAS PLANNING ON BUYING THE KLIPSCH SPEAKERS BUT WHEN I HEARD THE POLKS I CHANGE MY MIND OR SHOULD I SAY THE POLKS CHANGED MY MIND. THE KLIPSCH COST MORE AND SALES PERSON AGREED THAT THE POLKS SOUNDED BETTER.

by BAL VAN, January 31, 2011

Strengths:

Will meet very soon

Weaknesses:

NONE

Review:

I still didnt start using my polk cs10 and tsi100. I bought them for test, but reading these reviews, I am sure I should read reviews on first place. When I heard them in bestbuy, I was astonished with sounds. I think I will be back on Polk Audio site for new speakers and reviews very soon. Thanks everybody for usefull reviews.

by Camp21178, December 16, 2011

Strengths:

Smooth, clean, non fatiguing sound. Great looks, and very easy to wall mount.

Weaknesses:

I wish I could fit a pair of these as rear surrounds, but I don't have room.

Review:

I use these as the wall mounted fronts in my small (13.5 x 13.5) TV room. They are perfect for this purpose. The low bass is not great, but that's what my 12 inch Velodyne subwoofer is for. It's only a 5.5 inch woofer after all. Just enjoy the great highs and mids.

by Matthew, October 20, 2012

Strengths:

Transmit excellent sound quality with no distortion.

Weaknesses:

None.

Review:

Purchased a new home entertainment system. Bought the CS20, TSi200,PSW125, and TSi500 speakers. This setup rocks! The sound is incredible! I'm running them through a 5 channel Pioneer receiver, and there isn't any distortion. Nice even sound heard throughout a 2,000 sq. ft. house.

by David, December 9, 2012

Strengths:

Good, clean, crisp sound.

Weaknesses:

Haven't discovered any yet, and really don't expect to do so.

Review:

I have been researching speakers for quite some time now to replace a pair of 28 year old (that's right) Hitachi tower speakers that still were playing. I had purchased a pair of R150's last year for my surround sound speakers and loved them. I listened to the TSi500 at Fry's in Dallas and even doing that didn't do these speakers justice. They sound fantastic already and I can only imagine how they will sound after the 20-30 hour break in period. I am extremely pleased with these. My receiver is a Sherwood RD-6504 5.1 channel.

by o moore, February 22, 2013

Strengths:

good overall sound and looks

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

i have heard all kinds of speakers over the years and these will keep up with all of them, they sound great from bach to the eagles and beatles.my wife loves musicals and these made her take notice we have the cherry and are good looking speakers we have the free sub and its good on movies but on music we don;t use it that much we have heard things in songs we have never heard before. nice set of speakers for the money polk has my busness from now on

by Don, June 26, 2010

Strengths:

Design allows it to be place flat or angled up into the room.

Weaknesses:

None I've noticed

Review:

I wanted a music quality center and the cs10 does the job for a good price. Listening to music from a stereo source using Dolby ProLogic IIx on my 7.1 receiver, the center speaker is very important. Being able to turn it upside down so it angles up is crucial because of where it is placed. When I purchased the cs10 the next best choice was a Klipsch for $100 more. I'm have no regrets. It's a good looking speaker. For dvd or Blu Ray concerts where much of the music comes from the center speaker, this speaker holds it's own in the room with a pair of Bose 301's. Being on a limited budget, I feel this was the best choice and I've not been disappointed.

by Clark Manning, September 14, 2011

Strengths:

Clear clean sound with adequate but not overpowering bass. The speakers sound good at all volume levels. They are built with quality materials and they look awesome.

Weaknesses:

I feel a separate sub fills out the music, tv and movie sound completely. The grills are OK with me. If you don't like the grills, take them off. The speakers look good grill-less also.

Review:

Haven'y had a decent stereo in many years. I just thought I couldn't afford one. I had other priorities like sportbikes. I found this website and the great prices. The search was on. I went to the big box stores and listened. It seemed like the good sounding systems were all double or triple my budget. I found a deal on a Pioneer Elite vsx33. I got the Tsi 500's. Well, I wasn't too impressed. I was expecting more. 2 weeks later I decided to pick up the CS20 center and the PSW125 sub. Still not impressed. I decided to pick up the TSI300s as surrounds to complete the 5.1 system. I don't need a 7.1. My receiver will do 9.1. All this time I'm playing with the settings on the receiver. Now, after about 4 months, this system is really sounding EXCELLENT !! I think it just took me a long time to figure out how to make the vsx33 drive these excellent speakers. I don't play them at high volume levels. I listen to music more than I watch movies or cable. Pandora sounds positively amazing. This last week or so, even the TV has been sounding much much better. Netflix sounds great too. I don't really buy into the break-in thing, but maybe there is something to it. After I have this Polk TSI system tweaked now, it sounds like the systems I was listening to at Best Buy for thousands more. I have the black speakers. The cherry refurbished ones weren't available at the time. I see they are now. I am extremely happy with my new system. I'm using 12 ga. wires with some nice bananas from Amazon.