Polk Audio Surround Speakers

Typically Home Theatre set ups have one tower speaker on either side of the TV, center channel in the middle, a sub, and two (or more) much smaller 'surround' speakers in the back.

Putting aside what you might think about speaker placement or whether a sub is necessary etc, the question is:

Is there any reason to NOT use towers as 'surround' speakers also ?

I have Polk Audio surround speakers now and they are fine and dandy and make cools sounds, etc.

But the towers Rock. I know that the signal that goes to the front speakers is different than the one going to the 'surround' speakers.

Unless there is some 'magic' to 'surround' speakers, it seems to me that having towers all around would be killer.

Forget about space requirements & money.

Assuming that they get enough power some somehow:

Is there anything flawed with the idea of using towers placed as 'surround' speakers ?

In the right situation tower rear speakers would be great! One problem wish a lot of tower speakers is that they are so directional and do not fill the room with the details you need from them.

2006-12-24 20:54:41 by roland_reardon

Crutchfield reviews Polk Audiod db series car speakers.

i am building a 7.1 system, i have a sony 60 inch hdtv, sony str-de997 receiver

Of the 3 I'd avoid Sony (and most Japanese speaker manufacturers .. although some Onkyo and Yamaha are good for the money). Canadian, US, British and Scandinavian brands are generally the best bets. Cerwin Vega had a good name, but Polk are more "today".

That said, I wouldn't put any of these at the top of my list. There are lot's of others including Klipsch, Distinctive Audio, Totem, Boston, Mirage, Infinity, PSB, Paradigm, ....

For a professional recommendation of top surround sound speakers see the link. That said, I'm not sure whare you are so you may wish to buy a locally supported brand.

Finally, 7.1 is nice, but I personally wouldn't limit myself to 7.1 speaker packages. It's just as good, cheaper, and less limiting to plan to add 2 inexpensive rear speakers to a good 5.1 setup.

Happy hunting.

2008-03-19 05:03:44 by rip_mr3

Price: $459.95

All MDF construction and extensive asymmetric cabinet bracing ensure resonance-free enclosures
Features a neodynium magnet, low viscosity ferro-fluid cooling, and a heat sink on the back of the magnet
Pair of timbre-matched surround speakers to fit any Polk Audio home theater or multi-channel music system
Equipped with two 1-inch silk/polymer composite dome tweeters
Equipped with a 5.25-inch dynamic balance driver with polymer/mineral composite cone

I have an older Harman Kardon AVR-40 receiver. I have pretty nice Polk Audio speakers for fronts which are 8ohm speakers - no problems there. My center is 8ohm Polk Audio, as well. The surrounds that I want to use are little cheapy speakers that are rated at 3ohms. The receiver supports 4 - 8 ohms for surround speakers. How should I do it? Or will the receiver be ok with just an ohm off.
Thanks in advance

Assuming I have the right unit (AVR-40) it states that it is strictly 8 ohm minimum for speaker connections.

The unit does not give a range of 4-8 ohms anywhere i can find.

Thus, i would not connect anything that is rated less than 8 ohm. And certainly not 3 ohm, thats quite low. At high volume you will most likely encounter one of two problems, either the speakers will clip or blow. Or the amp will overheat and shutdown or frie.

Best to contact the manufacturer, they can tell you exactly what the actual range is.

2008-06-25 10:38:12 by Danail M

Price: $119.95

Polymer/Mica composite cone with butyl rubber surround
180 Watts power handling with 4-ohm impedance
6.5-inch high-performance marine-certified coaxial speakers
Swivel-mount tweeter allows precise aiming of sound
Swivel-mount tweeter

I have a 37 inch LG T.V. and I want to purchase these speakers to complete my living room. But I am not sure what else I need... do I need to buy an installer? I don't havee too much money to spend this is about at my limit.

Here's the link to the speakers if its any help...
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Channel -Theater-Speaker/dp/B0002WTK4S/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video&qid=1214 195100&sr=1-1

Also are these of decent quality??

Thank you!

Polk Audio is a decent speaker company. If you're just looking for something to get you into the world of surround sound, I think they'll do fine.

However, you will also need a home theater receiver (also called AV receiver or just AVR) The AVR serves 3 main purposes:
1: Provides power for your speakers.
2: Provides decoding for surround sound.
3: Provides a centralized switch for your devices (DVD player, game console, satellite box, etc.) - if you want.

The primary purpose of the receiver is to handle audio, so looking at the types and number of audio connections is one of the more important features to look for. Surround sound requires either an optical audio or digital coax connection. These are found on DVD players, blu-ray players, video game consoles and HD cable/satellite boxes. Things like your CD player, iPod, VCR, or older devices only use the stereo red and white RCA cables.

Some receivers can also handle video inputs, but this is just so the AVR acts as a switch, allowing you to easily change from one device to another with a minimal amount of fuss.

2008-06-22 21:34:37 by JEBUDDHA

I just purchased a set of surround sound speakers (Polk Audio RM6750). I'm trying to connect my subwoofer to my receiver. It seems subwoofer cables are expensive. Will a standard RCA cable work or do I need a subwoofer cable?

Yes, a RCA cable WILL work. HOWEVER, your sound quality will not be the same. Mainly, your timing will be way off.

Go to one of the big box stores and ask them for an open item cable, they all have them and you can get one at about half off. It is worth the added expense!

2007-09-03 22:05:23 by Kevin M