 "Sounds great! Very attractive! Excellent value!" | 2009-09-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A36BDWLPMQQR66 |
At the time of this writing, the Polk Monitor 50 in black is on sale through Amazon for $119.99 per speaker. They are sold singularly. There is high value with the Polk Monitor 50 loudspeaker.
At Just under 3 feet tall, 7 inches wide, and 10 inches deep, these sleek and handsome speakers fit nicely into one's décor. Frankly, as I unboxed them, I was concerned that due to their small size, they might not produce pleasant warm sound. Those concerns were put to rest the moment I connected them to my modest 50-watts-per-channel stereo receiver. The audio quality surprised me, and is balanced very well. The mid and ranges are clear and detailed. The bass is solid and tight. The Polk Monitor 50 is very efficient. I found it necessary to substantially lower the bass and treble settings of my amplifier from where I had them set with my previous speakers to maximize accuracy of sound reproduction. Consequently, my amplifier is noticeably cooler to the touch after listening extensive periods of time. additionally, I can't imagine why some reviewers of this product would suggest that it may require subwoofer accompaniment, as its' bass is very extended!
:-)
Please listen at reasonable sound levels. If you have to shout to be heard by someone next to you, your system is playing far too loudly and you are damaging your ears permanently! I should know; after years of listening to music at deafening levels, I now have tinnitus, which is persistent ringing in my ears that will NEVER go away. Please respect your ears; they are the finest audio receivers you will ever own. |
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| "sounds live (but get a subwoofer)" | 2009-05-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: AUE7IHEEKYWPK |
| These speakers surprised me as they seemed so lacking in bass. But the projection and midrange and high-end detail of these things is truly, for the price, astounding. But if you want the whole scene, you will have to get a subwoofer. However, the sheer presence of these things is so much closer to being at a live show than any speakers I have heard of. And they're so balanced; yes, they have a very powerful midrange, but there is no distortion. And the stereo separation is so clean. For $300, I have never heard anything near them. Still, I would reccomend getting a subwoofer as I was surprised by their lack of bass; however, the bass they present is totally accurate-- it's just not big; but it's accurate. I really love these speakers, even without a subwoofer, and that's what sold me-- eventually I'll get a sub, but even without it, I just love their sound. |
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| "Excellent sound" | 2009-05-15 |
| - Reviewed By hawthorn@starband.net |
I'm using this with an Onkyo TR-606 alongside a Toshiba 62" DLP HDTV and a full set of Polk speakers, and the sound quality is remarkable. I have four of these for the four corner speakers and they do great both in music and movies and TV, with excellent separation.
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 "nice speaker" | 2009-01-22 |
| - Reviewed By mtdugan4 |
| i use these for my rear surrounds and am extremely satisfied, great bass for a small tower. worth the money |
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| "Amazing sound quality for low budget!" | 2008-12-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: ANNDRS3P3SMQJ |
I purchased these Polk Monitor 50's as front speakers to go along with a Polk CS1 center channel, and R150 surround speakers. I also purchased the Sony SA-W3000 sub locally because of the amazing price at a local retail outlet. When put all together with my Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver, I was immediately blown away from the clarity and detail these speakers were capable of reproducing.
My old setup had consisted of Logitech's Z-5500 series of speakers. That was an extreme budget setup, but for what you pay for that, it was a decent setup that has gotten me by for a few years now. Fast-forward to the end of 2008 and things have changed since then. HDMI has gotten HUGE, and along with blu-ray really picking up now, I decided it was time to invest some well-spent money and step up to take advantage of this present technology at hand.
The first thing I tested these speakers out on was the IMAX prologue on the Batman Begins blu-ray which shows the first 6 minutes or so of the Imax production-shot movie, The Dark Knight. Put simply, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the amazing clarity and detail I could make out in this scene. Everything was perfect. The glass shattering out of the building that the crooks broke out at the beginning was stunning. The noise the gun made when prepping it for a shot was dead-on. The sound of the cable being shot out across the air and onto the neighboring building... all great stuff. The tense music and the gunshots were also perfectly recreated. This was like watching the movie for the very first time again.
Not only movies, but games also were like an entirely new experience on these speakers. I just re-played the first couple hours of Metal Gear Solid 4 on the Playstation 3 this thanksgiving weekend, and WOW what a completely different experience. I never noticed the insane amount of attention to the sound that Konami has incorporated into this game. I mean, it sounded great on the Z-5500's I used to use, but on this new setup, and especially the Monitor 50's and CS1 center channel, the detail came to life. I still can't get over the punctual, realistic notes you hear from all the different assault rifles and submachine guns. The sounds of the bullet casings falling out all over the concrete ground were unbelievably awesome. I found myself wasting away clips of ammo just to hear this over and over again. I've never heard such great high's coming from a set of speakers before.
Music also sounds great on these. One of my favorite soundtracks was from the game Final Fantasy VIII, which I still think, to this day, is the single best video game soundtrack available. Listening to the last couple movements of the ending theme really brought out the amazing quality and clarity that these speakers are capable of producing. The ending theme is one of my all-time favorite instrumental selections and these speakers remind me of why that is. It simply must be heard to be believed. Beautiful music to the ears.
Over this thanksgiving weekend, I had my brother over and he wanted to see a blu-ray on my new surround sound/tv setup. He picked out the Earth documentary (not Planet Earth, but another BBC production feature) and we watched that. This blu-ray was only putting out standard Dolby audio, no DolbyHD or DTS-HD. Just standard Dolby. The first thing he commented on was the awesome quality of the sound. He has a Sony receiver with Sony speakers at his place so this comment coming from him suggested the difference in brands was very noticable.
To wrap it all up, for the price I paid for these and the sound that they produce, I am very happy with the purchase and would not look back at any other brand. My future purchases will always include Polk, because I have never heard better. |
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| "Can't be beat for the price" | 2008-11-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A282N9K9ZGCEWU |
| The highs and midrange of these speakers are above average. I use these along with a subwoofer for the front speakers on a 7.1 surround set-up and am impressed with mid to highs. The only reason I didn't rate them five stars are the legs that support the towers, not good for carpet, but in the end would buy these again. |
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