July 2003 Reviewed by Jeff Fritz	Polk Audio RTi150 / CSi40 / RTi38 / PSW505 Home-Theater Speaker System

Description Model: RTi150 speakers Price: $1779.90 USD per pair Dimensions: 48"H x 8.25"W x 14.875"D Weight: 75 pounds each Model: CSi40 center-channel Price: $479.95 USD Dimensions: 7.5"H x 22.625"W x 12.5"D Weight: 24 pounds Model: RTi38 surrounds Price: $449.90 USD per pair Dimensions: 15.25"H x 8.25"W x 12.375"D Weight: 38 pounds per pair Model: PSW505 subwoofer Price: $589.95 USD Dimensions: 16.125"H x 15.125"W x 18.1875"D Weight: 56 pounds System price: $3299.70 USD Warranty: Five years parts and labor (three years on subwoofer electronics)

Features 6.5" Dynamic Balance drivers (RTi150, CSi40, RTi38) 1" silk/polymer-composite dome tweeters (RTi150, CSi40, RTi38) 12" long-throw woofer (PSW505) 300W high-current amplifier (600W peak) (PSW505) Power Port bass venting Magnetic shielding Anti-Diffraction grille Adjustable low-pass crossover, phase switch, volume control (PSW505) Gold-plated five-way binding posts MDF cabinetry Real-wood veneers Black or cherry finishes (RTi150, RTi38)

Polk Audio has earned an enviable position in the consumer-electronics industry. They have developed what few companies can claim: the instant name recognition that stars in any field of endeavor dream of. Whether it’s Arnold, Britney, J.Lo, or Polk, unless you’re living under a rock, these one-word utterances trigger instant familiarity.

To test my claim of Polk’s stature, I conducted an informal experiment whereby I made the simple declarative statement in front of friends, family, and co-workers: "I’m reviewing some Polks." I then waited for a reaction, and to the person the response confirmed my belief. "Really! Man, I bet they sound great!" was the common response. Well, they do sound great. And based on my time with the system I have in my living room right now, I’d say Polk Audio’s name recognition is well deserved.

The stars of the show

The $3299.70-USD system I received for review arrived at UPS where it stayed until I picked it up. I could only surmise that the size and weight of these speakers in their shipping boxes intimidated the delivery person, thereby ending any chance I had of home drop off. This is a good sign if you like your speakers solid, well-made, and packed with lots of drivers, crossovers, and the other techno gadgets, because these things add up to a lot of poundage. Upon unboxing the system I confirmed my suspicion. Far from the paper-thin boxes you see in many Circuit City stores these days (where, among other places, Polk products are sold), these are seriously constructed loudspeakers made of MDF wrapped in real-wood veneers.

The RTi150 mains and RTi38 surrounds all came in a handsome cherry veneer, while the CSi40 center-channel was finished in black to meld with most television cabinets. I liked the finish on all the speakers, as it was quite an improvement over typical vinyl wrap. (I would suggest to Polk that they add a cherry option to the center-channel, though. My monitor is Sony-WEGA silver, so black doesn’t match any better than cherry, and it would be nice to have all the speakers consistent.) These are all hefty speakers that share a family resemblance that goes more than skin deep.

Starting with the drivers, they all have what Polk calls Dynamic Balance technology. According to Polk, an advanced testing procedure -- involving measuring the speaker cones with laser interferometry -- has produced drive units that "produce flat frequency response, sharp detail, transparency, and an ability to play program material with wide dynamic range at lifelike volume levels without a hint of strain." All three of the above-mentioned models feature 6.5" Dynamic Balance drivers: the RTi150 has three woofers and a midrange; the CSi40 has two woofers; and the RTi38 has a single woofer. There are 1" silk/composite-polymer dome tweeters in each model.

But that ain’t all: Polk uses its patented Power Port system for venting the speakers. Each model in the review system, except the PSW505 subwoofer, uses this method. Basically, a Power Port is a cone fitted over the mouth of the port (opening). This cone "shapes" and smoothes the air exiting the speaker’s enclosure, effectively reducing air turbulence. Polk Audio claims that this both reduces noise and increases efficiency. The RTi150 has its Power Port mounted on the underside of the cabinet while the RTi38 and CSi40 have theirs mounted on the rear.

Rounding out the bevy of technology incorporated into these speakers are what Polk refers to as Anti-Diffraction bevels and grilles. Essentially, Polk lifts the drivers off the speakers’ faces, minimizing the amount of cabinetry each driver "sees." This design aids imaging characteristics by avoiding diffraction problems. (Diffraction in this case refers to the negative interaction of the speakers’ cabinets with the drive units.)

The RTi150 is quite large and substantial, giving the owner great confidence in its ability to play loud and deep. If you chop off the RTi150 right below the Anti-Diffraction bevel, you essentially have the RTi38 bookshelf speaker, used in this case as a direct-radiating surround.

The PSW505 powered subwoofer rounded out the system. This brute features a 12" driver that looks like it could launch a cannon ball, due to the huge butyl-rubber surround. This speaker does not incorporate a Power Port, but instead uses a "slot-loaded" vent on the bottom front face. All the usual suspects are seen on the rear-mounted amplifier’s adjustment panel including a low-pass crossover, phase switch, and volume control. The amp module is rated at 300W continuous duty and 600W peak.

Setting up the Polk ensemble proved to be a snap. I placed the RTi150s so that they were angled just slightly towards the listening position, with the RTi38 bookshelf surrounds on stands to the sides of, but just slightly behind, the listening position. The CSi40 rested on top of my monitor, while the PSW505 sounded best behind the right speaker in a corner-loaded position.

Walking the red carpet

Not having lived with Polk Audio speakers before, I was a blank slate with few preconceived notions. I’d heard many people say they sound "fantastic," "great," and "terrific," but these words mean little when you want to know what they sound like in descriptive terms. To say that I was somewhat surprised by what I heard is an understatement. In a nutshell, I heard a slightly warm, full-bodied home-theater speaker system with impressively deep bass, a rich midrange, and highs that were anything but piercing; piercing like a lot of "exciting" home-theater speakers, that is.

The surprising aspect was the warmth of the overall sound, and specifically the richly developed midrange. It was a welcome sound that you could just relax into. And that’s just what I did, with a lot of DVDs to keep me company. The dialogue tracks on the disappointing Darkness Falls were clean and clear and projected well into the room from both the CSi40 and the stereo RTi150s. I like to toggle back and forth between phantom center-channel mode and full-bore 5.1 to see just what the center speaker brings to the table. In this case the center-channel did its job with authority: Not only did it anchor vocals mid-screen, but it also delivered intelligibility and dynamics without strain whether reproducing male or female voices or bombastic effects. The CSi40 handled side-to-side pans without harming the illusion created onscreen, too.

Little Harry Potter communicated effectively as well, and that’s with a lot of effects surrounding him, on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Transition between the CSi40 center-channel and either RTi150 was nearly seamless, as was the shift from front to back when the RTi38s came into play. It was quite evident to me that all of these speakers were cut from the same sonic cloth. This points to great engineering prowess and is a far rarer trait than should be the case among high-performance loudspeakers. When you buy this system, you can rest assured that you have a well-matched home theater that exceeds much of what is on the market in this regard. Flyovers involving the enraged "tooth fairy" in Darkness Falls provide a perfect example of this system staying tight and composed when all five speakers are playing.

I was impressed with the dynamic range of the system as a whole, but especially with the RTi150s. I guess the old saying "there’s no replacement for displacement" holds true. The five-driver RTi150s enjoyed an unrestrained sound that the RTi38s could not match. If you want big, loud, boisterous home theater these speakers can deliver. The Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring has an incredibly dynamic soundtrack, and it was showcased admirably by the Polk system. The Polk Audio speakers held their ground under the weight of the Balrog during the mountain battle between the fellowship and the demon from hell. There were no outward signs of distortion or stress. Whew!

The PSW505 delivered the goods to make the LFE track on most soundtracks come to life. Whether it was the foreboding bass in The Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring or the rhythmic pounding by Massive Attack’s Mezzanine [Virgin 7243 8 45599 2 2], the Polk grunted low and powerfully. It blended with the mains just fine with either music or movies, and provided enough output to make me wince when need be. Could I reach its limits? Yes, when I pushed very hard, it could run out of bass steam. In practical use, though, not reviewer mode, I don’t see this happening often at all.

There’s typically a section of the review where the reviewer "picks nits." I can’t really say I have any real nits, because there isn’t one area of performance where the Polk Audio system absolutely fell down -- but there were some tradeoffs that you should be aware of. For example, the warmth and relaxed sound does seem to soften the upper frequencies to a degree. The last smidgen of detail present in effects like pots clanking and nails scraping was subdued, as were the arrows flying overhead in Gladiator’s opening scene. Don’t get me wrong; I like this tradeoff with most material, if not all. Frankly, I’ve had enough of the overly bright sound you hear in some home-theater speaker systems. That’s the type of sound you can find almost anywhere, but not here.

Comparison

The $10,115-USD Piega P4XL MKII/P4L MKII/P4C MKII/P1 home-theater speaker system is about as different from the Polk RTi150/CSi40/RTi38/PSW505 system as you can get, both sonically and physically. The Polks are wood, American-made, and conventional looking; the Piegas are aluminum, Swiss-made, and exotic if ever there was a speaker system that fit the term.

With a price tag three times that of the Polks, you pay for exotica with the Piegas. From the ribbon tweeter that gives far more detail and air in the high frequencies than the Polks do, to the slim-line aluminum enclosure that exudes the finest build quality, you do get some tangible benefits for your additional cash. But the Polks, at one-third the price, actually give you some things you don’t get with the Piegas. First, the RTi150s play louder and lower; this brute-force-when-needed sound makes a discernible difference on action flicks. Second, the Polks’ bass was punchier than what I heard over the Piegas. If you like getting socked in the gut on a Metallica kick drum, for example, pick the Polks.

I’d like to thank my manager…

The Polk Audio RTi150/CSi40/RTi38/PSW505 home-theater speaker system can take a bow for its excellent performance with any number of movies. It delivers a balanced presentation that is just to the warm side of neutral. From an aesthetic standpoint, the wood finish is a cut above that of many speakers in its class, and that may make the final decision just a bit easier from a décor perspective. And at the end of day, you can tell your buddies you have a Polk Audio system that sounds great, fantastic, and terrific. And you’ll be right on all counts.

Manufacturer contact information:

Polk Audio
5601 Metro Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215
Phone: (800) 377-7655

E-mail: polkcs@polkaudio.com
Website: www.polkaudio.com 

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