Polk Audio TSi500's.......
Polk Audio TSi500 Loudspeakers
First of all, I too would like to thank Polk Audio and Mark for giving me the opportunity to demo these BEAUTIFUL speakers in my home. For what it's worth, about 90% of my listening is dedicated to HT and the remainder of the time is for 2 channel (but far from critical) listening. Admittedly, my comparisons for these speakers were based on my current PSB system (satellites) shown in my signature with all of the same equipment in my signature.
Equipment:
Due to the fact that I do not have seperates, I was a little intimdated to run these speakers with "just" my AVR. However, I can tell you that my Sony STR-DA5ES drove these well. The system was calibrated after changing receiver settings to large front, small rears and sub on. I toyed around without a sub and the bass response was impressive, but I prefer the sub. For kicks, I then calibrated setting the front speakers to small, basically to see how much bass was removed and sent to the sub. I obviously preferred the large front settings.
Build quality:
The first thing that I noticed when I pulled these out of the box was how pretty they were. I have never been much of a cherry finish fan, but that changed when I took these out of the box. The fit and finish is immaculate and impressive. The piano gloss top helped blend with my all black components and though they are large (very large) my wife was suprisingly accepting.
Movie viewing experience:
I calibrated according to the specs listed on the spec sheet (tried crossover settings for mains at 40, 60 and 80 and left the remaining speakers alone) and it was off to the races. In the three week time period that I had these, I watched MANY movies (thanks to Netflix). I will spare you the long list of movies, but will give you a taste of the demo's that I did. My three year old daughter (Morgan) had an out of body experience in the Darla scene of Finding Nemo. She had that twinkle in her eye that I saw her fall in love with this hobby as we watched that scene!!!! The dog went running for the bathtub to seek shelter from what she thought was an earthquake. U-571 depth charge scene was equally impressive. The Matrix lobby shooting spree and helicopter scene, the Polk demo disc and Dragonheart are among the other demos that I did and all sounded great and had the neighbors coming over asking what movie was playing each night. As far as "chic flicks" with no action, the musical reproduction was impressive as well. We watched quite a few movies (Juno was on that was enjoyable due to the music - I love that soundtrack) where the action scenes were replaced with dialogue and music and they performed flawlessly. It's amazing how good my system sounded with these- I love the PSB set-up, but I was shocked to see the ranges of sounds that I missed having the smaller speakers. I realize that the floorstanders will always have a fuller range than bookshelfs or satellites, but still surprised. During the depth charge scene, the screws popping and background noises really came to life. The highs, mids and lows were are all detailed and clear. I could not find a hole or flaw in their performance with respect to this.
Music:
Admittedly, I am a novice when it comes to this! I kept the same settings on the AVR, but switched to 2-channel mode. The CD's I listened to are Jack Johnson "sleep through the static", the new Lenny Kravitz, the new Sheryl Crow and the new Counting Crows albums. Maybe it's because I really enjoy all these artists, but it was nothing short of special. Acoustics, bass with drums, EVERYTHING came to life. But where these speakers really showed me something were the DVD concerts that I listened to. Specifically, the Metallica S&M DVD blew me out of the water. Audioslave Live in Cuba and Jeff Tweedy were the others that Ilistened to.
Conclusion:
Polk has done it again. Getting a floorstander of this size to blend into my room (12x18) was great. Having the wife say that they looked great was nothing short of a miracle!!!! Aesthetically, you'd be hard pressed to find a better looking speaker in its price range. And coming from someone who has owned a few (though not nearly as many as some) entry to mid level speakers, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better performing one as well.
*The only thing that I would recommend to Polk is to get more packaging in these for shipment. There is a base styrofoam, a styrofoam cap and a styrofoam halo in the middle. One box arrived completely flawless. The other arrived with a hole in the side and the styrofoam base was crushed (no damage at all, but seems like there could have been potential).
If you guys have any specific questions, please ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. I will have pictures up as soon as I can figure out how to do it!!!!
First of all, I too would like to thank Polk Audio and Mark for giving me the opportunity to demo these BEAUTIFUL speakers in my home. For what it's worth, about 90% of my listening is dedicated to HT and the remainder of the time is for 2 channel (but far from critical) listening. Admittedly, my comparisons for these speakers were based on my current PSB system (satellites) shown in my signature with all of the same equipment in my signature.
Equipment:
Due to the fact that I do not have seperates, I was a little intimdated to run these speakers with "just" my AVR. However, I can tell you that my Sony STR-DA5ES drove these well. The system was calibrated after changing receiver settings to large front, small rears and sub on. I toyed around without a sub and the bass response was impressive, but I prefer the sub. For kicks, I then calibrated setting the front speakers to small, basically to see how much bass was removed and sent to the sub. I obviously preferred the large front settings.
Build quality:
The first thing that I noticed when I pulled these out of the box was how pretty they were. I have never been much of a cherry finish fan, but that changed when I took these out of the box. The fit and finish is immaculate and impressive. The piano gloss top helped blend with my all black components and though they are large (very large) my wife was suprisingly accepting.
Movie viewing experience:
I calibrated according to the specs listed on the spec sheet (tried crossover settings for mains at 40, 60 and 80 and left the remaining speakers alone) and it was off to the races. In the three week time period that I had these, I watched MANY movies (thanks to Netflix). I will spare you the long list of movies, but will give you a taste of the demo's that I did. My three year old daughter (Morgan) had an out of body experience in the Darla scene of Finding Nemo. She had that twinkle in her eye that I saw her fall in love with this hobby as we watched that scene!!!! The dog went running for the bathtub to seek shelter from what she thought was an earthquake. U-571 depth charge scene was equally impressive. The Matrix lobby shooting spree and helicopter scene, the Polk demo disc and Dragonheart are among the other demos that I did and all sounded great and had the neighbors coming over asking what movie was playing each night. As far as "chic flicks" with no action, the musical reproduction was impressive as well. We watched quite a few movies (Juno was on that was enjoyable due to the music - I love that soundtrack) where the action scenes were replaced with dialogue and music and they performed flawlessly. It's amazing how good my system sounded with these- I love the PSB set-up, but I was shocked to see the ranges of sounds that I missed having the smaller speakers. I realize that the floorstanders will always have a fuller range than bookshelfs or satellites, but still surprised. During the depth charge scene, the screws popping and background noises really came to life. The highs, mids and lows were are all detailed and clear. I could not find a hole or flaw in their performance with respect to this.
Music:
Admittedly, I am a novice when it comes to this! I kept the same settings on the AVR, but switched to 2-channel mode. The CD's I listened to are Jack Johnson "sleep through the static", the new Lenny Kravitz, the new Sheryl Crow and the new Counting Crows albums. Maybe it's because I really enjoy all these artists, but it was nothing short of special. Acoustics, bass with drums, EVERYTHING came to life. But where these speakers really showed me something were the DVD concerts that I listened to. Specifically, the Metallica S&M DVD blew me out of the water. Audioslave Live in Cuba and Jeff Tweedy were the others that Ilistened to.
Conclusion:
Polk has done it again. Getting a floorstander of this size to blend into my room (12x18) was great. Having the wife say that they looked great was nothing short of a miracle!!!! Aesthetically, you'd be hard pressed to find a better looking speaker in its price range. And coming from someone who has owned a few (though not nearly as many as some) entry to mid level speakers, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better performing one as well.
*The only thing that I would recommend to Polk is to get more packaging in these for shipment. There is a base styrofoam, a styrofoam cap and a styrofoam halo in the middle. One box arrived completely flawless. The other arrived with a hole in the side and the styrofoam base was crushed (no damage at all, but seems like there could have been potential).
If you guys have any specific questions, please ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. I will have pictures up as soon as I can figure out how to do it!!!!
Shawn
AVR: Marantz SR-5011
Center Channel: Polk LsiM706c
Front: Polk LsiM703
Rear: LSI fx
Subwoofer: SVS 20-39pci
Television: Samsung UN58NU7100FXZA
DVD Player: Sony PS4
AVR: Marantz SR-5011
Center Channel: Polk LsiM706c
Front: Polk LsiM703
Rear: LSI fx
Subwoofer: SVS 20-39pci
Television: Samsung UN58NU7100FXZA
DVD Player: Sony PS4
Post edited by shawn474 on
Comments
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Great review Shawn, thanks for posting it
CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint. -
Great review.Currently listening to:
Marantz SR5004
Sony BDP-S370
Apple TV V2
Audio Technica AT-LP120
Mirage CMD-5 x 5
Bic H-100 -
Thanks for the review Shawn
Combo rig:
Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
PB13Ultra RO
BW Silvers
Oppo BDP-83SE -
Is this replacing the monitor 70's? or will they keep selling both lines?7.1 HOME THEATER:
Center: CSi3
Front: RTi10
Surround: RTi A3
Rear Surround: RTi4
Subwoofer: Mirage Omni S10
TV: Sharp Aquos 42" 1080p LCD
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR805
Blu-Ray Player / CD Player / DVD Player / Media Server / Game Console / Best money I've ever spent: 60GB PS3 -
It's not a replacement for the Monitor line and will be sold at Best Buy.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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starting when? I will have a pair in my house.
CRj -
I read these are 4 Ohms, if so why sell them at Best Buy as many people don't have gear to drive a 4 Ohm speaker? Just wondering out loud!!
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I read these are 4 Ohms, if so why sell them at Best Buy as many people don't have gear to drive a 4 Ohm speaker? Just wondering out loud!!
They are 8ohm, the spec sheets should be updated by now.Money Talks, Mine says Goodbye Rob!!!! -
Maybe it's the way that we have them set up in the store, but so far the TSi line sounds very bright.....almost harsh even.
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I don't think it's possible to sound any worse than that terrible Klipsch Synergy line.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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How are they setup? If they are in the middle of a 100k sqft. building on an aisle, then you'd probably only hear the tweeter.Maybe it's the way that we have them set up in the store, but so far the TSi line sounds very bright.....almost harsh even.
Combo rig:
Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
PB13Ultra RO
BW Silvers
Oppo BDP-83SE -
Maybe it's the way that we have them set up in the store, but so far the TSi line sounds very bright.....almost harsh even.
Interesting - from the review of the TSi200 it sounded like the TSi line was 'warmer' than the RTI/A series.
Your comment almost implies that tthe TSi's are even 'brighter' than the RTI/A series - which would make them 'dazzling'!
Erik
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
No frickin' doubt.I don't think it's possible to sound any worse than that terrible Klipsch Synergy line.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I don't think it's possible to sound any worse than that terrible Klipsch Synergy line.
What the hell.... under water those Klipsch sound fantastic.
Good write up. Now you are going to have an easier time if you deside to upgrade or add a second set-up. -
Nice writeup! I think this is the first review I've read of the new TSi speakers. Would love to try 'em out ... will be keeping an eye on my local BB to see when they start stocking them.My HT
HDTV: Panasonic PT-61LCX65 61" Rear Proj. LCD
AVR: Harman Kardon AVR 235
Video: 80GB PS3, Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD
Fronts: Polk Audio RTi8
Center: Polk Audio CSi3
Amp: Emotiva LPA-1
Surrounds: Polk Audio R150
Sub: HSU STF-3
The only true barrier to knowledge is the assumption that you already have it. - C.H. Dodd -
Shawn,
Double-check your model#, cause I've got 500's. My review will be on the way shortly- I haven't quite had the time I'd like to listen and I wanted to be sure they're well broken in. -
oopsShawn,
Double-check your model#, cause I've got 500's. My review will be on the way shortly- I haven't quite had the time I'd like to listen and I wanted to be sure they're well broken in.
Combo rig:
Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
PB13Ultra RO
BW Silvers
Oppo BDP-83SE -
Definitely the 500's.
ShawnShawn
AVR: Marantz SR-5011
Center Channel: Polk LsiM706c
Front: Polk LsiM703
Rear: LSI fx
Subwoofer: SVS 20-39pci
Television: Samsung UN58NU7100FXZA
DVD Player: Sony PS4 -
Hey all,
New here and new to Home Theater. I just finished setting up my first system.
Yamaha RXV-563 driving the TSi-400's as my Front L and R.
I was comparing them to the Klipsch RF series and yeah, the Polk's are much warmer sounding than the Klipsch.
I haven't really had time to tune everything
Laters,
John -
Welcome to the forum John. Enjoy your TSi's.I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE!
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Great review Shawn!
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Good job Shawn, Makes me want to run out and get a pair......
Jimmy -
I agree, great review.
Now that it's been a year, how have your impressions changed? -
hey brother
today i got my polk tsi 500 but according to its specs dimesion it is 17.3 inch in depth but my polk tsi 500 has 14.3 inch depth
so i'm totally confused pleas help me
i'm waiting for reply
polk tsi 500.polk cs 20,polk tsi 200,two hsu uls15 15 inch subs,onkyo 807,ps3(250gb),epson tw3500 1080p projector,optoma 120 inch 16:9 screen -
manu4panjab wrote: »hey brother
today i got my polk tsi 500 but according to its specs dimesion it is 17.3 inch in depth but my polk tsi 500 has 14.3 inch depth
so i'm totally confused pleas help me
i'm waiting for reply
How tall are they? -
manu4panjab wrote: »hey brother
today i got my polk tsi 500 but according to its specs dimesion it is 17.3 inch in depth but my polk tsi 500 has 14.3 inch depth
so i'm totally confused pleas help me
i'm waiting for reply
You have the speaker and you now have the actual measured depth....what is confusing you?
Do you want it to be deeper?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
That review was from a year ago and they were on loan to me for the purpose of reviewing them. I think they are being redistributed for the Club Polk members to try out.
I really enjoyed the speakers and thought they performed great. If I could afford them, I would have bought them. But for practical reasons (size of the room), they honestly would have been overkill.
ShawnShawn
AVR: Marantz SR-5011
Center Channel: Polk LsiM706c
Front: Polk LsiM703
Rear: LSI fx
Subwoofer: SVS 20-39pci
Television: Samsung UN58NU7100FXZA
DVD Player: Sony PS4 -
Who got them Shawn?CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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You came and got them from my house.Shawn
AVR: Marantz SR-5011
Center Channel: Polk LsiM706c
Front: Polk LsiM703
Rear: LSI fx
Subwoofer: SVS 20-39pci
Television: Samsung UN58NU7100FXZA
DVD Player: Sony PS4 -
Sheesh....well who knows where they are now I guess.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
