Polk R15s are $39.98/pair again at Outpost.com

Well, broke em in a little overnight and listened a little today.

For 53 bucks shipped, I'm impressed by these little guys. I agree with the other positive posts in this thread.

Compared to other entry-level bookshelf speakers I've played with, I think Polk balanced the compromises nicely on the R15s.

They are very "plain Jane" looking, which may have allowed Polk to use better drivers at this price point.

1) Decent midrange and vocals - they don't have the excessively "honky" vocals that many inexpensive speakers have.

2) Decent imaging, with a nice center image.

1) and 2) are what I noticed first and were a nice surprise at this low price.

3) The bass is tight and punchy, although not extended, as expected. I could use these for background music without a sub.

4) High freqs are laid back and not very detailed. The average listener (target buyer) wouldn't notice this unless they had experience with more detailed speakers as a reference. I think this more laid back sound is a real positive in this price range, as the R15s will be more forgiving of the inexpensive electronics that will normally accompany them. Many inexpensive speakers are way too bright, making them unlistenable to my ears.

It's a trite phrase, but I think "sins of omission rather than sins of commission" pertain to the R15s. I'm pleasantly surprised by the what they do decently and by what glaring flaws they don't have. I think they are an underrated value.

Adam

anonymouse wrote:

R15's are what set me down the Polk path.

Same here. They're the only Polk speakers I have at the moment, but they definitely won't be the last. It really says a lot about a company when even their bottom line is impressive.

StopherJJ1980 wrote:

I think this is something that is somewhat unique to Polk. The ability to gain consumer's confidence with great value products. Then move up and have great midline and audiophile-quality products to match. Must be nice to have that flexibility as one of the bigger (biggest??) loudspeaker companies in the market. Goes to show how brand loyalty, word or mouth and good history are so important in doing business.

I think they are good at this.

I recently got a set of Monitor line speakers,but now i look forward to the day when i can afford the RTi, or whatever is available then I think the physical appearance of polk speakers is really cool, with their tall, slender designs with many drivers. And of course, they sound great too!