Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Polk Audio RT35i Speakers by Gene H

Model:	RT35i
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$399.99
Description:	Small 2-way bookshelf
Manufacturer URL:	Polk Audio
Manufacturer URL:	Polk Audio

Review by Gene H ( A ) on June 25, 2002 at 07:01:36
IP Address: 198.4.159.5

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for the RT35i

I have owned this speaker for approximately six months and at $300 a pair, it is a very good value. I highly recommend them for rock music fans and home theatre buffs on a budget. Audiophiles and acoustic music lovers will find them satisfying as a temporary respite from amusical, overly analytical sounding speakers, or in a second system.
What do the Polks do well?
MUSICALITY: The Polks are fun to listen to and do a better than average job of connecting you to the music, especially with pop and rock. Vocals are natural with a warm touch but no bloat. The center imaging is rock solid so performers float in the middle of the soundstage. The 6.5" woofer puts out punchy bass that can be felt, though it won't knock you over. The highs are rolled off on my 24" sand-filled stands and that makes even pop CDs from the 1980s very listenable. With classical and jazz, the Polks have a less firm grip on a listener's attention due to a shortcoming that will be described later.
I have compared the Polks to these speakers in my system: Epos M12 and Triangle Zephyr xs. I have auditioned these speakers while a Polk owner: B&W DM303, Vandersteen 1C, Klipsh RB3. While all these speakers outdo the Polks in some areas (usually by substantial margins), I didn't find any of them to be more musically involving (or else I would have purchased them).
My benchmark speakers which I have owned are: Sonus Faber Concertino and 3A Audio Design Allegrettos (a now defunct French company whose designs were similar to today's JM Reynaud speakers).
FINISH: Real wood veneers at $300, slim profile, high WAF.
AVAILABILITY and SERVICE: You can buy these Polks just about anywhere and almost all places offer some kind of money back guarantee. I got mine at Crutchfield where you get free return shipping. Polk Audio has been extremely responsive to questions, though I have never required warranty service.
What don't the Polks do well?
PRESENCE: The Polks never make you believe there are performers in your room. Although the sound is open and imaging solid, there's not even a hint of air or sheen that would elicit the feeling of listening to live music. This really hurts the Polks when playing any kind of acoustic music. I tried toeing the speakers in to direct more treble at the listening area, but this unpleasantly compressed and boxed in the soundstage.
IMAGING: Although the imaging is solid, it tends to be clumped around the center of the soundstage and around each speaker. The center image has a good amount of depth, but there is no layering to speak of.
DETAIL RETRIEVAL: You will get $300's worth of detail retrieval and not a penny more. Low-level, critical listening proved to be unsatisfying.
DYNAMICS: Dynamic swings lack impact. The spread between the soft and loud passages is not sufficient, especially with orchestral music.
TUBE AMP COMPATIBILITY: The sensitivty is rated at 90 dB and impedance a nominal 8 ohms. I don't know what the impedance curve looks like, but Stereophile has published the curve for the RT25i and there is a dip to 4 ohms in the lower midrange. When I play these RT35i's loud, choral music causes clipping sooner than you would expect with a 90 dB sensitivity rating. I am guessing that there is a similar impedance dip that draw more current from my amps.
In summary, this may be all the speaker rock, pop, and HT fans need, especially if a sub is used. Those who listen to other kinds of music and critical audiophiles will be getting a competent value speaker for temporary and/or secondary purposes.

Product Weakness: rock, pop, HT; appearance, price
Product Strengths: classical, jazz; imaging

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Audio Refinement Complete, ASL Wave 8 monoblocks, NAD T750 receiver
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Creek OBH-12 passive
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Sony DVP-NS500V DVD/SACD player
Speakers:	Polk RT35i, Triangle Zephyr xs, Epos M12
Cables/Interconnects:	DH Labs, Analysis Plus
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	pop, classical, jazz
Room Size (LxWxH):	25 x 15 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	sand-filled steel stands, at least 3' from the walls
Time Period/Length of Audition:	6 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	rock, pop, HT; appearance, price
Product Strengths:	classical, jazz; imaging