About the Polk Audio Blackstone TL1600
Budget-friendly home theater punch
Budget-friendly home theater punch
Having trouble getting through movie night without nodding off and spilling the popcorn on the couch? Maybe it's time to upgrade your sound with Polk's Blackstone TL1600 speaker system. Ideal for small- to medium-sized rooms, this convenient package comes with all the speakers you need to get dramatic, engaging movie theater sound that'll keep your attention focused and your eyes glued to the screen — all at a great value.
The four Blackstone satellite speakers and the center channel use some pretty advanced driver technology, so you experience impressively effortless sound from speakers that take up very little space. The package also comes with a powerful 50-watt subwoofer to add deep, rumbling explosions and room-thumping bass for all your favorite action flicks. And if you've got a new flat-panel TV, this system's stunning high-gloss black finish will make an excellent match.
Advanced technology produces astonishingly realistic sound
Polk's latest breakthrough is "Time Lens" technology, which aligns the drivers in such a way that all the frequencies reach your ears at the same time. It improves the speakers' soundstaging and imaging, so that you'll start to forget you're watching a movie and really feel like you're part of the action. This technology makes this system great for video games, too, because you'll be able to clearly pinpoint where sounds are coming from all around you, like monster roars or enemy gunfire.
Polk's enclosure design puts performance first
The satellite and center channel speakers also use an "acoustic lens" in their grilles to disperse sound waves in a way that makes your movie and music soundtracks sound larger and more open. And unlike a traditional port hole, these speakers have something called an "aperiodic-tuned rear port." It's more like a breathable membrane that controls air flow in and out of the enclosure, giving them the acoustic benefits of both a sealed and a ported enclosure, including better bass extension and a pleasing mid-bass boost. It also means you can place these speakers in the open or against a wall, and still get great sound.
Easy speaker placement
Each speaker comes with a keyhole slot in the back for easy wall-mounting. You can also use the discrete threaded insert to fit them to optional speaker brackets or stands. But no matter how you choose to set up your system, you can expect the kind of detailed, open sound that will make movie night way much more exciting.
Upgrade to a seven-channel home theater when you add a pair of TL1 satellite speakers to this system.
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System details:
- includes four compact satellite speakers, a center channel speaker, and a subwoofer
- Time Lens technology aligns the drivers for better soundstaging and imaging
- aperiodic tuned rear port
- curved enclosures with high-gloss finish to complement today's flat-panel TVs
- frequency response: 45-20,000 Hz (-3 dB)
- impedance: 8 ohms
- threaded insert for use with optional speaker stands or brackets
- keyhole slots for easy wall-mounting
- warranty: 5 years
TL1 satellite speakers:
- 1/2" silk dome tweeter (each)
- 2-1/2" Dynamic Balance midrange (each)
- sensitivity: 89 dB
- handles up to 100 watts
- 3-13/16"W x 6-1/2"H x 4-7/8"D (each)
TL1 center channel speaker:
- 1/2" silk dome tweeter
- dual 2-1/2" Dynamic Balance midranges
- sensitivity: 89 dB
- handles up to 125 watts
- 15"W x 3-15/16"H x 3-7/16"D
TL1600 powered subwoofer:
- 8" down-firing woofer
- built-in 50-watt (RMS) amplifier
- heavy-duty, non-resonant enclosure with satin black finish
- 12-1/2"W x 14"H x 13-3/8"D
- MFR # AM1655-A
What's in the box:
Polk Audio Blackstone TL1600 owner's manual
- Black powered subwoofer
- 4 Gloss-black satellite two-way loudspeakers
- Gloss-black center-channel loudspeaker
- 5 Detachable black cloth grilles (attached)
- System Diagram/Warranty booklet
- Satellite speakers template
- Center-channel speaker template
- Online Product Registration card
- Polk Audio brochure
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More details on the Polk Audio Blackstone TL1600
Product Research
5.1ch Speaker Package
Satellite & Center Channel Speakers
Powered Subwoofer
5.1ch Speaker Package
System Overview: The Polk Audio Blackstone TL1600 high-performance 5.1ch home theater system features 4 matching satellite loudspeakers, a horizontal center-channel speaker, and a powered subwoofer. The Polk Audio Blackstone TL1600 system offers a compact, high-performance solution for your home theater, music listening, or gaming needs. Plus you can add individually available, perfectly timbre-matched Blackstone TL speakers (107TL1B, sold separately) to expand your home theater experience into 6.1, 7.1, or 9.1 channels.
Note: The system's overall frequency response is 40Hz-22kHz and the -3dB frequency response is 45-20kHz.
Satellite & Center-Channel Speakers
Polk Audio Black Stone TL Series: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL series loudspeakers (TL1) feature new innovations specifically designed to enhance compact speaker performance. The Black Stone TL1 series speaker is a two-way satellite loudspeaker utilizing a bass-reflex enclosure with a rear-firing port. The TL1 series loudspeakers are equipped with 5-way binding posts and offer various mounting options.
Dynamic Balance Driver Technology: Polk Audio's patented Dynamic Balance process allows Polk to design their drivers specifically for flatter frequency response, revealing the sharpest details and a more lifelike transparency, with absolutely no strain even at high volume. It's a bold, rich, warm, and lifelike sound.
Time Lens Technology: The sophisticated laser alignment of the "acoustic center" of the Blackstone TL tweeters with their accompanying drivers results in far superior imaging. The acoustic centers of the tweeter and mid-range woofer are aligned, creating a crisp accurate soundstage. The acoustic centers of the tweeter and mid-bass driver are located in the same plane for superior imaging, while the acoustic lens incorporated in the grille smoothes the tweeter's frequency response.
Drivers: The Black Stone TL1 satellite & center-channel speakers feature a two-way design.
- 1/2" Silk Dome Tweeter: Each Polk Audio Black Stone TL1 satellite & center-channel loudspeaker utilizes a 1/2" silk-polymer dome tweeter for crisp, clear imaging, and smooth response that's never tiring.
- 2-1/2" Long-Throw Woofer: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL1 satellite loudspeakers use a 2-1/2" composite long-throw cone woofer, while the TL1 center-channel employs dual 2-1/2" composite long-throw cone woofers. Each long-throw woofer utilizes Dynamic Balance driver technology (Polk's patented transducer design process) to produce a flat frequency response, with sharp detail, transparency, and the ability to play loud without strain.
Frequency Response: The overall frequency response of each satellite loudspeaker is 120Hz-22kHz and the -3dB frequency response is 135-20kHz. The overall frequency response of the center-channel speaker is 95Hz-22kHz and the -3dB frequency response is 125-20kHz.
Bass Reflex Enclosure: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL1 satellite & center-channel speaker feature a non-resonant composite enclosure with a curved design, time-aligned geometry, integrated acoustic lens, an aperiodic-tuned rear port, and a beautiful high-gloss finish.
- Curved Design: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL1 loudspeakers employ non-parallel surfaces that not only lead to a stronger, more rigid and acoustically inert enclosure, but they also result in less audible coloration from internal surface resonances.
- Integrated Acoustic Lens: An innovative acoustic lens incorporated into the grille produces a high frequency response so smooth that it delivers a balanced, realistic performance. An acoustic lens is molded into the back of the speaker grille and helps create imaging frequency balance previously impossible in small high-performance satellite speakers.
- Aperiodic-Tuned Rear Port: An aperiodic-tuned rear port enables better blending with a subwoofer. This design combines the bass extension of an acoustic suspension enclosure with the mid-bass boost of a ported enclosure by controlling airflow through the port for better extension without distortion.
- High-Gloss Finish: The TL1 enclosure features a durable, deep automotive-strength high-gloss finish that matches today's most stylish flat-panel TVs. The TL1 satellites & center-channel speakers are available in a high-gloss black finish.
5-Way Binding Posts: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL1 center-channel is equipped with one pair of 5-way binding posts to ensure a secure connection to many types of speaker cables and connectors. The binding post terminals will accept banana plugs (single or dual), pin-connectors, spade-connectors, and bare wire (18-12 AGW).
Rubber Feet: The Polk Audio TL1 satellite & center-channel speakers feature integrated rubber feet so you can sit the speaker on a stand or shelf securely.
Wall Mountable: The TL1 satellite & center-channel speakers feature keyhole slots on the back of the cabinet for wall-mounting the speakers without any additional wall-mount bracket (mounting screws not supplied). There is also a 1/4"-20 threaded insert on the back of each loudspeaker for mounting the speaker to the wall using an optional articulating bracket (sold separately).
Powered Subwoofer
8" Woofer: The Polk Audio powered subwoofer features a downfiring 8" long-throw Dynamic Balance poly-composite woofer with a foam surround for big, deep bass.
Built-in 50 Watt Amplifier: The down-firing woofer is powered by a built-in 50 watt RMS (100 watt Peak) amplifier.
Bass Reflex Enclosure: The Polk Audio powered subwoofer utilizes a bass-reflex enclosure with a down-firing port. The powered subwoofer's enclosure features heavy-duty, non-resonant ABS construction with an elegant satin black finish that creates the ideal décor accent.
Audio Controls: The Polk Audio powered subwoofer features the following rear-panel audio controls.
- Volume: The powered subwoofer features a rotary volume knob to adjust the subwoofer's volume to your preference.
- Low-Pass Crossover: The rotary low-pass crossover knob adjusts the frequency range over which the subwoofer operates. You can adjust the subwoofer's low-pass crossover between 80-160Hz to prevent mid & high frequencies passing through to the woofer.
- Phase: The powered subwoofer's phase switch can be set at 0 or 180 degrees. Whichever phase setting sound louder of fuller at the subwoofer's crossover point is the optimum setting.
Audio Connections: The Polk Audio powered subwoofer features the following line-level & speaker-level audio connections.
- Line Level: The powered subwoofer is equipped with a pair of gold-plated line-level (RCA-type) inputs for connecting the subwoofer/LFE output of your A/V receiver to the powered sub.
- Speaker Level: The powered subwoofer is also equipped with two pair of speaker-level input terminals and two pair of speaker-level output terminals to connect the powered subwoofer between the front-channel speaker outputs of your AV receiver and the speaker terminal inputs on this system's satellite speakers.
Automatic Turn-On/Off Circuitry: The powered subwoofer features auto on/off circuitry which automatically turn the subwoofer on when it senses an audio signal. When no signal is present, the circuit turns the subwoofer off after 15 minutes.
Frequency Response: The overall frequency response of the powered subwoofer is 40Hz-160Hz and the -3dB frequency response is 45-160kHz.
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Customer Q&A
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We purchased these speakers to pair with a new Denon AVR-X2300W system, and currently using as a 5.1 system. I'm planning on purchasing two more TL-1 satellite speakers for a 7.1 system in the near future. Set up was straight forward, and the sound is fantastic!
Robin from Germantown, MD