About the Polk Audio 50-RT
... but you'll know they're up there the moment you fire up some music or a movie. Polk's Vanishing Series 50-RT speakers stand out audibly — not visually. Your favorite rooms don't have to be silent, just because you can't or don't want to put free-standing speakers there.
You may never see your speakers again...
... but you'll know they're up there the moment you fire up some music or a movie. Polk's Vanishing Series 50-RT speakers stand out audibly — not visually. Your favorite rooms don't have to be silent, just because you can't or don't want to put free-standing speakers there.
Designed for great performances
Polk ingenuity fills these speakers to overflowing with clear, full-range sound. Each model has three drivers — a tweeter, a midrange and a woofer — packed into a smaller than an average space. Dual-port bandpass technology ensures that you'll get deeper sound with a diminutive-sized speaker. Their paintable, seamless-profile magnetic grills make it simple for these speakers to fit perfectly into your surroundings.
Might as well invite the whole speaker family over
Get two 50-RTs to listen to music in the den, or bundle them up for a great-sounding home theater. They're also a pretty close sonic match to Polk's renowned free-standing RTi speakers. Any way you choose, you'll get harmonious results.
An optional in-ceiling bracket is recommended for installing the 50-RT speaker in a home with new construction.
Got wire?
Most speakers don't include any. Learn more about in-wall wiring at the Crutchfield Learning Center.
Shop our selection of in-wall speaker wire.
Product highlights:
- sold individually
- frequency response 35-27,000 Hz (-3dB)
- three-way speaker design includes:
- 3/4" silk/polymer tweeter
- 2-1/2" midrange speaker
- 4" x 6" Cassini oval woofer
- dual-port bandpass enclosure for better bass response
- selectable tweeter level switch for more flexible speaker placement
- handles up to 125 watts RMS
- sensitivity 89 dB
- 8-ohm impedance
- paintable Sheer-Grille for stealth installation
- cutout: 6" diameter
- mounting depth: 8-7/8"
- warranty: lifetime
- MFR # AW1150-A
What's in the box:
Polk Audio 50-RT owner's manual
- In-ceiling speaker
- White metal grille
- Mounting template
- Owner's Manual
- Sheer-Grille Painting instructions
- Online Registration Card
- Polk Audio product brochure
Customer reviews for Polk Audio 50-RT
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More details on the Polk Audio 50-RT
Features & specs
Features | ||
---|---|---|
Quantity in Package | Single | |
Tweeter | Dome | |
Aimable Tweeter | No | |
Woofer Composition | Polypropylene | |
Woofer Surround | Rubber | |
Connector Type | Spring posts | |
Bi-Amp Inputs | No | |
Built-in Back-box | No | |
Moisture Resistance | ||
Indoor (Moisture-resistant) | No | |
Outdoor (Partial Exposure) | No | |
Outdoor (Full Exposure) | No | |
Specs | ||
Tweeter Size | 0.75 | |
Midrange Size | 2.5 | |
Speaker Shape | 6 | |
Woofer Size | 4 x 6 | |
Cutout Width | --- | |
Cutout Height | --- | |
Mounting Depth | 8.875 | |
Power Range (Watts) | 10-100 | |
Sensitivity | 89 dB | |
Impedance (Ohms) | 8 | |
Frequency Response | 35-27kHz | |
Parts Warranty | Lifetime | |
Labor Warranty | Lifetime |
Product Research
Vanishing Series In-Ceiling Loudspeakers: The Polk Audio Vanishing Series 50-RT is a high performance in-ceiling loudspeaker designed to bring high-quality music to any room or transitional space in your home. It's Polk Audio's smallest, most "invisible" full-range in-ceiling speaker. The Polk Audio 50-RT's lightweight polypropylene cone & sensitive silk dome tweeter can be angled for superior off-axis performance. The innovative addition of the woofer driver behind the main speaker adds depth & dynamics to this compact in-ceiling speaker. The in-ceiling speaker's Reflective Room Compensation Switch digitally compensates for "reflective" rooms, giving you placement flexibility.
Driver Technology
Enclosure Design
Connections
Mounting Options
Driver Technology
Dynamic Balance Technology: Laser-imaging technology allows Polk Audio engineers to see the entire vibrating surface of a driver and tweeter. This allows the engineers to actually see performance-robbing distortion develop on the speaker cone. Using this data, they can determine the Dynamic Balance of their high-tech materials, and alter the geometry and construction of the speaker to effectively tune out the offending resonance. Exclusive Dynamic Balance Composite Material Technology delivers sound that is effortlessly clean and clear, even at lifelike volume levels.
Klippel Optimized Motor Structures: The Klippel Distortion Analyzer allows Polk engineers to optimize each driver's motor structure, voice coil alignment and suspension to insure smooth, unimpeded movement even at extreme listening levels. This is especially important in the shallow depth area afforded an in-ceiling loudspeaker.
Full-Range 3-Way Driver Array: The Vanishing Series 50-RT in-ceiling loudspeaker employs a new innovative patent-pending design from Polk that's like having a full-range, full-size speaker in a small inset lighting fixture. To do this, Polk designed a deep well and mounted a 'Cassini Oval' woofer above & behind the main driver array. By adding a woofer for low frequency response, the midrange & tweeter is freed up to provide more efficient detail. This innovative deep diagonal positioning allows the 50-RT cutout to be just 6" in diameter. This full-range 3-way driver array results in the kind of broad coverage and big performance usually achieved only with bigger box speakers. The 50-RT in-ceiling loudspeaker features the following three drivers.
- Tweeter: One 0.75" Dynamic Balance silk/polymer dome tweeter
- Midrange: One 2.5" Dynamic Balance mineral filled polypropylene cone.
- Woofer: One 4"x6" Dynamic Balance 'Cassini Oval' mineral filled polypropylene woofer.
Reflective Room (Tweeter) Compensation Control: An easily accessible Reflective Room (Tweeter) Compensation switch allows you to make detailed adjustments to optimize the sound for any installation. The switch can be used to digitally compensate for harsh reflective surfaces. The switch doesn't merely reduce high frequencies, it actually allows you to "notch-out" a specific area of the spectrum (3,500-6,000Hz) where room acoustics most often interfere with performance. The switch has two settings:
- Reflective Setting: If your listening room is very reflective, with smooth sheetrock walls, hardwood floors, and non-cushioned furniture, the sound will be overly "bright" and unnatural. Selecting the "Reflective" setting compensates for the effect of reflectivity in a hard room. Tweeter attenuation flattens room response, without hindering higher frequency response, for warmer, more realistic sound and more accurate imaging.
- Normal Setting: If your room is not reflective, with curtains, artwork, lots of cushioned furniture and carpeting, sound will be absorbed by the room, resulting in more realistic reproduction and more accurate imaging. In this case, select the Normal setting.
Timbre-Matched: The Polk Audio Vanishing Series RT in-ceiling loudspeakers have been timbre-matched with Polk's RTi Series loudspeakers. Timbre-matching with the same internal components, and the same lightweight polymer composite cone material, insures utterly seamless blending from speaker to speaker. Timbre-matched speaker components will insure the same true response throughout your system.
Frequency Response: The overall frequency response of the in-ceiling speaker is 35Hz to 27kHz, and the -3dB frequency response is 52 to 25kHz.
Enclosure Design
Dual Bandpass Ports: Bandpass Ports are the way to go when you want high efficiency in small enclosures. The Vanishing Series in-ceiling speaker employs dual Bandpass Bass Ports, smoothly funneling the angled woofer's detailed low-frequencies down around the midrange and tweeter array. The port design eliminates "chuffing", so the small, practically invisible in-ceiling speakers achieve superior full-range blending and broad coverage with surprisingly deep bass.
15° Angled Baffle: A 15° angled baffle allows you to direct the mids & highs for the particular application; simply by rotate the speaker in the desired directions and tighten down the rotating cams.
Wafer-Thin Sheer-Grille: The Polk Audio Vanishing Series in-ceiling speakers feature Polk's exclusive wafer-thin Sheer-Grille, a magnetically secured grille that protrudes only 7mm from its surroundings. The Sheer-Grille can be painted to match your décor, making it virtually indistinguishable from its surroundings. The Sheer-Grille has nearly transparent, ultra-small perfs, and are acoustically inert, for dynamic, unimpeded sound and more uniform coverage, even in larger rooms.
Note: When painting the grille, it is highly recommend that you use a can of spray paint matched to the color of the surrounding ceiling. Brushes or rollers should not be used to paint the grille, as this will clog the perf holes.
Connections
Gold-Plated Spring-Loaded Posts: The 50-RT has a gold-plated pair of spring-loaded binding posts that can accept up to 12-gauge wire, single banana plugs, or pin connectors.
Mounting Options
Applications: You can use the Polk Audio Vanishing Series in-ceiling loudspeaker as in-ceiling rear surrounds to complete an RTi Series speaker system, or for superior dynamics in practically invisible multi-zone music systems.
Rotating Cam System: The speaker utilizes a rotating cam system to ensure a secure, vibration-free installation. There are four rotating cams to hold the speaker securely to the ceiling.
Note: There is an eyebolt on the back of the speaker that can be used for an extra measure of installations security.
Installation: The 50-RT can be installed in new or existing construction:
- Existing Construction: In existing ceilings, use the included cardboard template for one-cut, drop-in simplicity.
- New Construction: Pre-construction brackets (107PB450, sold separately) are available for new-build or open-ceiling retro-fitting.
Dimensions:
In-Ceiling Dimensions | Model # 50-RT |
---|---|
Overall Dimensions (with grille) | Diameter = 7.75" Depth = 9.0625" |
Cutout Dimensions | Diameter = 6.0" |
Total Mounting Depth | Depth = 8.875" |
Mounting Depth (using 1/2 drywall) | Depth = 8.625" |
The Polk Audio 50-RT replaces these items
Polk Audio LC60i
- 1" swivel-mount Ring Radiator tweeter and 6-1/2" woofer
- sound-shaping controls
- moisture-resistant design
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