Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

4 compact satellites and 1 center channel speaker

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Item# 107RM85B

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Original price $299.99

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- Polk Audio RM87 Home Theater Speaker System
- 7-satellite speaker system
- - dual-woofer front and center speakers for a fuller front soundstage
  - four compact surround speakers for wraparound sound
  - wall-mount brackets and tabletop stands included
- $499.99
- Compare discontinued and similar item

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Why choose a pre-matched speaker system?

Looking for speakers that'll deliver thrilling, edge-of-your-seat surround sound? Choosing a pre-matched speaker system is one way to ensure seamless home theater performance. These systems are made up of speakers that share the same tonal characteristics — that means the sound will stay consistent as it moves from speaker to speaker around your room. Most pre-matched systems come with a subwoofer — a must-have for high-impact bass.

Our take on the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

by James Ralston

Enjoy high-impact home theater sound with Polk's stylish, sophisticated Polk RM85. These compact, wall-mountable satellite speakers fit beautifully in most rooms, and they're a great cosmetic match for a flat-panel TV. You get two front speakers, one center channel, and two surrounds. The front speakers feature two woofers set at an angle to one another, which helps them create a large, spacious soundfield with excellent coverage to the sides. Just add a Polk powered subwoofer to complete the system, and everyone in the room will enjoy balanced, full-bodied sound.

Each stylishly sculpted speaker sports a heavy-duty, non-resonant composite enclosure. The included wall-mount brackets let you pivot the speakers up to 180 degrees, so you can easily aim them toward your listening position for the best possible performance. Each front speaker also includes a tabletop base for placement on a stand or shelf.

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Highlights:

Front speakers:

acoustic suspension (sealed) design
each handles up to 125 watts
3/4" dome tweeter
dual 2-1/2" woofers
frequency response 130-20,000 Hz (-3dB)
sensitivity 89 dB
wall-mount brackets and tabletop stands included
4-3/8"W x 7-1/2"H x 4-5/16"D

Surround speakers:

acoustic suspension (sealed) design
each handles up to 100 watts
1/2" dome tweeter
2-1/2" woofer
frequency response 140-20,000 Hz (-3dB)
sensitivity 89 dB
include wall-mount brackets
3-7/8"W x 6-1/8"H x 3-13/16"D

System specs:

video-shielded (prevents magnetic distortion on tube TVs)
black finish
warranty: 5 years
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

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Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs

General
Enclosure Loading...	Acoustic Suspension
Video Shielded Loading...	Yes
Pieces in System Loading...	5
Color Loading...	Black
Tweeter Loading...	Dome
Midrange size (inches) Loading...	N/A
Woofer size (inches) Loading...	2-1/2
Woofer Composition Loading...	Composite
Woofer Surround Loading...	Foam
Impedance (Ohms) Loading...	8
Connector Type Loading...	Spring clips
Mounting Bracket Included Loading...	Yes
Recommended Stand Height (inches) Loading...	32-36
Parts Warranty Loading...	5 Years
Labor Warranty Loading...	5 Years
Specifications
RMS Power Range (watts) Loading...	20-125
Subwoofer RMS Power (watts) Loading...	Not Given
Dimensions
Main Speakers (inches) Loading...	7-1/2H x 4-3/8W x 4-5/16D
Center Speaker (inches) Loading...	3-7/8H x 9-7/16W x 3-13/16D
Surround Speakers (inches) Loading...	6-1/8H x 3-7/8W x 3-13/16D
Subwoofer (inches) Loading...	No Subwoofer

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

2 Black RM8 satellite speakers
2 Black RM7 satellite speakers
1 Black RM8 center channel
5 Plastic mounting bracket
2 Plastic RM8 satellite speaker stands
1 Plastic center channel cradle
5 Mounting bolts
10 Wood screws
Instruction booklet
Template for wall mounting satellite speakers
Template for wall mounting center channel speaker
Online product registration sheet
Polk Audio brochure

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

System Components: The Polk Audio RM85 home theater speaker system is a 5-channel speaker system that includes two identical wide dispersion array satellites, two direct radiating satellite speakers and a matching center channel speaker.

Additional Speakers: If you wish to use the RM85 for a 6 or 7channel surround sound system, you can purchase an additional 107RM7CB/107RM8CB single center channel speaker or 107RM7B/107RM8B satellite speakers to fill out your speaker requirements.

Driver Technology
Enclosure Design
Connections
Mounting Options

Driver Technology

Dynamic Balance: Dynamic Balance is a proprietary Polk Audio technology using laser imaging to determine what combination of speaker materials create the least amount of resonance. Eliminating resonance in speakers results in a wide, smooth response and low distortion.

Center Channel Speaker (Center): The RM85's center channel speaker consists of two 2-1/2" dynamic balance composite cone drivers and a 3/4" silk/polymer composite dome tweeter for full-bodied sound.

Wide Dispersion Array Satellites (Fronts): The RM85's wide dispersion array satellite speakers create a more enveloping, less localizable surround effect because the speakers drivers are mounted on opposing baffles for a broader and larger front-stage sound field and a more immersive and atmospheric surround field. The speaker features two 2-1/2" dynamic balance composite drivers mounted on different sides of the speaker's enclosure and one 3/4" silk/polymer composite dome tweeter for rich, real life imaging.

Direct Radiating Satellites (Surrounds): The RM85's direct radiating satellite speakers consist of one 2-1/2 dynamic balance composite cone drivers and a 1/2" dynamic balance composite semi-dome tweeter for distortion free and smooth sound.

Enclosure Design

Enclosure: The RM85 satellite speakers and center channel feature an acoustic suspension, non-resonant composite enclosure with a high-gloss black finish for great looks and natural sound. The three-sided cabinet design minimizes the visual impact on walls and shelves while the integrated baffle and anti-diffraction grille design allows maximum sound dispersion with minimum diffraction for superior imaging and room-filling sound.

Connections

Speaker Terminals: The spring clip terminals located on the rear of the direct radiating satellite speakers and center channel and on the bottom of the array satellite speakers will accept pin connectors and bare wire.

Mounting Options

Video Shielded: The RM85 satellite speakers and center channel are magnetically (or video) shielded for safe placement near your TV or computer monitor without causing picture interference.

Mounting Options: The RM85 wide dispersion array satellite speakers feature a removable base which allows you to place the speakers on a shelf or table top. The base adds approximately 0.4375" to the height of the speaker. The array satellite speakers can also be wall mounted using the supplied wall mount bracket which lets you rotate the speaker horizontally. The RM85 direct radiating satellite speakers can be placed on a shelf or table top without a stand due to their flat base. The satellite speakers can also be wall mounted using the supplied wall mount brackets which allow the speakers to swivel horizontally. In addition, the RM85 satellite speakers are compatible with Polk's SA-3 floor speaker-stands. The RM85 center channel can be placed on a shelf or table top with the supplied mounting stand and can be angled up or down. The center channel speaker can also be wall mounted using the supplied wall mount bracket. The center channel's fixed wall mount bracket does not angle or swivel.

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Reviews for the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

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4 out of 5

Great Speakers and horrid Speaker Mounts

Written By Andy, Indiana on Thursday, March 04, 2010

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

First off, these speakers are fantastic. The speakers sound great and I would
recommend them to anybody who wanted to purchase a surround system for around
$500. The speakers sound top notch.

Now to the bad, for some inexplicable reason Polk has created the worst set of speaker
mounting brackets imaginable (all but center). This is in complete contrast to the high
quality of the speakers.

The problem arises when you go to adjust the speaker's direction, swiveling it on the
bolt axis. When the speaker is turned, 1 of two things happen: the bolt will tighten to the
point you can no longer turn the speaker or the bolt will loosen and the speaker will be
free to wobble. Neither of these are reasonable results considering how common and
critical this task is. I was able to fix this issue reasonably well by using a lock washer. I
hope this review helps.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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4 out of 5

Awesome little guys

Written By Anonymous, Santa Clarita, CA on Saturday, February 20, 2010

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

First of all I'm a big polk mobile audio guy and have found their mobile products to be of
the highest quality for their price. I now feel the same way about their home audio
speakers. Speaker housings and speakers themself are of the highest quality.
Speakers do not distort even at high levels. One thing that is immediately noticable is
the heavy weight of these speakers and excellent craftsmanship. Only thing I wished
were improved were the spring clip terminals that others have already commented on.
The clips work fine, but they do not accept a thick gauge of wire and they seem of a
lessor quality component on what my opinion is a high quality speaker. Oh and the
smaller rear speakers worked perfectly fine for my room application (approx. 12' x 12'
room).

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Great Speakers

Written By soler, Florida on Friday, January 22, 2010

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I like these speakers. They aren't as good as the high dollar speakers, but for the money, they work really well. I only have left-center-right hooked up for now along with my Polk Audio PSW125 subwoofer, but that's all I need right now in my small apartment. The free sub (or credit towards a better one) is a great deal. Dialogue is clear, action sounds crisp. I have an older Sony amp that I'm using (100 watt) that drives these speakers well.

If I was rating these against other speakers, like the Bose systems, I wouldn't rate these a five. But these are great speakers on a bit of a budget. I'm never going to spend over a thousand dollars on speakers anyway. So, in a nutshell, for the money, these look and sound great. And the fact that they come with wall mounts is a bit of a bonus.

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5 out of 5

Perfect!

Written By Andrew, Grand Rapids, MI on Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I bought these little speakers to place in my new entertainment stand paired with a new 47" LG TV. I have a full 7.1 surround system with my home theater in the basement of my home, so my goal was to have a nice sounding system for my everyday TV viewing upstairs in the family room. I wanted something small and stylish looking but also wanted a good sound. I was blown away when I first heard these speakers in my room. Excellent sound quality. I didnt think you could get that kind of full sound with such small speakers. I powered this speaker package with a Denon AVR-1609 and used a Polk PSW111 Subwoofer. What a perfect combination. These speakers must be used with a sub. The best small speaker system you could ever want.

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4 out of 5

Heavy (in a good sense) little guys ( :

Written By Mikey, Boise, Id on Sunday, June 21, 2009

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

POLK RM 85 - VERY impressed with the front three. The rears are definitely
a smaller speaker. I would seriously consider paying the extra $100 and
upgrading to the RM95 to have left and right speakers match front and
rear. -Maybe I just haven't heard a great 5.1 audio yet, though, through
the RM85 rear speakers.

Everybody complements on how heavy the speakers are in comparison to
what they think the speakers will weigh based on their small size.

14 AWG speaker wire is really a hassle and too big for these speakers'
spring clip terminal. If running wire less than 80 feet don't go larger than
16 gauge otherwise your going to have a hassle trying to get the speaker
wire in the speakers. Yes, you could buy some pin connectors but the
cheap ones are, well.cheap and even more of a hassle than the shear size
of 14 AWG wire. And Monster pin connectors are two expensive to justify
buying especially if you have 5 speakers to wire, although the Monster pin
connecters do look awesome and like they would do the trick. I refuse to
use anything but Banana plugs when wiring receivers and speakers and
unfortunately these speakers are too small to have binding post for
banana plug connectors. -Anywho, I digress.POLK ROCKS!!!

3 out of 4 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

Written By John, Fort Wayne, IN on Friday, April 10, 2009

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

This is a great little set of speakers, good power handling in a compact package. What a difference in sound from my older system. Very crisp, clean, well defined soundstage. Only wish is that the mounting brackets had more flexibility to allow tilting in addition to swiveling. But the fact mounting brackets were even included is a plus.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Great sound in a small package

Written By Cyle, Minneapolis, MN on Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Despite the small size of these speakers, the sound quality is amazing. The included stands and wall brackets made this a wise purchase since wall brackets can run about $20.00 a piece. If Polk audio was to do anything to improve this speaker set, they could keep the speakers the same size, but I would like to see dual-woofers placed on the rear speakers as the front ones have to allow a more fuller sound. The RM95 takes care of this problem, but I don't believe the one speaker upgrade is worth another $100.00.

2 out of 2 people found this helpful

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4 out of 5

polk 85

Written By Magmoto, houston on Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I like these speakers - easy to install - small and discrete and will take alot of power without distorting. The room I put these into was a bedroom, not as big as a normal home theater so I was working with limited space. Satelites were important - all were wall mounted and somwhat hidden.

The speakers in my opinion are a nice balanced system especially considering the price range I was working with. All in all a very good value.

I see the only weakness here on the system is it's tendency to have a little tin sound and the front center channel I would have liked to seen an option to get a bit beefier upgrade. Although as front channels go in this price range I don't think there is a better one.

I put a polk 12 inch sub which really helped fill out the low end nicely and give the punch needed to make the overall system fun.

Overall the system works well for movies (you do hear the seperation and surrond effect), TV and even does a respectable job when listening to music.

3 out of 4 people found this helpful

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4 out of 5

keep the wife happy

Written By David M, La Crosse Wi on Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Wanted awesome sound for the new 36" flat panel TV.
The wife said no behemoth speakers.
I allready had a subwoofer and amp.
So I got this "set" the front rm-8's are slighty bigger and more jazzy than the rm-7's the center channel is nice, small perhaps a tad wimpy it sits in a little "cradle" (if not wall mounted) thats cool easy to dust around. Music sounds great (turn down the center channel tho!)
Placement and reciever setup is critical in the 5.1 surround.
I have allways found heavy speakers sound better, these little guys are like lead. I did not wall mount them and the little 3 legged stand stand is very nice. Guess I am happy not blown away, however when you turn them up and look at there size its like, wow those little boxes can do that!
If you like the big boom with the light midrange and a splash of high tin thrown in you will love these little guys + awesome looking.
Much better than the "elcheapo" discount store combos

6 out of 7 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Dave B.

Written By Dave, Cicero, NY on Monday, March 03, 2008

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I am very happy with these speakers. I upgraded from the standard Sony speakers that came with my receiver several years ago. The sound quality is a tremendous improvement: the clarity of the music and movie effects particularly at high volumes is great. I am sure there are better speakers out there, but I am definitely got my money's worth.

4 out of 4 people found this helpful

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4 out of 5

Not bad

Written By Michael, Richmond, Va on Monday, January 28, 2008

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I am impressed with the quality of the speakers, I am running the 5 along with a Polk Sub off of a Panasonic Reciever (XR57K). [16 guage speaker wire w/pins & Sanus HTb3 stands] Note: The speakers screw-in-connector is located on the bottom of the speaker, hence it's important to have the proper stands and connectors. If using pins on the end of speaker wire, angled pins fit best.

The center speaker is a bit weak but for apartment dwellers like myself it will suffice. The speakers produce a clean crisp sound and are quite stylish. (Even the wife likes)

Crutchfield was great to work with on this purchase and the order shipped promptly with no problems. I had selected a sub (Which is being offered for free presently) in a cherry color which was way too red in color, so on Friday I made arrangements to return it. A UPS return tag was issued me, I put it in the post that afternoon and on Tuesday I received the replacement sub at no cost for shipping.

I also had questions about connections and received a prompt response from their free support team.

Overall I would say great speakers for a small but open living room. Perfect for apartment dwellers.

39 out of 41 people found this helpful

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1-11 of 11

Add accessories for the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

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You'll need speaker wire to connect your speakers to your receiver. Most speaker systems don't include any wire. See all categories & accessories

Speaker Wire without Connectors

Speaker Shelves

Monster XP® Speaker cable with clear jacket, connectors optional (50 feet)

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Your Price: $34.95

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AudioQuest X2 Speaker Cable 14-gauge cable, connectors optional (50 feet, White)

9 people say

Your Price: $94.99

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Monster XP® Navajo White MkII Speaker cable (50 feet)

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AudioQuest G2 Speaker Cable 16-gauge cable, connectors optional (50 feet, Gray)

8 people say

Your Price: $64.99

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Monster XPHP™ MKII Speaker cable with clear jacket (50 feet)

5 people say

Your Price: $49.95

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Arista 16-Gauge Speaker Cable (50-feet)

5 people say

Your Price: $14.99

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Center Stage Bracket CSB-1206-BLK Small speaker shelf for flat-panel TVs

23 people say

Your Price: $49.99

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Center Stage Bracket CSB-1205-BLK Ultra-slim speaker shelf for flat-panel TVs

9 people say

Your Price: $49.99

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Center Stage CSB-1005-ADJ Adjustable speaker shelf kit for flat-panel TVs

2 people say

Your Price: $65.99

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Rated 5-stars by consumers

For a more in-depth review and enhanced detailed information on the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/S-zY77NEH2zSz/p_107RM85B/Polk-Audio-RM85-Home-Theater-Speaker-System.html ).

Sorry, the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System is no longer available for purchase.

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Looking for a similar item?

Polk Audio RM87 Home Theater Speaker System

$499.99

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Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

4 compact satellites and 1 center channel speaker

Item# 107RM85B offer details

Review Summary

By buying this product you'll earn up to 300 Rewards points.

Why choose a pre-matched speaker system?

Our take on the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

by James Ralston

Highlights:

Front speakers:

Center channel speaker:

Surround speakers:

System specs:

Shop all Polk Audio Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and Specs

Product Research

Our Product Research Team

Driver Technology

Enclosure Design

Connections

Mounting Options

Product Reviews

Reviews for the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

Average Customer Review:

Review this product:

Crutchfield Video Review Guidelines

Filter by rating:

Great Speakers and horrid Speaker Mounts

Awesome little guys

Great Speakers

Perfect!

Heavy (in a good sense) little guys ( :

Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

Great sound in a small package

polk 85

keep the wife happy

Dave B.

Not bad

Accessories

Add accessories for the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System

You'll need speaker wire to connect your speakers to your receiver. Most speaker systems don't include any wire. See all categories & accessories

Smart people protect with SquareTrade- The best warranty at the best price

Sorry, the Polk Audio RM85 Home Theater Speaker System is no longer available for purchase.

Looking for a similar item?

Polk Audio RM87 Home Theater Speaker System

$499.99

Or, you can still...