About the Polk Audio 65 RT
Polk knows great sound from a hole in the wall
Polk knows great sound from a hole in the wall
Researching the amp, running the wire, cutting the drywall. Everything about your system says "commitment." After all that, why get just any in-wall speaker when you can have Polk's 65-RT? It's packed with Polk engineering and design expertise, from the stealth Sheer-Grille™ down to the laser-tuned Dynamic Balance® drivers. Backed with a lifetime warranty, this speaker will delight for years and years.
Vanishing speaker, prominent tone
Visually speaking the 65-RT is quite modest. It has a paintable magnetic grille that mounts flush with the surface of your wall. But look out. You get a 6-1/2" woofer dishing out solid mids and bass, and a 1" pivoting silk dome tweeter reproducing crystalline highs. It all leads to accurate, realistic sound when you fire up an action-packed movie or a track from your favorite band.
Bundle up
Grab a pair of 65-RTs for striking stereo sound. Or mix and match them with other members of Polk's Vanishing RT in-wall and in-ceiling speakers for seamless surround sound. The 65-RT matches well with Polk's floor-standing and bookshelf speakers, so you can put together a system mixing custom-installed and more traditional "box" speakers.
An optional in-wall bracket is recommended for installing the 65RT in a new home under 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 50-25,000 Hz (-3dB)
- 1" pivoting silk/polymer dome tweeter
- 6-1/2" Dynamic Balance® woofer
- handles up to 125 watts
- sensitivity 90 dB
- 8-ohm impedance
- paintable Sheer-Grille for stealth installation
- cutout: 7-1/4" x 12-3/4"
- mounting depth: 3-1/8"
- warranty: lifetime
- MFR # AW6500-A
What's in the box:
Polk Audio 65 RT owner's manual
- Rectangular in-wall speaker
- Foam rubber port plug
- White metal grille
- Mounting template
- Owner's Manual
- Sheer-Grille Painting instructions
- Online Registration Card
- Polk Audio product brochure
Reviews (66)
Customer reviews for Polk Audio 65 RT
Loading reviews...
Average review:
5.0 out of 5 starsThanks for submitting your review
Customer photos
This review was collected as part of a promotion
Pros:
Cons:
More details on the Polk Audio 65 RT

Features & specs
Features | ||
---|---|---|
Quantity in Package | Single | |
Tweeter | Soft-Dome | |
Aimable Tweeter | Yes | |
Woofer Composition | Polymer Composite | |
Woofer Surround | Rubber | |
Connector Type | Spring post | |
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 | 1 | |
Midrange Size | N/A | |
Woofer Size | 6.5 | |
Speaker Shape | Rectangle | |
Cutout Width | 7.25 | |
Cutout Height | 12.75 | |
Mounting Depth | 3.625 | |
Power Range (Watts) | 10-125 | |
Sensitivity | 90 dB | |
Impedance (Ohms) | 8 | |
Frequency Response | 50-25kHz | |
Parts Warranty | Lifetime | |
Labor Warranty | Lifetime |
Product Research
Features
2-Way Driver Design: The Polk 65-RT in-wall speaker employs a 2-way driver design that features a 1" Dynamic Balance silk polymer composite dome tweeter and one 6.5" Dynamic Balance mineral composite poplypropylene cone woofer. The overall frequency response of the in-wall speaker is 32Hz to 27kHz, and the -3dB frequency response is 50 to 25kHz.
- Silk Dome Tweeter: The speaker employs a 1" Dynamic Balance silk polymer composite dome tweeter for crisp, clear imaging. The high-performance tweeter features a 15° swivel housing, for more direct high frequency control, excellent off-axis imaging and more placement flexibility.
- Woofer: The 65-RT in-wall loudspeaker employs a 6.5" Dynamic Balance mineral composite polypropylene cone woofer with a rubber surround for a smooth, consistent frequency response. The driver features a lightweight, strong composite basket that works in conjunction with Klippel Optimization to keep moving parts in rigid alignment while further damping performance-robbing resonances.
Note: The Polk Audio Vanishing Series in-wall loudspeakers are timbre-matched to Polk Audio's high-performance RTi bookshelf and floor-standing loudspeakers. This allows you to match them to an existing Polk Audio home theater speaker system and enjoy seamless blending from speaker to speaker. Timbre-matched speaker components will insure the same true response throughout your system.
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-wall loudspeaker.
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 (3500-6000Hz) where room acoustics most often interfere with performance. The switch has two settings:
- Filter 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 Filter 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.
PowerPort Bass Venting: The 65-RT features Polk Audio's patented PowerPort Bass Venting. The oblong-shaped port has rounded edges which smooth air turbulence at the mouth of the port to eliminate distortion. A foam rubber port plug is included, and should be inserted when the speaker is installed in an area larger than a standard open stud bay. Infinite Baffle Tuning uses the virtual enclosure of the in-wall space for deep bass response and superior overall sound.
Wafer-Thin Sheer-Grille: The Polk Audio Vanishing Series in-wall 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 wall. Brushes or rollers should not be used to paint the grille, as this will clog the perf holes.
Gold-Plated Spring-Loaded Posts: The 65-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.
Applications: You can use the Polk Audio Vanishing Series in-wall loudspeaker as stealth side or rear surround speakers in an RTi theater system setup, 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 six rotating cams to hold the speaker securely to the wall. The 65-RT can be installed in new or existing construction:In existing walls, use the included cardboard template for one-cut, drop-in simplicity. Pre-construction brackets (sold separately) are available for new-build or open-wall retro-fitting.
Overall Dimensions (with grille) | Width = 8.875" Height = 14.375" |
Cutout Dimensions | Width = 7.25" Height = 12.75" |
Product Depth | Depth = 3.625" |
Mounting Depth (using 1/2" drywall) | Depth = 3.125" |
Loading accessories...
Customer Q&A
13 questions already asked
Loading articles...
These were installed as back channel speaker (7.1) Extremely pleased with ease of installation and sound quality. Built in filters for near wall reflection and cavity constraints a plus. Way easy to pop into the wall and clean looking once installed.
Cspann from Maryland