Customer Reviews

You Need Sufficient Power (As I Learned)!

I have a two channel setup for music only, that includes a Yamaha A-S501 amp, two Polk 75t speakers, Technics SL-1210 MK2 turntable, Pro-ject Tube Box DS preamp, Onkyo CD changer and Bluetooth from an old Samsung phone. The system sounds very good as is but I wanted clearer vocals and midrange for my vinyl. Bass output of the 75t's was good. I received the R500's from Crutchfield and decided to only test one R500 against a 75t. I put almost 30 hours on the new R500 prior to the comparison. Once I started the comparison, I realized my amp was struggling so I replaced the S501 with a Yamaha RX-V1400 home theater receiver from the bedroom. WOW! Both speakers woke up! The R500 produced clearer vocals that sounded great which is what I was after. The 75t had midrange that seemed as good as the R500 and better bass than the R500. In my case the improved power of the RX-V1400 was the missing link. Both speakers came to life. It woke up my 75t's to a sound level I had not expected. The R500's are a GREAT speaker. I really liked the clearer vocals it produced over the 75t, which is what made this a rough decision. But I could not justify the difference in cost to upgrade to the R500 over my current 75t's. Just make sure your power supply is sufficient to power these R500's or whatever you decide on. Thank you to Crutchfield for your excellent support and input. I enclosed a picture of the R500 next to my 75t.

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Fantastic speakers for music and home theater!

I purchased these speakers about eight months ago to use as "hybrid" speakers for both home theater and music listening. I was initially skeptical, having only experienced Polk's lower-end products and unsure if their higher-priced models could compete with other brands with more history and prestige. However, I'm amazed by how they sound. Music is crisp and clear, with no feeling of strain or being overworked. I have them connected to a Sonos Amp, which powers them perfectly. The EQ is set flat, and for me, they sound flawless. Movies are incredibly lifelike, and dialogue is much easier to understand compared to TV speakers or even many high-end soundbars. You can't beat the physics of large drivers in a well-designed enclosure. The only issue I encountered was related to my room. The bass was booming, so I added a dedicated subwoofer and plugged the ports on the back of the speakers with cotton rags. This resolved the issue, but if I had more space to move them away from the wall, it wouldn't have been a problem. These speakers produce ample bass on their own if you don't want a subwoofer or have close neighbors. One minor issue was that the grilles were different colors - one was a flat dark gray, the other a heathered gray. I contacted Polk's warranty support, and they promptly sent a new set that matches perfectly. These speakers are fantastic, and many reviews say they punch above their weight class, which I can absolutely confirm.

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100% Thrilled with these

I am beyond thrilled that this is the speaker system I selected. I was replacing some older Ohm Walsh2's and the R500 was about as large as would fit well in my room, and I am just in love with the sound. I was "babying" my older speakers by listening in 5.1 with the satellites and center channel carrying much of the load to maintain good sound. (Those Walsh2's were amazing for creating that wow spatial spread in the system however.) I was concerned that I might miss that luscious depth the Ohm's provide, however I'm not really missing that as the R500's just sound pure, accurate and full to me. Now I am back to listening in 2 channel and it's wonderful, or with the sub and either way the sound is great. The sub definitely helps the bass with some music, but with other tracks it's quite good without. Either way, I am THRILLED-THRILLED-THRILLED with these and their build quality -- very solid and high-end construction and the speaker packaging for shipping is off the charts. Crutchfield was awesome on the customer service side and the shipping... I just couldn't be happier and am busy rediscovering my love of hi-fi audio and just bought a couple of new CD's I want to listen to on these... and I hadn't purchased any new music in YEARS. These speakers are an incredible value for what you get for the money.

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Polk Audio Reserve R500

The sound and look excellent. The room is not big and they still need to warm up a bit, but they sounded out of the box beautifully both with lossless streaming and with vinyl. Base is nice and smooth. I am still adjusting them to the room, but so far no complaints.

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Good advise, and great products.

I am not a first time customer, I have shopped at C several times over the years, I come back because like to ask questions, and I want straight answers, and I always get that at C. My advisor, Fox, listened to my goals, my room size, then recommended the R500. The staff at C know what they are talking about. Because I was open to a Sub, Fox said 500's will do the job very well with a good Polk sub. I probably would have bought 600's and no sub without his advise. He was so right! Two R500's plus an HTS 12 sub, makes for one heck of a combo! WOW! I am more than pleased. Sound is clear, powerful, crisp, light, hearing some subtle notes for the very first time. I like most all 'good music' Metallica to Pavarotti, SRV, to Cash. Only one little thing, the speaker connection on the sub seemed 'small' because the speaker cable fit loose on it. I even tried swapping the cable end for end. The only solution I could think of is to 'egg shape' the $28.00 sub cable connection slightly with a pair of pliers so it fits tighter, I did, and it does. In the end, all good. My transaction included: a great advisor with perfect advise, prompt delivery, product well packaged for shipping, Speakers with solid quality construction, they look great, and deliver fantastic sound. I am again a happy Crutchfield customer.

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Crutchfield response on

Polk Audio Reserve R500

Stunning bass depth for a speaker with 5 1/4" drivers. - Excellent resolution and detail. These speakers define well vocals, explosions ,ect when you listen through the HDMI-E ARC- or Optic of the TV, but really shine on the whole spectrum no matter what kind of music from Enya to Def Leppard. Awesome liked?? .

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Worthy of Consideration in the Reserve Series

So far, I love these speakers. I was impressed by the reviews I had watched about the Polk Reserve Series. Sean at Zero Fidelity reviewed the R500s in particular. I wanted tower speakers and this model fit my room & budget. I am currently driving these with a Marantz NR1200 Receiver. I find these have sufficient bass (and I like bass.) These speakers have a full sound. I may experiment with adding a sub down the road but I don't feel it is necessary. The speakers are attractive and well built. (I have the Midnight Black). The top end has clarity but it is not fatiguing. I just recently listened to one of the Duet CD's from Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, and both of their voices sounded great. I am still experimenting with placement and followed Sean's suggestion of using 1 inch cutting boards as a base for the speakers, to tighten bass response. It was a definite improvement in my opinion. I'm 50 years old and haven't built a real 2-channel set up since college. I am very happy with my choice of the R500s. Crutchfield has helped me with a couple of ordering adjustments and their customer service staff is absolutely top notch. For this reason I plan to continue buying from Crutchfield in the future.

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Crutchfield response on

Polk Audio Reserve R500

Build system with Onkyo TX-NR696 receiver ,Polk R300 center, Polk R500 front, R100 rear channel. Wow! Building a media room around the system. Everything sounds clean and crisp, from Mozart to Tool. Couldn't be happier with the system and the service from Crutchfield.

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Decent value when on sale

I give 5 stars for the overall value and positive qualities mentioned in other reviews, but these are my least favorite of the Reserve series speakers that I've heard (r200 and r600). I bought these to avoid buying stands for the R200. But even more than r200, they are very sensitive to positioning. Too far out they sound thin, too close to the wall they sound muddy. I had a hard time getting the balance right when I just wanted to enjoy the speakers. And at their best, the R500s sound like nice budget speakers. Nothing more. For whatever reason, the R200 just seemed to have a more pleasing fun sound, and have only slightly less bass extension. The r600s have a down firing port and are easier to position. The r600s also have a deeper, more robust sound and can be had for only a little more. These offer good value and might be the best looking speakers in the series, but imo there are better overall options in the series.

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I had a checklist. I'm keeping these

My ~20-year-old Canadian towers have a generally nice/open sound, but recent ARC Genesis measurements confirmed my experience of top-end brightness. I was also jaded with the "square black box" look. Anyway, I was curious about the Polk Reserve line given the online praise for all models, and I had been meaning to try bookshelf speakers, since my old towers are big for my current space. However, I don't like the bookshelf + stand look, and I have a toddler to worry about. What to do? The R500s seemed like the perfect trade-off, and the brown finish with rounded corners is a great match four our living room. IMO these slim towers produce a very pleasant and detailed sound, without crossing into "distracting levels of detail" territory. They also do interesting things with movie soundtracks (I intentionally stick to a simple 2.1 setup) where I will hear things to my sides and sometimes even behind me (!) I must explain that I've been using IsoAcoustics GAIAs for a couple years now, so when I initially unpacked and listened to the R500s with the stock footers, something sounded odd to me. I really wish the stock Polk spikes used standard thread sizes, but unfortunately, I had to remove the Polk outriggers altogether so that I could install a spare set of outriggers with standard ¼-20 threads. Problem solved - And things sounded "effortless" again (clearly, I've gotten used to whatever the GAIAs do). Bottom line: These things deliver what I was looking for, so I'm

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Crutchfield response on

Polk Audio Reserve R500

You won't get better service anywhere. Quality and price are excellent!

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Polk Audio Reserve R500

I initially ordered the center channel, R350, which I love for television. I wanted the matching right and left channel is a 3.1 system. Visually these are beautiful, modern speakers. They are warm with terrific bass. They have excellent dispersion and make a wonderful home theater. Highly recommended for home theater.

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Could Not Be Happier

This is the second pair of R500s. Unfortunately, the first pair both had cabinet defects from Manufacturing...Crutchfield quickly issued a RMA. I also received numerous offers directly from Polk to replace, but, I had already returned to CF...Yes, great customer service from both companies. Once a restock shipment was received by Crutchfield, I decided to give them another chance. Am I happy I believe in second chances. I had been looking for a small format solution for audio in my office and the R500s are beyond satisfying. I also bought a Jamo Concert 9 center channel. Both are driven by a legacy Harman Kardon Amp/Receiver that has been in my attic for 15 years that was designed as a 3.1 channel AVR. The amp puts out 50 Watts per channel and with this configuration I feel as though I work in the center of a sound studio. I literally could not be happier. The styling (white was a requirement for me), the soundstage (audiophile here), and the subtle, almost understated presence make the full spectrum of satisfaction. The most surprising aspect is the clarity remains throughout - even at excessive volume levels. Am delighted with the lows, so likely will not include a subwoofer. I feel this way and it has only been just over 24 hours since they were delivered. Polk and Crutchfield - Thank you for being there supporting the market for those of us most interested in clarity and reproduction accuracy without having to take out a second mortgage.

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Crutchfield response on

Polk Audio Reserve R500

Based on the price this is an easy five stars. I tried the Polk L600's and those sounded fantastic but the bass response flat out over powered my room (13' by 17' with angled ceilings). I wanted a speaker that gave me the midrange and detail of the Polk L600 but with a better balance of bass in my room. These hit the nail on the head in that regard. Very good detail, better than expected resolution (actually great resolution regardless), and low bass that is pretty astonishing for a floor standing speaker with two 5 1/4" drivers. Set up correctly and with the right equipment these produce a very spacious, slightly warm, presentation with incredible bass extensions. I wouldn't call it the most nuanced bass response but it is solid, linear, and zero bloat (again, if set up correctly in the room). I debated getting the R600's in lieu of the R500's but the 500's seem to be a very good match for the room. I own a pair of what would be considered high end speakers and I prefer the R500. One thing I will add is I'm getting these results due in no small part to the quality of electronics being used. I'm using with electronics that offer high power and current giving these things amazing punch and bass control. If the intent is to connect to a lower powered receiver I'm certain they will have wonderful sound but you may not be getting everything these speakers can do. It's positively astonishing what Polk has been able to do with the Reserve Line of speakers at this price poin

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Crutchfield response on

Polk Audio Reserve R500

My wife loves the looks! I love the sound!

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