Customer Reviews

Polk Audio RM85 5-Channel Home Theater System (Set of Five, Black)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a Samsung home theater in a box setup for three or four years and was only satisfied with the sound quality. It wasn't great but it was better than not having surround sound at all. I purchased these Polk satellite speakers about six months ago (maybe a little longer, my memory isn't perfect) after I had upgraded my receiver from the HTIB unit to a Yamaha receiver. I ran that receiver on the HTIB speakers and passive sub and thought it was an good improvement. A little while after that I found a really incredible deal I couldn't pass up on a 10-inch active Polk Audio PSW110 sub that drastically improved the sound even further. The problem with that purchase was that the low end wasn't matched to the highs and mids. A little while later I was doing research on some speakers and ran across the Polk Audio RM75 satellite speakers. I always do a lot of online research before I make a final decision so when I was looking at the Polk website for the RM75s I noticed the Polk Audio RM85 set. Whether I was suckered into it through the good marketing prose or not, I felt the RM85s were worth the extra money so I waited for a good deal and got them very soon after that. What a difference these RM85s make hooked up with the Polk PSW110 sub. The tonal quality of the matched speakers is incredible. For satellite speakers they reproduce a very good frequency range. I recently was listening to an A/V podcast that was talking about Audyssey MultiEQ room correction technology so I started looking for receivers with this technology. There are quite a few in price ranges that I don't want to invest in personally but I found a Denon AVR-591 5.1 Channel A/V Home Theater Receiver that was reasonably priced. That has completely changed the listening experience and taken it to a completely different level than I've ever had before. The combination of the Polk RM85 satellite speakers, the Polk PSW110 active sub and the Denon AVR-591 receiver with Audyssey MultiEQ room correction technology has been the best thing that has happened to my home theater ever! I can't imagine my room environment sounding any better than it does right now. I highly recommend these speakers.

These speakers easily fill my enclosed bonus room that is over 400 sq ft with 10ft ceilings. The center channel holds its own even during action scenes. The left and right fronts do an excellent job of filling the room even though they are located twenty feet from one another and about twenty feet from my seating position. The speakers produce excellent and clear highs. Though small, the speakers have heft. Their appearance is sleek (my wife definitely approves). A subwoofer is surely needed. These paired well with my Klipsch 10'' sub. Movies sound VERY good.

I gave the speakers four stars because I'm not sure if they measure up to another set of speakers in their price range (Klipsch Quintet III's). For starters, the Quintets can handle more power and have binding posts instead of spring clips. Also, the dual-driver (two way) technology used in the left and right front speakers of the Polks is NOT used in the rear surrounds. In the case of the Quintet III's, every satellite is the same. That being said, if you can find a killer deal on the Polks like I did - pull the trigger!

After a couple of months now, I am even more pleased with this system than on "day 1". Any audiophile knows that it takes a bit of tweaking to get system components working smoothly. I get nothing but praise from family and friends. The sound compliments my new projection HD system. Only the actual theater beats it. Now planning to upgrade to 7.1 from 5.1 so that I can hear all the nuances from "Doubt" and "Slumdog" soundtracks.

I like the fact that Polk has such a wide variety of compatible options. I think I will get another pair of RM8's to add to my RM85 setup.

When I bought my system, I got a free Polk subwoofer. Blows away my Sony subwoofer. Any subwoofer can "boom", but the Polk seems to pleasantly glide down another octave when the deepest basss is required (this is all subjective - I haven't got any measurements to back this up). Bottom line. The system just sounds good - on all kinds of music, especially live piano, violin, voice, brass instruments,and drums.

The only negative - this system does not sound good to me with synthesized ambience, such as "concert", "jazz", provided on my receiver. Sounds like you are in a box. I avoid all that artificial sound and just use the natural Dolby or THX or other surround processing for awesome sound.

I have always been a fan of Polk sound and these speakers continue to earn my praise. My only issue is I realized I clicked "purchase" too quickly and I could have gotten the 95's for $15 more... Basic difference is you get four bi-polar speakers with more kick rather than just the two. Bottom-line great speakers just make sure there isn't a better deal out there on a more complete set.

I bought these to go with a 7.1 Onkyo receiver. GREAT SOUND! They look good too.

Pros:

* Five star high range

* Four star mid range

* Sleek look

* Compact

* Heavy for their size

* Solid construction

Cons:

* There is no bass to speak of. You definitely need a sub. I'd be dumb not to know that going into this, but didn't have the extra cash at the time of purchase.

I may add on a 12" sub in the future and some RTI A1 bookshelf speakers for for better mids down the road.

Reviewing speaker systems is very subjective. There are a lot of variables that can affect the sound quality and the user experience. So when it came time to replace my old surround speakers the first thing I did was go out and audition as many systems as I could. After listening to all different types of speakers, I settled on Polk Audio. Why? Because their speakers consistently sounded better to my ears. I also liked the design of the RM8 with it's wide dispersion driver array. These would make perfect left/right speakers in my new system. The center channel speaker is really solid and comes with a stand so you can adjust the angle to your needs. The RM7's are perfect small back speakers that I have hidden in plan sight and my wife didn't complain. Of course the proof is in the listening and this system doesn't disappoint as long as you have a sub hooked up. The sound quality for movies or music is superb at all volume levels. I've not pushed the speakers at all because they are efficient enough and don't require excessive power to make them sing. I have a small area that I'm covering with this system, so if you have one of those giant living/media areas, you might need a larger system.

Have had these up and going for about 3 weeks. They are absoulutly great sounding for the money. Useing an old JBL sub with them and they pair great. Wall mounts are a great addition to this packadge. Would recommend to anyone not wanting to spend the high dollars for a Bose,etc.

I got a set of RM85 for my new theater room. Despite the small size, they fill up the room easily with lifelike sound and defined image. With Blu-Ray and Dolby TruHD, I felt like right in the big scene. I tried Bose before but it's not even close. Plus, the Polk Audio RM85 price is only half of the Bose.

Great sound for the price. Have them on a Yamaha RX-V363 receiver with a "cheap" Jensen subwoofer in a small apt. the two RM8 front speakers give it a fuller sound than the RM75 series. one drawback is that the spring clips barely fit my 16 gauge speaker wires. aside from that, very satisfied with this set

I recently purchased a polk RM85 surround system and I'm very pleased with the quality the craftmanship and above all the the sound quality. I'll recomend these speakers to one 5 stars on all categories.