Customer Reviews

Polk Audio CS10 Center Channel Speaker (Single, Cherry)

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this center channel at Circuit city today. I paired it with a Sony STR DG520, Bose Acoustimass 10 cube surround sound speakers, Acoustic Audio PSW10. I have since played Transformers, Normal TV (digital cable), Halo 3, and Music Channel TV stations, and FM radio through it. I also listened to this against the $200 Bose Center channel, $250 Klipsch, $230 Boston Acoustic, and cheaper $110Polk Center Channel. The Polk was better than the Bose Center Channel as well as their cheaper $110 Center channel. I think the Klipsch sounded better than the polk I bought and the Boston Acoustic sounded about the same.. Hard to tell the difference between the Boston Acoustic and Polk CS10.

Overall this center channel sounds great. It livens up the music, movies are very clear and vivid sounding. There are better center channels out there.. But for the money I have not found one. I was looking for the cheapest good sounding center channel and I found it.

When I bought a 50" HDTV a few years ago, I bought an all in one home theater package. The type you typically see in the $300-$400 Range. The surround was fun, but for listening to music it was pretty muddy. I decided to put together a better system. I started with a Yamaha Rx-V663 receiver and a pair of Polk Tsi-200 bookshelf speakers. Had I stopped there, I would have been very satisfied with that system for music. I listen to a broad range of music, but I have a strong preference for acoustic. And for that the 200s were very impressive for a bookshelf size speaker. I ended up with a whole Polk system. A 111 woofer, the CS10 and RM 6751 surround speakers. (If you have to make choices to stay within budget, put more money into the front speakers).

The CS10 is, as expected, a good sonic match for the Tsi 200s. For the money, it is a great speaker. Tht two mid range / bass speakers and the tweeter appear to be the same as the Tsi 200s. The speaker can handle a lot more volume than I need without reaching a point of distortion. If you look at my review of the Tsi 200s, I can pretty much say "ditto" for this speaker. And if you like the grille off look, the Cherry model looks great.

I know some people prefer to mix and match, but I think that, at least for the front speakers, sticking to the same brand and grade speakers makes for a consistent sound across the front wall.

I'm really happy with this system. It does a good job on movies and effects, and for music it really works well.

And if you are upgrading from one of those all in one low cost systems, you will be amazed at the difference.

I am a home audio/visual amateur and certainly not a techie. About a year ago I purchased a Panasonic 50" Plasma HDTV. Although my home has built-in surround sound speakers in the ceiling, the rest of my system consisted of castoffs and mismatched speakers acquired over a long period of years. I subsequently added an Onkyo SKW204 Bass Reflex powered subwoofer and was amazed at the enhanced sound quality of my system. My Bose bookshelf speakers seemed adequate but over time, I grew increasingy discontented with the poor sound quality and performance from my center speaker that I had inherited somewhere along the line. I knew there had to be something better than what I was hearing.

After researching quality and price, I purchased the Polk Audio CS10 Center Channel Speaker and have been a very happy camper since. The sound is great, enjoyable, and, certainly powerful. The tinny sounding voices from my old unit have been replaced with strong, clear, crisp, and concise voices and center channel action. I notice the fantastic improvement especially when I watch a non-surround sound program or a program where most of the activity is center channel conversation. And the clarity of music and Blu Ray DVDs is noticeably enhanced by this speaker. I suspect my next purchase will be to match Polk Audio shelf speakers to this CS10 Center Channel Speaker. I highly recommend this speaker to those seeking more quality at a fair price.

I was just putting together a new home theater setup and combined this with a Denon receiver. Let me say that this speaker has beautiful sound, really amazingly crisp and clear. You may have heard people talk about the holographic sound stage, if you have this speaker you will know what they are talking about. I don't regret buying it for one second.

However I did have one major problem, it really shows up the Sony speakers that I had received as a gift a couple of years ago. So much so that I've broken down and ordered a couple of TSi400's to team up with this. The only comparison I can make is that it is like driving in the mountains and the change in altitude causing your ears to block up and your hearing goes. That is the difference between this Polk speaker and the setup I had previously.

If you are beyond college and want to listen to music or movies without breaking the bank, then this line of Polk Speakers are a very good option.

Upgraded to a Polk CS10 Center Channel Speaker and I have to admit that I have been debating over this speaker which has two 5-inch speakers or the CS2 (which has two 6.5 speaker). But in the end, I decided on the CS10. Right off the box, it was nice and sturdy. Removing the front grill, and it looks absolute beautiful.

Upon hooking them up, I noticed the difference in the clarity of audio dialogue. It seems as if the centers really came alive during spoken dialogue quite well and definitely notice a big difference from my Kenwood and RCA Pro Centers within the last 15 years.

For those purchasing the CS10, some may wonder if they should go cherry or black to save $20 more. If I had to do it all over again for my personal setup, I wish I went with black. The cherry features mostly all back from the front and sides but if you are the type who likes to remove the grill then it's all cherry in the front. Otherwise, if you don't, and keep the black grill on, it's mostly all black with the cherry mainly on the rear and back and underneath.

Anyway, big bang for an affordable price for the budget-conscious audiophile!

I bought this as a Christmas present for my father, and liked it so much I replaced my slightly smaller/shallower Paradigm speaker with this Polk instead. I also run Polk 4" surround bookshelf speakers with a pair of Boston Acoustics 8" front speakers and a 10" Klipsch sub.

This speaker added the mid and low range that the former center channel speaker was missing, so each component of the setup contributes equally to the overall sound, rather than making the sub create all the bass from one spot in the room.

It's also great that you can flip the cover and either set it flat, or on the angled edge. Great value and sound quality.

I bought this product to replace a 10 year old Cambridge Soundworks Center Plus speaker. A co-worker who's and audiophile recommended this product. Because I originally paid $250+ for the Cambridge center years ago I figured I'd have to spend the same type of $. I also thought the speaker might not be powerful enought for my Onkyo TX-NR807. WRONG! This Polk center blows the doors off the Cambridge because it handles the lows and mid ranges so much better. Not that the Cambridge center was a bad product, bug there's just so many quality choices in today's market at very reasonable prices. The speaker is fairly heavy to my suprise and feels like a very well built item. Best bang for your buck item I've bought in a while. No regrets what so ever.

I'm using this with an Onkyo TR-606 alongside a Toshiba 62" DLP HDTV and a full set of Polk speakers, and the sound quality is remarkable. It also looks nice (though the picture here doesn't make it look that way with the front cover missing) and it fits nicely on a shelf.

I bought the cs10 to compliment four owm3 loud speakers and a psw111 subwoofer. Will work for a small to medium room wonderful. In my opinion they work great to fill in some of the mid range the loud speakers were lacking as for voices in movies and also music w/acoustics.

What a great item!! Still not broken in yet and I can already see/hear where this is going!! Paired with my (2) TSi 300's, they make a great team. The sound is so natural. Being a musician, I pay attention to the sound of the acoustic guitars more than anything else. The quality of a Taylor guitar really shines. It sounds as though it is being played live in my livingroom! You can't go wrong with this speaker: value, quality, & looks!