The T50 is not your run-of-the-mill floor standing tower speaker. Just snap off the grill and take a look under the hood-you'll love what you see. Built with Polk's proprietary Dynamic Balance technology, its highs send sound soaring, its mids are made to shred, and the bass you crave gets a massive boost even at the lowest frequencies. Have fun and play, but prepare to be blown away!
The T50 is not your run-of-the-mill floor standing tower speaker. Just snap off the grill and take a look under the hood-you'll love what you see. Built with Polk's proprietary Dynamic Balance technology, its highs send sound soaring, its mids are made to shred, and the bass you crave gets a massive boost even at the lowest frequencies. Have fun and play, but prepare to be blown away!
The T50 is not your run-of-the-mill floor standing tower speaker. Just snap off the grill and take a look under the hood-you'll love what you see. Built with Polk's proprietary Dynamic Balance technology, its highs send sound soaring, its mids are made to shred, and the bass you crave gets a massive boost even at the lowest frequencies. Have fun and play, but prepare to be blown away!
The T50 is not your run-of-the-mill floor standing tower speaker. Just snap off the grill and take a look under the hood-you'll love what you see. Built with Polk's proprietary Dynamic Balance technology, its highs send sound soaring, its mids are made to shred, and the bass you crave gets a massive boost even at the lowest frequencies. Have fun and play, but prepare to be blown away!
Last updated at 08/27/2026 01:13:56
Polk Audio T50 150W Tower Speaker Floor Standing Home Music/Sound Theatre Black
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2pc Polk Audio 150W Tower Speaker Floor Standing Home Music/Sound Theatre Black
Delivery between Sat – Wed $10
Polk Audio t50 Floor Standing tower Speaker
Free delivery between 4–9 Sept
Polk Audio t50 2-way Floor Standing Speaker (pair)
Free delivery between 4–9 Sept
Polk Audio T50 Home Theater and Stereo Floor Standing Tower Speaker Single, Black - Deep
Delivery $246
Polk T50 – Floorstanding Speakers Pair
Delivery $405.77
Polk Audio T50 Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speaker 150W, Black | Single, Hi-Res Audio with Deep Bass Response, Dolby and DTS Surround
Delivery between 2–5 Sept $29
Polk T50 Floorstanding Tower Speaker Pair Black
Delivery $29
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Polk T-Series T-50 Floorstanding Speakers
Free delivery
originally posted on bestbuy.com
This review is for the dying art of listening to music in the T50 with no subwoofer, in a small place. Do not get me wrong. Ive had plenty of Polk speakers over years. From Subwoofers to center speakers and Satellites. I used to sell Polk in Circuit City for years. Strong bass performance in their towers, a durable speaker (yes, they were.bigger). Back then Polk, Infinity, Boston Acoustics, DCM used to be the bread and butter in tower speakers. This start up model T50 with 150 watts is good. But having 3 6.5 smaller bass drivers that go down to 40hz really hamper the low tones. However, this seems to be the deal all across their speaker lines even on their high end. In other words: you want bass, you need a subwoofer. Back 20 years, Tower speakers handled themselves ... MoreThis review is for the dying art of listening to music in the T50 with no subwoofer, in a small place. Do not get me wrong. Ive had plenty of Polk speakers over years. From Subwoofers to center speakers and Satellites. I used to sell Polk in Circuit City for years. Strong bass performance in their towers, a durable speaker (yes, they were.bigger). Back then Polk, Infinity, Boston Acoustics, DCM used to be the bread and butter in tower speakers. This start up model T50 with 150 watts is good. But having 3 6.5 smaller bass drivers that go down to 40hz really hamper the low tones. However, this seems to be the deal all across their speaker lines even on their high end. In other words: you want bass, you need a subwoofer. Back 20 years, Tower speakers handled themselves well, standing alone for music.You had bigger drivers. 8 to 10 inch on their entry lines. These days Towers are smaller (cause lets face it, people are becoming minimalists) more so with speakers and electronics. Bose (whom I also worked for) cracked the "small sounds BIG" speaker. However, even I had to admit that bass was missing in their stereo cubes for some music performance.(Their great 701 powered speakers were amazing but went like the dodo in early 2000's, shame,really) This is the case here. Now im not talking about blasting lows like in hip hop or classical music lows which are cleaner. Im talking regular well recorded (yeah right) top 40 or clean electronic edm or classic rock or jazz. Without a sub, its not gonna get to where you say...ahh much better! But $149 dollars..Its not bad at all. Thats all I can afford, but back then $150 per speaker gave you bigger bass at a cost: Space.These T50, They dont occupy a lot of space (I have a small place think small 1/1 apartment. But in a larger place ,you may need bigger or With better drivers and subwoofer. Granted, I have not heard Polk other speakers, but last time I checked, physics and acoustics being still the same: You can use engineering and technology to create new ways to perform better bass sound without a bigger enclosure. But bigger in this case might be better or add a sub, which for music, for my taste, takes more speakers, space and bass that is not direct.So if you like to listen to music old schooI like I do, illl shut up and say:A little bigger please.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
I have been looking at home theater with a receiver verses the box systems and landed on getting a receiver for various reasons that are not really important to this review. After selecting a receiver finding speakers was a discouraging task simply because, well, the price! I looked and looked and noticed (as you may have as well) that the better reviews on the higher priced speakers were lacking enthusiasm and the bad reviews had some serious discouragement. My wallet forces me to sacrifice SOME quality for price SOME of the time but not here... I picked these up on sale luckily because I put the bulk of my budget into the receiver and was left with not as much as I like for the speakers. At first glance, the stats, did not send up any fireworks or urge to stop ... MoreI have been looking at home theater with a receiver verses the box systems and landed on getting a receiver for various reasons that are not really important to this review. After selecting a receiver finding speakers was a discouraging task simply because, well, the price! I looked and looked and noticed (as you may have as well) that the better reviews on the higher priced speakers were lacking enthusiasm and the bad reviews had some serious discouragement. My wallet forces me to sacrifice SOME quality for price SOME of the time but not here... I picked these up on sale luckily because I put the bulk of my budget into the receiver and was left with not as much as I like for the speakers. At first glance, the stats, did not send up any fireworks or urge to stop shopping and buy, but the sale price and reviews convinced me to try them out. I am hooked. Wow what sound. I used 12 gauge speaker wire and when I turned the system on the wife and I broke out all the good movies to see how our favorite scenes sounded. I mean even the commercials we watched over and over with the TV speakers we heard sounds we never realized where there! I had to produce the receipt because the wife just didn't believe I paid what I did for them. They work best as a part of the speaker team, make sure you get your center channel and sub woofer if aggravating your neighbors and blowing your socks off is the goal. My system is not impressive on paper by any means... 750 total watts, 4 speakers, awesome sound, and I still have a little coin left in my purse. We are extremely pleased with this product and the manufactures warranty. Do yourself a favor and pick you up a pair... or several.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
I was looking to replace my vintage Mach I speakers with some smaller towers. After reading many positive professional and user online reviews, it looked like the Polk T50s would fit that sweet spot of price versus performance. I bought a pair on sale at Best Buy and connected them to my 80W receiver so I could do an A-B comparison with my current speakers. I fully expected that the Polk T50s may not sound as accurate as the Mach I speakers (15" woofer, multicellular mid horn, bullet tweeter) but was disappointed to find that the Polk T50s didn't even sound as good as some smaller bookshelf speakers I had, or even my desktop computer Altec system.I listen to vocal music and the Polks made the vocals sound hollow. Being an audio engineer, I suspected that the Polk ... MoreI was looking to replace my vintage Mach I speakers with some smaller towers. After reading many positive professional and user online reviews, it looked like the Polk T50s would fit that sweet spot of price versus performance. I bought a pair on sale at Best Buy and connected them to my 80W receiver so I could do an A-B comparison with my current speakers. I fully expected that the Polk T50s may not sound as accurate as the Mach I speakers (15" woofer, multicellular mid horn, bullet tweeter) but was disappointed to find that the Polk T50s didn't even sound as good as some smaller bookshelf speakers I had, or even my desktop computer Altec system.I listen to vocal music and the Polks made the vocals sound hollow. Being an audio engineer, I suspected that the Polk T50s had a nasty peak around 1kHz, so I checked with a spectrum analyzer and sure enough, there was a peak there. I found an online review that included a frequency response graph and is also showed the peak. Such a peak makes the vocals sound behind the music, as if the singer was singing through a hollow tube. To verify my "ears" and measurements, I asked my wife to listen to a few A-B comparisons and she easily found the Polk t50s to sound worse in each comparison.I went back to Best Buy and bought the Sony SSCS3 towers (almost twice the price) and connected them to my system for a comparison. The Sony SSCS3 towers sounded much better than the Polk T50s and almost as good as the Mach 1 speakers. To me, the Sony SSCS3 towers are well worth the difference in price. I kept them and returned the Polk T50s.I wish Best Buy would set up the Sony, Klipsch and Polk speakers so you could do a direct comparison with the same source material. I found such a setup at one Best Buy, but it wasn't working correctly and didn't have the Sony towers hooked up. In all the other stores, they have separate displays for the three brands. Even better would be for Best Buy to include the Sony, Klkpsch and Polk speakers in their Magnolia rooms. Being able to properly audition speakers would have saved me the trouble of buying the Polks only to return them.I rated the Polk T50s three stars because those that use them for home theater audio or who listen to electronic, metal and other compressed music may not find the sound objectionable. So, if price is a concern, you may want to try a set to see if you are okay with the sound. Obviously, based on the many positive reviews here on Best Buy, a lot of people are fine with the T50s. Just be ready to return them and try other speakers if you aren't happy with the sound.
Polk Audio T50 150W Tower Speaker Floor Standing Home Music/Sound Theatre Black
Free delivery
2pc Polk Audio 150W Tower Speaker Floor Standing Home Music/Sound Theatre Black
Delivery between Sat – Wed $10
Polk Audio t50 Floor Standing tower Speaker
Free delivery between 4–9 Sept
Polk Audio t50 2-way Floor Standing Speaker (pair)
Free delivery between 4–9 Sept
Polk Audio T50 Home Theater and Stereo Floor Standing Tower Speaker Single, Black - Deep
Delivery $246
This review is for the dying art of listening to music in the T50 with no subwoofer, in a small place. Do not get me wrong. Ive had plenty of Polk speakers over years. From Subwoofers to center speakers and Satellites. I used to sell Polk in Circuit City for years. Strong bass performance in their towers, a durable speaker (yes, they were.bigger). Back then Polk, Infinity, Boston Acoustics, DCM used to be the bread and butter in tower speakers. This start up model T50 with 150 watts is good. But having 3 6.5 smaller bass drivers that go down to 40hz really hamper the low tones. However, this seems to be the deal all across their speaker lines even on their high end. In other words: you want bass, you need a subwoofer. Back 20 years, Tower speakers handled themselves ... MoreThis review is for the dying art of listening to music in the T50 with no subwoofer, in a small place. Do not get me wrong. Ive had plenty of Polk speakers over years. From Subwoofers to center speakers and Satellites. I used to sell Polk in Circuit City for years. Strong bass performance in their towers, a durable speaker (yes, they were.bigger). Back then Polk, Infinity, Boston Acoustics, DCM used to be the bread and butter in tower speakers. This start up model T50 with 150 watts is good. But having 3 6.5 smaller bass drivers that go down to 40hz really hamper the low tones. However, this seems to be the deal all across their speaker lines even on their high end. In other words: you want bass, you need a subwoofer. Back 20 years, Tower speakers handled themselves well, standing alone for music.You had bigger drivers. 8 to 10 inch on their entry lines. These days Towers are smaller (cause lets face it, people are becoming minimalists) more so with speakers and electronics. Bose (whom I also worked for) cracked the "small sounds BIG" speaker. However, even I had to admit that bass was missing in their stereo cubes for some music performance.(Their great 701 powered speakers were amazing but went like the dodo in early 2000's, shame,really) This is the case here. Now im not talking about blasting lows like in hip hop or classical music lows which are cleaner. Im talking regular well recorded (yeah right) top 40 or clean electronic edm or classic rock or jazz. Without a sub, its not gonna get to where you say...ahh much better! But $149 dollars..Its not bad at all. Thats all I can afford, but back then $150 per speaker gave you bigger bass at a cost: Space.These T50, They dont occupy a lot of space (I have a small place think small 1/1 apartment. But in a larger place ,you may need bigger or With better drivers and subwoofer. Granted, I have not heard Polk other speakers, but last time I checked, physics and acoustics being still the same: You can use engineering and technology to create new ways to perform better bass sound without a bigger enclosure. But bigger in this case might be better or add a sub, which for music, for my taste, takes more speakers, space and bass that is not direct.So if you like to listen to music old schooI like I do, illl shut up and say:A little bigger please.
I have been looking at home theater with a receiver verses the box systems and landed on getting a receiver for various reasons that are not really important to this review. After selecting a receiver finding speakers was a discouraging task simply because, well, the price! I looked and looked and noticed (as you may have as well) that the better reviews on the higher priced speakers were lacking enthusiasm and the bad reviews had some serious discouragement. My wallet forces me to sacrifice SOME quality for price SOME of the time but not here... I picked these up on sale luckily because I put the bulk of my budget into the receiver and was left with not as much as I like for the speakers. At first glance, the stats, did not send up any fireworks or urge to stop ... MoreI have been looking at home theater with a receiver verses the box systems and landed on getting a receiver for various reasons that are not really important to this review. After selecting a receiver finding speakers was a discouraging task simply because, well, the price! I looked and looked and noticed (as you may have as well) that the better reviews on the higher priced speakers were lacking enthusiasm and the bad reviews had some serious discouragement. My wallet forces me to sacrifice SOME quality for price SOME of the time but not here... I picked these up on sale luckily because I put the bulk of my budget into the receiver and was left with not as much as I like for the speakers. At first glance, the stats, did not send up any fireworks or urge to stop shopping and buy, but the sale price and reviews convinced me to try them out. I am hooked. Wow what sound. I used 12 gauge speaker wire and when I turned the system on the wife and I broke out all the good movies to see how our favorite scenes sounded. I mean even the commercials we watched over and over with the TV speakers we heard sounds we never realized where there! I had to produce the receipt because the wife just didn't believe I paid what I did for them. They work best as a part of the speaker team, make sure you get your center channel and sub woofer if aggravating your neighbors and blowing your socks off is the goal. My system is not impressive on paper by any means... 750 total watts, 4 speakers, awesome sound, and I still have a little coin left in my purse. We are extremely pleased with this product and the manufactures warranty. Do yourself a favor and pick you up a pair... or several.
I was looking to replace my vintage Mach I speakers with some smaller towers. After reading many positive professional and user online reviews, it looked like the Polk T50s would fit that sweet spot of price versus performance. I bought a pair on sale at Best Buy and connected them to my 80W receiver so I could do an A-B comparison with my current speakers. I fully expected that the Polk T50s may not sound as accurate as the Mach I speakers (15" woofer, multicellular mid horn, bullet tweeter) but was disappointed to find that the Polk T50s didn't even sound as good as some smaller bookshelf speakers I had, or even my desktop computer Altec system.I listen to vocal music and the Polks made the vocals sound hollow. Being an audio engineer, I suspected that the Polk ... MoreI was looking to replace my vintage Mach I speakers with some smaller towers. After reading many positive professional and user online reviews, it looked like the Polk T50s would fit that sweet spot of price versus performance. I bought a pair on sale at Best Buy and connected them to my 80W receiver so I could do an A-B comparison with my current speakers. I fully expected that the Polk T50s may not sound as accurate as the Mach I speakers (15" woofer, multicellular mid horn, bullet tweeter) but was disappointed to find that the Polk T50s didn't even sound as good as some smaller bookshelf speakers I had, or even my desktop computer Altec system.I listen to vocal music and the Polks made the vocals sound hollow. Being an audio engineer, I suspected that the Polk T50s had a nasty peak around 1kHz, so I checked with a spectrum analyzer and sure enough, there was a peak there. I found an online review that included a frequency response graph and is also showed the peak. Such a peak makes the vocals sound behind the music, as if the singer was singing through a hollow tube. To verify my "ears" and measurements, I asked my wife to listen to a few A-B comparisons and she easily found the Polk t50s to sound worse in each comparison.I went back to Best Buy and bought the Sony SSCS3 towers (almost twice the price) and connected them to my system for a comparison. The Sony SSCS3 towers sounded much better than the Polk T50s and almost as good as the Mach 1 speakers. To me, the Sony SSCS3 towers are well worth the difference in price. I kept them and returned the Polk T50s.I wish Best Buy would set up the Sony, Klipsch and Polk speakers so you could do a direct comparison with the same source material. I found such a setup at one Best Buy, but it wasn't working correctly and didn't have the Sony towers hooked up. In all the other stores, they have separate displays for the three brands. Even better would be for Best Buy to include the Sony, Klkpsch and Polk speakers in their Magnolia rooms. Being able to properly audition speakers would have saved me the trouble of buying the Polks only to return them.I rated the Polk T50s three stars because those that use them for home theater audio or who listen to electronic, metal and other compressed music may not find the sound objectionable. So, if price is a concern, you may want to try a set to see if you are okay with the sound. Obviously, based on the many positive reviews here on Best Buy, a lot of people are fine with the T50s. Just be ready to return them and try other speakers if you aren't happy with the sound.
I bought these to replace my 20 year old floor standing speakers. Although the previous speakers were top of the line 20 years ago, they finally had to go to audio equipment heaven. I would not say that I am an audiophile but I am particular about sound quality. That said I was leery of a speaker that had such good reviews at a bargain price. But since I have become a lot more frugal in the 20 yrs since my last speaker purchase I decided to give them a try. My fist impression was they were not nearly as large as my previous speakers. After about 10 min of trying to adjust to looking at these speakers where my beloved(larger) speakers once sat I hooked them up. WOW.. so OK I was sold on the smaller speakers only a min or so after hooking them up. They have very good ... MoreI bought these to replace my 20 year old floor standing speakers. Although the previous speakers were top of the line 20 years ago, they finally had to go to audio equipment heaven. I would not say that I am an audiophile but I am particular about sound quality. That said I was leery of a speaker that had such good reviews at a bargain price. But since I have become a lot more frugal in the 20 yrs since my last speaker purchase I decided to give them a try. My fist impression was they were not nearly as large as my previous speakers. After about 10 min of trying to adjust to looking at these speakers where my beloved(larger) speakers once sat I hooked them up. WOW.. so OK I was sold on the smaller speakers only a min or so after hooking them up. They have very good range Good high and mid coverage and very impressive smooth lows. They are also pretty loud. I do not host rave parties(if they still do those) or hate my neighbors but for normal movie watching or listening to that great song a little louder than normal when I actually get the house to my self for a min(happens about two times a year) these things are great!
I bought the T50s after praise by an excellent audio reviewer on youtube (ZF). This is a very well balanced, well rounded pair of towers which do not require a lot of amplifier power, as they are quite sensitive at 90db. No shrillness in the treble area, gentle and neutral, no overly sweet sound or coloration. Some of the reviews mention the bass which they find excellent. I agree that they have a nice bass level, but if you are a bass head you will want to consider options or add a subwoofer. If you like your music neutral, with some sweetness but nothing that colors unduly the whole audio spectrum, you will like them. Now, it all also depends on what you have them hooked on. I have a very modest, lo-fi set up consisting of a Kinter 2020a+ digital amp which has a ... MoreI bought the T50s after praise by an excellent audio reviewer on youtube (ZF). This is a very well balanced, well rounded pair of towers which do not require a lot of amplifier power, as they are quite sensitive at 90db. No shrillness in the treble area, gentle and neutral, no overly sweet sound or coloration. Some of the reviews mention the bass which they find excellent. I agree that they have a nice bass level, but if you are a bass head you will want to consider options or add a subwoofer. If you like your music neutral, with some sweetness but nothing that colors unduly the whole audio spectrum, you will like them. Now, it all also depends on what you have them hooked on. I have a very modest, lo-fi set up consisting of a Kinter 2020a+ digital amp which has a tube-like sound that I affectionate. It can power way hungrier speakers than these and they work very well in tandem with them. Returning to the subject of the bass, one thing I did notice is that the mighty little Kinter did not generate a lot of bass with them; that is: until I switched the tone controls on and boosted the bass by about two thirds. Until then, with all other speakers I have associated the Kinter with (and some were excellent speakers like the Triangle Antal EX), I always bypassed the tone controls. In this case, upping the bass as indicated works wonders. Even with the bass boosted, though, the sound remains balanced, not boombastic (which I would not like at all). So, with this tweak, I have a pair of dedicated speakers that are able rivals to some much more expensive hi-fi alternatives (they do not replace them but you'd get close to 90% of the more expensive alternatives against a much lesser expense). I also like their form factor: they are quite small towers and do not take much space. I would also caution that you need to give these quite some time to warm up after the first use. It took about three days of constantly running the radio through them for the T50s to open up. The difference was dramatic when that happened. I do not remember hearing such a marked difference with other speakers before, and I have had a few. All of a sudden after these few days, the music will stop you in your tracks, whatever it is that you were doing, and you will understand the praise. Two areas of improvement I would suggest to Polk are: one, the binding posts in the back do their job but are quite flimsy. No impact on the sound there, but nonetheless. Secondly, the reviewer suggested to put the T50s on solid wood plates to improve their sound further (and also bring the tweeters in line with the listener's ears when seated). I have not tried the trick yet, but I did notice upon unboxing and setting them up that the T50s stand on a larger base that does not feel very solid. I would improve the base, make it sturdier and add a few inches of height at the same time. These will affect (and likely improve) the sound. Altogether an excellent pair of speakers, natural sounding, and a serious option for audiophiles on a budget!
I bought them during the Thanksgiving sales 2016 for $150 both along with the rest of the T series of home theater package and a Sony AVR (the whole set with the AVR for some craziness of $427!). They were my initiation into the world of quality music and home theater. (As much as I am happy I discovered a new dimension of sound, part of me also wishes I hadn't because now I want even a better quality, and that means more money to be spent.) As many of the reviews have said, if you want cheaper way of increasing the quality of your music, these are a good option. If you care about the quality of the music and motion picture you are listening and watching, don't buy a sound bar, no sound bar can compare with even with the low end good home theater. Cheap tower ... MoreI bought them during the Thanksgiving sales 2016 for $150 both along with the rest of the T series of home theater package and a Sony AVR (the whole set with the AVR for some craziness of $427!). They were my initiation into the world of quality music and home theater. (As much as I am happy I discovered a new dimension of sound, part of me also wishes I hadn't because now I want even a better quality, and that means more money to be spent.) As many of the reviews have said, if you want cheaper way of increasing the quality of your music, these are a good option. If you care about the quality of the music and motion picture you are listening and watching, don't buy a sound bar, no sound bar can compare with even with the low end good home theater. Cheap tower speakers like these and their brother the PSW10 sub with a $150 Sony AVR will cost you as much as a mid class sound bar but quality of music you get from the towers, the sub, and the AVR is way superior to soundbar.Pros:- good highs with the silk tweeter- vocals are really nice- acoustics are nice too- satisfactory bass- solid MDF boxesCons:- midrange is mediocre, probably because it does not have a designated driver for midrange frequencies- distorts the lows at high volume especially when the song has a lot of bass; Eagles' Hotel California for example starts with instrumental with low bass and the speakers seem to struggle with it.- distorts at high volume- they just can't get a clear sound when multiple instruments are playing, like a rock song, you can't hear clearly the separate instruments and the vocals are also mixed up and unclear.- treble is exaggerated and you have to compromise between getting clearer vocals by raising the treble and having too much of it.Well, maybe my expectations are too high for this class of speakers.However, if you are playing good quality of music (CD or better), have a decent AVR or an amplifier with at least 100W stated power per channel (so you can get about 50W real power, AVRs are notorious for lying about the power they can deliver per channel) and you are either a beginner at listening a higher quality music or merely want to upgrade form TV speakers and, of course, you are ok to listen to no more than the half way up of the receiver, these speakers will suit you. I would recommend that you get the sub also, though. But remember, if you like to crank up the volume, the T series is not for you. Neither is a cheap AVR.Look cool without the grill.
So, I bought this sound bar only a few months ago and the setup was easy AND it worked gr8. Then all of a sudden the sound was not loud enough. Boy was I upset and tried everything on YT to no avail. I finally rang Polk and spoke with a lady with a foreign Indian accent. She was AMAZING..! I wish I took her name! She helped me fix it without confusion. If the sound goes out or is not loud enough, check to see if there are two lights on the bar when using the little tiny wire and one light when using HDMI cord. Thanks!
Ordered two of these Polk Audio T-50s after reading the results of reviews. I was looking for speakers which were going to have smooth and accurate sound without spending a King’s ransom.After arriving by UPS, I gave them several days of moderate playing levels to become “seasoned” before reviewing them. It did take a few days for them to loosen up. I feel made the right choice purchasing them. The fit and finish appears to be flawless and better than many in this price range. Many low cost speaker boxes sound thin and hollow when you tap on them with a knuckle, use inferior crossovers and speakers, and just plain don’t sound good. The T-50s look more expensive than they actually cost, and have the smooth quality sound to back up their good looks. Streaming 320 ... MoreOrdered two of these Polk Audio T-50s after reading the results of reviews. I was looking for speakers which were going to have smooth and accurate sound without spending a King’s ransom.After arriving by UPS, I gave them several days of moderate playing levels to become “seasoned” before reviewing them. It did take a few days for them to loosen up. I feel made the right choice purchasing them. The fit and finish appears to be flawless and better than many in this price range. Many low cost speaker boxes sound thin and hollow when you tap on them with a knuckle, use inferior crossovers and speakers, and just plain don’t sound good. The T-50s look more expensive than they actually cost, and have the smooth quality sound to back up their good looks. Streaming 320 kb/sec. music sounds fantastic through them. They kinda remind me of my 48 year old JBL L36’s.The T-50s use a 2-way 12db/octave crossover and proprietary speakers which are designed by Polk to work in conjunction with each other. Many cheap speaker manufacturers just throw a 4-mfd capacitor between a generic tweeter and woofer which is an inferior 6db/octave crossover. The T-50’s use two chokes, two capacitors, and two resistors in their crossover. You can hear the difference. The transition of sound frequencies between the tweeter and woofer is very smooth and lifelike. The 1” silk tweeters have a “wave-guide” in front of them to distribute the high frequencies over a much wider space than without one, since high frequencies are very directional. This gives the speakers GREAT high frequency dispersion and detail in the upper mids and high frequencies, and still sound great even if you are listening off-axis. This makes for a very accurate soundstage. Vocals really shine through these speakers. Some high quality recordings sound like the singer is standing right in front of you.The T-50s are also a 6 ohm nominal impedance, so you’ll probably want to use heavier speaker wire to hook them up than you would with 8 ohm speakers. Use either a 12 or 14 gauge speaker wire to hook them up to get the most out of them, especially if you like to play them loud and proud.Using two 6.5” passive radiators makes for a bit more accurate bottom end compared to many ported speakers which can be more boomy in this price range, and passive radiators allow for the speakers to be pulled away from walls and still retain their bottom end. There are some reviews I read where the people complained they got “ripped off” because the two bottom speakers weren’t wired up, not knowing this is the deliberate design of the speaker.I gave them a 5-star rating because for the price they’re a steal, and they sound like speakers costing many time more than they actually are. If you are on the fence whether to buy some cheap tower speakers, but are afraid they’ll be flimsy and sound cheap...these won’t disappoint, and won’t deplete your bank account in the process. Pull the trigger and buy them...you’ve got nothing to lose!
It is a decent speaker with good sound especially since I now have subwoofers to handle the bass. I was upgrading my somewhat of a home theater setup. I originally had a Kenwood KR-V6040 powering2 Kenwood KS-H51's and 2 JBL J2045 bookshelf speakers with 2 generic awesome sounding surround rear channel speakers. This setup in my basement worked very well, to the point that when my now college age sons were playing Xbox(Halo, Call of Duty, etc.) I sometimes had to look outside to see if it was raining and thundering due to the thunderous bass from the speakers. I now since moved my Kenwood receiver and speakers into my bedroom with my new setup taking its place. I had to upgrade because my Kenwood AVR didn't have any inputs for video, just audio. Now with my new ... MoreIt is a decent speaker with good sound especially since I now have subwoofers to handle the bass. I was upgrading my somewhat of a home theater setup. I originally had a Kenwood KR-V6040 powering2 Kenwood KS-H51's and 2 JBL J2045 bookshelf speakers with 2 generic awesome sounding surround rear channel speakers. This setup in my basement worked very well, to the point that when my now college age sons were playing Xbox(Halo, Call of Duty, etc.) I sometimes had to look outside to see if it was raining and thundering due to the thunderous bass from the speakers. I now since moved my Kenwood receiver and speakers into my bedroom with my new setup taking its place. I had to upgrade because my Kenwood AVR didn't have any inputs for video, just audio. Now with my new setup, I can run my projectors, Xbox and an over the air antenna receiver without worrying about the audio. Bottom line is that my home theater area is roughly 20' x 20' and not even correctly setup and the T50's pull their weight.
Ok so if you blindfolded most people and told them these speakers cost $750 for the pair, they would run out and buy them. The fact that they cost less than half that amount is simply astonishing. I have a beautiful pair of B&W 705 series in my main living room and these are in my man cave area for overall listening and video gaming. Now while they do not come close to the quality of the 705s, the sound that pumps out of these towers is very impressive. Decent bass, good midrange and solid highs abound from these extremely versatile speakers. I must take my hat off to Polk since they really didnt cut corners in the design and execution of these towers. They must be using a high quality crossover since that is where speaker manufacturers usually skimp and try to save ... MoreOk so if you blindfolded most people and told them these speakers cost $750 for the pair, they would run out and buy them. The fact that they cost less than half that amount is simply astonishing. I have a beautiful pair of B&W 705 series in my main living room and these are in my man cave area for overall listening and video gaming. Now while they do not come close to the quality of the 705s, the sound that pumps out of these towers is very impressive. Decent bass, good midrange and solid highs abound from these extremely versatile speakers. I must take my hat off to Polk since they really didnt cut corners in the design and execution of these towers. They must be using a high quality crossover since that is where speaker manufacturers usually skimp and try to save a buck. But it's clear after listening to everything from Beethovens 5th and 9th to Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy to De La Soul is dead album that these towers are well worth their money and then some. I am powering the T50 Polks with an older Yamaha rx-795a that is rated at 85 watts RMS per channel.Hope this review is helpful in your search.
