Polk R500 Tower Speaker Review.

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Timestamps:
0:00 - Subjective Evaluation
6:34 - Measurements
13:10 - Summary/Conclusion
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[@richh650]

Your reviews are so great Erin. I love how you are able to run real tests that objectively show how a speaker will sound and more importantly, how it might produce sound in real world setups and placement.

[@DougMen1]

The R700 is pretty much recognized by everyone as the leader in their price range.

[@davel4449]

Yes they are

[@BrendanMacWade]

Yep. They are among the greatest ever made. I would also recommend the JBL HDI-3800 for those who have BIG rooms.

[@josefserf1926]

Refreshing to see such frankness in a review. Given such consistency, I think Polk will take this as a thumbs up.

[@CC-xu2yz]

All of his reviews are this frank.

[@pulDag]

Excellent review, correlation between objective and subjective matter was just spot on on those. As always thank you Erin.

[@Mikeymikemike]

R700 review please! Other channels review them subjectively and they have massive views but we need more of your testing method added to the table

[@avnut5517]

Thank you Erin. Another quality review.

[@policeman0077]

would its big brother r700 in the line for review?

[@JuanjoHeli]

Would love to see Erin's impressions on the R700. I do have a pair and I think I do note the same bump around 5Khz. I have DL on my MiniDSP and also some custom EQs made with Accourate and have a very though decision which EQs I do like beter :) Thanks Erins for your great reviews !

[@shipsahoy1793]

Very good review Erin.. well, kind of what I expected at that price point from Polk for a tower; anyways, as always, thanks for your efforts.. testing a pair of Dovedales next? please 🙏😉

[@FatFolksProductions]

Great review! Would love see your measurements and thoughts on any of the Legend Series.

[@wswsn7396]

Another great review. Wish that Emotiva sent you the new XC1 Center and Xb2 for reviews three weeks ago.

[@Maximus-tr9gi]

I got these speakers after Zero Fidelity posted a review marking it as a very much under-rated speaker. I love them. I'm not an audiophile but I appreciate the exceptional detail and clarity. I got them used ("scratch and dent") on Crutchfield for about $432 a piece, which I think is a very reasonable price. Can't justify the $1350 [per pair] MSRP. If I didn't already have these, I'd probably scour for a good deal on used R700s, as those got extremely rave reviews have great built-in sub-woofers.

[@JR-ho5qm]

The R700 do not have built in subwoofers

[@eugene9000pro]

In fact they don't play lower than 35 hz in typical room

[@pgansz]

I purchased R200's in Dec 2021 and they solid with my Marantz receiver. The ring radiator tweeter does not sound better angled out - 100% agree with this. You really need to keep the Reserve series facing directly at your seating position for best results. The distortion numbers surprised me from a data perspective. Subjectively I always thought my 200's could be cleaner but perhaps they have the same issue though mine are from the 1st gen batch. Thanks Erin.

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Nice review. Measurements look good for the money “mass” market type of speaker.

[@sandeepjohny6480]

Good review Expecting R700 and L400 review from your side

[@mohamedahmed1023]

I use these along with the R900 upfiring speakers on top, which work decently in my condo. I love them! I have them paired with dual SVS 3000 Micros and am running them off a Marantz SR5015 receiver.

[@TheFrugalAudiophile]

I use the R100s on a desktop. I really like how they sound with an 8 inch sub to fill in the bass. I do find that the trouble is a bit elevated but I like a little extra detail in the highs because I have some hearing loss in that range.

[@anthonyfellowes8204]

Nice review, I agree as I run a pair of r500,s in my system. 100% need a sub with these towers. I run a home made 12"sub, though I would recommend the speed of a 10" or 8" sub.

[@MykWazowski]

The R700 is an amazing speaker, if you have the space I would highly recommend it for music, it's a very neutral speaker. Add a L400 Center and you have an amazing home theater front stage.

[@DanAndreiVladut]

Heir apparent - Opeth A crazy roller coaster of a prog metal track. Excellent recording too.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

It's probably been 20 years since I've heard an Opeth song.

[@user-mz6lt2pr9s]

Thanks for the review. Suggest the Polk R700. 3 way with deep bass. Dual 8 inch woofers. Didn’t need a sub for 2 channel music listening. Excellent for under $2K US.

[@outolempinimi5165]

I have these (got them over a year ago for about $1000 pair) and indeed they are pretty good. I also wish the bass extension would go a bit lower but then again the bass reproduction is very precise and controlled. As stated here they are quite picky about directional alignment and I also noticed that toeing them away makes the highs sound a bit artificial/irritating. Good to know the frequency response for EQ as this is the first time I see an exact measurement of these 👍

[@AA-ws3vd]

Polk is old school! Nice!

[@adaboy4z]

Lol, I got that intro!!

[@OUrVileO]

I've got a pair of R700s I bet with the heavier cabnet, and two additional woofers, it would address the two issues you have with the R500

[@billd9667]

Few reviewers specify distortion on speakers. I would imagine that the R200s also have some distortion at 4-6kHz. I’m not terribly fond of having to EQ loudspeakers as a rule, though it’s doable for those with the ability. IMO, the crossover region and the 1-4kHz region needs to be clean and level to begin with. Diffraction needs to be controlled to attain this as well -not so much mitigated as controlled. After all, large front baffles don't necessarily have negative diffraction issues. Good examples of this are the DeVore and Audio Note speakers based on the Snell K. Anyway, a clean midrange to lower treble is critical.

[@NaveedKhan-bs1sc]

I have the r600 and the r200 would you recommend a 1 to 2 db reduction in the 4-6 khz range.

[@XxXnonameAsDXxX]

I'd rather not call it EQ but room correction. Usually people don't have a dedicated perfect listening room ro room correction is needed pretty much always.

[@arndtbc]

I've had the the Polk R500 for well over a year and I like them. I use then in a small home theater living room environment with a sub and power them with a Parasound 2125 v2 Amp. I think these sound good especially for jazz and electronic music, there something missing when I listen to rock music with them. I agree you have to point them at the listening area. Is there a speak that you feel would be a step up from these in the sub $2k range? Great review thanks!

[@caidNL]

Maybe the Linton?

[@NaveedKhan-bs1sc]

I have the r600 would love your take on them.

[@kevintomb]

I mean for (2) 5 1/4" woofers, this is quite decent.

[@alexw890]

Erin, what causes the in room response to have that rise in the treble?

[@IN-rf1pv]

I think this is pretty fair overall. I’m late to the party here but like many others have already said, the R700 solves pretty much every issue with the low end experienced with the R500. A sub is not needed with the 700s. I wish the ring radiator tweeter had just a touch more sparkle at the tip top of the high end though.

[@JR-ho5qm]

I really like the Polk Reserve series. I really wish they would do a large 12” woofer 3 way version like the old big box speakers -Ring radiator tweeter -Spiral cone mid -12” woofer Polk dosent have a offering in this style of speaker and I think it might sell well in this series

[@harryburnett7086]

This line are all good

[@alwayspushing2031]

When someone says pull your speaker or suggests like 16" off a boundary wall do they mean measuring from the rear (where my port is) or the mid or front of the speaker? My speaker is 10" deep so just kind of testing and hopeful you could share your experience on that, kinda playing around with towers now.

[@mnemonik61]

It almost always means measured from the rear panel of the speaker to the wall. Hope that helps. 🙂

[@34332]

I've seen mixed interpretations on that. "Logically' I would measure from the back. Practically: move them close to the wall and pull them out, inch by inch, and listen until you get the best bass response. Room influences and speaker output also play the part, so no golden rule here, imo. A measuring mic and REW may be the next step to fine tune further.

[@alwayspushing2031]

@@34332 yes I am headed in that direction, just my first set of towers as my bookshelf speakers were "placed" with zero chance to move around, room limited, but not now 😁

[@foxgaming76yt24]

Hey Erin, have you heard of AIAIAI's new monitors, the UNIT-4? Seems pretty ok, they seem to have anechoic on axis data for these, but nothing about its directivity.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I haven’t.

[@shaunrichards744]

I would recommend a Rotel intergraded amp say the A series range .the A14Mii would be a perfect match my experience with Polk and Rotel anyway, Ditch the Wiim.

[@anaxa4883]

Wouldn't it make more sense to get a Polk xt20 with a sub that plays strong up to 100hz? That speaker seams to have more favorable measurements overall and is cheaper.

[@veroman007]

its like the elac dfr 52. shoulda placed the tweeter closer to the mid woofer.

[@bradleydurbin6784]

I have a couple of pairs of old vintage Polk Monitors. The Monitor 4a and 5 circa1989 I haven’t ever listened to there newer speakers past circa 2000 so I’m really out of the loop. One budget speaker by Polk the T 50 is supposed to be really good sounding for the money. What music do you use to demo your speakers when evaluating speakers for your channel?

[@bbfoto7248]

I'm pretty sure that Erin has a KZbin video about the music he uses and what he listens for in each track. He had a list on one of the car audio forums he used to post on, so if I find it I'll Copy&Paste it here.

[@bradleydurbin6784]

Cool

[@hocktooey]

Your review is fair and correct in terms of the low-end limits and toe-in issues. I've had these for a couple of years. I've heard them with three different amps and I think they sound best in my room, 12' X 17', with more power. Currently, I am listening to them with PS Audio M700 monoblocks and dual Def Tech Pro Sub 800s. They produce good sound. The soundstage is nicely wide and deep (I have them nearly 3' from the front wall with the subs set slightly behind and to the sides.) and the instruments and vocals are well-focused. They don't sound live, but they do sound musical, and they present a good picture of the performances. They do not play well super loud, but given the room size, they play well loud enough. And the best feature of these speakers is the non-fatiguing presentation of all the different genres of music in my collection. I simply enjoy sitting in the sweet spot listening to fine music for hours. They're a really good fit for me.

[@ricome169]

Loved the r200. You are. the only reviewer that didn't.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I might be the only reviewer with ears. 😂🤷‍♂️😜

[@CC-xu2yz]

😢

[@AZRob.]

Interesting... I have R200's up front, 350 center, 100's in the back, and a Monolith 12inch sub. The vocals are so bad, I'm ready to throw them out the window. They also sound horrible at lower levels, we have to play everything loud, just to get them to sound halfway decent. I'm now looking at KEF or Martin Logan.

[@gregmatula9749]

​@@AZRob.R200s have a issue with mid-range suck out after you get to the height of the tweeter and above. You want to keep your ears below the tweeter and above the center of the woofer right about the top edge of the woofer. So taller than normal stands apply. This is from a low order crossover they chose. Not ideal for a living room. My old speakers with a 24 dB/octave crossover are far more forgiving.

[@AZRob.]

@@gregmatula9749Thanks Bud! Sitting on our couch, my ears are right at about 41 inches. My speaker stands have the center of the R200 tweeters sitting right at 42.5 inches, pretty much exactly what you recommended, and they still suck. But thanks anyway! I actually think it's also a center channel problem. My R350 looks impressive, but, I don't think it does a very good job.

[@gregwwinkler]

Just purchased Emotiva new XT1… wish I would have saw the 500$ sale on these.

[@michaeloconnor9465]

Can you reach out to kef and to test their R11 Meta please Erin.

[@NeilBlanchard]

Hmmm ... ring radiator tweeters are supposed to have *wider* than normal dispersion up higher than typical dome tweeters? The rings tend to act more like a point source.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Typically the RR with be more narrow. You can compare something like the Scanspeak D3004 vs R3004. At 10kHz the RR is -7dB at 30 deg and -16dB at 60 deg. The dome is -5 and -9dB, respectively.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Okay, the SB Acoustics SB21RDC-C000-4 Ring Dome at 10kHz is about -3dB @ 30 degrees and about -6dB at 60 degrees. The SB Acoustics SB26STCN-C000-4 dome tweeter is also about -3dB at 30 degrees and about -8dB at 60 degrees. So, they are close, but the dome is about -4dB at 7kHz while the ring dome is only -1.5dB. The ring dome is a bit wider dispersion up to 10kHz, but is then narrower at 15kHz. But at 20kHz the ring dome is -8dB at 30 degrees, while the dome is -12dB at 30 degrees. They both are incredibly smooth response - the ring done is almost ruler flat from 800Hz to 30KHz on axis; while the dome is very smooth from 1kHz to about 22kHz. I have yet to find other tweeters that are as smooth as these two. Their impedance curves are also very flat.

[@JayPatrol]

Audiophiles are like wine testers smelling and tasting 😊

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Most smell their own farts.

[@beaumaddox6294]

Review the r700's. Others reviewers really praise them

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I’ve requested those. We’ll just have to wait and see.

[@gbye007]

@@ErinsAudioCornerThat would be fantastic.

[@michaelwyckoff7593]

Yo E Dizzle😊

[@cnman9743]

Hi just a quick question, can these be placed in front of a wall?

[@bbfoto7248]

@cnman9743 Sure, nearly any speakers except dipole/open baffle designs can be placed really close to the wall behind them, but you would most likely want to plug the rear port, which is somewhat more difficult on this model due to the design of the port. You would also want EQ to help tame the resulting in-room response. And IMO you would want a separate Subwoofer with a decent variable crossover, phase, and level controls to fill in the low end...just something that reaches down to ~30Hz with decent output for music, but lower and a bit more SPL for movies/HT. If you already have an A/V Home Theater Receiver, many have room correction with a separate microphone for auto-measurements, or at least some type of EQ built-in that might help, though I usually prefer to do my own measurements and apply any EQ manually.

[@cnman9743]

@bbfoto7248 Thank you for the information !

[@marcusbrsp]

The folk over at Polk know their shit.

[@pinusmasterful]

Hey @ErinsAudioCorner, I really want your opinion here. Do you think these are actually an real upgrade to the Elac DBR62? Im a bit afraid it would just be a sidegrade. Hope to join your patreon again soon. All the best - Michael

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

hmmmm. without going back and looking at the data I'd probably say they're relatively even in terms of overall performance. You'd have to look at the specifics that matter to you (radiation width, in room response, EQ'ability, etc) to fine tune the selection.

[@pinusmasterful]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thank you, I may have a look at the Lintons or some KEF instead. Have a nice day mate!

[@pinusmasterful]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks man, i got a pair of Lintons for 699 new today, because i listened to your advice. thanks dude! :D

[@joentell]

Awesome review as always. This is more like what I heard from the R200 that I had. I wonder what was up with the set that was sent to you. That thing measured poorly.

[@marklloyd5275]

I liked them with my REL sub ,but prefer the R700 with my REL sub even more . The Rs r a great speaker for the money, not perfect but what is and damn close enough for the money that you pay for them . I power them with a Rotel 1592 MKII. streaming is done with a Eversolo DMP A8

[@Anox99]

Them, KEF q750, Carina 247.4 or Q Acoustics 3050i?

[@timomy8]

Interesting, had the R200 for a few months at the time measured with housecurve and struggling to find it bright on paper or audibly (yes i understand we are all different haha), i recall reading on audioscience (happy to be corrected if it was else where) that Polk changed the crossover after July last year which changed the R200 sound signature, wondering if the pair you tested may have had the different crossover or been damaged in some way? I just find it odd that the R200 & R500 sharing so many similarities would be so different on paper and in sound. anyhoo just peaked my interest. Thank you for taking the time to review these :)

[@vijju49]

Suggest me budget av receiver and 5.1.2 speaker package

[@bbfoto7248]

@vijju49 Check to see if the Onkyo TX-NR6050 has everything you want or need? It might still be On Sale (ending soon!) at Adorama for $299 USD. And $329 at Amazon last I checked. I don't have any personal experience with it, it's just a suggestion.

[@vijju49]

@@bbfoto7248 thank you bro I will check availability in India 👍

[@alexw890]

Are these a 2 way or a 2.5?

[@Ivan-ks1ix]

2.5 is what I’ve heard reported from those who asked Polk Engineers same for the R600

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Online retailers call them two-way.

[@fatboyvin]

These or the dali oberon 5? Anyone?

[@NosEL34]

Don't be too critical on the smaller Polk's so you can get some L600's, L800's, and R700's in from management 😊

[@word2RG]

👍

[@johnyang799]

This speaker is probably better closer to the listener.

[@davel4449]

I am disappointed that you reviewed these but not the big brother r700 I think they really are the flagship

[@Roddy451]

Algorithm 🎶🎵🎼

[@seanb3303]

Interesting design decision to add a ring radiator and make tweeter beam even more

[@jamesatkins8344]

Are all inexpensive speakers just not made well enough

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

What do you mean? Speakers are always a set of compromises. Usually have to spend quite a bit of money to achieve low, reaching base with high output and smooth directivity. But on the lower cost end of things, you can do quite well understanding that there will be trade-offs necessary.

[@bbfoto7248]

It depends on what you consider to be "inexpensive." But just like everything else, it costs more money to achieve higher quality overall. Although that doesn't always necessarily guarantee the speakers will sound better, but with an expanded budget, the designer is at least able to choose higher quality drivers, and has the potential to design and build better enclosures and crossovers. The level of quality of the exterior finish of loudspeakers will also add significantly to the final cost, well above and beyond the acoustic design and quality of the speakers, so that's often a large contributor to the final cost of "better" loudspeakers as well. This is where a solid DIY design that uses proven and very good (but not outrageously expensive) drivers combined with proper enclosures and good crossover implementation can punch well above what is typically available commercially from a major manufacturer for the same cost. But you might have to compromise on the aesthetics and quality of the finish with a DIY design because good enclosures with a beautiful real wood veneer or high-quality painted finish are still very expensive to produce, and it takes experience to do well. As Erin said, it's always a balance of compromises and tradeoffs, unless perhaps you have an unlimited budget. But, then there is the issue of your particular listening room and its physical limitations as well as acoustic properties that may be a compromise, even with an otherwise "perfect" set of loudspeakers.