GUIDE TO MONITOR SPEAKERS

Polk Audio Monitor 50 2-Way Floorstanding Speaker (Single, Black)

Manufacturer : Polk Audio
In Stock : 6

List Price:	$229.95
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Features

Single 2-way floorstanding speaker that delivers high performance at a reasonable price
Equipped with dual 5.25-inch bi-laminate composite dynamic-balance drivers
Equipped with one 1-inch silk polymer-composite dynamic-balance dome tweeter
All MDF construction and extensive cabinet bracing ensure resonance-free enclosures
Magnetic shielding allows safe placement next to TVs and video monitors

Product Description

sold individually * video-shielded * bass-reflex design * frequency response 57-24,000 Hz (-3dB) * handles up to 150 watts * warranty: 5 years *

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.50 out of 26 reviews

Rating :
Not bad at these prices... - Eduardo Nietzsche, May 15, 2008

The Polk website lists these babies at a whopping four hundred sixty bucks MSRP...now if you're paying anywhere near that, I'd say you're nuts because there's far better speakers available at that pricepoint. Luckily the street prices on the Polk Monitor line keep dropping, perhaps due to fierce competition from both high-quality Internet-direct manufacturers like av123, Ascend, SVS, Hsu, etc. and as more speakers are now produced in cut-rate China, such as the Usher Audio S-520. At the one hundred thirty bucks shipped each price that Amazon currently has them at, however, this is an excellent value---mainly because these being floorstanding rather than bookshelf speakers, you don't have to spend any money on speaker stands, which would start at around eighty to a hundred bucks and negate any price advantage of bookshelf speakers.

The Monitor 50 is basically identical to the Monitor 40 in terms of not only having the same two 5.25" mid-woofers and 1" silk tweeter, but surprisingly the much larger cabinet of the 50 does not seem to give you any extra bass extension: both the 40 and the 50 are listed by Polk as going down to 57Hz, which means that having a powered subwoofer is highly recommended, especially if you are using these speakers for home theater (DVDs)---and particularly if you watch a lot of big-budget action flicks where the subwoofer really makes or breaks your system, particularly in a large open space.

For critical music listening, the Polk Monitor is decent, but hardly anything to write home about. That's "critical music listening"---wherein one sits in front of the speakers and listens intently to the nuances, details, balance and tonality of the musical output, in contrast to casual listening where you're perhaps preparing a meal in the kitchen at the same time, or dusting the furniture, etc. Critical music listeners, look elsewhere, and be prepared to spend at least two hundred fifty to four hundred dollars for a truly good pair of bookshelf speakers such as the Infinity Beta 20s or Ascend CBM-170s.

For everyone else, meaning those who mainly watch DVDs, TV, and play video games, the Monitor series will be plenty adequate. The silk tweeters give you decent detail, the 89db sensitivity means that you don't need some massive super-powerful amp to drive these, and the double-woofer d'Apollito (midwoof-tweeter-midwoof) design of the Monitor 50 and 40 will give you a nice full midrange and room-filling output.

Rating :
Quality sound for the price - J. Guo, May 15, 2008

I love the speakers, great sound and affordable prices. I would definitely recommend this speaker.

Rating :
The best speakers for your money, PERIOD! - Robert Klaproth, May 09, 2008

All those silly companies like Bose, Altec Lansing, and Orb, promise to deliver big sound in tiny little speakers, and they just can not match the sound quality of a good tower speaker from a reputable company like Polk, Infinity, JBL, or Klipsch. If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, look no further. I listened to all of the Polk Audio Monitor lines at a local retailer, and I can tell you the 50 gives you the biggest bang for your buck. The bigger, more expensive ones all use the same tweeter, which is what gives you the crisp vocals and the clear sounds when listening to music, so the only thing you will gain by purchasing the more expensive models is more bass. However, most of you will buy a subwoofer anyway, so bass is not really that important. These speakers sound awesome when paired with my Velodyne 12 inch subwoofer, and all those tiny little speakers pale in comparison to the big sounds of a Polk tower speaker!

Rating :
great speakers for intro home theater - F. Ather, May 04, 2008

i live in a small studio apartment, and these are great speakers. quality is very good, and it does put out a nice amount of bass. they also look pretty classy.

Rating :
Decent speakers for the price - Raymond Wilmott, Apr 25, 2008

Bought the Polk Monitor 50's two weeks ago. They replaced a 25 year old set of B&W DM330's. For the price they're hard to beat. Good clear sound, even at high levels. The reason I give them 4 stars instead of 5 is that you really NEED a subwoofer with them. They are overly strong in the high-end frequencies, and have almost nothing in the low-end. I ended up buying the Polk PSW10 subwoofer and now have a nice, balanced sound.

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