Polk Audio CS10 Center Channel Speaker (Single, Black)

Upon doing extensive research on which center channel to purchase for my newly purchased home theater receiver, I finally bit the bullet and purchased the CS10. My reason for doing so is due to various subjects which I will discuss here. 1) Sound Quality -------------------- I'm an audiophile when it comes to both car & home audio, however I cannot justify the marginal difference in sound for a speaker in relation to twice (or sometimes more) the cost. The CS10 provides an ample amount of sound and quality, and excels in the high frequency range. As others have stated, it somewhat lacks in mid-low frequency however that is not what this speaker is intended to do. Most of the dialogue is output through the center channel, so having too much mid or low end sound would muddy up the voices. A good subwoofer will suffice for the lack of mid range frequency in this center channel. The mid woofers provide just enough mid range to add to the dynamic sound range required for the most important speaker upgrade in your setup. 2) Build Quality ------------------ The overall build quality far exceeds my expectations. Upon closer inspection, it appears that the box is made with MDF wood just as a subwoofer box is made for automotive applications. The grain pattern is quite stylish, and doesn't look cheaply made like other speaker exteriors I've seen on display. The grill is securely placed (almost too securely), and helps with smoothing out the high frequency pitch. My only complaint is the size of the box in proportion to the size of the main high-tweeter (where 90% of the sound comes from). Although the sound makes up for the size of the box, I found it a bit difficult to find an optimal location to place the speaker in. Due to its height, you will need to either lower your speaker (not recommended, should be at ear level), or add height to your TV. I chose the latter, and made a simple box to give my TV around 6 inches. This ended up working perfectly, as my TV was a bit low anyways for viewing pleasure. Keep in mind that not doing so will partly block the bottom part of the TV, and will also cause your remote to not work properly. Don't say I didn't warn you! 3) Overall Conclusion ------------------------ I will admit that this is my first purchase from the brand Polk Audio, however I can definitely say that it was the most pleasing in every category (price, build, sound) in comparison to any of the other components I've purchased. In comparison to my stock Onyko center channel, the difference is NIGHT & DAY, even prior to the speaker still being brand new and not having the time to settle. Dialogue is a lot easier to understand, even at low volumes, and there is MORE than enough sound for those infrequent moments when I feel the urge to watch a movie in "Bother the neighbors" mode. Build quality is excellent, and cost is more than reasonable for such an increase in performance. THIS IS THE UPGRADE YOU WANT! You won't find a better increase in sound for the price. Other than the front left & right speakers, its definitely the most noticeable increase, so enjoy it!

A Common frustration among home theater owners is that the dialogues are just not that clear and immersive as they find it in the actual theater.Most of the sound that you listen in movies in a 5.1 setup comes from the center channel and therefore the center channel deserves your attention if you want to fix the dialogue problem. I have been through the same struggle that most people go though.I used to increase the volume of the speaker to get the clarity in dialogues only to find that surround sound going up as well and drowning the clarity. I have tried increasing the center channel volume up by fiddling with the receiver EQ but it generally ended up with a hollow sound. There was no weight, Depth and authority in the dialogues in previous speakers. CS10 surpassed all my expectations when i listened to it.During my research, I saw the long list of positive reviews for CS10 mentioning how excellent the sound was.When i ordered the speaker and paid $120 , i was expecting excellent sound for the price.I was completely wrong.The speaker is not excellent for the price i paid, its excellent for ANY price.It can excel center channels at ANY price range.I setup it up with my pioneer 1020-K and it shines like a star when watching movies or listening to music.The mid range is amazing. The mid range frequency is where most speakers struggle.The bass goes down all the way to 50hz and its very clean and with no distortion or boomy-ness.Everything that comes out of this speaker is natural. Don't expect it to produce very low bass because that would be asking too much from a center channel. It does all the right things that a center channel is supposed to do which is to cover the mid range.I can hear all the Dialogues crisp and clear. I hooked it up to my pioneer 1020K in 5.1 setup and put the setting in receiver to "neural" and the sound just blows me away every-time i listen to it.The Dynamics , clarity and authority in sound reproduction is excellent .Its hard to get all the three right in a center channel especially the Dynamics part.The Off axis dispersion is very good.make sure that you put rubber feats on this puppy if you put it on a entertainment center otherwise the vibrations produced by this speaker will interact with the cabinet below and can create resonance.I also suggest that you put your receiver in a setting where most of the sound is routed to this center channel. My favorite pastime is to watch Shawshank redemption in a home theater setup with this center channel. It feels almost like a theater.Most of the dialogue dominated or midrange frequencies dominated movies have become pleasurable to watch again. A big thank you to cs10 designers especially the cross-over designer. If you know anything about speaker design, you will quickly realize that its more like art and cooking than anything else.Just throwing expensive components while designing speaker is not enough.The cabinet and cross over design ( most difficult part) is where the magic lies and i think CS10 designers hit a home run on this one.Sometimes, the most expensive restaurant in the town cannot make the same amazing burger that a cheap neighborhood restaurant has luckily come up with. The same way, this particular speaker is hard to beat by other companies ( or polks own other models) irrespective of the money they throw at it because speaker design is more an art than pure science. +VE : * Clear ,Crisp sound with Excellent depth and range. * Extremely low distortion at low frequencies compared to other brands. * Solid Build. * Decent looking Finish. * Will bring out the same clarity and depth in dialogues that you hear in real theaters. -VE : * Size ( i don't know if this can be fixed by any speaker designer without compromising low freq quality) Note: I have been using this Center Channel speaker for more than a year. Center Channel used/listened before : Bose, KEF, definitive tech,Paradigm, B&W , Martin Logan. Update - 2014 : The speaker still amazes me !

Excellent by polk

Tiene un sonido estupendo

Excellent product