Polk system vs. separates (1 Viewer)

[jeff morris]

Hello everyone!
I am setting up for home theater viewing and have been seriously considering Polk speakers. I will be using this system for HT only, music is upstairs in the livingroom.
I have been looking and listening to the RM6600 subsat and feel this is a good value vs sound.
After viewing the catalog online, I was wondering if it might not be better to go with separates, ie; RT25's, cs245i and a psw350 sub, all for the same price as the RM6600.
My question is, why would Polk sell the RM series if you can get equal sound from separates? Am I missing some marketing hype here, or what?
SO, should I get the subsat system, or go for rhe separates?
Thanx a million!!

 

[Dan Hine]

Jeff,
First, welcome to the forum!

why would Polk sell the RM series if you can get equal sound from separates?

Who said it was equal sound? My guess is that some people like having a "pre-packaged" system. Makes them feel more secure. Some companies make a killing this way.
I think you should listen to both and then decide! That is really the best way to do it. For what it is worth though, I have a pair of RT600i's and a PSW 250 and am very happy! Have fun!
Dan Hine

 

[Micah Cohen]

Hey Jeff, I know I'm late to this, but here goes. Hope I can help out a little.

The reason we sell both compact systems and full-sized speakers is because they serve different purposes. You have to decide which is right for you.

Do you want speakers that will not stand out in a room; maybe your significant other objects to big box speakers sitting all around, or maybe you live in a small space and need smaller speakers? This is what the RM Series is built for. They've won all sorts of awards and garnered great reviews for being quality-built, small-sized "high performance" speakers. But... You make some sacrifices when you choose compact speakers, no matter what brand. By their very nature they are not full-range speakers, and it's delicate business blending a sub/sat system, you could end up with a "hole" in the midrange where the small speakers let off and before the subwoofer picks up the slack. (We try to avoid this with tweaked crossover networks and specific wiring recommendations.) I have the RM6500 (the precursor to the RM6600) in my own small home theater, and I love it. It suits my space perfectly, and rocks the foundations of my house.

If you want real volume and real full range performance, tho, or you have a larger room to fill with sound, you need to take full-sized speakers seriously. Because of their larger cabinets and larger components, you will get a much more dynamic, bigger, full range performance from a set of four RT25i's (which just got a stellar review in Stereophile, BTW) with the matched center and subwoofer. The speakers are bigger, with fuller range and more dynamic "real speaker" performance. (And you sacrifice space and having larger speakers in your room.) It might be worth while to think about RT35i's as your mains and use RT25i's as your surrounds (that's what I'd do, since I tend to love the RT35i's).

It all depends on your space and your personal desires for volume and dynamic range. You have to really go hear them for yourself.

I don't want to sell our speakers here on this forum, that would be cheesy. But I'd be happy as a clam to help you out if you want to email me direct. I'll do my best to answer any of your questions.

MC