Radio Shack vs. Polk (1 Viewer)

[Steve>JF]

Hey, Radio Shack is offering the RCA PRO-LX550 bookshelfs for $49.99 ea and the timbre matched RCA PRO-CS550 center for $69.99 until they are gone! Does anyone have these as a system? I'm thinking about buying 4 ea Polk R15 and a CS120 center for about $80 total more than the Radio Shack speakers. What is/are the better deal/speakers?

 

[Troy R]

I would just get 6 Polk R15's and use an R15 for a center and the other R15 for a rear center if you ever needed one... That way all speakers will match perfectly for seemless matching.

I had the R10's and sold them when I sold my HT. I was using them as surrounds with my Polk RT line and they mathced very well! A VERY GOOD speaker for the $70 I paid for the pair.

just my .02...

 

[Thomas Nichols]

I have Polk R20's and I love them. They sound great to me. They match great to my receiver. I thought the 20's sounded just good enough for the money. Mine were around 60$ a pop. I don't think you can go wrong with the R15's.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Steve,

You won't get a good opinion unless you talk to someone
who own's the LX's.. They are a speaker with a CULT following..

Where else can you get a speaker with a ribbon tweeter for
that amount of money? No where.. They have thier drawbacks
like any speaker but they have a huge openness to them..
Thanks to the 360 degree Linauem Tweeter.

 

[Danny Tse]

I've heard the LX-550 and the CS550 at a friend's house, and considering their prices, they're a steal. The tweeter is extremely good, especially once you take off the grill. And more than anything, the LX-550 function especially good as a surround speaker. In fact, why not go with 5 (or 6) of the LX-550 + subwoofer (the current LX-550 is magnetically-shielded while the original version of this speaker, the LX-5 PRO, was not) For music/HT, once you match them to a high quality sub, you will be surprised by how good they can be. Despite the difference in tweeter design between the LX-550 and the S-550, they match very well as HT speakers. And like Brett said, these speakers are cult favorites, with a lot mods, from placing straws into their ports to crossover mods, available to enhence their performance. Radio Shack used to sell a whole line of speakers, from floor-standing models down on down, based upon this Linauem Tweeter design. The Linauem Tweeter was originally designed by a company called Aura, and it's a favorite of DIY speaker builders. Check out this
link.. So don't let that Radio Shack/RCA name fool you, these are the real deal.

Hmmmm....maybe I should pick up a pair now that I got my tax return refund....

 

[DanaA]

I use the LX-5 PRO speakers for my surrounds. I've owned them for quite a few years. At times, I've thought that perhaps I should replace them with other surrounds that would be more in keeping with the rest of my system, but honestly when I listen to the things, I really like them. They have a very sweet upper range. Of course, the drawback is that they don't extend that far into the low frequencies, but what they do have is pretty darn tight. I see them as being a great bargain at the listed price.

I also own Polk RT 35i's, which are used in my daughter's bedroom. Honestly, the RT 35i's are probably the better speaker, but personally I'd take the ratshack's over the Polk 15's.

 

[Steve>JF]

Thanks to everyone. I ended up buying 4 ea Polk R15s and the CSi20 center. The Polk R15s went down to $39.99/ea, so I got an even better deal! They sound great. I compared the Radio Shack RCA PRO-LX550 and PRO-CS550 center with the Polks in a side by side test and I made these observations:

1. The RCAs seemed to have good bass as did the Polks, but the RCAs were working a lot harder than the Polks at the same level of the receiver volume control.
2. The Polks seemed to have better midrange and slightly better highs than the RCAs, though the RCAs were not bad. It may just be a matter of taste (I will be using the Polks for 90% HT and 10% music).
3. The Polks had a better overall sound to me and they just had a better "clarity quotient".
4. The Polk center compared to the RCA center the same as the bookshelfs did. The Polk center seemed to have more definition and natural sound.
5. The RCAs have drivers with foam surrounds, the Polks are rubber. I had the surrounds disintegrate on a set of AR18s speakers once. Didn't like that.
6. I must say, I love the look of the RCA speakers because they are different. Also, they are well made and the aluminum box is cool. The Polks look great too and are well made also.

Needless to say, I took the RCAs back to Radio Shack (great return policy) and kept the Polks. Don't get me wrong, I would buy the RCAs, but I liked the Polks a little better. All in all, I think I made the right choice!

 

[TylerZ]

I think you summed it up very well with point #3. Buy a speaker because of how it sounds to you, not what it looks like (point #6).

 

[Steve>JF]

Footnote to Polk speaker purchase:
The CSi20 center channel went on sale Memmorial day weekend for $99 and I ended up getting a refund of
$43! I was lucky again (see above post)!

 

[DanaA]

Congratulations. Glad you enjoy your new speakers. And, you sure have a great sense of timing when it comes to deals.