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

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

(57 customer reviews)

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The name âMonitorâ is special to Polk Audio. The original Polk Audio Monitor Series, produced in the mid-1970s, ushered in the modern loudspeaker era by setting the standard for performance and value. The original Monitor Series is the line that made Polk Audio famous with its simple, sturdy construction, clear, accurate sound, powerful bass and superior imaging all at a price that made great sound available to everyone. The newly reborn Monitor Series is classic Polk: a quality-built, affordable line of high performance loudspeakers for music and home theater. They are highly efficient, so they can be driven easily by unpretentious receivers, and they are voice matched for lifelike surround sound environments. The Monitor Series boasts a stylish look that complements todayâs flat screen technology, with wood grain finishes and modern Titanium faces, and beefy stabilizer feet on the tower models. Built for speed, sound and value, the Monitor Series is a great introduction to high performance sound. The Monitor 50 features: High efficiency design allows the Monitor Series to reveal the classic Polk Audio sound (open, spacious and clear) even when driven by modestly-powered amplifiers and receivers. 1-inch (25mm) Fabric/Polymer Composite Dynamic Balance Dome Tweeter with powerful Neodymium magnet structure delivers clear and detailed high frequency response for realistic reproduction of vocals and instruments. 5 1/4-inch Bi-Laminate Composite Dynamic Balance Drivers are lightweight and stiff with good damping for high efficiency, excellent bass and lower distortion. Multiple small-diameter driver design delivers wide dispersion, better mid-range, and more detailed bass response for an open, âbox-less,â three-dimensional sound. Non-resonant all-MDF enclosure construction with ¾"-thick baffles and frontâto-back and side-to-side internal bracing ensures cleaner, clearer, more lifelike sound quality. <

List Price:	$229.95
Our Price:	$99.99
You Save:	$129.96 (57%)
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Product Details

Product Width:	7.0 inches
Product Height:	35.0 inches
Product Weight:	16.0 pounds
Package Length:	40.0 inches
Package Width:	15.2 inches
Package Height:	11.3 inches
Package Weight:	30.2 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 57 reviews

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

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: 4.5

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First Purchase Sep 06, 2010
These are my first speakers i've purchased for a home theater. I used to have a pieced together set with Klipch KG-4 as the front and some other mixed speakers for the surrounds and center.

On to the setup. I've got a 5.0 setup powered by an Onkyo TX-SR606 where Polk Monitor 50s are my front left and right channels, Polk Monitor CS-1 as the Center, and Polk Monitor 30s as my surrounds. I haven't bought a subwoofer yet because I live in an apartment and I'm sure if they can't hear my movies now, they'd definitely be able to hear them then. My room is roughly an open 12' x 20' with the theater setup being in the front 2/3rds.

These speakers sound great. I use them for tv, movies and games. I have my Onkyo set to +2 on the bass which I feel evens the sound out and adds a little more punch during action sequences. These sounds do seem to be very well rounded in that they can take care of moderately low frequencies as well as the highs. They work great for the room size, and i don't think i'd get the bigger ones which would probably over power the room. On the onkyo i'll turn the knob to around 45-50 for movies and i'll feel like i'm there. For tv and games i can set it to around 35-40 and it will be plenty loud to hear everything.

For music they are decent. I don't listen to music on these too terribly often, but when I do they suffice. The monitor 60's and 70's will probably do better than these, but they're still good. They are fairly balanced for music but i'm sure they aren't the best. Having a subwoofer would probably help as well.

In summary, i'm very pleased with these and don't plan on upgrading anytime soon unless i get a much bigger room. the only thing i'll be adding is a subwoofer. if you can pick these up you won't be sorry.

Discontinued Model Means Great Value May 31, 2010
When shopping for speakers in my 5.1 audio system, I looked at all the online reviews for entry pricepoint speakers. They all pointed to the Fluance AVHTB+ and the Onkyo SKS-HT540. I also saw some online forum recommendations for the Jamo S 406. The Fluance and Jamo sets have tower front speakers, which is a plus since you want the sound at ear level and you don't need stands for tower speakers. I didn't notice Polk until later.

I didn't listen to the speakers in person because they are hard to find in stores (where the prices are higher anyway) and all decently made speakers sound the same to me, just like all colas and American domestic lager beers taste the same. Some people swear they taste a difference, but scientifically and statistically when you do a double blind taste test nobody can tell the difference. Companies build brand equity so that a certain product seems better in your head, but that's all it really is. The only way speakers could be objectively reviewed would involve recording several different types of sounds, playing them back with several different speakers, and determining with audio wave equipment which speakers played back the sounds most accurately. But it's not done that way, so I went by build quality.

The Onkyo set had two more speakers than I wanted (since I didn't want to pull the couch from the wall and set speakers behind it for 7.1 sound) and all it really seemed to have going for it is a pretty good subwoofer (which is one of the least important speakers in a home theater setup.) The Fluance was nice and unlike the others they have 3-way front tower speakers, but reviews said the center channel speaker was lacking and the center channel speaker is the most important. The Jamo is no better than Fluance.

Then I noticed many people recommending the Polk Monitor series in online message boards. At first I thought it was more money than I wanted to spend, but then I realized that the reason they were recommending Polk Monitor was that they had discontinued the Monitor line and some retailers who had overstocked these speakers were offering such huge discounts that it could be had at about the same price as the Onkyo, Fluance, and Jamo entry level sets. This is something the online reviews hadn't factored in. The Polk woofers are poly coated and have butyl rubber surrounds with 1" tweeters just like the others. The circuitry is considered very good, as is the internal bracing. And the tweeters are silk domed with neodynium magnets. You have to step up to more expensive Fluance's SX-HTB+ line (which also have 2-way front speakers) to get the neodynium magnets and internal bracing, although they also have ferrofluid cooling for better reliability. I couldn't find anything about the magnets or whether they have silk domes in the Onkyo or Jamo sets. The sensitiviy is right in line with Fluance and Jamo, and better than Onkyo. In the end, brand equity also had a little to do with it, although it wasn't one of my first priorities. Polk is a better known speaker brand. The Monitor 50s are lacking ferrofluid, and ferrofluid adds to reliability, but none of the other entry level sets I saw had it either and the Polks have a 5 year warranty.

I got the cherry front speakers and when they arrived they looked a lot better than I expected. I got the Monitor 50 front speakers with the CS1 Center, because it was important to me to have the same size woofers (5.25") and same quantity of woofers (2 per speaker) in the front speakers as the center speaker, for the best timbre matching possible. The bi-wiring feature was a nice addition, because you can separately wire the woofers (responsible for the middle frequency tones) and the tweeters (responsible for the higher frequency tones) if your receiver allows it. The speakers seem to do their job real well. I think it's better at reproducing background stereo in movies than it is at reproducing voice dialogue, but a lot of that has to do with how well the movie producers recorded the voices in the first place. Some people on the Polk audio forums say these speakers simply don't compare quality-wise to the more expensive Polk RTi series, but I wouldn't know about that. I have a feeling you could blindfold anyone (even someone who certified themself an "audiophile"), put them in my living room, and they wouldn't be able to tell you what I spent. That's exactly what I was looking for.

This model has been discontinued for about a year now and retailers are still selling them. I've read that the TSi series replaced it, and that the only difference is a nicer looking cabinet.

Great Sounding Speakers at Low Price Point May 10, 2010
I've owned these speakers for approximately one month and they are great performers. I was instantly pleased with the sound and after some break in the highs seem a little smoother. The speakers handle low end sounds pretty well but a subwoofer is definetely needed for a true movie-like experience. The cabinets are small(for towers), very rigid, and the finish job on them is better than most speakers anywhere near this price range. I ended up paying 90.00 a piece for these on a special buy and these are worth far more than that. Anyone who is looking for a surround system on the cheap that is pleasing to the ears can't go wrong with these.

Polk Towers Above Competition May 03, 2010
I am using a Harmon Kardon receiver with Cerwin Vega and Yamaha speakers. The CVs are the major sound system and the Yamaha's were the bookshelf portion of the system. I purchased the Polk Audios to push the system to the next level in my house. All I can say is wow! What a system! I love Polk Audio!

Polk Audio Monitor 50 2-Way Floorstanding Speaker Apr 05, 2010
I was looking for a low-end speaker that was relatively inexpensive, but something that will make a statement when placed in a room as part of a surround sound system. Someone recommended that I go with the Polk Audio 50 series, so I purchased two. Wow! What a bang for my buck. I am very pleased with these babies. Even though I'm on a budget, I didn't want to get speakers that looked cheezy and sounded cheep. These are far from it. Even though the 50s are on the low-end, they can hang with some of the big guys when it comes to sound. (I haven't heard every speaker out there, but I know what sounds good and what sounds like utter crap).

If you are over 35, I'm sure you remembered the old floorstanding speakers back in the days that were relatively unattractive, bulky and somewhat tacky looking. Not only will these Polks cause your system to be kicking, but they will add that swag-style decor. They are slick and very stylish. My two Polk 50s are connected to my Sony STR-DH800 receiver and a Polk CS10 Center speaker. I'm getting ready to order a Polk subwoofer in a few weeks and 4 more Polk 50s to complete my 7.1 system. My Sony blu-ray sounds crisp and clear as if I'm really sitting in a movie theatre.

So, if you want speakers that look and sound great, that has a name well-known for excellence in sound systems and won't break your pockets, these are it.

PS - I may go one-level up if the prices drop any time soon :)

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