Polk Audio T50 Speakers Review

Back in the mid 1980’s when I worked at a high end audio store one of the many products we sold were Polk Audio speakers. At the time not many people had heard of Polk, but we sold many of the speakers because they were affordable and sounded great. They featured advanced technology drivers, nice cabinetry, and they were easy to drive or in other words worked well with any receiver or amp. At the time, Polk had an Ad campaign that featured a button that said, “I got Polked!” When a customer bought one I would give them that Polk button.

A look at the drivers gave me confidence that they would sound very good. These are nicely built speakers. I placed them about six feet apart and not towed in.

I thought the drum solo in particular was well rendered. The Polks not only preserved the greatness of the performance, they were fun to listen to. A great start to the review for these speakers I thought. So I let them burn in for a few days before I returned for more critical listening.

The T50’s did a good job of disappearing. The speakers filled out a nice soundstage with the instruments sounding life size or at least a good approximation. On complex passages, there was some blurring of the musical lines when things got congested. Again I noticed good snap on drums and cymbals from the T 50. Listening further I detected that the lower mid bass and bass is the weakness of the speaker, and that the highs and mids are for their price class pretty darn clear.

As I tried pushing the Polks up at higher levels I could hear them start to fall apart. Note though that apartment dwellers who push for the volume that I had for the Polk T50 would be evicted. I took out my SPL meter to get a measurement of the loudness from my listening seat. At the 75-85db range the Polks are wonderful, which is the level I usually listen to if I am not rocking out. The Polks can play louder, but they are at their best at this level I think.

Before we sat down I told him I had these Polks and that I wanted to get his take on them. We got comfortable and after we popped open our Shiner beers I pulled out the Polks for a quick listen. I didn’t tell Jim how much the speakers cost I just set them up and cued some music. Before we started listening Jim commented on how nice and well made the speakers looked, something I noticed as well when I unboxed them.

Jim commented that the Polks reminded him of his Reference Paradigm speakers. The recording played to the Polks strengths, namely a good clear midrange and not too demanding dynamics. The bass was good, not great but the bass did blend in nicely with the mids. “I really like these speakers Frank”, declared Jim.

The backing men’s chorus were blurred by comparison with better speakers. I also noted that the Polks do a wonderful job of timing. I could hear the rhythmic pull of the musicians and the ebb and flow of the music so much so that it made for a more immersive experience.

So the time had come to reveal the secret of the Polk’s cost. “So Jim, what do you think?” said I. Jim squirmed in his seat and said, “Well Frank, there’re good! I just can’t believe how they remind me of my Paradigms, except the Paradigms have more and better bass”. “I told him, “Jim, they cost $128.00 each.” Then I watched as Jim’s jaw dropped to the floor.

I reconnected the Klipsch Cornwall’s and we resumed our listening session. “Oh yeah, way better sounding,” Jim said as the music came from the Klipsch. Well ok, and it should be considering how much more a set of Cornwall’s will set you back. Jim and I both agreed that the Polk’s are a very good value, and really good sounding on their own right.

I remember owning a pair of Advent speakers back in the 1970’s and since that time I have wondered what speakers today might replace that storied speaker for value. For each decade I could make an argument for a particular speaker. If I remember correctly, the original Advents sold for roughly the same price as the Polk T50’s. Amazing, right? It seems to me that although the price of all items sold has gone up since the 1970’s, today a consumer can get more for their money than before from excellent audio equipment. The Polk T50 is a product that you could identify as one of those audio products that gives you more bang for your buck today.

Priced at Only $129.00 Each THE POLK T-50 Offers Impressive Design and Build in its Price Class. A True Full Range Tower for Small to Medium Sized Rooms, The Polk Can be Used as the Heart a Two Channel or Surround Sound System for Audiophiles on a Budget.

The Polk T50 speaker system came to me unheralded and without much fanfare, but it is quite special in its own right. Within its limitations, and all audio components have limitations, the Polk T50 offers more than a glimpse of what high end sound is about. The sonic choices the designers of the Polk T50 made honor the music. The unassuming Polk T50’s are a bargain, and will compete with speakers at 2 to 5 times the price. If you are shopping for speakers under a grand a pair, do yourself a favor and take a listen to these. You might get “Polked”, I sure did.