Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by J. J. Heffernan "JJH" : Great Home Theater Speaker System!

I have not written product reviews on Amazon before but I find them to be extremely helpful and want to give some payback. In particular, I found the home theater system and home theater speaker reviews to be very useful.

The Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 channel home theater speaker system is phenomenal and an outstanding value. I had originally been looking for a home theater in a box system to mate to a newly acquired 37" LG LCD HDTV. The search was partly precipitated by the demise of the older generation DVD player we owned coupled to a failing 10 year old Onkyo surround-sound system. As I poked around on-line reviews and shopped Circuit City and Best Buy it became clear I could get more value and flexibility buying a receiver, an upscalable DVD player (improved picture with regular DVDs on HDTV) and a new speaker system than with home theater in a box.

The room housing our entertainment hardware is a family room -- 20 X 20+ with a vaulted ceiling, fireplace and hearth on one end and lots of upholstered furniture -- a relatively big space to fill. However, I did not want bulky speakers. I was initially intrigued by the Amazon reviews on the Yamaha NS-SP1600, quite favorable, great price and describe great sound output for small speakers. Sadly, I couldn't find these to purchase anywhere locally, nor get them from Amazon or even from Yamaha. I heard a set that I think were badly wired at a Best Buy -- good sound, not much power. Yamaha's next higher line NS-SP5700 were bigger and clunkier looking than I liked and I couldn't find reviews. They sounded OK in a poorly set up demo.

I kept shopping and was very happy I did. I looked at speaker manufacturers' websites and rapidly coned down on the Polk Audio RM6750 as looking to fill the niche I sought balancing size, quality and price. I was able to listen to them in a well set up home theater showroom at a local Circuit City and was immediately sold on the clarity and power. I bought a set for $299; they're a steal at that price and better on Amazon for $249.

I brought them home, hooked them up with the Yamaha 5930 receiver ($179) and upscalable Toshiba DVD player with HDMI ($89) I had also acquired and connected to the HDTV. This is a true dream system! The speakers generate enormous high quality sound. We tested them out with "Master and Commander" -- clear highs from all, natural voice from center channel, terrific oomph from the subwoofer and amazing surround sound experience in the early battle scene. Next test was a Down to the Waterline on a Dire Straits CD -- I heard notes I never knew were there with great balance and driving bass. (The Yamaha gives multiple modes of play including 2 concert hall variants, 2 movie variants, 2 and 5 channel stereo and a few others I haven't played with yet.)

I have filled this large room with amazing sound without going beyond 60% of full volume. I am a very happy customer.

I had looked at the low end of high-cost speaker lines -- Bose and Cambridge Soundworks. With them, you get single speakers in front and surrounds as opposed to 3+" plus tweeter in each of the Polk Audios. Also, the Polk Audio RM6750s sound better to my ears and cost much, much less.

Speaker wiring is straigtforward; wire is not supplied and best to buy/use thick gauge to handle power. Speaker set up instructions from Polk are relatively meager, especially about the subwoofer, but their website is very informative and makes a compelling argument for hooking up subwoofer in parallel with front speakers rather than using subwoofer port and sound is terrific this way.

Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by Jeff H. : I love these speakers!

Let me start by saying that I am not an 'audiophile'. However, I do know when something sounds good. These speakers sound very, very good. My setup consists of an Onkyo TX-SR604S, a 36-inch Toshiba HD TV, a non-HD Panasonic DVD player, and a PS2. I've had the HD TV for about a year now and wanted to finally upgrade my sound system to something that would really compliment the excellent HD video with excellent audio. One of the major considerations in my purchase was cost (this consideration was imposed by my wife...). The other was that whatever I purchased had to have received high end-user ratings (I find them much more reliable than the critic's reviews). I searched for a couple of months and finally settled on these speakers and the Onkyo receiver.

I am exceptionally happy with my purchase. These speakers sound great. I have 'tested' them out with two of my favorite surround sound movies: The Matrix and Disney's Atlantis (yes, this is a kids movie, but it really does have great surround sound)(besides, my kids love the movie). The speakers are crisp, clear, and loud. The subwoofer is so powerful that I am only driving it at a level of 1 on my receiver (my living room is 15ft x 24ft). If I increase the audio level above that the base thump gets downright obnoxious!

For a live comparison test of these speakers I went to my local Circuit City and listened to all of their surround sound speaker systems. For the most part, I couldn't tell the difference between these speakers and the more expensive speakers. Again, I'm not an audiophile and I'm sure that someone with a more finely tuned set of ears could probably have told the difference. However, for my untrained ears these speakers were every bit as good and a lot less expensive than the 'high end' speakers systems.

Bottom line - I highly recommend these speakers for anyone who, like myself, thoroughly enjoys great audio but who isn't yet in the audiophile class of consumer. I love these speakers!

Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by SCF : Good speaker for small room, hookup option #2 sounds much better than hookup option #1

The speakers work great in a small room (in my case, 15 ft by 20 ft). The speakers have three hook up options. I tried option #2 first and then option # 1 after my subwoofer cable arrived. They sound much better using option #2. What a waste of my money to get the subwoofer cable!

I read previous reviews about lack of low-frequecy male vocal sound from the speakers. That is exactly my experience with option #1 hookup. Using option #2, it sounds good for both movie effects and music. I have no problem with low-frequency male vocal sound at all. Actually, I need to tune down the subwoofer volume to reduce the low frequency sounds.

Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by SP "esseppi" : EXCELLENT SPEAKERS

This speaker system is exactly what I was looking for.

I've searched for a couple of months, online, talking to people, and going to listen to different speakers in stores. What I needed had to meet two requirements: 1) satellite/sub configuration (to make them "disappear" and have a high WAF - Wife Acceptance Factor); 2) Below $500. I am a true music lover, but am not an "audiophile" so don't have a trained ear to understand fully some of the technical comments made on speakers. However, I can distinguish what sounds good and what doesn't. Plus, I needed a speaker system primarily for audio, to use my dvd player as a cd player.

I have a pretty simple Pioneer receiver (110w), a JVC non-HD dvd player, a Time Warner Scientific Atlanta HD cable box, and a 32 inch, 1080i Sony Bravia. So nothing great, but ok for home use. My TV's speakers are truly awful, so I needed a speaker system to improve that, make better use of the receiver, and help out with stereo music listening. The "surround" feature was not priority, also given my non ideal living room structure.

I went to J and R in NYC and listened to a few speaker systems (didn't want systems that came with receiver/dvd sets). I listened carefully to the Bose AM III (VERY poor, both in very high and mid freqs). Plus, that was just below my budget and needed something cheaper as I had to buy wall/ceiling brackets, etc. Then I listened to a $699 Klipsch system, way beyond my budget, but excellent sound. Finally, I listened to the Polk RM 6750 and realized that it sounded just like the Klipsch, did not capture the difference, but did notice that it cost less than half ($250!).

Bought the Polk system on the spot. Added some cables (the best they had for the satellites, and a sub monster cable), and two ceiling brackets to make the satellites disappear. Took a while to figure out connections and wiring at home, but I LOVE the way my Polk sounds, even if, for now, I only installed the bare minimum for stereo sound (two front satellites and the sub).

Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by B. Hunziker : Great product at a low price!

I bought the Polk RM6750 speakers after listening to my dad's polk system for the past 10 years. These speakers have excellent build quality that you would expect from Polk Audio, and a great sound. If you go to a place like Best Buy and look at the home theater in a box systems you will never find as quality of speakers as these Polks. If you want an awesome sounding 5.1 channel surround sound system for the same price as one of the fore mentioned home theater in a box systems I would suggest that you buy these Polk RM6750 speakers for $230-250(whatever it may be that day) and the Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 channel receiver for $190 with free shipping. This killer combo is much better than anything that you can find in a bundle and works especially well if you already own a DVD player. Also, if you ever want to upgrade to a 7.1 channel system you can always buy two more satellites(RM6751). A really cool feature about the TX-SR505 is that it has Dolby Digital Pro Logic IIx which converts any 2.0 source such as a non-HD TV station to 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound(whichever you have). Another great bargain that I found on Amazon is the Monster Cable XPHP 12 gauge speaker wire for $60 (MSRP=$130). All put together this system sounds great in my living room and I'm so happy that I spent my stimulus check on it.

Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by Scott A. Foster : Great for the price, but don't expect jaw-dropping sound.

These speakers are a great buy if you simply want an affordable 5.1 setup. They work fine and do fill my room with sound decently. For such small satellites, the quality is pretty decent.

That said, they're no replacement for larger, more powerful speakers. They lack strength at some lower frequencies, and I've frequently noticed that deep male voices aren't particularly clear or powerful through the speakers. It's particularly noticeable with the center channel, since that's where most dialog will be placed.

Unlike some reviewers, I actually do feel that the sub is an adequate match for the speakers. A bigger, better sub WILL be bigger and better, but the included subwoofer isn't worthless and certainly does add to one's experience.

On my setup, I replaced the center channel with a Polk Monitor series speaker, and found that the upgrade improved my sound greatly. The other sats and sub provide decent positional audio, while the upgraded center provides fidelity for dialog. I'd recommend a similar upgrade for anybody considering these speakers.

Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by Scott Kendall Mcfadden : good speakers / great price

These are good speakers for a great price. They aren't intended for hard core audiophiles. The nice thing about these speakers is that if you ever want to upgrade, you can ditch the existing subwolfer and go purchase a high end sub (i.e. velodyne) while keeping the existing satellites. I listened to the Bose Acoustimass systems prior to purchasing these speakers. The Bose speakers are nice but very pricey. These speakers sound just as good as the Bose speakers but for less money.

Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)
Review by H. Liebowitz "gansos" : Fantastic System

There are tons of speakers out there, and many of them are quite good. What sold me on Polk was the wealth of information the company publishes for its customers (and prospects) on its website. While some companies will try to sell you on prestige or fancy finishing, the Polk website lays it out clearly and explains the best way to evaluate a system in terms of performance. As a self-proclaimed audiophile, and having worked in professional theatrical sound, I appreciate a company that is dedicated to quality and technical mastery, and less concerned with marketing.

They make fantastic speakers, and their detailed information on the perils of the "sub jack" on most tuners, along with their innovative solution, has me listening to pristine sound with no hassle. This sounds way better than other systems I've heard (at friends houses and whatnot) that cost many times more than this.

These speakers are pretty incredible for the price.