Polk Audio R20 Bookshelf Speakers

Polk Audio R20 Bookshelf Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

Enjoy great Polk sound at pocket-friendly price! The ear-pleasing, surprisingly affordable R20 speaker teams a 3/4" Dynamic Balance® tweeter and a 6-1/2" Dynamic Balance woofer in a ported enclosure. Highs are crisp, mids are full, and lows are rich! Plus, at a mere 12-1/2" high, this unobtrusive bookshelf speaker will fit into almost any room discreetly. The keyhole slot makes for nearly effortless wall-mounting.

Key Features:

  • video-shielded
  • bass-reflex
  • frequency response 60-20,000 Hz (-3dB)
  • 8-ohm impedance
  • sensitivity 89 dB
  • handles up to 100 watts
  • black vinyl finish
  • 5-way binding posts
  • 7-13/16"W x 12-1/2"H x 11-9/16"D
  • warranty: 5 years

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-7 of 7  
[Jan 13, 2018]
LEO
Casual Listener

Mids not muddy. Good little speaker. With a subwoofer. Its perfect. I use fx audio d802 amp

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 04, 2011]
Speedfreak
Casual Listener

Muddled but deep bass given the woofer size. Tweeter is ok but needs more help because it lacks any body/fullness. Sound is a little too flat. Parts Express has M&K/Vifa tweeters for less than $10 that will make these sound much better thoughout the highs and part of the midrange (can't beat that). If you want to go further, add a Dayton 2-way crossover for another $20 or so each (tighter bass response and fuller sound) and these speakers will sound like speakers $2500-$300 dollars more per pair.

OK, but for a little more money, use the cabinets (with very minor modification) to make these spoeakers sing.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
[Apr 08, 2010]
lonewolf031457
Audio Enthusiast

Price paid: $20.00

I picked up a pair of these on Craigslist and was never sorry I did. It was a steal at $20. To me, I like the Infinity RS2's just a bit better, but these are real close. These polks may give a bit more bass but I think the Infinity mids are better. I have them in use in a bedroom without a sub. They would make nice surround speakers or use by themselves in a small room. Another sleeper is the Insignia bookshelfs (61/2" woofer, lower cost). A good buy for the money. Not quite as good as these Polks though.
I think most would like these a lot better than Sony, Onkyo, and Pioneer speakers. If your getting your kids started in audio equipment, I recommend these. They will fit almost anywhere.

Similar products used: Sony bookshelfs, Infinity RS1, RS2, Insignia bookshelf. Infinity RS4, RS5 towers.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 03, 2004]
sultan165
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Good midbass Natural sound overall Quality of construction Price

Weakness:

Slight and veil and lack of detail in the midrange Highs are not that smooth

A great budget bookshelf. The bass is a little lean (which is to be expected given the small size), but the midbass is pretty tight and articulate. It matches well with a subwoofer that can compensate for a lack of low bass. The mids have a slight veil to them, but otherwise sound quite natural. The highs are detailed and not overly bright. However, I wouldn't classify the highs as being all that smooth either. The imaging is fine and soundstage is surprisingly wide. Quality of construction is also very good at this price point. Overall, these are definitely a cut above other cheap bookshelfs (sony, pioneer, etc.), but the veiled midrange and somewhat artificial sounding highs remind you that it still isn't high end either. Given its price point, there aren't many speakers that can beat the R20 (perhaps athena, mission, paradigm, etc).

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Bose Magnepan B&W

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 16, 2004]
jorgillo
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

PRICE , ,GOOD STEREO SEPARATION, GOOD BASS AND HIGHS

Weakness:

THE MIDRANGE ,LACKS DEFINITION

MY BROTHER BOUGHT THE SPEAKERS, FOR THE PRICE PAID(ALL THE ELECTRONICS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AT MEXICO), IS A GOOD BUY, YOU CANT EXPECT NOTHING EXTRAORDINARY FROM A SPEAKER THAT COST LESS THAN 200 BUCKS, BUT TO BE HONEST THE SPEAKERS SOUNDS RIGHT, WITH A WELL DEFINED BASS ,GOOD HIGHS AND REASONABLE MID (A LITTLE MUDDY) , IF YOU CAN COMPARED THEM WITH A B&W 300 SERIES GO FOR THE 300`S BUT THEY COST 120 DLLS MORE . FOR SURROUND MODE THEY ARE GREAT ,FOR STEREO SPEAKERS THEY SOUND JUST RIGHT.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 601 SERIES 2

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Aug 04, 2003]
dinon
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Punchy and powerfull bass, crispy high for silk dome.

Weakness:

abit muddy mid range.

This is the best speaker over all in sound quality for less than $200. The bass is so impressive right out of the box, it is very powerful and punchy compared to same price JBLs,Infinitys. Above average built quality for this price. High is very crispy for a silk dome tweeter. Mid range is a little bit muddy. Overall, it's a very good deal for less than $200. Very sturdy built quality. Its size is the smallest among those bookshelf I own now, but sound is the best. Very impressive for very small bookshelf

Similar Products Used:

Accoustic Energy aegis One, JBL S26, Polk R20, Polk R10, Polk RT7, Pioneer S-DF2-K, Pioneer S-DF1-K, Infinity Reference 2, Bose 901, a pair of bookshelf Alantic Tech(forgot model)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 07, 2003]
Daron Green
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Crystal clear highs,The best bass you can get from a 6 and a half in woofers

Weakness:

None

These are very good sounding speakers.The bass is tight and the highs are crystal clear.It has an airy sort of muffled sound but nothing is over exaggerated.When listening to these speakers you may find that they sound best with the bass and treble set on flat and let your subwoofer do the rest.Once you get them broken in you"ll realize they are excellent speakers and that Mr.Polk knows how to make great speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Bose,Yamaha,Pioneer,Infinity,MTX,JBL,Boston Acoustics,Sony

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-7 of 7  

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