Lots of power, bi-wireable, sounds awesome

Very big & boxy, but worth it

This is replacing my energy centre channel that I bought back in the day when DD & DTS didn't evev exist. All I can say is wow what a difference! I actually hear & sometimes feel the bass coming out of this speaker and the mids & highs are very clean and detailed.
Truly this speaker gives the impression of being in a theater. It never feels restrained or overstressed like a lot of centre channels I hear. Before I sometimes felt I was going to blow my energy when I played loud well recorded dvd's - the sound would become very harsh. With the polk it seems so clear I always want to turn it even louder.
I just finished watching Jurassic Park III again which has lots of high dinosaur pitches which would strain my energy and my ears. The polk handled it effortlessly and I was totally amazed at the quality of sound - better than the theater.
Buy one because you won't be dissapointed. This centre will handle anything you throw at it.
My system consists of:
Onkyo 595 reciever
Toshiba 3109 DVD
Technics SPD 9 cd player
JVC VHS
Polk cs 400i centre
Polk rt 1000i mains
Polk rt 35i for surrounds
Paradigm pw 2200 subwoofer
Interconnects by either Monster, AR or truelink
12 guage AR speaker wire for mains
16 guage RCA wire for surrounds and centre(bi-wired)

Similar Products Used:

Energy centre channel

Power,bi-wire,style...

None.

A great center channel.I love it.

Similar Products Used:

Cs-245i

sound, construction

none

This is my first home theater setup and I like this center speaker the best of the several that I listened to (listed in similar products used). The clarity of voices in movies is very well defined and blends in well with the rest of my system. Very happy with the choice. Rest of system consists of:
Denon AVR-1801
Panasonic DVD RP-56
Polk RT55i fronts
Polk f/x300i surrounds
SVS 25-31pc

p.s. - I shopped around a bit and got everything in this system for about $2250 (including shipping costs) and have been thrilled with every component. Although I am a novice in the home theater arena, I spent a fair amount of time researching products and would recommend checking out any of the above components if you are building your first system.

Similar Products Used:

PSB, Ageiss, KEF, Polk cs300, Klipsch

EVERYTHING!!

The sound that is reproduced is incredible!! The acuracy/imaging in movies is perfect. I would also like to thank polk for running there specials. It just so happens that I needed a set of surrounds. The bass is very impressive. The more I listin to it, to more I love it.
My home theatre is a work in progress, don't laugh:
27" Zenith
Kenwood vr-305, (waiting for the 797)
Onkyo DV-M301 (BAD ASS!!)
CS400i
Front l/r RT55i's
Rear l/r F/X300i's
PSW350 (BOOM)

bass, realizime

size

I work @ CC so I here all the centers many many times. The Polk I always have loved the sound it puts out is amazing. It blows the rest away. I wish it would be a little bit more crisp like the infinity, but it has all of the rest. Matched with RT800's and f/x 500's it sounds great. Listening to The Matrix was a fine treat to the deep bass of voices. Size i really don't consider a weakness, it's the sound I care about. You can not go wrong with this center. You can hear every detail. Listen to rain indoor and outdoor on Matrix and dare to compare.

Similar Products Used:

jbl, infinty IL

natural voice replication and clearity.handels ht and music acoustics with excellent hi,mid and low sonic range.

none so far

this speaker handles low vol and high vol with clearity and great sound replication.for the price, this is the best c channel speaker on the market.the 245 is a great speaker, but I needed more power handeling and a wider sound stage the 400i has.support your local high end audio v dealer! The 299.00 on this speaker was a special sale promo.

Similar Products Used:

polk cs245. demode infin,bose
dcm c vega

sound- detail- power

manual...

I bought this center channel to replace my 6yr old CS150 wich has been running flawlessly for many a moons- just needed a boost in my center!
boy..Did I get a boost. Anyone who likes the Eagles and has this center... Pop in the DVD Eagles: hell freezes over. I have never heard bass on that song like with my system... I truley was amazed. I a/b between the 400 and the 245 and there was no comparsion. The infinity was good..but kind of fake sounding to my ears... All I can say is for the price .. you get what you paid for and then some...

Speakers:
Polk RT1000i's
Polk RT800i's
Polk CS400i
Polk f/x 300i's
Velodyne CT150

Similar Products Used:

polk cs150, optimus pro

Awesome performance from a truly "large" center channel! Tank-like construction.

None---several have commented it's "too big"!?! Why did you buy it? It looks great on my 61" Sony Televison.

I debated on the 400i vs the 245i. My audiophile neighbor offered this advice, "Don't skimp on the center". The speaker has surpassed all expectations. It can thump your chest when reproducing special effects, while also replicating the softest dialogue. A truly great addition to my home theatre!

Similar Products Used:

None

Awesome range, great imaging and compatibility with other Polk speakers

maybe large but on a 50' big screen no problem

It takes a while before the speakers break in. but as far as listening to them in theater mode it sounds better than a lot of theaters. After bi-wiring them you now can distinctly hear every detail. For music listening it's above average plus but not the ultimate. but again at $300 it can't be beat.
My system:

Polk Audio RT 800i (Fronts)
Polk Audio CS 400i (Center)
Polk Audio f/x 300i (Surrounds)
JBL P1200 (Subwoofer)


Pioneer Elite VSX-26(Receiver)

All cables are ULTRALINK Excelsior 2.4 BIWIRE cable. except
the surrounds are using Ultralink 18awg

Similar Products Used:

infinity

Strong,clean mid/highs,blends perfect with other Polk speaker's

This is a big,deep center channel.

I first bought the cs300 over 2 years ago whenI bought my Mains(rt1000p's) for the Wiz.I wasn't very happy with the cs300 as I felt It lacked in detail.SO I got it out and picked up the cs400i.
Man what a difference in sound quality.It blend's so well with the mains that I can't tell where the end and it begins.
Super clean center and all the punch you will ever need in a mid to large room.
The only down to this center is the fact It doesn't fit well on 32inch and below tv's.But if you hace a rear projection tv you will not have a problem.

Similar Products Used:

cs300