Polk Reserve R200 Bookshelf Speakers Black

Product Information

Indeed turning them up was an increasing pleasure because they neither distorted under duress, nor crumbled under complexity. The midrange from the turbine cones merges impeccably with the tweeters’ output, and vocals are particularly strongly projected. The on-axis line shows off what the speaker sounds like when the speaker is aimed exactly at you (in this case, at tweeter height). The listening window gives us a small average of a few horizontal and vertical angles to account for the fact that people don’t sit perfectly centered in front of a speaker all the time, and that you might not aim the speakers directly at your listening position. It is usually the more representative curve for what you hear in a living room setup, so that’s what I tend to focus on. If you want to make a speaker that will sound great to most people, there are two things you really need to optimize: frequency response and directivity. The frequency response tells us the basic tonal balance of a speaker before the influence of reflections, and it should be mostly flat. The directivity tells us how that frequency response changes in different directions; the speaker should change smoothly as you move off-axis. Another way of discussing this is that where the Reserve R200 appears as a distinctly neutral construction throughout the frequency range, it is tempting to define the R600 as a bass-rich speaker, and at the same time with a touch of v-characteristics. This can of course be a disadvantage for some, and then it may be natural for them to try an R500 instead. But for me, this provided an almost addictive experience. We are talking about a rather extreme fun factor, which gave extra effect to some music with hefty bass. An important part of this is that the bass is reproduced with very high precision - no woolly or spongy bass there, which would have turned this property into something negative. In the bookshelf models and the smaller floorstander of the Reserve range, Polk has applied the same principle to this torpedo-clutching new X-Port; this uses a set of closed-pipe absorbers tuned to the internal frequency of the cabinet, acting as an eigentone filter (the port itself is labelled ETF) to maintain the bass output while aiming to reduce traditional speaker distortions, clarifying the upper bass and midrange. Listening

The models that were kindly lent to us by Neby Hifi were a pair with the middle floor models R600, a pair of the largest stand speakers R200, and the center speaker R350. Both the R600 and R200 speaker pairs were primarily reviewed as speakers in a stereo setup. But they were also tested as an AV setup together with the center speaker R350, a Klipsch R-110SW subwoofer and a pair of Linn Classik configured as Top Rear speakers in an Atmos setup with Onkyo TX-NR696, with Linn LK100 as external power amplifier for the front channels . This tweeter comes directly from Polk’s flagship Legend series, and its ring radiator design means no central dome to enter break-up modes, so here achieving lower distortion within the listening range and indeed beyond, as the Pinnacle is ‘hi-res certified’.For powerful, distortion-free low frequencies, the Reserve R200 uses the new Power Port 2.0, designed to smooth the flow of air that exits the cabinet. With X-Port technology, the Reserve R200 features specially tuned pipes to direct unwanted resonances and vibrations away from the drivers for clean, loud bass.

With understated elegance, the Reserve line has a minimalist design with universal appeal. Inheriting Polk’s flagship transducer array, the R200 produces exceptional sound that rivals competitor speakers that sell for twice the price.

Yes, sometimes engineers have no say, latter-day Advent was a spec thrown over the wall from Sales and engineers just following that. R600: For some strange reason, the treble in the lyrical passages here is emphasized a little more with R600, while the bass is hefty in the Crescendo. Actually, it is also significant on the lyrical parts compared to R200.

Unfortunately I forgot to do full 5-degree increments for the vertical listening window as I normally do. 5 degrees below the tweeter axis seemed good though: The Early Reflections curve is an estimate of all single-bounce, first-reflections, in a typical listening room. R200:Open, and with good dynamics. At the same time, it is revealed that the recording is not perfect, but has some distortion in some places. And the sequence that starts after approx. 8 minutes still impresses. The dynamics are impeccable. The source code under Pierre Aubert's work is licensed under GPL (General public license). He didn't perform any of the measurements himself, and instead he compiled all of them into one place, so that makes sense.The Polk Reserve R200 bookshelf speakers deliver a bold sound from a compact cabinet, performing equally well with both 2 channel stereo and home cinema surround sound setups. A one inch Pinnacle dome tweeter provides crisp highs for detail, with a finely tuned waveguide to improve the wide dispersion of sound across the whole room. The 6.5 inch Polk Turbine cones deliver clarity in the all-important midrange, combining a foam core with moulded turbine geometry to dramatically improve stiffness and damping, without adding extra weight. The Turbine cone lets you experience a smooth and detailed midrange and bass. There is every reason to expect that Reserve will be a great success for Polk Audio, because these are speakers that give a rudely good sound in relation to the moderate price tag they have.

At this point, I thought that if there was a tool that combined both the Spinorama with the room acoustics data, it'd be extremely useful. The most ideal user profile for the Polk Audio Reserve Series R200 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers is someone looking for a budget-friendly option for their home theater or audio setup. The speakers are capable of delivering decent sound quality and powerful bass, making them suitable for a variety of settings. The addition of the Polk patented X-Port and Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter ensures a broad and consistent sound. The wide range of connection options, including WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, Chromecast, and Ethernet, make it easy to integrate the speakers into your existing multi-room setup. The bottom red (directivity index or DI) and blue (early reflections directivity index or ERDI) curves summarize the speaker’s directivity. These would ideally be a smooth rising line, so they are not exactly great on the R200. But of course I can comment on the sound in the Reserve series in the three models I have had on test, and this will be described later. But what still makes this appear to be a credible realistic ambition is that it is exactly the same speaker drivers that are used in the bookshelf speakers and floor models R500 and R600 as in similar models in the Legend series. That is, the treble and the combined midrange / bass element.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1630986-REG/polk_audio_300029_01_00_005_reserve_series_r200_2_way.html The R200 proved truthful at both low levels and high, able to deliver a solid bass and a remarkable clarity of midrange assisted perhaps by that new X-Port, while the Pinnacle tweeter gifts an airy and open treble beyond the likely limits of perception. Early Reflections Directivity Index (EPDI): is defined as the difference between the listening window curve and the early reflections curve. In small rooms, early reflections figure prominently in what is measured and heard in the room so this curve may provide insights into potential sound quality. But all in all, the Polk Audio R200 is an incredibly good speaker at this price, and allows them to threaten just about any of the tripod speakers in the price range below ten thousand NOK. And also far beyond this aount, in some cases. POLK AUDIO RESERVE R600 - SUMMARY LISTENING IMPRESSIONS. The purpose of this test is to illustrate how much (if at all) the output changes as a speaker’s components temperature increases (i.e., voice coils, crossover components) instantaneously.