Polk Audio RC65i 2-Way In-Wall Speakers (Pair, White)
By: Polk Audio Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 17
More Information
 On: 2008-06-18
I just ordered my second pair of square RC65i Polk speakers. They are really good speakers for the price. Especially Amazons price. I paid $249 for my first pair at a big name retailer locally. I went with the square 65is because they fit my application better and looked better in my media room, but the round Polk speakers, like the RC60is are actually a better speaker. The sound and components of the round RC60is are just a bit better and provide a better overall audio experience (just compare them side by side at any store and youll hear the difference).
But having said that, ALL Polk speakers are great. I have enjoyed my RC65is. They install easily with simple wire stripping and insert type install. The speakers clips easily clamp onto the wall and the provided wall cut-outs make installing easy. But I do agree with one of the other reviews that said they are a bit more difficult to remove. If you unscrew the clip screws just a bit too much then the clips fall off and are difficult to reinstall.
But as for sound quality and over manufacturing quality, you just cant beat Polk. So if you have no space or design conflicts, I would go with the round RC60i or RC80is (just a size difference). If not, then these RC65is are a great deal.
 On: 2008-06-09
We just completed a kitchen renovation, which included ceiling speakers tied into the home theater system.
The main system has Klipsh Ref Series 5s, which do a tremendous job no matter what type of music you push to them. The Polks in the kitchen sound rich, crisp, and full. For the money, these are just great speakers, period.
Lob
On: 2008-06-07
No one had these speakers cheaper than Amazon and we needed ceiling speakers for 3 bedrooms wired for audio from a central source.
We bought 3 pair and couldnt be more pleased. Had to paint the paint-ready grills and speaker edges from their "dark" white color to the ceiling white, but that was also real easy as the speakers come w/ templates that perfectly cover the actual parts you dont want to paint.
They sound great, but are a little "underdriven" by our relatively weak amplifier/receiver. Thats good news for folks w/ stronger receivers! I also do not find a problem w/ absence of bass as some reviews have noted. Sure bass is lacking...they arent subwoofers! We have no problems hearing the bass from these speakers.
Along w/ the impedence matching volume controls in each bedroom, the whole setup is superb. FYI...we got our volume controls from MCM Electronics...fantastic price ($29.95 each) white slider controls w/ impedence matching...there arent any this good and this cheap anywhere on Amazon. Check MCM for a HUGE selection of volume controls!
On: 2008-06-06
These speakers sound great and were easy to install. Great vailue for the $$$.
On: 2008-04-20
The livingroom in our new home just doesnt have a place for free-standing speakers due to the floorplan (very open to the rest of the house, with a fireplace in the front corner). This ruled out using my existing (high-end) theater speakers (large towers).
I went to the local big-box store, and the only set of in-wall speakers they had that I thought were worth buying were a set of Klipsch that came in at $600 per set. I almost went for them, but after measuring I found they were about 2" too wide for where I needed to install one of them. The $300 Infinity set sounded horrible. They didnt sell Polk Audio or Boston Acoustic, which was actually what I wanted to look at.
So ... I figured at $140 from Amazon, the RC65is were worth a shot. Im glad I did - price vs. performance these are an excellent set of speakers. Decent dynamic range, and actually a surprising amount of bass if you dont have a subwoofer (though I recommend having one - you can only get so much out of a 6" speaker).
Now ... are these "amazing" speakers? Well ... no. They do not compare to my aforementioned towers. Those towers were also $900 a piece. They also are not nearly as good as the $600 Klipsch in-walls I looked at. If you think youre going to get amazing clarity and dynamic range for $70 a speaker ... youre going to be disappointed.
What these are is a great everyday speaker that will sound decent to most people under most conditions. They are a *slight* bit muddy, but not for the price range. Thats the thing you really have to do is compare them to other speakers you could buy for so little money. And even some that cost a little more - the Infinity set I listened to at the big-box store was twice the price and didnt sound any better.
It also helps if you have a good receiver that lets you control the dynamic range being sent to your speakers. I have a high-end Yamaha that allows me to cut the low frequencies out of the main channel and only send them to the sub (12" powered down-fire). Doing this, you get rid of most of the "muddy" issues.
Summary: Cant beat them if this is how much money you want to spend. Period. I liked them so much for my application that I ordered a set of rc55i (the smaller ones) and installed them for the back surround channel. When I finish the basement Im thinking of getting some of these (rc65i) to use for the back-channel.
On: 2008-04-04
I installed two pair of these for the front and surround speakers in a smallish (12X15) room. They have good overall response, but require considerable bass boost, or better, a sub-woofer, to be OK. They are also so "bright" that they needed a 2 to 4 decible treble reduction to avoid bothersome hiss.
Installation can be a pain because the locking cam (6 per speaker) that clamps the speaker to the wallboard can be so loose on its retaining screw that the locking cam wont rotate into its clamping position to grip the back surface of the wallboard. I solved this by using a little latex caulking compound on the loose retaining screws where they engage the locking cams. I dont know what will happen if the speakers ever need to be removed, cause the cam is unlikely to rotate back to allow it to disengage the backside of the wallboard.
On: 2008-03-25
After a lot of research, I selected two pair of these for my Side and Rear Surround speakers on my 7.1 system. I could not be happier with them and they perform exactly as advertised. They are easy to install and even include a template for cutting an exact hole and a plastic cover to protect the inside when painting the frame. Polk is a great product!!!
On: 2008-03-25
I installed these in an open kitchen dining room. They are used as whole house audio and also to add much better sound to the TV. They were a breeze to install and they offer great rich sound. The directional tweeters make imaging the sound very good. They dont have to be real loud to get the vocal.
On: 2008-02-05
We have purchased 10 (5 pair) of the RC65i speakers. Four are part of a surround sound system and six are in three separate rooms for music. They are being driven by a Onkyo TX-SR805 receiver. These speakers are performing well as part of the surround sound system and for general music listening. I was especially impressed with the ease of installation. If you closely follow the template provide with the speakers, when cutting through the drywall, you get a nice, snug fit. The rear brackets automatically flip into position as you tighten the screws. It was all pretty easy.
On: 2008-01-28
I have to say that I had a hard time deciding whether to rate these speakers at four or five stars. They sound great and the price was excellent. My only issues are:
1. The product description says that they are white, but they are not. They are kind of a grayish color and, according to the box, are intended to be spray painted. This is not a huge deal, but the product description should accurately reflect what you are buying.
2. When I hooked up the left rear speaker, I found that no sound was coming out. I took the speaker out and hooked the old one back up - still no sound. Turns out that my seven-year-old receiver is having issues. Neither the front right nor the rear left speakers are putting out more than a whisper.
How does that relate to the speakers? Im glad you asked. Well, I found that when taking the speaker out, it is very easy to lose the sheet rock clamps if you unscrew the screws too much. Otherwise, its a bear to get the speaker out. Luckily, I had a cross stud not too far down and was able to reach it.
Other than that, the speakers sound great - at least the one that I am getting sound out of does anyway. Now Im just waiting on my new Onkyo receiver to get here...
On: 2007-12-27
Super easy to put in and fantastic sound. Followed everyones advice and stuffed the cavity with insulation....taped the wall with Scotch blue painters tape..and scored the paper of the drywall with a razor before cutting with a small drywall saw!
On: 2007-12-27
I purchased a pair of these in-walls for a pool table/game room area I am building in the basement. My receiver is an Onkyo 805 7.1 home theater system and these will serve as stereo/audio part for only that room. I have never owned Polks or in wall speakers for that matter and listened to them at the big box store before purchasing these through Amazon. I was really impressed at the audio quality. I also didnt want floor standing speakers, but didnt want to sacrifice audio quality either so these speakers filled the bill.
No back boxes are necessary, the speaker is designed as an "infinite
baffle" type and only requires that the front and rear moving sound wave
are isolated from each other. Polk recommends to maximize the sound quality, you place a modest amount of a sound absorbing material, such as Polyfil (a synthetic cotton-like material found at craft/fabric stores) inside the cavity before installing the speakers. Supposedly, this will absorb the rear moving sound wave and reduce mid range coloration. I think insulation also works just as well. I havent done this yet and they still sound excellent!
On: 2007-12-26
I purchased a pair of these in-walls for a pool table/game room area I am building in the basement. My receiver is an Onkyo 805 7.1 home theater system and these will serve as stereo/audio part for only that room. I have never owned Polks or in wall speakers for that matter and listened to them at the big box store before purchasing these through Amazon. I was really impressed at the audio quality. I also didnt want floor standing speakers, but didnt want to sacrifice audio quality either so these speakers filled the bill.
No back boxes are necessary, the speaker is designed as an "infinite
baffle" type and only requires that the front and rear moving sound wave
are isolated from each other. Polk recommends to maximize the sound quality, you place a modest amount of a sound absorbing material, such as Polyfil (a synthetic cotton-like material found at craft/fabric stores) inside the cavity before installing the speakers. Supposedly, this will absorb the rear moving sound wave and reduce mid range coloration. I think insulation also works just as well. I havent done this yet and they still sound excellent!
On: 2007-12-25
I had wall studs on both sides and I almost returned the speakers because everyone says it will not work. If you are just a little bit handy you can solve the problem. Here is what you do. Cut your hole in the sheet rock making sure to take it all the way to the stud. Remove the screws in the side of the speaker along the stud. Take a small metal saw, or hack saw and cut the plastic tabs off the back of the speaker that hold the sheet rock grabbers. Be careful not to hit the wires or speaker itself in this step. It does not have to be pretty as you will not see this area. You also do not have to cut it right at the base, you can leave about 1/8 to 1/4 inch height on the speaker tab and still flush mount the speaker on the wall. Now, back on the wall, you will have enough space to screw a small piece of 1"x2" wood along the stud behind the sheet rock line. Use the original screws to attach the speaker to the wall into the 1x2 on the stud side and the original sheet rock mounts on the other. I just did this with these speakers and they look and sound fantastic. I have no doubt I have voided the warranty but I am not worried about the speakers lasting less than one year. I hope it helps.
On: 2007-12-24
I purchased a pair of Polk Audio RC65i 2-Way In-Wall Speakers for my theater room: They sound fantastic! They put out a deep rich sound. I am very pleased. I certainly would recommend them to anyone interested in wall speakers.
On: 2007-11-30
Very good speakers for the money. Good base and easy to install. Could improve on the sound quality a bit but I am also using a cheap receiver. I have Phoenix gold in-wall speakers in the rear and these are much, much better.
On: 2007-05-13
The speakers are great. Polk products never disappoint. I wasnt happy with the way they were shipped. They were left in the same boxes as if they were bought from the store and they were just put in a plastic bag. It was pouring the day they were delivered and the speakers were sitting in a puddle of water that accumulated inside the bag.
On: 2007-05-12
The speakers are great. Polk products never disappoint. I wasnt happy with the way they were shipped. They were left in the same boxes as if they were bought from the store and they were just put in a plastic bag. It was pouring the day they were delivered and the speakers were sitting in a puddle of water that accumulated inside the bag.
On: 2007-03-20
After purchasing a 61" Samsung DLP for Christmas, I knew I needed surround sound. My wife did NOT want speakers hanging on the wall! I therefore purchased these speakers as the side surround speakers and they have a remarkably clear sound.
They are a terrific buy for the price.
|
|
