Project Polk v2 – Updating the Sub, Center and Surround Speakers in the Living Room
I reconfigured my home office recently, so I could bring in a 50in 4k TV. The office TV and sound system do not need to be 5.1 or better, since I will be using it mostly to follow sports, etc., or listen to music while working/playing. In that way, I want the sound system to be present, but not distracting … at least not too distracting. I do want the system to have some punch, though, so I’ve moved over several of my Polk Audio speakers from the living room to the office. The Polk RTi4s sound fantastic, but were overkill as surround speakers and are a great L/R bookshelf setup. Polk’s CSR center bridges the L/R gap and the 12 inch PSW505 brings everything together with some thump. However, all those moves left me with gaping holes to fill in the living room surround sound system.
L/R duties in the living room will continue to be very ably fulfilled by my floor-standing Polk RTi8s. Despite being over 10 years old at this point, the RTi8’s are a wonderful set of speakers, with full, rich sound across every music genre, movie, TV show, video game, etc., I’ve thrown at them. With two 6 inch woofers, a 1 inch silk tweeter, and a bass-vending port, the RTi8s are the anchor of the living room system. Polk’s Signature Elite ES35 center channel speaker1 sits sonically (and literally) in between the RTi8s incredibly well. Featuring six 3 inch speakers and a 1 inch tweeter, dialog is always crisp and clear on the ES35, as well as vocals when listening to music in surround. I also love that the front speaker cover connects with magnets, so it pops on and off extraordinarily easily.
Polk’s ES102 is the smallest speaker in their Signature Elite lineup, but do not let the size fool you. With a 4 inch speaker and 1 in tweeter, the ES10s would not make-the-grade as my core L/R bookshelf speakers, but the are perfect as side or rear speakers in a surround sound system. The ES10s aren’t distracting, but have plenty of pop when the time call for it. And, like its ES35 cousin, the front speaker covers are magnetized on the ES10s.
Replacing the 12 inch PSW505 sub is Polk’s 12 inch XT12 subwoofer3. With incredible bass that is deep and rich, similar to the PSW505, the XT12 complements all of the other Polk speakers in the living room exceptional well. I have also added the VibeBoss P12 subwoofer stand4, which is designed to reduce vibrations generated by the subwoofer. Energy is wasted when the subwoofer generates vibrations, and it can impact your overall sound quality.
In addition to significantly reducing vibrations, the VibeBoss P12 also raises your sub 3 inches off of the floor, which – to my ear – allows the subwoofer to be a more present and powerful component of the overall sound stage. You absolutely will still feel the bass, and also may not have to rearrange things that move around on the shelfs due to the bass as frequently. I liked the P12 so much that I purchased another for use with the PSW505 in the office.
I am extremely pleased with these new additions to my living room surround sound system, and hope that Project Polk v2 will have me set for years to come.
