Polk Audio CS 400: Bang for the Buck
Written: Oct 04 '01
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Pros: Excellent bass, perfect highs, defined mids
Cons: HUGE!!
The Bottom Line: This is a killer center for the money. Sound is clear and full. If you want a good speaker for a good cost depend on Polk.
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| ak2525's Full Review: Polk Audio CS400 Center Speaker |
My research of the Polk Audio CS400 is not a casual one. I have spent 2 full months searching for the perfect center channel speaker and have an extremely critical ear. Regarding components for my system, I do not settle for anything. I am completely satisfied with my decision in choosing the CS400. The following will explain why.
First, despite what most dealers will tell you, center channel speakers are NOT for dialogue only. Incredible amounts of data are funneled to the center channel speaker in todays recordings. So, it is of great importance that the speaker can perform well with effects and vocals. During the demoing process, I used concerts (i.e. James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre) and sci-fi/action (i.e. The Matrix) titles to reveal weaknesses or strengths. The Polk CS400 can handle both with amazing ability. The projection capability of the speaker is beautiful. It throws the sound out of the box to create a great sonic image. This is where most centers fail miserably. The low-end centers tend to sound shrill and fatigueing. This brings the Infinity CC-3 to mind. It was harsh to the ear and had a thin presence; very bright. On the other hand, the hi-end centers (Sonus Faber Piccolo Solo), touting there astounding capabilities to reproduce vocals and dialogue with great prowess, retain the sound stage in the box. In there effort to make the human voice sound natural, they put an unwelcomed layer of "smooth" over the output, keeping gunshots and the like boxed up in the cabinet. A good example is a vocalist with a guitar. The voice sounds great, but the guitar licks have no crispness. Granted, the vocals ARE wonderful in these hi-end pieces, but the sacrifice of effects is simply not worth it. Regarding vocals, the Polk tranverses the frequency band effortlessly without peaking to shrillness or dipping into muddiness. Again, it throws the voice into the room and establishes great depth. It performs just as well as the high-end pieces. In addition, it is the ONLY center I demoed that was bi-wirable. I am in the group that believes heavily in cables, having just upgraded mine all-around. I am running a 5-ft length of AudioQuest Type 6+ speaker cable, bi-wired, to the CS400. Bi-wiring this speaker DOES make a difference. I highly recommend putting a quality cable into the CS400 and taking advantage of the fact that they supplied double posts. Without it, vocals may suffer marginally in naturalness.
I strongly recommend good speaker wire- which can make a huge difference!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399
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Epinions.com ID:
ak2525
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Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 2 members
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