Everyone roots for the home team, don’t they? Well, Baltimore’s Polk Audio would be my home team. Go Polk!
Introduced at CES this year was a suite of products sweeping into their entry-level TSx line. First thing I noticed is the new cabinets and their not-entry-level boat-tail design — fancy, shmancy! Silk/polymer composite dome tweeters paired with laminated drivers and a honking-big front-firing bass-reflex port that should give you plenty of flexibility when positioning them around obstacles like, ah, walls. A stiff MDF cabinet and a bunch of other tweaks, and you have a credible entry-level product. Go Polk!
TSx550r ($999/pair) is the high-end of the line and adds two 8″ long-throw bass drivers for bass reach down to 26Hz. Sensitivity for the TSx line is a high-ish 90-91dB. The TSx440r ($799/pair) “only” goes to 32Hz, but for home theater, this is plenty. Heck, the TSx330r ($499/pair), which loses the dedicated mid-range driver in favor of a two-way design, will be way more than most need for their movie-watching needs, especially with a dedicated sub. Speaking of home theater, two options for a matching center are on offer, the larger TSx250c ($299) and the TSx150c ($199). Matching bookshelf/monitor/surrounds are also in the lineup, a larger TSx220e ($299/pair) and the TSx110e ($199) will sort out the package nicely. Go Polk!
The look and feel of these offerings is “well made”, with a some fairly standard wood veneers. A clear step up from painted MDF, for sure and if it’s not “audiophile” blingy, well, it’s not meant to be — that’s the LSi line!
No word on availability, and as of this writing, the TSi line is still on Polk’s website.
Are they mfd here or in China?
I think they moved from Mexico to China some years back.