Reserve R300 Compact Center Channel Speaker, Black

If you're looking for something better than big box speakers but at a price less than boutique hifi stores, this is the line you're looking for. I paired this center channel with the Polk Reserve R500 and couldn't be happier. I know some people love large floor standers (I get it.) and others love bookshelf speakers on stands (not me). I really like the smaller end of the floorstander line. The tweeters are generally at ear level when you're seated for movies and music. The bass tends to be tighter and less boomy and perfectly fine for most music. Just my preference. The smaller size means they look less imposing in most rooms which helps with "wife approval factor." This center channel is great for dialog. It's generally clear and I don't have to constantly adjust the volume to understand voices. Voices sound natural without any sizzle in the treble or muddyness in lower male voices. I was originally going to do (3) R500's for the front soundstage but the center tower would've been about 2" too high because of the tv. Not wanting to move an 85" tv 2" higher, I decided on this center channel. I don't think you gain anything by getting the R400 with the larger drivers or the R350 with 4 midrange drivers. Voices aren't that deep and if they are the crossover sends it to the sub. The R350's driver configuration makes it more probable that you'll have peaks and nulls in your sound-field as frequencies get cancelled or reinforced by the adjacent drivers. Keep it simple... My room is 17'x17'. This speaker gets plenty loud. Build quality is better than typical big box store speakers. The speaker is heavy for it's size. The walls are solid. A simple knock with the knuckles gives the impression of thick wall and no hollowness. I had Monitor Audio Silver series prior to these and I really wanted to go that route agian but couldn't justify the cost for the added cosmetics and small increase in performance. I am not the least bit dissapointed in these speakers. They rate very well against some of the more popular boutique brands. If you like Klipsch, you'll probably think these are a bit dull. I'd call them extremly neutral. Not bass heavy or remotely bright. Somewhere in the middle. They do not have elevated midrange that sounds punchy or fun. (Think Paradigm or some of the Canadian tuned speakers). I wouldn't say that these possess that. I think they add very little color to the source material but that's what I like. You can always apply a house curve after the fact. (I run my SVS sub +4dB hot from 16Hz to 100Hz with no shame! LOL) Anyway, I would recommend these to anyone looking for "something a bit better." Don't confuse these for Polk's cheap consumer branded products. These take their queues from their more expensive offering.

Huge improvement over older legacy center channel speaker. Sounds great in 5.1 home theater set up as well as for multi-channel music. Polk quality continues a tradition of excellent sounding speakers.

These photos don't do it justice. This is a beautiful speaker, and the grille is actually darker in person. The finish on this black R300 is very impressive, and it is very heavy. I can't really describe the sound, other than, WOW! It isn't even broken in yet. It can handle a lot of power, and it is crystal clear, even at uncomfortably high volume. I've owned several center channel speakers over the years, including others from Polk, like the CS10. As good as the CS10 is, this R300 beats it, hands down. Definitely an excellent purchase! I would have gotten the larger R400, but this smaller size just barely fits my spot. But, the R300 is sealed, which I really like. I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 driving it, and now I know what excellent sound is. I also purchased a pair of R700 towers to go with it, but they haven't arrived yet. I can't wait!

Got rid of my older Polk Audio center speaker for this newer technology - WHAT A DIFFERENCE. The front sound scape is now amazing in detail and I can now hear dialogue so much better. It matches my other Polk speakers in my 7.2.2 setup. This will improve any setup - I'm quite sure. ATMOS is amazing - loving this speaker and the enhancement to our movie nights.

Sound quality is Excellent

I am happy that I choose Polk Audio for my main speakers in my home theater system. Very compact and elegant design. I am very impressed with the sound quality!

I got this to match my R60s. It’s enclosed in shelf, but because it isn’t ported, it’s less of a problem than if it had been

Exceptional sound quality

La serie reserve es muy competitiva en términos de audio, este central es cerrado por lo que el impacto en general es muy bueno si lo empatas a bocinas de la misma línea. Vale la pena por el costo y rinde mejor que modelos más caros

コストコでMTシリーズ全セット安く買えるのを知らなかったので一個づつに必要になってしまい、逆にいいものを買う感じになったので、それは良しとしました。センタースピーカーいらない派だったのですが、テレビの音が聞きにくいのでせっかくならスピーカーいっぱい付けて見ようとういうことでつけました。音キレイですね。どこからおとが聞こえてくるかわからないのがいいセッティングと聞いていたのでセッティングがんばりましたが、高級感と言い、なんか良さそうなスピーカー付けてる感がでます。たぶん立体感的なのを感じれると思います。安いものでなければセンタースピーカーは意味がある感じがします。使用アンプはＹＡＭＡＨＡｒｘ－ｖ６a です。 使用感を主張してくるスピーカーではないのでいいと思います。音量大きめで使用しても違和感等は気にならなったです。