Speaker Questions

@rlj .....have 3 felines that have yet to be exposed to 'naked' drivers.....

Yeah, there's the pump sprayer for elsewhere, but speakers.....no.

I'm thinking a loud blast of white noise ought to change curiosity into a hasty retreat. ;)

BTW, I've a pair of Polk 2 way w/passive bookshelves and a small sub that do reasonable well in my collection. But they're on their way to becoming 'vintage', so...

@sgreg1

I urge you to read those two reviews and then come back and tell us whether or not they are more valuable than the comments in this thread. Compared to the short comments here, many of them snarky in tone (including mine), those two reviews provide a wealth of information that can help the OP make his decision. I will take a thorough multi-page detailed review by an audio journalist over an Audiogon thread any day. At least the two reviewers actually set up and listened to the speakers! How many comments in this thread are from people who have actually heard them in their own home?

In my experience a detailed review is the best way to find out about a speaker and how they sound - short of an audition. In a few cases, like the Thiel Owners thread, you can actually communicate with people who have first hand experience with what they are talking about but I have found that most comments on the Agon forum are based on poorly informed opinion.

Lastly, one of the reasons I used the term "audio geeks" is due to your earlier comment. The OP clearly stated that he was on a tight budget and that WAF was important. The Polks filled the bill and they are easily available. He wants to get his system together with minimum hassle and is obviously not the kind of person who is going to do the research, shop ebay, Agon, USAM, or other used equipment sites and put together a multi-brand system. And his wife would probably veto Vandersteens. He just wants some reassurance that he's not making a huge mistake.

I don't see a subwoofer in your shopping list there, so if you don't already have one, yeah, definitely, get the towers.  Even if you do already have a sub, get the towers.  If you don't already have a subwoofer, then I would say that might be a better choice than overhead speakers. 

I think the Polks, are a solid choice at your price point.  Even if they are not the last word in dynamics or refinement, they will at least get the basics right.  In a surround set-up what you're try to achieve is a continuity or smoothness of the sonic image, from left to right and front to back.  So, it's more important to stick with a single manufacturer's speaker line than to trying to mix and match, which is not easy (I've tried) and pretty much impossible for $800. 

Besides some of the other brands mentioned here, Elac, Paradigm, and PSB might also be good alternatives.  And maybe it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, you should always make an effort to audition speakers first if at all possible.  

All your choices are going to involve compromises, beginning with cost, so that's just part of the process.  Do your homework.  Plan ahead.  And you could wait, save a little more and buy something a bit better, but that is always going to be true.  If your Polk speakers check a lot of boxes on your wish list, that is by definition a good choice. 

Hope that helps. 

Best bet is to listen to what @twoleftears wrote

If you’re seriously considering Polk, you need to step up to the Reserve series, which I see are also available in white.  They have been receiving excellent reviews

The R200 which are bookshelf speakers are $749 a pair and receive glowing reviews but will require stands and likely you will want a subwoofer.  The other offering in the Reserve Series (all start with R) are said to be excellent also.  If I was you I would save until I had enough $s to get the pair you want which I am guessing are towers.

The Polk R series loudspeakers are considered special according to all the online reviewers.