Polk Audio Monitor 40 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Black)
See it at Amazon.com for $161.72Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Very solid speakers
I shopped for and tried about 6 different pairs of bookshelf/front speakers from Polk (Monitor 30s, 50s), Bose (301s), and Klipsch before finally settling on these. To me, they strike the right balance between size, sound quality and asthetics. I have them paired with a Polk PSW12 subwoofer in the corner of the room. With the sub, full sound completely fills the room for home theater, and more importantly to me, for two channel music.
I tired the floorstanding Monitor 50s (over $100 more/pair), but find that these sound better. I have them placed on top of a 35" peice of furiture. I think the higher placement improves the sound field. I also bi-wired these to my receiever which makes a difference to my ear. Overall, they are an excellent value and highly recommended.
(5 out of 5)Excellent Pair of Speakers
This is an excellent pair of speakers. I am very pleased with their quality having used them for about two months. I have them hooked up to a Kenwood KR-9600 and they work wonderfully. Excellent highs and lows along with excellent mids. With the KR-9600 I can get these speakers to have a wider frequency range than stated. The speakers work well by themselves and I would not bother to get a sub. I have my computer hooked up to the KR-9600 and I play my cds this way. I can raise the bass even more by doing this. The only downside is the price; however, they are well worth the price. The grills are alright but I took mine off because they look cooler. All in all this is a very good pair of speakers and with the proper equipment one can get them to excede their standard specifications.
(5 out of 5)Great bookshelf speakers
I used to have these as my 7.1 home theater rear speakers and decided to take them out and hook them up to my separate stereo setup with a Consonance tube amp until I bought a pair of audiophile grade bookshelf speakers for it. I was surprised at the quality of the sound put out by these budget speakers. The bass goes surprisingly low and these are very easily driven by my 20 watts/ch amp. I love these speakers. They don't do much in the way of soundstaging but they are an awesome value for the price.
(4 out of 5)Great surrounds
I bought these to be the surround speakers in my home theater system & definitely made a good choice. My speakers are all Polk Monitor series tied to an Onkyo HT-SR875 Receiver (also awesome). The thing that really stands out is how absolutely clear and pure the sound is from the Polk speakers. When watching movies - the soundtrack sizzles and the dialogue is crystal clear. While watching the Superbowl - I heard this funny popping noise coming from the opposite side of the room from me -and then realized I was hearing someone at the game, sitting by a microphone and applauding. Clear as a bell.
I don't think I would like these as well for a dedicated bookshelf stereo speaker - they reproduce mid to high range well, but don't have much bass response. Paired with larger front speakers, a center channel and a good subwoofer, they help create a really terrific home theater experience.
(5 out of 5)Joe S
I have the Polk Monitor 60s in the front and the 40s in the rear. With this arrangement I hear subtle sounds/notes in music/details I never heard before for the same music I have listened to for years. The speakers have great clarity and sound reproduction and do not sound muddy or have distortion. The bass might be a little low. However I increased the bass setting on the reciever and do not miss much. Maybe in a year or two I will add a subwoofer and the CS2 center speaker. Basically I gained more clarity and accuracy of sound. I might have tried the Monitor 70s for the front if I had to do it all over again and noticed the price I could ahve gotten them for from AMAZON.