Home > Consumer Reviews > Polk Audio RM101 Satellite Speaker (Single, Black)

I wanted to post this in case any of you are looking to do a roll-your-own 2.1 system for your computer audio OR use their home theater system as a music system, too.

I needed to reclaim some real estate that my huge 'real' speakers were hogging, and these seemed like a good idea. I purchased 4, total.
Musically, this are a *tad* shrill and hollow (I'm picky), but nothing so bad that some judicious and modest EQ'ing can't overcome. You definitely do not want these in front of you (near field) as you would with traditional computer audio solutions. Get some inexpensive stands and mount them farther in the room. I can't fault Polk for any of this as these aren't marketed as pure audio speakers. But I tell you, these do an admirable job, take up NO space, don't screw up your decor (the woman or picky man in your life will approve) and offer a TREMENDOUS value. More to the point: These and a decent sub will sound leagues better than even the 'nicest' consumer multimedia set. They all suck.

Now for the really good news. I have never, ever seen a speaker in THIS price range, and at this size, perform so well at home theater. Most speakers in this size bracket, including the ridiculously cost-ineffective Bose units, offer nothing in terms of mids. That's a shame because male voices in particular live around there. Kathleen Turner probably does, too. The trade off for attractive and tiny 'lifestyle' type speakers has always been a sacrifice of those frequencies in the hopes that people who buy speakers for looks won't notice (and let's face it, they often don't and instead just praise how "cute" they are). Here you get the size AND the mids.
Bass ports are usually a poorly engineered way to get more low 'bass' out of a cheaper or smaller speaker. What's cool about the rm101 is that it only hits at 95hz and above (no deep bass), and the port acts as a modest amplifier only for mid-bass and other frequencies in that neighborhood. While it's nice to get the xtra oomph in these sounds, the real treat is that the RM101 is ridiculously easy to pair with your sub because of that boost. Even if you don't have a DTS receiver, you can set you sub at appx. 100hz and forget it. The result is seamless blend between the sub and sats where sub/sats often sound very 'disconnected' from each other, particularly when listening to music. I'm really pleased at how well these integrate, thanks in large part to that top port.

Another consideration is looks. These look great, and even though taste is subjective, it's hard to imagine anyone objecting to having these in their decor. They're modern-looking without being obscenely Clockwork Orange. Also, because of their size and keyhole mount in the rear, you can put these on thin and equally unobtrusive stands should you not mount them on the wall. If you do some searching, you'll see that Amazon has some excellent deals in the $30 range for just such a stand.

Sorry to have ranted about music, but a lot of people don't have separate HT and music systems, and I wanted to reach those people who enjoy their tunes as well as the flicks. That said, you can't miss with this speaker in terms of price/quality/size combo.

For the money, for the adequate sound, small profile... I love my Polk speakers. Four surrounds, two fronts, one center, one 10" woofer, all Polk and I couldn't be happier paired with my new Harmon Karden Receiver. It was time to replace my super sized Infinities. They were good too but not so when I replaced my original Harmon Karden with a Sony receiver. I learned something... always Polk, always Harmon Karden. Sony good for video products only. My living room looks sharp, my sound is awesome. My wallet was not hurt bad either and the real estate I gained from my large bookshelfs were worth replacing. Go Polk!

When these speakers arrived i was stunned by the quality and the sound from such a small speaker,i tried them and used them as surronds in my
bedroom. keep up the good work polk and thank you amazon.com for the sale.

These speakers turned out to be a great choice. Small enough to keep the wife happy, yet powerful enough to enjoy the movie.

The item shipped on time and works as advertised. This brought my system from 5.1 to 7.1 and what difference. I went Polk all the way around on speakers and have been really impressed with the sound quality, especially for the cost.