Polk Audio RM6700

CNET editors' review

Times change, audio fashions come and go, but Polk Audio just keeps on producing great speakers. For this RM6700 package, Polk's engineers have ever so gently tweaked the styling of the company's previous midpriced RM6600 model, redesigned the cabinets, and put in new drivers. Add all that up, and you have a seriously potent home-theater package. And get this: the new model is actually $40 less expensive than its older sibling.

Full review of Polk Audio RM6700

Times change, audio fashions come and go, but Polk Audio just keeps on producing great speakers. For this RM6700 package, Polk's engineers have ever so gently tweaked the styling of the company's previous midpriced RM6600 model, redesigned the cabinets, and put in new drivers. Add all that up, and you have a seriously potent home-theater package. And get this: the new model is actually $40 less expensive than its older sibling.

Refined design
The RM6700's four timbre-matched satellites and center speaker come boxed in a handy five-pack. The sats are outfitted with a Polk-designed 0.75-inch, soft-dome tweeter and a 3.5-inch woofer, while the center speaker gets the same driver complement configured in the now-familiar woofer/tweeter/woofer array. Please note: The RM6700 package doesn't include a subwoofer, so you'll either have to go with one of Polk's matching subs or another manufacturer's baby boomer. We used Polk's $419 (list) sub for our listening tests.

Design refinements run the gamut: instead of the typical fiberboard or plastic cabinetry, the RM6700 employs mineral-filled polypropylene; form-fitting grilles reduce unwanted grille-edge diffraction; and Polk's clever bass-venting Power Port technology extends low-end response. We spotted two wall-mounting options on the sats' backsides--a keyhole slot and threaded-screw inserts for use with OmniMount articulating brackets. Of course, all of the RM6700's satellites are magnetically shielded for safe placement next to TVs. The ensemble is available in your choice of black, titanium, or white finishes.

Now hear this
The RM6700's sonic signature is immediate, very clean, and low in distortion; that's why these little guys sound like much larger speakers. Chelsea Walls, Ethan Hawke's film about lost souls playing out a bohemian rhapsody at the Chelsea Hotel, tested this kit's mettle. Hawke's film was shot using high-def video on location in New York City, and the Polks unraveled every last detail of the audio--you really have a sense of the actors' voices filling the rooms. The sound was so good that we could almost smell the whiskey wafting through the hallways of this ancient hotel.

OK, but can the RM6700 pump up the volume? In small to midsized spaces, it'll do just fine. Vanilla Sky has an especially visceral soundtrack, and the RM6700 never came close to inhibiting the film's wide dynamic range. Satisfied with this model's home-theater prowess, we sampled a few DVD-Audio discs. Doing so confirmed that the RM6700's midrange was flawless--detailed and harmonically correct--and the treble was smooth, airy, and fully extended. We're downright persnickety about the way sats and subs work together, but the RM6700's blend with the PSW350 was absolutely perfect, causing the whole system to sing with one voice.

We briefly compared the RM6700 to the RM6600, and the engineers' recent handiwork was readily apparent. Oddly enough, even though the 6700 is almost exactly the same size as the older model, it sounds bigger and warmer, courtesy of the new Power Ports. The 6700's more robust bass response made for a better match with the sub.

Polk Audio offers a bunch of first-rate speaker packages, ranging from the $549 RM6000 to the $1,995 RM7600. The RM6700, which sits in the middle of the line and carries a $720 price tag, is another winner. We recommend this kit without reservation to those with small and medium-sized rooms.

Enlarged photo of Polk Audio RM6700