Polk Audio TSi200 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Cherry) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Hard to believe these are "bookshelf" speakers., February 12, 2009
By Dr John Ficarro "Dr John" (Hollywood, SC USA) - See all my reviews
I decided to upgrade from my $400 range Pioneer home theater 5.1 package. At the moment I have a Yamaha RX-V663 receiver and a pair of cherry TSi 200s. With just these two speakers, the listening experience far exceeds what you here from the typical $300-$600 complete home theater packages you would typically find at Best Buy or Costco. Although I have the rest of my sytem on order, I could be happy if I only had these speakers. If you are a music lover, these will keep you happy.
That said, I should point out that my taste in music leans toward all things acoustic. Listening to a range of music from bluegrass to string quartets to full symphony, these have great clarity and you can hear every instrumen. Drum sounds are tight and even without a subwoffer, the mid-range / bass sounds really good. And vocals (think Nora Jones, Alison Krauss, or the gravelly voice of Dave Von Ronk), are handled with ease.
And if you like the look of speakers with the grille removed, get the cherry. It certainly looks like real wood veneer and the construction just oozes a look of quality.
The sky is the limit with speakers, but at $300 for the pair, these will make your ears as happy as speakers costing a lot more. These have very clear treble, I didn't notice any boominess in the midrange, and bass response was nice and tight. Based on these speakers, I expect that movies with effects should be amazing when the rest of the speakers arrive.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Polk Audio TSi200 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Cherry)

The Polk Audio TSi200 bookshelf speaker is the best performing bookshelf speaker in the TSi series; great for use where high quality audio is needed. The dual 5.25-inch mid-bass produce rich and warm sounding making your music and movies sound their best. The new TSi Series is a quality-built, affordable line of high performance loudspeakers for music and home theater. The TSi Series boasts a stylish look that complements today\'s flat screen technology, with wood grain finishes, piano black top plates and pewter trim rings. Built for value and sound quality, the TSi Series is a great introduction to high performance sound.

Get 14% OFF

Click here for more information about Polk Audio TSi200 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Cherry)

Pioneer S-31B-LR Bookshelf Speakers (Black, Pair) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I replaced my slightly larger, fairly expensive Cerwin-Vega speakers with these Pioneer S-31B bookshelf speakers. While the S-31's were smaller than the speakers they replaced, the sound certainly wasn't. The Pioneers handled highs and lows quite admirably, sampling both hard rock/heavy metal and classical music quite well. Hard Rock is good to identify the low end and tolerance for range, while classical is excellent to test subtle highs and clarity. I was impressed with these speakers. If you are looking for big sound but need a compact package, you should be quite pleased with the S-31 speakers.
My S-31's are black, and are very attractive and compact. While I could really care less what speakers look like as opposed to what they sound like, it is a plus that they look stylish in my living room. I also really like the mounting screws for the speaker wire on the backs of the speakers. The screws are large, well-machined, and secure the wire leads quite well. This may seem like an obvious point, but I have had other speakers that had much lower quality screws and it matters when one of the speaker wires in the back comes loose from poor quality construction. I like that Pioneer demonstrated quality craftsmanship all the way around with the S-31's.
Depending on the size of the room you will be using these in, you could use these as main speakers (right front, left front) in a small to medium room, or as rear surround speakers as part of a home theater system. The obvious issue is price; $350 at the time of this writing is not inexpensive, but as with most things in life, you tend to spend money on what matters to you. Some of us spend it on clothes, others on computers - it really depends on where your interests lie. If you are an audiophile, spending more for quality speakers will make sense to you. If not, you probably won't be seriously considering these speakers. If you demand high quality audio reproduction, I expect you will be quite pleased with these speakers.



Click Here to see more reviews about: Pioneer S-31B-LR Bookshelf Speakers (Black, Pair)

Exhibiting clean lines and innovative features, our Series 3 speaker system offers an uncompromising combination of design and performance for its class. A global engineering feat, our Series 3 speakers build upon decades of audio expertise utilizing Pioneer\'s exclusive proprietary tuning technologies in the process. The end result is a superb entertainment experience that brings you closer to your music and movies.

Get 49% OFF

Click here for more information about Pioneer S-31B-LR Bookshelf Speakers (Black, Pair)

Bose 161 Bookshelf Speaker System (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Admittedly I'm a music lover, not a technophile. I'm more interested in Charlie Watts than I am in watts per channel. But my ear is well tuned and I know what sounds good. It would seem that there is some Bose backlash out there; perhaps in response to the Rolls Royce reputation it's carried through the years. I don't know, and frankly I don't care.
I will tell you that I bought my pair not as part of a surround system but as bookshelf speakers for my small home office and I couldn't be happier. They're attractive, have a low profile, and provide total range at all volumes. I tested them in the store with CDs that had lots of challenging highs, sizzling cymbals, that sort of thing. The definition was clear as can be. When you crank them up the sound holds together beautifully, no mud, no distortion. I find that solo piano is another good way to test speaker clarity, I went with The Koln Concert by Keith Jarrett and the results were mesmerizing.
As far as bass response is concerned, good grief, what's the fuss? Even at low volumes I can hear Mingus plucking the strings, when I listen carefully I can even hear him dropping ironic hints. As to the higher register, that's where the clarity of these speakers really shines, Stephanie Mills soars and swoops like an angel.
Then of course there are those irresponsible moments when I simply must blow off a little steam. Out comes the Coltrane, Ayler, Dolphy, Hendrix, Winter, Tower Of Power and up goes the volume. The desk toys start dancing because everything in the room is vibrating. Even then, these unassuming monsters deliver like tomorrow might never come. I've held minority opinions in the past and I'll hold another here, as far as I'm concerned these speakers are fantastic and actually under-priced.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bose 161 Bookshelf Speaker System (Black)


Enjoy rich, full sound from music or movies with this compact pair of sleek Bose speakers. Whether placed on a desk or bookshelf or mounted on a wall for use as surround speakers, these speakers are designed to deliver balanced, spacious sound with minimal or moderate amplifier power (10 to 100 watts per channel). Automatic protection circuitry keeps the speaker drivers from being overdriven, heightening the speakers' reliability without interfering with your listening.

Click here for more information about Bose 161 Bookshelf Speaker System (Black)