I enjoyed every minute I spent with the RTi A1. The speaker’s greatest strengths — the natural and detailed midrange, the excellent bass extension — are unheard of at this size and price, and its minor deviations from neutrality have been so carefully thought out and balanced that I wanted to mine my entire record collection, playing more and more different types of music.

A total of 32 reviewers on Amazon rated them an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars.

The RTi A1 speakers from Polk Audio are available from Amazon for about $255.

Another excellent speaker brand is Bower and Wilkins. If your bookshelf speaker budget is around the $500 range, you might want to check out the Bower and Wilkins multimedia speakers.

The post The Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $300: RTi A1 By Polk appeared first on Reactual.

Update September 2016: The SVS SB-1000 is now our top recommended subwoofer under $500.

Polk Audio PSW505 ($200)

Pros:

• Powerful enough to fill a large room
• Flexible input options
• Impeccable build quality

Cons:

• Too much bass for small spaces

Top Review Sources:

• Amazon 5.0/5.0 (200+ reviews)
• Newegg.com: 5.0/5.0 (225+ reviews)
• AudioEnz: “A fine sense of extension, tactile impact and all round bass weight and authority”

The Polk Audio PSW505 is an established and respected player in the large-room subwoofer game. Its performance is class-leading, with deep reserves of thundering bass and incredible precision. The PSW505 is a 12-inch woofer with a frequency range of 23 to 160Hz. It is solidly-built, measures 16-1/8″ H x 15-1/8″ W x 18-3/16″ D, weights 43 pounds, and is wrapped in black, real wood veneer. Features include an adjustable low-pass crossover, volume control, and a phase switch. This sub is magnetically shielded against interference and has an auto on/off switch to conserve power. Inputs are 5-way binding posts, line level (filtered), and LFE (unfiltered); output is a pair of 5-way binding posts. The PSW505’s 300 watts of power and big volume potential make it best suited for large spaces.

Amazon sells the Polk Audio PSW505.

Polk Audio PSW10 ($94)

Pros:

• Solid construction
• High value
• Clean and clear sound

Cons:

• No LFE input
• Might be insufficient for large rooms

Top Review Sources:

• Amazon: 4.5/5.0 (375+ reviews)
• CNET: 3.5/5.0 “It pounds out home-theater thrills and musical bass with equal prowess”
• Newegg.com: 5.0/5.0 (225+ reviews)

The low-price, high-performance Polk PSW10 makes it difficult to justify building a home theater without a powered sub. For $100, this subwoofer delivers 50 watts of continuous power through a 10-inch composite polymer speaker, producing rich bass with plenty of punch. Equally skilled at enhancing music, movies, or television, the PSW10 does its job without becoming boomy or muddled at high volumes. Its solid construction contributes to its great sound: 26 pounds of medium-density fiberboard measuring 14-3/8″ H x 14″ W x 16-1/8″ D. Included are speaker-level and line-level inputs, plus a speaker-level output. Frequency response is 35 to 200Hz. You also get on-speaker volume, crossover, and phase controls as well as an auto on/off switch. The PSW10 is built for small- to medium-size spaces. It is available in black or cherry finishes.

The Polk Audio PSW10 is currently available on Amazon.

Definitive Technology SuperCube III ($379)

Pros:

• Small package; huge bass
• Great range
• Solidly built

Cons:

• Will distort at extreme volume

Top Review Sources:

• Crutchfield: Staff Pick “True, accurate, and extremely deep bass in any room”
• Best Buy Customer Reviews: 4.5/5.0 (15+ reviews)
• Home Theater Magazine: “other SuperCube subs…have had amazingly low but very musical bass output—and lots of it. The SuperCube III is no exception”

Definitive Technology’s SuperCube III produces unbelievable bass despite its compact footprint. Its sound profile is defined by its extreme depth—all the way down to 16Hz. The SuperCube III produces an authoritative 650 watts of power, capable of handling the bass duties in small or large rooms. Listeners appreciate the SuperCube III’s versatility; it performs as well when asked to provide a steady, undistorted rumble as it does when the soundtrack demands rapid, staccato bursts of bass. Though this gloss black cube weights a substantial 25 pounds, it only measures 10-1/4 inches in any dimension. It has a signal-sensing auto on/off switch, low-pass crossover, volume control, 5-way binding post outputs, and line level, LFE, and 5-way binding post inputs. Its woofer is 7-1/2 inches in diameter.

You can buy the Definitive Technology SuperCube III on Amazon

The post The Best Subwoofers Under $500 appeared first on Reactual.

We present here the four of the top rated directional outdoor speakers on the market. These outdoor speakers are best suited for maximizing sound quality in a defined space, such as a porch or patio.

Most can be easily mounted on an exterior wall under an eave or overhang, which has two advantages: it offers protection from the elements, and also adds reflective surfaces near the speaker to improve sound quality.

Boston Acoustics Voyager 4 Outdoor Speakers

Boston Acoustics brings its legendary sound quality outdoors with its Voyager 4 speakers, the smallest of the Voyager series. Each Voyager 4 speaker is enclosed in a weather-resistant polypropylene case, and features a 4” co-polymer woofer to withstand moisture and temperature swings. A ¾” Kortec dome tweeter provides high tones, and the Voyagers are available in black or paintable white to match any outdoor décor. The wedge-shaped rear case allows installation in a corner location.

The Boston Acoustics Voyager 4 outdoor speakers are available from Amazon for about $200 per pair.

Polk Audio Atrium 45 Outdoor Speakers

The Atrium 45 from Polk Audio is another high-fidelity outdoor speaker with a streamlined design, and it’s the most compact model of Polk’s Atrium series. Its 4 ½” polymer bass cone features a butyl rubber suspension surround, and a ¾” dome tweeter covers the high notes while a sculpted front baffle minimizes sound diffraction. But this performance speaker is rugged enough to hold up to the nastiest weather too: all hardware is stainless steel or brass, the brackets and grilles are aluminium, and the Atrium meets or exceeds military specs for waterproofing, salt and corrosion resistance.

The Polk Audio Atrium 45 outdoor speakers are available in either black or white. You can find them at Amazon for about $100 per pair.

Klipsch AW-400 Outdoor Speakers

The Klipsch AW-400 sets itself apart from the pack with its efficient power usage, meaning bigger sound from even relatively low-wattage inputs. There are larger models available in the AW series, but the AW-400 packs a 4” IMG woofer and 1” Tractix Horn polymer tweeter into a weather-resistant ABS housing. Non-corrosive aluminum grilles and heavy-duty zinc brackets help the AW400 stand up to the elements, and a 3/8” – 16 threaded insert adds flexibility for mounting options. The AW-400 is available with black or white finishes, which are paintable and UV-resistant.

The Klipsch AW-400 outdoor speakers cost around $220 per pair at Amazon.

Yamaha NS-AW150W Outdoor Speakers

The Yamaha NS-AW150 is the least expensive of the bunch, but still offers great sound in an efficient and weather-resistant package. The speakers utilize a 5” polypropylene mica-filled woofer and ½” PEI dome tweeter, and they are magnetically shielded so they can be used near televisions & monitors with no image distortion. They feature five-way binding posts to accommodate various cable connection types.

The Yamaha NS-AW150W outdoor speakers are available at Amazon for around $70 per pair.

The post The Best Rated Outdoor Speakers appeared first on Reactual.