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Review on πŸ”Š Polk Audio 255c-RT In-Wall Center Channel Speaker (2) 5.25" Drivers - The Vanishing Series, Easily Installable in Wall, Power Port, Paintable Grille (Black/White) by Latoya Luckett

Revainrating 2 out of 5

looks and sounds good but has flaws

Looks good, sounds good but the grille rattles and my speakers fell apart after a short time. I was very happy with how they looked and sounded after initial installation, although there are some issues with the 255c-RT. Within six months of listening to my Polk Vanishing Services 7.1 surround sound system, I started having annoying gasps during the bass parts of movies (and during music, although I rarely listen to music in my theater). At first I thought it was paintings on the wall or small objects near my subwoofer, but after a while I removed the covers from the three front speakers and found the grilles rattling. The speaker covers are magnetic, and while they look nice, the magnets aren't strong enough to stay level and secure; they are loose and vibrate, causing unwanted noise. However, when I removed the center cover to definitively determine the root cause of the rumble, I discovered a second problem; The tweeter cap (the technical name is not certain) fell to the ground. Apparently they broke at some point in the first six months of use, just waiting to fall out after removing the lid. I contacted Revain and also Polk who told me that the warranty was only for one year and that I would have to pay for the repair. It doesn't seem like the manufacturer's problem is that I've only been using them for six months; that the speakers fell apart between 2 and 6 months of use and that the only reason I found it was to talk about grilles to find the cause of the rattling; it's my problem! It wouldn't be cost effective to send them back to the US from New Zealand for repairs, so I can wait until the next problem arises before replacing them, although I probably won't be buying another 255c-RT. I'm disappointed that Polk won't send me a new one after buying dozens of Polk speakers. So now I have to use my speakers with the covers removed, I can see the failed center and if you look closely at the speakers the paint on the wall has chipped in places from removing the covers; They can be designed not to damage IMO walls

Pros
  • This 2-way center speaker is designed to compensate for reflective surfaces without sound distortion, making it IDEAL FOR ANY 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM AND HIGHER. Enjoy rich, natural sound in your home theater and entertainment system
Cons
  • Hard to say