Polk Audio Reserve R700 Review: Top of the line speakers

Polk Reserve R700
Tech Week Score
5.0
- Álvaro Nieto

The Polk Reserve R700 or simply Polk Audio R 700, are a pair of floor-standing speakers whose sound is up to the high range and the size they occupy. These large speakers outline a three-way configuration with a one-inch Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter, six-and-a-half-inch Turbine Cone midrange, and two eight-inch woofer drivers, resulting in pristine, balanced, and appropriate audio. to fully enjoy an orchestra or home theater, since they boast IMAX certification and high resolution.

For more details about the Polk Audio R 700, we invite you to continue reading, but if you were looking for a center speaker instead of floorstanding speakers, we can help with that too by recommending the Polk Audio S35E .

Design

At first glance, the Polk Reserve R700 looks like typical floorstanding speakers. Their shape and style don’t seek to reinvent the wheel, but that doesn’t mean they look bad; on the contrary, they look good and it shows that the manufacturer paid a lot of attention to taking care of the aesthetics.

It is important to note that these speakers can be obtained in 3 color presentations: matte black, satin white and brown with a walnut wood finish . Naturally, this last option is the most striking of the three, but you can’t go wrong with any of them, as the cabinet, drivers and grille have an understated aesthetic that doesn’t clash with any interior décor. Regardless of the color chosen, it is clear that they are a little bulky and heavy, but what a remedy, they are floor-standing speakers, after all.

When detailing the cabinet carefully, we will notice some magnetically connected grills, and by removing them we can take a look at the composition of these speakers, starting with the ‘ Pinnacle Ring Radiator’ tweeter. A rather pretentious name, but it all comes down to the fact that it is designed to ensure balance by means of a special waveguide. Additionally, a separate rear chamber provides wide sound dispersion without adding coloration. This tweeter, developed in-house by Polk, comes from the highly regarded Legend series and is finally available in more “affordable” models like this one.

Beneath the tweeter is a mid-driver dubbed ‘Turbine Cone’, this is firmly attached to the baffle to ensure rigidity, and special foam provides the necessary cushioning. At the same time, this special driver provides a mix of stiffness and smoothness that should particularly benefit sound dynamics. Finally, below the mid driver are two 20cm polypropylene woofers that reproduce everything below 50Hz.

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Sound

The audio quality provided by these speakers is top of the line and on par with other high-end speakers. They are loudspeakers that will please the most demanding and can make low-quality recordings sound better than they should.

Going deeper, their woofers deliver deep, full bass that flows well even without using a subwoofer, as they exhibit good low-frequency extension, which should go as low as 30Hz in any room or hall.

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The midrange performs decently, though it doesn’t impress. In this sense, it’s a bit darker than we’re used to, so it’s perfectly understandable if some users prefer to use a dedicated amp to get the perfect balance.

We also have to commend these speakers’ ability to reproduce human voices, making them perfect for a home theater experience.

In short, the Polk Reserve R700 are very precise loudspeakers, and almost everyone agrees that they are among the most precise in their market segment. These provide a neutral response, and the response is the most neutral in the regions where people are most likely to listen. Likewise, they have a very good dynamic range, as you would expect from a speaker of its specifications. Since they have a sensitivity close to 89dB , you don’t absolutely need to use a monster amp to get loud.

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Lastly, they have excellent off-axis response in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Listeners who are seated at an angle of 25° degrees or less off-axis can enjoy the sound presentation in all its glory.

Power Port 2.0 and compatibility

The Polk Audio Reserve R700 proudly carry Polk’s Power Port 2.0 , which is located on the bottom of the speakers. Going into detail, there is a tube that goes up to the port and is in the form of a set of closed tube absorbers that act as self-tone filters, thus reducing unwanted resonances that occur due to the cabinet and port itself. .

Finally, the Polk Audio R 700 can be used as the front of a home theater setup or as side/rear surround speakers. Additionally, Reserve R900 height modules can be added for immersive vertical sound, but these are sold separately.

PROS

  • High precision response
  • wide dynamic range
  • Good off axis response
  • Decent low frequency extension
  • Great design

 

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CONS

  • price a bit high

 

Polk Audio Reserve R700 Specifications:

POLK AUDIO RESERVE R700 
GENERAL 
Brand  Polk Audio 
Model  Book R700 
Dimensions of each speaker  320.7 x 1,143.8 x 428.3mm 
Combined speaker weight  35.9KG 
Colors  Black, White, Wood brown 
SPEAKER FEATURES 
tweeter  1″ Ring Radiator 
Mids/Low-Mids  16.5 cm turbine cone 
woofers  Two 20.3 cm woofers 
overall frequency response  30Hz – 50kHz 
Frequency response (limits -3 dB)  38Hz – 37kHz 
Recommended amplifier power  20 – 300W 
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m)  SPL 88dB 
Impedance  3.6 Ω 
High Resolution Certification  Yes
IMAX certification  Yes

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