Polk Audio TSi400 vs TSi500

Alright so you've decided you want to get new floorstanding speakers for your home theater systems and your trying to decide if you should get the Polk TSi400 or spend a few bucks more and get the Polk TSi500. Hopefully, this article will help you decide.

Aesthetically speaking, both speakers look great. The Polk TSi 400 and the Polk TSi 500 are available in black and cherry finishes. The cherry finish is nice and contemporary and helps both speakers look like a nice piece of furniture. The cloth grills on both are removable and both look nice with the covers on or off. On top of both speakers is a piece of piano finish plastic which adds a nice finishing touch to the speakers. Visually these speakers are almost equal except....with the size. The Polk TSi 500 speaker is a few inches taller and wider than the Polk TSi 400. Depending on the size of your entertainment center and tv this could be a definite minus. If you have a smaller tv the TSi 500s could visually over power the tv.

Winner: Polk TSi 400

Truthfully, both speakers sound excellent however, in listening to both speakers their is a clear winner. Before we announce the winner lets take a look at some of the specs.

If you examine these numbers, you'll see that both the Polk TSi 400 and the Polk TSi 500 have the same efficiency rating, with an overall frequency response range of 28Hz-25kHz you'll see the Polk TSi 500 has a wider sound range. This is mainly due to the (4) 6 1/2" drivers that the TSi 500 has powering it enabling it to reproduce lower frequencies that are out of the range of the TSi 400s.

The real test isn't in the numbers, but with the sound. When listening to these side by side with a subwoofer it's difficult to tell the two apart. Turn the subwoofer off and the performance winner becomes clear. The TSi 500s shine without a subwoofer able to produce detailed highs, mids and admirable lows. The TSi 400s on the other hand while no slouch, are not able to produce the lows as accurately or as powerfully as the TSi 500s.

Winner: Polk TSi 500

This one's a little tricky. Since it really depends on what your intended use is for the speakers. As mentioned in round 2, with a subwoofer it's hard to tell a difference between the Polk TSi 400 and the Polk TSi 500. Technically speaking the TSi 500 is a better speaker, but is it worth paying the extra $100 bucks per speaker? The answer is...... it depends.

If you're not going to pair these speakers with a sub and you're going to be using them primarily for two channel stereo output, and occasional home theater use, then the Polk TSi 500 is the right speaker for you. If these are going to be for home theater use only and you're going to use a sub with them, then I'd recommend the Polk TSi 400s. Since they sound so similar with a sub it's hard to recommend paying an additional $100 per speaker for the TSi 500s if you're going to use them in a home theater setup alone.

Winner: Polk TSi 400 (for home theater use only)
Winner: Polk TSi 500 (for stereo/ and some home theater use)

The TSi 500
The TSi 500 has the most power and because of it's 6.5" drivers it has the most punch. You should still plan on partnering this with a good subwoofer for home theater use. If you're primarily using these speakers for music then the TSi500 definitely produces fuller sound and you could probably get away with not using a sub. The TSi 400 is still a good choice for music and/or home theater but just plan on using a subwoofer in either case.