Audiophilepure

Polk Audio Reserve Series R200

The R200 has very good inter-driver coherence—genuine, of-a-piece comradery between the tweeter and mid/bass transducers. This is confirmed by the focused, rock-stable images the speaker conveys. This image focus benefits backup harmonies and larger vocal groupings, which are reproduced with great articulation. The backing synth drums during Linda Ronstadt’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” were revealed with all their tuneful electronic timbre intact. Even the insistent clang of the cowbell during the song’s intro registered with naturalism. Orchestral layering, inner detail, and low-level cues were reasonably well resolved, as well. Overall, these fine-tuned aspects of the performance weren’t quite on a par with the transparency or sense of dimension of a Magnepan or an MBL, but this elite company didn’t embarrass the R200, either.

Comments are closed.