255c-RT In-Wall Speaker, The Vanishing Series, Black/White

I purchased this speaker to compliment a 7.1 in wall/in ceiling surround sound system. I purchased the following speakers and receiver: Polk Audio 255C-RT (Center) Polk 265-LS x 2 (Front Sides) Polk 80F/X-RT x 4 (Surround and Surround Back) Polk HTS 12 (Subwoofer) Denon AVR-x3600H (Receiver) While it is hard to come up with an individual review for each speaker, they work very well as a system. They sound decent out of the box. One of my main concerns was how well it would sound having mix and matched LS and RT into the same speaker setup. Upon the following process, those concerns were swiftly laid to rest. Once you get your initial sound set up configured (Audyssey if you are using a newer Denon receiver), tweak the crossovers and play around with other options - these speakers sound amazing once you get the right configuration. If you want to get the most out of these speakers, make sure you lay them out properly and go through the process of tweaking them to your liking. I installed the front and center channels on the wall, and the surround and surround back speakers in the ceiling. These are very easy to install. Most of your time will be spent on the layout of your speakers and potentially running speaker wire.

I bought and installed this for a customer along with six RT625RT's for the RL, surrounds and rear speakers. I fashioned backing boxes from some heavy foam speaker damping material. This was existing construction so my options were limited. The client had the speaker wiring pre-installed by the builder and it wasn't the cable I would normally use but it was 16GA of adequate quality for the install. For the money spent these sound pretty darn good! As the center channel speaker it is articulate and focused. Highs were smooth, refined and extended. The lows solid. The Audessy setup actually set the crossover at 40Hz!! I had to install it rather higher than I would have liked. Luckily it was near the roofline and sloped toward the listening area. For the cost this speaker is an outstanding value.

Bought this when we moved into our new house 3 months ago to go with a pair of rc85i's (in wall) for the fronts and rt85i's (in ceiling) for surrounds, powered by an Onkyo 636. Is this the best sound system I've ever heard? No. Is it good enough to impress me on a regular basis? It sure is. Easy install. Seamless look. Great sound for movies and music on a space/cost budget. Just don't plan to put them in a wall that is shared with a room that needs to be quiete as sound bleed through is pretty noticeable. Your results may vary but adding insulation to my walls did little to reduce the problem. Thankfully my wall is shared with a hallway so it is not much of a problem

super easy install, hardest part was determining a spot to avoid studs in wall. i could not center it because of a stud in wall, offset it and it blends in so not a big issue. Sound - i replaced a center channel that was in my ceiling, which caused muffled voices. This really improved the sound quality. i am not a sound geek, just wanted solid sound when watching movies and TV. i am sure any speaker would have improved the sound but this was a good price, sounds good and was easy to install.

Background: First off I am writing this based on my experience with many Polk Audio products, including: other Vanishing/RT series speakers, TSi 400 floor standers, CS20 center, OWM 3'S and 5'S, and finally several subs such as the DSW Micro PRO 1000, DSW Pro 550wi, and PW125. In the past i have also owned several products by "high end" brands such as B&O, Martin Logan, etc... The point I mean to make is that I am PICKY when it comes to sound! Setup: 20x30ft basement, 8-10ft split ceiling, 105" front projection, 5.1 config, in ceiling Polk 620RT speakers, DSW PRO 550wi sub (wireless). Each speaker is wired with 14/4 CL3 in wall/ceiling. Use: I installed this center channel to replace a 620RT which had been improperly installed by an audio/video tech in my dads basement home theater/multipurpose room. The guy installed the speaker between two joists which was occupied by a 120v AC line; the line rested on the back of the driver and the inductive field fried it lol... Installation: I actually mounted this speaker in-ceiling as opposed to the reccomended in-wall application - I took a chance and it paid off in the end! The included cardboard drywall cutting template worked nicely and all of the screw-clamp type mounts were easy to tighten and have needed no adjustment after a year or use. Score 5/5. Sound quality: This speaker produces a wonderfully broad sound stage considering its compact form factor and flush mount design. For just two 5-1/2" drivers bass note reproduction out of the box is on par with the larger 620RT's installed in the LF/RF/RR/LR. However, before a good 85-90 break in period mid-tones appeared flat and even muffled. This issue partially resolved itself after getting some hours through the speakers. Highs are dynamic and equal to low/mid (after breakin) performance, but this isn't the most bright center I've ever used. Score 3/5. Overall/final thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised just how well this center speaker functioned as an in-ceiling unit when it was designed as an in-wall piece. The bang-to-buck ratio was a bit of a let down...at over $345 shipped when I ordered, i would have expected a more vibrant and powerful center. Granted this is an in-wall unit, but my CS20 blows this speaker out of the water in most categories, save perhaps overall dimensions lol - 255c-RT gets the win there! I certainly recommend the 2RTc-RT to any Polk owner who is looking for a stealthy center to match the timbre of their existing RT/RTi speakers; if you're starting from scratch then this center channel speaker might not be the wisest choice if you have hopes of building budget-minded value-to-performance oriented theater system. In fact, I would skip the RT series all together in Polk's product, instead I wish i had stepped up to the LS series at the beginning when designing this home theater setup. OVERALL SCORE 4/5!

Great product and should work great as a center channel surround sound.

very good sounding speaker I would buy again in a instant my setup is a Marantz 6012 in a 5.1.4 setup I run the 265 rt speakers on all 4 corners then I use the 80 r/x rt for my atmos in ceiling and a svs pb 2000 sub and the 255c rt and it the best sounding setup I could have ever hoped for it is truly I life like sound full all around high quality sound and they just look amazing I have yet to put the covers on cause they have such a great look and build qualit

Out of the 7.2 installnindid, this was the best speaker. Don't get a no name brand speaker for your center. This is where a lot of your primary sound is coming from. The duel speaker and directional tweeter are great. These drivers sound good. Little bit of bass along with my sub. It was my most expensive speaker and worth it. It has a 10-120 watt range at 8ohms. Great range for it's price.

Clear and reach sound like for that money . worth it.

Awesome.

Love the speakers. I have recently replaced my ancient (2013) bookshelf speakers with new in ceiling. This is probably the best centre speaker. A breeze to install. Fantastic crisp clear voice, nice beats. The centre Twitter angle is adjustable.

Excellent quality. I like how I can adjust the direction of the tweeter. My setup: Receiver (Sony STRDH770)) Front speakers (Polk Audio RC85i) Rear speakers (Polk Audio RC85i) Subwoofer (Polk Audio PSW111) Center speakers (Polk Audio 255c-RT)

Great sound and works very nicely with the rest of my system.