Polk Audio LSiM 704c Smaller Center Channel Speaker | Dynamic Balance & PowerPort Technology | Bi-Wire & Bi-Amp | Midnight Mahogany

I am a big fan of this center. First off, it’s gorgeous and built really well. As far as performance, I initially had the 704c powered by my Yamaha A1080 AVR, and I thought it sounded good but to be honest it wasn’t much better than the Polk csi A6 it was meant to replace. I then hooked up each to my external amp (outlaw 5000 which is amazing btw), and that’s when the 704c blew away my old center. Particularly the mids, big time improvement. At 88 dB, this center really needs power to sound great. If you’re planning on running this off a so-so AVR, then this may not be the best center channel for you. Find one with a higher dB sensitivity. But if given the appropriate power, this thing comes alive and I’m not sure there is a better center at this price point. Same can be said for the 705 towers which I have this paired with.

This center channel offers clear, Crisp dialogue, and excellent full range sound. It pairs well with my Yamaha Aventage RX-A2080, and isn’t begging for external amplification. I purchased this because I wanted it and the price was great, not because my 20-year-old Polk RTI center channel needed replacing. Having said that, this unit offers tangible improvements across the audible spectrum!

I used to be an audiophile, but kids and life got in the way. Now that our Disney princes movie phase is over I decided to up my home theater. I bought this center speaker to match the new set of Polk 703 bookshelf speakers I recently purchased. After testing these side-by-side with a set of B&W CM5-S2s I found the Polks to have much fuller sound with significantly better sound stage. My wife was also delighted with the center channel for now she can understand the dialog much better even when the actors have thick accents.They are not as efficient as the B&Ws and thus take a little more power to drive. I have an Onkyo 737 which has no troubles what-so-ever in driving to very loud volumes.

Definitely an upgrade over my Polk CSi A4's but not as much as I thought it would be. I had already upgraded to the LSiM 703 bookshelves for fronts and added this to have the same speaker line across the front of my 7.2 system. This center is great for watching movies as it carries a bit more weight with better, clearer dialogue. When switching to music its good but carries much more midrange than I would like. With Presence speakers on to help with the higher ranges its better and does enhance the vocals. Overall an improvement, with a bit fuller sound and enhanced vocals and midrange, At the price paid worth it... at full retail not sure I would recommend.... same could be said for the LSiM 703's also.

Over the years the one thing I've learned when setting up new speakers is that you must exercise listeners paitience when it comes to getting used to. Through the years I have enjoyed several different series of Polk Audio stereo home speakers so I may be just a little bias. I've had the 704 center channel for over a month now but I chose to wait for the other LSiM speakers to arrive. The 704 is the smallest of the two center channels from the LSiM series and for sure it can perform most adequately in most arenas. I was curious tho at a point in time, what happened to seperate midrange speaker on a speaker? Especially on the book shelf speaker. The series has been around for a while but I could not justify the cost for them. Now that I have them Im glad I waited and did let them go away. Very pleased with the LSiM 704 center channel and the series.

The sound just isn't great. I expected a lot more. If you're on the fence don't buy it. It has nothing sound wise compared to a run of the mill speaker. It lacks presence. I had cheap 50$ speakers that sounded better.

Too big, sound was not impressive.

I have 2 LSiM 705 being delivered this week, so I replaced a Klipsch 404c with this 704C for the sake of having the same L/C/R speakers. I read a couple of reviews saying that this center was not loud enough, but I thought hooking it up to my 130 wpc Outlaw 7x would yield louder volume. Sadly it didn't. The Klipsch is naturally brighter with higher sensitivity; though thin, its sonic field covers more distant in all directions. I can hear it from my 10 feet listening position. The sound of the 704C is more dense or full--you can hear it and feel it if you are about 3 feet from the speaker. it's more localized and lacks the ability to project to my seating position. What I am looking for in a center is sonic density and enveloping sound that travels to my 10 feet listening position. Any suggestions? I will break in the 704C for a couple of week with the 705 towers. If it's still not loud enough, I will return it and use the Klipsch 404C with the the 2 LSiM 705.