June 20th 18, 11:25 PM
Stereophile reviewed Polk’s RT-25i in November, 2001 https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/417/index.html
They noted, : “Here, in a nutshell, is what the Polk RT25i did well: linear and organic low-level dynamic resolution, as in live music; superlative resolution of inner detail; on good recordings, a highly accurate depiction of room ambience; extremely flat but natural reproduction of transient articulation; and extraordinarily uncolored tonal balance from the midbass to infinity and beyond.”
“The RT25i's reproduction of vocals was to die for, due to the speaker's superlative timbral and dynamic performance and its resolution of detail in the all-critical midrange. I'd never heard Janis Ian (Breaking Silence, Analogue Productions CAPP 027) or Mighty Sam McClain sound more natural, and the angelic integration of Crosby, Stills & Nash's voices on "Guinnevere" (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Atlantic/Classic SD 8229) floated in three-dimensional space, each vocal line easy to follow individually. The dynamic and delicate articulation of well-recorded percussion instruments, from mallets to snares on both classical and jazz recordings (Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia/Classic CS 8163, 45rpm, and the Kohjiba and Crumb recordings), made the Polks seem to disappear entirely. Kind of Blue and Ian's "Some People's Lives" showcased the warm, rich, articulate reproduction of piano timbres as convincingly as I've heard from any speaker under $2000.”
As always, YMMV.
They noted, : “Here, in a nutshell, is what the Polk RT25i did well: linear and organic low-level dynamic resolution, as in live music; superlative resolution of inner detail; on good recordings, a highly accurate depiction of room ambience; extremely flat but natural reproduction of transient articulation; and extraordinarily uncolored tonal balance from the midbass to infinity and beyond.”
“The RT25i's reproduction of vocals was to die for, due to the speaker's superlative timbral and dynamic performance and its resolution of detail in the all-critical midrange. I'd never heard Janis Ian (Breaking Silence, Analogue Productions CAPP 027) or Mighty Sam McClain sound more natural, and the angelic integration of Crosby, Stills & Nash's voices on "Guinnevere" (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Atlantic/Classic SD 8229) floated in three-dimensional space, each vocal line easy to follow individually. The dynamic and delicate articulation of well-recorded percussion instruments, from mallets to snares on both classical and jazz recordings (Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia/Classic CS 8163, 45rpm, and the Kohjiba and Crumb recordings), made the Polks seem to disappear entirely. Kind of Blue and Ian's "Some People's Lives" showcased the warm, rich, articulate reproduction of piano timbres as convincingly as I've heard from any speaker under $2000.”
As always, YMMV.