Polk Audio RC80i 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers (Pair, White)

As with most Polk products, these speakers are tough to beat for the price. I bought two pair for my 5.1 home theater setup. One pair for the front left and right, and the other for the back left and right. Note that using ceiling speakers for the front surrounds is not ideal. Unfortunately, my home was pre-wired this way with the cables in the ceiling. Bringing them down to the ceiling, cutting dry wall, etc. would have been a big hassle.

My setup:
Receiver - Onkyo TX-SR705
Center speaker - Polk CS2
Sub - Outlaw Audio LFM-2
DVD/CD - Oppo Digital DV-981HD

Your results may vary with different equipment.

Surprisingly, the sound imaging is pretty good even though the front surrounds are in the ceiling. The directional tweeters do help a bit with this. Bass is ok, but you'll want to pair these with a sub for home theater viewing. They also sound great with music. Overall sound is detailed but warm and never harsh with the highs. I cranked the volume beyond ridiculous levels and the sound remained true.

Installation was fairly simple. Use included template to draw circle. Cut hole. Remove grill. Connect speaker to wire, push into hole, then screw down clamps. Reinstall grill.

I did not have problems with taking the grills off or putting them back on like some other reviewers. Maybe Polk fixed the problem? When drawing the circle off the template, you may want to cut a hair outside of the circle. Even then the speaker will fit in snugly. Which is a good thing because that makes it much easier to turn the screws that are attached to the clamps (the clamps that secure it to the ceiling). Otherwise you'll have to hold the speaker and screw at the same time (uh..that's what she said).

Overall, great product for the price.

I used an open paperclip to help remove the front grill. It fit into the holes on the grill and made it much, much easier to remove.

I absolutely love it. I paired this with with Polk audio: CS2 center, 60 towers, RC85i wall souround, and RC80i in ceiling for back surround. With a large living room and cathedral ceilings, and an ONKYO SR805 to push them, these speakers provide an excellent home theater/music experience.
CONS: Make sure you get a subwoofer seperately (not really a con, more of a requirement)

These speakers were upgrades for the builder grade in ceiling speakers. Even though they are rear speakers there is a noticeable difference in the quality, preciseness, and crispness in their output. They are not over priced and they are a quality product, a combination that cannot be beat. I plan on replacing all of my in ceiling speakers with these. I can't wait!!!

I recently installed a few sets of these Polk speakers into our basement. One set was used in a drywalled-ceiling (in a gym) and another set was used with a drop ceiling (Armstrong 24"x24" Brighton Ceiling Panels, sold at Lowes) in the main room of our basement. The speakers were pretty easy to install in both settings and work well. I have them hooked up to a stereo for music only...no surround sound off of them.

For the drop ceiling, I would recommend these steps for a smooth install:
1) Use the included template to draw the circle on the back (gray) side of the ceiling tile.
2) I used a Dremel cutting tool to cut out the circle. Don't cut on the line, cut on the outside of the line. If you cut on the line exactly, the circle will be a shade too small and won't hold the speaker properly.
3) Once the circle is cut, put the speaker in the hole and use a screwdriver to secure it in place.
4) If you ran more than enough speaker wire, hook it up to the speaker and then put your ceiling tile back into the ceiling grid. All done!

The ceiling tiles do a great job of holding the speaker in place, with no signs of the speaker being too heavy. I didn't see the need to go purchase a special bracket that some of the other reviewers have recommended.

One more tip: at first, I didn't quite follow how the clips on the speaker were supposed to secure it to the ceiling. I kept turning the screws and didn't think I was making any progress. I'd recommend doing a practice run on just one of the clips. Don't put it in the ceiling, but use the screwdriver, and see what moves when you turn the screw. It will help you visualize how the clips work. Basically, there's a lot of turning involved to secure it to the ceiling...so don't give up!