Polk XRt12 review (XM)

We love pretty much everything about satellite radio programming. From commercial-free music and uncensored hip hop, comedy, and talk channels to religious and sports programming, there's something for everyone. Less impressive, however, is satellite's sound quality. It's not a big concern for the vast satellite audience listening from their cars, but at home, over a decent set of speakers, satellite radio's ultracompressed digital streams can sound more like a grungy, low-bit-rate MP3 than a CD. Thankfully, refined listeners now have an alternative: Polk's XRt12 XM Reference Tuner is the first satellite radio that's truly audiophile-grade.

The introduction of the XRt12 represents Polk Audio's first foray into the component audio business; until now, the company's been best known for its high-quality speakers. Unlike the large number of satellite tuners that are compact plug-and-play designs intended for shuttling between car dashboards and home bookshelves, the XRt12 is a full-size home audio component, measuring 2.3 inches high, 17 inches wide, and 10.5 inches deep--about the size of a DVD player. The XRt12's gently curved black faceplate, large buttons, and deep-blue display are styled to match premium audio gear.

The radio is available through Polk dealers or direct from Polk's Web site for $250. The box includes an indoor/outdoor XM antenna and hookup cables, but naturally you'll need to sign up for XM's satellite service, which currently runs $12.95 a month. Fans of rival sat service Sirius should check out Kenwood's similarly well-appointed DT-7000S home receiver, while the truly deep-pocketed may want to step up to Antex's XM-3000, which sports three XM tuners for multiroom, whole-house satellite audio. (To see how Sirius and XM stack up against one another, check out CNET's quick guide to satellite radio.)

Sound quality was a design priority, so Polk's engineers included audiophile-grade digital-to-analog converters. Connectivity options demonstrate the radio's higher-end aspirations: you get stereo analog outputs, optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, and something new for a XM Radio: a video output. No, the device can't stream video, but it can display relevant information--channel number, artist, and song title--on your TV. A 12-volt trigger input can be used with compatible A/V receivers for automatically powering the XRt12 on or off, and an RS-232 connector is provided for use with AMX, Crestron, and NetStream's home automation systems. The radio can store up to 20 channel presets, in four banks of 5 each. Push the Memory button, and the XRt12 will record the artist name and song data for the songs you hear. The remote duplicates the front panel's controls.