Polk Monitor 30 review (black)

We next exercised the Monitor system's home-theater talents with the Pearl Harbor DVD. The sounds of propeller planes cranking up their engines erupted with fury, and later on, the planes seemed to swoop over our heads. When the Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, the fierce explosions didn't fluster the Monitors. The speakers' dynamic impact and power are state of the art for a system in this price class. One downside: the film's lush score sounded a little rough compared to what we hear from more expensive Polk and NHT speakers.

A face-off with Energy's Act6 speaker package surprised us. The sound of the two systems was more similar than we expected. Yes, the Act6's treble range was a little more refined and delicate, but the Monitor system's beefier midbass response was obvious, and the Monitors could play a bit louder without distress. Clearly, the spiffy new Monitor ensemble is a worthy successor to the original models.