As many people have done I came across these at a steal of a deal from Fry's Electronics. I honestly did not do very much research on these speakers before I made my purchase which is definitely not the norm for me. I have been extremely happy with the overall performance, appearance and value these speakers have provided for me. I think when evaluating a speaker at this price range one has to take into account the quality of other products on the market in the same range. I cannot imagine there being too many speakers out there that offer as much value per dollar as the Polk R50. I am using these as my main fronts connected to a Marantz receiver in my home theater set up. I currently live in an apartment so the level at which I must listen to everything is quiet enough that I cannot give a fair opinion of their quality at higher volumes. I am currently in the market for a much higher quality speaker (Vandersteen 2Ces to be exact) but not because I am unpleased with these speakers but rather because I have heard what a quality loudspeaker can sound like. For an entry level Home Theater set up these speakers will do just about everything you could possible ask for from such a low priced loudspeaker. As others have mentioned, these speakers do not pack a large punch in the bass department but that is nothing a decent subwoofer cannot remedy. What I do not understand is why people purchase or review speakers like this and expect to get $10,000 sound out of a $100 speaker. Don't be surprised if your uninformed friends think you spent a whole lot more on these when you have them over. They are a good looking speaker with a good sound!