JBL Arena 6IW vs Polk Audio RC85i Comparison

Speaker to replace

Change

JBL Arena 6IW

Passive In-wall | 38-20kHz

Check price atAmazon›

Change

Polk Audio RC85i

Passive In-wall | 50-20kHz

Check price atAmazon›

JBL Arena 6IW

Check price atAmazon›

Polk Audio RC85i

Check price atAmazon›

JBL Arena 6IW

See at AMAZON

Polk Audio RC85i

See at AMAZON

JBL Arena 6IW vs Polk Audio RC85i Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Arena 6IW and RC85i, two Passive In-wall speakers from JBL and Polk Audio.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of JBL Arena 6IW and Polk Audio RC85i first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	JBL Arena 6IW	Polk Audio RC85i
Brand	JBL United States · founded 1946	Polk Audio United States · founded 1972
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Soft-Dome	1" Hard-Dome
Woofer	6.5" Polycellulose	8" Polypropylene
Frequency response	38-20kHz	50-20kHz
Sensitivity	86 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	up to 80 watts	20-100 watts
Dimensions (H x W x D)	9.8125" x 7.2500" x 3.4375" 250.0 x 185.0 x 88.0mm	12.7500" x 8.6875" x 3.5000" 324.0 x 221.0 x 89.0mm

What size room are the JBL Arena 6IW and Polk Audio RC85i speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	JBL Arena 6IW	Polk Audio RC85i
Near-field	Average	Average
Small Room	Good	Good
Mid-size Room	Average	Average
Large Room	Poor	Poor
Very Large Room	Bad	Bad

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

Drivers

Both Arena 6IW and RC85i are 2-way speakers.

JBL Arena 6IW

Polk Audio RC85i

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	JBL Arena 6IW	Polk Audio RC85i
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	1 x 8-inch

Arena 6IW features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Polycellulose Woofer. On the other hand, the RC85i features a 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 8" Polypropylene Woofer.

Frequency Response

Arena 6IW has a frequency range of 38-20kHz whereas RC85i has a frequency range of 50-20kHz. With a minimum frequency of 38Hz, the Arena 6IW can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the RC85i's min frequency of 50Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

Arena 6IW

RC85i

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

Arena 6IW and RC85i have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Arena 6IW sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the RC85i's is at 90 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Polk Audio RC85i a more sensitive speaker compared to JBL Arena 6IW, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Arena 6IW

RC85i

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

RC85i can handle a max power of 100 watts RMS, whereas Arena 6IW has a max power handling value of 80 watts RMS, 20 watts less than the RC85i.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

JBL Arena 6IW

Polk Audio RC85i

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Arena 6IW features Spring clip type posts and RC85i has a Spring clip type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare JBL Arena 6IW's and Polk Audio RC85i's external dimensions. JBL Arena 6IW has external dimensions of 250.0 x 185.0 x 88.0mm (9.8125-inch x 7.2500-inch x 3.4375-inch) whereas Polk Audio RC85i has external dimensions of 324.0 x 221.0 x 89.0mm (12.7500-inch x 8.6875-inch x 3.5000-inch).

Polk Audio RC85i is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 36mm wider, 74mm taller and 1mm deeper than JBL Arena 6IW.

Size, drawn to scale

Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.

One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.

Polk Audio RC85i needs about 21% more floor or shelf area. Polk Audio RC85i is 74mm taller.

What's in the Box of JBL Arena 6IW?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Arena 6IW:

In-wall loudspeaker
Grille
2 Scrim cloths (1 installed)
Mounting Template
Instruction Manual

What's in the Box of Polk Audio RC85i?

Here are the items that come with the RC85i:

2 White in-wall speakers
2 White grilles
1 Cardboard Mounting Template
Owners Manual
Online registration sheet
Product Registration Card

Reasons to choose JBL Arena 6IW over Polk Audio RC85i

Low Frequency Response	38 Hz vs 50 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Height	250mm vs 324mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	162cm² vs 196cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose Polk Audio RC85i over JBL Arena 6IW

Max Input Power	100 watts vs 80 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity	90 dB vs 86 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size	8 inches vs 6.5 inches	Larger woofer
Price per pair*	279USD vs 500USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

JBL Arena 6IW vs Polk Audio RC85i Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	JBL Arena 6IW	Polk Audio RC85i
Brand	JBL	Polk Audio
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	up to 80 watts	20-100 watts
Sensitivity	86 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	38-20kHz	50-20kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	6.5"	8"
Woofer Composition	Polycellulose	Polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Hard-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	Yes
Midrange Driver	No	No
Physical Specs
Height	250.0mm (9.8")	324.0mm (12.8")
Width	185.0mm (7.3")	221.0mm (8.7")
Depth	88.0mm (3.5")	89.0mm (3.5")
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	Yes
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	Lifetime
Labor Warranty	5 Years	Lifetime

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - JBL Arena 6IW costs roughly 1.8x what Polk Audio RC85i does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	JBL Arena 6IW digs deeper - 38Hz against 50Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	Polk Audio RC85i is more sensitive (90dB vs 86dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	B	Polk Audio RC85i takes more power (100W vs 80W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	JBL Arena 6IW is easier to place; Polk Audio RC85i is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Price	B	Polk Audio RC85i is cheaper - $279 against $500, about 44% less; arguably a different class.

A JBL Arena 6IW B Polk Audio RC85i
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

Polk Audio RC85i has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 50Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Polk Audio RC85i much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Polk Audio RC85i has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, JBL Arena 6IW is the easier speaker to get right.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.