In this review, we will be comparing SC800D and RC85i, two Passive In-wall speakers from OSD and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of OSD Black Series SC800D and Polk Audio RC85i first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | OSD Black Series SC800D | Polk Audio RC85i |
|---|
| Brand | OSD
United States · founded 2003 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 1-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1" Hard-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Polypropylene | 8" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-500Hz | 50-20kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | — | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 300 watts | 20-100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 10.43kg / 22.9lbs | — |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 20.2500" x 14.5000" x 4.0625"
515.0 x 369.0 x 104.0mm | 12.7500" x 8.6875" x 3.5000"
324.0 x 221.0 x 89.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the OSD Black Series SC800D 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* |
OSD Black Series SC800D |
Polk Audio RC85i |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Average |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that SC800D is a 1-way design whereas the RC85i is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
OSD Black Series SC800DPolk 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 |
OSD Black Series SC800D |
Polk Audio RC85i |
|
Driver Setup
|
1-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
1 x 8-inch
|
SC800D features a " Tweeter and 1 x 8" Polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the RC85i features a 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 8" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
SC800D has a frequency range of 40-500Hz whereas RC85i has a frequency range of 50-20kHz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the SC800D 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
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.
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.
SC800D can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas RC85i has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the SC800D.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
SC800D 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 OSD Black Series SC800D's and Polk Audio RC85i's external dimensions. OSD Black Series SC800D has external dimensions of 515.0 x 369.0 x 104.0mm (20.2500-inch x 14.5000-inch x 4.0625-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).
OSD Black Series SC800D is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 148mm wider, 191mm taller and 15mm deeper than Polk Audio RC85i.
What's in the Box of OSD Black Series SC800D?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of SC800D:
- In-wall passive subwoofer
- Grille
- 10 Screws
- 2 Self-adhesive rubber pads
- Cutout Template
- Install Guide
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