Polk Audio 265-LS vs Polk Audio 65 RT Comparison

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Polk Audio 265-LS

Passive In-wall | 28-33kHz

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Polk Audio 65 RT

Passive In-wall | 50-25kHz

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Polk Audio 265-LS

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Polk Audio 65 RT

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Polk Audio 265-LS

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Polk Audio 65 RT

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Polk Audio 265-LS vs Polk Audio 65 RT Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing 265-LS and 65 RT, two Passive In-wall speakers by Polk Audio.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Polk Audio 265-LS and Polk Audio 65 RT first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Polk Audio 265-LS	Polk Audio 65 RT
Brand	Polk Audio United States · founded 1972	Polk Audio United States · founded 1972
Design	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Ring Radiator	1" Soft-Dome
Midrange	6.5"	—
Woofer	6.5" Aerated polypropylene	6.5" Polymer Composite
Frequency response	28-33kHz	50-25kHz
Sensitivity	91 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	10-200 watts	10-125 watts
Weight	4.09kg / 9lbs	—
Dimensions (H x W x D)	19.1875" x 7.2500" x 3-3/4" 488.0 x 185.0 x 95.3mm	12.7500" x 7.2500" x 3-1/2" 324.0 x 185.0 x 88.9mm

What size room are the Polk Audio 265-LS and Polk Audio 65 RT 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*	Polk Audio 265-LS	Polk Audio 65 RT
Near-field	Poor	Poor
Small Room	Average	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Average	Average
Very Large Room	Poor	Poor

(* 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

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that 265-LS is a 3-way design whereas the 65 RT 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.

Polk Audio 265-LS

Polk Audio 65 RT

TweeterMidrangeWoofer

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

Driver	Polk Audio 265-LS	Polk Audio 65 RT
Driver Setup	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	1 x 6.5-inch	-
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	1 x 6.5-inch

265-LS features a 1" Ring Radiator Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 1 x 6.5" Aerated polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the 65 RT features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Polymer Composite Woofer.

Frequency Response

265-LS has a frequency range of 28-33kHz whereas 65 RT has a frequency range of 50-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the 265-LS can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the 65 RT'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

265-LS

65 RT

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

265-LS and 65 RT have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. 265-LS sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the 65 RT's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Polk Audio 265-LS a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk Audio 65 RT, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

265-LS

65 RT

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.

265-LS can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas 65 RT has a max power handling value of 125 watts RMS, 75 watts less than the 265-LS.

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

Polk Audio 265-LS

Polk Audio 65 RT

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

265-LS features Spring post type posts and 65 RT has a Spring post 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 Polk Audio 265-LS's and Polk Audio 65 RT's external dimensions. Polk Audio 265-LS has external dimensions of 488.0 x 185.0 x 95.3mm (19.1875-inch x 7.2500-inch x 0.0000-inch) whereas Polk Audio 65 RT has external dimensions of 324.0 x 185.0 x 88.9mm (12.7500-inch x 7.2500-inch x 0.0000-inch).

What's in the Box of Polk Audio 265-LS?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of 265-LS:

In-wall loudspeaker
White metal grille
Power Port plug
Mounting template
Owners Manual

What's in the Box of Polk Audio 65 RT?

Here are the items that come with the 65 RT:

Rectangular in-wall speaker
Foam rubber port plug
White metal grille
Mounting template
Owners Manual
Sheer-Grille Painting instructions
Online Registration Card
Polk Audio product brochure

Reasons to choose Polk Audio 265-LS over Polk Audio 65 RT

Max Input Power	200 watts vs 125 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	91 dB vs 90 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Low Frequency Response	28 Hz vs 50 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	33k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency

Reasons to choose Polk Audio 65 RT over Polk Audio 265-LS

Height	324mm vs 488mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	164cm² vs 176cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	398USD vs 758USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Polk Audio 265-LS vs Polk Audio 65 RT Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Polk Audio 265-LS	Polk Audio 65 RT
Brand	Polk Audio	Polk Audio
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	10-200 watts	10-125 watts
Sensitivity	91 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	28-33kHz	50-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	6.5"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Aerated polypropylene	Polymer Composite
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Ring Radiator	Soft-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	Yes
Midrange Driver	6.5"	No
Physical Specs
Height	488.0mm (19.2")	324.0mm (12.8")
Width	185.0mm (7.3")	185.0mm (7.3")
Depth	95.3mm (3.8")	88.9mm (3.5")
Weight	4.09kg (9lbs)	n/a
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	Lifetime	Lifetime
Labor Warranty	Lifetime	Lifetime

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - Polk Audio 265-LS costs roughly 1.9x what Polk Audio 65 RT 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	Polk Audio 265-LS digs deeper - 28Hz against 50Hz.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	A	Polk Audio 265-LS takes more power (200W vs 125W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Polk Audio 65 RT is easier to place; Polk Audio 265-LS is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Price	B	Polk Audio 65 RT is cheaper - $398 against $758, about 47% less; arguably a different class.

A Polk Audio 265-LS B Polk Audio 65 RT
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?

The usual trade-off: Polk Audio 265-LS measures better, Polk Audio 65 RT costs about about 90% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. 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 65 RT much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Polk Audio 265-LS has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Polk Audio 65 RT 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.