Polk's latest breakthrough is "Time Lens" technology, which aligns the drivers in such a way that all the frequencies reach your ears at the same time. It improves the speakers' soundstaging and imaging, so that you'll start to forget you're watching a movie and really feel like you're part of the action. This technology makes this system great for video games, too, because you'll be able to clearly pinpoint where sounds are coming from all around you, like monster roars or enemy gunfire.
The satellite and center channel speakers also use an "acoustic lens" in their grilles to disperse sound waves in a way that makes your movie and music soundtracks sound larger and more open. And unlike a traditional port hole, these speakers have something called an "aperiodic-tuned rear port." It's more like a breathable membrane that controls air flow in and out of the enclosure, giving them the acoustic benefits of both a sealed and a ported enclosure, including better bass extension and a pleasing mid-bass boost. It also means you can place these speakers in the open or against a wall, and still get great sound.
Polk Audio Blackstone TL150 owner's manual
Polk Audio Blackstone TL150 Five Speaker System: The Polk Audio Blackstone TL150 high-performance five speaker system features 4 matching satellite loudspeakers and a horizontal center-channel speaker. The Polk Audio Blackstone TL150 system offers a compact, high-performance solution for your home theater, music listening, or gaming needs. Plus you can add individually available, perfectly timbre-matched Blackstone TL speakers (107TL1B, sold separately) to expand your home theater experience into 6.1, 7.1, or 9.1 channels.
Note: The TL150 five speaker system has an overall frequency response of 120 to 22,000 Hz and will require a powered subwoofer (sold separately) for full-range sound.
Polk Audio Black Stone TL Series: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL series loudspeakers (TL1) feature new innovations specifically designed to enhance compact speaker performance. The Black Stone TL1 series speaker is a two-way satellite loudspeaker utilizing a bass-reflex enclosure with a rear-firing port. The TL1 series loudspeakers are equipped with 5-way binding posts and offer various mounting options.
Dynamic Balance Driver Technology: Polk Audio's patented Dynamic Balance process allows Polk to design their drivers specifically for flatter frequency response, revealing the sharpest details and a more lifelike transparency, with absolutely no strain even at high volume. It's a bold, rich, warm, and lifelike sound.
Time Lens Technology: The sophisticated laser alignment of the "acoustic center" of the Blackstone TL tweeters with their accompanying drivers results in far superior imaging. The acoustic centers of the tweeter and mid-range woofer are aligned, creating a crisp accurate soundstage. The acoustic centers of the tweeter and mid-bass driver are located in the same plane for superior imaging, while the acoustic lens incorporated in the grille smoothes the tweeter's frequency response.
Drivers: The Black Stone TL1 satellite & center-channel speakers feature a two-way design.
Frequency Response: The overall frequency response of each satellite loudspeaker is 120Hz-22kHz and the -3dB frequency response is 135-20kHz. The overall frequency response of the center-channel speaker is 95Hz-22kHz and the -3dB frequency response is 125-20kHz.
Enclosure Type: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL150 speaker system features a non-resonant composite enclosure with time-aligned geometry and an aperiodic-tuned rear port.
Curved Enclosure Design: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL1 satellite speakers and center-channel speaker employ non-parallel surfaces that not only lead to a stronger, more rigid and acoustically inert enclosure, but they also result in less audible coloration from internal surface resonances.
Integrated Acoustic Lens: An innovative acoustic lens incorporated into the grille produces a high frequency response so smooth that it delivers a balanced, realistic performance. An acoustic lens is molded into the back of the speaker grille and helps create imaging frequency balance previously impossible in small high-performance satellite speakers.
Aperiodic-Tuned Rear Port: An aperiodic-tuned rear port enables better blending with a subwoofer. This design combines the bass extension of an acoustic suspension enclosure with the mid-bass boost of a ported enclosure by controlling airflow through the port for better extension without distortion.
High-Gloss Finish: The Polk Audio TL1 satellite speakers and center-channel speaker feature a durable, deep automotive-strength high-gloss black finish that matches today's most stylish flat-panel TVs.
5-Way Binding Posts: The Polk Audio Black Stone TL150 speakers are equipped with one pair of 5-way binding posts to ensure a secure connection to many types of speaker cables and connectors. The binding post terminals will accept banana plugs (single or dual), pin-connectors, spade-connectors, and bare wire (18-12 AGW).
Rubber Feet: The Polk Audio TL1 satellite & center-channel speakers feature integrated rubber feet so you can sit the speaker on a stand or shelf securely.
Wall Mountable: The TL1 satellite & center-channel speakers feature keyhole slots on the back of the cabinet for wall-mounting the speakers without any additional wall-mount bracket (mounting screws not supplied). There is also a 1/4"-20 threaded insert on the back of each loudspeaker for mounting the speaker to the wall using an optional articulating bracket (sold separately).