Awesome 30lb! Polk Center Channel Speaker CS400i

$295.00

Out of stock

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Other center channels we have in stock now

3 in stock · $95.00–$175.00 · all ship

Custom-built Radique Audio speaker cables with gold-plated banana plug, spade, and pin connector terminations

Whatever you end up with, it needs cable.

We hand-build speaker cable to your exact length and terminate it however you like: banana, spade, pin or bare wire. Tell us the run and the ends, and it ships ready to plug in.

Build a set to length →
Description

A “Top Pick” from Sound and Vision Magazine, this is the exact same model of Center that we used in our primary home theater environment, for 3+ years. It beat an impressive number and range of more expensive Centers in our blind comparison testing, before I was finally allowed to “upgrade” it. 🙂

Those of you who know us, realize that we tend to turn over our in-house components at regular intervals. The fact that we kept our CS400i for so long is simply a testament to how well it performed.

Driver Complement
Mid/Woofer: 2 – 6-1/2″ Diameter (16.51cm), Dynamic Balance® drivers, shielded
Tweeter: 1 – 1″ Diameter (2.54cm), Dynamic Balance® Tri-laminate dome, shielded

Electrical
Overall Frequency Response: 40Hz – 26kHz, Lower -3dB Limit: 50Hz, Upper -3dB Limit: 25kHz
Recommended Amplifier Power: 10 – 250 w/channel, Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms, Efficiency: 91 dB
Inputs: Dual pairs of Gold-plated 5-way binding posts, suitable for biamp/biwire

Dimensions:
Cabinet Size: 8-5/8″ H x 18-3/4″ W x 14″ D, (21.91cm H x 47.62cm W x 35.56cm D), Weight: 29.1 lbs
Enclosure Type: Vented, Power Port

Originally listed for about $600 Canadian, Asking just $295. The Center channel is the most important speaker in your home theater. If you want an awesome one, jump on this, they do not come around very often.

Additional information
Weight33 lbs
Dimensions18 × 22.75 × 13 in
About brand
Polk Audio at Radique
New Polk Audio, too, quoted direct from the Canadian distributor:
We service Polk, too. Bring us your own Polk speakers and subwoofers for repair, servicing or restoration (speakers up to 80 lbs each), with a 90-day warranty on the work. See our Audio Service page

Polk Audio began in Baltimore in 1972, founded by Matthew Polk, George Klopfer and Sandy Gross. Its SDA speakers of the 1980s used a cable between the left and right speakers to widen the stereo image. We carry Polk towers, bookshelf speakers, centre channels and subwoofers. We've had more than 180 Polk listings so far, covering more than 80 different models. Every used Polk here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Looking for new Polk? We also quote new Polk Audio direct from the Canadian distributor, with free shipping within Canada: request a quote below. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

Our five best-selling Polk models so far: the RTi10 towers, the PSW10 and PSW125 subwoofers, the RTi4 bookshelf speakers and the CSi3 centre.

The Polk story, 1972 to today

Matthew Polk, George Klopfer and Sandy Gross, graduates of Johns Hopkins, founded Polk Audio in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1972. The Monitor 7 of 1974 was their first model to succeed, and the Monitor 10 followed in 1976.

SDA. In 1984 Polk introduced SDA (Stereo Dimensional Array). A cable between the left and right speakers lets each one cancel the sound that crosses over to the wrong ear, for a wider stereo image.

Growth. Polk went public in 1986 and moved to new premises in Baltimore. It began moving manufacturing to Tijuana, Mexico, in 1988, and by 2012 Stereophile reported that Polk designed in the US and built in China.

New owners. Directed Electronics agreed to buy Polk in 2006. Polk later became part of Sound United, Masimo bought Sound United in 2022, and in September 2025 HARMAN, a Samsung company, completed its purchase of Sound United. The 2018 Legend series brought SDA back.

Which Polk is which?

Monitor (1970s to early 1990s): the Monitor 4, 5, 7, 10 and 12, with A, B and C revisions.

SDA (1984 to about 1991): the SDA-1 and SDA-2 families, CRS, SRS and the later "TL" models.

RTA (1979 to 1992): towers such as the RTA 11t, with two woofers and two passive radiators.

RT and RTi (2001 onward): Polk's lower-priced lines. Our best-selling RTi10 towers and RTi4 bookshelf speakers come from here.

CSi centres and PSW subwoofers: the CSi3 centre and the PSW10 and PSW125 subwoofers are among the Polks we sell most.

LSi (about 2001 to 2010) and LSiM (2011): Polk's flagship lines of that decade, followed by Signature (2016), Legend (2018) and Reserve (2021).

Buying used Polk: what to check

SDA cable. SDA speakers need the interconnect cable between them for the SDA effect, and early SDA models need a common-ground amplifier. Make sure the cable comes with the pair.

Tweeters. Owners report that some SL3000 tweeters on the 1989 to 1991 SDA TL models leaked their ferrofluid and failed, and that Monitor-series pairs may carry mismatched factory or replacement tweeters. Check that every tweeter plays.

Surrounds. Some early Polks used foam surrounds, which rot with age; later models such as the RTA 11t and LSiM use rubber. Press gently on each woofer surround.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.