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Deciding between two 5.1 systems (polk or infinity)

post #1 of 12
6/27/10 at 7:27pm
Thread Starter 
Hello everyone I am relatively new to the whole separates-based home theatre thing. After a great deal of research and in-store listening (as well as paying attention to the wallet), I've narrowed it down to two setups:

Infinity Primus 5.1: p362 floorstanding, pc250 center, p152 bookshelf, along with a ps-210 sub (300W RMS, 500 peak)
Polk Audio TSi: TSi 300 floorstanding, cs20 center, TSi 100 bookshelf, and the famous PSW110 sub (seemingly skimpy at 100rms/200peak).
Either will be hooked up to the Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2 receiver.
Both sounded great upon listening to them, but the Polks just had a little more "punch", than the Infinitys. The thing is, the infinity set is for $900, and the TSis are for roughly $1300
Aesthetics are beside the point here since I have a dedicated theater room.

So, which system is better for the price?
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post #2 of 12
6/27/10 at 8:10pm
polks subs have a bad habit of "unloading" below the port tuning frequency, i own a PSW10 and it works fine MOST of the time, but when the serious theater bass comes in i hear lots of chuffing and wu-wumping sounds. all i can say is no matter what you decide on with speakers, i would say go with the infinity sub, actually, if your willing to have something shipped (for free mind you) i would go with a dayton sub from parts express, cheaper then one of those and much better, i cannot speak for infinity's subs though since i have never heard one.
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post #3 of 12
6/27/10 at 9:52pm
If the infinity sounds good then go for that since it's $400 cheaper. If you enjoyed both, then im sure you will be happy with whatever you purchase. I have infinity speakers and really enjoy them a lot. Im sure there is better stuff out there, but I dont think of that in the middle of a movie.
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post #4 of 12
6/27/10 at 10:42pm
Thread Starter 
Well I'll mostly be watching hd sports and gaming on a ps3, with the odd blu-ray movie here and there. Both systems sound great, but I'm more concerned about build quality and longevity than anything else. I just don't want to end up having to buy another set because I picked the wrong brand.
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post #5 of 12
6/28/10 at 3:51am
Both are quality brands and should last you as long as you want to keep them. Trust your gut on which one you like better. Keep in mind that depending on your room acoustics, the speakers will never sound as good in your house as they did in the showroom.

If you have concerns about the subs, then do a little research and find one that makes you happy. It's not important for your sub to match the rest of your speakers.
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post #6 of 12
6/28/10 at 9:57am
if i were you i would get the polk speakers and the infinity sub, as i have mentioned polk does not make very good subs. polks speakers have incredibly good imaging, the infinity's are ultra-bright and may become fatiguing after awhile.
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post #7 of 12
6/28/10 at 12:57pm
Go with the Infinitys. The polks are much brighter than the infinitys. I believe the previous post was thinking of Klipsch speakers which are often considered bright or harsh.
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post #8 of 12
6/28/10 at 4:27pm
Thread Starter 
Like I said, I've already done the listening and both sounded similar (infinitys were a little softer). Neither were bright and I was allowed to crank it to full volume. I've also listened to Klipsch, which sounded bright because I believe they use 'horn' rather than dome tweeters. Anyways, I believe I'll go with the infintys. If both brands have solid builds that last a while, then I see no reason to spend the extra money on the polks. Thanks for all the advice people.
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post #9 of 12
7/1/10 at 4:15pm
Hey are you totally sold on either the Polk's or Infinity's? If not consider the Klipsch Quintet III's. Neat smaller system ideal for gaming.

Doh! Just realized your looking at floor standers. Never mind!

Regards,

RTROSE
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post #10 of 12
7/2/10 at 7:14am
I run the Infinity Primus p362's as my fronts, the pc350 as my center, and some infinity in walls for my rears. I've also got an Infinity BU-2 12 inch sub that I've had for 15 years now. On top of that I also have some Infinity SS bookshelf speakers that I've owned for 12 years that are in my garage. Needless to say I would go with Infinity.
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post #11 of 12
7/2/10 at 10:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jab31169 View Post

I run the Infinity Primus p362's as my fronts, the pc350 as my center, and some infinity in walls for my rears.

Nice...and how does the setup handle music? I ask because the polks i listened to sounded surprisingly bright for music. I didn't get a chance to play my music on the infinitys.
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post #12 of 12
7/3/10 at 6:32pm
The PC350 center channel offered in the Infinity Line makes the Primus package the ONLY option as it's a FAR superior center channel to anything offered by POLk by design alone. For HT use, the center channel speaker is THE most important and the vertical MT section of the 350 gets it right without the off axis garble and comb filtering. As for your choice of subs, two will always be better than one creating a much smoother in room response. Adding a second PS210 is well worth the investment. If located close to the mains, cross a bit higher (say 100hz) and fill in the midbass gap you experienced when comparing to the Polks.
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