Calling all Polkies:Official Polk thread - Page 8

If you guys are looking for subs, stroll on over to the subwoofer forum. I did, and found out a couple of things. These are broad generalizations based on what I read for a few weeks:

$400 or so subs are a good place to be. Primarily in that space, you want SVS or HSU, nothing else in that price range even comes close. And I was heading that way myself, until the great deal on the Mirage S-12 started at Vanns.com. $800 sub for $400. This one, by specs and all reviews/accounts, competes on pretty equal footing with the SVS and HSU $400 or so offerings. I went for the Vanns deal, got my S-12, and it is AWESOME. I absolutely love it for both movies and music. I will never go back to a "normal" sub again. I'm running Rti12's off a pro-amp, csi3 center, rti4 surrounds, and lousy sony speakers for my 6th and 7th. I use a Denon 3805 AVR.

I haven't heard the SVS or HSU, so I can't comment on those, but encourage you to do some reading in that forum. It kept me from making a mistake in my purchase.

Another polkster here. . . I'm rocking mostly Polk gear from Tweeter sales:

Polk Monitor 60's
Polk Monitor 30's
CSi3 center (although just found out cs2 would be better match with my setup)
Mirage Omni s12 sub (NIB $360-$200 trade in of free PSW10. . . sweet deal!)
HK AVR 635
2 Carver TFM-6CB amp (first separates, only using one currently)

If anyone knows of a good place to find a new or lightly used CS2 for cheap, I'm in the market. I would therefore be selling my csi3 (black), so let me know if you need one of those

Andy

rti8 front
csi5 center
rti35 rear
svs 20-39 pci sub (tomorrow)

I too have a question
With my sony receiver would it be better to have the speakers set to large and let the sub do its thing or set them to small with a 60 or 80 hz cross over ? The reason i ask is b/c my sub will be here on tomorrow.

Whats up with the lfe mix and dts mix i cant find my receiver manual

thanx for the info!

my only concern is i am just building my first real component system. i'm not sure my setup (or small Apt.) would accomidate a $400 12" sub. i'm really looking at entry level subs $200-$250.

i currently have:
R30 fronts
CS1 center
R15 surrounds
8" powered sony sub from a HTIB system
Onkyo 503 AV rec
55" Sony LCD Projection HDTV

my living room is aprox 11x22 (9' from front/center and TV to viewing area)

Set your speakers to small for that SVS 20-39. It will give you more than enough bass without taxing your system.

>i'm really looking at entry level subs $200-$250.

The general advice I saw (in the sub forum) when I was in the same boat as you was that if you are not going to step up to that next level ($400 or so), then you should just stay in the $100-150 level, because many folks thought that the threshhold for noticeable difference was that magic $400 price point. So the advice I saw (a few times) was $150-$3xx sounds about the same, stay cheap if you're not going to go to the next threshold."

Just wanted to share. I just bought a Polk CS1 last night. yay

Went to Circuit City and told them that HHGREGG has the CS1 for $122 on their website. I had to talk to the manager but they price matched it and I was out the door for $128. Sweet.

Hi Polkers, I am planning to buy the following set of speakers. Can you tell me whether it seems to be a good config or not ?

o R50 fronts - $100 (used, not new)
o CSi3 center - $200 (or maybe should I choose the CS1 ?)
o R15 rears - $90
o PSW10 sub - $180
o receiver: Denon AVR-1506

I am on a low budget, that's why it's all entry-level stuff. And I know the sub is probably not that good, but I don't care about basses and I live in an apt. I can't decide between the CSi3 and CS1

- great dude

Why do people not want to get the CSi25?

Well, it's a discontinued product, hard to find, and probably outperformed by the CSi3 (as explained on the previous page)...

- great dude

let me know where you are getting that deal and i might grab a set like that too.

I can't find the R50s anywhere for less than $175

Hey Great Dude,

Good luck on your upcoming purchases and system. I think most polksters here will probably tell you to stay away from the PSW10. . . they actually have been giving them away at Tweeter and CC with any $500 polk purchases. If that is your sub of choice, don't pay over $100 if you can help it.

If you are going with the R-series, I think the CS1 or CS2 is the correct center channel. However, you can probably step everything up to the Monitor series for just a little more.

I got the Monitor 60's at Tweeter (I think they're called T90-eb) for half price, as well as the Monitor 30's at Tweeter (t20-eb) for half price, and then the PSW10 for free. With the center channel, cost me about $675 altogether.

You might want to check on that package. It's treating me well so far.

Everybody, you won't believe me: I am just coming back from Fry's (in Torrance, CA), and I have found the CSi25 for $50 Of course I bought it immediately This is so awesome.

venk: I am buying the R50s from a private seller (via craigslist), not a store.

andygwis: ok, I will consider another sub.


- great dude

polk introduced me to high end audio. i went from my logitech z5500 speaker system to a pair of monitor 60's and a psw 10. i enjoy the speakers alot, but the base on both the towers and the sub is just plain weak. This summer i am going to spend around 6000$ on a really nice system tho consisting of onix rocket speakers, svs subs, and outlaw audio pre and mono blocks. should be awsome.

I had a JBL 6.1 Cinema package. (The Best Buy $400 special) These speakers are awesome, and the center is my favorite part. Dialogue is so clear and it pairs up quite well with the RTi8's.

I hope that i came to the right place for this question and some advice.
I am currently running some polk rt55's for my mains and was planning on turning these into surround speakers and purchasing some rti10's for mains but am confused as to whether or not these are "timbre matched" with my rt55's???

Or maybe the 800i's would be a better match, all advice welcome..

Assuming you are using them for HT use, I'd get the RTi8's and then use the money you saved towards a CSi5. You WILL NOT regret it. I had to talk myself down from the 12's and 10's, espcially since the cost wasn't a huge issue, but I knew that for my use (HT) the 8's would be better with a sub than the 10's or 12's, espcially when not using a real amp.

I just bought my two R50 speakers from this private seller on craigslist.org. They sound amazing, I still cannot believe I got this pair for only $100. I also bought my Denon AVR-486 receiver at Fry's; in the first place I wanted the AVR-1506 but for some reasons almost no vendor carry it, so I falled back on the AVR-486 which is almost identical except for 2 missing composite outputs (I don't need them at all). Oh and I bought 100 feet of 12-gauge speaker wire for $40. So my current situation is:

o Denon AVR-486 receiver: bought for $300
o R50 fronts: bought for $100
o CSi25 center: bought for $50
o R15 rears: will buy on the web for $90
o 100 feet of 12-gauge speaker wire: bought for $40
o Sub: I just decided I won't buy one after all; I am so satisfied by the R50's that I don't feel a subwoofer is required (of course, as a HT audio newbie, this is only my personal opinion, I am sure an audiophile would judge my lack of subwoofer "unacceptable"; in a few years I will probably think the same way )

All in all, my Denon receiver and Polk speakers have an MSRP of about $1360, but they will cost me only $580 ! Sure this is entry-level gear, but of very good quality. The bang per buck ratio is simply stunning.

- great dude

Thanks for the input guys..
I'm not sure where i want to go with my system, i know i want to keep the rt55's and thought about a cs400i for a center and maybe the rti10's for mains but like i said just not 100% sure which direction to go or even if the rti10's would match well with the 400i or my rt55's??? Thanks for any advice orThoughts on this setup.

My current system...
Harman Kardon avr-635
Pioneer Dv-275
Polk rt55 (mains)
yamaha ns- c125 (center)
Klh 915b (surrounds)
Optimus pro-127 (surround rear)
original monster cable throughout

How do you like the HK 635 paired up with Polk Speakers? I am seriously considering the 640 when it is released.

The avr-635 sounds really good with my polk rt55's( you can turn it up to like -15 before you ever have to worry about distortion and they are very clear)which is why i would like to find someone with some experience trying to timbre match my 55's with some rti10's and a cs400i for a center. To me it seems like this would be one slammin system used for home theatre just as much as music, just wanted someone else's input on whether these speakers match well?? All input welcome??
Thanks alot guys..

New Polk owner here! Bought the Monitor 40's and love them. See the sub/sat vs floorstander thread for a more detailed review.

great dude-
Sounds like you did a good job shopping for your equipment! About the sub, trust me, the first time you watch a movie with a good sub you will wonder why you waited so long!

For myself, I'm getting a pair of LSi7's to replace my RT12's. Hopefully I will be able to drive them at decent levels with my AVR-3802, I don't have the budget for an amp right now. Of course the next step will be to match the center. So I'll sell my CSi40 and look for a good deal on a LSiC. I'll probably keep the RT12's for the study, or maybe the garage *gasp*!

For the rear, I'm currently using a pair of f/x300i that I got about 4 years ago. We're building a new house, and will have in-ceiling rears there. So I'll be looking into either the LC or TC series most likely.

Dude, you're getting somewhat ripped there. I got the R15's from outpost.com 2 weeks back for $39 for a pair. Shipping was $9. They will be on sale for that price again within a week or 3.

hello guys

i have the following

pair of monitor 30s
pair of monitor 40s
pair of monitor 70s

i have two subs, one of which i can always return -

one Polk PSW 10 subwoofer
one velodyne DPS 10 subwoofer

Which sub should I keep and which receiver should I buy? Also, is it ok to have all Polk monitors for a 7.1 system. ( I bought them because the reviews and price were good. I did not think of whether they will work together well or not)

I would appreciate any suggestions. Even though I live in an apartment now I am planning on buying a house in the near future.

The velodyne is definitely the better sub, and the one to keep. (Unless I am mistaken, it is also more than twice the price of the PSW 10.)
I cannot imagine that having all Polk Monitors could be less than excellent, as they match each other perfectly. (The one exception would be if you wanted dipole or bipole surrounds.)
There are a lot of good receivers to choose from. I like my Yamaha a lot.

What is your budget for the receiver?

Eric

I would be happy if I am able to get something between $300 - $500. However, I want a good receiver for the longer term. I am not an audiophile, so I will buy a receiver and stay with it for the longer haul. So I am willing to spend a little also, say upto $6-700.

Thanks

Raavango

RTi12's(Cherry) Mains
CSi5(Cherry) Center
RTi4's(Cherry) Rear
Velodyne DLS 5000R Sub
Pioneer 1014
3 Outlaw Monoblocks for front soundstage

My set up.

NEC 50XM5a plasma monitor
Rti70's - L/R
DCM - center
Jensen - Surround, cheap I know, upgrading soon.
Velodyne ULD series II servo driver amp with 15" downfiring sub, don't remember model number.

I want to upgrade my center to voice match the mains, is csi5 worth the extra space and $$$? I want the csi3, but if the 5 is that much better then i'll get it.