Calling all Polkies:Official Polk thread - Page 150

Hey all, I'm new to the forums and would like to get some thoughts for my system.

I currently have a Kenwood HTB-503 (uses a VR-407 receiver which I like). It is listed at 100W/Channel, I'm still using the included speakers. They've been adequate for a few years. I don't know if it is the 4 years of miles they have on them or the fact that I just moved into a new house with a 20x20 living room with 8 foot ceiling, but they aren't working out for me anymore.

However, my wife likes them good enough, so any changes have to pass the look factor.

We just bought a new 50" 720p panny plasma and I convinced her to get some new speakers. I'm not an audiophile, but like the Monitor 30's and CS1. Coupled with the current $129 and $100 prices at crutchfield, I jumped on the fronts and center and they are on their way. She loves that they are smaller than the ones they are replacing.

The surrounds is where there is a problem. My wife does not want a speaker that big (I know, they aren't that big) mounted to the walls. The current mounting (running 12ga wiring in a texas summer attic is a pain!) for the kenwoods places them in the upper ceiling back corners, as far out of sight as possible.

She doesn't want monitor 30's for the rears because of the size. What would be a good alternative? I was thinking RM8's or RM7's from a size perspective, but would they match well? They don't have to be polk, of course. They do have to be tiny and make the wife happy.

Likely, anything will be an improvement over the out of the box kenwood rear speakers. Any help is much appreciated.

Well, Polk-wise, RM7, RM8, OWM3, and perhaps Atrium 45's. The OWM3's look interesting http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/owm3/, but I haven't heard them. As you say, though, I'm sure they'd be an improvement.

Education is key, my friend. Take her out to the store with her favourite CD's and show her the difference size can make (cabinet size ) Make a date out of it or something

Looks aren't everything, I mean, she married you right? Just kidding

I wish you luck!

-Ex

Oh, another note (can't edit at work): surround size doesn't matter as much as the front left/center/right speakers, so yeah you should be ok with the above suggestions.

-Ex

I'd agree. For most movies and DD music listening, the surrounds don't do much. I had R150's in the rear's (Monitor series up front) and I kept taking the R150's downstairs to my other system and A-B'ing them with more expensive speakers. I was a bit unimpressed with the R150's so I bought some PSB Image B25 bookshelfs (7x the price I paid for the R150's). Lately I've been cranking Metallica S&M DVD in DD 5.1 and my expensive PSB surrounds are doing nothing more than playing ambiance, crowd noise basically, as the front 3 pound out the music. The place this differs is if you play a CD and want to crank all 5.1 speakers in an "all channel stereo", or similar, mode. If you do that you might notice the "lesser" surrounds, although the easy solution is to not run "all channel stereo" mode.

What about RC60I in-ceiling speakers? They appear to be voice-matched to the monitor line. It's going up to an attic with plenty of room and I am good at woodworking. Perhaps I can build an MDF box to place above the ceiling sheetrock?

I know in-ceiling is less tan ideal, but would these be better than the kenwood HTIB speakers? (I suspect it would be)

How much is the 140 degree temperature up in the attic (probably close to 80's speaker side) of a Texas summer going to affect the longevity of the speaker?

Any thoughts?

If you listen to multi-channel DVD A or SACD matching surrounds play a much larger role. I've used various small bookshelf, tower and now matching floorstanders. They are a bit of a waste for TV, but if you've got the space, it's the bomb.

Well, my wife latched on to the ceiling speakers idea, so its a go and they are on their way. So, my upgraded system will consist of:

Receiver: Kenwood VR-407 5.1 Channel
Subwoofer: Kenwood SW-32HT Powered Subwoofer
Fronts: Polk Monitor 30 Bookshelf
Center: Polk CS1
Rears: Polk RC60I In-Ceiling

I'm excited and can't wait for them to come in (although getting back in the attic is not making me thrilled).

Three final (for now) questions:

1. The powered subwoofer has a volume knob and crossover knob. What do I do with the crossover knob?

2. After I get the in-ceiling speakers in, how should I aim them? At us, near us, straight down, etc?

3. The attic is filled with loose-fill cellulose insulation. Do I need to protect the speakers from above (I'm guessing yes) If so, how? Should I put a big plastic tupperware over them and back-fill the insulation? Would a wooden salad bowl be better? Should I make an MDF box to put over them? I'm a pretty handy woodworker, so if that makes a difference, let me know.

DallasSoxFan,

1. The sub's crossover knob along with settings on the AVR will determine the crossover frequency between your sub and mains. If the sub's crossover cannot be disabled (switch) usually you turn it to the highest setting and manage the rest on the AVR.

2. Aiming surrounds is your preference. Straight down or towards a seating position for more direct realizable effects. Somewhere in between is probably the right answer - try it out.

3. Yes, DO enclose the speakers in tight and rigid MDF boxes - ask Polk for an advice for volume and / or dimensions. This is less for protection, but more for improved sound - Customer Service: polkcs@polkaudio.com or 800-377-7655 9am - 6pm, M-F, EST

Thanks for these answers. I have written Polk Customer Service and will post the results when I get them.

Wow! LOTS of goodies on Polk Audio Direct... Why do I want to buy something so bad, even though I know I don't need anything

So what is the general concensus on purchasing refurb Polks from Polk Audio Direct on eBay? Is it hit or miss? The saving makes it tempting.

It's all hit. There's no drawback to buying B stock with full warranty.

Completely agree, as an example of the setup you can get from their ebay store I have 4 RTi A3's for front and rear working right now and a CSi A6 due to arrive this week, total cost was about $570 shipped w/tax. Would have cost over $1200 if I bought new and I can't tell the difference, not a scratch or flaw, they sound great, all five are under Polk Warranty. Just make sure someone is home when they arrive, they ship fedex ground and don't require a signature.

Nice!

Sweet setup!

just picked up my first pair of polk speakers today. I went into fry's planning to take a look around, and saw the black monitor 50's on clearance for $67.50 each. They were the demo speakers, but i the store is a fairly new store, within 2 or 3 years since opening, so i figured the speakers cant be too old. plus they looked very clean and sound excellent. not to mention a friend was working so i got them for $60 each

anyways, I am VERY pleased with them. Even though i am just running the two speakers and an old sony htib 100 watt sub, i love them. I plan to purchase a cs1 center, and some monitor 30's for the rear speakers.

My only question with these speakers, what would a sub recommendation be from everyone for the setup i plan to build? I was looking at the polk psw10 on amazon, but people on here dont seem to care for it too much. I really dont need too much bass, simply because of how small the bedroom is the speakers were put into. probably an 8x10 room, which is a spare bedroom. I would like to keep it under $200, preferably cheaper, but if nothing would be very fitting under that price, i could always save up a little longer.

Thanks
-Brian

I haven't heard back from polk yet, but further searching did reveal the following very useful information for the LCi series in-wall or in-ceiling speakers:

http://www.polkaudio.com/downloads/LCi_Cutsheet.pdf

Firebreak Distance for 16" Center Stud Wall Constrction

	LC65i & LC265i	LC60i & LC80i
Ideal Cavity Volume	1 Cubic ft.	1.4 cubic ft.
2X4	34"	n/a
2X6	21"	30"
2X8	n/a	22"
2X10	n/a	18"
2x12	n/a	15"

Take a look at the Velodyne VX-10 for less than $200. Between $200 and $300, consider BIC H-100 and Cadence CSX-12. JMO.

Hi All--

I'm new to Polk but am about 95% certain I will be purchasing the RC85i in-wall for my smallish family room (15x22 or so). Must be in-walls--that's non-negotiable.

I'm most likely leaning towards the Denon 1909 for my receiver and at this point need a sub recommendation. I rarely listen to music and my wife is not a huge fan of alot of bass (we have two young girls whose bedroom is nearly right above the family room).

What should I be considering for a decent sub? I'd like to keep it less than 500.00 if possible.

Also should I be considering something else for my center channel? I was thinking of using another RC85i? Good/Bad move?

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

Thanks for your advice. I will be going with the velodyne, its on sale for $150 right now at frys, so i will probably go pick that up in a day or two.

I plan to use the cs1 for the center, but the recommended rear are the monitor 30's, but they just seem a little too big for me room and anyplace where i could put them. Anyone have any recommendations for a smaller surround speaker that would work?

Thanks
Brian

I can't find anything similar for the RCi series. I'd imagine that it is similar and I'm going to go with it unless I get any better information. Anyone have any thoughts?

Call them, DallasSoxFan, if you have not had an answer yet (it's very uncharacteristic, unless they are still looking for a good reply). In any case, you are already doing more than the vast majority - a 1 cu. ft. sealed box is better than NO box.

Speak of the devil! Just got my response from Polk:


The temperature he is referring to is in regard to my question about the long-term effects of a texas attic (130 degrees plus) on the speakers.

Took a while, but awesome service from Polk.

decent deal on monitor 40's - $162.72 Free Shipping

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Mon...p_ob_e_title_1

The $150 sale on the Velodyne ends Tuesday night so you'll need to pick it up at Fry's today.

I looked at Monitor 30's before finally settling on 4 x R150s with a CSR center for my 5.1 set-up. The R150 has almost the identical frequency response as the Monitor 30 but is slightly smaller. I listened to both but got the R150s because 1) the Monitor 30's were just outside the space envelope I had available and 2) I honestly couldn't hear a difference. Whether the R150 is a better fit for your room, I don't know. They're available at Crutchfield for $99.00/pair.

Just read the past couple of pages which answered alot of my sub questions.

I've looked at Frys.com and they have the VX-10c for 249.00 but I see no mention of a 150.00 VX-10? Is it in store only---is this a deal at just a particular Fry's?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm about to buy my first speakers of any kind. Would like some advice. What's better for 70% music listening, 30% tv and movies:

1) 2 Polk RTI A3s as fronts and a sub or
2) 2 Polk RTI A5s as fronts by themselves.

That's all my budget would allow right now. I don't even have a receiver! Any advice would be good. Thanks.

You will need a sub.
I say, wait out for the RTi8 to come up on sale (since the RTi A5 don't get discounted as much), and pick them up with a good sub.

How much is your budget?I got my a5s for 410 shipped on ebay that might help you out some.