[Seekup41]

Hey everyone,


I'm a newbie to the HT thing and looking to largely start from scratch. I've researched here, other sites, as well as the online retailers and local stores and have tried to come to a consensus as far as speakers go.


I already have the plasma and blu ray (Panny 50PZ77U and DMP BD30) but am looking to begin assembling the audio components now. My room is about 17' x 17' with no major acoustic challenges. I've already settled on a Denon receiver (likely 1909/789 or 2309/889).


However, the speaker decision is much harder. After hearing good things online (these forums) and some reviews from friends, I was turned onto the Polk RTI series: RTI A5's for front, CSI-A4 for center, and FXiA4 for surrounds with one of the DSW subs. Not to mention I've noticed some decent deals online for these speakers. This of course coming solely from the strength of the online reviews for these speakers and the price point I'd like to be at.


However, today I stopped into a local retailer and they were trying to push Def Tech--- BP7004 or 7006 for fronts, Procenter 1000 for center, and Promonitor 800's for surrounds. Of course this retailer only had Mirage, DefTech, and Vienna Acoustics on the floor. They said that "anything else is not nearly as good a quality as these three brands." I was NOT impressed with the quality nor sound of the Mirage, and the Viennas were completely out of my price range. I want to make sure they aren't simply trying to push their brand. From my research, the mid to higher end Polks seem to hold up quite well to the audiophiles here.


So, how does Polk compare one-on-one versus the DefTech?


My HT will be used for about 80% movies, 10% music, 10% gaming. I am not so much of a "blast it as loud as I can" type person; I like good clarity/precision/accuracy to the sound too which may complicate the decision. I definitely noticed that the DefTechs were very "full" sounding speakers and maybe a bit "less precise" than others. Of course, the unfortunate thing being is that I don't have a local store that has the Polk's on display (other than the lesser TSI line) for me to demo, which makes the decision even harder.


What do you all think? Any advice would be helpful. Would you recommend other considerations in this price range?


Thanks and happy New Year! I appreciate any help you can give.

 

[Seekup41]

Anyone have any advice?


Or other brands to audition?


Thanks for your help.

 

[chripspy]

Im in a similar situation as you. I will be getting either the Denon 2309 or 2809 this week and have looked at the pro cinema as well. However, I thought that the B & W M1 series sounded better. That is the direction I'm headed in anyway....


Good luck and let me know what you come up with.

 

[LowellG]



Quote:
Originally posted by Seekup41:

However, today I stopped into a local retailer and they were trying to push Def Tech--- BP7004 or 7006 for fronts, Procenter 1000 for center, and Promonitor 800's for surrounds.


So, how does Polk compare one-on-one versus the DefTech?


My HT will be used for about 80% movies, 10% music, 10% gaming. I am not so much of a "blast it as loud as I can" type person; I like good clarity/precision/accuracy to the sound too which may complicate the decision.

I think you should listen to both, but dollar for dollar I don't think Polk holds up to Def Tech. I have some advice and questions. Are you sure you are sold on the Bi Polar towers? Do you plan on a sub if not getting the BP towers? Considering you say your setup would by 80% movies do you realize that 80%-85% of a movie comes from the center channel and you are picking the second cheapest center Def Tech offers? Is it a space issue?


From what you mentioned I would go with 7004s, PM1000s for surrounds and a PC2000 minimum for a center. If you really like crystal clear sound I would look at the SM350s or 450s. I owned the 350s before picking up the BP2006s used off the internet. I think the 350s had a more detailed crystal clear sound. There are several combos you could try with Def Tech. I would build them around the center channel. I have a CLR2300 for the center. I still do think it's good enough. I have it +4 db higher than the 2006s and it still is not loud enough. I just finished a movie with my family that had a lot of dialog and everybody kept saying, "I can't hear".


If you can fit a 2002 or 2500 or Mythos 8 or 10, go for that. I Mythos 8 or 2500 with 350s and PM1000s would be very good with a sub. Again, there are many combos.


I listened to Polk, Klipsch, Paradigm and many others before I bought. Def Tech and Paradigm were my favorites. I was able to get a good deal on the Def Tech, so I went for them. I know have the 2006s, 2300, PM80s and BP1.2X. After having the 350s I feel the 5.25 woofers are better than the 4.5 woofers. I have a large room that absorbs a lot of sound and that may be part of the issue. Again, you said clear and detailed, try the SMs or Mythos. It's all a matter of personal taste though. Happy listening.

 

[Seekup41]

Thanks for the advice. Brings up a good second question. What does everyone think about Bipolar speakers?


I was pretty impressed with them in the store, yet I could see how they might get "overpowering" at times.


Thoughts?

 

[LowellG]

Bipolars take getting used to, but now that I have them, I don't know if I can go back. I think a lot depends on your wall space. I can use them as my mains, but I can't use the rears at all. Def Tech recommends 5" off the wall, but 1' is probably better. I feel if you have bipolars you must use a center channel too. Where with the SM350s I just ran in phantom center mode and it was great.

 

[tooskinny]

I have been using defTech BP10's for the last 10 years. I have a nice size open room and the bipolar really fills the room nicely. I know have a nice sub to go with the BP10's to use for two channel music. These dig really deep and the help of the sub makes them blend and fill the room. Best bet would be to listen to each speaker to decide if you want direct firing or a bipolar design.

 

[Seekup41]



Quote:
Bipolars take getting used to, but now that I have them, I don't know if I can go back. I think a lot depends on your wall space. I can use them as my mains, but I can't use the rears at all.

What do you mean by "getting used to"-? Is it just the fullness/added spatial quality of the sound?


I'd not have a problem with the room space. I too have a big open room, though my home theater portion of the space is about 400-500 square feet. (total room space is about 850 square feet).


I'm wondering if the bipolar feel might be too "overpowering?" I felt as if they were "too much" when I heard them at the Magnolia store.


Thanks for the info.

 

[LowellG]

For me, the bipolars are more of a "wall of sound" coming at you. It's a fullness, kind of hard to explain. For me I went from direct radiating SM350s to the 2006s. So it was an adjustment. If you have nothing now, you probably won't notice it. Your space sound a lot like mine. I have a 20x25 space and then another 12x25 behind it. If you can let the BPs breath, get them away from walls, I would go with BPs. I have 10' ceilings too and it eats up sound. I don't know what your budget is, but bigger would be better. I would go with the 7004s or 7002s with a CLR2500 if you can swing it. PM1000s for the rears.

 

[Seekup41]



Quote:
Originally Posted by LowellG /forum/post/15457626


For me, the bipolars are more of a "wall of sound" coming at you. It's a fullness, kind of hard to explain. For me I went from direct radiating SM350s to the 2006s. So it was an adjustment. If you have nothing now, you probably won't notice it. Your space sound a lot like mine. I have a 20x25 space and then another 12x25 behind it. If you can let the BPs breath, get them away from walls, I would go with BPs. I have 10' ceilings too and it eats up sound. I don't know what your budget is, but bigger would be better. I would go with the 7004s or 7002s with a CLR2500 if you can swing it. PM1000s for the rears.

Thanks for the response. I have plenty of space-- but I don't have the high ceilings (it's a finished lower level with 8' ceilings). My only worry would be the overpowering nature of the bipolar sound. Otherwise I enjoyed hearing the bipolar DefTechs when I heard them. Then again, I'm coming from "nothing" so I guess anything would be an improvement.

 

[Paladin97]

For what it's worth, I am in a similar boat. I just bought a 2809 (should receive today

) and will be ordering the DefTechs today. I originally looked at the 800's for fronts and rears, with the 1000 for center. After a lot of soul searching, I decided to upgrade to 1000's for the fronts & rears and move to the 2000 for the center. I stuck with the same fronts and rears only b/c of size and appearance...had to keep the wife card in play

I currently have nothing in terms of HT, so anything would have been good. However, everyone that started with the 1000 in the center and eventually switched to the 2000 said that it was a world of difference. Since my room is fairly challenging (about the same size as yours, but with high ceilings), I decided that I should go bigger. We'll see in about a week. Good luck with your purchase!

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Definitely go with what sounds best to you within your budget, but the Polk Direct deals on eBay make those an extremely good value if you like the sound. If the live.com cash back comes around again any time soon they could become an even more extreme value. I've always liked DefTech but never really seen them as a great value or bang-for-buck proposition... but plenty of people around here have been impressed enough to justify their price, which shows very clearly how subjective speaker sound is. Good luck!