R40 to 55i or 600i

timothyj

I am going to upgrade my R40s to the 55i or the 600i. Looking for opinions. By the way, I don't have a sub yet (just graduated from college - live in an apartment and the R40's gave me enough). I am a vocal music major and listen to a lot of classical and vocal music. Will the 55i give me as much bass as the R40? As far as tonal quality, not necessarily raw power, which speaker is the best upgrage?

I will be running them through a Onkyo TX-DS 595 (75 watts per channel). Also have CS245i center channel.

TrappedUnder Ice

IMO....go to the 55i's . the 600's are great...but that xtra driver realy "picks" things up...not too mention..the 55i's will cost you a lot less...for more speaker:cool:

jcaut

I have some 55's placed on 18" stands, and sitting with the PowerPort assembly about 3" from the wall behind them. They produce some pretty robust bass for their size. I have a PSW250 in the system also, but it really doesn't add a lot; The 55i's go about as low as it will. I haven't heard the R40, but I don't think you'd go wrong upgrading to the RT55i's. They're a lot of speaker for the money.

TroyD

I would give them both a listen.....I don't know, I personally would lean to the 600i considering your power source and center, you might find the 600i blending better with the 245i. The 55i's are good, will go low and are very cheap. Either way I think you couldn't really go wrong but give 'em both a listen. Let us know what you think.

Troy

juice21

i just got some 800i's, basically the floorstanding model of the 55i's. i would also recommend the 55i's over the 600i's. you're getting alot more for you money, paying for the extra driver vs. paying more for the extra cabinet space.

timothyj

Since I'll need eighty or ninety dollar stands for the 55i, and the 600i is $500/pair at circuit city, the 55i isn't really any less expensive. So if the price is not a factor do your opinions still hold?

juice21

i would still reccomend the 55i's. the extra driver is why i chose the 800i's over the 600i's. but i got the 800i's over the 55i's becasue they were floorstadning. i actually almost bought the 2000p's but i liked the sound of the 800i's better. figured i'd spend that extra $$ on a good amp(which i still need to buy, but my 100W amp is doing fine for now.) the best advice i can give is, LISTEN to them yourself, and decide on what you think. your ears pleasure, not ours is what your paying for. i would demo them both!

jcaut

Not to be redundant, but...... Try to give them both a listen, in as favorable a setting as possible, and with some music you like.

My opinion still holds, even if the price is the same. Unless you have a preference for floor-standing models, I think the 55's are more speaker for your money. They might be a slightly more difficult load for your receiver, but on the other hand, they'd benefit more if you ever decide to upgrade your amp.

timothyj

Thanks for all of the insight, boys. I'm not sure what I'll go with, but I'll let you all know within a week or two. Leaning toward the 55i's. Now do I need a 400i center? Can my onkyo 595TX-DS do the 55i's justice? Should I bi-wire? Please help.

jcaut

Here are my thoughts regarding your questions. Of course, these are just my opinions!

If you're really serious about movies or multi-channel music, then yes, you probably should go with the CS400i, no matter if you choose the 55i's or the 600i's. It would be the best match for either of those speakers. I mainly listen to two-channel music, and an occasional movie, and I'm still using the CS175i that I got as a freebie. If I heard the 400 (or the 245) then I'd probably want one of those....

Will your receiver do the 55i's justice? I think it'll do allright, considering that you live in an apartment, and therefore probably won't be going for concert volumes anyway. I'm driving mine with an older DPL Kenwood receiver rated 120Wpc. I doubt that it's significantly stronger than your Onkyo. I haven't had any problems. They'd benefit from more clean, high-current power, but that's always true of better speakers.

I've got my RT800i's bi-wired but my 55i's aren't (yet). I think I can hear a difference, but it's subtle. Maybe a little more clarity, transparency, in the midrange. All it costs is a little extra speaker wire, and it can't hurt.

Good luck, and I'd like to hear what you decide!

Jason

juice21

as for the cs400i, i have that for my center matched with the 800i's. it is an amazing center channel speaker. when demoing a new speaker line to upgrade to, i auditioned many speakers lines, the cs400i made my final decision to go with polk, since i was most happy with it's sound over any of the other centers i was looking into, and since the center is the most important speaker to HT, or at least does most of the work, that's what i based my final decision on

eaadams

only major problem with the 400i is the size. Polk really does not make a good center that is a reasonable size. (no other cs arn't in my book good, neither are RM and LSi are not yet out!)