Diff between CS245i, CS300, or (2) RT55i Centers

Robert.Petersen

Hi,
I am trying to figure out what center speaker to look for, and wondered what your opinions were about:

CS300?

CS245i?

(2) RT55i set next to each other?

Also, can anyone tell me the difference between a CS245i and a CS300? Are they the same size, and does one have the power port?

Thanks!
-Bob

GuitarheadCA

Hi, and welcome to the forum

First, no where on this website or in my memory can I find a CS300. I'm going to assume (hopfully correctly) that's you're referring to the CSi30. In this case the biggest difference between the 30 and the 245 is the tweeter. The 245 has the same tweeter as the 55's, which is what polk would call "Tri-Laminate", basically rubber with some metallic properties. The 30 on the other hand, uses polk's newest tweeter which is made of silk. The latter sounding noticably brighter. I've owned both (and the CSi40) and the 30 is definately the brightest of the bunch.

In regard to the two 55s, this would be a mother of a center speaker. Two tweeters, Four drivers, that's a whole lotta CENTER. This is usually not done for three reasons:
*The two are HUGE comapared to a single 30 and would have trouble fitting on most TV's.
*The two are more expensive than a single center.
*And wiring doesn't work out well unless you're receiver has speaker jacks for two centers. With each speaker being 8 ohms, if you wire them both to one jack, it's either going to add up to 4 ohms (which is taxing on most recievers) or 16 ohms (which reduces current flow) depending on whether you wire them in parrallel or in series respectively (or you'll trip the amp fuse because you did neither.)

If you were referring to having a pair of 55's as your mains and which center would match better- well that's the 245, it's uses the same tweeter. oh yeah, the 245 is about the same size as the 30, and the 245 is the only one of the three without a Power Port.

Hope that Helps,
Guitarhead

gidrah

Money and impedence

Robert.Petersen

Hi,
The CS300 was the predecessor to the CS245i. My understanding is that it used the same tri-laminate tweeters, and the woofers are the prior non-blue version. The CS300 also had the power port in the back.

What I do not know is what the cabinet size difference was between the CS300 and the CS245i.

If I use (2) RT55i's, I planned on running the pre-amp Center RCA line level to a dedicated 2-channel amplifier, one channel for each RT55i. The benefit I am actually hoping for is to be able to put the 2 RT55i's on the SIDES of the TV at mid picture height; something that cannot be done with a single CS300 style center speaker. The CS style are either above or below the picture.

What do you think?

-Bob

Tour2ma

Want to say RuSsMan owns a 300. Might bump him a PM for the dimensions.

The 55's are shielded so no issue there. Flanking the TV with a pair of centers is not uncommon. No issue with Y-splitting the center out. Only question is do you need that much of a center. Jump from either the 245 or 300 to the paired 55’s option is a pretty big jump. Certainly you can back them down to blend with whatever you are running for mains, but then that would be a waste. Overkill would be further compounded if you are running a sub and your speakers are set to “small”.

Did you look at:
http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/advice.php?article=selectcenter

Robert.Petersen

Thanks - I'll send a PM to RuSsMan.

My mains are SRT's each with a dedicated sub, so that is why I am sticking to other tri-laminate tweeter based models. SPeakers are set to "Large" all the way around. I've got FX1000's for surround.

I've been using the single SRT center channel, but it must be placed below or above the video, which has always bothered me.

Hmmm, I wonder if it would be better to place an RT55i above, and one below the video instead of side-to-side?

Now if I could find another SRT center, then I would definitely go for that! But I haven't seen one of those available for a longgggg time.

So, at this point it is ehter a pair of RT55i's, or a pair of CS300, or a pair of CS245i.

-Bob

Dr. Spec

What about the CS400 or 400i?

Also, setting your center/surrounds to small with an 80 Hz crossover will work better than full range large all around.

Even larger center/surrounds only go down to about 50-55 Hz and are not true full range units. If you play it loud for HT, this becomes even more important, since the smaller 6-1/2" drivers cannot move sufficient quantities of air set on full range to do that channel true justice.

Most users report an improvement in midrange clarity when set to small, since intermodulation distortion drops significantly when the the driver cone is not trying to produce deep bass and mids at the same time. Let the subs handle the big/deep stuff.

Doc

burdette

Originally posted by Dr. Spec
Most users report an improvement in midrange clarity when set to small, since intermodulation distortion drops significantly when the the driver cone is not trying to produce deep bass and mids at the same time. Let the subs handle the big/deep stuff.
Doc

That was certainly my experience, and an unexpected bonus of building a subwoofer. I have always loved the sound of my Polks... but relieving them of the duties below 80Hz not only made them 'cleaner', but allows for greater volume because the 6.5" driver no longer has to try to produce low bass. My 7Cs can sing louder above 80Hz, and the sub handles the bass much more cleanly and loudly (and Lower!) than the 7s.

GuitarheadCA

lol, you didn't tell me you had SRTs and a dedicated amp!

As far as a center above and below goes, a friend of mine did that with his system. I didn't have that much listening time, but it sounded pretty good.

Also I support Doc's reccommendation of a CS400i, or if you really crave a lot of center and want to run it full range- perhaps a CS1000p

And another idea (though you may have already thought of this) is if you want the sound to be more connected to the TV, you can get the tweeter about 2-4 inches closer by flipping the center speaker when it's atop the TV (some models you can flip the grill too, so it still looks dandy.)

Robert.Petersen

Whoa - what a great idea! I will definitely flip the top speaker. The main reason I was looking at the CS style over the RT style was because the CS tweeters would have ended up closer together. Duh, just flip the top RT55i!

That settles it! I am going with a pair of RT55is in the center. It gives me much more flexibility.

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

-Bob