Would Monitor 70's be a good upgrade for me?

integ3

This is my first post and i'm looking for some advice on a possible purchase. I currently have the monitor 50's, CS1 center, OWM3 rears coming off of a Onkyo 606 reciever with a BIC F-12 sub. It's in a 11'X11' room that opens up to a dining room of the same size. My listening habits are probibly 70% games and 30% blu rays.

I saw the the Monitor 70's dropped in price on Newegg to $170 from $220. I was thinking of jumping on that price since these are suppose to be in short supply and the best of the Monitor line-up. My problem is I don't have the oppertunity to listen to them. My local Best Buy only has the TSi300's and the TSi400...but no 500's which is what would be closest to the 70's.

Down the road i'd get the CS2 to match the 70's when it goes on sale...I just want to know if the 70's would be a noticeable upgrade to someone coming off of the monitor 50's? I'm getting 6.5" drivers instead of the 5.25" dirvers in my 50's...so i'm guessing the mid-range will be much fuller??

One thing i'm concerned with is what I read on Polk's website...its a "cascade tapered 2 1/2 way design". Saying that the bottom two drivers are subwoofers and the top two are mid-range drivers. Since I have a sub, and will probibly be crossing these over at 60hz...would it make those bottom two drivers obsolete??

Also would the 100 watts per channel be enough to properly power the four 6.5" drivers in the Monitor 70's?

Thanks for any advice with my situation.

dane_peterson

I can't say I'd be inclined to make the switch if I were in your position. Though the 70s are better speakers, your CS1 will be overpowered and synergy would be affected. Center channel is a big deal in a surround setup.

If you really have the itch to upgrade, I would suggest doing so to a different line of Polks. Too lateral otherwise. That being said, there will be more obvious low-end from the 70s with the larger/more drivers. 60hz would be appropriate. I just don't think throwing the extra $ at these is going to be worthwhile for you.

What are you powering these with? 100watts can mean a lot of different things depending on the amp.

Edit: First post!! Welcome to Club Polk.

integ3

dane_peterson wrote: »

What are you powering these with? 100watts can mean a lot of different things depending on the amp.

Edit: First post!! Welcome to Club Polk.

My bad, it's 90W per channel...Onkyo TX-SR606. I've been reading that the 70's are pretty power hungry. Like they really shine with a bigger amp...130W+. Kind of a silly question...would the 60's be worth my time? I would keep the 5.25" drivers, i'd just basically be adding two more speakers. There is a great deal on them right now at newegg.

dane_peterson

The 60's would be even more of a waste. If you really want to throw money at something, my paypal address is dane_peterson@ymail.com

What about upgrading your receiver? That would be far more worthwhile.

pbinpb57

integ3, We have almost the same HT setup. Same Onkyo but with 4 Monitor 50's, a DCM center, and a BIC / Acoustech H100 sub. Save your money and keep the Monitor 50's. The TX-SR606 is a decent HT receiver. Do you bi-amp your fronts? If not, you should and also bypass the Audyssey Dynamic EQ and manually set the EQ to what sounds go to your ears. Cheers

McLoki

Newegg has Polk Monitor 60 Black Floorstanding Speaker (sold as individual speakers) for $105 using coupon code EMCYTYS26. Shipping is $3.

The 70's are nice, but that is a pretty good deal on a new speaker shipped to your house with full warrantee...

Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the option.

Michael


As indicated in this thread....

integ3

Yeah, I got the email for the deal on the monitor 60's...which is what got me looking into the 70's.

pbinpb57, i've never looked into bi-amping...did it make a noticeable difference on your front monitor 50's? I see the outputs on the back of the reciever for "surround back" or "bi-amp front". Are you suppose to take out the jumpers between the two connections on the back of the monitor 50's or leave them in?

pbinpb57

integ3 wrote: »

Yeah, I got the email for the deal on the monitor 60's...which is what got me looking into the 70's.

pbinpb57, i've never looked into bi-amping...did it make a noticeable difference on your front monitor 50's? I see the outputs on the back of the reciever for "surround back" or "bi-amp front". Are you suppose to take out the jumpers between the two connections on the back of the monitor 50's or leave them in?

Yes and yes. It makes a noticeable difference, highs are a bit clearer and the bass is tighter. Remove the jumpers, rewire the speakers, then go to the setup menu and enable bi-amp mode. Then you can either re calibrate the Audyssey Dynamic EQ or go the manual route. I know that it depends on the room and treatments etc...but, when using the Audyssey Dynamic EQ my system sounded harsh. It took some time (a couple of hours and a couple of micro brews) to manually dial in the EQ.
Cheers!

One other thing, I'm running the analog L/R out from the DVD thru a YAQIN tube buffer then into the CD input of the Onkyo. Now 2 channel audio sounds much warmer and more dynamic.

rmknotts123

Stick with what you have, save some cash, and upgrade your front 3 at the same time. Prices will only continue to drop. You will be able to find an amazing deal on a better speaker in time.

dane_peterson

I've found myself always wanting to "jump" on a good deal, even when it's not good timing financially. I have to sit back, take a breath, and realize... the price will eventually be better than this.

integ3

I've been looking into the RTiA line of bookshelf speakers. The towers I definetly cant afford, but mabye save up and get a pair of RTiA3 speakers with a CSiA6 center. A local shop does have these on display so I should be able to listen to these.

dane_peterson

I like that idea. You could move the 3s to surround duty when you get enough change for a pair of towers.