Which rear speakers for my setup?

Rainman9

Long time listener, first time poster. Love the forum, looking forward to some good advice from the regulars here.

The sale on Newegg got my attention and I'm debating between the Monitor 60s or Monitor 50s for the rear channel in my 5.1 (for now) setup. Or maybe even a Monitor 40 pair.

Current setup:
Front - Monitor 70
Center - CS2
Sub - Polk PSW303
AVR - HK AVR20ii (to be replaced)

I'm drawn to the 60s - for a small price increase, I can get the low range boost and larger midrange drivers.
I could go with the 50s. They seem to be 40s with built-in stands, right? And I do need stands...there is no place for a shelf there.

The room is not small, roughly 20-ft x 22-ft, and the setup is shifted off-center.
Listening is mostly HT with some 2-channel music as I rediscover my music collection.

My two biggest concerns:
1) Will the 60s provide too much bass for a rear channel? (I already plan to upgrade the AVR because the rear output on the 20ii is pretty weak). Is there such a thing as too much bass?.....

2) If I go with 50s, what is a next logical step to transition to a 7.1 system? Another pair of 50s? A set of 60s and move the 50s? Step down to 40s? Hmm. Yes, I will stick with the Monitor line. Price is right, sound is great, and the cherry finish makes my wife happy (or at least accepting ).

Thanks in advance!

spock 2054

Rainman9 wrote: »

Long time listener, first time poster. Love the forum, looking forward to some good advice from the regulars here.

The sale on Newegg got my attention and I'm debating between the Monitor 60s or Monitor 50s for the rear channel in my 5.1 (for now) setup. Or maybe even a Monitor 40 pair.

Current setup:
Front - Monitor 70
Center - CS2
Sub - Polk PSW303
AVR - HK AVR20ii (to be replaced)

I'm drawn to the 60s - for a small price increase, I can get the low range boost and larger midrange drivers.
I could go with the 50s. They seem to be 40s with built-in stands, right? And I do need stands...there is no place for a shelf there.

The room is not small, roughly 20-ft x 22-ft, and the setup is shifted off-center.
Listening is mostly HT with some 2-channel music as I rediscover my music collection.

My two biggest concerns:
1) Will the 60s provide too much bass for a rear channel? (I already plan to upgrade the AVR because the rear output on the 20ii is pretty weak). Is there such a thing as too much bass?.....

2) If I go with 50s, what is a next logical step to transition to a 7.1 system? Another pair of 50s? A set of 60s and move the 50s? Step down to 40s? Hmm. Yes, I will stick with the Monitor line. Price is right, sound is great, and the cherry finish makes my wife happy (or at least accepting ).

Thanks in advance!

The 60's, when set up properly, should provide ok bass for your rear channel. There is such a thing as too much bass, but usually, that's a subwoofer eq issue. I have the 60's for surrounds, and they sound great. Your HK predates discrete surround (pro logic). Once you upgrade your receiver to a modern surround receiver, your speakers should really come alive.

I'd start with adding a set of the 60's for the surrounds - add a good receiver with enough power, and you should be good to go. Think about upgrading your vintage Polk sub also. Do some research on back surround speakers for a 7.1 receiver. Placement and balancing of your speakers is very important. You have a good sized room, and you can probably hear the bass, but not feel it. For home theater, you need a sub (or two) with good low end extension. See if you can post a pic of your listening environment for more tips...Good luck!