Speaker selection help

SoulBrother

I'm a music listener and a movie watcher so I want a decent system that will allow me to enjoy both.

My current setup consists of:

Onkyo TX-SR601 receiver
Polk m60's from my fronts
Polk CS2 center
and I'm using the bookshelf surrounds and sub from my Onkyo SKS-HT500 speaker kit

I know this isn't an ideal setup but I'm in an apartment and on a budget (space and money concerns). Someone had suggested I get m40s for my surround but they look rather large for a bookshelf and frankly I don't know how much better they are than what I already have. Can anyone take a peek at the specs of my Onkyo speakers and tell me for certain that inexpensive Polks are going to give me a huge difference in audio quality and clarity?

Speaker recommendations would be nice. I think I'm fine with my current sub as I get some decent base that shakes my floor as it is. Any more and I'd have some very irate neighbors.

falconcry72

Welcome to Club Polk! There is a wealth of info here.

Specs for your Onkyo surrounds:

Type 2-Way, Bass Reflex
Woofer 4"" Cone
Tweeter 1"" Balanced-Dome
Frequency Response 65 Hz-35 kHz
Sensitivity 82 dB/W/m
Max. Power 70 W
Nominal Impedance 8 ohm
Dimensions (W x H x D) 6 1/2"" x 8 7/16"" x 8 7/16""
Weight 4.5 lbs./2.1 kg


Specs for the Polk Audio M40's:

Driver Units Tweeter Complement: one 1" cloth dome
Driver Complement: two 5.25" Bi-Laminate driver
Power Rating 20-125W
Frequency Response 47Hz-25kHz
Nominal Impedance 8 Ohm
Sensitivity 89db
Connectors Inputs: Dual (bi-amp) 5 way binding posts

Specs for thw Polk Audio M30's:

Driver Units Tweeter Complement: one 1" cloth dome
Driver Complement: one 5.25" Bi-Laminate driver
Power Rating 20-100W
Frequency Response 55Hz-25kHz
Nominal Impedance 8 Ohm
Sensitivity 89db
Connectors Inputs: Dual (bi-amp) 5 way binding posts

It's amazing what a little Google'ing can do...:rolleyes:

Both sets of Polks will have better base than your Onkyos, but more importantly, they'll be timbre-matched to the rest of your system. I say go for them. The M30's are smaller than the M40's if you're worried about size.

Good luck!

SoulBrother

Thank Falcon. While I'm able to Google for the specs I'm really illiterate when it comes to what they mean. That is why I was asking for assistance. For example I'm reading the ranges for the 30's and 40's and it looks to me as if the 30's have a wider range. Is that better? The Onkyo's have a higher upper register but less bass, is that right? Would that be an advantage in some situations?

I want to know what speakers would be suggested to match my fronts and center. They don't have to be 30's or 40's. Just looking for great sound at a good price. I don't think I could spend more than $300 right now but welcome different opinions.

falconcry72

The 30's and 40's are the only bookeshelves that will be a perfect match to your front and center. The 40's are better, but bigger.

As far as frequency response goes, humans can't really hear above 20khz, or below 20hz, so anything above that is moot. The 40's have a wider range, as they drop to 47hz whereas the 30's only drop to 55hz.

Newegg has the 40's for $180 shipped for a black pair ($200 shipped for a cherry pair):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290202

The 30's are $150 shipped for either black or cherry:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290200

I'd spend the extra $30 and get the 40's, if you have the space.


Let us know what you end up with and how they sound!

SoulBrother

One more question Falcon. I was reading some people do the Polk floorstanding models for sides and rear. This might be easier for my particular layout than bookshelf speakers that are this big. Do you know what model those might be and how those work/sound compared to 30's/40's?

mole'

sent you a PM. i have a set of Monitor 50/40 im not using anymore.

falconcry72

M50's, M60's, and M70's in order from smallest to biggest (best).

If you wanted to go towers in the back, then the best upgrade would be to move your 60's to the rear, and buy a pair of 70's for the front. Newegg has a promo right now for the 70's at $250 each, shipped, so total $500. That would be the most expensive, and best sounding, way to do towers all around.

The cheapest way would be to leave your 60's up front and get a set of 50's for rears. That'll run $260.

The rear channels don't get a whole lot of info, and generally don't get much bass, so it may be overkill. That being said, upgrading your fronts to 70's will make the biggest impact on your system, as you'd be upgrading your fronts, which get a ton of info, AND your surrounds.

How do you listen to music? Most people do 2-channel. If that's the case, then only upgrading your surrounds won't have any impact on your music listening experience, but upgrading the fronts to 70's will.

falconcry72

mole' wrote: »

sent you a PM. i have a set of Monitor 50/40 im not using anymore.

There ya go, you could get mole's 50's and 40's and run a 7.1!

dcmartinpc

Actually, Newegg has the Monitor 70 Cherries for around $330 shipped for the pair with promo code SPEAKER112B. But that code expires today. The Blacks are just a little more expensive, around $350 shipped for the pair with promo code EMCZZYN63. That ends 11/8. Worth a look, both of those deals are AWESOME! If I needed another set of Monitor 70's, I would be all over these.

Don

dcmartinpc

Here's a link!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=polk+monitor70&x=0&y=0

Don

angelsfann02

dc martinpc- You got me looking at those for my bedroom set-up!

dcmartinpc

I use them in my living room on my main level for music listening and I love them. They aren't my LSi9's, but for music listening without a sub, they are phenomenal! I don't have a TV or anything in my living room anymore, 2 channel only for this system. That is a great deal on a great set of speakers.

Don