newbie wants to timbre-match vintage Polks

Jeff E

I have searched the Polk web site and this forum unsuccessfully for the answer to my question so I decided to post it here.

Situation: For (stereo) music I currently listen to a pair of Polk RM series II shielded satellite speakers ("RMSS 18277") in conjunction with a Polk PSW100 powered (sub)woofer. I am happy with the sound.
For home theater I have added some other vintage Polks (Mini-monitor II's and a CS 250-S) but have been displeased with the obvious mismatch in sound quality.

Question: What center and surrounds would better timbre-match the satellites?
I am willing to search for used speakers but I had no idea whether several other similar looking Polk speakers would be a good match.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

brettw22

Originally posted by Jeff E
Question: What center and surrounds would better timbre-match the satellites?
I am willing to search for used speakers but I had no idea whether several other similar looking Polk speakers would be a good match.

Heya Jeff.......Welcome to the forum.

I first need to ask if you're sure that you want to match your system around a pair of satellite speakers? Are we talking long or short term solution by way of this purchase? To me, it would be somewhat of a defeatist purchase if you're going to specifically build your system around satellites, especially if you have any intention of getting more and more into HT.

That being said, I did find a few links for you to check out. Depending on which route you choose to go (matching rest of speakers to pair of sats, or replacing the sats to match with the others) you have a few options. Most importantly, what would help us all here is to find out what kind of a budget you're looking to spend for this imparticular upgrade. Is the budget flexible or not? With regard to the size and type of speakers that you're talking about, the receiver type isn't hugely important, but it would help for us to know what components your system is made of. Granted this is a general statement, but some speakers don't necessarily match with some electronics. Here are the links, but get back to us with a few more details......

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/advice.php?article=selectsurrnd

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/q.php?article=centermatch

Jeff E

"Heya Jeff.......Welcome to the forum. "
Thanks for the welcome. It is a pleasure to find you guys.

" I first need to ask if you're sure that you want to match your system around a pair of satellite speakers? "
Yes I do. I really like the sound character of these speakers and would prefer to continue to use them when listening to stereo sources. I don't know whether these speakers are that good or my audio perception is that bad. In either case I really want to keep using them. Furthermore, I do not have the room for separate hifi and HT systems.

"...what would help us all here is to find out what kind of a budget you're looking to spend for this imparticular upgrade."
We are talking bargain basement here. I would like to spend very little, say less than $200 for the center and surrounds. I know this means hunting for used speakers but that's fine. If I really must spend more, I will try to sell my old speakers to make up the difference. It's all about my priorities: I've got 2 kids in college, a mortgage and another hobby (dog agility) that costs $$. It is hard for me to justify spending a substantial sum on sound reproduction when I already buy music. Think of me as a cheapskate that loves music (eclectic tastes) and considers equipment a necessary evil. The sound mismatch in my current setup is annoying enough that I am moderately motivated to ameliorate the problem. If I can't afford a reasonable fix, I can live with my current setup. Priorities.


"... the receiver type isn't hugely important, but it would help for us to know what components your system is made of."
I have a Yamaha RX-V490 receiver, a Technics SL-G100 CD player and a Toshiba SD-1200 DVD player.

" http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad...le=selectsurrnd "This is helpful but I would like to find out about other, perhaps discontinued speakers that would also match. Would other, nominally different RM satellites work, e.g. RM 2300?

"http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad...cle=centermatch"
Where in this table is the match with the RM satellites? Do you think the CSi 20 matching up with all R series speakers is appropriate?

Sorry for my ignorance. Brett, I appreciate your willingness to assist me on this. Any other ideas?



____________

Double_S

Search Ebay. Lots of decent deals there.

Jeff E

Thanks for the ebay tip, Double_S. Wat I need from the collective wisdom of this forum is what to look for. What center & surround speakers match up well with the satellite surrounds?

Thanks again.

brettw22

Jeff,

2 questions......

1 - What is dog agility?

2 - I wasn't able to find specifically the RM model that you listed, so I put one of each option up. The top link if you decided to build from the Satellites, and the bottom link if you decided to build from the mini monitor/cs250 set-up.

Here is a link for a pair of M3II's on Ebay that seem to be goin for pretty cheap (current bid $20.50 w/ just under 22 hours remaining). On the first link on my above post, at the bottom of the form it lists these as a good surround option for the RM line. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3036585675&category=3276

For a center channel, that may be a little tough only because these types of speakers aren't really designed to be utilized in a HT type of set-up. First thing though, can you post a link for what you are using for your mains? I couldn't find yours, and that would help a lot with trying to match a center.

brettw22

Well ****.........here's about as perfect a match as you can get, but there's only 5 minutes left in the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3036103975&category=14991

Maybe if you go with my post just above, you can move the current mains to the back as surrounds and get more bang out of the M3II's...... Good luck.

warlocks1

Jeff, I have the RM5000 system I need to sell. It contains 2 RM3000 Sats and the RM center. It also come with the RM1000 unpowered sub. The speakers are black and in pretty good shape. I was looking to get $200.00 for them. Let me know if you are interested. I have the orginal box, but not the manual. I am sure if you called Polk, they could provide all the specifics. This system would match perfectly with your sats. Thanks, Jeff

wlrandall

Originally posted by brettw22
For a center channel, that may be a little tough only because these types of speakers aren't really designed to be utilized in a HT type of set-up.

Very true. I smoked the tweeter in a CS400i and while I'm waiting for the replacement, I threw my old M4IIs wired in parallel in it's place. The timbre match is horrible, definitely try to match them if possible.

Jeff E

brettw22
1. Dog agility is a obstacle course (jumps, tunnels, weave poles, see-saw, etc.) competition, fastest dog through the course without a mistake wins. You can see it occasionally on the cable TV network called "Animal Planet." Great fun exploring the limits of canine/human interaction. Sort of like dancing 100 mph with an enthusiastic partner possessing a much better nervous system.
2. I want to keep the RM II satellites and get rid of my current center and surrounds.
3. I asked for help from Polk and a person named Kim Jasper responded that 2650 and the 2350 would be the best match among current models. I asked about the discontinued 2300. The response: "...then these would make a very good match for these speakers. The
center channel speaker that you will need to match the RM2300 sats is the
RM2600 center channel. " I suspect that there are other discontinued Polk speakers that would also serve me well. I was hoping that someone on this forum might know.
4. I can't find a link to the particular satellites that I have. They do exist. The best info I could find so far about family resemblance comes from similarity in component parts. The replacement parts are listed here:http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/service/models/modelpartslist.php3?model=rm
It appears that several RM system satellites share the same drivers and crossovers:2000 II/3000 II/4000/5000 II/7000 3300/5300/7300

From this table I infer that the 2500C center might be a good match as well as possibly the 5000C. Of course there is more to speaker sound than components.

5. "Maybe if you go with my post just above, you can move the current mains to the back as surrounds and get more bang out of the M3II's...... Good luck"
Let me be clear. I want to keep my current satellites as my main speakers for (stereo) audio purposes.


warlocks1
Thanks for your offer of the RM5000. I am confused about what you have. Is this the 5000 II ? Let me know and I will query the Polk answer person about it.

This has been quite helpful so far. I have made a good deal of progress in my understanding in one day.

warlocks1

Jeff, I sent you an email.