Upgrading speakers on a budget.

cascius

Hi guys, I'm new to these forums and am trying to figure out what speakers to get in order to upgrade my home theater.

I've looked though some threads but haven't found exactly what i'm looking for so here it is:

I've recently purchased a HTIB from Onkyo and want to upgrade the speakers as they are a bit too cheap... I don't have a huge budget but would like to do things in increments as follow:

1st Round (now): replace center and front bookshelf speakers.
2nd Round (later this year): move the bookshelf speakers to surround and buy new floor standing speakers for the front.
So first question: do you think this is a good idea?


As far as the actual speakers, here's what i have in mind:
1x CS10 for center.
2x Monitor40 Series II -OR- TSi200 for front for now, then use these as surround later on.
2x Monitor70 Series II -OR- TSI400 for front later on.
Second question: would these work or what speakers would you recommend?

Other info:
The amp is an Onkyo TR-380 with 110~W per channel (Amp details)
I'd like to keep the budget to under $500 each round.

Any help would be more than appreciated.

Thanks,

- Olivier

PS: I wish i had as much $ to spend as a lot of you guys

halo71

On a budget....I hear ya! If you are okay with the used market. Check your local pawnshops, thrift stores, Craigslist, Goodwill etc. I scored a pair of Celestion DL4's, Kef c-55's and Polk Monitor 5's CHEAP in the last 4 weeks this way. For me being of a budget means being almost dead broke! lol

Welcome to CP. Where are you located?

cascius

Thanks Halo, that's not a bad idea except I wouldn't know how to choose speakers. I guess I could always go to a pawnshop and use my phone to look up reviews on what they have.

I'm in San Francisco.

halo71

Just a quick look.....http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ele/2145156470.html

cascius

Is that a good set of speakers? (sorry i have no clue...) Should I make an offer and how much?

Thanks,

- Olivier

halo71

Those are nice speakers. Not sure what a good offer would be. I hate the "make offer" ads though. Give it some time and see what others around here suggest to you.

cascius

Thanks Halo.

To others: please feel free to comment on this discussion :P

Conradicles

cascius wrote: »

1st Round (now): replace center and front bookshelf speakers.
2nd Round (later this year): move the bookshelf speakers to surround and buy new floor standing speakers for the front.
So first question: do you think this is a good idea?


As far as the actual speakers, here's what i have in mind:
1x CS10 for center.
2x Monitor40 Series II -OR- TSi200 for front for now, then use these as surround later on.
2x Monitor70 Series II -OR- TSI400 for front later on.
Second question: would these work or what speakers would you recommend?

I think this is a great plan. Then, the next step will be to upgrade the receiver.
Welcome to Club Polk Oliver!!!

cascius

Thanks Conradicles,

Do you think there's a big difference between the MonitorXX and TSiXXX lines?
If the difference is minimal, i might just go for the cheaper set (MonitorXX)

- Olivier

sandworms

Try polkdirect on EBAY and pay almost 1/2 price, and yes, replacing your front 3 is the best starting point. Monitors are great sounding entry level speakers ( I say entry level cause they are a bargain ) and the 40's will definetly be an improvement. you should also look into the cs2 for a center, most would agree your center is the focal point of HT.

Conradicles

Personally on a budget I would go with the Monitor series as well. Polk Direct or Newegg have fantastic prices.

cascius

cs2 is better than cs10? They should figure out a better naming convention, this is confusing ;P

cnh

Yes, the CS2 is like the CS20 so it's higher on the food chain!

If you plan to end up with M-70s as your fronts (TSI-500s), get the LARGER center!

cnh

cascius

So let me see if i get this straight:
TSI-500s are the revamped M-70s -and- CS20 is the revamped CS2?

I've checked out the ebay store vs newegg and the prices are indeed quite interesting. It looks like i could pick up the following set for around $550 + taxes:
1x CS2
2x M40s
2x M70s

Should I pull the trigger and press the buy button now or should I wait for more feedbacks and look at more options? ;P

Also, I do need to figure out whether to go all black or Cherry

cascius

Hey guys, I can get the Monitor40s series II and a CS2 Series II for $233 on newegg right now. Should I just go for it?

cnh

Are you saying that you can get all 3 speakers for that price? If so, yes! Go for it! 250 or less for all three is a good price. Can it go lower? Maybe?

cnh

mdaudioguy

That's a great approach, IMO. Most here built their systems incrementally anyhow... That's just how we roll. You're getting some good advice here. Lots of people know lots of stuff - collective knowledge, if you will.

Welcome to Club Polk!

cascius

Yes, just placed the order. And just in case anyone else is interested, here are the promo codes:
Pair of M40s with promo code EMCKJKF58 - $109
CS2 with promo code EMCKJKF59 - $99

Thanks again for all the help.
I'll be lurking for a deal on the M70s in the coming up weeks to finish the setup

Upstatemax

The Monitor 70's are great. They were my first HT/Music speakers and I love them!

They have been relocated to my 2ch system in my office and I still love them for music. For the price, you just can't go wrong with the monitor 70's.

cascius

Hey guys, I'm still waiting for the speakers to arrive but in the meantime wanted to discuss the amp situation:
My current amp is an Onkyo TR-380. Nothing great here, it's the entry line from Onkyo...
I have access to a b&k avr 305 (or 307, need to check) in great shape. It was my dad's and is currently getting dust in a closet since he replaced it.

I don't know if you're familiar with this b&k but from what i remember it used to be a pretty good amp 8 years ago. It doesn't support HDMI but I'm thinking that connecting my equipment with hdmi cables to the tv and optical cables to the amp should do the trick.

What do you guys think? Should I get that B&K amp? Will it be much better?

More information about the amp can be found here.

Conradicles

The B&K should be a pleasent upgrade.

cascius

That's what I'm thinking too. Will I be missing anything by using an older amp?

TECHNOKID

Welcome to Club Polk cascius

cascius

Alright guys, I received my speakers (M40s and CS2) last night and I'm extremely happy. They are the right starting point for what I wanted. While I know these are not top notch speakers, they do produce a sound that's very clean, deep and clear.

So I wanted to thank all of you again for the terrific suggestions. This is a great community and you were super useful.

Merci beaucoups!

- Olivier

PS: can't wait to get my hands on a pair of M70s now

djperez81

Welcome to the Club!!!!

Congrats on your new speakers enjoy em!!!

cascius

Hey guys, there's a guy in my neighborhood selling a pair of Monitor 10a in mint conditions for $250. I have seen a lot of forum members using these. Would M10a be a better choice than brand new M70s?

I think i might be able to offer a bit less for this pair. And of course I would listen to them b4 buying...

Thanks,

- Olivier