Csi3 or bigger......or

jaritta

Hi guys,

I spend a little time looking for a post that might have refrenced this type of question but couldnt find it...so here it goes.

My rig includes the rti a5, csi3 and psw10. I am concidering building a ht room with projector. My concern is with the csi 3 (is it too small). My question is, is the csi a4 the same size-specs-voice match as the csi3? or is it an upgrade....or should i go with the csi a6. I am also wondering if the csi3 and the csi a4 are the same speaker just with a new modle name??

Right now i have the tsi 100 for the rear surround. should i upgrade to the rti line of surrounds, or get a different sub that better matches?

Also, i have the HK avr 510, I use a acurus a100(i think) amp. (it is a 3ch x 100 wpc) Is this a good pre amp to to use with the acurus? Would it be ok to run the front 3 on the acurus and the 2 rears off of the avr?

Another question is I am useing optical audio from all of my componants to the avr and all of the sound is going out from there. I have planned on getting a hdmi switcher to run hdmi for video to the projector......is this a good idea. I was under the impression that i am getting the same quality of audio with the optical cables as i would with a hdmi avr....is this true.

I know i have a bunch of questions in here so any help would be fanstastic.

Thanks
Jaritta

comfortablycurt

The CSi3 and the CSiA4 are essentially the same speaker. They use the same drivers...but there are some differences. The shape of the CSiA4's cabinet is curved, rather than straight and angular like the CSi3. This makes the enclosure more acoustically inert, and in my experience...gives it a slightly warmer tone overall. However, moving from a CSi3 to a CSiA4 would basically be a lateral move.

The CSi5 and CSiA6 are also essentially the same speaker, with the same differences mentioned above. You would get a BIG improvement by upgrading to one of the larger center channels. Make sure you've got the room for it though, because these center channels are beasts. FWIW, the CSiA4/CSiA6 are much better looking speakers IMO, and would be the proper aesthetic match to your RTiA5's. IMO, if you want to upgrade your center channel, the CSiA6 would be the way to go. If your trying to keep costs down, the CSi5 would match very well too.

Personally, I'd worry about upgrading that PSW10 before upgrading the TSi100 surrounds. Timbre matching the surrounds to the fronts is far less crucial than timbre matching the front soundstage. There are still benefits to be had with a fully timbre matched HT setup, but the improvements are going to be less significant with the surrounds. The PSW10 is Polk's most entry level sub, and while it performs decently given it's price and design, it's still a cheap entry level sub, and is going to have a hard time keeping up with a lot of speakers.

Look at it this way...the overall frequency response of your RTiA5's is 30hz to 27khz, with a lower -3db rating of 40 hz. This means that at 40hz, you're already putting out 3db less sound from the average output at reference levels. Below 40hz, the low end is essentially unusable. You'll get some response below that, but the level declines very rapidly below that point.

The overall frequency response of the PSW10 is 35hz-200hz, with a lower -3db rating of 40hz. So, going by those figures, the real usable low end output of the PSW10 is essentially the same as the real usable low end output of the RTiA5's...and the A5's can actually in fact dig a little deeper than the PSW10 overall. The PSW10 might still have a slightly more authoritative "oomph" in the low end, but a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that a subwoofer is usually placed in a location that's much more optimal for bass output, where as your front speakers are typically placed to optimize their stereo image and midrange/upper end clarity.

To further that point, the low end of the A5's is probably going to sound cleaner/tighter, and will be free of the port noise that can plague the PSW10 at lower frequencies.

Personally, I'd upgrade the sub first, then the center channel...and then worry about the surrounds. IMO, your biggest improvement is going to come from an upgraded subwoofer.

You can get a much better sub, for not a whole lot of money. If you'd like to stick with Polk, the PSW505 is a gem. Overall frequency response is 23hz-160hz, with a lower -3db rating of 28hz. This is a MUCH more respectable figure for a subwoofer. The 505 is also free of the port noise that many complain about with regards to the PSW10. The 505 can be had for cheap too...generally around $200 or so on Amazon.com. They usually even have a deal that includes free shipping. If you can spring a little more coin on the sub, the Polk DSWPro series subs are excellent, as are the DSW MicroPro series subs. The DSW series subs are a VAST improvement over the older Polk subs, and can really hold their own against more established subwoofer manufacturers.

There are also plenty of other options outside of Polk that would give you vast improvements for not a lot of coin. An important point to remember, is that timbre matching is basically insignificant with a subwoofer. The sub is only producing low end, so it doesn't need to match high end/midrange tonal properties with the other speakers.

Regarding the Acurus amp...you'll be just fine running your front 3 off of the Acurus and the 2 surrounds off of the AVR. You should hear a very appreciable improvement with the Acurus as well.

The optical vs. HDMI question? This depends. Are you using DVD or Blu-ray? If you're using DVD, you'll get the same sound from either optical/coax as you will from HDMI. However, optical/coax cables aren't capable of sending Blu-ray's new HD codecs(Dolby TrueHD/DTS HD Master Audio).

There are two ways to get the HD codecs from player to receiver. If your receiver can internally decode the HD codecs, an HDMI connection is the way to go. However, if your AVR is older and doesn't have HDMI connectivitiy, all hope is not lost. If you have a Blu-ray player that can internally decode the HD codecs, you can send it to your AVR over multi-channel analog outputs. This requires that your Blu-ray player have at least 5.1 or 7.1 channel analog outputs, and your receiver must have either 5.1 or 7.1 channel analog inputs. However, HDMI is the preferred connection method, and the multi-channel analog connection would essentially just be a "temporary fix"...as you'll most likely want to upgrade to HDMI eventually anyway. Your AVR doesn't have HDMI inputs, so the decision will be up to you and your budget.

Hope all this helps.

leroyjr1

I'd get the csi a6 with the fxi a6's or rti a3's for the surround. If you can I'd definitely invest in a better sub. If done right you'll have yourself a killer HT system.

comfortablycurt

leroyjr1 wrote: »

I'd get the csi a6 with the fxi a6's or rti a3's for the surround. If you can I'd definitely invest in a better sub. If done right you'll have yourself a killer HT system.

Forgot to mention that...

For the surrounds, I agree with Lee's suggestions. Either the FXiA6's or the RTiA3's are the way to go. FWIW, the RTiA3's can also double as an excellent sounding, very musical pair of bookshelf speakers. You won't have that dual versatility with the FXiA6's. That said, the FXi's are going to be better sounding surround speakers in most scenarios.

jaritta

Thanks for the help guys, I have a cheap bd player, it is a samsung, i am sure that it doenst have seperate analog inputs, so i am just pushing dts quality that is what i would be getting with dvds right? Would you guys recomend getting a new reciever with hdmi and pre outs for the acurus, or upgrading the sub first. I do really like the sound and features of the avr 510, would you guys recomend a specific avr to push the hd soundstage...

Btw I am looking into getting the epson 8700ub for the ht setup. I am throwing around ideas in my head on placement and diy screen or cardonia(spelling?) but that probably is for another thread

leroyjr1

I'd upgrade the AVR first. What's your budget?

jaritta

around 1000

jaritta

sorry, i should be more specific, I would like to get my sound complete for around 800, this means I might up grade the sub, or the center ch. I would probably buy used/referb because i am always looking for deals. I think i picked up the avr510 for about 120 on cl, so for a beginner avr i didnt think i did to bad

jaritta

leroyjr1 wrote: »

I'd upgrade the AVR first. What's your budget?

Sorry, trying to get suggestion on an avr or sub, I think that is the direction i may need to go. Thought about the psw 505 but I have read in other posts that this sub is more suited toward music and not ht, any thoguhts. Any other suggestions besides polk? I would like to stay in the price range of the psw 505, From what you guys have said(and correct me if i am wrong) the sub doesnt matter on vioce matching becuase it is a sub and no vioce levels should come from it.

Any suggestion on an avr, I have looked into a few used onkyo thx certified recievers, I dont remember the exact modle numb.....should I just look for one with pre outs for my acurus amp. Obvioulsy I would want one that could pass through hdmi in order to get the hd as explained above right?

larry777

The PSW 505 is very good for H/T also. I have one that will be going in a second H/T room. I liked it so much I wouldn't sell it. For the price you won't be disappointed. It dosn't go super low but it hits hard.

dvran

Personally, I would get a new reciever, like an Onkyo 708.

Take the rest of the cash and buy some used Polk's from Ebay or Audiogone. The older RT and RTi line is awesome and you can can build a complete system for a fraction of new Polk's.

I bought a pair of RT1000's about 12 years ago and they're still pumping.

jaritta

dvran wrote: »

Personally, I would get a new reciever, like an Onkyo 708.

Take the rest of the cash and buy some used Polk's from Ebay or Audiogone. The older RT and RTi line is awesome and you can can build a complete system for a fraction of new Polk's.

I bought a pair of RT1000's about 12 years ago and they're still pumping.

I already have the rti a5's and csi3, I am extremely happy with the speakers, howeve am wondering if i should go with a csi5 or a6....my ht room is roughly 15 wide by 20 deep. I am under th impression that a 5.1 system woudl fill the room with sound an there may not be a need for 7.1.

Thanks for the suggestion on the reciever, I am wanting to probably go used on the reciever because i will only be useing it as a pre amp (except for the 2 rear channels)

Thanks for the suggestion on the psw505, i think that will be the one i go with....great reviews on audioreview.

Any suggestions on a good/ slightly older avr with hdmi that i might be able to pick up used on ebay or cl?

gymcandy655d

1000 is too much i think, me too want to upgrade my AVR, Think once please

JimAckley

I'm right there with everyone else. CSi 5 or CSi A6, and one (or two) PSW505s before doing anything else.

franc

I'll say go for the CSi A6! It's a monster centre speaker.I have it & I love the sound.

camtah

I had both the Csi3 and the Csi5..No comparison. Csi5 or Csi A6 all the way

jaritta

camtah wrote: »

I had both the Csi3 and the Csi5..No comparison. Csi5 or Csi A6 all the way

Thanks for the info on the csi 3 vs csi5/a6. Will the csi5/a6 have more volume when it comes to voices/sound. I have problems having the voices be to quiet and the sound effects being overwhelming, is this a setup/ballance issue or would the csi5/a6 help this.

jaritta

sorry, when i say volume i mean volume as in room filling sound, not loudness.

cnh

jaritta wrote: »

sorry, when i say volume i mean volume as in room filling sound, not loudness.

Yes! That's one of the main differences between the two. The larger center puts out more and reaches LOWER. I use a CSi-3 in a space where I'm about 8' or less from the TV and center and I'm fine with that. But bigger is better for Polk centers and if my space were larger I'd have a CSi-5 in there but this is my basement system (small room down there).

cnh