Good Deal? Monitor70/40/CS1/PSW10 for $500

dkobrin

Hey, I'm new to the forums (I apologize in advance), so I'm not even sure this is the right place for this. I found a deal on CL for a full 5.1 setup for $500 (Monitor 70s mains, monitor 40s surrounds, CS1 center channel, PSW10 sub). I was really interested in a similar setup for a while (was thinking cs2 instead of cs1 for center channel), but didn't have the money for it.

This seems like a pretty good deal to me. He says they are in excellent condition and the pictures look great. I had a few questions.

1. Is this a pretty good setup, is this actually a good deal?

2. He's selling an Onkyo HT-RC260 receiver for $225, is this worth it? Didn't seem like a good enough deal or a good enough receiver to get the most out of these speakers.

3. if I pass up the Onkyo, what are some suggestions for receivers that would be a good match with this system. Is it worth it to look at separate amps?

Thanks for the help

B Run

I'll throw in my 2 cents... That's a pretty good deal. However I think you're on the right track with the Cs2 over the Cs1, especially when paired with the 70's. I'd also recommend the Psw505 or something similar over the PSW10, it doesn't contribute much. But even for $500 you could turn around and sell the center and the sub (about $50-75 each) and put it towards a different one if you want.
The best deal I see right now on ebay is a pair of 70's for $380 shipped, 40's for $140 shipped. You might as well buy the whole set and see if you like it, and if not slowly upgrade as time/buget allow.
I wouldn't buy the Onkyo, it's honestly not enough to power those speakers adequately, but isn't too bad of a deal. It depends on what your receiver budget is, i'd highly consider something with pre-outs or a higher end receiver, the 70's need some power to open up.

drummer86

newegg prices shipped:
m70's: 182.99 (ea)
m40's: 122.99 (pr)
cs1: 67.99
psw10: 99.00

additionally, the cs2 is 112.99, psw505 is 229.99 and the onkyo is 339 on amazon.

I'll let you decide if it's a good deal or not.

2nd the notion that the receiver is not enough for the m70s, but plenty for the rest of the set. depends on how soon you want to get up and running. you're probably looking in the 400-500 ballpark for a receiver that won't leave you wanting more. Used pioneer elites, harman kardons, and onkyo 70X and 80X would be a good place to start.

piker

Speaking from first-hand experience here... do yourself a favor and stick to a lower-end receiver with pre-outs and then get a 5 channel, or at least 2 channel amp to power the M70's.

I have an Onkyo TX-NR808 and it is not sufficient for getting the sound you are meant to out of the Monitor 70 speakers. Especially when driven in a 5.1 surround setup the Onkyo is maybe pushing out 65-75 watts to each speaker.

Buy a used Parasound or Adcom amplifier. If you are like me and try to stay away from buying used, but are on a budget, try one of the Emotiva amps. They are certainly far from the best, but boy are they better than using a receiver for power.

Lietuvis91

All of the posts above are very good advice from guys with first hand experience. I agree completely! Sell the psw10 and the cs1 and put the money towards a receiver and an amp. With m70s you may not even need a sub, if you power them correctly.

pdxfj

Poke around accessories4less.com for receivers. They usually have some good deals up there.

Also where are you located? If it's any reasonable distance to Portland, Oregon I have some gear you might be interested in..

EndersShadow

pdxfj wrote: »

Poke around accessories4less.com for receivers. They usually have some good deals up there.

Just to mention that those units are almost all MANUFACTURE REFURBISHED. They do come with a manufacture warranty though. However it is 1 year rather than the 3 you get buying new.

Just wanted to make sure you were aware. I know lots of folks that used that site, and I havent heard many/if any horror stories from it, but wanted to make sure you understood the refurbished part lol....

dkobrin

Hey, I just wanted to thank everyone for the input. I hadn't done my research on these and didn't realize how much the monitor line had come down in price. I thought this might have been a really good opportunity for me to get a solid 5.1 surround build for a future home theater build, but I don't think this is a good enough deal for me to buy them in my current circumstances (not much space, not much money, 2 hour drive to the seller...).

I think I'll make do with my current setup, Old Monitor 4 series 2 and a technics stereo receiver, scrounged together for $10

Thanks again