Should I swap out my center CS245i with a CS10? Running Tsi100's

drjoeshmoe

I have two pairs of TSi100 and currently and using a CS245i as the center,
my question is, would I benefit from going to a CS10 center since it is from the same line as my bookshelfs?

rooftop59

Most people here will tell you to timbre match your front 3, and I tend to agree. But...I was running a pair of rti4s with a cs1 (kind of the opposite scenario) for awhile back when I was just getting into this crazy hobby and it never bothered me at the time. Plus, the cs254i is a MUCH better center than the monitor or tsi counterparts. Heavier, better components, crossovers, etc. I think that you might be a little disappointed in the change in sound if you switch. If you like the sound now, I say stick with it. If you feel like there is a change in tone or timbre when voices or other sounds pan across your front stage and it bothers you, then it might be worth a shot. The best idea would be to compare in-home if possible.

Kex

I would be extremely hesitant to replace the CS245i with a CS10.

Yes, there is a slightly different tweeter, it seems (Dynamic Balance Tri-laminate vs. Dynamic Balance Silk Dome) but silk dome tweeters (even without the silver color) have been used as OEM replacements, supplied directly from Polk Audio, for some speakers that originally used a tri-laminate tweeter. Generally speaking, Polk Audio speakers tend to work well with each other, unless you make a big jump to something with a ring radiator tweeter.

The drivers are also quite different (standard dynamic balance drivers vs. Bi-Laminate Organic Fiber cone) but that's not usually a sonic matching problem to the same extent, at least as I understand it.

The CS245i is an excellent speaker, far better than its fairly compact size might suggest in my opinion. I would even guess that its a superior speaker to the TSi100, and certainly better than the CS10.

So, yes: you might improve the sonic match somewhat, if you're noticing issues. If you want to improve your center channel performance, though, you'll have to at least get a CS20, not a CS10, in my estimation. Otherwise, you're more likely to notice a significant downgrade in comparison to the CS245i. Even with a CS20, I'm not at all convinced you'll notice any improvement, but the CS20 is probably your only smart option here.

What "issue" are you having trouble with?

For reference, product pages links:

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/tsi/specs.php#center
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/recent/cs245i/

Lietuvis91

keep the CS245i, The cs1 isn't all that great anyway