Considering Monitor60 Series II and other upgrades. Need HELP/Opinions

myoung84

I have a Polk surround system in my living room and have been very happy with it. It consists of (5) RM7 speakers with a PSW111 sub and a Pioneer VSX-521 receiver. I use it mostly for TV and movies with about 25% music.

I have authorization from the wife to put a new system in the bedroom, mostly to get rid of the 10 year old bookshelf stereo/CD player. Right now I am using the built in speakers on my Samsung 40" TV but want something more. I have considered all-in-one systems and sound bars but don't think I would be happy with it. This one will be about 50/50 TV/Movies and music. Music will be from DirecTV, CD's through the BR player, and Pandora through the BR player.

What I am considering is a multi-upgrade for both the living room and bedroom. I like the Pioneer VSX-821 receiver (need 4 HDMI input) and want to buy it for the LR and put the old 521 in the bedroom. Then buy a pair of Monitor60 Series II (or even Monitor50) tower speakers and a CS1 Series II center channel for the living room and moving the existing left, right, and center RM7 speakers to the bedroom. Then buy 2 more RM7's for the rear and a PSW10 sub for the bedroom.

So my question is, will I be happy going from RM7 front stage to the Series II system in the living room? I would still keep the RM7's in the rear of the living room. Doing this would run me a little over $750 for everything, but it would be upgrading 2 rooms at once and I wouldn't be stuck with an cheap box system.

What are your thoughts on my ideas? What else would you recommend?

hochpt21

I would recommend the CS2 over the CS1 for your center. Big value upgrade in that regard. Until some advice I got here, I didn't realize the importance of the center, and I upgraded to the CS2. Wish I would have started with it.

unclebiskabobka

You'll be very happy in your living room with that upgrade. The Monitor series has a much fuller and richer sound than you would have obtained from the RM7's.

Oldfatdogs

I have to agree with hochpt21 on the cs2,I ran the cs1 for a while before upgrading to the cs2.The 2 was much better to my ears.

Lietuvis91

Another vote for the CS2 instead of the CS1. Just be patient and wait for a sale on newegg.

As for m50s vs m60s, I have the m60s and my buddy has m50s, and to be honest, I can't really say there is that much of a difference between the two speakers, so if the price difference bothers you any, go with the m50s. Neither speaker is too good at low end performance anyway, so you'll need a sub with either one you buy, if you want to hear a good thump. And with the little power the 821 receiver provides, the smaller speaker might just sound better anyways.

myoung84

You guys have me scared of the CS1 now. The CS2 won't fit in my entertainment center, it's a little too wide and tall. I have 2 shelves under my 61" DLP and can put the center on the bottom shelf, but that puts it about 2" off the floor, which I don't want to do. The CS1 is perfect fit on the top shelf. Will I be disappointed coming from an RM7 center to a CS1 center?

I think I will go with Montor50 front speakers. I already have a sub in the LR so I'm not too concerned about bottom end.

Here are the specs on what I have planned for both rooms.

Living Room:
Pioneer VSX-821
Polk Series II Monitor50 front
Polk Series II CS1 center
Polk RM7 rear
Polk PSW-111 sub

Bedroom:
Pioneer VSX-521
Polk RM7 front
Polk RM7 center
Polk RM7 rear
Polk PSW-10 sub

Lietuvis91

If the cs1 is all you can fit then get it. It is designed for use with m50s so it will blend in just right. The CS2 just has a broader sound stage so it fillts the room a little better, but don't be scared of the cs1, you'll be fine.

myoung84

OR:

It looks like I can get a pair of Monitor 30's for the same price as a pair of RM7's. So, I could move all 5 RM7's to the bedroom and have a brand new set of Series II speakers in the living room.

Lietuvis91

myoung84 wrote: »

OR:

It looks like I can get a pair of Monitor 30's for the same price as a pair of RM7's. So, I could move all 5 RM7's to the bedroom and have a brand new set of Series II speakers in the living room.

That actually would be preferable... When you have all matching speakers, the overall sound is much more emersing and fluent.

myoung84

New problem:

The opening in my bedroom media stand is only 5.5" tall and my old 521 receiver is 6.25" tall... The hole is about 7" tall, but the trim piece in front takes away 1.5". It will fit if I put it in from the back but it will cover up about 3/4" of the top of the receiver, which isn't too important. It doesn't hide any of the display, just the Pioneer logo. Problem is, there will only be about 3/4" of airspace above the receiver, but the sides and rear are pretty well open. Am I going to have overheating issues?

myoung84

Order has been placed! I went with the Pioneer VSX-921 so I could easily upgrade to 7.1 later down the road.

When wiring up the new receiver, I see that you can remove the jumper on the Monitor50's and use two inputs. Could I set this up with both Speaker A and B on the receiver or should I leave it as-is with the jumper?

I just hope I don't have issues with the old 521 overheating...

Final specs for both setups:

Living Room:
Pioneer VSX-921
Polk Series II Monitor50 front
Polk Series II CS1 center
Polk Series II Monitor30 rear
Polk PSW-111 sub

Bedroom:
Pioneer VSX-521
Polk RM7 front
Polk RM7 center
Polk RM7 rear
Polk PSW-10 sub

Lietuvis91

It's never a good idea to have your gear closed up too much in a cabinet that would cause it to retain heat instead of disipating it. However, if you don't run the receiver at high volumes, it may not run hot, which might make it ok. So in your case it depends on how hot or just warm the receiver gets under your normal use. The best i can tell you is to try and see. Some warmth is ok, but if the cabinet itself gets pretty hot after use, not just the receiver, then it's likely too hot...

myoung84

The front and back will be open and there will be a few inches on either side of it as well. I'll just have to see how it works out...