What center channel to match Polk monitor 7 and 10s?

gmjungbluth

Hello all,

I have a pair of nice Polk Monitor 10s with upgraded tweeters (bought here on the forum, thanks Mike!) and a pair of Polk Monitor 7s. I am pulling together a 5.1 surround sound system for an hd projector, and plan to use the 10s as fronts and the 7s as rears.

My question is what series of Polk center channel speaker would be best matched to this setup? Any advice would be well appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Oldfatdogs

In my shop I use three monitor 7s and a set of 10s for the mains in a 5.1 setup,it sounds great to me,If you can find another set of 7s they would all match sound wise.Or you might find another set of 10s and use one for a center.

Oldfatdogs

I do believe the csi a6 has been used.Im sure others will chime in.
Dan

teekay0007

I have a 5.1 setup with Monitor 10B's as Fronts and Monitor 5Jr+'s as Surrounds with the CS20 as a Center and love it, sounds great! :biggrin: It has 2 6-1/2" drivers and a 1" silk dome tweeter, handles lots of power and impresses with crystal clear dialog, effects and music. It also looks great up front with the 10B's and can be flipped to project upward toward your viewing/listening area, if necessary.

gmjungbluth

Thanks for the ideas!

is there a big difference btw the CS20 and the earlier CS2? I see a large price difference but couldn't find a lot of difference in the specs.

cnh

Welcome to Club Polk!

No, there's not much of a difference! You could also just use a Monitor 5 or another 7 as your center and the second one of the pair as ONE back surround in a 6.1 configuration.

The idea of an all Monitor HT system that might also double as a two channel rig is intriguing and there are a few people here running something like that!

cnh

falconcry72

I've ran vintage Polk HTsetups before. The best match is a vintage Polk. A Monitor 10, 7, or 5, that uses the same tweeter as your fronts. If you'd rather use a modern center channel speaker, the CS-350LS and CS-400i are generally recommended as the best match to the vintage Polks.

teekay0007

gmjungbluth wrote: »

Thanks for the ideas!

is there a big difference btw the CS20 and the earlier CS2? I see a large price difference but couldn't find a lot of difference in the specs.

On Amazon, comparing new speakers, there's only a $38 ($160 vs. $198) difference between the two. First, I'd pay the extra $ just to have the newer model. Second, just LOOK at them side-by-side. The CS2 looks bulky and clunky vs. smooth and stylish for the CS20. The CS2 has a distracting bright silver face (on the first version) vs. the black with brushed aluminum look of the CS20. The grille on the CS2 is more flimsy, cheap-looking and prone to being damaged vs. that of the CS20. Finally, aside from looking great in the rack between the Monitor 10's, the CS20's sound is terrific and IMO a very good sonic match for the vintage monitors. However, I did not listen to a CS2 before buying the CS20.

Hope that helps. :biggrin:

And, Welcome to Club Polk!! :cool:


Also, someone above mentioned using the CS400 (or 400i) as a good center for the vintage monitors and I couldn't agree more. I have one in my other system with my SDA-2B's as Fronts and it is a truly amazing center that I highly recommend! However, it is a speaker that is becoming harder to find a minty one and it is HUGE!! In grille-off operation, the drivers of the CS400 match those of the SDAs and vintage monitors perfectly, whereas those of the CS400i are blue.

kcoc321

Really like a CSi5 with both my Mon 7's and 10's... To me, the smaller centers did not match the bass range of the Monitors and sounded mismatched, to my ears.

deronb1

falconcry72 wrote: »

I've ran vintage Polk HTsetups before. The best match is a vintage Polk. A Monitor 10, 7, or 5, that uses the same tweeter as your fronts. If you'd rather use a modern center channel speaker, the CS-350LS and CS-400i are generally recommended as the best match to the vintage Polks.

I have heard that too. Isn't there a problem matching 6 ohm with 8 ohm speakers though?

Joe08867

cnh wrote: »

Welcome to Club Polk!

No, there's not much of a difference! You could also just use a Monitor 5 or another 7 as your center and the second one of the pair as ONE back surround in a 6.1 configuration.

The idea of an all Monitor HT system that might also double as a two channel rig is intriguing and there are a few people here running something like that!

cnh

I have done this same setup and loved it. I prefer 6.1 for my HT pleasure. I had Monitor 7's as fronts, 5's as center and rear three speakers. Sounded awesome. And still sounded great for 2ch.

falconcry72

deronb1 wrote: »

I have heard that too. Isn't there a problem matching 6 ohm with 8 ohm speakers though?

Only if you have a super whimpy receiver.

halo71

I find that a bastardized RTi70 works well. lol

gmjungbluth

Update - I will be using a Polk monitor 5jr from tnhndyman (thanks!!!) in the center. My 7s will be the fronts, psw10 sub, Polk mon 10s with RDO-194s in back. I have the 7s in front because I prefer them to the 10s - better imaging and more smooth in my opinion. I have a couple of questions - first, can I place that 5jr in the center horizontally? Should it stay vertical? And will having the 7s in front of the 10s balance ok? I will be running everything through a pioneer vsx-820.

cnh

Sounds like a plan. But the 10s can put out more bass than the 7s which would be a consideration for me for HT?

I must admit, though, that I have not heard the 7s. Having owned the 5As and the 10As I can only imagine where their sound falls. I would assume that they're basically Monitor 5s that can do bass better. But that's not what people seem to indicate. They speak of this magical musical quality of the 7s. It's hard for me to grasp without hearing them.

1. Their cabinet volume "is" greater than the 5s (not by A LOT) but much less than the 10s,
2. The drivers are pretty much the "same" as the 5s with the larger PR of 10" in the more recent models. In the original 7s the PR was the "same size" as the 5s??
3. Is it the "crossovers" that are making the difference? Because the 5As are a very nice bookshelf that only lack some very LOW end punch! Is that "all" that the 7s add?

4. The 10As, when properly amplified can REALLY put out some BIG sound. I doubt the smaller 7s can match their output even if they are more refined?

cnh

HTguru1982

I've run my Monitor 7's up front instead of my RTA12's and I almost prefer them as front speakers. They obviously don't put out as much sound or bass as the 12's but the imaging seems to be more precise. Everything just sounds right. In the end though, for my listening needs, the 12's are the better choice as fronts in my system.

cnh wrote: »

Sounds like a plan. But the 10s can put out more bass than the 7s which would be a consideration for me for HT?

I must admit, though, that I have not heard the 7s. Having owned the 5As and the 10As I can only imagine where their sound falls. I would assume that they're basically Monitor 5s that can do bass better. But that's not what people seem to indicate. They speak of this magical musical quality of the 7s. It's hard for me to grasp without hearing them.

1. Their cabinet volume "is" greater than the 5s (not by A LOT) but much less than the 10s,
2. The drivers are pretty much the "same" as the 5s with the larger PR of 10" in the more recent models. In the original 7s the PR was the "same size" as the 5s??
3. Is it the "crossovers" that are making the difference? Because the 5As are a very nice bookshelf that only lack some very LOW end punch! Is that "all" that the 7s add?

4. The 10As, when properly amplified can REALLY put out some BIG sound. I doubt the smaller 7s can match their output even if they are more refined?

cnh

jammosher

Does anyone know if CSi6’s would be a good match with Monitor 7’s?