Looking for bookshelf speakers to start a music/HT setup
johnnie.walker
Posts: 2
Hi folks, first thread here. I'm looking for some book shelf speakers to get started on a music/HT setup. I'll be starting with a 2.0 setup and slowly adding to it. The wife prefers bookshelf-type speakers compared to towers.
My budget is $100-200 for the pair of speakers, but I may be able to stretch a bit if the difference in quality is really worth it. At first I thought Polk was generally not great because I've seen them at the big box stores, but I started reading reviews and realizing they're really tough to beat for the price, especially on NewEgg or the Polk ebay store.
I'm considering the Polk monitor series or the RTI-A series. I'm also looking into the Boston Acoustics CS26, Cambrige Soundworks Model 6, HTD Level 2, Behringer B2031P, Cambridge Audio S30, Pioneer SP-BS22 (but really don't care for the looks), and some of the stuff from KEF. I also considered going the DIY route and buying a kit from Parts Express.
Anyway, based on my budget, what do you folks think would be the best choice? I'm leaning towards Polk for the price and the ease of expansion. I'll likely need to order these without auditioning them because there are few-to-no places that carry them in my area.
Edit: Lots of views without any response. I'll narrow down my question:
Are the RTI A3 or A1 (although NewEgg says these are discontinues) worth the price difference compared to the Monitor 45B? How do they compare to the Boston Acoustics CS26?
My budget is $100-200 for the pair of speakers, but I may be able to stretch a bit if the difference in quality is really worth it. At first I thought Polk was generally not great because I've seen them at the big box stores, but I started reading reviews and realizing they're really tough to beat for the price, especially on NewEgg or the Polk ebay store.
I'm considering the Polk monitor series or the RTI-A series. I'm also looking into the Boston Acoustics CS26, Cambrige Soundworks Model 6, HTD Level 2, Behringer B2031P, Cambridge Audio S30, Pioneer SP-BS22 (but really don't care for the looks), and some of the stuff from KEF. I also considered going the DIY route and buying a kit from Parts Express.
Anyway, based on my budget, what do you folks think would be the best choice? I'm leaning towards Polk for the price and the ease of expansion. I'll likely need to order these without auditioning them because there are few-to-no places that carry them in my area.
Edit: Lots of views without any response. I'll narrow down my question:
Are the RTI A3 or A1 (although NewEgg says these are discontinues) worth the price difference compared to the Monitor 45B? How do they compare to the Boston Acoustics CS26?
Post edited by johnnie.walker on
Comments
-
Welcome to Club Polk Johnnie!
I would get the Monitor 45Bs for the extra driver, I think it would sound fuller then just having the 1 driver of the RTI A3. What will the rest of your system consist of? If you haven't gotten a receiver yet, try to get one with Preouts so that you have expansion capability.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
I ran a set of RTI/A1's with a CSI/A4 until I got the A5's. The A1's sounded pretty good to my ears. Only mention them because Newaudiovideo has them on sale for $235.
-
older polks on ebay or a pair of center ch speakers , I recomend the polk cs300
I like the diy kits or buy something w/abused cabinets and refinish them
