Default Help me pick out some Polk Speakers

TerrieCMarrero

Hi everyone, I had posted this in the Polk thread first, but figured I might get some responses by making a separate thread. I am considering upgrading my current speakers soon. I have a Polk PSW505 subwoofer (which I will keep) and a set of Onkyo speakers from the Onkyo SKS-HT540 speaker package.

I would like to go entirely with Polk audio if possible.

Anyway... a number of years ago I was able to spend some time testing the audio performance in-store of a variety of speaker brands. I walked away feeling as though the Polk sounded the absolute best out of the bunch. I couldn't afford Polk and didn't think it was worth it at the time to get the speakers, though.

The Onkyo speakers have served me well but I do have some issues. First of all, I never liked the subwoofer much so the PSW505 was a huge upgrade for me, and that's already taken care of. But I have always had some issue with the center -- sometimes, not always, the voices can sound a little bit muffled and too bass heavy. I have made some adjustments to my calibration and the sound still seems this way to me.

A couple of years ago I also experienced something unfortunate while on a plane flight that led to me having Tinnitus and some minor hearing loss. I decided sometime after that to upgrade my speakers to something better and went with Klipsch as they were on-sale for premium speakers.

Well, I never much cared for them compared to Polk and not even Onkyo so it was a bit silly of me to blind purchase them when I didn't even care all too much for the brand.

Based on my home-theater stand and current equipment setup, the best option for me if I went all-Polk would be to get the Tl3 center speaker. It would fit perfectly where I would place it.

What I want to know is...

1) Would it be OK to pair a Polk TL3 center with the Onkyo fronts and rears temporarily? Would it match OK?

2) If I went for a full set of Polk speakers should I go for the compact ones that Polk recommends, the TL3 compacts? Or would it be OK to match with bookshelf fronts and rear speakers like the RTi6 or TSi100 for fronts and R150 for back? Or some other combination? Space is not a big issue for the other speakers but I want my speakers to sound good together and have never been the best at understanding how the matching decisions work.

3) If I went from the Onkyo speakers I currently have to any of these mentioned Polk speakers would it be a good upgrade quality-wise? I'd generally imagine it would, as a Polk fan, but I don't know spec-wise... everything from Polk does list a wider frequency response.

4) Sometimes the tweeters on the Onkyo's I currently have create a sort of low hiss of sorts. An odd sound. My other family members don't seem to notice. I think it's possible it might be because of my minor hearing loss... would it be better getting a specific kind of Polk speaker? Would the compact Polk speakers help with this? I read the press release info and it said some interesting sounding things about the way the tweeter was implemented for smooth sound.

I know I just asked a bunch of questions but any help would be much appreciated.

pyrocyborg

Hi, welcome at Club Polk!

First of all, I must say that in almost every case, a complete set of "Home Theater in a Box" like the Onkyo won't sound as good as most entry level bookshelf speakers. I mean, it can be enough for some people, especially when you compare the sound to your typical flat TV, but even entry level speakers from many manufacturers will sound better if you have a receiver (which I assume you have).

#1: If by temporary you mean a few weeks or months, yeah, it could be okay as they are both 8 ohm speakers. However, the Polk TL3 probably doesn't even sound the same. Voices could sound "thin" when the sound is coming from the left and right speakers and could sound "suave" when it's from the center speaker. Doesn't help if you want complete immersion. So, what you want is an entire frontstage (right, center and left speakers) to be not only from the same manufacturer, but also from the same speaker line (in that case, the Blackstone TL3). As for the rear speakers, it's not mendatory to be from the same line than the front, but it could help. I would do that last.

#2: I did find the TL3 to be adequate for Home theater purpose, expecially if you have a subwoofer. In most cases, you cross the lower frequencies (e.g. 120 hz and less) so that it is only reproduced by the subwoofer, leaving your smaller speakers with the rest of the frequency range. I do not say it would sound the same than if you had a couple of bigger quality bookshelf speakers, as every speaker is different, but it could sound great as every frequency would be covered as long as you subwoofer is able to correctly reproduce sound up to 120 hz.

#2.1 : You could go with an entire set of bigger speakers (bookshelf speakers... which are preferably installed on speakers stands, away from walls), but it would probably cost more to have the same overall sound quality than the TL3 for HT. You must understand that the tweeter on the TL3 (the smaller driver in the speaker enclosure) is of higher quality than on every current Polk speakers except the LSiM line (which cost at least 600$ piece). I cannot speak for the electrical components of the speaker itself, but on paper, it looks like it's a "mini-LSiM" in a satellite form factor. For HT duties, it could be more than enough if you have one or two subwoofers to keep them from reproducing the lower frequencies as they will strain to do anything lower than 115 hz. Would it sound as good a good pair of LSiM703 for music? I doubt it, but if your living room isn't that big, they could fill the space just fine with clear sound when paired with a couple of subwoofers.

#2.2 : Keep in mind that smaller speakers will sound "small" when compared to bigger ones. In a small room, small speakers are fine. In a larger 11x25 living room, they might not cut it.

#3: I would say yes, but would it be an upgrade that you could hear or appreciate? I don't know. Also, I would say that while frequency response is an interresting spec to look at, it isn't everything. I've heard tower speakers (30 to 45 000 hz) sounding less real than a pair of 40 to 30 000 hz tower speakers. You must look at the overall built quality and price... But most of all, you must hear them first to see if you like that sound. You could buy a pair of $2500 speakers and end up being unhappy with the result as a speaker react with your room and to a lesser extent, with every component in your system (e.g. amplifier, pre-amplifier, digital to analog converter, etc.). So demoing the speakers at your house is the best thing you can do.

#3.1: Also, while you're on Polk forums, do not limit yourself to that brand. Depending on your budget, you can look at Paradigm, PSB, Klipsch and many more.

#4: As for Tinnitus, I must say that better speakers do not necessary help. Depending on the kind of sound you hear (e.g. constant ringing, tempoary high pitched noise or a low frequency hum), you might want to have a speaker that do not overemphasis on the kind of frequency that you "constantly" hear. Having you seat away from high pitch sound generators like fridges and some dimmers might be interresting to tame the floor noise, but it won't solve the problem.

Some speakers like the Polk RTi and RTiA lines are great Home theater speakers when you're on a budget. However, they are kinda detailled and with some receivers, they could be a tad bright or fatiguing in the higher frequencies. If you already constantly hear these frequencies due to your tinnitus, it could become unbearable after an hour or so and it was my experience.

That's why I went with the LSi line after trying the RTi: the LSi is mellow, detailled yet soft, but these are not sold anymore and required at high current amplifier (i.e. not an entry level receiver). The LSiM line is not as "mellow" or "laid-back" than the LSi line, but it's not as fatiguing for me than the RTi line was. As the TL3 uses the same tweeter (and correct me if I'm wrong) than the LSiM, it should be fine.

Also, what is your budget and room size?

Dropthebeat

welcome to the forum! Would you be interested in buying used, maybe off Craigslist or would you prefer to buy new? whats your budget ?