How much for a pair of Polk Monitor 70s and a CS2?

felipe

Hey all. I have a co-worker who is relocating to a smaller living space. They are selling this speaker combo along with a 60"TV and AV Reciever as a package, but are willing to sell separate. They already have buyers for the TV and AVR, so they offered me the Polks. I initally declined because I already have the AJ pios, but they are willing to take any offer...that is reasonable lol.They are the original owners and in like new condition. Would these Polks be considered an upgrade from my current setup? What would be a reasonable offer for the Polks? Opinions?

quicksilvergts

$225-250. The M70 new from Polk eBay are
$339 shipped.
Plus.... It's a co-worker should get a great deal by association lol

felipe

that sounds like a good offer. Before I make a decision, I would like to know if the Polks would be considered a step up from my pios? I wont be able to audition the polks at my house, just at thier home.

trj

I have not used monitor 70s and CS2s but I have tested the Pio AJs that you have alongside RTi8s.
Polks are way easy to drive. AJs made my receiver run warmer than I would have liked. So I returned them.
Monitor 70s and CS2s, I would say are comparable or polks may be a bit of an upgrade from AJs. However, those AJs do sound good. Just not for me though as I didn't want to run the AVR at higher temps.
AJs are 6 ohm speakers and monitors are 8 ohms and also monitors may be more efficient. Totally depends on how you like the sound coming out of the monitors.
I say go to best buy and test the speakers before making an offer to see if you like the sound.

felipe

I cant test them at BB as they dont carry the monitors anymore. Ive heard the M50s as I have those setup at the folks house. I reckon the M70s will have a similar sound? The Polks are generally more efficient.

felipe

well I didnt get the M70s w/ the CS2, but they are selling their main system which consists of RTi10s and the CSi5. They really dont want to but were theyre moving to it cannot accomodate. Ive never owned or heard the RTi series before. They havent given me a price on them yet. Would the RTis be considered an upgrade to my current setup? Will my current AVR be enough?

trj

RTi's are a step up from your current AJ pioneers and monitor 70s.
As I said earlier, I compared AJ's next to RTi8's for almost a week before I decided on RTis. I say go for it.
If you don't want the CSi5 then send it to me.

As for powering them with your AVR, its going to be tough. Looking at your signature, you have a sony STR, which is not so great. Get an AVR with pre outs and load those RTis with amplifier.
I am currently in the same process, looking for a decent amplifier within budget to pop up somewhere.

I say, sell those AJs and get your hands on the RTis.

felipe

I was thinking the same thing about powering those rti10s. Surprisingly, my co-worker was using only an onkyo AVR(TX-SR500) to power these. They said it was powering the whole setup just fine..must not of played it very loud. Im going to research these further...Thanks for your input trj

trj

If you keep the volume in check then AVR should be able to drive them. Though, I don't trust sony AVRs much at all. Onkyo's are true to the power rating (or so I heard). But by what I have listened to, RTi's just sing when they get plenty of current. For the 10's I would definitely consider an external amp.

trj

PS:
You might have to change your whole setup if you go with RTi's though.
1) change your AVR to something with pre outs for at least front 2 channels if not all front
2) do not use your AJ pioneers, because they are 6 ohms rated and most AVRs would not be happy driving two different ohm speakers together.

Go "used" route if you don't mind. I got my yamaha used, you can find plenty of such receivers used for a good price. Go for one with hdmi 1.4 capability. That will take care of your 3D TV and leave you with some money to invest in an amp. Look for 2011-12 models. That should give you all the options you desire. Anything newer of the same series have pre outs cut out from their lists unless you go to the higher end receiver.
HDMI 2.0 is still a far dream and not much content is available, so buying a receiver for that functionality would be stupid for now.

felipe

Ive done some research on the rti10s, and most owners recommend external amplification. Those who didnt experienced overly "bright" sound with little bottom end. Perhaps if my co-worker had the rti8s it might of made a my decision easier to make due to the fact that they can de driven with an AVR..according to my research. Changing AVR is out of the question due to the other half lol. My Sony AVR is doing an excellent job powering the AJ pios tho. I might have to pass on the rti10s...

trj

Don't know man. If you are getting RTi10's and CSi5's for a good deal, I say go for it. They are a lot speakers than the AJs. And once you get into better receivers, you wont look at sony. Let me know if your contact is in Denver and willing to sell those to me rather than you. lol.
Moreover, sony AVRs don't look much different than other, so wife wont have much problems with the looks.

Pro tip: to increase WAF, buy a universal remote and put all the other remotes in a box. You are welcome

felipe

Thanks for the tip trj . Ive further reseearched these, and found that the impedance curve has strong peaks/dips ( below 4 ohms ). Then, someone measured the DCR with and without the jumpers. W/O the jumpers, each pair of terminals measured about 8 ohms...4 ohms with the jumpers. Would these be easier to drive bi-amped/bi-wired? I can so-called "bi-amp" them with my current AVR. I might be trying to justify getting them..just trying to find some way. Thanks.

tonyb

You can not bi-amp with an AVR...it actually limits current to the speakers to keep the avr from overheating and shutting down.

trj

I would not bi-amp (so called) with a receiver. All speaker ports draw current from the same power supply and the power supply on AVRs are puny. Wont do any good for what you are trying to achieve.