Best Center Speaker for RTi 5.1 System with a Space Problem
Hi All:
HT novice here, forum newbie and new Polk owner. I'm just upgrading my HT sound system from a AR-HC6 HT-in-a-box to a larger system due to moving to a larger house with a larger media/living room approx 25x15'. I have RTi8's for the front and RTi4's for the rear with a Velodyne CHT sub. I currently have my same Denon AVR-2802 I used with my old gear and hope to upgrade that down the road. I watch about 50% movies, 10% regular TV, 15% internet (you tube mostly) and 25% music.
I need a good center channel speaker but here is the problem. I would just get the Polk Csi5 to match my speakers but the low, oak media stand/cabinet that we have for the gear (55" HDTV) has three shelves and none of their widths exceed 19.25"! The correct speaker won't fit! My wife loves the stand as it matches other furniture bits and it was part of her buy-in for me getting an upgrade. Naturally, I forgot to check on the component sizes before we got the stand. There is really no other place to put it. I would rather not like to wall mount it over the top of the TV if possible.
So what to do for a CC speaker that will blend timbre with my gear, be good quality and be less than 20" wide? Height and depth are not a problem. Will any of the other Polk CC speakers, that are smaller, work like the CS1 II from the Monitor series, the 15C or the TL2 Blackstone (looks a bit small for a big room, no)? Any ideas, thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated.
Lou
HT novice here, forum newbie and new Polk owner. I'm just upgrading my HT sound system from a AR-HC6 HT-in-a-box to a larger system due to moving to a larger house with a larger media/living room approx 25x15'. I have RTi8's for the front and RTi4's for the rear with a Velodyne CHT sub. I currently have my same Denon AVR-2802 I used with my old gear and hope to upgrade that down the road. I watch about 50% movies, 10% regular TV, 15% internet (you tube mostly) and 25% music.
I need a good center channel speaker but here is the problem. I would just get the Polk Csi5 to match my speakers but the low, oak media stand/cabinet that we have for the gear (55" HDTV) has three shelves and none of their widths exceed 19.25"! The correct speaker won't fit! My wife loves the stand as it matches other furniture bits and it was part of her buy-in for me getting an upgrade. Naturally, I forgot to check on the component sizes before we got the stand. There is really no other place to put it. I would rather not like to wall mount it over the top of the TV if possible.
So what to do for a CC speaker that will blend timbre with my gear, be good quality and be less than 20" wide? Height and depth are not a problem. Will any of the other Polk CC speakers, that are smaller, work like the CS1 II from the Monitor series, the 15C or the TL2 Blackstone (looks a bit small for a big room, no)? Any ideas, thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated.
Lou
Answers
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Put the TV on some sort of stand, just high enough to put the center on top of your cabinet and in front of the set.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Thank you, F1. Sadly the cabinet to hold the tv and components is low with nothing on top. It was also fairly expensive and the wife likes it, so I really want to try to use it.
Would any of the other Polk CC speakers, I mention above, which have a width less than 20 inches, work and blend well with my gear? -
Can you raise the tv on something that you wife would like and put the speaker under the tv firing directly at you? pic of stand would help as well.
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@LouM welcome to the forum
Post a pic of the stand so as to show what you're talking about.
Possibly the CS400. -
Can you wall mount the TV?
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Thanks much for the replies. I didn't know you could add pics. I will take one after work and post if that helps.
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Thank you, F1. Sadly the cabinet to hold the tv and components is low with nothing on top. It was also fairly expensive and the wife likes it, so I really want to try to use it.
I don't think you understood what I suggested. Put the TV on a riser stand ON top of your current cabinet. You want to raise the TV just enough to place the center ON top of your current cabinet just below and in front of the TV.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
New information:
I just spoke with Polk Tech help. A very nice and knowledgable gentleman. He basically said I have one option, the CS 400i (with blue drivers). He continued to explain the materials, design and crossover specs would give me the best timbre match on my front soundstage with them. They are older so I may have to buy used. I ran down the list of the others I found that would fit and he knocked down each one for various tech reasons. It appears this is the one to try and find. (18.5 inches wide, btw.) Does this ring true with any others. Thanks Honestaquarian, you were on the right track.
Yes, Ken, I could mount on the wall but was hoping to avoid it. A good idea, though. -
Thank you, F1. An astoundingly simple and logical solution. I suppose I could find or build an oak riser to raise the TV up 8" or so. That is a pretty high lift, though, and the tv is currently placed nicely with my eye line just about center but I'm sitting about 18' away so maybe the slight rise may not be too bad. I will consider your generous and clever idea. Easier than wall mounting I would guess.
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Wall mounting is easy peasy. Check Monoprice for some great budget options.
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Update:
I found a CS400i locally in EX condition for a reasonable price and the seller is going come over and let me demo it to see how it works in my space. I appreciate all you good Polk folk for your kind and generous assistance. I'm sure I'll have other questions as I continue with my Polk system adventures.
Happy New Year to All!
Lou -
Dontcha love a happy ending???Jim
St. Louis, MO
AVRs: Yamaha RX-A2030, Onkyo TX-NR646
Speakers: BIC FH6-LCR x 3, BIC FH-65B x 2, Polk RTi6 x 2, Infinity Primus P362, Klipsch KSF-C5
Subs: Polk PSW505 x 2, Polk PSW10, Klipsch Synergy Sub-10 -
You could also possibly customize the stand.
I had one once with three spaces on the top shelf that were all too small for my center speaker so I removed the dividers and relocated them giving me a larger area in the center.
When it was finished, you couldn't even tell it had been modified and my CS1000p fit in the shelf perfectly as-if the stand was designed for it.
