Front towers to match center (CSi25)

VertigoTX

Hello everyone,

I'm currently looking to upgrade my front speakers from bookshelves to floorstanding towers. The R series is no longer in production and I've not found any R50's at a price I feel is reasonable for the used status. So I need to determine if something else will closely match my center channel, or is it time to replace all 3?

My existing setup is:
1 - CSi25 Center Channel
2 - R15 bookshelf as my Left and Right channels
2 - misc book shelfs as surrounds

I called Polk, but they wouldn't really answer my question. When responding to "what would timbre match my CSi25", he would only respond with "I'd suggest" or "these are the same size drivers". When I pressed for specifics regarding sound signatures, the answers felt evasive. I feel like it confirms that there is no current model that is a timbre match.

I've also done quite a bit of google research. Unfortunately, I have been unable to confirm any other series as a match. I can find discussions that lead me to believe that the T50 and the TSx330T are probably close. They both get great reviews and can be found for similar pricing depending on where you shop.

Can anyone offer any insight on the T50 or TSx330T in the context of use with a CSi25 center channel?

Thanks in advance for your time,

Vert

VertigoTX

I found some R50's at the Canadian Best Buy site. They are ~130 each. Not sure if I should go after that or just start over with my system.

rooftop59

I think those r50s are a match, but they are not great sounding speakers.

That center is very entry level. If you want to upgrade I would start over. If you like the sound but want mo better bass the pick up an svs sub.

VertigoTX

I guess I didn't mention why I'm looking into this. I'm not looking for more subbass. My current sub works too well for my apartment. My communities quiet hours start at 9pm. In addition, I have an elderly neighbor under me. So at 9pm, I turn the sub off. When I do, I have no bass at all. So I've been watching TV with headphones for the last few years. I enjoy my headphones, but don't want to have to do that all the time. I wear them a lot towards bedtime for music.

When I change the R15's to large, they don't contribute any meaningful bass. I was hoping some towers would give me just enough to not need the headphones for TV.

rooftop59

Any deals on monitor 70s up north? My buddy used a pair for a while driven by a receiver with no sub and really appreciated the bass response.

Going used in the Polk world I would look for some rt55is. Great bass from a very large bookie.


If ur willing to go outside Polk, the Energy rc-10s should also be available since they are a Canadian brand, and they have great bass response for such a small bookie.

The r50s are just very muddy sounding. They get congested and break up at higher volumes. I don't think you'll be happy with them...

VertigoTX

Thank you for the suggestions. Looks like the Monitor 70 II can be had on Amazon for ~180 each. That seems reasonable. How would the timbre matching be to my CSi25? My main goal is for the fronts/center to be a timbre match. If not, I'm just going to start over, which will allow me to step up in quality all the way around.

I know some folks don't think timbre matching is important, but I've decided to stay with it on the L/C/R channels. I've had both matched and unmatched, and preferred the sound of matched. Though I must confess that I've never had anything more than budget quality when it came to home speakers.