Best center to go with S60's?

dkhc

Comparing between S30's and LSiM704c's. Are the LSiM's a good timbre match?

cfrizz

Welcome to Club Polk. The LSiMs have totally different tweeters and you may be able to hear the difference that you might not like. If possible, it is almost always better to have everything in the same series.

rburgess714

Welcome to the forum. Like cfrizz said it’s usually preferred to have same series due to timbre matching. I have the S30 and by design it matches the 60s perfectly.

mrloren

I agree with the above, the S30 was the best match sonic but it looked funny in my TV stand. I have a CSi-A6 with my S60 and Audyssey blended it very good with my system.

The LSiM are a way different speaker so I wouldn't. Then again if you can get it for a retailer that will accept a return give it a try.

Inspector 24

Easy button, also the sure thing is to stick with the same series. Anything else and you're asking for sub-optimal sound, or making compromises to get it sounding correct.

dkhc

Thanks all for your insight. I went with the S30's as recommended. Now...all I need is a receiver and a pair of subs and I'm set

mrloren

Fry's is clearing out the Denon and Pioneer AVR.

Subs. Pair of HSU VTF2-MK5 for just over a grand.

cfrizz

Try not to get the cheapest one on sale. Spend a bit more to make sure you get a receiver that has preouts for adding separate amplification in the future. I'm partial to SVS for subs.

dkhc

Yeah, was pretty set on the Denon 4500 or possibly the 6400 but it's hard to resist the Onkyo 830 @ $500. I need minimum 9.1 for to accommodate the 4 Atmos speakers I have in the ceiling already. I'd love to control 2 other zones as well (outdoor - 2 pairs of speakers, kitchen/dining - also 2 pairs) but the Denon 8500 is well out of my budget (but suggestions are welcome 😊). Was thinking maybe a heos amp for each additional zone) As for subs, I'm strongly leaning towards a pair of Polk hts12's cuz I could possibly get a new pair for $500 (700 CAD). I can't get svs or hsu for anywhere close and the polks have been favorably reviewed. They will be used for TV/movies 98% of the time.

Front L/R - S60 (2)
Center - S30 (1)
Surrounds - S15 (2)
Atmos - MC80 (4)
Zone 2 - MC60 (4)
Zone 3 - Atrium 6 (4)

Likely Avr - Denon 4500
Likely subs - HTS12 (2)

PSOVLSK

I'd get the best sub you can afford for now and add a 2nd one later if you want to do so.

Looking like a nice little system you're putting together. Congrats!

mrloren

The HTS subs are not SVS or HSU. Try to see if you can get one of those over an HTS.

Your AVR choice is very good. I like my 4400. Nice AVR.

dkhc

I can almost get 4 hts12's ($1000 local pickup) for the price of one vtf3 ($900 shipped). Is HSU that much better?

dkhc

As for svs, I can get the pb2000 for $775. Still 3x the price of a hts12 though 😕

rooftop59

dkhc wrote: »

I can almost get 4 hts12's ($1000 local pickup) for the price of one vtf3 ($900 shipped). Is HSU that much better?

Yes. Multiple subs doesn’t yield muck more output, although it can smooth room nodes. More importantly, you can have 18 of those polks and they won’t hit 16 hz like the one HSU...

mrloren

^^^what he said^^^

A friend has two PSW505 subs, model before the HTS. I took over my old 200w HSU STF-2 one day. He was shocked my one 10" sub made his system sound so good.

The HSU SVS subs have a much better sound quality and will go deeper than the HTS subs.

If you have room for dual subs look at getting two VTF2-MK5

Inspector 24

Seconded on the HSU subs. I’ve had three to four lesser subs run at the same time that were arguably more powerful than a single HSU, but were no match.

Go big. Go dual.

PSOVLSK

What size is your room? An SVS PB1000 might be all you need and there's one for $400 at the SVS outlet.

https://www.svsound.com/collections/outlet-specials/type_subwoofers

dkhc

The room is 20' wide and 10' high. I could say it's 15' deep but really it's more like 100' since there is no back wall and it's open to the rest of the house. That's kinda why I was leaning towards the hts12. From what I gather, it moves quite a bit of air for the $$ and I can afford to get 2. No,it doesn't get to 16hz but I can get them for around $250 each. Budget is a consideration otherwise I'd be looking at a pair of ultra 16's. Now, I do own a millwork shop and could easily build and finish (in house spraybooth) a box but have no idea about components.

DaveHo

Seriously, Polk does not make good subs. Cross them off the list. If all of the aforementioned subs are not within budget, then go DIY. It sounds like you have the skills to build the enclosures.

dkhc

Admittedly, I haven't yet heard the hts12 myself yet. My ht guy has one set up for me to demo but I haven't had time to do so. Will see him in the next few days though. Have any of you had any first hand experience with the hts? I fell in love with the S60's when I demoed them and feel Polk really outdid themselves on the signature series so I went all-in on them. From the limited reviews I've read of the hts12, they've done the sig series justice with their subs. As for svs outlet, I'm from Canada and I'm blocked from seeing the outlet prices on svsound.com

PSOVLSK

I didn't realize SVS Outlet wasn't available to you Canadians.

I'll probably be in the minority on this, but if you're able to listen to the HTS-12 and you like it I'd say go for it at $250 each. At that price you could always sell them later on and not loose much, if any, if you decide to upgrade.

Yes, the Signature Series is a great lineup and you did well to go all-in on them.

dkhc

I'm pretty sure I'd be like it... and probably very much. I just wouldn't know what I'm missing in the 16-20 hz region. But as they say, ignorance is bliss 😉

cfrizz

You are putting together a great system, and you will love the Signature speakers. Since money is a concern and you can get such a great deal on the HTS-12, get two of them to help cover that big room you have.

The Denon has preouts so after everything is in place and you get everything settled in, you can start saving for an amplifier.

Keep us posted and don't forget to take pictures once everything is in place.

mrloren

I hear you on the funding, I too have to skimp the budget a lot.

A VTF-2 or 3 would still be better than 2 HTS subs. In the long run you would be happy with the better subs. Get one for now that you can afford, if you still think you need another something to save for down the road.

I just had my house painted, The painter had to fill a lot of cracks in the stucco, my VTF3 is on the other side of the wall. I don't think 4 HTS subs would put out that much bass.

In the end it's your money. We just want you to get the best you can.

rooftop59

While I agree that ignorance can be bliss, if you’re like me you’ll always be wondering what you’re missing. And what you’ll miss is pretty much everything below 25hz, and the punch you in the gut feeling of a big boy sub 😎

PSOVLSK

dkhc wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I'd be like it... and probably very much. I just wouldn't know what I'm missing in the 16-20 hz region. But as they say, ignorance is bliss 😉

Agreed. I was happy with my lower level Velodyne sub for several years. Decided I wanted to upgrade and found a good deal on a used SVS PB12 Plus/2. I had no idea what I'd been missing.

I know some people adhere to the "do it right the first time" mantra, but I think making the upgrades if part of the fun of the hobby. I know it costs more in the long run, but there is something to be said for piecing together a system as you can afford it and upgrading as you can afford it. I'm at the point in my journey where I have to drop serious coin (for me anyway) if I want to upgrade. While I enjoy my system(s), I do miss bringing in a new piece of gear every so often.

rooftop59

PSOVLSK wrote: »

dkhc wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I'd be like it... and probably very much. I just wouldn't know what I'm missing in the 16-20 hz region. But as they say, ignorance is bliss 😉

Agreed. I was happy with my lower level Velodyne sub for several years. Decided I wanted to upgrade and found a good deal on a used SVS PB12 Plus/2. I had no idea what I'd been missing.

I know some people adhere to the "do it right the first time" mantra, but I think making the upgrades if part of the fun of the hobby. I know it costs more in the long run, but there is something to be said for piecing together a system as you can afford it and upgrading as you can afford it. I'm at the point in my journey where I have to drop serious coin (for me anyway) if I want to upgrade. While I enjoy my system(s), I do miss bringing in a new piece of gear every so often.

I did the same kind of thing, and I do agree that getting to try out all the different gear and the excitement of upgrading was really fun. I guess now that I am no much busier with more children I think that if I started all over again I would have to skip all those steps. So, it really comes down to how much money and time you have and your disposition. I have good friends who bought very entry level stuff and kept it happily for years. But most of is on this forum are not this way lol...

dkhc

Thanks for the input fellas. Honestly, I would feel that anything below a pair of pb3000's or vtf15hmk2's will end up being a compromise anyway so I'd rather save the dough. Just finishing building my house and I am $1 mill in the hole on just the build cost already so discretionary income is hard to come by. (Yes building in vancouver, canada is that expensive - a teardown easily goes for $1.5 mill for the land alone).

All that being said, if I don't like what I hear when I audition the polks...well then, I may revisit my options. If I do like what I hear, then I'll pick up a pair. Any thoughts of adding a single big boy down the road and and cross it over low (maybe ~30-40 hz) to handle the gravy that I may be blissfully missing with the hts's?

dkhc

@PSOVLSK - I kept seeing something in your handle and I finally took a good look at it...now I see what you did there 👍😁

Inspector 24

PHOSLUK doesn’t have the same appeal....

Starting small and upgrading is a great way to go. You will appreciate every upgrade dollar spent more than spending money blind, and likely learn a lot along the way.

That said if you should want an easy button, all your answers have been posted.

PSOVLSK

dkhc wrote: »

@PSOVLSK - I kept seeing something in your handle and I finally took a good look at it...now I see what you did there 👍😁

Sadly, when I came up with that username I thought I was being pretty darn creative