Front speaker recommendations

johnnyamerika

Ok, I've narrowed my search for front speakers down to a couple choices, but it seems to more refined my search gets, the more questions I have!

1. The RT55i bookshelves. Do these provide any substantial lows, and can they be set to 'large' to achieve these lows?

2. The RT800i towers. Do these provide good lows? Can an Onkyo 595 (75W @ 8 ohms) push these adequatly?

I don't plan on adding a subwoofer right now as I live in an appartment (my neighbors wouldn't like me, plus I'd never get enough use out of it!), so my main speakers having good lows is important to me. Obviously, it doesn't have to be booming though.

My center is a cs245i.

Thanks!
John

juice21

if you aren't getting a sub anytime soon, i would suggest getting the 800i's. they go lower than the 55's, and the 800's sound great, both for music and movies when set to large. there isn't a huge difference in the 55's vs. 800's in the how low they can go, but with no sub, i think 800's are the choice. as for your 595 driving these, it will be adequate...

trubluluc

John-

For a fuller bass, with good mids and highs
consider the rt1000i's. I have both the 1000's and the 800's, and while I love my 800's they can't come close to the bass of the 1000's.
With their built in (totally adjustable) subs
you can get a decent amount of bass, without drawing alot of power from your receiver.
Right now they aren't much more than the 800's.

-luc

johnnyamerika

Thanks luc!

The 1000's have adjustable subs? The sub is self powered, does it have level and crossover adjustment on the unit itself? If so, that is amazing!

My last question is how do the highs and mids compare from the 800s to the 1000s. Since the 800s have two drivers and the 1000's only have one, can the 1000s fill a room as well, and can they reach the same mids and highs?

Thanks!
John

juice21

i think that the 800's have much fuller and stronger mid-upper range thatn the 1000's. i was between these two speakers when buying my fronts. i chose the sound quality of the 800's over the 1000's. this however, is just my preference, and i have them paired with a sub as well, so the need for bass definition is great for you in your case...

TrappedUnder Ice

Interesting topic.. I'll throw my 2cents in...
I've had the 1000's..currently own the 2000's,800's and 55i's.
What I personaly have noticed,,, is that the highs are more transparent on the single driver speakers from polk!. The 35's and the 1000's have more distinct high. When I was comparing speakers...listening to an HK7000... I heard distinct high hat and snare on the 1000's that I did not hear on the 55's or the 800's. thus... that is why I orgionaly took home the 1000's.
They are great all around speakers. The sub adj has no xover point..that is fixed..but you can adj the volume on the speaker and auto/on switch. they were excellent speakers till I upgraded them.
The 55's and the 800's are great speakers... dont get me wrong... it all depends on what you want to spend. I personaly thought the 800's were a bit looser sounding than the 55's...I'm susing my 800's for surround speakers...as my 55's sit on my 2000....wich is a totaly different ball game all together.

I'd go listen if I were you..take some favorite music and compare. decide for yourself..wich you'd be happier with.. I gave you my story...and i'm stickin too it

lax01

I personally have the RT1000i's for my front main channels. I also have the 245i with f/x300i surrounds. I love it! The 1000i's are good for music and movies, though I mostly use it for movies.

I got a secret for yeah:

If you have American Express Blue Card you can get the 1000i's for half of what the are MSRP on www.polkaudio.com. All you have to do is find an authorized dealer (somewhere other than CC, I hated dealing with those morons) and then buy them. Follow the directions from www.americanexpress.com and you are good to go. I got my RT1000i's for *gasp* $600! (Nearly half).

Whatever you do, Good Luck!

starace

lax01 please explain how you get a discount on the speakers with Amex Blue.

thanks

lax01

Sorry I knew I must have been a little vague.

1) Buy product with Blue Card
2) Call American Express - Phone # is 1-800-557-8317
3) In their phone menu system, select make a claim
4) After claiming the purchase, you have 30 days (i think) to provide proof of a lower price.
5) You can check with American Express but I am pretty sure you either e-mail, mail, or fax them the proof.

-Web site must have some type of date stamp on it. This can be done by your computer, they just need someway to verify the date.

If you need any other information,the contact number on www.americanexpress.com is 1-800-557-8317 and give them a call. They were more than happy to explain it to me.

BTW, it takes about 3-4 weeks to get the rebate check back. And you only get 4 products a year up to $1000 ($250 a product).

We got lucky and argued with them about it because they only rebated one speaker. They soon rebated the other. Very good customer service. Those speakers for $600 is more than worth the effort to go through Amex. Good Luck!

johnnyamerika

Thanks lax, so you can buy the product anywhere, but you have to find a lower price to claim the rebate, or do you automatically get a rebate?

Side Note:

went to CC and listened to the 800s and the 1000s tonight. Based on their demo tracks heres what I thought:

On movie soundtracks, the two seemed almost indistinguishable. The bass on the 1000s was of course better, but not by much. Dialogue was crisper, but music seemed pale.

On music I listened to Jazz, Rap, and some Pop.

The Jazz tracks had incredible clarity and really bright highs with the 1000's. The bass was also very boomy....but the middle almost seemed flat in comparison to the 800s. The 800s were rich and deep, and the bass was just about as strong! The highs were not as elaborate, though.

Rap tracks, the 1000s shined. The bass had much more lows to it, and the highs and twangs of the high hat were so nice. The 800s were duller in all aspects (not bad though, just not as clear).

Pop tracks on the other hand, like Madonna and U2, the 800s stole the show. The music was deep, rich, full, and had nice clear highs. The 1000s were excessively high, and left a big gap between the lows and the highs, almost to the point of distortion.

Conclusion: still not sure, but I'm going to go back with some movies and listen again probably tommorrow!

John

trubluluc

Hi John-

As the iceman explained, no crossover adj on the unit, by adjustable I meant volume.
I think the 1000s have more separation than the 800's. You hear the highs and the lows more distinctly.
The 800's have a warmer, stronger mid
pressence.
As stated, when listening to music, I have both
A side (1000's) and B side (800's) going at the same time. They complement each other well.
I think you should figure out how much Home Theater time they will be logging.
If more than 50% of the intended use will be in
HT, and you don't want a stand alone sub, I think the 1000's will suit you well.
It's an enjoyable dilemma, indulge your ears.

-luc

johnnyamerika

hey luc,

going back today with gladiator and desperato to listen again! I'm still leaning to those 1000s...we'll see!

john

trubluluc

John-

Go get 'em man!

-luc

lax01

Johnny, you can buy them any where as long as they won't match the price that you have. But in that case, which probably won't happen, you wouldn't need the Price Match program. They DO NOT (I put this in caps not to offend) automatically price match. You must call them with the # I game you and tell them.

Good Luck!

johnnyamerika

well I guess the only question is where did you find the 1000s for 600 bucks?

lax01

Sorry I guess I should have mentioned that.

you can try www.dealtime.com and search for them
you can try shopping.yahoo.com and search for them
you can try www.mysimon.com and search for them

www.brandnamez.com usually has the lowest prices, but some other web isites have absurdly low prices.

BTW, I just got my CS400i and it sounds great!!!

johnnyamerika

very cool, have fun with it!