Picking a Polk Center to go with Monitor 10's

frankbaptista
frankbaptista Posts: 5
edited December 2004 in Vintage Speakers
Hi all -

Well, I've changed alot of my gear over the years, but the one thing I refuse to part with is my Monitor 10's (the scene would be ugly....kicking and screaming). I've heard lots of speakers since, and I'm still convinced that I would have to spend a fortune to improve on the 'state of the art' performance that these vintage beauties deliver.

With all that said, I'm now looking for a center channel speaker that would dovetail perfectly with my Monitor 10's. I'm assuming that the choice would be one from Polk, although I am interested in hearing what other aficionados are happily using.

Thanks everyone....I'm looking to add one to my Christmas wishlist!!!!
Addendum:

I see that the very first FAQ in the Polk Audio website asks the question "What center speaker matches with my older Polk loudspeakers?" - - following this, I see that the 'Polk folks' recommend the CSi5 Center channel speaker to compliment the Monitor 10's.

Additionally, other postings in the forum suggest the CS400i.

Anyone have any preferences?
Post edited by frankbaptista on
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Comments

  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2004
    Welcome, Frank...

    Just did this with another new member with some vintage Polks. Thread is around here somewhere.

    First question is what tweeter do your 10's have in them?

    That asked, I will say you are not going to find a perfect match in any speaker, Polk or otherwise. However, you can make a perfect match out of a Monitor 5 for example by installing bucking magnets in one (or two) of them.

    EDIT: Here's the other thread...
    http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23263
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • frankbaptista
    frankbaptista Posts: 5
    edited November 2004
    Thanks for the response Tour....

    Well, it's been quite awhile, but I eventually had to replace the tweeter in both my Monitor 10B's (did them at the same time). Got them from Madisound - - and I'm quite sure they were the Peerless replacements.

    They continue to serve me very well. In my household, music definitely comes first, and home theater second.

    Cheers....

    Frank
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2004
    You are welcome...

    Yup... Madisound is the place for old Polk replacements... Helen (of Polk CS) referred me to them when I was in need of a pair of MW's for a pair of Polk Mini-Monitors...

    I think I remember Peerless being one of their suppliers...

    Please post a pic of the replacement tweet, if you can...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited November 2004
    Madisound liquidated their Polk inventory awhile ago.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • deadhead
    deadhead Posts: 19
    edited November 2004
    The CS400i is a good match for the monitor 10 speakers.
    This was recommended by Polk and I found one on ebay. They usually go for around $200 or so, which is half of what they cost new.

    Testing with the Avia DVD indicated the timbre matched very well. While playing movies the combo sounds great.
    SVS PB10 ISD . Pioneer VSX-1015K
    Monitor 10B . CS400i . Monitor 10B
    FX500i . . . . . . . . . . . . FX500i
    R15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R15
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,801
    edited November 2004
    I would think a Monitor 4, 5, or 5jr would be ideal. Guess they're not shielded, so they need to be placed thoughtfully relative to the telly... but, do recall, that the (magnetic) field intensity falls off with distance to the sixth power (1/r^6), so you don't have to move the speakers too far to eliminate the magnetic interference.

    BTW, do the LCD or plasma flatscreens care about exogenous magnetic fields at all?
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2004
    Mark,
    IMO you can move mains far enough away w/o sacrificing image, but I doubt the same is true of center(s).

    Adding bucking magnets isn't difficult and only drop speaker effinciency about 0.5 dB, easily compensated for in a recalibration.

    Polk sells them through Customer Service, but it's been pointed out before 'round here that you can get them for less $$$ through Parts Express.

    You will need to do the tweeters as well as the MW's, but not the PR's... ;)
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • frankbaptista
    frankbaptista Posts: 5
    edited November 2004
    Back again....things have been crazy 'round here.

    Well, finally got around to photographing the tweeter - - here it is.
    (BTW, depending on your monitor, the image may be dark. Simply reduce the contrast or crank up the brightness on the image...it's all there.)

    I currently have a Yamaha RX-V1000 receiver, which gives me the ability to adjust the 'apparent' distance of the center channel, front and back. I think that I'm really bent on getting a center...I'm convinced that, at least for movies, this is one of the most important speakers in the cluster.

    This may be a bit off-topic, but, okay, yes....I admit it. Even I find it rather strange that I went to an integrated receiver, being a longtime fan of my complete stack of Carver separates. But you can trust me on this - - I have never regretted it. It is still as musical as ever, and yup, it does movies too.

    Cheers....
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,801
    edited November 2004
    correct me if I am wrong, but that looks like a Peerless K010DT with no Polk-applied center hole :-)
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited November 2004
    my 400i matched very well with 15TL's. I like the match between the CRS+ and the 15's BETTER;) but its all about a good tweeter match imo.

    What is the best way to connect 2 cables for a biwire of a center channel? Currently my DH-Labs cables provided by dave shepard have spades on both ends that I don't want to remove. That said, the nut-bolt path is easy but is it sufficient?

    twin :cool:
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • rscamer
    rscamer Posts: 70
    edited November 2004
    I use a cs400i with my 10b's and it sound very good. I am with you I will not part with my 10B's.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2004
    Originally posted by mhardy6647
    correct me if I am wrong, but that looks like a Peerless K010DT with no Polk-applied center hole :-)
    Don't know the specific part number, but I agree that it looks like a Peerless that escaped "branding".
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • frankbaptista
    frankbaptista Posts: 5
    edited December 2004
    Wahoo! Christmas is my favorite time of year!

    I purchased a CS400i from ebay recently, and it arrived safe and sound yesterday. Haven't had time to do much except verify that it's okay, but I'll be really 'kicking the tires' this weekend (can't wait!).

    Maybe it's me, but I think my Monitor 10's looked 'happy' this morning - - must be the fact that a new member of the family has arrived.

    More to follow...
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  • frankbaptista
    frankbaptista Posts: 5
    edited December 2004
    Ooooo....Oh yeah....somebody get me a towel and a cigarette!

    Well, I can't begin to express how impressed I am with the performance of the CS400i, and how well it works with my Monitor 10's.

    I took my time to carefully match the levels to the mains, and then took it for a good drive today. All I can say is...WOW!!!

    They are exactly what the doctor ordered...amazingly transparent, accurate imaging, and superbly matched to the response of the Monitor 10's.

    Started with some Dolby Digital trailers (from the 'Sound and Vision' Home Theater Setup DVD)...those are always fun and help 'show off' the beauty of Dolby Digital.

    Next, I had to try a few minutes of 'Toy Story'...always entertaining.

    I couldn't wait to try "James Taylor - Live at the Beacon"...the soundstage was fabulous - - crystal clear, uncolored, and oh so sweet!

    There are rare times when a performance sends chills up my spine, or makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck...that's when I know I've got something special. This was one of those times.

    I was having such a great time, I had to try a few more...Sarah Brightman in Concert, Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall, Rippingtons Live in L.A., (hey, what can I tell you...we've got eclectic tastes)...awesome.

    Finally, I had to spin the only DVD-Audio disc I have in my collection - - one by Dave Koz called 'The Dance'. Gosh, I was so blown away, it left me speechless.

    Sorry, didn't mean to ramble (could you tell that I was excited?). Hmmmm, if I play my cards right, maybe I can drop a hint to the missus about a subwoofer....

    Cheers!
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