F/X 500i vs F/X 1000i ??

ncstatesman

hamzahsh,

Has anyone compared the F/X 500i vs F/X 1000i, especially w/regards to music?

I was thinking of getting the F/X 500i, but I wonder if the 1000i with its 2-drivers/spkr would be better than the 500i for music (I assume that for movies the 1000i would have to be better, so I'm not concerned about that aspect)

Heres the system I now have:
-onkyo 898 (w/7x110 wtts)
-SVS 16-46PC
-PSW650 sub
-csi400 center
-800i l/r fronts
-rm7600 sat spkr pair for l/r surround (i'm looking to replace this pair with a 500i or 1000i F/x spkr pair)
- rm7600 sat spkr pair for l/r rear surround

Would the 1000's be overkill on this system - except for the rear rm7600 sats, all the drivers here 6 1/2"

Thanks!

ncstatesman

oh yeah, almost forgot, how long have the F/X 1000's been out? I just noticed they don't have the "i" in the name (like the 500i)

juice21

the 1000's came out the same time the 300's and 500's did, i beleive? for music applications, i think a rt35i or rt55i would suite better than either the 500's or 1000's. if you are goign to do more 5.1 music than HT, i would seriously consider a direct radiating speaker. i think the f/x 500's would be fine for your set-up, i wouldn't say the 1000's would be overkill though. can you bring them both home and demo them for yourself? this would be the best way to decide...

hamzahsh

Hi ncstatesman!

As you know that your all speakers have dual mid/bass drivers and they have same power rating of 250 watts. Which are RT 800i and CS 400i. If you buy F/X 500i for sure they match your system but they won't match in number of drivers and power rating.

F/X 500i have one mid/bass driver and two tweeters and it has 150 watts of power which is more than enough. You can save couple of hundreds but all you are going to lose is the extra mid/bass driver and 100 watts per speaker. Let me ask you a question if your goal is to save money then why you bought RT 800i and CS 400i. You could've bought RT 600i and CS 245i and both have one mid/bass driver and 150 watts of power but you didn't you spend extra money to get more power and performance. Now you can also save money with F/X 500i or spend little bit more to get something which has more power and performance.

Who knows if you plan to buy a high power A/V receiver or Amp which delivers 160w X 7 like Denon AVR 5800. For sure a bigger speaker always produce bigger sound.

Where music and movies are concerned I would say F/X 1000i's are much better. F/X 1000i's are worth every penny whereas, F/X 500 are a great value for the money.

The F/X 1000i's are not overkill, I've watched The Matrix and bullet scene was just breath-taking. The sound was simply travelling from speaker to speaker without any change in loudness and tonality. They handle everything and also produce bass.

No doubt they are the #1 surround speakers from Polk Audio.

The difference between F/X 500i and F/X 1000i is same as RT 600i
to RT 800i.

Now its in your hands.

Thank You,
Hamzah Shaikh.

OrangeToupee

I doubt that either one of your choices are going to perform musical wonders; the F/X line were designed to increase your involvement with motion pictures as a result of the ambient technology they've been imbued with. What would I do? Get the 500i's, read the manual and place them at your sides as is suggested (they'll perform admirably), spend the roughly $500.00 you'll save and get a pair of 35i's which you can use as 'B' speakers for music (they'll sound beautiful with your 800i's!) or use them to replace your current rears. Heck, for the money you'll save, you'd likely be able to get another pair of 800i's! That's the way I'd go.

goingganzo

or go for the lsifx if you want dual drivers.

ncstatesman

Good points guys, decisions, decisions. I think I'm going to have to spend some time at CC and listen to te f/x300i's just to get a feel for how the bipoles/dipoles sound w/movies & music (I don't think I saw my local CC carrying the 500i's). I guess I want the besty of both wolrds for music and movies, but it doesn't work that way. If i don't go with the dipole/bipoles, I may consider the RTi35 - the problem w/buying another 800i pair (if i can find one) is that there's no more room for floor standings spkrs

Thanks for the input

lax01

ncstatesman: I went into CC and they didn't have the f/x500i's. I was looking for a 1/2 off clearance ultra mega super sale on Polk but didn't find it. I personally have the f/x300i's and though don't have the tri-lam tweeter, they work well. And they also don't look like a huge white triangle jutting out from my wall. They are nice and compact (not like Bose ) I (though I have never even seen or heard them in real life) would probably stay away from the 1000i's because they do seem expensive for what you are looking for. If direct radiating is what you want go with the RT35i's. You can't go wrong.

ncstatesman

lax01, compromises can't be avoided, may directs like the 35i will work will as a l/r surround spkr - I'll go to CC and polk around in their demo room. The thing I like about CC is their new-model upgrade policy

lax01

That is probably a very wise decision. Test them out and see which ones you like best.