Monitor 60's with CSi3 okay?

baboon

My Monitor 60s sound great however I need to replace a cheesey kenwood center channel. Fry's has an advertise with a CSi3 for the same price of the CS1. Would CSi3 be ok with my Monitor 60s because according to polk's website they recommend either the cs1 or 2. Thanks!

sowen010599

I'd say the CS1 just to stay in the same series and also, the same drivers. The CS1 uses the same drivers as the Monitor 60's whereas the CS2 uses 6.5"s, and the CSi is a completely different series with different drivers all together.

Toxis

you own monitor series, stay with monitor series.

VR3

CSi3

MrAnderson

I own the T90e's which are similar speakers to the M60's and I own the CSi3. I can't notice a difference but then again I am no professional when it comes to speakers and audio equipment.

Willow

You would be better off with the same series...but the csi3 is not bad, just not the perfect match

MrAnderson

Originally posted by Willow
You would be better off with the same series...but the csi3 is not bad, just not the perfect match

Can you please explain what the big differences are? Besides price, size, and weight they seem to be pretty close to one another.

Thanks,
Mr. A

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/compare_speakers.php?choice=home&categ=5&speakers=353

Willow

As stated above the sci3 has the same mids and tweet as the rti series..therfore a better match...kinda like your dishes they may not match but you can eat off them just the same....the set looks better and with the speakers will provide you with a seemless blend all the speakers sounding the exact same which is what you want. That said the cs1 is made by polk it's not like you are using an energy centre.

it comes down to choice and your ears. if ever you will upgrade your mains to the rti you're 1/3 the way there

hope this helps

MrAnderson

Originally posted by Willow
As stated above the sci3 has the same mids and tweet as the rti series..therfore a better match...kinda like your dishes they may not match but you can eat off them just the same....the set looks better and with the speakers will provide you with a seemless blend all the speakers sounding the exact same which is what you want. That said the cs1 is made by polk it's not like you are using an energy centre.

it comes down to choice and your ears. if ever you will upgrade your mains to the rti you're 1/3 the way there

hope this helps

Mid/Woofer 5-1/4" Diameter (13.34cm)

Tweeter 1" Diameter (2.54cm)

The M60's and the Csi3 have the same size tweeter and mid/woofer. Where's the difference? I am not trying to argue but I am like a virgin to speaker audio specifics.

Willow

no arguing I understand where you are comming from yes they are the same size, the actual "guts" of the drivers may be different, we'd have to ask polk CS what the big diff is between the 2

Willow

The CS1 features:


High efficiency design allows the CS1 to reveal the classic Polk Audio sound (open, spacious and clear) even when driven by modestly-powered amplifiers and receivers.
1" (25mm) Fabric/Polymer Composite Dynamic Balance Dome Tweeter with powerful Neodymium magnet structure delivers clear and detailed high frequency response for realistic reproduction of vocals and instruments.
Bi-Laminate Composite Dynamic Balance Drivers are lightweight and stiff with good damping for high efficiency, excellent bass and lower distortion.
Non-resonant all-MDF enclosure construction with ¾"-thick baffles ensures cleaner, clearer, more lifelike sound quality.
Reversible-design cabinets can be turned upside down to aim “up” when placed under a video monitor.
Five-Way Binding Post Connectors for more secure hook-up options, and bi-wiring and bi-amping flexibility.
Available in two finishes (Black & Cherry) with Titanium faces.
Magnetic shieldeding for safe placement near TVs with no risk of video distortion.
Critically Tuned Flared Port minimizes port noise (“chuffing”) for good low frequency extension with low port noise, resulting in natural, full-bodied sound with rich bass.

and csi3
Acoustically inert 3/4" MDF cabinets, finished in Cherry wood or Black Oak veneers. Turn them upside-down to aim them "up" when your placement requires them to be below your TV or video screen (it's a Polk innovation we pioneered back in the 90s!).
Dynamic Balance polymer composite drivers for smooth wide-range response with low distortion.
1" silk dome Dynamic Balance tweeter features a neodymium magnet for clear, detailed highs; heat-sinked for superior heat dissipation, power handling and reliability.
Butyl rubber surrounds for high performance durability.
Acoustically inert stamped driver baskets.
Floating anti-diffraction grilles minimize grille diffraction for spacious, 3-dimensional imaging.
Magnetic shielding for safe placement near video sources.


Mylar bypass capacitors in the crossovers extend high frequency response and improve detail and transparency.
Gold-plated 5-way binding post inputs (with wide holes for large-gauge bare wire connections) for the most secure connections and the most versatile wiring applications.
Timbre-matched to fit into any Polk Audio home theater or multi-channel music system for a more realistic, more seamless surround sound environment.

MrAnderson

Willow,

After reading the details of each, the last statement regarding the CSi3 throws a little twist.

Timbre-matched to fit into any Polk Audio home theater or multi-channel music system for a more realistic, more seamless surround sound environment.

I am going to email the the Polk peeps to get their reasoning.

Thanks for your replies.

Mr. A

Willow

When you get an answer would you mind posting it ?

shaddai

I would recommend the CS1 on a pure timbre-matching basis. The woofer and tweeter are made of the same material as the M60 and therefore would give the best match. The woofers are bi-laminate whereas the CSi3 is a little more high-end and includes the butyl rubber surrounds. Only go with the CSi3 if you have future plans of upgrading the M60's to RTi series.

In addition, the CSi3, although silver in color, will not match the titanium face on your Monitor 60 as the CS1 would. You may not be happy with the appearance of your front soundstage if you like speakers with grilles off. Something to consider.

VR3

Go big, or dont go at all.

Get the CS2 (?) or w/e - with the big drivers.

The center is one of the MOST important things in your HT - dont SKIMP on it man....

MrAnderson

Originally posted by Willow
When you get an answer would you mind posting it ?

The response I got from Polk.
"The CS1 was made to the Monitor series. The CSi3 would be used for an RTi based system rather then a Monitor system. They do have similar sized components, but they are different in comparison. However, all Polk speakers have similar sound quality to them, so for example if you had a Monitor 60, you can use it with either the CS1 or the CSi3 and it will work fine. "

MrAnderson

Originally posted by shaddai
I would recommend the CS1 on a pure timbre-matching basis. The woofer and tweeter are made of the same material as the M60 and therefore would give the best match. The woofers are bi-laminate whereas the CSi3 is a little more high-end and includes the butyl rubber surrounds. Only go with the CSi3 if you have future plans of upgrading the M60's to RTi series.

In addition, the CSi3, although silver in color, will not match the titanium face on your Monitor 60 as the CS1 would. You may not be happy with the appearance of your front soundstage if you like speakers with grilles off. Something to consider.

Perhaps Polk is misleading?
Can you explain why Polk would describe the CSi3 as such:

"Timbre-matched to fit into any Polk Audio home theater or multi-channel music system for a more realistic, more seamless surround sound environment."

shaddai

MrAnderson,

It's called marketing-speak. Companies do it all the time so Polk is not alone. To a certain extent, their statement would apply to the typical Joe who may not be as discerning as you and me and would not know a tweeter from a woofer.

Buying the CSi3 would not be disastrous, just not ideal nor would it be as aesthetically pleasing if the grilles were off.

To Polk's credit, they do normally list the timbre-matching speaker ensemble at the bottom of most of their speaker home pages. For example, the main page of the Monitor 60 clearly states recommended centers as CS1 or CS2 and surrounds as Monitor 30 or Monitor 40.

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/products.php?category=3&speaker=375

Doing some investigating helps before purchasing...

MrAnderson

Is timbre matching critical with a subwoofer. Can you even timbre match a sub woofer?

Mr. A

Willow

Glad to hear CS provide an answer....As for the Sub NO not at all...actually polk subs are nothing to ride home about ( no offence polk)

No Mr...enjoy your system...don't be to concerned...I think if you where running your gear on a POS receiver that would be more of a cause to worry than your center.

MrAnderson

Originally posted by Willow
Glad to hear CS provide an answer....As for the Sub NO not at all...actually polk subs are nothing to ride home about ( no offence polk)

No Mr...enjoy your system...don't be to concerned...I think if you where running your gear on a POS receiver that would be more of a cause to worry than your center.

What's a POS receiver?

Willow

piece of S#^t

MrAnderson

good one!

Cheers!
Mr. A

stereo55

Iam currently testing a set of T90e's (aka: M60's) against my RTi6's along with a CSi3 and 4's in a small HT setup (see sig).
So far Iam pretty happy with the results of the T90e's matching fairly well with the rest of the system . The timbre match is not 100% , but close enough to still make a very clean/seamless HT environment non-the-less .
The only real adjustment I had to make to my HT settings was turning down the volume settings on the front amp ; being that T90e's were/are abit more efficient than the RTi's .
I give the T90e's/M60's a 90-95% match against the CSi3.
I see no problems going with a CSi3 and M60's unless your going the "purest" way of 100% timbre match .

MrAnderson

I can live with 90-95%.