Ls F/x vs ?

Earthy

I have a pair of LS70's and a CS350 center. I am looking to fill out a 7.1 setup. I know the LS F/X is a match for my setup, but I don't want to skimp on my surrounds. Are these up to the task of delivering the full range or should I be looking at another option?

I also wonder if the fore and aft firing speakers vs newer angled speakers are an issue for side channels.

Thank you!

Earthy

Tour2ma

LS f/x's are not full range, but few, if any, surround speakers are. Nor do they need to be for HT. Multichannel music is a different matter.

Why is full-range important to you? And maybe more importantly, what's your definition of "full range"?

Earthy

By full range, I mean all that would ever be required of the speaker for surround duty. They just seem so tiny.

Tour2ma

Gotcha... Yup, the LS f/x's are small. They were the first surrounds I bought (off of ebay) and when I opened the box I chuckled. Despite their size, they can do the job and were the original surrounds for the SRT, the mother of all Polk HT systems.

Couple more questions...

Do you run a sub in your HT?
If yes, do you run all speakers set to large, all to small, or a mix?

Earthy

My HT is just taking shape. Literally. I hope to stain, paint, wire and Pergo the floor in the next few weeks. I am just trying to get some speakers that match my LS70's and CS350. I was thinking of picking up two pairs and using one for the side and one for the rears. They seem to pop up often enough and for about $150 a pair, it would not put too big of a dent in my budget.

I don't have a subwoofer yet. That's another thing I need opinions on. Is it one of those "Don't Scrimp" items?

Thanks for the help!

Earthy

Lsi9

The Ls series is the line of polks which I have had the most experience, being that i had them and many of my friends still have them, from ls90's down the line...

I owned the ls/fx until about a year or two ago, while they were good speakers the output never matched my ls 50's & when they did during various movies they were a little too thin, not enough midrange for my taste

Ive seen other set ups in the ls series and the best surround speakers i heard for them is the Rm 3 peice sat/sub series, I was lucky enough to purchase the RM3000 off of somebody from this site, still in my opinion one of the top notch solutions Polk has for surrounds, if you can find them you will not be dissapointed, side by side with ls9o's they were very hard to distinguish, the passive sub compensated for the small satellites

ls/fx are not full range where the rm 3000's most def are...they sound excellent w/ my lsi 9's

Tour2ma

Had not heard of the RM's being used for surrounds... do you use the bass module or just the sat's?

Earthy,

Whether the LS f/x's work for you will really depend upon:
- how loud you are going to listen to your HT; and
- what size your HT room is.
The louder and bigger, the less likely the LS f/x's will be to satisfy you.

There are other candidates in the f/x line that would match your front stage perfectly (although for HT surround, that's not paramount).

As for the sub... for a normal size room, you do not have to spend $1000's to get great bass. How little sub you can get away with will depend again upon your listening levels and room size plus the number and size of open adjacent rooms.

So whatcha got room-wise and what are your tastes SPL-wise?

Earthy

My room is just 14x15, but fully enclosed and dedicated to the purpose. Minimal seating. It's at the far end of the house above the garage. Windows on three sides, strategically places so the don't interfere with speaker placement.
It's been so long that I got to watch an action filled movie with more than headphones. Our tiny temporary home has limited the experience. I don't necessarily like it loud, except when it's appropriate. I just don't want to be limited.

Thanks folks!

Earthy

I can't find any info on the RM3000's. Back in the early 90's I tried a sat/sub system from polk. My previous speakers were Bose 501's. The polks sounded ok, but their was a noticable lack of mid range filling the space. I was so disapointed that I boxed them up and exchanged them for the LS70's. Man what a difference. I am still happy with them, although for the last 7 years they have been in a less than optimal arrangement. I am just itching to have them up front where they can finally do some work. Just need the other 4 speakers and I am set (for this room at least).

Tour2ma

Assuming 8' ceiling you're around 1700 cu ft... nice medium size. And with no openings there are some very affordable sub options from the likes of SVS and Hsu that will get you grinning.

You're right about the f/x's going for $150 or less.... in black. Often white pairs go closer to $100. In that size room the LS f/x's have a shot. You might play with one pair in a 5.1 and see. If you don't, you can likely resell them for what you paid.

Other surround candidates with the tri-lam tweeter are RT f/x's (not seen as often as, but cheaper than the LS's), f/x 500's (getting rare), f/x 1000's (rarimus maximus).

If your rears are going to be 4' or so behind your seating, then direct radiators will work for rears. And you can go 6.1 with a center rear, e,g, another CS350LS.

The room issue I see is the second floor location. Even in a well built home, LF is going to pass into the floor and garage below, and reradiate from the floor into the HT. Can yield some issues, but we'll cross that bridge later.

Earthy

Yes, 8'. We demilac (icyne type) foamed our house, and this room has foam on 5 sides of it. 4 walls and ~5" sprayed directly under the floor. There is a steel beam running about 4ft off center with 12" I joists on 16" centers spanning 12' one way and 20' the other. 2x6's in three exterior walls and 2x4's on the interior wall. All foamed. Primarily for insulation and the 4" wall was to reduce sound escaping. It's ripe for some harmonics, but hopefully all the foam will keep it in check.

We will be 4 ft from the back wall, and I am itching for a 7.1 setup.

I'll look up those other choices and see what I can find.

Thanks again!

Tour2ma

Happy hunting and keep us posted...

Lsi9

i use the sub w/ the 3000's, but my HSU is enough that i dont need the sub

at low levels the L/s fx didnt throw out much IMHO
I'm surprised Polk doesnt make a sub/sat stereo set anymore...too bad