Best Center match on ebay

Ron Temple

I'm looking for a used center to match R50s & 15s. Ebay has a CSi30 I'm watching, but there is a CS1, CSi250S and a CS275. I know that the tweeters won't match and that the 250 and 275 are for the RT line. Should I fall back to either of these models or pass?

Thanks for the help.

aaharvel

from what i hear on these boards- the csi20 is the match for the r30, r50 and r15's.

RuSsMaN

Any of the Polk centers past or present will match up fine, short of the LSi. The 20 is 'the' center for the R series.

I wouldn't rule out buying another pair of R series bookshelf speakers and using one or both (they seem to go REAL cheap from time to time). You can probably find another member to go halvsies on pair with you.

Cheers,
Russ

Ron Temple

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
I wouldn't rule out buying another pair of R series bookshelf speakers and using one or both
Cheers,
Russ

I thought about picking up another pair and using the spare as the rear center. I think I would prefer a true center and will give the 30 a shot. But I certainly will consider this. I haven't seen a new center CS1 or CSi3 for less than $160.00. I can alway give them to my son if they don't work out.

Ron Temple

Originally posted by aaharvel
from what i hear on these boards- the csi20 is the match for the r30, r50 and r15's.

I've seen that too. Ivansfo has my same setup with the 20 and prefers the 30. Both are pretty hard to find. I'll look for a deal.

ivansfo

Ron,

Take a closer look at Polk's recommendation for the R50s. They list 3 recommended system. If you look at the very last one, you'll see the the CSi30 is recommended.

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/products.php?category=3&speaker=179

When I had the CSi20, it was fine but I wanted movie dialog to be "in your face" like at the movie theaters. With the Csi30, it's much better.

From time to time, you can find used Csi30s on Ebay. That's where I got mine too.

Ivan

Ron Temple

I just bid on a CSi30, but passed went it went above $85 w/ $28 shipping. What do you think is a good price? I have a bid in for a CS275 I'm still ahead on, it's 10 years old, but in great shape. I know it's not a match, but Russ said it would work well. I've got a day left and I'm only at $40. It probably won't stay there. Do you think I should hold off until another 30 comes up?

ivansfo

Ron,

Between the CS275 and the Csi30, that's a personal choice you will have to make. I have never tried the CS275 so can't help you there.

All I can say is the Csi30 is much better than the Csi20. FWIW, I think I paid about $140+$20ship for my Csi30 on Ebay. This price was far from a bargain but this was the going auction price about 6 months ago. And instead of feeling bad for how much I paid for the center, I considered how much I was spending on the entire system. For a pair of R50s, R15s, and Csi30 all under $400, I thought it was pretty good.

On Ebay, having patience helps you find the ones in good condition and at a reasonable price.

To me a speaker 10 years old is too much. I have 15 year old pair of Pinnacle PN6+ and the woofer is falling apart.

Ivan

Ron Temple

Just got outbid on the CS275 and I doubt if I will respond. The CSi30 went for $112 + 30, so it still seems to be in the same range as the one you got. There are 2 more still available but at more than I want to pay. I've seen the CSi3 at Frys for $155 new. This might be too much speaker for the Rs, but maybe not. I'll just try and be patient. The right deal will come.

Thanks for the advice. I will be definitely looking for the CSi30 as my 1st choice.

RT

aaharvel

dude if you can get a brand new csi3 for $155 then do it.

I did- when Circuit City was clearing out rti's to replace them with the lesser monitors.

I got a killer deal on my csi3 and rti4's- i paid 260 for all.

it may not perfectly match your speakers- but the csi3 is a good choice.

Ron Temple

Yeah,

I know it's a great speaker. Frys had a one day sale for $180 w/ a 15% discount on all polks. It wasn't even advertised. You can get great deals on polks but they only happen once a month and they switch off models and lines, so you have to ready or lucky.

Just tracked down a CSi30 on the bay thats local which will save me S&H. I'll go a bit higher.