Just added Csi3

Ron Temple

Been looking for a center to add to R50 & 15s. Thanks for all the replies & advice. Picked up a Csi3 from the bay for a great price.
What a huge difference. It's a bit bright compared to the CS1 that I tried, but dialog has never been that clear. I'm going to have to re-calibrate again, I know. I did it by ear putting it -3 below the fronts (maybe have to go lower) to even out the soundstage.

I know this is not supposed to be the best match, but @ $70 I had to pull the trigger.

aaharvel

congrats. an awesome deal on a fine speaker.
let it break in for a couple of weeks and that brightness will go away(depending on what you're using to drive it)



rti4
csi3
fx300i
fx300i

h/k 235
adcom 5300, 7300

Ron Temple

It's used and broken in (I think), the previous owner attached a ball socket mounting bracket(still there) which is why he set the BIN so low. Otherwise in perfect shape.

I'm driving it with the Onkyo HT R520 which I believe is equivalent to the 502, a decent entry level receiver. It's adequate. I'm sure when I upgrade I'll get a bump, but I won't require separate amps for these speakers.

Watched Phantom of the Opera last night. The brass and strings were so bright that they sounded metallic and somewhat harsh. The vocals were improved and warm. As I said, I will need to re-calibrate.

Any suggestions are welcome.

aaharvel

the speaker prob. sounds bright b/c of the Onkyo. I've hooked my csi3 to Harman Kardons, Denon, and Marantz- all entry level and never encountered this problem- and I have the P.O.T.O. DVD as well.

To my ears at least I haven't heard an Onkyo that's neutral or warm sounding (Integra's are a different story however).
Some love the sound of Onkyo's, especially for home theater because of the bright or "exciting" sound characteristics.
Each to his own opinion I guess.


Regardless, I don't think it's your speaker. If you dislike bright sound (as I do) then try getting a receiver with more current in it's amplifiers like Marantz, Denon or H/K- And even adding separate amps in the long run will make ANY rti sing. You don't NEED it, but it's a worthy upgrade.

Ron Temple

My wife will just love your suggestion. She bought me the Onkyo 770 6 months ago (I picked it out) as a present. She's just thrilled that I've swapped out the speakers. She really can't complain about the cost ~ $280.

I'll just have to sneak a new receiver and sub in there one of these days.:D

Ron Temple

I just posted this over at AVSforum regarding this speaker. I hope that some of you experienced guys can give me some pointers. Do I just have the wrong speaker for my setup?

Thanks.

<I've got a similar problem and hope you all can give me some ideas. I'm on a much lower end of the scale. I recently upgraded out of an Onkyo 770, first swapping out the front speakers for Polk R50s, then R15s for surrounds. This was a tremendous improvement, not overly bright, but very detailed and rich. I started looking for a matching center on ebay. After getting lots of advice I was steered toward a CSi30 as a great match, but didn't win on my attempts. Several told me that any polk center would probably work well. I saw a CSi3 for a great BIN price and pulled the trigger.

In the meantime, being excited, I auditioned a CS1 from CC and loved it. My front soundstage came alive and I was amazed at the bass response out of the center.
I took it back and waited for my new speaker to arrive.

I got my CSi3 2 days ago. Hooked it up and while I'm not disappointed, I've now got a totally different sound. It sounds much brighter. I have it turned down -4 from my fronts and the center still dominates. The base response is slightly better, mids and highs are very prominent. Dialog has never been this clear, but I'd really like to even this out.

I'm still running this with my Onkyo receiver the 520, probably equivalent to the 502. I didn't notice any shortcomings before adding this speaker. As I told Brian, some Polk folks suggested a new receiver would take care of the problem. I've seen some good suggestions in this thread. I'd really like to keep this center, but I guess I could find someone to trade me a CS1 for it.

Sorry for the long post. If anyone has specific suggestions. I'd appreciate it.>

ivansfo

Ron,

Patiently wait for a Csi30 for sale and try to win it. Then with a Csi30 and Csi3 at home, you can compare the two and see which you like better. I have a feeling you'll find the CSi30 a much better match.

Then sell the CSi3 you got on Ebay. You got a killer deal on it so you should not lose money if you resold it. With my Onkyo 701 receiver, all my front speakers are calibrated to 0db with the rear surrounds a -1db.

When I had the CSi3 and RTi8s running, it was just way too bright for me. The tweeter on the Csi3 and Csi5 are intended to match the RTi line.

BTW, I couldn't be more happy with my Csi30 and R50 setup.

Good luck,

Ivan

Ron Temple

Thanks Ivan,

I've been playing with this all day. I think I'll take your advice rather than get another receiver. I really liked the sound without a Polk center. The CS1 was a huge improvement. I should have kept it until I got the 3.

Now the richness is off balance, the bottom and mid are there, but just overshadowed by the highs.

If I can't find a CSi30, I'll replace this with a CS1.

Did anyone bite on the 8's and CSi3?

Talk to you soon.

Schris22

I don't have too much experience, but my jump was from an R50/r30 setup with with an r 15 as center to a CS1 and I thought the match was perfect. Though i know it's a big jump, I still thought the sound of the CS1 matched well with the other speakers.

Though I did try the CSi3 at Fry's, but not the best listening enviorment.

Enjoy what you have and ....then go out and buy some more

All i have to say...



Chris

ivansfo

Ron,

There's a nice CSi30 right now on Ebay. See if you can win this one.

Unfortunately, no takers for my RTi8s & CSi3. When I have some time this week, I'll list it on Ebay.

Good luck,

Ivan

Ron Temple

I am watching it, also the CS2. Ready to pounce. The CSi3 IS superior for HT. I'm going to listen to some favorite music tonight and see if it gets better.

Thanks Ivan

Ron Temple

Repositioned my sub and center a bit and listened to some favorite music. Either I'm getting used to it or the timbre match is starting to grow on me. Basically the Csi3 changed the shape of the soundstage and gives me about 3Khz more on the high end. I got a better balance and really liked what I heard. I thought I liked the CS1 better, but now I'm starting to think that the CSi3 doesn't sound worse just different.

Still will keep watching, but might pass on this CSi30 for a while.