need help, about to purchase, look good

miandsh2000

let me start by saying im not an audiophile, just an ordinary homeowner setting up a HT and looking to do it right. confused about 'voice matching' that im reading about.

i am thinking about purchasing the following:

polk cs1 for center
polk monitor 40's for front right and left
polk 12" 300 watt sub
polk monitor 30's or r15 for surround (left, right, center)
yamaha htr5860 receiver

my questions are:
mon 30's or r15's for surround?
does this setup look good?
can i go with a smaller size polk for the rear surrounds, space is a concern here?
are the polk emblems on the grills removable?

aaharvel

Welcome to the forum! I would pick Monitor 30's over r15's for surround speakers. The "R" line of speakers are being phased out by the newer monitors.

If your just going to use your system for movies and home theater, that setup looks to be fine. If it's going to be a cornerstone for music as well, I would go a different route. Regardless- make sure you audition other receivers, subs, and speakers as well before you put down the cash.

miandsh2000

thanks for the info. i keep reading more and more in this forum and its getting harder and harder to make a decision.

can you recommend other subs that i may want to test?
and
what about going with monitor 50's or 40's all the way around (fronts, centers and rear surrounds?)

miandsh2000

meant to say monitor 40's or monitor 30's all the way around

aaharvel

I don't like Polk subs myself. I've heard them and am not impressed with them. And it seems I see another polk sub tearing up on these forums every day. Many here will will recommend SVS and HSU for subs. Never heard either- so I can't say: but trusting those that know more than I do on here I would bet that they're the best. Personally, I like Velodyne. Very respected and their subs are very musical- not just 1 note behemoths.

Secondly- if I were you I wouldn't buy the Monitors. Put little bit more money down and with the RTI series you'll get much better sound.

Monitor 30's are like $200/pair. Rti4's are just $60 more and they sound better than both the Monitor 30s, 40s and 50's imo.

As for Yamaha- You can get better for the money. Yamaha's got some cool DSP modes like "Aunt Brenda's Cathedral" or "Uncle Bob's 70mm Sci-fi Movie" but most of the time nobody uses these cheesy processing bits after they go through them the 1st time. Also, Yamaha receiver amps are very shady about their wattage specs, they're not high current and their power supplies are weak.

I guess what i'm saying is before you buy Monitors, Polk subs and Yamaha- check out Rti's, Velodyne/SVS, HSU subs and receivers from Harman Kardon, Denon and Marantz.

jtgranby

Sounds to me like you might want to wait till Oct and look at the surround bar with SDA. If you are going to use it for HT just add a good sub and be done with it. I heard it at the Polk Fest it sounds great.
Jim

Eman

If money is a concern you can purchase a monitor 104 speaker package (M40, M30, PSW10, CS1) and save money (Frys has in store special you get a free receiver that is OK but its free so you could sell it). I have these and they are great for movies and music not the best but very capable and I am 100% satisfied with their sound.

I also agree with the above post and recommend a better receiver from Denon or Harman Kardon. Onkyo is OK too. Yamaha is too forward. The monitors are slightly better than the R series (go lower +better tweeter) and the Rtis in some cases sound better than the monitors,but rest assured that all of the Polks are good quality speakers and to some the differences may be minimal-only you can decide by sampling the speakers yourself. For example, I recently set up a pair of M30 + R15 for my bedroom and the results are fantastic for <$200 much better than any home theater in a box or most if not all sub sat systems out there. Its all relative.

aaharvel

Eman wrote:

If money is a concern you can purchase a monitor 104 speaker package (M40, M30, PSW10, CS1) and save money

right on.

aaharvel

jtgranby wrote:

Sounds to me like you might want to wait till Oct and look at the surround bar with SDA. I heard it at the Polk Fest it sounds great.
Jim

REALLY?

LiquidSound

My suggestion, is to go with the Rti6's as fronts. They have a nice body and richness to them. Nice bass, but clean and full. Music and movies.
Csi5 as a center, this is you most important speaker in the system you are designing. It matches the Rti6's and will provide more lifelike voices and realism to your Home Theater. It is the anchor of your HT system. It is the center of the action, and therfore the center of your HT. Do not skimp on this speaker.
Surrounds..I'd go with the Rti6's if your surround stance is at a distance. They will provide a clean, matching sweep of sound with 360 pans, *all the way around you* which is very present in todays movies. They will make surround sounds more lifelike and less like simple sonic cues.
If your HT surround stance is very close to the seating position, I'd go with the Fxi3's or the Fxi5's *depending on budget* as they will not fire directly into your ears, but spread the sound to the sides, giving more of a surround feel, while still adding body.
Sub, I'd go with the equivalant price in the direction of Velodyne. I like their approach to bass better than Polk.
Receiver, I'd go with Denon in the same price catagory, maybe one step up, as I feel they have a better amplifier section than Yamaha, and a better sound for your situation..*in my opinion*
My rule of thumb is to take what you want in price, step it up one notch, and be done with it. Better to have and not need than need and not have. You can always turn it down a bit and have all the strength you need, if you need it.
Voice matching is where you have all your speakers have the same tonal quality. What that means is that if you have a sound swing from one point, all the way around you to the other point, it will all sound basically the same. You won't have *AHNOLD* riding a harley in the left speaker, a moped in the center, and a harley in the right...basically.

Good luck with your purchase, if you have any questions, Private Message me.

BIZILL

welp, by reading posts and contributing and asking questions on this polk board, you'll find your stance on how much you are willing to spend very quickly begin to rise.

i walked into circuit city not more than two months ago to replace my home theater in a box system. i went in to audition the infinitys. but the polk monitors sounded ten times better. but i did not want to pay retail. i hardly ever do. so ebay is the way i went. all brand new in box. but i needed to research these rti line of speakers that kept coming up there. so i found this polk board.

by reading everyone's posts, i found out that the lsi's are the best, yet more than i wanted to spend. found out that the "r" series were low on the totem pole followed by a step up to monitors. okay, ego came into play for me as well. so in-between monitor and lsi's were the rti series. that is the route i chose. in the process, i got better speakers brand new for less than i would have paid for monitor series at circuit city.

but fear not, mr. polk. i'm sure that the person i bought from paid nicely for them so you still made well on your end.

Eman

BIZILL wrote:

welp, by reading posts and contributing and asking questions on this polk board, you'll find your stance on how much you are willing to spend very quickly begin to rise.

i walked into circuit city not more than two months ago to replace my home theater in a box system. i went in to audition the infinitys. but the polk monitors sounded ten times better. but i did not want to pay retail. i hardly ever do. so ebay is the way i went. all brand new in box. but i needed to research these rti line of speakers that kept coming up there. so i found this polk board.

by reading everyone's posts, i found out that the lsi's are the best, yet more than i wanted to spend. found out that the "r" series were low on the totem pole followed by a step up to monitors. okay, ego came into play for me as well. so in-between monitor and lsi's were the rti series. that is the route i chose. in the process, i got better speakers brand new for less than i would have paid for monitor series at circuit city.

but fear not, mr. polk. i'm sure that the person i bought from paid nicely for them so you still made well on your end.

I almost decided to go with Rti8s all around how do you like the set up?

The concern I had was how close to the wall can these be placed due to the power port, the bass response, and having to have Rti6 and a CSi5 for a full 6 inch driver set up (compulsive disorder). Though at this price RTi12s and Rti4 with CSi3 is more tempting. The higher HK AVRs will run this set up as the total current load is about same as powering the aformentioned Rti8 set up. Anyway I am content with the M70s especially when listening to 2-ch SACD.

BIZILL

obsessive/compulsive? you think you're bad? what person in their right mind would have rti8's for surrounds as i do? ocd, man, ocd. anyway, i love the setup i have. perhaps i could see the benefits the fxi5's might have over my rti8s and........no, stopping myself in mid-sentence. my rti8's actually DO create a wide soundfield for the surround music and effects. perhaps an fxi5 would be wider, but i just wanted a better speaker for music.

on to you........i still think, according to what i've read all over, you should stay away from the rti12's. they need separate amplification. if you are willing to provide.......go for it. then use the csi3 or 5 and rti4's for surround and you'd be set. but whatever floats your boat..........that, you should do. i do believe i just coined myself up a phrase........don't ask. :rolleyes:

george daniel

but whatever floats your boat..........that, you should do. i do believe i just coined myself up a phrase........don't ask. :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

We say that in Georgia also

W WALDECKER

george daniel wrote:

but whatever floats your boat..........that, you should do. i do believe i just coined myself up a phrase........don't ask. :rolleyes:

i agree with George and the only way i know of to find out what your preferences are is to get out thier and listen. i know i sound like a broken record sometimes but here we go. all listening is subjective. what sounds great to one person may sound like fingernails on a chalkboard to another. some people prefer a relaxed presentation others like a in your face approach to sound. mine lies somewhere in the middle but forget what i like.get out there and listen for yourself before you buy and this includes the other gear besides the speakers. in the end all that matters is what you like because after everything is said and done you are the one who has to live with your choices.good luck.........WCW III

We say that in Georgia also [/QUOTE]

george daniel

Can I get an AMEN !!!

BIZILL

dang, got stripped of credit for what i thought was some original ****!!

W WALDECKER

BIZILL wrote:

dang, got stripped of credit for what i thought was some original ****!!

people have inhabited this planet for so long that 0riginal thought is extinct! even if a phrase or concept reaches your mouth first and you were the first one to express it verbally it has already been thought of elsewhere.just look at the music or fashion industry everyone is reinventing the wheel.

BIZILL

yeah, i probably heard that phrase some time ago and my subconscious mind remembered it. i tend to do this from time to time.

Jim Wy

Here is a thread from a couple months ago about the diff between the R/RT/Monitor line.

Jim