what is the general consensus on the Polk Monitor line?

BjornB17

I got some polk monitors yesterday, two Monitor 70s and a CS2. So far I am liking them a lot, but i've read a lot of negative reviews of them from websites other than this one, and suggestions of me getting infinity betas instead (which are what i originally wanted but CC was out of stock).

What do you guys think of the Monitors? I like them.

lanion

The competetion in that price range is so intense it's impossible to declare a victor. From what little I have heard of the Monitors I liked them well enough. If you like them, I say go for it. If you paid retail price for them ($900) just be aware you paid, in the polk line, for quantity of sound over quality. Or, at least that's what the Polk product line would have you believe. The RTi8s are a little nicer, or so I have been told, but they only have 3 drivers instead of 5.

If you like them then I suggest you stop reading forums because you will just be itchy to upgrade, no matter how good your speakers are

cfrizz

Here is a brief run down.

Polk Monitor: Entry Level
Polk RTI: Mid Level
Polk LSI: Top Of the Line

ALL Polks sound good & are good value.
The next level will always sound better.
If you are happy with the sound of your Monitors, don't worry about what everyone else says!

Welcome to the Club!!!

BjornB17

Thanks for the welcome

I previously had some MTX speakers which i liked, but these Polks are definately a cut above. I had an infinity beta center channel that i tried out for about 4 days that i wasnt really impressed by, but i liked the polks from the minute i hooked them up. All my CDs sound really clear, and i've been having a blast watching my movies and concert DVDs again.

I did not pay retail for them, here is what i did pay:

Monitor 70s: $299 each + tax
CS2: $205 + tax

circuit city had the csi5 for $205 + tax but were all sold out, so they price matched the CS2 for the same price (originally was $299). i know the csi5 is better, but how much better?

doesnt seem like too bad of a deal for me.

lanion

You got a pretty good deal on the Monitor 70s then. $200 for the CSi5 would have been awesome.

It is good to keep all your speakers in the same lineup though, since that is what Polk intended. So I think you should be happy with the CS2. It should put out about as much volume as the CSI5, so I wouldn't worry much about that.

BjornB17

okay no worries then. The speakers themselves are also beautiful to look at and really compliment the room. They're quite tall which is good since the seating position (aka my bed) is quite high

I've never had such a tall and narrow speaker before. I'm used to having wide speakers with 12" drivers.

Also, is there any advice to help stabilize them on carpet? I tried puting large ceramic tiles underneath but that just made them wobbly

F1nut

BjornB17 wrote:

Also, is there any advice to help stabilize them on carpet? I tried puting large ceramic tiles underneath but that just made them wobbly

Carpet spikes.

ohskigod

no matter what speakers you get, someone is going to pan them. if you bought Infinity Beta's, even I would say congrats, you bought crappy speaks (I just hate the beta's, but that is just me) I liked the monitor line when I heard it, some of the best entrylevels I hear in stores. Infinity's? eeeesh no.

aaharvel

BjornB17 wrote:

I got some polk monitors yesterday, two Monitor 70s and a CS2. So far I am liking them a lot, but i've read a lot of negative reviews of them from websites other than this one, and suggestions of me getting infinity betas instead (which are what i originally wanted but CC was out of stock).

What do you guys think of the Monitors? I like them.

Monitors are designed to compete with Primus, not Beta. Beta is higher up in the food chain so to speak.

If you've already bought them and YOU like the sound of them, that's all that matters. If you're still bothered by it~ go back to C.C. when they get Betas in stock and do an A/B comparo between the both of them.

BjornB17

well I am really enjoying them, no reason to ditch them. Also they look very slick and sound just as good Anybody know of a good place to buy the Monitor 30s or 40s to hang on the wall?

da5176

I've got the Monitor line and am very satisfied so far. You can get the 30s on e-bay for $75-125 new. You just give up the warrantee. I got my CS2 there for $189 + shipping. The 40s are quite heavy and big for the wall, my 30s hang well with 1 screw. To stabalize the 70s try a black painted peice of wood about 12 X 15" they'll be just like on hardwood floors. Some people have lots of $ to spend on high end audio equiptment. That's great, I personally don't but wish I did so the Monitor line is much better than any out of the box set-up and You can always upgrade.

BjornB17

da5176 wrote:

I've got the Monitor line and am very satisfied so far. You can get the 30s on e-bay for $75-125 new. You just give up the warrantee. I got my CS2 there for $189 + shipping. The 40s are quite heavy and big for the wall, my 30s hang well with 1 screw. To stabalize the 70s try a black painted peice of wood about 12 X 15" they'll be just like on hardwood floors. Some people have lots of $ to spend on high end audio equiptment. That's great, I personally don't but wish I did so the Monitor line is much better than any out of the box set-up and You can always upgrade.

Floor space is somewhat limited in my 11x14 room so i cant really put any wood underneath although that does sound like a good alternative.

I'm a college student on a somewhat limited budget and the Monitors cost a little more than i was hoping to spend, but I guess it's a reward for myself after a good semester After listening to them all day today, i dont think i could be more satisfied.