CSi3 vs. CSi5... Great marketing by Polk???

StopherJJ1980

Just an interesting question that crossed my mind when auditioning my center channel recently. I was comparing the CSi3 to the CSi5 recently and while I was very pleased by both the CSi5 was obviously a bit smoother and more natural, had a tad more bass and blended perfectly with th front RTi towers. My question is what is up with the pricing? The CSi3 is 200 while the CSi5 comes in at double that at $400. Does it really cost Polk that much more for a bit more wood for the cabiniet and a bit more surface area for the driver? Double the price for a speaker just a tad larger? Or is it just great marketing pricing it twice as much for people that are anal and OCD like me that need to have the one that's a little bit better even if it is double the price? Don't get me wrong I definitely think the CSi5 is WORTH the $400, but is that really a realistic reflection of manufacturing cost vs. the CSi3? Am I the only one who wonders this? Im sure this applies to other speakers/series as well... Any thoughts???

VR3

The real question you should be asking is this...

Are centers really nessicary? Or is it all marketing? A conspiracy to appease the masses of headaches...

Something to ponder...

RTi4 = Dual 5.25" Midbasses, Dual 1" Tweeters, 2 Crossovers, 2 Enclosures (6 Sides), Two Power Ports, Two ARC Ports (two port technoloies Polk said they couldnt use). All for 200-250 bucks.

The CSi3 = Dual 5.25" Midbasses, One 1" Tweeter, 1 Crossover, 1 Enclosure, No Special Porting. All for 200-250 bucks.

Early B.

Yeah, of course it's all marketing. That's what businesses do -- get the most money out of you any way they can.

The Csi3 and Csi5 each appeal to a different target market. It's not always the quality or production cost that dictates the price -- it's whether a product can be sold at a particular price point. In fact, some companies sell essentially the same product at vastly different prices, but use different marketing tactics to attract specific audiences.

In the hi-fi world, these techniques are exploited very well because consumers are not very knowledgeable and tend to be brand-oriented. Bose is a great example of low quality and high prices. It probably cost Bose as much to market their products as it does to build them.

marker

Early B. wrote:

In fact, some companies sell essentially the same product at vastly different prices, but use different marketing tactics to attract specific audiences.

Such as airlines were you can be sitting right beside of someone who literally paid thousands more or less for the same type of seat which you did.

Ised8u

I am selling a brand new, in the box csi5 for $250.00 on ebay. I ordered it before finding this site and getting feedback on Timbre matching for the lsi9's that I have. It has never been out of the original box.

BjornB17

can you PM me the link to your auction?

Ised8u

PM sent