CSi25 problems

bulakh
bulakh Posts: 8
edited May 2006 in Troubleshooting
Hi guys,

I just purchased Polk Audio CSi25 for my home theater setup. I bought it to substitute my KLH center channel speaker which wasn't that great.

To my surprise, I was still getting distorted sound (most noticeable with voices). Is it a receiver (Panasonic SA-HE70) issue or I just need to buy a more expensive (around $500) center speaker in order to get crystal clear sound?

Thanks.
Post edited by bulakh on
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2006
    You may want to try hooking up the center chanel to another speaker output....as in Left or Right.

    If the problem follows the speaker... polkcs@polkaudio.com

    If the problem doesn't follow the speaker, double check your connections and settings on the Receiver. Try again.

    I would say off the cuff that it's in your RCV, since this is another totally different speaker....good luck.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • bulakh
    bulakh Posts: 8
    edited April 2006
    Wow, that was fast!

    The problem didn't follow the speaker, but isn't the center channel output supposed to be "different" from those of the other speakers (different wattage and sensitivity)? Could it be that I just need to buy a more expensive center channel since CSi25 can't handle the "pressure"?

    I was told by a friend that BIC America DV-62CLRS 2-Way 175 Watt Center speaker will solve my problems. It costs around $100. Is it really better than CSi25?

    Thank you for your help.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2006
    bulakh wrote:
    The problem didn't follow the speaker, but isn't the center channel output supposed to be "different" from those of the other speakers (different wattage and sensitivity)? Could it be that I just need to buy a more expensive center channel since CSi25 can't handle the "pressure"?

    No, it's just a speaker.

    No, it has nothing to do with it being an "inexpensive" speaker. It's no wall crumbler, but is capable of handling center channel duty just fine.

    I've heard good things about BIC brand, but your problem lies somewhere else from what I can tell. Another speaker, simply from what you've described, will only have the same problem.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • bulakh
    bulakh Posts: 8
    edited April 2006
    Thanks. Maybe I need to describe my problem better. I get nice and clear sound most of the time; but, sometimes, when the volume is too high, my center channel would produce cracked sound.

    I hooked up one of my R30's to the center and everthing seemed to be okay...
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  • jegs
    jegs Posts: 15
    edited April 2006
    Set your recievers speaker size setting to small for the center channel.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2006
    I would hope he did this in response to post #2.... :D

    The "cracked sound" is most likely distortion and either you're driving it too hard or it's set to "Large" instead of "Small", as mentioned by Jegs.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • bulakh
    bulakh Posts: 8
    edited April 2006
    I double checked - the speaker's size setting is set to small.

    I played with tremble settings for a while, but it didn't really help much.

    Could it be that I am using very thin wires? (22 gauge)
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  • jegs
    jegs Posts: 15
    edited April 2006
    22 ga is pretty small. Try some 16 ga and see what happens. At what volume level is your receiver at when the distortion occurs?
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  • bulakh
    bulakh Posts: 8
    edited April 2006
    Just bought 16 gauge wire from amazon. I'll report the results when I receive it.

    Distortion begins at around 67% and gets very noticeable at 80%.
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  • csi25User
    csi25User Posts: 4
    edited May 2006
    I just don't understand what is ment by "Nominal Impedance 4 ohms" but that it is "Compatible with 8 ohm outputs". My Yamaha HTR 5860 receiver says I need a center speaker with an impedance of at least 6 ohms. All seems good as far as sound and distortion goes but am I going to have a longevity problem with the CSi25 or my receiver??
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  • bulakh
    bulakh Posts: 8
    edited May 2006
    So I changed the wire, but the problem still persists.

    Any other suggestions?
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  • .Jon
    .Jon Posts: 98
    edited May 2006
    I had the same problem with my cs1 and ken told me it was a **** amp, which sounds like the right reason to me. What reciever are you using? The amp for the center could not have as much headroom and could be doing that. Ken was right about mine. if you want more info its the cs1 thread like 3 threads down from this one.
    vsnares
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  • .Jon
    .Jon Posts: 98
    edited May 2006
    nevermind, just saw it and looked it up, It sounds liek your having the same problem for the same reason as me. Upgrade time?
    vsnares
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  • bulakh
    bulakh Posts: 8
    edited May 2006
    I am using Panasonic SA-HE70.
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  • .Jon
    .Jon Posts: 98
    edited May 2006
    yea, look at my last post
    vsnares
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  • bulakh
    bulakh Posts: 8
    edited May 2006
    Yeah, I wish I had an extra $1000 for a new receiver...

    Thanks for your help.
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