need advice: R50s or Monitor 60s (T90EBs)

andrejoid

Hello everyone,

I tried searching the forums for comparison of R50s vs. Monitor 60s (T90EBs) but cannot find enough info to make up my mind.
My budget is very limited. My current setup includes 4xR15s (fronts and surrounds) and CSi25 for the center channel; I also have a 10" subwoofer (but very low end - $99 parts express down firing one). I would really like to get floor standers for the front but am undecided in btw R50s and Monitor 60s. I used to have SONYs for fronts and center, but could no longer stand them for obvious reasons, and just R15s and CSi25 is a night and day difference.
I need to act fast if I want to pick up R50s before they are gone and no longer available or I can get a pair of Monitor 60s. Both would be the same price roughly~ $350 a pair - shipped.
However, I realize that R15s and CSi25 might be a better match for R50s and I wanted to make sure and get some good advice on whether getting Monitor 60s with my setup would be a good idea at all.
Has anyone tried Monitor 60s with combination of R15s for surrounds and CSi25 for the center.
I listen probably 70% music and 30% HT.
I know that anything I get would be a substantial difference over the SONYs I used to have, but also I plan NOT to upgrade in the future (at least for a while) so I would not want to get the Monitors if I would have to get new surrounds and/or center for better timbre match.

Any advice would be very greatly appreciated,

Andrej

AzN_plyR

teh CSi25 center would be a much better match for the R50's ... and you can get 2 pairs of R50's for 350 bucks just so you know. FRY's or outpost.com when they have them on sale for 70 bucks a piece.

andrejoid

Thank you AzN_plyR,
I noticed that outpost or Fry's sells the R50s, but they have them only in cherry finish, and I'd need them in black to match the rest of my set up. In other words I am willing to pay more for the black option, but am not 100% sure if Monitor 60s would be a better choice because of this.

However, my dilemma comes down to the following:
Are Monitor 60s better speakers than R50s? I know any answer to this question would be of a subjective opinion but maybe someone out there had a chance to compare them at home or owned them at some point and has some good input to share. Demoing these at Fry's is almost impossible due to the way they have them set up and due to all the ambient noise.

If anyone out there would have the choice in btw R50s and Monitor 60s and would not care about the price - either pair would cost the same - what would you choose?
Would I regret getting R50s instead of Monitor 60s? Also given the fact that I already own CSi25 which is a match for R50 (but paid only $50 at Fry's), would you still suggest getting Monitor 60s and upgrading the center channel accordingly to match the Monitors and using R15s for surrounds? Would Monitor 60s + matching center be a better setup that R50s and CSi25?

Appreciate your time and all your suggestions.

Ron Temple

I think it's safe to say that most would prefer the M60. The 50s would match your system and should be much cheaper, but for $350/pair shipped I'd take the 60s and run.

AzN_plyR

Well, this is not my opinion, but someone else's on this forum, I forgot his name, but he said that comparing the R50's directly with the Monitor 50's and 60's was that:

The R50's has a spacier sound, more soundstage? while the the monitor series , the midrange is more in your face. He also said if I remember correctly, the R50's because of the bigger box and bigger drivers which = more bass presence.

and I think I remember something about more dynamics....with the R50's...

Also, I tested the M20 at circuitcity vs the monitor 50's side by side in movies... not music.. the M20 = R30 but in different color BTW.

I did only notice a slight difference, the M20 very nice and natural sounding, to my ears, while the monitor 50's had a colder sound, but they were VERY close in sound and If I did a blind test in movies vs those two speakers, I wouldn't be able to tell which is which in movies.


In your case, if I had a choice, I would grab the R50's just because they are SUPPOSE to be matched for your other speakers, you would enjoy that more than getting the monitor 60's and needing to upgrade the center.. and the surrounds although is fine using the R15's, a seemless timbre match all around
is better than just the fronts.

ALSO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Have you considered the R30's in Black at Fry's for around 90 bucks a pair when they go on sale?? Yes they have one less woofer than the R50's.. but according to some people who tested/own both the R30's and R50's, the R30's sounds better because of the crossover they use, which crosses it lower or was it higher? than the R50's. which makes it sound better. The R50's would have more bass, but that doesn't matter since you have a subwoofer.

My advice, get the R30's, maybe buy 2 pairs to replace the R15's also Since they cost so little when they go on sale. hehe. good luck.

Zen Dragon

In the modern available Polk lineup the "R" series is the entry level speaker. Then the monitor series, then the RTi's then the LSI's.
As you step up each level you gain some quality both on the driver side and the build quality. As such, without taking listener preference into account, the Monitor 60 is the higher quality speaker. Ultimately only your ears can tell you which you prefer.
A pretty nice jump comes in going to the RTi series, perhaps the RTi-8, but budget always dictates to some extent these decisions. Try to give both speakers you are considering a listen. Odds are you'll choose the Monitor series, especially at a similiar price point.

Maestro

AzN,

It was I who did the R50 - Monitor 50/60 comparison. Here is the thread: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39704

And please note the tweeter/driver information for R50/Monitor 50. The Monitor 60s have more number of drivers than the R50 and Monitor 50.

andrejoid

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all your input, suggestions and opinions. I decided to go to Fry's with some of my own music CDs to demo the speakers. I came in an hour before they closed and I was also able to stay little bit after closing while they were turning off all the demo equipment on the sales floor so the ambient noise was minimal.
Let me start off saying that the comparison in btw. the R50s and other speakers was not exactly fair because the tweeter on one of the R50s was blown.
I tried to use this as an opportunity to see if I could notice the low 2000Hz crossover, as someone has mentioned above, and I could agree that the cross over on the R50s is way too low. Without the tweeter the midrange and lows were not impressive at all and I started considering keeping my R15s for fronts or moving a line up. I could no longer justify spending $350 for a pair of R50s.

Also because of the blown tweeter I had to do most of the listening and comparison with only one speaker at a time. I compared the R50 to the Monitor line up. I was disappointed in Monitor 50 and Monitor 70. If I would were to choose right there, I'd have to go with the R50s. However from the Monitor lineup, the Monitor 60 sounded excellent. As mentioned above the Monitor 60 had a lot more forward presence. Even thought much brighter than the R series, the Monitor 60 seemed VERY well balanced. It didn't take much listening to find out the R50 sounded muddier in highs and mids where Monitor 60 seemed to excel (in comparison to R50s and of course considering if I were to pay the same for a pair of R50s; the RTi line up would be a completely different story).
What really took me by surprise were the lows. I was expecting R50 to sound better and to have more umph given the slightly larger drivers in comparison to Monitor 60.
The lows on the Monitor 60 were amazingly accurate, clean and musical and louder in comparison to the R50. I doublechecked the amp settings, went back and forth and disliked the R50s completely. Maybe the 3 driver design is superior to the 2 driver design on the R50s?
There was no question that the Monitor 60 was a step up and a higher quality speaker.
I then moved to checkout the RTi line up. I should not have! The RTi10 was just plain amazing in comparison to Monitor 60. It was like a drug to my ears and brain...How much better could the sound get? CDs I have listened 100s of times revealed sounds I've never knew existed. I started laughing just thinking that I used to listen to high def SACDs or DVD-Audios on my previous SONY speakers, which were BTW a POS. SOooo glad I got rid of them. I can't afford the RTi10 right now, but will surely consider them in the future.

So my decision is as follows:
I will look for the Monitor 60s when they're on sale (even if I'd have to upgrade the center channel).
I will buy R30s only if I can find them for less than $100 a pair. I cannot justify spending $350 on R50s. Heck, the R15s I bought 2 years ago sound quite alike.
I'd like to get the RTi10s, but it wouldn't be for some time. If anyone has the budget I would strongly recommend them. But don't take my word for it. I have not checked out too many other speaker brands yet. Some entry, mid-level JBLs, Klipschs and Infinitis, but I like the sound of Polks better. I'm yet to listen to some B&W DM604 S3, which I also find very attractive looking...

ivansfo

Thanks for your comments between the R50 and Monitor 60. I've been looking for an upgrade path too from my R50 HT setup and sounds like the Monitor 60 could be right for me too. Which Fry's did you go to? I drop by the Palo Alto store yesterday and they did not have the Monitor 60s on display. They only had the Monitor 50 and Monitor 70.

Something else to consider is the receiver to power the speaker system. If you go upgrade to the RTi line, I recommend you have at least at $1000 receiver or external amps. Right now I have an Onkyo 701 which does a fine job with the R series. With the same receiver, I tried out the RTi line at my house and I believe the receiver just didn't have enough power to make them come alive. So I hope the Monitor series are more efficient than that.

When I demo'd the RTi line, it was at Fry's in Sunnyvale. They had a $2000 Harmon Kardon receiver driving them. The sound was very impressive.

andrejoid

Hi ivansfo,

I went to the City of Industry Fry's. They had Harman Kardon receiver driving the demo room, but unfortunatelly I did not take a note of the model.
I will keep an eye on tweeter.com and hopefully they will have the T90EB on sale again for $175 each ($350 a pair) with free shipping. I have seen this deal to appear and go every few months. It is the same as Monitor 60, but is all black, including the feet and the finish is real wood veneer instead of vinyl.

zombie boy 2000

Andrejoid
I think you're choosing wisely. It's always easier to upgrade the center than the fronts. Moreover, I'm assuming that most of your music listening will be in 2-channel anyway, so keep heading down that trail. FYI, if (and when) you do decide to pick up a center speak from the Monitor line-up, HH Gregg has had the CS1 for a cool 120.00 for at least a year. I asked em if they were aware they were so much lower than the competition on this pricepoint, and they said that the CS1 had alway been priced this way at their stores.
go figure

zombie boy 2000

Well I guess the winds of change are a'blowin cuz a quick glance at the HH Gregg web-site shows them on sale for 152.00. I guess the near universal 10% markdown of Monitor speaks has forced an inverse reaction from your pals HH and Gregory. Sorry... but it's still the best deal:o

Ultiman

If you go upgrade to the RTi line, I recommend you have at least at $1000 receiver or external amps.

I'm using the Rti4s with a Csi3 center...Onkyo 503/530 HTIB reciever. Would it make a big difference if I upgraded my reciever? Is it necessary? Thanks!

da5176

I'd go with the Monitor 60s. I have them and love them. I got mine a HH Gregg for $340 + tax after a little negotiating. Be patient and willing to go back a few times but eventually, they will give you the price point you want.

ivansfo

Ultiman wrote:

I'm using the Rti4s with a Csi3 center...Onkyo 503/530 HTIB reciever. Would it make a big difference if I upgraded my reciever? Is it necessary? Thanks!

For me I had a pair of RTi8, RTi4, and CSi5. The Onkyo 701 played them all but it didn't sound full to me. Even my wife who could care less about my HT system said the Polk R series sounded more "theater like".

For you I think there will be an improvement if you get a higher power receiver. But that's something you need to decide if the slight improvement is worth it.

ivansfo

andrejoid wrote:

Hi ivansfo,

I went to the City of Industry Fry's. They had Harman Kardon receiver driving the demo room, but unfortunatelly I did not take a note of the model.
I will keep an eye on tweeter.com and hopefully they will have the T90EB on sale again for $175 each ($350 a pair) with free shipping. I have seen this deal to appear and go every few months. It is the same as Monitor 60, but is all black, including the feet and the finish is real wood veneer instead of vinyl.

I'll try another local Fry's to see if they have the M60s on display. If I like them I'll watch for sales too!

Thanks for the info.