FXi50 v. f/x500i v. f/x500

asindc

I'm looking to buy a pair of surrounds for a 5.1 setup that will eventually be a 7.1 setup. My dilemma. We are building a house now that will not be complete until March 2003.

My system consists of RT800i for fronts, CS400i center, PSW350 sub, and a cheap pair of Onkyo surrounds. I wanted to buy the 500i set just before moving into the house, but I just found out that they are essentially discontinued.

There are a few 500i left to be had, but obviously the i50s are the present. Complicating things, I found an unauthorized internet dealer selling a pair of "new" f/x500s for $280 plus shipping.

Questions:
1) Has anyone compaired the i50s to the older 500i or 500?

2) Has anyone bought anything through audiogon.com?

dmamsa

where did you find f/x500 for <$300- My co-worker has been looking for them for a while now

scottvamp

asincd, sounds like you have a nice setup started. You are looking at the right sourrounds for your system. I have the fx500i's myself. I truly believe that there is not much of a difference between the three. Surely not day and night. The current model will be more expensive but you can probably find a good deal on the other two - I would go for it.:)

goingganzo

olny differance is that the 50 has the wood grane on them and the 500 and the 500i have laminit on them if you can i would get the 500i i think the new stain on the wood is not as nice as the old line aka 800i vs the 70i i just dont like the new stain it is to green and not that black

asindc

Thanks, for the compliment, Scottvamp! Goingganzo, that definitely helps me feel better about passing on the i50 pair.

I decided to go with the f/x500 pair (not to be confused with the 500i pair). I found a dealer through audiogon.com that was asking a firm $280 for them. After talking with a Polk rep, who told me that the only difference between the 500 and 500i is the vinyl finish as opposed to wood, I figured it wouldn't make much difference. I like the wood finish, but since it is black, I won't notice as much, if at all.

I have not dealt through audiogon before, so I'm just a bit anxious about how the transaction will be fulfilled. I paid by credit card over the phone directly with the dealer, Audio Video Creations in New York. They have been dealing through audiogon for a year now and have received mostly positive feedback from customers. Incidentally, they have other Polk speakers for sale through the website.