TSis

Ron Temple
Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
edited May 2008 in Speakers
Well BB has them on their site now and here's the catalog...

http://www.polkaudio.com/downloads/catalogs/2008/TSi_Series.pdf

They look like a nice upgrade from the Monitors though based on the same platform.

Question(s):

Are they really 4 ohm? If so, isn't that going to limit their potential market? Can they be driven by entry level AVRs?

Are the Monitors going away? Looks like they are being blown out like the RTis were to make room for the new line. Someone mentioned that Frys was closing them out too.

Combo rig:

Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
PB13Ultra RO
BW Silvers
Oppo BDP-83SE
Post edited by Ron Temple on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • devani
    devani Posts: 1,497
    edited May 2008
    yeah, I saw that spec sheets on TSi series supposedly got the cues from LSi series...it will be interesting to see..
    Video: LG 55LN5100/Samsung LNT4065F
    Receiver: HK AVR445
    Source: OPPO BDP-93
    HT: POLK SPEAKERS RTi6, FXi3, CSi5, VTF-3 MK2
    2Ch system: MC2105, AR-XA, AR-2A, AR9, BX-300, OPPO BDP-83
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2008
    There are some Club Polk members doing in-home demos right now.
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RutgersFTW
    RutgersFTW Posts: 458
    edited May 2008
    Wow, Fry's is selling Monitor 30s for $102.50 and 50s for $99/each. If there weren't so many wonderful RTis clogging up the used market right now I might've jumped on those.

    I checked out the TSis on BB's website last week and thought the towers (TSi500) looked pretty sweet. They said 8 ohm then, maybe it's changed. I also figure there will be more opportunities for open-box insanity down the road, which is always fun.

    I'll add a question:
    Are they covered in veneer or vinyl?
    Currently listening to:

    Marantz SR5004
    Sony BDP-S370
    Apple TV V2
    Audio Technica AT-LP120
    Mirage CMD-5 x 5
    Bic H-100
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2008
    Veneer.
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited May 2008
    Those are very nice looking speakers, thanx for the link. Just noticed that nominal impedance dropped to 4 Ohms for every model.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • tommyboy
    tommyboy Posts: 1,414
    edited May 2008
    That has to be a mistake, 4 ohm speakers and best buy doesn't mix.;)
    AVR: H/K AVR240
    Fronts: Monitor 50s
    Center: CSI3
    surrounds: R15s
    Sub:Velodyne DPS10
    Dvd/Cd: Samsung HD upconverter (for now)
    TV: 50" Sammy Plasma
    game hardware: 360 and gcn.
    Gamertag: kovster27
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited May 2008
    Not a huge fan of the silver mixed with the cherry but the silver & black looks decent. Performance aside, they look a little classier and better built than the previous generations. I wouldn't hesitate to demo those if they were in the price range I was looking into.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited May 2008
    Mark, any answer on the 4 ohm question?

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2008
    EDIT: 8ohm, 100%
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RutgersFTW
    RutgersFTW Posts: 458
    edited May 2008
    OneCall has them marked "in stock" w/ free FedEx 3-day but there's no mention of impedance.
    Currently listening to:

    Marantz SR5004
    Sony BDP-S370
    Apple TV V2
    Audio Technica AT-LP120
    Mirage CMD-5 x 5
    Bic H-100
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    edited May 2008
    Why no power port? Isn't the power port polks thing :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2008
    It's a typical tuned port but not a Power Port. That's the type of thing you get as you move up the product line.
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Grimster74
    Grimster74 Posts: 2,576
    edited May 2008
    I would almost be willing to say that they are 8 ohm speakers. I know the spec sheets say 4 ohm but why would Polk make a 4 ohm speaker for BB, BB carries nothing to really drive 4 ohm speakers. I know the TSi are supposed to be easily driving by modestly-powered receivers as stated on the TSi Spec sheets. Think about it, the LSi bookshelves have a sensitivity level of 88db where the TSi have a level of 89db, we all know how hard the LSi's are to drive using just a receiver in a 4 ohm load. Hell, but what do I know? :D

    Rob
    Money Talks, Mine says Goodbye Rob!!!!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2008
    8ohm nominal, confirmed. The cutsheets are incorrect and being amended.
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RutgersFTW
    RutgersFTW Posts: 458
    edited May 2008
    dorokusai wrote: »
    There are some Club Polk members doing in-home demos right now.

    Any listening impressions yet? I read in some thread these are more akin to the LSi line than the RTi line - what does that mean in vague, abstract, Stereophile-ish terms? "Warm?" "Bright?" "Holographic?" "Veiled?"
    Currently listening to:

    Marantz SR5004
    Sony BDP-S370
    Apple TV V2
    Audio Technica AT-LP120
    Mirage CMD-5 x 5
    Bic H-100
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2008
    If you demo guys are reading, you may comment at your leisure.
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • shadowofnight
    shadowofnight Posts: 2,735
    edited May 2008
    dorokusai wrote: »
    If you demo guys are reading, you may comment at your leisure.


    Since I actually demo'd the RTi A3 ...here is something I found...

    I was one of the home testers for the new 2008 line of RTi speakers...the RTi A3 to be exact. I was amazed when I measured the DC resistance at the 5 way binding posts to be 3.2 ohms ( Of course this was WITH the jumper installed between the low and high frequency binding posts....just as you would use the speakers in the regular non-biamped mode ).

    If you times 3.2 ohms by 1.3 you get 4.16 ohms....basically a 4 ohm nominal impedance.

    Since I was only the second tester in the loop, I didnt run the more advanced test to see the EXACT impedance at all frequencies ...you wanna run at least 100 hours through them before doing that test.

    But basically if the DC measurement is only 3.2 ohms....that puppy should be considered a 4 ohm load ...definately not an 8 ohm load.

    Any of you guys/gals out there with the new 2008 series RTi's ( A3's specifically....but really any of them ) and access to a DVM ...disconnect one of the speakers from your amplifier and measure the dc resistance.






    This description down here is REALLY easy to do to see what the ACTUAL load the speaker is going to present to the driving amplifier.

    It can be used all the way from a single driver to a completed speaker system....you just use the connections that will be connected with the speaker wire to the amp.



    If you just want to find out the nominal impedence of the speaker then there is a really easy way. Just use your multimeter to measure the DC resistance of the voice coil i.e. across the speaker terminals (with nothing else connected) and multiply the answer by 1.3. So if the DC resistance is say 6 ohms then the speaker is nominally 8 ohm impedance.

    More complete analysis with minimal equipments:

    a) Measure the DC resistance across the voice coil with the driver disconnected. The ohm value you get, is the lower impedance bound of the driver. Add an ohm or two to this value, and you should be at the nominal (rated) impedance of the driver.
    b) Connect a pot in series with the driver voice coil and then to the amp.
    c) Connect frequency generator or CD player with suitable test CD in it to the amp input, and start walking up the frequency scale in steps. For each step, measure the voltage across the voice coil terminals and then across the pot. Adjust the pot until both voltages match. Now shut down the amp. and measure the resistance across the pot. This is the driver impedance for the current drive frequency.
    The first rule of Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2008
    The Monitor, TSi and RTiA are 8ohm nominal loudspeakers.
    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Grimster74
    Grimster74 Posts: 2,576
    edited May 2008
    I'm hoping to have my review of my demoed TSi200's bookshelves up this weekend. Things are a little busy at work today so I can't get into full detail right now but I'm willing to answer any questions you guys have as long as I don't have to get into full details. If I wasn't so busy today, I'd have been all over this thread all day.
    Money Talks, Mine says Goodbye Rob!!!!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Grimster74
    Grimster74 Posts: 2,576
    edited May 2008
    I will tell you this, as stated above, the TSi's are easily driven with the Denon 3805 receiver thats why I was pretty sure they were 8ohm speakers.
    Money Talks, Mine says Goodbye Rob!!!!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited May 2008
    Doro,

    Where do these speakers fit in Polk's product line? Are these in between the RTi and Lsi lines or are they just a new venture with a different kind of sound? What is Polk's goal here?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited May 2008
    Russ said between Monitors and RTi As...

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter