How big of an upgrade is this?

Log1x

Alright, I have some money coming in shortly and if I can sell my current Sony speakers (which I'm replacing) on Craigslist, I would like to get the Monitor50's.

How big of an upgrade is this? Is it worth it?

Current Setup
Fronts: Sony SSF5000 (Pair) <- I want to replace those.
Center: Polk CS10
Backs: Insignia Bookshelf Speakers <- I'm going to replace those aswell soon. I'm thinking about Monitor30's. (Opinions?)
Sub: Klipsch SUB-12 650w

Should I get rid of these crappy Sony fronts and for a budget, would Monitor50's make a nice difference?

-Brandon

be83663

Honestly, I don't know if it will make a difference, because I don't know about the Sony speakers that you have. But if I were to shop for Monitor series in your price range, then I would go for as you planned, Monitor 50 for the fronts and Monitor 40 for the surrounds, whether it is 5.1 or 7.1. Set the crossover points in your receiver at around 70 Hz and use a subwoofer to take care of the frequencies below 70 Hz. And I would definitely go for a CS20 for a better center speaker!

be83663

I just checked your Sony speakers. Pricewise they are about the same as Polkaudio's Monitor 50's at around $120/pair. On second thought, I would save up more money to go for Monitor 70 for the fronts, because I would think that 50's and your current Sony's won't make that much of a difference. But then again, I am not telling you from the experience; these are just my guesses.

bluecomet

I have the SSF-5000 speakers. In fact I have all of the speakers in that series except the center and the 1000 bookself speakers. The SSF-7000's are the way to go in that line. The 5000 is good for maybe the rear's. I am impressed by the 3000 and 7000 in the latest Sony line. I have a RT800i next to a Sony SSF-7000 which I compared. The Sony more than held it's own. They did seem to need more power than the Polks to rock. Don't get me wrong the Polk line is superior especially when you get in the Polk RTA line and the LSI line which is in a league of it's own. For someone on a budget the Sony 7000's are a good value. If you want to upgrade save some money or try to find upper end older Polks which are great. Good luck.

leroyjr1

Also look into the rti series.

Log1x

bluecomet wrote: »

I have the SSF-5000 speakers. In fact I have all of the speakers in that series except the center and the 1000 bookself speakers. The SSF-7000's are the way to go in that line. The 5000 is good for maybe the rear's. I am impressed by the 3000 and 7000 in the latest Sony line. I have a RT800i next to a Sony SSF-7000 which I compared. The Sony more than held it's own. They did seem to need more power than the Polks to rock. Don't get me wrong the Polk line is superior especially when you get in the Polk RTA line and the LSI line which is in a league of it's own. For someone on a budget the Sony 7000's are a good value. If you want to upgrade save some money or try to find upper end older Polks which are great. Good luck.

Ha ha, wasn't expecting a post like that to come from this. I was expecting to get shot/stabbed/wounded in some sort of fashion for even purchasing Sony speakers to begin with. :P

I'm trying to find a deal, I don't think I'm going to go with the Monitor50's as that isn't much of an upgrade come to think of it. (Thanks to be83663 for pointing that out. It's true. :P) I may be able to say I have Polk's, but that isn't a reasonable upgrade. I was looking at the Monitor70's which look quite nice if I Bi-Amp them (?)

I'm trying to find a good deal. If I do in fact sell these Sony's for what I want for them, I'll have around a $380-400 budget (no, I'm not seeing the Sony speakers for $380-400 ha ha.)

Anybody have any straight up suggestions that are noticable upgrades to these Sony's that would go good with my CS10 center channel and what not? I just bought this center channel and got a pretty good deal on it, I'd rather not upgrade that. I listen to much more music then I do watch Movies. I'm after that loud, clear sound at a value price. I have a Subwoofer to take care of shaking my house.

For those of which are curious, I have a Pioneer VSX-815 receiver. (Got it from a friend for $80!)

cfrizz

Welcome to CP Log. We all have to start somewhere & my first set of speakers were Sony's as well. I bought an entire Sony rig that came with a cabinet, receiver, turntable & speakers back in 1981.

Good luck on your speaker search.

Log1x

cfrizz wrote: »

Welcome to CP Log. We all have to start somewhere & my first set of speakers were Sony's as well. I bought an entire Sony rig that came with a cabinet, receiver, turntable & speakers back in 1981.

Good luck on your speaker search.

Thank ya.

bluecomet

It's weird the sony SSF-7000 speakers I ordered came in sony/Harmon Kardon boxes. I think the higher end Sony speakers are being assisted by other companies. There was one series of speakers a couple of years ago which was rumored to be designed by B&W. You don't normally see the higher end Sony speakers in best buy or circuit city. I had to order mine. There was some sweet LS70's on ebay last week for 240 dollars. That would be an upgrade for you. Keep checking ebay and this forum. I just won a pair of Monitor 7's on ebay for 99 bucks. I always wanted a pair. There is a pair of RT 2000i's on there right now. Good luck.

Log1x

I think I'm going to sell my Sony fronts, and save for Monitor 70's. Are those good for music? I just want to be able to play my music loud and clear. I get to -20 to -15dB on my receiver and my music begins to be icky sounding, and it's not even that loud. =(

I don't want that!

Menasor

Log1x wrote: »

I think I'm going to sell my Sony fronts, and save for Monitor 70's. Are those good for music? I just want to be able to play my music loud and clear. I get to -20 to -15dB on my receiver and my music begins to be icky sounding, and it's not even that loud. =(

I don't want that!

For that price you would pay for a pair of Monitor 70's, I would personally go with the RTi8's. You would need a lot less power to make the RTi8's sound good, and the RTi line is definitely superior to the Monitor line.

Log1x

Menasor wrote: »

For that price you would pay for a pair of Monitor 70's, I would personally go with the RTi8's. You would need a lot less power to make the RTi8's sound good, and the RTi line is definitely superior to the Monitor line.

Hmmm. So RTi8 > Monitor 70's?

Newegg is selling the Monitor 70's for $229.99 each with free shipping, but I'll take your word for it.

Does anybody sell RTi8's that are possibly local to me? I live in Mishawaka, Indiana. I have HHGREGG, Best Buy, Circuit City, and ABC Warehouse. I kinda liked the free shipping on the Monitor 70's, but if the RTi8's are clearly better, then so be it.

Also, do you think I should take my CS10 back and buy a CSi3 if I decide to go with the RTi8's? :x

Also, remember what my main purpose is, I listen to music the most.

Trying to make the best decisions considering I have a very little budget. I'll probably end up having to wait till Christmas time to get my new fronts, so hopefully there will be some sales and what not come the Holiday. :-)

Kchill

even for music the center handles the vocals...so yes get the 3..but the csi5 will blow you away...shop polk ebay site....it will save you a ton of $$$$

Log1x

Kchill wrote: »

even for music the center handles the vocals...so yes get the 3..but the csi5 will blow you away...shop polk ebay site....it will save you a ton of $$$$

Let me know if you see any RTi8's on the ebay for a good price w/ shipping.

Log1x

Oh wow.

http://shop1.frys.com/product/3753276#detailed

If those come in Stock, I may have to buy those right now. Supposedly the shipping is only $60 for a pair (was searching on Google, that's what it was for most people).

That seems like a steal if those beat the Monitor 70's.

Kchill

http://cgi.ebay.com/RTi-A5-Black-Tower-Loudspeakers-Polk-Audio-pair_W0QQitemZ360096486479QQihZ023QQcategoryZ3276QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

but if you can afford them

http://cgi.ebay.com/RTi-A7-Cherry-Tower-Loudspeakers-Polk-Audio-pair_W0QQitemZ220292633103QQihZ012QQcategoryZ3276QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

Log1x

Kchill wrote: »

http://cgi.ebay.com/RTi-A5-Black-Tower-Loudspeakers-Polk-Audio-pair_W0QQitemZ360096486479QQihZ023QQcategoryZ3276QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

but if you can afford them

http://cgi.ebay.com/RTi-A7-Cherry-Tower-Loudspeakers-Polk-Audio-pair_W0QQitemZ220292633103QQihZ012QQcategoryZ3276QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

Can I just go with the RTi8's instead? :] They look like hell of a deal from Fry's.

I want to get the RTi8's, and then take my CS10 center channel back and get the CSi3 for around the same price. I can't afford the CSi5 nor do I have anywhere to put it.

Kchill

yeah you can wait...but the price at fry's go up and down.....I have one in town and got the rti10's for 199.00 each ....remember they are in cherry too...not black...how far are you from fisher ??? I would call the fisher store and see what they have in stock...may be worth the road trip..also there is one in indiana too

http://shop2.frys.com/ac/storelocator/index.jsp

ask about the rti10's at both store...you never know what they have...and you could be shocked...ask for the csi3 and 5...I got my csi3 from them for 140.00 back early this year..they can also have them "SHIPPED TO THE STORE" only...prices are different than online. good luck

Log1x

Fisher is around a 3 hour drive. It's near Indianapolis. I'll have to check it out and see what's up. If I'm able to sell my current Sony fronts, I think I'm going to jump on the RTi8's if they come in stock at the price they are at. I can't afford the gas to drive 3 hours or the extra $99+ for the RTi10's, If the review's I've read thus' far are correct, I think the RTi8's should serve me beautifully.

Thanks for your help by the way, appreciate it much.

Kex

Log1x wrote: »

... I just want to be able to play my music loud and clear. I get to -20 to -15dB on my receiver and my music begins to be icky sounding, and it's not even that loud. =(

I don't want that!

That may be distortion you are hearing: very bad! It might even blow your tweeters, but usually it's the receiver that is at fault, not the speaker (not enough power for louder music). What are you using to power your speakers?

The RTi and RTiA range are supposedly better than the Monitor range. For a budget, you might also find good deals on the older RT range of speakers used (craigslist.com, eBay ...), such as the RT55 or RT800 (the newer versions have an "i" added at the end). These can play as loud as you should ever need, but you will still need a decent receiver to avoid distortion and/or subsequent damage to your tweeters.

Kex

Log1x wrote: »

... I can't afford the gas to drive 3 hours or the extra $99+ for the RTi10's, If the review's I've read thus' far are correct, I think the RTi8's should serve me beautifully. ...

The RTi10 seem to require a lot of power to really outshine the RTi8. If you do not have a very good receiver, the extra expense would probably be wasted on the RTi10. JMO.

brettw22

To be clear on the Fry's price, that's a per speaker price, not for the pair......so the Polk Direct prices aren't bad at all........then you wouldn't have to deal with the morons that make up Fry's electronics at all....

For you to REALLY get a lot of quality use out of a new pair of speakers, you will eventually have to swap out the receiver you have. It will do well with smaller speakers, but when you start getting into the RTi line, you need something a bit more robust.

I'm not saying what you have won't work, but that distortion you have been hearing is a sign that the receiver is being asked to do more than it can.........with bigger speakers, that problem will be amplified (no pun intended)......just be careful on your volume levels.....

Any time I'm looking to upgrade anything, I try to upgrade as far as I can so it's at least futureproof for a few years. I think the RTi speakers are more speaker than your receiver is designed to handle, but if you plan on upgrading that in the near future, I think you'll be fine with the RTi's for a while.....

Upgrading is basically an endless path through hell........lol......don't get too wrapped up in step up's here, and step up's there.......get a solid system put together then stop looking and just be happy with your system. If you have the money to deal with the constant looking/upgrading, great, but if not just get a few solid pieces and rock on...........

cfrizz

OUTSTANDING advice Brett!

Do it once, do it right, then sit back and enjoy for years.

polky noob

Log1x wrote: »

Alright, I have some money coming in shortly and if I can sell my current Sony speakers (which I'm replacing) on Craigslist, I would like to get the Monitor50's.

How big of an upgrade is this? Is it worth it?

Current Setup
Fronts: Sony SSF5000 (Pair) <- I want to replace those.
Center: Polk CS10
Backs: Insignia Bookshelf Speakers <- I'm going to replace those aswell soon. I'm thinking about Monitor30's. (Opinions?)
Sub: Klipsch SUB-12 650w

Should I get rid of these crappy Sony fronts and for a budget, would Monitor50's make a nice difference?

-Brandon

I don't know about the Sony fronts but I know the difference between the sony ssb1000 bookshelf speakers and monitor 30s or tsi100s is night and day.So I believe that the monitor 50's would be a good step up.Seeing that you all ready have the matching center I would just go for them that keeps you from having to upgrade every thing now like you would if you got the 70s or rti8s and still give a good step up for your needs.

Log1x

Kex wrote: »

That may be distortion you are hearing: very bad! It might even blow your tweeters, but usually it's the receiver that is at fault, not the speaker (not enough power for louder music). What are you using to power your speakers?

The RTi and RTiA range are supposedly better than the Monitor range. For a budget, you might also find good deals on the older RT range of speakers used (craigslist.com, eBay ...), such as the RT55 or RT800 (the newer versions have an "i" added at the end). These can play as loud as you should ever need, but you will still need a decent receiver to avoid distortion and/or subsequent damage to your tweeters.

The current receiver I have is Pioneer VSX-815 It's 100x7 watts and I don't know, it has a decent amount of features. I got it for $80 from a friend. If I get the RTi8's and Bi-Amp them, will that help at all with the fact that my receiver isn't all that good? I'm not 100% sure what Bi-Amping is, but would that give the speakers 200w instead of 100w?

I really don't have a budget to buy a whole new receiver, and especially one that's good for that matter, and when I do decide to buy one, I want to go all out and get a nice one that'll last me.

Dennis Gardner

cfrizz wrote: »

OUTSTANDING advice Brett!

Do it once, do it right, then sit back and enjoy for years.

So you think Brett should have bought the SRTs first?:eek:

Kex

Log1x wrote: »

The current receiver I have is Pioneer VSX-815 It's 100x7 watts and I don't know, it has a decent amount of features. I got it for $80 from a friend. If I get the RTi8's and Bi-Amp them, will that help at all with the fact that my receiver isn't all that good? I'm not 100% sure what Bi-Amping is, but would that give the speakers 200w instead of 100w?

I really don't have a budget to buy a whole new receiver, and especially one that's good for that matter, and when I do decide to buy one, I want to go all out and get a nice one that'll last me.

The Monitor speakers you are considering, and the RTi8 speakers you have mentioned, are not especially difficult to drive. I don't know a lot about your Pioneer, but it is probably good enough to power those speakers adequately for normal listening levels ... just don't let any friends try turning the volume up anywhere close to maximum during a wild party or other similar event. Figure out what the scale is on the volume knob, with the speakers off, for example, and stay well away from maximum volume. Also remember that good sound will often sound less loud than bad quality sound, so your new speakers may sound less "powerful" than the Sony speakers since they will probably be less "noisy" than the Sony speakers.

As far as bi-amping: you cannot truly bi-amp just by adding a second set of speaker wires to the same speaker from the extra speaker outputs on the same receiver. That's really only pretending to bi-amp, even if people do it all the time, since your Pioneer will never be able to output 100w to all channels. It's more like taking two half glasses of water and saying you got more water than with one full glass. It would make more sense IMO to check that you have decent 12AWG speaker wire.

Log1x

Kex wrote: »

The Monitor speakers you are considering, and the RTi8 speakers you have mentioned, are not especially difficult to drive. I don't know a lot about your Pioneer, but it is probably good enough to power those speakers adequately for normal listening levels ... just don't let any friends try turning the volume up anywhere close to maximum during a wild party or other similar event. Figure out what the scale is on the volume knob, with the speakers off, for example, and stay well away from maximum volume. Also remember that good sound will often sound less loud than bad quality sound, so your new speakers may sound less "powerful" than the Sony speakers since they will probably be less "noisy" than the Sony speakers.

As far as bi-amping: you cannot truly bi-amp just by adding a second set of speaker wires to the same speaker from the extra speaker outputs on the same receiver. That's really only pretending to bi-amp, even if people do it all the time, since your Pioneer will never be able to output 100w to all channels. It's more like taking two half glasses of water and saying you got more water than with one full glass. It would make more sense IMO to check that you have decent 12AWG speaker wire.

My receiver has Bi-Amping though, even in the manual and there's a setting when I go to Setup. I hook it up to Fronts, and the Surrounds (since I only have 5.1, and don't have enough room to do a full 7.1 and have it sound good.)

My Receiver is pretty good in my opinion. You have to remember, these Sony speakers I have are retailed at $159.99 or so for the full pair, I plainly think that the distorting when I get it to higher volumes is plainly the speakers. Depending on the song (if it's like, Jewel singing her super high notes in the song Foolish Games for example), the speakers will distort at around -15dB, but I've played other songs that don't have a female singing at the highest note possible, and I could pull off -10dB, but it doesn't sound amazing since these speakers are plainly cheap. MY receiver goes to 0dB as the highest, -95 as the lowest.

Kex

Log1x wrote: »

... Depending on the song (if it's like, Jewel singing her super high notes in the song Foolish Games for example), the speakers will distort at around -15dB, but I've played other songs that don't have a female singing at the highest note possible, and I could pull off -10dB, but it doesn't sound amazing since these speakers are plainly cheap. MY receiver goes to 0dB as the highest, -95 as the lowest.

If maximum is 0dB, then -15dB is probably distortion from the receiver IMO. Even good receivers would be at their maximum that close to the highest volume setting. My harman/kardon has a scale that goes from -80dB to +9dB, and I generally don't go further than -18dB after calibrating with EzSet/EQ (so, about 20 "clicks" from maximum, not your 15), maybe a little higher than that very occasionally. Similarly, my Denon has a scale from -60dB to +16dB, and I never go higher than -10dB (so about 25 "clicks" from maximum). If you had an SPL meter, you could check how loud you are really pushing those speakers, but without precise knowledge of the Pioneer, I would guess you are pushing it beyond its limits.

Log1x

Kex wrote: »

If maximum is 0dB, then -15dB is probably distortion from the receiver IMO. Even good receivers would be at their maximum that close to the highest volume setting. My harman/kardon has a scale that goes from -80dB to +9dB, and I generally don't go further than -18dB after calibrating with EzSet/EQ (so, about 20 "clicks" from maximum, not your 15), maybe a little higher than that very occasionally. Similarly, my Denon has a scale from -60dB to +16dB, and I never go higher than -10dB (so about 25 "clicks" from maximum). If you had an SPL meter, you could check how loud you are really pushing those speakers, but without precise knowledge of the Pioneer, I would guess you are pushing it beyond its limits.

I might run to Radio Shack and buy one, test, and take it back.