Polk Audio TSi200 & PSW110 semi-review
ksinc
Posts: 2
Hello to everyone. I just wanted to say "thank you" and share my experience.
I did a lot of lurking, searching, and reading of this forum and some others. I considered a lot of options and settled on Polks.
All your shared experiences helped me be realistic about what I wanted, could afford, and would be able to differentiate. I'm not an audiophile, but I listen to music all day in my home office. My tastes are very broad - I like Chris Botti and Enya, but I also like ZZ Top, Yes!, and .38 Special. I wanted something that would play reasonably clear and low at soft volumes and could also rock out without muddying up when I workout.
The source is mostly i-tunes out of an audio card and I decided that going "ALL OUT" with a system was probably not the best use of time and money, but I wanted something better than the Sony receiver and M33 speakers I replaced.
After investigating I bought the TSi200s and a PSW110 from Newegg. I also went with a Cambridge Audio 640A V2 on the AA sale. I use two Salamander Design 30s bridged together as my desk. They are cherry and black with stiletto feet and I bought the Polks in cherry to match. It's been a long work in progress, but they look great. The CA 640 sits in the cabinet with my computers. Yes, I got the black.
There were several NAD vs CA 640 type threads that really helped me a lot. I even looked at an audiosource amp two with meters and a used Carver. I had a Carver before and the nostalgia was strong, but I didn't want to mess with ebay. The AA sale on the V2 closed it for me along with the strong reviews here and descriptions of the sound. Even though most of you 2ch-types
have RTis and LSis I felt comfortable that the Polks were of great value and that the TSis would be fine considering my source and lack-of audiophile hearing.
The system has been up now for a few days and it's just blowing me away. The TSis are fantastic in this application and balance well with the PSW110 even at really low volumes - like don't wake the Wife up volumes. My Wife hates boomy bass and the PSW110 is very musical and she seems to be warming up to the additional detail.
I guess these are supposed to be Surround Sound speakers instead of true audiophile speakers, but they sound great to me and I are more than adequate for my office. They look great too which is also important.
I just wanted to let you all know that you each in some way helped a little bit. Even reviews of the LSis were helpful in convincing me that I didn't need to spend that type of coin to get decent sound from an entry-level type 2.1 system. I thought about the RTis, but honestly I probably wouldn't see a huge difference.
The 640A V2 has a pre-outs so if I ever do decide to upgrade I am going to keep it. The sound is very smooth, but warm and not fatiguing with the TSis and the Sub.
I probably won't be posting much as I can't really afford another hobby. My true love is golf. Archiving your discussions provides a great service to those of us that lurk and it helped convince me to go with Polk.
Thanks Again! Happy 2009 to everyone here! Thanks to Polk for a great product and a great website!
I did a lot of lurking, searching, and reading of this forum and some others. I considered a lot of options and settled on Polks.
All your shared experiences helped me be realistic about what I wanted, could afford, and would be able to differentiate. I'm not an audiophile, but I listen to music all day in my home office. My tastes are very broad - I like Chris Botti and Enya, but I also like ZZ Top, Yes!, and .38 Special. I wanted something that would play reasonably clear and low at soft volumes and could also rock out without muddying up when I workout.
The source is mostly i-tunes out of an audio card and I decided that going "ALL OUT" with a system was probably not the best use of time and money, but I wanted something better than the Sony receiver and M33 speakers I replaced.
After investigating I bought the TSi200s and a PSW110 from Newegg. I also went with a Cambridge Audio 640A V2 on the AA sale. I use two Salamander Design 30s bridged together as my desk. They are cherry and black with stiletto feet and I bought the Polks in cherry to match. It's been a long work in progress, but they look great. The CA 640 sits in the cabinet with my computers. Yes, I got the black.
There were several NAD vs CA 640 type threads that really helped me a lot. I even looked at an audiosource amp two with meters and a used Carver. I had a Carver before and the nostalgia was strong, but I didn't want to mess with ebay. The AA sale on the V2 closed it for me along with the strong reviews here and descriptions of the sound. Even though most of you 2ch-types
have RTis and LSis I felt comfortable that the Polks were of great value and that the TSis would be fine considering my source and lack-of audiophile hearing.The system has been up now for a few days and it's just blowing me away. The TSis are fantastic in this application and balance well with the PSW110 even at really low volumes - like don't wake the Wife up volumes. My Wife hates boomy bass and the PSW110 is very musical and she seems to be warming up to the additional detail.
I guess these are supposed to be Surround Sound speakers instead of true audiophile speakers, but they sound great to me and I are more than adequate for my office. They look great too which is also important.
I just wanted to let you all know that you each in some way helped a little bit. Even reviews of the LSis were helpful in convincing me that I didn't need to spend that type of coin to get decent sound from an entry-level type 2.1 system. I thought about the RTis, but honestly I probably wouldn't see a huge difference.
The 640A V2 has a pre-outs so if I ever do decide to upgrade I am going to keep it. The sound is very smooth, but warm and not fatiguing with the TSis and the Sub.
I probably won't be posting much as I can't really afford another hobby. My true love is golf. Archiving your discussions provides a great service to those of us that lurk and it helped convince me to go with Polk.
Thanks Again! Happy 2009 to everyone here! Thanks to Polk for a great product and a great website!