TSI 300 towers for surrounds?

jwynne5227

was wondering if it would be ok to use the tsi 300s for the surrounds instead of the bookshelf speakers. i have them as my front speakers but if i use them as the surrounds also then i wont have to buy the speaker stands that would be needed if i use bookshelfs. i know that it recommends the bookshelfs as the surrounds but arent they basicaly the same thing, the tsi 200 and 300s just that the 300s are towers. would that make my system sound better?, or not such a good idea? would like some opinons on this

cnh

I think you'd be fine, especially since I'm considering doing that myself. I have some M70s as fronts, and CS2 and M30s for surrounds. Will move the 30s to the back and use the 300s as surrounds...it's a no brainer.

You're right no need for stands...!

I'd say go for it.

cnh

nooshinjohn

better yet move the TSI's to the surround and get SDA's for the front!!!!

cnh

nooshinjohn wrote: »

better yet move the TSI's to the surround and get SDA's for the front!!!!

That sounds like a great idea, there are a number available here, in fact. Nooshinjohn brings up a good point here. What will you use as FRONTS? if you do that?

cnh

wutadumsn23

I think he was planning on using the 300's up front and getting another set for surround duty, if I read his post correctly. I think you will be fine, I have heard of people using Monitor 50's as surrounds, which is the same speaker as the TSi 300, and even using Monitor 60's for surrounds, which is the same as the TSi 400. Welcome to Club Polk.

nooshinjohn

cnh wrote: »

That sounds like a great idea, there are a number available here, in fact. Nooshinjohn brings up a good point here. What will you use as FRONTS? if you do that?

cnh

for the money spent for another set ofTSI300 for the front, you can get some fantastic vintage SDA's for the front and still have a bit left over for upgrades:D

jwynne5227

yes your right 300s front and back, but actually i have a pretty good package deal going with best buy, saves me a pretty good bit of money, plus i wanted to keep it all tsi, you know, voice matching and all that stuff, im thinking about getting some back surrounds now, i tried by amping and it doesnt do squat, so im thinking about takeing advantage of those other two channels

wutadumsn23

Yeah Bi-Amping with your AVR usually isn't even worth the extra cost of the speaker wire, so hopefully you didn't drop too much cash trying to find that out, lol. If you want all TSi's and you can geta good deal on them then by all means go ahead and do it, after all it is you in the end who must be happy with your purchase. If you really wanted more power later, make sure your AVR has pre-outs and you can get an external amp later to really get those TSi's to sing.

cnh

I stand corrected. And Wutadumsn is right. Although Polk's entry tower for the Tsi series; external amplification will make a big difference for your fronts.

What are you using to power your system? And do you have pre-outs on your reciever?

cnh

jwynne5227

i have the onkyo 606 so it doesnt have pre outs so does that exclude me from being able to add an additional amp

wutadumsn23

jwynne5227 wrote: »

i have the onkyo 606 so it doesnt have pre outs so does that exclude me from being able to add an additional amp

Yes, unfortunately it does....

cnh

That's right. But the TSIs are an easy load so, for now, an Onkyo 606 will provide enough power to run everything fairly clean and fairly loud. So I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I have run a 5.1 M-series with 605 and it was fine! The Onkyos are nice receivers in that price range. Ask Curt?

cnh

wutadumsn23

Yeah Curt is always saying how much he likes his 606, lol. I can't blame him, it was one of the ones I was looking at when I bought my 806. I love Onkyo's and IMHO, you can't beat what you get for the price you pay for most of the "entry level" Onkyo's. As cnh said the 606 will do just fine with the TSi setup you are looking to run, and in the future if you want more power to them you can buy a new/used receiver that has pre-outs so you can add an amp to your setup. I run a 5.1 Monitor series setup with my 806 (130W per channel) and it sounds amazing, can't wait to add an amp to it and see what they can really do.

comfortablycurt

Honestly...I'm really wishing I would have went with something other than the 606. I like the way it sounds and everything...but it just lacks a lot in certain areas. I really wish I could upgrade it...but that probably won't be happening for another 2 years or so at minimum.

Not having pre-outs is a huge drawback. I'm stuck in a dilemma...I don't know if I should upgrade to an AVR that has pre-outs, or just hold out until I can afford a pre-pro/ power amp combo. I'm leaning towards just waiting until I can get the pre-pro and power amp though. I'm basically set on a Rotel RMB-1095 5 ch. amp...and I'm leaning towards the Marantz AV-8003 for the pre-pro. Like I said though...that won't be happening for a couple years. I've gotta get my 2 ch. going...mod the XO's in my 7A's...and numerous other things.

That being said...the 606 is a great receiver for it's price range. The lack of pre-outs is a GIGANTIC drawback...It will do just fine driving those TSi's though. At least until the upgrade bug hits you and you decide you're ready for more power. Then you're screwed...lol

jwynne5227

yeah, i like the 606, but like you said that is a drawback also when i bought it two of the composite a/v hookups dont work. but since i was still able to get all my stuff hooked up and the hdmi's work fine i decided not to send it back, other than that i am pretty pleased with it, but for me it came down to either the onkyo or the yamaha rxv 663. i went with the onkyo because it was cheaper and had more hdmi ports

cnh

Curt is right. I still have my 605 and like it fine. But I run my main system with a Denon AVR 2807 which has those pre-outs and a bit more power. While Curt and most of the TRUE or aspiring audiophiles here prefer to use a dedicated Pre/pro. For us poor guys, 1000 dollar Denons and Onkyos will do nicely thanks! Especially since we already 'own' them. I hear murmurs of cheaper pre/pros on audiogon...too late for 'us' guys...money is tight.

That said I think both the Yamaha and the Onkyo are good receivers--my preference is the sound of the Onkyos. But that's not to say that the Yammy is not as good...just different. Polk speakers can sound bright or forward on some SS amps...the Onkyo tames that problem. I have found that Onkyos can even make a BAD speaker sound OK.

HKardon's are similar in that way.

cnh

comfortablycurt

cnh wrote: »

Curt is right. I still have my 605 and like it fine. But I run my main system with a Denon AVR 2807 which has those pre-outs and a bit more power. While Curt and most of the TRUE or aspiring audiophiles here prefer to use a dedicated Pre/pro. For us poor guys, 1000 dollar Denons and Onkyos will do nicely thanks! Especially since we already 'own' them. I hear murmurs of cheaper pre/pros on audiogon...too late for 'us' guys...money is tight.

That said I think both the Yamaha and the Onkyo are good receivers--my preference is the sound of the Onkyos. But that's not to say that the Yammy is not as good...just different. Polk speakers can sound bright or forward on some SS amps...the Onkyo tames that problem. I have found that Onkyos can even make a BAD speaker sound OK.

HKardon's are similar in that way.

cnh

Agreed. When I was deciding on receivers, I compared several different brands. I listened to a Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha and a Sony. I preferred the sound of the Onkyo personally. I found the Yamaha to be much to bright sounding for my tastes. Some people like that, but I don't personally. The Denon...I didn't like at all. It sounded neither to bright nor to warm, but just like complete crap all around...lol...Again, just my tastes. Some people love the sound opf their Denon's. Same goes for the Sony...it sounded better than the Denon to me, but not by much. I preferred the warmer sound of the Onkyo's.

I'm looking into getting a pre-pro/power amp combo, but that's not always the best solution for everyone. It's much more expensive obviously, and it takes up more room because of having multiple components. It's not the best choice for all people. For the vast majority, a good AVR is all you're EVER going to need. For the people looking for that extra edge though, the pre-pro/power amp is the way to go. Personally, I'm looking for that extra edge.:cool: I'm also a poor guy...which is why it's going to be a couple years before I make that jump...lol The 2 ch. is taking precedence right now.

cnh

I agree with Curt, and differ with his view of Denon's...I do prefer the warmth of the Onkyo but the Denon is a very 'neutral' sounding receiver. It is not bright and forward like a Yamaha, or as warm as an Onkyo or HK.

IMHO a good Denon has good sound across the entire 20-20khz spectrum. It doesn't emphasize any particular end (high, low, middle). The sound is 'very clean' and the highs have a bit more 'detail' than an Onkyo. The Onkyo is the more forgiving receiver--the Denon will expose any colorations your speakers have? It's not an exciting sound **** but an 'accurate' sound. That can leave some less impressed with it. The Denon is also a bit fussy about speaker matching.

They sound good with my Monitor 70s. But may push the Rtis to emphasize their 'brightness'? I find the Monitor series tweeters more laid back in general than the more power hungry Rtis. And the 70s more mellow than the Rti-8s for example? But this is based on running them off an AVR not a power amp. So that is a big caveat here. Because that makes a difference and most people who love their Rti8s/A-5s are pushing more power, and 'warmer' power through them that tones down that TWEETER!

cnh

cnh

I only have one pair of TSI300s which I plan to run as surrounds. My fronts are M70s (which were the predecessors of the TSI500s--the higher end of that line), I have the CS2 center (or the CS20) and will use my former surrounds M30s as back surrounds in a 7.1 system. At the moment I'm running a Boston A. XB6 sub with that, but I plan to run two Boston subs soon (have added the Boston HPS-12HO).

But I would've run the two polk PSW505s with that system had I not already had one Boston.

I've always thought the M50s (TSI-300s) were solid in their price range. But you need SUB. These are really the 'working man's speaker'. Good sound at a good price!

cnh

jwynne5227

yes i agree i have gotten the tsi 300s and i have them as my fronts and surrounds a CS10 as the center and a sony sa-w2500 10" sub. and yes they definitly need the sub but i have to say that when i first hooked them up and ran my audessy auto speaker setup they sounded a little muffled and i had a hard time understanding what the people were saying through a movie and when i turned the volume up it turned everything else up too so that it didnt correct the problem but i think that i got it fixed by turning the treble all the way up. dont know if anyone else ever had this problem but i have to say that i really like the speakers but was also wondering what others may be setting their speakers at to be getting the maximum performance out of them i thought that by doing the audessy automatic setup may do it but that just didnt completely work for me.

jwynne5227

yes ill give that a try

vijayl

Good point xcapri.. Thats what I'm doing with my current setup. Works ok.
CS2 as Center +4dB and RTi8s as fronts 0dB in the calibration.

cnh

I agree with xcapri79 as well,

Have my center up 3db on one system. But on my all Polk M-series (M70s/CS2 up front) I find that that is not necessary--the larger drivers in the CS2 and greater handling power make it a perfect match for the 70s--not much need for adjustment.

I don't understand why you're having trouble with that CS10. It might be worth bypassing the Audessey system and configuring manually in order to see if that center channel might sound better?

cnh