Polk Speaker Hierarchy

Pycroft

Hello all...

I am a relatively new Polk owner...my current setup:
Onkyo SR606
Center: Polk Monitor CS1
Fronts: Polk Monitor 50's
Rear: Polk Monitor 30's
Sub: Def. Tech Prosub 800

It's a great sound I am getting, especially for the price. Now I see on Newegg.com all the time (That's where I got these speakers) other polks. My question is...how do I know if those speakers are better than my current speakers? Obviously, you can't go simply by price. If I got a great deal and could upgrade, would it be worth it? How do TSi's compare? There are a pair of M10's on sale today for 70 bucks...are they an upgrade? If possible, could you list in order, the best to worst (Not that there are bad) Polk Audio speakers? I know my are relatively entry level. Also, if I upgraded just the center, then the fronts, etc., would it affect the system negatively at all? I know that you want to match timbre, ohms, the construction of the tweet's, etc.... Are there any speakers that wouldn't be compatible with one another?

Thanks,

Pycroft

maximillian

TSi's are an upgraded Monitor series speaker. They are slightly better but not worth going out and buying if you already have Monitor series speakers. I think TSi's and Monitor series speakers should mix well (other than aesthetics). The M series is like the R series, I believe, which is not as good as the Monitor or TSi series. These should not be mixed.

If you really have upgraditis then look at the RTi (a) series or LSi series speakers. Try used if you don't have a lot of money. Polk Direct on Ebay is a great place to look too.

talstarone

The M,R,and T Series Are Pretty Much The Same Entry Level Series for Polk.

The main difference being the R Series typically has their Ports in the Rear where the M and T Series are Front Ported,and the R Series have a different looking cast basket surrounding the woofer in their speakers.

They are the Entry Level Polk Speakers,but they are incredible performers for their lower prices.They are Better Performers then Theater In A Box Speakers.And they are better Performers then some well known brand name speakers that are priced similarly and some speakers priced a good deal higher.

NewEgg does have some Great Prices on Polk Speakers.Frys Electronics have some Great Prices on some of the Polk Speakers as well.

I have currently built a starter Home Theater set-up with the Polk Audio R Series.I was able to purchase the Floor Standing Polk Audio R300 Speakers from Frys for $119.00 for the Pair which included 4 day shipping.While they are entry level Polk's,they stand about 3 foot tall,and included a Polymer 6 1/2 Inch woofer with a 3/4 Inch Silk Dome Tweeter.

They are finished extremely well for the price and have MDF cabinets(instead of particle board you will see in other companies entry lines)(Not to forget they also have 5-Way Banana Clip Wire Connections).

The R Series 150 bookshelves are similar to the M10 speakers on NewEgg as well as the CSR Center Channel Speaker being similar to the CSM Center Speaker on NewEgg.

I have less then $300 in my home theater speakers from Polk(5 Speakers Total(Front (L&R,Center,and Surrounds(L&R))(and the price includes sales tax and delivery charges)

For the Performance at the price you would think i had about $300 just in the Front Tower Speakers(R300's).And they are more then outstanding speakers to be moved to surround duty when I am able to move up to the Monitor or TSI Series for the Front and Center Speakers.

So,feel more then secure in purchasing any of the Polk Speakers from the R,T,or M Series.They will serve well as the main speakers and will stay as Proud Members in the family as tremendous Surround Speakers.

HH Gregg,NewEgg,and Frys have Great Prices on Polk Speakers(Especially the Entry Speaker Lines).

I Paid @ $86.00(including Sales Tax) for a Brand New Polk CSR Center Channel Speaker(R Series)[(2) 5 1/4 Inch woofers and (1) 3/4 inch Silk Dome Tweeter].

Then @ $88.00/pair(Including Sales Tax)for Brand New R150 Bookshelf Speakers Serving As Surround Speakers[(1) 5 1/4 Inch woofer (1) 3/4 Inch Silk Dome Tweter]

And $119.00/pair(Including Shipping) for Brand New R300 Floorstanding Speakers[(6 1/2 Inch Woofers (1) 3/4 Inch Silk Dome Tweeters]

Total Price = $293.00 Including Tax and Shipping.And They Sound And Look As If They Would Cost 3 X's The Price I Paid.

wutadumsn23

The TSi and Monitor series are pretty much the same, and while I don't consider them an upgrade over the Monitor series they will as stated above mix well with the Monitors, except for looks. The TSi's have a glossy black finish, whereas the Monitors are a wood finish. If you like what you have, and are plesed by the sound then I would stick with what you have. If you are pleased by the Monitor series you could always uograde to larger Monitors like the 60's or the 70's (although they are hard to find these days) Or you can get TSi 400's or TSi 500's which are the equivilant of the Monitor 60's and 70's respectively. Also upgrade your center to a CS2 (Monitor series) or the CS20 (TSi series) Or if you wanted to upgrade all the speakers and spend a little more cash then you could look into the RTi or LSi series. Keep in mind if you go the LSi route they will need external amplification being power hungry 4 ohm speakers and the Onkyo TX-SR606 does not have pre-outs for adding an external amp, so that will be more money you need to spend for a new AVR that has pre-outs. I run all Monitors and am very happy with my setup. Good luck and hope you find what you are looking for.

PSOVLSK

talstarone wrote: »

The M,R,and T Series Are Pretty Much The Same Entry Level Series for Polk.

The main difference being the R Series typically has their Ports in the Rear where the M and T Series are Front Ported,and the R Series have a different looking cast basket surrounding the woofer in their speakers.

They are the Entry Level Polk Speakers,but they are incredible performers for their lower prices.They are Better Performers then Theater In A Box Speakers.And they are better Performers then some well known brand name speakers that are priced similarly and some speakers priced a good deal higher.

NewEgg does have some Great Prices on Polk Speakers.Frys Electronics have some Great Prices on some of the Polk Speakers as well.

I have currently built a starter Home Theater set-up with the Polk Audio R Series.I was able to purchase the Floor Standing Polk Audio R300 Speakers from Frys for $119.00 for the Pair which included 4 day shipping.While they are entry level Polk's,they stand about 3 foot tall,and included a Polymer 6 1/2 Inch woofer with a 3/4 Inch Silk Dome Tweeter.

They are finished extremely well for the price and have MDF cabinets(instead of particle board you will see in other companies entry lines)(Not to forget they also have 5-Way Banana Clip Wire Connections).

The R Series 150 bookshelves are similar to the M10 speakers on NewEgg as well as the CSR Center Channel Speaker being similar to the CSM Center Speaker on NewEgg.

I have less then $300 in my home theater speakers from Polk(5 Speakers Total(Front (L&R,Center,and Surrounds(L&R))(and the price includes sales tax and delivery charges)

For the Performance at the price you would think i had about $300 just in the Front Tower Speakers(R300's).And they are more then outstanding speakers to be moved to surround duty when I am able to move up to the Monitor or TSI Series for the Front and Center Speakers.

So,feel more then secure in purchasing any of the Polk Speakers from the R,T,or M Series.They will serve well as the main speakers and will stay as Proud Members in the family as tremendous Surround Speakers.

HH Gregg,NewEgg,and Frys have Great Prices on Polk Speakers(Especially the Entry Speaker Lines).

I Paid @ $86.00(including Sales Tax) for a Brand New Polk CSR Center Channel Speaker(R Series)[(2) 5 1/4 Inch woofers and (1) 3/4 inch Silk Dome Tweeter].

Then @ $88.00/pair(Including Sales Tax)for Brand New R150 Bookshelf Speakers Serving As Surround Speakers[(1) 5 1/4 Inch woofer (1) 3/4 Inch Silk Dome Tweter]

And $119.00/pair(Including Shipping) for Brand New R300 Floorstanding Speakers[(6 1/2 Inch Woofers (1) 3/4 Inch Silk Dome Tweeters]

Total Price = $293.00 Including Tax and Shipping.And They Sound And Look As If They Would Cost 3 X's The Price I Paid.

This gets my vote as "Best First Post Ever." Better than anything I've served up in 300+ mostly uninformative posts:p

treitz3

No doubt on the first post ever comment! Excellent introduction and contribution to the forum. Welcome to Club Polk.

Monster Jam

Its like stepping up to the plate with your first-ever at-bat with the bases loaded and the game on the line and hitting out of the park. Well done!

talstarone

Thanks,Sincerely, For The Warm Welcome And The Kind Words.

I have been a fan of Polk Audio Speakers For A While,But On My Last Home Theater I took A Different Route with Mirage Speakers.
This time I wanted to make sure I started with Polk Audio and Had Pleanty of Room To Grow.

ratiffshabang

first off this is my first post on here. i would highly disagree with you guys on this one. I worked at Circuit City for awhile and sold the monitor series and the TSIs. I also had a full 7.1 monitor series surround setup. I was very satisfied with it. However about a month ago i bought 2 Tsi400s to replace my monitor70s. I used a speaker selector to test them against each other.. it was no comparision. THe Tsis are SO much brighter and clearer. I was blown away at the difference. i've decided to go ahead and up date the whole setup now. Ordered the tsi200s and 100s. Can't wait for them to arrive.

wutadumsn23

ratiffshabang wrote: »

first off this is my first post on here. i would highly disagree with you guys on this one. I worked at Circuit City for awhile and sold the monitor series and the TSIs. I also had a full 7.1 monitor series surround setup. I was very satisfied with it. However about a month ago i bought 2 Tsi400s to replace my monitor70s. I used a speaker selector to test them against each other.. it was no comparision. THe Tsis are SO much brighter and clearer. I was blown away at the difference. i've decided to go ahead and up date the whole setup now. Ordered the tsi200s and 100s. Can't wait for them to arrive.

That is surprising to me that you say the TSi's are so much better than the Monitors. They are pretty much the same exact speaker according to the specs. I guess it all boils down to your preference.

cnh

This is pretty much a subjective matter of taste, plus the equipment you're running. I have a pair of M70s and a pair of TSI-300s. The 300s are a bit brighter...but the M70s are sweeter and smoother and put out a lot more sound than the 300s. I prefer the M70s which is not to say the TSI-300s are bad. And I'm not sure that's a fair comparison since the M70s have a cascade crossover unlike the M50s and TSI-300s. What I would say about the new line is that it's a little harder to 'place' because of the bottom ports. But otherwise they're not radically different. They are pretty much voice matched, the tweeter and driver colors are different. The bottom port gives you a bit more bass. The M60 and 70 weigh a bit more though than the TSI equivalents: TSI have more cabinet volume (a bit). And the TSI are ALL crossed over at 2.5Khz? Otherwise I think it's pretty 'subjective'. Try running the M70s off a good amp/receiver you'll be 'surprised' if you're not!

Welcome to Club Polk...Sorry about the CC thing...I was a supporter of the store...yeah it didn't sell, Rotels, Parasounds, Adcoms and LSIs but it had Polks, Bostons and Onkyos and Denons....not too shabby?

cnh

ratiffshabang

cnh wrote: »

This is pretty much a subjective matter of taste, plus the equipment you're running. I have a pair of M70s and a pair of TSI-300s. The 300s are a bit brighter...but the M70s are sweeter and smoother and put out a lot more sound than the 300s. I prefer the M70s which is not to say the TSI-300s are bad. And I'm not sure that's a fair comparison since the M70s have a cascade crossover unlike the M50s and TSI-300s. What I would say about the new line is that it's a little harder to 'place' because of the bottom ports. But otherwise they're not radically different. They are pretty much voice matched, the tweeter and driver colors are different. The bottom port gives you a bit more bass. The M60 and 70 weigh a bit more though than the TSI equivalents: TSI have more cabinet volume (a bit). And the TSI are ALL crossed over at 2.5Khz? Otherwise I think it's pretty 'subjective'. Try running the M70s off a good amp/receiver you'll be 'surprised' if you're not!

Welcome to Club Polk...Sorry about the CC thing...I was a supporter of the store...yeah it didn't sell, Rotels, Parasounds, Adcoms and LSIs but it had Polks, Bostons and Onkyos and Denons....not too shabby?

cnh

i have the TSi400s which are pretty comparable to the monitor 70s. also i have a great reciever. i'm rocking a Onkyo 806. So i can def hear the difference in the TSI 400s and the Monitor 70s, and to me its a huge difference. I just sold my Monitor 70s this morning to a friend. TSi series all the way

cnh

I guess that's why they call this a 'subjective' hobby. I've heard the 400s and I would never trade my M70s in for them. The 806 is a nice piece. I've run mine on an 805 which has better audio...maybe that's our difference? The M70s are also crossed over in a 2.5 configuration which the 400s do not share. I'm not even sure if the TSI-500s (which are the real successors) are crossed over in the same way. Anyone know???

Nonetheless it's in the ear of the beholder..Enjoy

And welcome to the club.

cnh

ratiffshabang

can you explain how the 805 has better audio than the 806? i sold both at CC.. so i'm curious why you think this?

cnh

No offense....I've heard both. See comments in "Onkyo 805 for sale." The new model has been downscaled with regards to audio. Still good but not an 805. Onkyo's site demonstrates that the 805 is very very similar to an 875. The 806 receives video upgrades and the new THX loudness/plus but loses Burr Brown DACs (1792) and the larger more powerful EL transformer...etc. 805 has 24 more amps as its high current peak....36 amps for the 806, 60 for the 805 (which is only 5 less than the 65 for the 875/6)....and we could continue the differences in design for audio. The 806 trumps the previous unit, only in video inputs and capabilities. Recent Bench test show that the 805 meets or exceeds its power ratings but that the 806 is rated a bit over what it can actually deliver in watts/channel.

cnh

[Deleted User]

Pycroft wrote: »

Hello all...

I am a relatively new Polk owner...my current setup:
Onkyo SR606
Center: Polk Monitor CS1
Fronts: Polk Monitor 50's
Rear: Polk Monitor 30's
Sub: Def. Tech Prosub 800

It's a great sound I am getting, especially for the price. Now I see on Newegg.com all the time (That's where I got these speakers) other polks. My question is...how do I know if those speakers are better than my current speakers? Obviously, you can't go simply by price. If I got a great deal and could upgrade, would it be worth it? How do TSi's compare? There are a pair of M10's on sale today for 70 bucks...are they an upgrade? If possible, could you list in order, the best to worst (Not that there are bad) Polk Audio speakers? I know my are relatively entry level. Also, if I upgraded just the center, then the fronts, etc., would it affect the system negatively at all? I know that you want to match timbre, ohms, the construction of the tweet's, etc.... Are there any speakers that wouldn't be compatible with one another?

Thanks,

Pycroft

Actually, there are Polk speakers that are not very good. Where do you live? Do you have access to any audio stores that carry speakers? The first thing I would recommend doing is listening to the speakers yourself. Have you tried that?

Welcome to Club Polk. Get ready to get all the info you need, there are brilliant individuals on here. Also, you could search for all the different speakers on this forum, trust me, its damn near countless.

Halen

wutadumsn23

cnh wrote: »

No offense....I've heard both. See comments in "Onkyo 805 for sale." The new model has been downscaled with regards to audio. Still good but not an 805. Onkyo's site demonstrates that the 805 is very very similar to an 875. The 806 receives video upgrades and the new THX loudness/plus but loses Burr Brown DACs (1792) and the larger more powerful EL transformer...etc. 805 has 24 more amps as its high current peak....36 amps for the 806, 60 for the 805 (which is only 5 less than the 65 for the 875/6)....and we could continue the differences in design for audio. The 806 trumps the previous unit, only in video inputs and capabilities. Recent Bench test show that the 805 meets or exceeds its power ratings but that the 806 is rated a bit over what it can actually deliver in watts/channel.

cnh

I agree with cnh on this one, while I have the 806 and am very impressed with what it does, the specs. are very different for the 805/6 with the better audio going to the 805 and the better video going to the 806. I am very pleased with the way my 806 performs with my Monitors and can't wait to add an external amp or two to really bring them to life.

motomech

Haven't had an oportunity to listen to the Monitor Series to compare the sound, but in perusing the spec.s, the obvious differences between the Monitor and the TSi line-ups are the driver materials;

Motnitor tweeter: Silk/polymer composite dome
Monitor woofer: Bi-laminate composite cone

TSi tweeter: Silk Dome
TSi woofer: Bi-Laminate Organic Fiber cone

And I remember mention that the TSi series uses mylar capacitors(whether the Monitors do or do not, I don't know).

Would not these differences have an effect on the sound qualities(for lack of a better word)?

cnh

I don't think there is any real difference in the Monitor/TSI tweeters--the TSI is also a Silk/polymer dome (if you look at Polk's labeling on tweeters they are not always 'consistently' worded). Both woofers are also Bi-laminates (the assemblies, I believe are the same) The only 'real' difference is all TSI are crossed over at 2.5khz and the towers are bottom ported with some increase in cabinet volume--but not significantly. The TSI-500 though a bit larger is actually a little lighter in weight? Most of the changes are 'cosmetic'). I have M70s siting next to a pair of TSI-300s on the same receiver A/B channels for testing. Those tweeters don't sound much different to me! Of course the cascade crossover in the 70s gives them a bit different mid/bass coloring. The TSIs are more greyish than silver in driver color? Different 'paint/finishing'. Updating from the, now dated silver fronts on the M-series. I will say that the 300s may play a bit lower than the 50s, I don't think that is as true of the 400/500 models.

Oh, and the M-series ALSO use mylar caps.

cnh

motomech

"Newer" and "better" ad copy.
Thanx for clearing that up for me.