cs2 trouble

royalty

Ever since I got the CS2 I have not been 100% about it. I didnt know if it was all in my head or what. After some rigorous listening tonight I am finally completely convinced that it is not in my head. The sound out of the CS2 is very bright, definitely centered around the high frequency range. The midrange is not very defined. In comparison with my monitor 50s, the difference in midrange is night and day. When I watch movies the voices just never seem to be -right-, and when I really turn it up to enjoy a scene the noise is VERY bright to say the least. I really dont think I am turning it up to a point that is damaging the speakers. This really aggrevates me and then I spend 20 minutes trying to adjust the settings. So do you think I should send it in?

danz1906

How many hours on your CS2?
Is it broken-in?

royalty

its definitely broken in....I have had it for months just havent done anything about it.

cnh

I haven't had that problem with my CS2 and the Onkyo....does the 706 have a cinema filter option? That should TONE down any 'brightness' on the center.

Remember the center becomes the most PROMINENT speaker in a surround set up with a DVD or Blu-ray! And that cinema sound is equalized, BRIGHT. The CS2 will show that up because it is a revealing center--

In addition, If you can 'hear' the M50s over the CS2 then your settings are 'off'. Did you run the auto-calibration on the Onkyo (Audyssey mic)?

cnh

royalty

I ran the auto calibration and everything. The CS2 is SUPER bright no matter if I am watching a movie or listening to music.

cnh

You got me....

What about the Cinema Filter, does your Onkyo have that? That button/option is 'designed' to tone down brightness!

A friend of mine on this site runs an Onkyo 805 M50/CS2 up front....and has never complained about 'brightness'--in fact, he loves his center with the M50s?

cnh

wutadumsn23

I also have a CS2 with my Monitor 70's and have never been dissapointed in it's performance. I run mine with an Onkyo TX-SR806 and has always worked very well. I ran the auto-calibration and if you ask me it made it worse. Probably something I messed up during the process, but I canceled out of it and set it up the way I had it before I ran it. The CS2 is a solid center channel to say the least and it should work very well for you in your set-up. If you feel it is defective call Polk and see what they can do for you, their CS is spot on from what I have heard.

royalty

That's why I am asking if I should send it in. I have heard many good things about it but it just hasn't turned out to be as great as they say....

tcrossma

Have you verified that all the drivers are working?

royalty

I am pretty sure all the drivers are working.

royalty

So polk customer support if you are reading this what do you think I should do?

tcrossma

royalty wrote: »

I am pretty sure all the drivers are working.

Are you "pretty sure", or are you positive? Get your ear within an in or two of each driver and make sure that it's producing sound. Use a paper towel roll or something similar if you need to help isolate the sound.

What I would then do is temporarily swap the CS2 with one of your 50's and see how it then behaves. This will help narrow down a possible issue with something else in the chain.

Good luck.

royalty

The tweeter of the center is just so bright it almost sounds like it is screeching

cnh

Some people have complained about blowing CS2 tweeters if you read the reviews on Polks product pages! But people who do that are usually using crappy AVRs that are driven to clipping. That shouldn't really be the case with an Onkyo 706?

But it is interesting. That CS2 tweeter is the same as the one in your M50s so it shouldn't be screeching anymore than those!

If you still have a warranty on those, give Polk CS a call and ask them about this...and if it might be a tweeter problem...if so, they'll probably just send you a new driver.

cnh

tcrossma

royalty wrote: »

The tweeter of the center is just so bright it almost sounds like it is screeching

Have you tried hooking it up in place of one of your Monitor 50's? Maybe it's being told to play that way by your gear. A quick swap with an existing speaker would be what I'd do to narrow it down a bit. If you find that it is in fact the speaker, then yeah, contact Polk and look into getting it repaired / replaced.

royalty

I swapped it with my monitor 50s, and they seem to screech a little bit to when its louder, although not quite as loud as the cs2. If its the gear thats causing it then am I clipping the tweeters or should I change the settings?

royalty

I think perhaps the answer to my problems would be to get an external amp? I do play movies and music at a considerably high level of volume