TSI vs Monitor

slam2900

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Difference between the CS20 and CS2, and the CS1 and CS10 are probably minimal at best, they are pretty much the same speaker (on paper). Difference between the CS1 and CS2 or the CS10 and CS20 is a bit more prevelant. CS2 or CS20 all the way. Good choice, you will not be dissapointed.

-Jeff

That is exactly what I thought the difference would be like. Last time someone said, "you will not be dissapointed," on here about speakers they were right so I believe it will be the same here.

kdog03

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Difference between the CS20 and CS2, and the CS1 and CS10 are probably minimal at best, they are pretty much the same speaker (on paper). Difference between the CS1 and CS2 or the CS10 and CS20 is a bit more prevelant. CS2 or CS20 all the way. Good choice, you will not be dissapointed.

-Jeff

These are definately not the same speaeker and the cabinet sizes are different. The cs10 compared to the cs1. CS1 is 1 inch shorter but 2 or so inches wider and is 3 pounds heavier. The CS20 compared to the CS2 is an additional 3 inches wider as well and heavier. The tweeters are pure silk on the CS10 & 20, the CS1 and CS2 are silk/polymer which gives that extreme "bright" sound I am talking about. I immediatly went to the 6.5" 20 series from the 5 1/4" when I placed them side by side and heard what I was missing. For example in the Disney Movie Cars, you just do not hear the low idling of the main characters engine in the 5 1/4" in many parts of the movie and once you realize this its hard to continue with a 5 1/4 series, the CS10.

For those who may be writing off the differences. Is it that your trying to convice yourselfs that there is no difference because you don't want to hassle with upgrading....maybe giving yourself an excuse to look the other way? Believe me, I wish i had not heard the differences then I would not have cared, knowing more isn't always helpfull...it just makes you realize what your missing and can depress your decisions in one way or the other. My decision in the end was to go from monitor 60's(6 of em) and a cs1 to a cs10, then to a cs20 and Monitor 70's then tossed them in favor of TSI500's. For sides and rears I thought the monitor 60's would do or even tsi 400's but thay are not 6.5" drivers. M20's would work great to match out the system and give better sound. All in all, for HT and Music, the 6.5" drivers deliver better sound. There is always the LSI 6.5'" rears and sides, but that opens up new territory...

wutadumsn23

Very true kdog, but I wasn't implying that they were the same speakers. Mostly just making a reference to the overall specs of the speakers on paper and saying there wasn't much IMHO to say that there was enough of a difference between the CS1/CS10 or the CS2/CS20 to justify the sizeable jump in price. Having said that I realize the tweets are different materials and that would probably make a difference, but enough of a difference to justify the difference in price? I run a CS2 with my Monitor 70's (as I'm sure you can tell by my signature) and I have been nothing but happy with it's performance. Have I heard the CS20, no but I can't imagine it would make that much of a difference to go out and buy one to replace my CS2. The main purpose of my post was to suggest that there was a bigger difference between using either the the CS1/CS10 and using the CS2/CS20 as your center. IMHO the CS2/CS20 is a superior center channel compared to the CS1/CS10 as your center. Also since he bought the Monitors as fronts I suggested the CS2 since it is the "exact" timbre match to them.

-Jeff

slam2900

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Very true kdog, but I wasn't implying that they were the same speakers. Mostly just making a reference to the overall specs of the speakers on paper and saying there wasn't much IMHO to say that there was enough of a difference between the CS1/CS10 or the CS2/CS20 to justify the sizeable jump in price. Having said that I realize the tweets are different materials and that would probably make a difference, but enough of a difference to justify the difference in price? I run a CS2 with my Monitor 70's (as I'm sure you can tell by my signature) and I have been nothing but happy with it's performance. Have I heard the CS20, no but I can't imagine it would make that much of a difference to go out and buy one to replace my CS2. The main purpose of my post was to suggest that there was a bigger difference between using either the the CS1/CS10 and using the CS2/CS20 as your center. IMHO the CS2/CS20 is a superior center channel compared to the CS1/CS10 as your center. Also since he bought the Monitors as fronts I suggested the CS2 since it is the "exact" timbre match to them.

-Jeff

Yeah I may have summed that up and said they were similiar or the same speaker, but that is what I wanted to know originally. If the difference between the CS2/CS20 was worth the big price difference. I'm happy with the speakers though. I set them up and have been messing around with the setting on my receiver. The 40s sound AMAZING! The 30s of course sound just like i thought they would, except the 40s make them sound terrible. The cs2 is likewise AMAZING. Although I'm going to have to make new shelves to fit the 40s and cs2, I'm very glad I went ahead and bought them. I'm hearing many sounds in movies that I've never heard which is why I wanted to buy speakers so bad. The 40s also destroy all the other speakers I have setup for other radios/computers in sound quality. Thanks once again to every one who helped me decide between either the tsi/monitor or the cs1/cs10/cs2! The people here at Club Polk are extremely helpful and nice!

wutadumsn23

No problem Slam, glad we could help and glad you are happy with your new speakers. Now just watch out for that upgrade bug, lol.
-Jeff

coolsax

I ordered the monitor 60's with the CS1 from New egg today..I had been in Frys recently and liked out the TSIs sounded but was really hoping to not spend that much money if I didn't have to.. But When I saw the Monitors on Newegg and realized that they were just the previous model, I thought i'd take the chance on them. I"m hoping to have this weekend.. going to pair them up with a Yamaha V465 for the HDMI inputs, and will probably eventually pair them up with either monitor 30 or 40s from new egg not sure which yet. what do y'all think? is this a pretty decent start.

Rodeo0530

You'll be happy, they're Polks!

wutadumsn23

Good start coolsax, I may have chosen the CS2 over the CS1 for those 60's though. IMHO the CS1 may get drowned out a bit by the 60's, but with a little tweaking you may be ok. As for your surrounds, if you don't have any plans on wal mounting them or can put them on stands without danger of being tipped over I would go with the 40's. I have them and they are great. Welcome to the club and let us know how it all works out.

-Jeff

coolsax

I thought about the CS2 but as i'm a little budget crunched i decided to save the 40 bucks... if its seems a little drowned out i'll can always sell the CS 1 and order the CS 2, or the CS 20 if I can't find the CS 2 anymore. Will definitley let you know how it comes out.

MrGlobe

Good choice on speakers man!

I have a pair of 40s as well as a pair of T15s (similar to monitor 30s) and the 40s are a whole different speaker. The 40s impressed me with their low end output, in fact I used a pair without a sub for 2.0 channel listening for a while. Since you are getting both the 40s and the 30s, you will know first hand how much of an improvement there is.

Also, Good idea going with a CS2 for a center, not only are they a great price, but they are a sweet center. You gave yourself the perfect upgrade path too.

kdog03

I have settled on TSI500 over the Monitor 70's for these reasons. Having tested them side by side, it has become very evident that the TSi500 are much superior with deep bass rolloff and a much more pronounced high end tweeter that spreads the sound much wider. The bass is literally identical to a PSW110-which i have. The monitor 70's, while punchy do not carry the deep rollling sounds. I was surprised on the tweeter because of the silk dome, but it was much louder, cleaner, and the range was dispersed accross the sound stage with authority. The monitor 70's are loud too but are centered directionally and do not spread accross the soundstage. Honestly I was gearing towards the monitor 70's but now I can honestly say I am glad I put out the dough for the TSi500's, they really are much more than the 70's. My audiophile friend who owns the monitor 70's was ecstatic about his purchase but now said "if I had known they, the tsi500's, would sound this incredible-I would have made the purchase; and i will soon now." I'm not trying to shatter dreams here but I did not expect them to sound THAT much better than the 70's-I would have never known if I had not determinately tested them side by side.

wutadumsn23

coolsax wrote: »

I thought about the CS2 but as i'm a little budget crunched i decided to save the 40 bucks... if its seems a little drowned out i'll can always sell the CS 1 and order the CS 2, or the CS 20 if I can't find the CS 2 anymore. Will definitley let you know how it comes out.

The CS2 is still available from Newegg for $149.99. They just had a sale on it with promo code EMCLXNN64 that brought it down to $109.99 w/ free shipping. Not sure if that deal is still going, but at that price you can't beat it. Diff. between the CS1 and CS2 is night and day IMHO, let us know how it works out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290024&cm_re=polk_audio_cs2-_-82-290-024-_-Product link to CS2 on Newegg

-Jeff

coolsax

I ended up getting the CS1 with the 60's going through a yamaha V465, in my opinion they sound great at least with music and football, haven't put in a good action flick yet. Still haven't figured out my rears or sub yet but I'm thinking of goingwith the PSW 10 from polk direct.. 105 shipped sounds like a great deal on my current budget... even being refurb.. anyone have good experience polk direct?
---- Edit NM they have already been bought.. that's what I get for thinking about it instead of pulling the trigger..

wutadumsn23

The CS1 might play well with the 60's, only one way to find out, lol. I have a feeling you will notice a bigger diff. when you watch a movie, since something like 50-75% of a movies soundtrack is carried through the center channel. It may not be as noticeable when watching TV and Music since they are formatted diff. and are not as center heavy in the dialogue. Depending on your AVR's settings you may be able to turn up the volume level on your center and turn down the volume level on your mains to compensate. The PSW10 is a good place to start for a sub, but depending on your room size you may need a couple to get an adequate amount of bass. I have a PSW125 and it does a great job in my smaller living room. You will probably get a lot of suggestions for SVS, Velodyne, and other top end sub companies, but depending on your budget they usually start out at around $800 for one of those bad boys. For your surrounds I would look into the Monitor 40's if you don't need to be able to wall mount them. I have them and they work great. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

-Jeff

jandree22

so what's the deal with the Monitor line... is Polk continuing with them or are the TSi's replacing? Monitor's aren't easily found on their site.

vc69

jandree22 wrote: »

so what's the deal with the Monitor line... is Polk continuing with them or are the TSi's replacing? Monitor's aren't easily found on their site.

Good info though, I was going to go with 2 pair of 30's and a CS1, now I'll be more likely to go CS2, pair of 40's and pair of 30's.

TSi's are replacing Monitor series. Good choice on moving up the chain.

FYI... I had a CS10 with Monitors 50's. Should have bought the CS1 but at the time didn't know better. The CS10 was not a good match as the had a very different tweeter, not voice matched with Monitor series.
TSi ---> CS10/20

Monitor ---> CS1/2

They don't mix and match well.

I prefer the Monitors to the TSi personally.

jandree22

great thanks. I'll have to make sure I get them all relatively soon then. Not a fan of the 12" depth of the 40's as I wanted to wall mount instead of using stands (kids), but I can just get creative somehow... I'd rather have the fuller sounding front channels.

coolsax

+1 on the 40's I really like how they sound as rears and can imagine they'd sound pretty good as just fronts as well.

saleens7turb0

I was wondering if I should get monitor 40's or tsi200 or RTi4. I am looking for them as rear surround speakers. I am kinda budget in mind but will pay more for a much better speaker. I see on new egg you can get monitor 40's for 129.99. The tsi200 I can't find under 300. Is it worth over double the price?

cnh

kdog03 wrote: »

I have settled on TSI500 over the Monitor 70's for these reasons. Having tested them side by side, it has become very evident that the TSi500 are much superior with deep bass rolloff and a much more pronounced high end tweeter that spreads the sound much wider. The bass is literally identical to a PSW110-which i have. The monitor 70's, while punchy do not carry the deep rollling sounds. I was surprised on the tweeter because of the silk dome, but it was much louder, cleaner, and the range was dispersed accross the sound stage with authority. The monitor 70's are loud too but are centered directionally and do not spread accross the soundstage. Honestly I was gearing towards the monitor 70's but now I can honestly say I am glad I put out the dough for the TSi500's, they really are much more than the 70's. My audiophile friend who owns the monitor 70's was ecstatic about his purchase but now said "if I had known they, the tsi500's, would sound this incredible-I would have made the purchase; and i will soon now." I'm not trying to shatter dreams here but I did not expect them to sound THAT much better than the 70's-I would have never known if I had not determinately tested them side by side.

This goes to show just how "subjective" this hobby can be. I own TSI-300s and M70s....Now I'm not going to argue about the bass roll off because the cabinetry on the 500s is designed to put out a bit more bass. But the tweeter in the 300s is THE EXACT SAME TWEETER THAT IS IN THE 500s and is crossed over at the same POINT. So I've heard BOTH tweeters and I disagree! I find the 300s sound more like the RTI tweeter which I don't care for except in the Rti-A9s where they are tamed by the D'Apollito array and cascade crossover.

On my system the M70 tweeter outperforms the TSI-300 --its sounds smoother, images better and is less bright!

Finally, and this is the last time I'll repeat myself. ALL the tweaks to the TSis were for HT!! And the tweeter surfaces are NOT really different....the TSI is NOT an untreated silk dome. It is a treated dome very much like the Ms dome!!

Subjectivity also works in reverse...shiny NEW objects can sway the listener..especially when one can see one's reflection in the Piano top---I know I look at myself in the TSI-300s all the time.

Now I do like the 300s I just prefer my M70s....Equipment is also important here...so let me say I've run both off a Denon AVR 2807 with an Adcom GFA-555.

In the end it sounds like you'd be even happier with Rti-A5s? Whereas I would not be. There is NO right or wrong answer here I'm afraid.

cnh

cwilliams

I didn't want to start a new thread on this since this is a TSi v Monitor discussion, but what is everyone's opinion on running the M30 or M40 for surrounds in a 5.1 setup while my current setup of TSi300's and CS10 up front? Looks aren't important, only sound. I'm new to the Polk family and don't have the opportunity to A/B these speakers to see if there is too much of a timbre mismatch. As surrounds, I'm not sure how much it would matter. Everything is being run by a Denon 1610 with a 12" sub and using Audyssey to calibrate it all.

wutadumsn23

I would say that you won't have much of a problem at all, IMHO. The two are so similar on paper, and from what I have "heard" are very similar on the ear as well. Most of the differences (as subtle as they may be) are with the big boys in the lineup. AKA the TSi 500's and the Monitor 70's. Either would work for you in your setup, as you said timbre matching isn't as important with your surround speakers anyway. Welcome to Club Polk.

-Jeff

cwilliams

I just found a pair of TSi100's for half price. Couldn't resist that offer! I've put my entire TSI system together from Best Buy open box specials. I've saved quite a good chunk of money on perfect speakers because someone returned them or the box was open. Not a scratch on anything! I did just set my parents up with some gently used Monitor 50's and CS1 that I got off Craigslist. They love it!

cnh

I will say that the TSI-100s are a nice improvement over the M30s...the larger cabinet, greater weight and slightly different porting give them a fuller, more powerful sound. Not that the M30s are bad. But the 100s are very nice bookshelf indeed...in my opinion they image better than the TSI-300s? And the have decent bass for a bookshelf.

cnh

wesouth

you want the M40 instead of the M30. Much better speakers

wutadumsn23

wesouth wrote: »

you want the M40 instead of the M30. Much better speakers

I agree, but the 30's are a more "flexable" speaker being factory designed to be wall mounted. That and the 40's are beasts, those two factors tend to make the 30's better options for surrounds. Don't get me wrong I love my 40's, but I have room for them.

-Jeff

biscuitasylum

My apologies for raising the dead with this post. Lol, but I have some questions

Many moons ago I purchased a basic HT setup utilizing R30’s as mains, R15’s as surrounds, and a Kenwood 5.1 receiver (can’t remember model as its retired)

I was touring constantly and was not home enough to warrant spending much on a system, only for it to sit most of its life.

I’m retired now so I can play again.

I currently run a Pioneer Elite VSX-49TXi 7.1. Pioneers one time flagship. I have absolutely no desire to become current with it as I have had the main board completely rebuilt last year.

I still run the R30s and R15s, because Polk just makes an outstanding product that just lasts! Lol

I never bought a Center, I just added another R15 bookshelf and laid it on its side.

Worked just fine for my needs.

Well, last week, I had a Polk Monitor 25C Center fall in my lap and oh my goodness talk about an upgrade for a center lol.

It does not match well with the R series Polks of yesterday.

So, I’m retiring the R’s and giving them to my son.

My question is this, Polk eBay has the TSI 500 and the TSI 100 on sale and I’m wanting to grab them but I’m curious if anyone has any experience with using the Monitor 25C center with this?

After talking straight with a Polk rep, I was informed they indeed will match well.

But I’m still curious if anyone has had any experiences with these models together as a surround system and what the thoughts were. Because I can still find the Monitor Series used.

I run a home built sub system that I spent 6 years designing on my own that utilizes dual 10” Car Audio Subs in a single box separated via two single cells, both sealed. One sub, an MTX is set at 80 on its own 120 watt amp and the second is a JBL that’s set to 120 on its own 120 watt amp. The MTX hits hard and heavy, giving you the feel, the JBL blended that with the Polk R’s to a point it all disappeared, as you want in a speaker system. I have ran all kinds of home subs and just do not like them. Even Polks. So my bottom end is absolutely no issue at all, I will tweek these to match either series I go with, Monitor or TSI.

Again, sorry for raising the dead, and appreciate any input.