Monitor 70's and 50's for HT?

d80zoom

I am looking at the ebay site for a pair of Monitor 70's for the front, and a pair of Monitor 50's for the rears, with the CS1 Center Channel Speaker for my home theater. I was thinking about the RTi line, but it looks like I can get the older Monitor series for less, and still have a great sounding system that will cost less. More bang for the buck. Does anyone have something like this and how do you like it for DVD movies. (I will be using my Mirage FRX-S8 sub-woofer.)

coolsax

Well if you're going to go the Monitor route you will likely want to get the CS2.. I have 60s for my fronts with a CS1 and i have to increase my center by -3db so that its loud enough on the dialog..

Ern Dog

I started out with Monitor 70 and loved 'em. Great speakers to start out on. If your lucky you'll stop there. The hobby gets more expensive as you go on, but the plus side is that your rig starts to sound more and more enjoyable!

If you want to save yourself some money, start with the older Rti line. Get some Rti10's !!!!! The Rti line was made for HT, plus you might find some good deals since it's discontinued. You can't go wrong either way with the monitor 70's or Rti's.

SivaNevets

recommend mointor 30 for rear (hanged)

Ern Dog

SivaNevets wrote: »

recommend mointor 30 for rear (hanged)

I agree. That's what I had for rears matched with Monitor 70's in the front.

LandShark

I had the CS1 and now have the CS2, massive difference. I would spend a little extra to go this route.

cnh

LandShark an I run somewhat similar systems....an Onkyo AVR, M70s/Cs2/M30 or OWMS as surrounds....And two subs..Mine are Boston Acoustic subs 12" (200 and 300 watts RMS respectively). and I have the Onkyo AVR805 which has a bit more power. But otherwise....this is a nice system in a small to mid-sized room.....and you can add power amps if you REALLY want to hear what a set of M70s can do by themselves....not a bad 'entry' level TOWER!

But if you want to save yourself upgrade-itis...save up and get the Rti-A9s and the supporting cast if you can....and you'll be OK for years to come! Of course this is more coin up front.....but if you're REALLY an HT man you won't regret it!

cnh

grimmace19

I run nearly this same setup. A lot of folks around here talk about the cs1 not being able to keep up. I however don't have this issue. Not sure exactly the reason but I really enjoy my cs1. I recently ran some thicker cable to it and it sounds even better than before. With the upgrade bug biting my **** pretty hard lately I still didn't even consider buying a cs2. I'm sure it's a better speaker but the cs1 has been fine for me. If you plan to get this stuff from newegg (which is always the cheapest) make sure to use Bing and get the cashback account set up.

cstmar01

I started out with the Monitor 70's up front and they worked great for HT. I also have a CS2 paired with them. For me it worked out great, but then as time has it I went to the RTIa9's for the front and they are awesome. I would have to say the M70's are great for HT, very enjoyable and produce a great sound, the CS2 is also a nice companion. The RTI line is also great, and I enjoy them even more as they have a stronger bass presence and are more detailed, but do require a bit of power for them.
You can also do a great deal at newegg on the CS2, I think I've seen it go for about 120 bucks or so which is not bad at all.

chemical

thats what i have.......m 70's for front......m 50's for surrounds,i do have a cs2 for my center and a psw 505 as my sub. my avr is an onkyo 806.

you just can't go wrong with the 70's and 50's,they will serve you well

MrGlobe

haha yet another member thats gonna chime in with a very similar system

I have 70s as fronts, CS2, and 60s as rears. I have never listened to the CS1, but I have a CSM (lowest monitor line center) and I can say that the CS2 matches the 70s so perfectly I would never think of getting anything else.

I have used 70s, 60s, and 40s as mains in my HT at different times, as well as 60s, 40s, T15s as surrounds. Great line up of speakers. In any event, the 70s are a great tower for your mains and I'm sure you'll love em

vc69

I would definitely get a CS2 to go with the 70's. I use 50's for surrounds and am very happy with the performance. However, if I had it to do over again I would probably go with the 40's and wall mounts.

d80zoom

Thanks for all of the input, I will follow advice and get the CS2 for the center channel. I do not want bookshelf speakers for the rears, which is why I selected the Monitor 50's.

st430

I think it all depends on your receiver.
I have my pioneer sc-25 and it auto calibrates the volume for each speaker so that it will match...
So my cs1 matches with my 70' front and 50' surround.
I don't like my center to get too loud...
plus the cs1 is already huge...the cs2 is even larger...

vc69

d80zoom wrote: »

Thanks for all of the input, I will follow advice and get the CS2 for the center channel. I do not want bookshelf speakers for the rears, which is why I selected the Monitor 50's.

Same here. I like my 50's for rears. I built some small riser boxes to raise them up above the back of my couch.

KASR

I haven't heard the monitor 70's, but I have the 50's and the CS1 matches really well with them.

PurpleRain

MrGlobe wrote: »

haha yet another member thats gonna chime in with a very similar system

I have 70s as fronts, CS2, and 60s as rears. I have never listened to the CS1, but I have a CSM (lowest monitor line center) and I can say that the CS2 matches the 70s so perfectly I would never think of getting anything else.

I have used 70s, 60s, and 40s as mains in my HT at different times, as well as 60s, 40s, T15s as surrounds. Great line up of speakers. In any event, the 70s are a great tower for your mains and I'm sure you'll love em

I am in a similar, but unique situation to many posters. I currently have the Monitor 50s for my rears and the CS2 for the center. My big decision no lies in getting the 60s or 70s as my mains. I would be adding a sub soon also (likely the BIC F12).

What makes this a difficult decision is that I use my system for stereo use with my turntable (vintage Marantz), but would like to watch Blu-Ray using the full surround sound.

Any thoughts??

vc69

PurpleRain

My fronts do double duty with my 2ch rig. I would opt for the 70's if budget allows. Many here like them for 2ch music listening a lot. Plus, I don't think you'll regret the upgrade but you might wish you had if you don't.

Welcome to CP

PurpleRain

Thanks for the welcome! Because I have an almost exclusive Polk system, I figured it was time to jump onboard. I agree that the 60s would be missing a great amount of bass when I did my 2-channel listening. Glad to have the support. Any other comments would be great.

Would one have a large need for a sub with the Monitor 70, 50 and CS2 setup?

*I have only heard the 70s at Best Buy when playing staticy radio.

KASR

I would say that clean, tight bass for music makes all the difference as it will also make a huge difference in the HT application (if your setup is doing double duty) in the LFE area.
While the 60's and certainly the 70's will get your mid-bass, you'll be missing that low-end.

MrGlobe

I would surely go with the 70s over the 60s. Honestly, I used the 60s as my mains for a long time, and loved them. They have a great sound and are very accurate. That said, there is a bigger need to have a sub with the 60s, and they just sound alot... smaller. When I upgraded to the 70s for the front I knew right away I had made a good decision. The sound is much more full and they sound much larger. Especially if you are going to be doing a lot of 2 ch listening I would suggest the 70s.

All of that being said, I have 70s, CS2, and 60s, so very similar to what you said, and I would answer yes AND no to your question of running subless. You will be missing a lot in the low end, as the 70s don't go down super low. Once you break the 70s in though, and if you are giving them good power, and more so if you adjust the bass level up a little I am sure you could have a more than satisfactory HT/2 ch setup. The 70s alone won't provide wall rattling bass, but they sound very competant.

Furthermore, the 70s match ALOT better to the CS2 than the 60s do. When I had the 60s as mains with the CS2 I could easily tell that the center was outpacing the mains. This was remedied somewhat by adjusting the center lever, but the CS2 is still a clearer speaker

EDIT: To conclude a long winded post: I would say get the 70s and a sub even if it means saving for a bit extra. You'll be happy that you did.

d80zoom

UPDATE:
What I wanted and what I got were a little different. I had to keep things under $500 and decided on the Monitor 60's for fronts, Monitor 40's for rears, and the CS1 center. I am very happy and the sound is amazing. I also got them all at NewEgg, as the price is only a little bit more than the Polk E bay Refurbished, but I got the full warranty.

KASR

d80zoom wrote: »

UPDATE:
What I wanted and what I got were a little different. I had to keep things under $500 and decided on the Monitor 60's for fronts, Monitor 40's for rears, and the CS1 center. I am very happy and the sound is amazing. I also got them all at NewEgg, as the price is only a little bit more than the Polk E bay Refurbished, but I got the full warranty.

Still great choices and I think you'll be happy with them - in the future you may decide to upgrade to the CS2...but the CS1 will work great for the time being!

cnh

If your room is not that big you can get by with the CS1....

Enjoy!!! Price is a factor for many of us. And that's one area where Polk shines...they may not produce the very best High End audio speakers in the world. But in their price class...TRY to beat them!!!

cnh

grimmace19

Ive been getting by just fine with a cs1 and monitor 70s for some time now. However I just jumped on a great deal from Dawgfish in the for sale area for a 2nd klipsch sub 12 and a cs2. Can't wait to be able to see what everyone is raving about.

cnh

Nice purchase....you'll be happy. I run a CS2 myself and consider it the best center in its price range...period! The Klipsch sub is a nice HT sub...very much like the PSW505 but hits a bit lower and maybe a little louder...it's a little loose with music as that cabinet and 12" woofer are basically designed for HT.

cnh

wutadumsn23

I couldn't agree more on the CS2. I know some people have had sucess with the CS1, but as stated I think it has to do with room size and layout. I run a very similar setup to most of the posters in this thread and have had the CS2 since day 1. There isn't a ridiculous price difference between the two speakers and the CS2 is worth every penny more it costs. Good luck all, and welcome to the new guys.

-Jeff

john E

I used the monitor 60's and the CS1 for a while but when newegg put the monitor 70's on sale for under $340 for a pair and a CS2 for $109 ,I could'nt resist and the 70's and CS2 have more detailed mid and mid bass and the bass is a lot better with the 70's then they were with my 60's ,I have a PSW-505 but I hardly ever turn it on after I got the 70's .The CS1 and CS2 are very close in sound ,but the CS2 has better mid range and just sound better to me .But they are very close in sound quality.i have the monitor 30's for surround ,but I put the 60's as my back suround since I had them,but I think I am going back to the 30's since they are smaller and I can hang them on my wall.

dorokusai

You folks have some nice HT's going on....post some pics in the showcase guys!

d80zoom

xcapri79 wrote: »

The Monitor 70's and the CS2 create a fine front sound stage. The Monitor 70's do sound better with more power so keep that in mind.

Looking at your receiver upgrade, I would suggest going with the Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH instead of the Pioneer VSX-819H-K. It is a much better receiver and has pre-amp outputs. It is definitely worth the additional $200-$250.

The more I think about the receiver, I think that I would be better off going up to the Pioneer VSX-919AH-K, which can be had for under $400. That will give me 7.1 and the capability of adding the Monitor 70's at a later date to go with the 60's/40's/CS1 setup that I already have.

zombie boy 2000

I've owned both the 60's and the 70's in a bedroom set-up and have to say the 60's are just a better overall speaker. Just a more coherent sound coupled with tighter, more defined bass. The 70's can sound downright sloppy in comparison. Don't get me wrong... great speakers at their pricepoint, but the 60's seem to do better all-around - even without a sub.