Recommendations for HT on-wall fronts with existing CS10

jimshep

I have a Harman Kardon HKTS-18 HT speaker package in which the center broke. The center has since been replaced with a CS10 which sounds great to me, but now makes the HKTS-18 fronts sound tinny. I am looking at replacing the fronts, but am having a hard time determining which Polk fronts would work best for this setup. The speakers need to be wall mounted (high on the wall) and need to blend in reasonably well (wife requirement). The room with the speakers is 12'W x 15'L and opens up in the back to a similar size area. The fronts I have been looking at are:

OWM5
RM8
VM10
others?

Thanks for your recommendations.

-Jim

JohnCWillis

I have heard the tsi200's in stores and produce beautiful warm rich sound with a good power handling. They are Spec'd at 15 2/5" tall so I would have to recommend these first because they are timbre matched to the cs10 (the center i own). If not the tsi100's sound just as good (maybe a little brighter but not noticeable). Good luck!

jimshep

I had considered the tsi100's or tsi200's, but the depth (10.5" and 11.75") means that they will stick out from the wall quite a bit, especially compared to the OWM5 at 4.1", RM8 at 4.25", and the VM10 at 4.25". Would any of these smaller speakers come close to the sound of the tsi100/200? The OWM5 is supposed to be timbre matched to the tsi series. I might try some quick mock-ups of the tsi100/200s to see if they would work aesthetically.

JohnCWillis

i have not heard the OWM5's but i dont think they will be enough for front speakers (unless your room is small). They wont give you enough depth or power such as the tsi200's. Why does the depth bother you? the 200s are very sexy speakers...

rallyshark

JohnCWillis wrote: »

i have not heard the OWM5's but i dont think they will be enough for front speakers (unless your room is small). They wont give you enough depth or power such as the tsi200's. Why does the depth bother you? the 200s are very sexy speakers...

You gotta remember what he's replacing here, and he won't have a problem with their looks as much as his WIFE will:D...That being said, the OWM 5s will be a step up, and the best bang for the buck of the speakers listed. No, they will not sound as good as the TSi200s I don't think, but they do wall mount quite well. The VM10s are good speakers, but expensive in comparison to the others you listed. They will be on the bright side as well. I have OWM 5 as fronts and they work very well for HT IMO:) They definitely are not the best speaker out there, but they do a damn fine job when crossed over and set up properly. They take everything my Marantz throws at them without missing a beat. They are crossed over at 100hz though. I hope that helps:)

jimshep

JohnCWillis wrote: »

i have not heard the OWM5's but i dont think they will be enough for front speakers (unless your room is small). They wont give you enough depth or power such as the tsi200's. Why does the depth bother you? the 200s are very sexy speakers...

The depth doesn't bother me much, it's the wife that will have an issue. She has already made comments about the size of the CS10, but since it sits on an AV cabinet with a similar finish it got a pass. When entering the room you are next to and facing parallel to the wall on which the fronts and projection screen are mounted. The depth of the speakers is quite noticeable from this viewpoint, especially since nothing else above the 2.5' high cabinet centered under the screen protrudes from the wall more than a couple of inches.

I am looking for a compromise between sound and aesthetics for this setup with speakers that are not substantially larger than the current ones (9.5"H x 4"W x 3.6"D).

jimshep

rallyshark wrote: »

You gotta remember what he's replacing here, and he won't have a problem with their looks as much as his WIFE will:D...That being said, the OWM 5s will be a step up, and the best bang for the buck of the speakers listed. No, they will not sound as good as the TSi200s I don't think, but they do wall mount quite well. The VM10s are good speakers, but expensive in comparison to the others you listed. They will be on the bright side as well. I have OWM 5 as fronts and they work very well for HT IMO:) They definitely are not the best speaker out there, but they do a damn fine job when crossed over and set up properly. They take everything my Marantz throws at them without missing a beat. They are crossed over at 100hz though. I hope that helps:)

You're correct about the source of the aesthetics concerns.

How do the OWM5's compare to the RM20's? The specs for the RM20 fronts seem similar to the HKTS-18 fronts, so your comparison should give me an idea of how much of a difference I could expect, if any, going to the OWM5's.

Any comments on the RM8's compared to the RM20's or OWM5's?

rallyshark

In respects to the OWM 5, RM20, and the RM8, I still think the OWM 5 is the best one of the three to suit your needs. I am using a combo of the RM 20 5 pack and the OWM 5s in my set up. I use the OWM 5 for the fronts, while using the RM20 speakers for my center/surrounds/surround back. You want the speaker with the fullest sound up front, and that's why I chose the OWM 5. It was the "largest" and fullest sounding speaker that would work for MY particular application. Like you, size/space/mounting guided my decision.

I have also owned the RM8. It's a great sounding speaker for it's size, and would work best for surround duty. You just have to keep in mind that none of these will sound better than a larger speaker/enclosure such as the TSi. The RM 20 speakers are not bad either. FWIW, the 5 pack actually includes 2 RM201 satellites, 1 RM202 center, and 2 RM101 satellites. The RM 202 does an acceptable job for a center channel of it's size, but will never rival a full sized center such as CS2, CSi, RTiA, etc. Unfortunately, speakers are kinda like cars, there is no replacement for displacement:D With all of that in mind...Buy the OWM 5 if you are only going to get some fronts to work with your current set up. It is the most "neutral" sounding speaker of the 3 I'm speaking of. However, if you can catch a good bid on Polk Audio Direct for an RM 20 5 pack, I say grab it and replace all of your satellites. The OWM 5,3, RM 201, and the RM8 even, will blow the HKs out of the water!

Please keep in mind, all my recommendations here are based only on MY experience, and with keeping things within the constraints you listed:) It sounds like your situation is very similar to mine, so I think most of what I'm saying is somewhat reliable. I hope this helps:o Oh, and welcome Club Polk!

jimshep

Thanks very much for your suggestions. It's hard reading all of the reviews describing the great sound coming out of the larger speakers, but a good smaller speaker is better than none at all which is the only other option I have. I'm going to try the OWM5s. The white option should also help offset the slightly larger enclosures, as the trim in the room is also white. I'll post my opinions of the speakers once I get them setup and run them through the paces. Thanks again.

rallyshark

jimshep wrote: »

Thanks very much for your suggestions. It's hard reading all of the reviews describing the great sound coming out of the larger speakers, but a good smaller speaker is better than none at all which is the only other option I have. I'm going to try the OWM5s. The white option should also help offset the slightly larger enclosures, as the trim in the room is also white. I'll post my opinions of the speakers once I get them setup and run them through the paces. Thanks again.

Good choice! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised:) And yes, please do post your impressions. I'd like to know if I'm crazy or not, since there haven't been many posts on the OWM5:D