Upgrading with CS2 Center channel speaker- RTI 10s vs. Monitor 70

Mistymountain

Whats up guys,

New to Polk Audio, got sucked in by the CS2 center speaker. I am currently running two Sony SS-F6000 (bad mistake i know), 2 rear speakers which were put together by my father, Velodyne VX 10-B, sub woofer, Pioneer vsx-519v-k receiver and the CS2 speaker. Once I added the CS2 instantly fell in love with the quality compared to the sonys, therefore causing me to veer into getting more polks. This brings me to the question...

Should I get RTI-10s or Monitor 70s?

I am in college so I'm not trying to go too crazy on my set up but if the RTI-10s would work well enough with the CS2, then I might as well? Or would you think the Monitor 70s sound better with the CS2?

Your opinions would help veryyy much.
Thank you.

comfortablycurt

Welcome to Club Polk.:)


The Monitor series and RTi series have very different sounding tweeters, and don't really mesh well with one another. The CS2 is part of the Monitor series, so you'd be better off going with the Monitor 70's. Timbre matching is pretty important in a surround sound setup, especially for the front sound stage(left, center, right).

That should make for a great sounding setup! The Monitor 70's are some great sounding speakers!

wutadumsn23

IMHO, I would go with the 70's. The CS2 is the timbre match to the Monitor 70's, not the RTi series. I have both the 70's and the CS2 and I love them. For the prices you can get them for these days, they are hard to beat. Welcome to Club Polk and good luck.

-Jeff

Damn you Curt!! LOL

comfortablycurt

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Damn you Curt!! LOL

You gotta learn to be quicker on the draw!

wutadumsn23

I see that, you are a post **** and you type fast. Figured you'd be missing a few fingers with all them chainsaw accidents and what not, lol.

-Jeff

cnh

Hey you guys behave..! I'm on a plane back to the mainland tomorrow...Guangzhou!

Misty..WELCOME TO CLUB POLK!

Both Jeff and I run M70s with the CS2 they're a perfect match and cost effective for a college student..

cnh

wutadumsn23

LOL, sorry C, Curt started it.

-Jeff

domflane

I had a CS10 center for a long time before I got my CSiA6. I paired it with lots of mains, from T15 bookshelves to Cerwin Vega towers to the RTiA5's that I have now. I know some of the others will disagree with what I'm about to say, because they give the same advice on almost every thread, but I think the average ear will have a hard time hearing a difference in speakers that aren't timber matched. If you like the RTi10's, get them. You will be very pleased with them. I ran the CS10 with my RTiA5's for months and my ears never expolded. The main reason I upgraded the CSiA6 was for the looks and the upgradeitis that comes from being a member of this forum. The CS2 is a badass center so congrats and enjoy those new front speakers when you get them. Thats where the real fun begins.

Dominic

cnh

domflame is right...we do tend to give the same advice, mostly because it is for newbies....but there are a number of threads you can search on this site where 'we' argue about timbre matching as well. Do a search and you'll see a wide variety of opinions...with quite a few saying 'if it sounds good to you why worry'!

I'd suggest listening to Rti-10s and the Ms....the 10s have a more forward, detailed tweeter...and deeper bass...they are better for HT than Ms if that's your major concern.

A fine speaker....but you need to decide and 'money' sounds like its also an issue for you. There's no way you'll find Rtis for the same price as M70s. Listen to all the voices BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS YOUR 'OWN'.

cnh

wutadumsn23

Good point C, IMHO the Monitor series is hard to beat for what you can get them for these days. If you are on a budget, as most of us are these days, then look no further than the Monitor line to fufill your needs.

-Jeff

domflane

There's something to be said about the RTi and RTiA series though. They are big speakers with a big sound. I love them as mains and I'm really glad I didn't settle for anything less. Be patient and wait for PolkDirect on ebay to stock up, thats where the best deals on Polks can usually be found. Then compare the all the prices, you might be surprised, as the RTi's are getting really affordable. The monitors, especially the 70's and their TSi500 brothers are no slouches though. You can listen to the TSi's at BestBuy, I think they have the 400's. Unfortunately, there's nowhere to hear RTi's, at least not in Florida.

NewHTguy

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Welcome to Club Polk.:)


The Monitor series and RTi series have very different sounding tweeters, and don't really mesh well with one another. The CS2 is part of the Monitor series, so you'd be better off going with the Monitor 70's. Timbre matching is pretty important in a surround sound setup, especially for the front sound stage(left, center, right).

+1. I had Rti 10's with a CS2. Then I switched to a Csi5 and the improvement was dramatic.

Underworld54

So the CS2 is only a match with the 70's? I have my CS2 matched up with the Monitor 60's and 40's. :eek:

Mistymountain

Thanks everybody for your advice. Quite a warming welcoming soo soon. Didn't expect that many replies. hahah. I think i'm going to go with the monitor 70s for now and probably end up upgrading my whole system within a few years anyways. Really excited for it, I can't wait to hear the difference.

Thanks again for the help.
I'll be sure to let you know the outcome.

Derrick4Real

Mistymountain wrote: »

Thanks everybody for your advice. Quite a warming welcoming soo soon. Didn't expect that many replies. hahah. I think i'm going to go with the monitor 70s for now and probably end up upgrading my whole system within a few years anyways. Really excited for it, I can't wait to hear the difference.

Thanks again for the help.
I'll be sure to let you know the outcome.

My 70's just came in yesterday...I set them up last night...and faaaaagettaboutit. They rock!

Got mine at Newegg for $179 each...they sound like $500 speakers if you ask me. Being a college student...I would assume music is still a mainstay of life...and the 70's handle music verrrry nicely and they look great too.

On top of the whole timbre matching theory re: your CS2...get the 70's.

wutadumsn23

Underworld54 wrote: »

So the CS2 is only a match with the 70's? I have my CS2 matched up with the Monitor 60's and 40's. :eek:

Nope, the CS2 is the timbre match to the entire Monitor series, 60's included. You are fine.

-Jeff