New CS2 or old CSi40?

ScudDawg

Hi I have been reading the boards for awhile now, would it makes sense to grab a new CS2 for my setup and sell my old CSi40 center channel. I see with the promo code I can grab the CS2 for $109.99 shipped which is a very good price. I have been comparing the specs on each and see the CSi40 can go a tad lower and that both seem to use the same tweeter. What are your thoughts?

wutadumsn23

I would go with the CS2 myself, it is a very good center, and works very well in my rig, which is very similar to yours.

-Jeff

kuntasensei

The CS2 isn't analogous to the CSi40. The CSi40 is slightly more efficient and can handle more power, and uses a heavier enclosure. Plus, the CSi40 may have slightly better midrange response because of the ARCport design and less noise with deep bass because it uses the Powerport instead of the flared port that the CS2 uses. The closest thing to the CSi40 in Polk's current lineup is the CSiA6. That said, the rest of your speakers are from the Monitor line, not the RTi line, so a CS2 may have a bit better timbre matching to your other speakers than the CSi40.

I seriously doubt you're going to hear a vast difference between the two (especially if you're using Audyssey on your 805), but since the crossovers in speakers can degrade over time, it wouldn't be an awful idea to pick up something new. The CSi40 is a hell of a center channel though. The only reason I would trade it out for a CS2 is that you'll probably make money in the transaction, because the CSi40 will probably sell for more than the purchase price of a CS2.

ScudDawg

yeah I figured it would not cost me money to switch them out, ty for the infomation. Going to have to think on this one it appears, I love the CSi40 just wondering if a CS2 would actually make a noticeable difference.

kuntasensei

ScudDawg wrote: »

yeah I figured it would not cost me money to switch them out, ty for the infomation. Going to have to think on this one it appears, I love the CSi40 just wondering if a CS2 would actually make a noticeable difference.

Oh, there would be a difference... but in my opinion, not necessarily for the better. You're basically replacing a $480 speaker with a $350 one, and there's a reason the CSi40 was in the upper tier of center channels. I do think it might be a better tonal match for your Monitor speakers, however, so there may be worth in doing it. But as far as what typically matters for center channels, specifically dialogue clarity and power handling (since the center receives roughly 60% of the audio in a typical surround track), the CSi40 will be marginally better than the CS2.

Personally, I like having a fully matched set of speakers so there are no timbre matching issues (though Audyssey MultEQ XT on your 805 will minimize that to an extent). I have a CSi40, but mine is paired with the RTi70s and RTi28s from the same model year that match them. (I do have a set of Monitor 30s as height channels though, but only because I haven't found any used FXi30s to buy.) I say you buy the CS2, run Audyssey, see how you like it, and if you prefer the CSi40, sell the CS2 off for a slight loss. If you like the way the CS2 matches your mains (especially important if you use DPL-II on stereo sources), then sell your CSi40. Your maximum risk here is $110 and you'd probably only lose about $20 if you decided to stick with the CSi40 anyway, so you might as well give it a shot.

ScudDawg

Yeah the money aspect is what really has me intrigued in doing this. I have had my center for around 5 years maybe a tad longer, it still sounds amazing. I have it set for 80hz cutoff right now so the lower end is really not that important. Having 7 speakers that all look the same would be kinda neat, I am using the Audyessy on the 805 and it sounds great. I am not going to be adding an amp anytime soon either so the extra power handling is not a huge issue. Thank you again for all your input and advice, giving me a lot to think about right now. Might just pull the trigger like you said and give it a shot. Then there will be no second guessing, but parting with my CSi40 will be a dark day when/if it happens. I love that center.

kuntasensei

Yeah, I hear ya'. I'm not giving mine up any time soon. Very happy with my current setup.