A few TSi questions

ccruiser

I'm pretty new to the world of home theater and brand new to Club Polk, so some of these questions might seem a little foolish, but I want to make sure I get the most bang for my buck so here we go.

I am trying to (slowly) piece together a decent home theater system, and based on reviews, this forum and my budget, I decided to go with the TSi line. I've been watching New Egg and have gotten some pretty great deals. So far I have a set of 500's, a CS10, and a set of 100's.

I know most of you recommend the CS20 over the 10, but since the fiance was letting me get the 500's I had to cut back somewhere (both size and budget). My eventual plan is have a 7.1 system, but due to budget constraints I'm definitely OK with running it as 5.1 for a while. I don't even have a receiver yet, as I'm waiting for the new Pioneer models to launch. Probably going to go with either the VSX-1020-K or the VSX-1120-K, if the reviews are good. I know that even trying to future proof is fighting a losing battle, but I am in love with 3D so if at catches on at a consumer level then waiting for the HDMI 1.4 will be worth it to me.

Now on the to the actual questions:

I'm still looking for a sub. What do you guys think about the PSW125 for a setup like mine? I've read some mixed reviews for it. Also, any recommendations other than that are welcome, but it does need to be available in cherry finish, per the mrs.

Next, as far as satellites go, do you think I should go with another set of 100's or step up to the 200's? I don't know if it would be better to match them or not. And how would they need to be set as far as which to use as L/R surrounds and which to use for rears?

As far as physical setup goes, I can't be very helpful. I'm going to be moving soon, byt have not found a new place yet. Use will be 60% home theater, 20% music, and 20% gaming.

Like I said, I'm new to all this so any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

domflane

Welcome to Club Polk ccruiser. You're building a nice HT and I definately respect your patience waiting for the AVR you really want. Do you have anything in the meantime to play your speakers on? Just wondering as its a travesty to let them sit silent.

To your questions:
The TSi100's will be fine as surrounds and if you plan on upgrading to 7.1, I would get another pair to match them. Having 4 matching speakers makes for a rear soundstage that blends better.

Stay away from the PSW125, especially if you are really going to be using your rig for 60% HT. The TSi500's will walk all over that sub, so you need something that will compliment them a little better. SVS makes subs in all kinds of finishes and would be a great choice for you depending on your budget. Don't skimp on the sub, it anchors your HT and you'll be wishing you got something better very soon. Enjoy your new rig pal,

Dominic

concealer404

If you want a decent HT sub on the cheap, and you really want to buy new, check out the PSW505. Commonly on sale for $250 or less on Newegg.

ccruiser

Domflane,

Thanks for the input.

As for your question, right now, they are sitting silent as the grave. It's killing me...slowly...:( I did hook the center up to my dads system just so I could take it for a spin, and it sounded great...but it got me even more pumped about the whole setup so it kind of made things worse, ha.

I do have a home theater in a box that I got a while back hooked up to the tv right now. I am hesitant to plug the polks into it though. Its a crappy samsung system. The DVD player tray shoots out every time it gets turned on and no longer functions. The surround sound still works though, I just had to hook up an external DVD player. Anyway, since the receiver is on the fritz I just don't want to risk the new speakers getting fried or anything.

Slinger182

If you're on a tight budget the 505 works well in my set up with the TSi 500s. If you can come up with the scratch though go big, SVS seems to be one the most recommended subs around.

cnh

domflane wrote: »

Welcome to Club Polk ccruiser. You're building a nice HT and I definately respect your patience waiting for the AVR you really want. Do you have anything in the meantime to play your speakers on? Just wondering as its a travesty to let them sit silent.

To your questions:
The TSi100's will be fine as surrounds and if you plan on upgrading to 7.1, I would get another pair to match them. Having 4 matching speakers makes for a rear soundstage that blends better.

Stay away from the PSW125, especially if you are really going to be using your rig for 60% HT. The TSi500's will walk all over that sub, so you need something that will compliment them a little better. SVS makes subs in all kinds of finishes and would be a great choice for you depending on your budget. Don't skimp on the sub, it anchors your HT and you'll be wishing you got something better very soon. Enjoy your new rig pal,

Dominic

Dom is right....SVS makes great subs....but they're not cheap; for many of us a sub above 500 dollars is pushing it. But if we save our pennies as we should and follow Ben Franklin's Almanac we could afford a nice SVS. The cheapest SVS sub is 600 dollars and you should ADD shipping costs to that. Most people would recommend that you step up to at least the PB12-Plus or greater series....with shipping costs we're close to 1200....and most guys run the ULTRA which is even more?

But if we're a bit impatient...and need instant gratification.. The PSW505 is not a bad sub.

Let's look at the specs...TSI-500s 38hz +/-3db lower limit?

The PSW505 has a low of 28hz +/-3db....that's a 10 hz difference....To say that TSI-500s would walk all over a 300 watt 12" sub with that frequency response is not entirely accurate. They 'won't'.

SVS subs will reach LOWER than that and perform better musically as well. But frankly, I run a sub similar to the Polk (it has a low of 25hz and 300 watts/rms) with a pair of M70s (the TSI-500s predecessor)....and there is not doubt that the M70s cannot walk all over my sub and don't have the same quality of bass without that sub. Now, would I prefer an 800-1200 dollar SVS....sure....but my sub retailed for 600 and I spent 200 on it. So my 'wife' is good with it for now. And so am I.

The fact of the matter is that it peaks at 600 watts and can and does shake my walls and my wife's second floor office (the sub is on the first floor). Can I do better yeah! But my wife probably would not let me run that NEW monster sub at reference volumes since my current sub already 'scares' her!!

Take a long hard look at your budget..think about the 'future'! If you can save for the SVS fine. If not you could do a LOT worse than the PSW505 for $250 dollars....(less than half its MSRP!).

cnh

domflane

cnh wrote: »

The PSW505 has a low of 28hz +/-3db....that's a 10 hz difference....To say that TSI-500s would walk all over a 300 watt 12" sub with that frequency response is not entirely accurate. They 'won't'.
cnh

cnh,
was talking about the PSW125, not the 505. I know that the 505 is a solid step up from the 125 and will hold it's own nicely with the TSi500's. He didn't however state a budget, and only said that it had to be cherry, and SVS has some beautiful finishes available.

I bought my PSW650 used for $200 and it has upgraded 10" polk woofers from their car audio line. The amp is only 165 watts RMS but it has no problem keeping up with my RTiA5's.

Look into used subs ccruiser, you'll get a lot more for your money and if you buy from somebody here, chances are you'll get something nice that. been well taken care of.

Dominic

wutadumsn23

I have a set of TSi 500's that I briefly used up front in my HT rig and I also run a PSW125, as for the 500's walking all over the 125, they did not. The 125 held it's own and I love that sub. Having said that I do agree that the 505 would be a nice step up, and for $250 shipped from Newegg, you really can't beat it. IMHO, if you can fit the 200's in back on some stands, they would be a great set of surrounds. I had the Monitor 40's in back for awhile, until I put the 500' s back there, and they did a great job. They are kinda big though and can be a pain to wall mount, but it can be done. There is a thread on here for wall mounting the Monitor 40's, and the 200's would be pretty much the saem, since they are very similar. I know you already have the 100's and they will work, just IMHO the 200's are that much better. If there is any way possible you can squeeze that CS20 in over the CS1, I would do that in a heartbeat. That CS10 will have a hard time keeping up with those 500's, and you may regret it in the long run. I know it is a beast and can be a pain to fit in, but if there is any way possible, I would strongly recommend it. Good luck and welcome to Club Polk.

-Jeff

ccruiser

Once again thanks for all the input. I looked into the SVS subs and while they look great (and sound great too, I'm sure) I'm hoping to keep it under $400 or so. Also, I looked around at the psw505's that are available. Were those only produced in black? I haven't found cherry anywhere.

In regards to the CS20 vs the CS10, I probably will upgrade it in the future. Maybe once she gets used to the size of the 500's she won't notice if I slip in the CS20 for the 10, ha. The CS10 will make a nice start to a computer system or a bedroom setup down the road.

Slinger182

The 505 only comes in black. Sounds like a damn good plan for the cs10 though.

wutadumsn23

Slinger182 wrote: »

Sounds like a damn good plan for the cs10 though.

+1, you don't know what you are missing, lol.

-Jeff

ccruiser

Wow. Sounds like I'm really shorting myself on the center. I don't think NewEgg carries the CS20 in Cherry:(. Does anyone know of a site that can come close to their prices? Particularly their sale prices. NewEgg has really saved me some cash on this endeavor to get a system up and going.

wutadumsn23

In all honesty I think the CS20 would be a much better match for you and your 500's. It doesn't look like Newegg has the CS20 in cherry, and the ceapest I could find it for was $235.16 w/ free shipping from buy.com (actually sold by and shipped from Onecall.com which is Huppins HiFi online store) That looks like the best you will be able to do on this speaker from what I found.

-Jeff

http://www.buy.com/prod/polk-audio-cs-20-cherry/q/listingid/27162788/loc/111/208504366.html link to the CS20

cnh

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

In all honesty I think the CS20 would be a much better match for you and your 500's. It doesn't look like Newegg has the CS20 in cherry, and the ceapest I could find it for was $235.16 w/ free shipping from buy.com (actually sold by and shipped from Onecall.com which is Huppins HiFi online store) That looks like the best you will be able to do on this speaker from what I found.

-Jeff

http://www.buy.com/prod/polk-audio-cs-20-cherry/q/listingid/27162788/loc/111/208504366.html link to the CS20

That's interesting Jeff,

I didn't know that and I've bought a couple of things from onecall.com in the past...pretty good handling and delivery.

Another suggestion would be to look at Polk's ebay site above for a CS20....they're often...discounted!

cnh

wutadumsn23

cnh wrote: »

Another suggestion would be to look at Polk's ebay site above for a CS20....they're often...discounted!

cnh

Another good site, forgot about that one C.


We have a Huppins here in Spokane and I went there for the first time about a month ago, it was a pretty nice store. Not the biggest pf places or selection, but they can get you anything from there site if need be. I tell you what though, they had a pretty good selesction of Polk speakers in their showroom.


-Jeff