Tsi200's vs Monitor 40's

booyah

Hey guys. I'm new to the club and I just bought a PSW10 and a yamaha receiver from newegg, super cheap. I need some speakers now. I listened to the tsi100's at Best Buy, they sounded good. I am wanting the 200's I think though. I have not heard them, but they should be better, right? My receiver is pushing 100w per channel, is that enough for the 200's? Then, is there a difference in the Tsi200's and the Monitor 40's? Could I tell the difference. My big thing is, I want CLEAR music at high volume, which would be better for that?

Thanks
booyah

booyah

I kind of jumped the gun. Please reassure me that me just buying the Monitors for $140 was the right move.

jayman_1975

I have the 40s. They are pretty decent. They will sound good turned up but i think your receiver that you got "on the cheap" will probably limit how loud you will want to go.

booyah

I have a PSW10, a yamaha rx-v365. Either of them any good, I am tight on money is why and newegg had them for cheap.

polkfan38

There are very slight differances between the Monitor Line and the TSi line. Mostly cosmetic but there are also some very slight sound differances. They have differant crossovers and such. For $149 for the Monitors 40s and $299 for the TSi200s, got for the Monitors. I have the 40s my self. Awesome speaker for the price! Go for it!

cnh

You're good...but the Yamaha AVR is an entry level and will limit loudness, clarity and detail. The M40s will sound 'better' with better amplification. But you're probably OK for now. Budgets are important. And Yamahas generally have their BEST power in 2 channel, they drop off radically when you put them in the surround mode.

cnh

wutadumsn23

I agree with the guys here, the Monitor 40's are a very good speaker. I had a set as surrounds for awhile and I even threw them in the mix as my fronts on a few occasions, and was pretty impressed with their performance. For $150, the 40's are hard to beat for whatever you use them for. Good luck and welcome to Club Polk.


-Jeff

booyah

I got the 40's, the sub and the receiver for under $400 combined. I do hope to upgrade everything slowly after I graduate. Right now I'm on a student budget and saving for a wedding. Just making sure that what I got for cheap wasn't complete junk. I realize the receiver is the low end yamaha, but for $115, could I have done better? Also, is bi-wring as useless and dumb as I think it is? I have had several electrical engineering classes and it just doesn't make a difference, same as using thicker wire, at least mathematically anyway.

polkfan38

I think you did fine for a starter set. You are right about the reciever but, you don't have to spend more than double that (especially used) to get a great one!
Enjoy. Oh, make sure those speakers are a good 6 inches or more away from the wall. I got the best sound from mine with almost a foot between the back of the speaker and the wall. I had to move them back a litle however due to space issues.

booyah

Just for future reference, what would be a great receiver for around $250?

polkfan38

Check Craigs for a Denon or Onkyo unit. I have seen 2-3 year old "mid range" units going for that. You just have to look. They will pop up. I have not heard much about Yamaha and not too many posts.

booyah

So, after consulting my books, bi-wiring is a great way to exemplify the placebo effect. If you do something expecting a change, you will notice it. If you want to bi-wire go for it, but it would be cheaper and look better (cable management) to just go with a bigger wire. This is also misleading though. Big fat wires are great, but if you put a spade connector, or any other connector, the thickness of the connector is the limiting factor. You could have a 4 gauge wire stuffed into a spade, somehow, and it will work no better than a 16 gauge if the spade is conducting less than the wire.

cstmar01

ummm. just to let you know, regarding cables ect. that is a whole big can of worms and there are many mixed reviews. In regards to it working all you can do is try it yourself and see. I say this in regards to bi wiring, bi amping, interconnects, power cables, ect.

Many people will give a varity of opinions on the topic. All I suggest is before confirming your thought based upon your books is to try different things yourself.

polkfan38

I went to 14 AWG wire all around. All is well!

ericv

It looks to me like the 200’s have a slightly lower frequency response. The 40’s are busier capable. I’m using the 200’s for my surround speakers. Sounds great.

Has anyone tried both? Any opinions on what sounds best?

ericv

Not “busier” biwire. Stupid spellcheck. 🧐

rooftop59

Holy thread resurrection Batman! Not much difference in my opinion (and based on very little experience with both of these many years ago). If u feel something is lacking then step up to a better line.

ericv

Ok, just tried out both of them. I ordered both on Amazon and they just showed up. The 200’s are noticeably cleaner in the high end and have tighter bass. They’re still not up to par with my BA CR95 but they’ll make great surround speakers. I’m returning the 40’s.

ericv

For an objective and clean comparison, I disabled my subs and let the speakers stand on their own. I used my Demon 510 AV receiver to power them.

ericv

Denon. Sheesh! Auto correct strikes again.