FXi50 v. f/x500i v. f/x500

asindc · October 2002

I'm looking to buy a pair of surrounds for a 5.1 setup that will eventually be a 7.1 setup. My dilemma. We are building a house now that will not be complete until March 2003.

My system consists of RT800i for fronts, CS400i center, PSW350 sub, and a cheap pair of Onkyo surrounds. I wanted to buy the 500i set just before moving into the house, but I just found out that they are essentially discontinued.

There are a few 500i left to be had, but obviously the i50s are the present. Complicating things, I found an unauthorized internet dealer selling a pair of "new" f/x500s for $280 plus shipping.

Questions:
1) Has anyone compaired the i50s to the older 500i or 500?

2) Has anyone bought anything through audiogon.com?

dmamsa · October 2002

where did you find f/x500 for <$300- My co-worker has been looking for them for a while now

scottvamp · October 2002

asincd, sounds like you have a nice setup started. You are looking at the right sourrounds for your system. I have the fx500i's myself. I truly believe that there is not much of a difference between the three. Surely not day and night. The current model will be more expensive but you can probably find a good deal on the other two - I would go for it.:)

goingganzo · October 2002

olny differance is that the 50 has the wood grane on them and the 500 and the 500i have laminit on them if you can i would get the 500i i think the new stain on the wood is not as nice as the old line aka 800i vs the 70i i just dont like the new stain it is to green and not that black

asindc · October 2002

Thanks, for the compliment, Scottvamp! Goingganzo, that definitely helps me feel better about passing on the i50 pair.

I decided to go with the f/x500 pair (not to be confused with the 500i pair). I found a dealer through audiogon.com that was asking a firm $280 for them. After talking with a Polk rep, who told me that the only difference between the 500 and 500i is the vinyl finish as opposed to wood, I figured it wouldn't make much difference. I like the wood finish, but since it is black, I won't notice as much, if at all.

I have not dealt through audiogon before, so I'm just a bit anxious about how the transaction will be fulfilled. I paid by credit card over the phone directly with the dealer, Audio Video Creations in New York. They have been dealing through audiogon for a year now and have received mostly positive feedback from customers. Incidentally, they have other Polk speakers for sale through the website.

FXi50 v. f/x500i v. f/x500

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