Rear Center Speaker ?(s)

DangYank · January 2003

Hi,

First, I'll list the components relevant to my questions:

Receiver: 6.1, Onkyo TX-SR600
Front Center Speaker: Polk CS245i
Left & Right Front: Polk M2AW
Left & Right Surrounds: Polk M2AW
Rear Center Speaker: none (yet)

The questions that follow involve asking for help in choosing a rear center speaker or speakers (as well as) and connections and placement.

As you know from reading the above, I lack a rear center speaker. My preference is to locate two (yet to be purchased) rear center speakers (wired in series) on top of two 6' (72") high pieces of furniture (bookselves) that are sysmetrically opposite the front center speaker. The distance between the the two proposed series connected rear center speakers would be abot 9 feet The distance from my front center to the proposed rear centers would be about 26 feet.

My Questions & help requests follow:

1: What Polk speakers (rear centers) would you recommend to compliment the setup I'm proposing?

2: Also, please, I'd like to know what you think about my `plan'.

3. Although it would be very difficult to place a single rear center speaker opposite my front center speaker--what Polk speaker model would you suggest?

(BTW: money is always an issue).

Thanks for reading this!

DangYank

scottvamp · January 2003

Hi welcome to the forum. You will really enjoy a 6 channel setup.
Personally I will never go back to 5 channel.
First I all I would recommend not using two rear speakers wired together series or parellel. Either way you will greatly deminish the sound. If you really want two speakers and have a rear center preout - then buy a 2ch amp.
Next - you basicly want a speakers that is as close as possable of a match to your surrounds. I have no idea what a M2AW is. I'm guessing a "plug and go" Polk setup. I would strongly suggest getting another cs245i for the rear center - at least it will match the center frontstage. I use the cs245i as a 6 channel rear and my room 12' by 25' - it works very well. Hope this helps.
By the way that Onkyo 600 is a really nice reciever for the money.

RuSsMaN · January 2003

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/products.php?category=10&speaker=58&recent=1

scottvamp · January 2003

*****Polk Audio All-Weather Loudspeakers deliver exceptional sound quality in ANY environment. High-quality construction gives them the moxie to endure full exposure to the elements with virtual impunity.
There are plenty of so-called "weather resistant" or "outdoor" speakers on the market. They're lining the shelves of your neighborhood Home Improvement Center. But Polk Audio All-Weather Loudspeakers are the real thing. Their sealed polymer cabinets are rugged, UV resistant and impervious to water. They won't fade, crack or warp no matter where they're installed. Their gold plated input terminals, non-metallic grilles and UV resistant components make Polk AW/M speakers the ultimate "survivor" of the speaker industry*******

ALL WEATHER HomeTheater speakers - nice. I would have never thought.
:rolleyes:

DangYank · January 2003

Thanks for you're replies Scottvamp & RuSsMaN!

Scottvamp, thank you for the welcome. I was pleasantly surprised to see how fast two "Club Polk" members replied to my post.

As you may have noted from following RuSsMaN's link, the Polk M2AWs have one 4 1/2" dynamic balance woofer & one 1/2" fluid coded dome tweeter.

Although when I purchased the four M2AWs (March 2002), my intended purpose was for my outside patio (driven by an Onkyo 5.1 model TX-SV444, plus subwoofer & center speaker). After several days (all weather or not), the birds decided they would roost & crap on the M2AWs. Didn't take long to know that I didn't want these "all weather" speakers subjected to bird crap (over & over). So, the speakers came down.

I already planned to buy the Onkyo TX-SR600 and when the price was right--I did. Yes, I'm very pleased with the TX-SR600.

So... all weather speakers in the home, how do the M2AWs perform? IMO very, very good.

In regards to my receiver having a rear center preout, it does not.

Based on your comment that twin `rear center speakers' (wired in series) would produce greatly diminished sound, I then will opt for a single speaker.

The CS245i is no longer available. At CC they have the CSi30 & CSi40. I may end up purchasing the CSi30 (for a rear center speaker) and placing it on top of one of the 6' bookcases. (That will place my new rear center speaker 26' away from my front center speaker and off center from the front about 4 1/2 feet). (Oh well, it's not a perfect world).

Any additional comments will be appreciated.

Thanks again for your help.

DangYank

Rear Center Speaker ?(s)

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