RawDeal
02-07-2005, 07:54 AM
hi all,
I've searched through the forum archives and while this seems to be a common question, I wasn't able to find all the information I was looking for. I've also email Polk CS and got only partial answers to my questions.
The subject line pretty well describes my basic question, but here are a few more details and confusing and contradictory statements I've found while researching this:
It seems that the (now discontinued) CSi20 is the only center channel truly designed to go with the R series speakers as it is the only one which uses the same 3/4" tweeter and is the only one described by the company as "timbre matched to the R-series". Fine, but I have a couple of concerns about the CSi20: 1.) It's discontinued and difficult to find and 2.) Given that I'll be using it largely for HT where the center channel is very important, my impression is that it may be a bit overmatched by the R50's. I haven't listened to it yet w/ R50's, but the fact that it has fewer, smaller drivers, is slightly less efficient, smaller freq. response range, has a MUCH lower power handling capacity and is just an all around cheaper speaker, I am concerned that is not really the sonic equal of the R50's, and I'd perfer not to cut corners on my center channel. Would anyone care to share an opinion on this?
Here's where I start to get confused, I'm sorry if this gets a little hard to follow.
The web page for the R50 also recommends the CSi30 in more expensive configurations. Great, I have another choice. However, the CSi30 page claims it is matched to the RTi line, not the R line and this seems to make sense since the the CSi30 uses the larger 1" tweeter found in the RTi line. Hmmmm. But, perhaps this isn't a big deal, maybe the R-series and RTi-series are very similar in character and hence can use the same center channels. The current RTi models are also matched to the CSi3 and CSi5 center speakers. So these should therefore be good matches to the R-series as well, right?
Apparently not, Polk CS actually claims that (if I couldn't get a CSi20) the R-series is actually most similar to the Monitor series and thus the best choices are the CS1 and CS2. My head hurts from trying to figure out how all this works. Does anyone actually understand how the whole Polk family fits together? What lines sound the most similar or different? Which lines have been/ will be replaced by which lines? It all seem rather random to me.
So on to the real fundamental question: Which center channel should I be trying to get to go with the R50's? I want a high quality, capable speaker as it will be getting heavy use in HT (thus my concern about the CSi20) but it is also important that it be tonally well matched to my R50's. I'm at a bit of a loss.
Perhaps I'm making to much of this, and perhaps any of the speakers mentioned above will sound very similar, and I do understand that a lot of this is just marketing. But it doesn't seem that it should be so difficult to determine which center speaker(s) are the best matches.
One final question. Given the difficulties finding a center channel match, what are the advantages/disadvantages to just flopping an R-series speaker (maybe even another R50:D) on it's side for a center channel? They're supposed to be fully shielded. Is there something fundamentally different in the radiation pattern or tuning or anything else that makes true center channel speakers better suited for the task? Or is it purely a matter of aesthetics?
Sorry for the length of this post, I hope that in addition to asking my questions, others having the same problem as me will learn something from the details I've included.
Thanks.
I've searched through the forum archives and while this seems to be a common question, I wasn't able to find all the information I was looking for. I've also email Polk CS and got only partial answers to my questions.
The subject line pretty well describes my basic question, but here are a few more details and confusing and contradictory statements I've found while researching this:
It seems that the (now discontinued) CSi20 is the only center channel truly designed to go with the R series speakers as it is the only one which uses the same 3/4" tweeter and is the only one described by the company as "timbre matched to the R-series". Fine, but I have a couple of concerns about the CSi20: 1.) It's discontinued and difficult to find and 2.) Given that I'll be using it largely for HT where the center channel is very important, my impression is that it may be a bit overmatched by the R50's. I haven't listened to it yet w/ R50's, but the fact that it has fewer, smaller drivers, is slightly less efficient, smaller freq. response range, has a MUCH lower power handling capacity and is just an all around cheaper speaker, I am concerned that is not really the sonic equal of the R50's, and I'd perfer not to cut corners on my center channel. Would anyone care to share an opinion on this?
Here's where I start to get confused, I'm sorry if this gets a little hard to follow.
The web page for the R50 also recommends the CSi30 in more expensive configurations. Great, I have another choice. However, the CSi30 page claims it is matched to the RTi line, not the R line and this seems to make sense since the the CSi30 uses the larger 1" tweeter found in the RTi line. Hmmmm. But, perhaps this isn't a big deal, maybe the R-series and RTi-series are very similar in character and hence can use the same center channels. The current RTi models are also matched to the CSi3 and CSi5 center speakers. So these should therefore be good matches to the R-series as well, right?
Apparently not, Polk CS actually claims that (if I couldn't get a CSi20) the R-series is actually most similar to the Monitor series and thus the best choices are the CS1 and CS2. My head hurts from trying to figure out how all this works. Does anyone actually understand how the whole Polk family fits together? What lines sound the most similar or different? Which lines have been/ will be replaced by which lines? It all seem rather random to me.
So on to the real fundamental question: Which center channel should I be trying to get to go with the R50's? I want a high quality, capable speaker as it will be getting heavy use in HT (thus my concern about the CSi20) but it is also important that it be tonally well matched to my R50's. I'm at a bit of a loss.
Perhaps I'm making to much of this, and perhaps any of the speakers mentioned above will sound very similar, and I do understand that a lot of this is just marketing. But it doesn't seem that it should be so difficult to determine which center speaker(s) are the best matches.
One final question. Given the difficulties finding a center channel match, what are the advantages/disadvantages to just flopping an R-series speaker (maybe even another R50:D) on it's side for a center channel? They're supposed to be fully shielded. Is there something fundamentally different in the radiation pattern or tuning or anything else that makes true center channel speakers better suited for the task? Or is it purely a matter of aesthetics?
Sorry for the length of this post, I hope that in addition to asking my questions, others having the same problem as me will learn something from the details I've included.
Thanks.