Center Speaker for Monitor 10Bs?

[greg099]

Greetings All,

I have been a Polk fan for years, and I still have a pair of Monitor 10Bs that I bought new 20 years ago. They still sound great, but got shelved a few years ago when I had a small room for my theater and went with the aesthetics of the Bose sub/sat (WAF involved I assure you.)

Anyway, I'm in a new house now and have lots more space, so I broke out the Monitors and they really fill the room nicely. Now I want to use them as the fronts for a 5.1 Surround System, and I need to figure out a good Center Channel Option to use with them.

Any idea what would work best? I might be in the market for Surrounds, too, though I'm not quite as concerned about matching them.

Thanks,

Greg

[markeric]

This is in the FAQ section of Polks website

While Polk speakers have evolved and improved over time, some basic "signature" Polk sound traits have remained constant. Clear, projected midrange, open, airy highs and wide soundstaging are all hallmarks of the Polk sound, past and present. Therefore, Polk center channel speakers are the best match for older Polk main speakers.
The CSi5 makes a great match for top-of-the-line Polk speakers of the past such as the legendary SDA-SRS. It is a large full range center channel speaker that works superbly with larger Polk Monitors, S Series, and RTA models as well as all SDA loudspeakers. The LSiC is a great match for LS Series Polk models from the 1990s. The CSi3 matches well with mid-sized mid-sized Monitors (5jr., 5 & 7), S Series and the RTA 8. The CSi1 is perfect for the smaller Monitor and S Series models.

Find your vintage Polk model on the chart below to see which center model is the right choice for you. If you can't find your main speaker model on this page, or require help of any sort, contact Polk customer service.


Center Speakers
Center Model Matches With:
LSiC:.....All SDA-SRS, SDA-1, SDA -1(all versions), LS90, LS70, LS50
CSi5 :.....SDA-SRS, SDA-1, SDA-2 (all versions), SDA-CRS, RTA-15, RTA-12, RTA-11, RTA-8, Monitor 10 and Monitor 12, LS90, LS70, LS50, RT20p, RT16, RT12, RT10 as well as all RTi Series models
CSi3 ......RTA-8, Monitor 7, Monitor 5, Monitor 5jr, S8, S6, S4, RT10, RT8, RT7, RT5 and smaller (bookshelf) RTi Series models
CSi1...... S4, Monitor 4, Mini Monitor, "Monitor", R1, R2, RT3 and all R Series models








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[Polkersince85]

I'm using (4) m10b's front and rear and (1) RTA-11t as a center. I'm about deaf now but it sounds decent to me.

[greg099]

Thanks for the information markeric. Your not-so-subtle "read the faq, newbie" is understood. In my defense, I'm a long time member of several similar fora, so I know the rules regarding posting questions without first looking to see if its been asked and answered before. I did do a pretty exhaustive search here first, but I was unaware of the FAQ so thanks for the info.

Now if I had $400 laying around that nice CSi5 would be a no-brainer. What I had in mind was trolling around eBay looking for an older Center speaker, maybe one that is a closer relative to the Monitor 10s and catch a deal on it.

Can any of you think of a Center Speaker that meets this criteria? Where can I go to find the evolution of todays Polk Center speakers from back to the late 80s, early 90's when they probably first started making them? That's probably what I need to be looking for.

Thanks again,

Greg

[jcaut]

I'm not sure about how well it would match your 10b's--- perhaps someone else could comment on it--- but I've got a CS175i I've listed for sale in the flea market forum. It's Polk's budget center from a few years ago. A single 5.25" midwoofer and 3/4" polymer dome tweeter.

I don't want to come across as pushing that one, just because I have one for sale, though.

Jason

[markeric]

Hey Greg,
No subtle message...I'm simply lazy and preferred to cut and paste it Forum snobs bother me..so I try not to do it

[greg099]

jcaut, thanks for the idea, but I think I'm hoping to find something a little bigger for the 10Bs.

markeric, no problem. I appreciate the info.

I'm still on the prowl for a "vintage" center speaker. I saw a CS-350 on Audiogon. Any idea if that works with the Monitor 10s?

[rscamer]

I ran a cs400i which worked great with the 10b's. It still works great with my rta12c's (new tweeters)

[Tour2ma]

I chimed in over in your other thread.

[greg099]

How would a CS300 work for a timbre match with my Monitors? It is certainly older, and I believe has the saem tweeter.

Thanks,

Greg

[deadhead]

I second the vote for the CS400i. Discontinued, but they pop up on e-bay regularly.

[Tour2ma]

Originally posted by greg099
How would a CS300 work for a timbre match with my Monitors? Possible... But can't say for sure. I don't know the 300's drivers.

EDIT: Does sound promising though doesn't it...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5767052536

Go for it...