CS1 vs. CS2

[akstokes]

anyone familiar with both? how do they compare to each other?

[AndyGwis]

Well, not from experience, but the CS2 is bigger, goes lower, and is probably a better match for the larger monitor towers (60's and 70's) than the CS1.

If you have the funds, the space, and bigger monitor towers, go for the CS2. Both are well reviewed for the monitor line.

[jayman_1975]

I have had both. I used the CS1 when i was using my M40's up front. It matched well with them. Now i have the M70's up front and i upgraded to the CS2, and it matches well with the 70's. I think they are both equals as far as clarity. My room is fairly small (16*13) so as far as volume, I felt the CS1 filled that space well but i honestly never ran it anywhere close to reference levels. With the CS2 now, I have watched movies at very high volumes (-5db on Denon AVR) and wow, talk about blow your hair back. I have not used an external amp on either so i can't help ya there but i know that a decent AVR will make either one sound great and you should be able to turn up the volume far beyond the WAF before distorting.

[mrbigbluelight]

I run a CS2 with Monitor 40s as my fronts and am pleased with how they blend.
I temporarily hooked up a CS1 that I was holding on to for my daughter and, in my opinion, the CS1 and 40's are meant for each other.

I plan on grabbing a set of 60's from Fry's when they are clearanced again. The CS2 will mate better with a larger front, imo.

[Nate79]

Me and my brother both have monitor 40's for L&R. He has the cs2 center, and I have the cs1. Difference recievers though

Mine sounds more ...blended in, and sounds coming from the center isnt so obvious like his. The cs2 sounds great too, but its just too overwhelming. It could be the settings on his reciever, so I dunno. I like the way mine sounds better.

[ohskigod]

my school of thought was its never a bad thing to go with the bigger center.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

The term...

"Go Big or Stay Home" applies no less to centers.

[josh_parsons626]

See I have the cs1 with the monitor 40's up front and was thinking of going with the bigger center. Is the cs2 made for like the monitor 60's and 70's? Or would it be apparent of where the sound's coming from?

[josh_parsons626]

It could be my receiver, but I've got my system calibrated to 85 db and it seems like the fronts are decent, but the center could be a little louder and clearer. But like I said I really am not a big fan of an Onkyo receiver, when I was putting my system together I didn't know a whole hell of a lot about home theater and just really wanted something right now. But hey, that's how you learn in the crazy business, right?

[zombie boy 2000]

Akstokes -- you have a PM

[kalrith]

I'm not at all trying to hijack this thread, but I have a question regarding the CS1 and CS2 speakers. Right now I have a Panasonic XR55 driving two R50s up front. I want to add a center channel to the mix. I've read a lot about it, and it seems that some people think the CS1 and CS2 are great matches, and others say to get a CSi20, 30, or 40. The R50s are cherry, so I have to get a cherry center. I haven't seen any of the CSi20, 30, or 40 centers in cherry; do they even come in that finish? Also, the price difference is quite large between the CS1 & CS2 ($180 compared to $300). Is it worth the difference in price?

Thanks!

[mrbigbluelight]

I got my CS2 delivered for about $210 off of Ebay.
Keep an eye on your local Craigslist.com, and I believe you will be able to find an even better deal.

The CSi5 and CSi3 both come in cherry and black. The CSi25 only comes in black.
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/individual/center/series/csi/

The CS2 and the CS1 both come in cherry and black.
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/individual/center/series/cs/

I've never been able to hear the CSi series of centers; the local Circuit City only had the CS2 functional (CS1 had several nice pencil pokes in the drivers :( ) and NO CSi series. :mad:
I'd really like to have heard the CSi's, but I still would have gone with the CS2strictly due to price considerations.

The CS2 does have to be setup correctly with your AVR, and it does take some time to break in. That may be due to the bigger 6 1/2 inch dual drivers on the CS2 versus 5 1/4 inch dual drivers on the CS1. I'm not sure, but tuned in, broke in, and the CS2 ..... well, is very very nice for HT.
(I won't go into a "Fast and Furious" rant and rave, but ... nice !).

The CS1 is definitely no slouch either, though. Either one, bought at a price you're happy with, will not leave you kicking yourself in a month or two with buyer's regret.
Of course, you'll always have buyer's envy ("Man, I wish I could afford LSiX")
but that's okay.

Onkyo AVR's are a good choice, IMO, for those on a budget. Good build quality, nice assortment of bells and whistles, and NICE prices.

So....go spend some money ! :)