Elemental vs EMP vs Polk

[Walsh2]

Greets, all. I hate to make my first post a request for opinions or a comparison. I admit on the front end that I haven't had time to do all the reading here that I would like to, or that I ordinarily would when joining a new forum (of any interest group) before posting.

A hundred years ago when I was single, I bumped into audio tweekville. I never had the budget to go genuinely high end, but I studiously sought out reasonably good values on individual components, and assembled a system has served me well for a good number of years.

Last year, SWMBO and my Christmas present to one another was a new HDTV. Between that, the Blu-Ray, and digital cable, it's been a treat. Even last year, we started talking about getting a HT setup for Christmas this year.

Here's where I need your help: I've got to get a good option to convince her not to squeeze me into buying Bose. I don't need to be convinced. I would like to have options that would keep us in the (roughly) sub $2K range all in. I have found a Yamaha 5.1 receiver that I like (RX-V863). I could "option down" on the amp a bit and save some money, but I like that model's features. The speakers that are in the running are:

Polk TSi400/CSI3/RTi4/PSW111
Elemental A6-6T6 Tower/A6-5T5/A3-5TC/A2-300
EMP E5Ti/E5Ci/E5Bi/E10s (Although I think I can knock that sub performance with a Velodyne)
I've also considered Energy, but haven't been able to find somewhere to listen to them. PSB and Paradigm have been in the mix, but seem to push the price point up.

I've been out of touch with audio long enough that only Polk and Velodyne are familiar to me, and those in name only. In the old days, Polk had a kind of "gimmicky" sound, but the current ones that we've heard have sounded pretty good. I have no easy way to hear either the Elementals or the EMP Impressions, and no way to do a direct A-B with any of the three.

So, long-winded, I know, but hopefully you'll help me make a smart choice.

 

[Ares]

Here is my 2 cents
Receiver Onkyo Tx-sr876 Best bang for your buck http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR876BLK/Onkyo/Tx-sr876-7.1-channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-Black/1.html
Speakers if you could up your budget a little more SVS STS-01 5.1 Audiophile package http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sts01.cfm and if not I would go with the EMP package

 

[Walsh2]

Thanks for the link to the SVS speakers. The reviews look good; once you add shipping, it pushes the speakers alone close to $1700. I'll read some more there.

Is there a reason to be skeptical of outfits like SVS and (to a lesser extent) EMP who either are completely or largely direct-to-consumer?

 

[Ares]

I don't know much about EMP's business practices and from the reviews of owners of SVS their customer service is top notch maybe a forum member who has had dealings with EMP can shed some more light about them.

 

[nova]

Don't worry about either EMP or SVSound.
EMP is a part of RBH Sound and has been around for more than 30 years and is still run by it's founder. SVSound has been around since the late 90's and have really been making inroads these last few years.
Both are solid companies that will stand behind their products.

While the SR-876 is a great receiver, with your budget I'd suggest you spend less on the receiver. Stick with the Yamaha RX-V863 or Onkyo TX-SR607.

 

[shadyJ]

Other options I would recommend an Ascend Acoustics setup, or a package from Hsu research, or maybe a Infinity Primus setup. Something else that would rock is a system from BIC Acoustech. Although with the Infinity and BIC setups, I would skip the subs from either of those manufacturers and get a sub from Hsu, Elemental Designs, Outlaw Audio, or SVS.

Don't be afraid of bookshelfs, I would bet that either the Hsu or the Ascend bookshelfs can rock every bit as hard as tower speakers, as long as they have a sub with them. And with the Hsu's, you wouldn't even have to crossover the subs very high, those bookshelfs are nearly flat to below 60 hertz, in fact, I don't detect any dropoff myself until 50 hertz.

And remember, don't buy cables or connectors from any electronics or audio stores! Figure out when you will need, and order them from monoprice.com or bluejeanscable.com! You will save a fortune! Trust me!

Also I wouldn't bother with subs from Polk or Velodyne. Velodyne makes good subs but they are pretty expensive with respect to their performance. I would stick with the internet direct sub makers I mentioned above- Outlaw Audio, Hsu Research, SVSound, and Elemental Designs. Rythmik also makes some very good subs. I think any subs from those companies will knock out any comparatively priced sub from a store, unless the store is giving you a massive discount.

 

[dorokusai]

Walsh - I believe you could win either way with the gear you've narrowed it down to. I'm slightly biased towards Polk and like the choices on the TSi series. It's a better loudspeaker than the current Monitor series as well. The PSW111 is too small and would suggest, if you buy Polk, the DSW PRO 600 instead.

ShadyJ - I can certainly understand not recommending Polk when it comes to subwoofers over the years. However, the newer lineup is nothing like the lackluster cannon fodder we've had for the past decade.

For whatever reason they never had a huge desire to make a decent subwoofer over the years. I can't explain why but the end result pretty much tells the story to me. I'm too low on the totem pole to make anything but an observation. The last subwoofers that made any impact of me were the PSW505(Slot Loaded) and older PSW1200(Coffee Table).

While they won't be replacing my SVS, they are finally making a better subwoofer with the DSW & MicroPRO series. I firmly believe the internet based companies are what have spurred more than one manufacturer to pick up the pace.

Mark

 

[KASR]

I'm another advocate for Polk - you might check out the PolkDirect ebay store - they have smoking deals on some of their mid-high end stuff and you'll save a bundle! As for sub, I'd substitute the PSW or Micro Polk for a Chrysalis by Velodyne Starfire 12" or for a little more, get the Bass Matrix (10 or higher) Great stuff!

But yea, Polk is an excellent bang for the buck!

 

[Walsh2]

Okay, here's the current working setup:

Speakers: Elemental A6-6T6 Towers/A6-5T5 Center/A3-5TC Satellites
Sub: Klipsch Sub12 (Found it open box at a steal)
Receiver: Yamaha RX-V-863 105 watts, Sirius capable, HD Radio tuner.

I already have CD, Blu-Ray, and the TV.

I would appreciate if someone could point me to pro reviews of the Elementals.

Thoughts? Thanks much!

 

[Walsh2]

Okay, I'm an idiot. 15 minutes later, I'm leaning back toward the Polks; "bang for the buck" being the motivation. I'm thinking the 111 sub is a little small; my living room is probably 12 X 16, but is open on the back and the right side. Is the Klipsch too big? Would a bigger Polk be a good "in the middle" choice?

 

[Ares]

Big in what way.IMO there is two places in a HT system you should never cheap out on,
1)The center
2)The sub

 

[Walsh2]

Big in what way.IMO there is two places in a HT system you should never cheap out on,
1)The center
2)The sub

Well, I guess I meant as in providing too much bass. It's similar in size to the Polk SW125, but is down-firing, and has a more powerful amp.

 

[Ares]

You know I don't think anybody ask this question what size is the room that your HT will be in. this would help in getting a better understanding of what will work best in that room.

 

[Walsh2]

You know I don't think anybody ask this question what size is the room that your HT will be in. this would help in getting a better understanding of what will work best in that room.

The room itself is about 12-14' X 16-18'. The components and the front speakers will be along the short wall. But, the room is open to the right side and the back. Hardwood floors with a rug in the living room. Arched ceiling.
Dunno if the rest of that helps any.

 

[Ares]

I personally love heavy bass but that's me, when you are ready to setup your sub do a sub crawl and after you find the best spot for your sub if you feel that it is too much bass you could lower the volume on the sub itself.

 

[selkec]

if your looking into polk. Check out the frys website. They may still have some of their awesome sales going on. I got the csia9's, the rtiA6 center, a free psw111 from them for around 1000. Then got a pioneer elite vsx21 for 450 shipped. If your working with sub $2000. This would give you alot of cash to play with. The sub they gave me for free is ok. I hooked it up but with these huge towers I dont need it as each tower has 3 7" woofers in them. So the extra $1000 could get your surrounds and a good sounding sub.
You can see my speakers in the link in my sig.

 

[bigpow]

Been wondering, with the recent ID companies - does Polk still offers the best value for economical speakers?

I've been thinking of upgrading my Polk T90e (Monitor 60), these models come to mind:
-EMP E5TiR $500/pair
-eD's A6 6T6 $500/pair
and, from Polkdirect - ebay:
-Polk's own RTI A9 $1000/pair (huge savings)

I've yet to find comparison reviews between these similarly priced (except for the Polk) speakers

 

[Walsh2]

Well, not that it's earth-shaking news, but I ended up with the Polk group: TSi400s, CSi3 center, RTi4s for surrounds, and PSW-125 sub. Driving it with a Yamaha receiver. Sounds pretty good so far. I'm being relatively gentle with volume as I go, but the one thing I notice is that the mains seem a little weak on the highs. My old speakers were Ohms, so I'm used to really good imaging and sharp but not extraordinarily high highs. We'll see. I want to get the speakers broken in and the wife out of the house before I start cranking the volume too much.