Need reccomendations for replacement of Polk CS1 center channel

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

I bought Polk CS1 center and Polk Monitor 50's for L&R.
The CS1 is just a little too harsh on loud movie scenes so I'm looking for something that does the highs just a little better and not as harsh.
Spending limit is ~$250/$275 for the center channel.(CS1 was $160)

And will this upgrade require me to upgrade L&R's?

 

[avaserfi]

If you like the sound of the Monitor 50's and don't think them to harsh at higher scens, you might want to look into getting a Monitor 30 and using it as a center. You might not be able to get just one, but then you can add a sixth channel or just have an extra speaker, in case something happens.

Getting the 30 will give you the same tweeter/woofer as the 50's which means timbre should be very similar if not the same which means no upgrades will be needed/warranted with this situation.

There is a good article on why traditional MTM center design isn't ideal right here: http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/vertical-vs-horizontal-speaker-designs

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

I actually have four surround speakers already for 7.1
Just looking to upgrade that center channel and then if needed due to upgrade, get better L&R towers.

 

[Adam]

Do you have any ability to set equalization for your center channel? I ask because my NHT speakers used to sound harsh to me, but after I got a new receiver that has an auto-equalization system, they sound much more enjoyable to me. I was extremely happy with the change in how they sounded. I imagine that you've already set that up if you do have it, but I thought that I'd ask anyway.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Good thing you asked as I don't even know yet. Got all my equipment in the last 10 days and haven't really had time to learn and tinker.

 

[Adam]

Eagles, which receiver did you get?

Also, let me just say - congratulations on all of the new gear!

 

[avaserfi]

I actually have four surround speakers already for 7.1
Just looking to upgrade that center channel and then if needed due to upgrade, get better L&R towers.

I realize that and using a bookshelf as a center is perfectly acceptable, that was my point. The problem is sometimes you can only buy them in pairs.

Most receivers now a days have auto-eq functions of some sort. Adam's resolution will be easier and cheaper if it works, if not, well I like spending peoples money .

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Adam....yamaha rx-v661

asaferi....I misunderstood. I figured the 30 was a lower quality speaker than the CS1 (at least for vocals) though?

 

[avaserfi]

Adam....yamaha rx-v661

asaferi....I misunderstood. I figured the 30 was a lower quality speaker than the CS1 (at least for vocals) though?

Why would the CS1 be a higher quality speaker? Just because it has another driver? . I haven't heard either so I can't talk, but I wouldn't be too surprised if they performed similarly.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/monitor30/

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/cs1/

 

[Adam]

Adam....yamaha rx-v661

Beautiful. That model has Yamaha's auto set-up feature that comes with a microphone and will do some equalization for you. In addition, there are three choices for how the equalization will be applied that you can play around with. Setting that up starts on page 28 of the owners manual.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

asaferi...i'm a newbie just looking for help. I figured since it was sold as a center speaker where as the 30's are not it would be beteer and it is also more expensive than a 30. So I, being a newbie figured it was a better speaker than a 30.

Adam....No mic in my box from C.C.? Should have come with one?

 

[avaserfi]

asaferi...i'm a newbie just looking for help. I figured since it was sold as a center speaker where as the 30's are not it would be beteer and it is also more expensive than a 30. So I, being a newbie figured it was a better speaker than a 30.

Adam....No mic in my box from C.C.? Should have come with one?

A good speaker is a good speaker thats all you need to know. If you want you could take one of your rear surrounds and use it as a center channel to see what you think (just be sure to disable your rear surrounds when you do this). If you like it then you have your answer.

I wasn't trying to be condescending sorry if I came off that way .

 

[Adam]

Adam....No mic in my box from C.C.? Should have come with one?

Yes, it should have come with one. If you look on page 3 of the manual, it shows a picture of the "Supplied accessories," and the "Optimizer microphone" is one of them. Take a look at the picture and then maybe look at what came in the box again. You might have missed it, as they aren't very big.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

asaferi....great idea on the speaker swap, i'll try that. Thanks for the help.
If the surround doesn't do it for me, what is it that I should be looking for in a replacement for less harsh? A speaker with two tweeters? A speaker with a really good single tweeter?


Adam....wow, that's a microphone? Thanks for the help. I'll try that huge owners thread again and I will go through my manual this evening. Do you have any recc.'s on speaker?

 

[Adam]

Adam....wow, that's a microphone? Thanks for the help. I'll try that huge owners thread again and I will go through my manual this evening. Do you have any recc.'s on speaker?

No problem, happy to help. The only recommendation that I have for speakers is to get ones that you like. You really need to listen to them and decide if you like them. In terms of using a "real" center channel versus using a bookshelf, you really can use either one just like avaserfi said. Hopefully once you get your receiver set up, things will sound a lot better to you.

Good luck, and if you need any help with setting up the receiver, don't hesitate to ask. There's plenty of people here who will be happy to help.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Adam...funny you offered, I just finished the Auto Set-Up with the mic. and it didn't make much difference as far as I can hear but I'm no audiophile and half deaf in one ear.
I'm concerned that it stripped a little too much volume from my sides and surrounds. My set-up is improper in that the rear surrounds are on either end of a couch at ear level but 2-4" behind head and I positioned the mic. where I sit which is in the middle of that couch. So I think the mic heard too much output because it was 'so' close to the rears and now lowered them??

 

[Adam]

Not an audiophile?!? Get OUT!!! Just kidding, of course. Being an audiophile has nothing to do with knowing what you like, and if it doesn't sound good...well, it doesn't sound good.

Let's see what we can do. First, the question about the surround speakers. When you do the auto set-up with a microphone, you want to get the microphone as close to where your ears will be when you're using the system. When I did mine, I had to elevate it using pillows. What the receiver does is send signals to all of the speakers and then measures the volume of each speaker using the microphone. It will adjust the volumes so that they are all equal. So, if the microphone was placed where your ears will be, then the speaker levels should be set so that everything is level.

Now, here's something to keep in mind. The auto set-up is handy, and it's a great starting point. However, if you don't like how things sound, you can always adjust the parameters on the receiver. Again, it's about what you like. If the surround speakers sound too quiet, then you can turn them up. I would suggest listening to them for a little while at their new levels, though, because you might have just gotten used to how they did sound and might think that they are set wrong because they are quieter. That happened to me when I first did it.

I'd also suggest trying out the three different equalizer settings (on page 29 of the manual) and see if any of those sound better to you.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

I had the mic proped up to about exactly where my ears would be. I ended up rerunning the auto aet-up and moved the mic much closer to the fronts than I sit hoping it would amplify the surrounds. It did, but only a little.
Also, I believe I had my sub too high on first test and too low on second as now it's totally bass heavy overall sound where as I like blended with bass.

Why does it seem so quiet on the surrounds? I'm watching espn HD football with supposedly 5.1DD and am running 7.1 but the four surrounds are minimal in output 'at best'?

 

[Adam]

Normally, the surround speakers are going to be quite a bit more quiet than the front three speakers. That's just the way that the sound is mixed. They will occasionally get loud, but in general they are more quiet. I'm not familiar with how ESPN football would sound, though.

To check out the speaker level settings, you should be able to manually run a series of test tones (that will sound like static) using your receiver. If you have an SPL meter, you can measure the levels and adjust them accordingly. If you don't have an SPL meter, you can try to do it by ear. Running those tones, you could see if the surround speakers are actually set a lot lower than the fronts. The same is true for setting the volume of the sub. The Yamaha should also run a test tone through it.

Ideally, you'd use a test CD or DVD (like Avia) and an SPL meter to set all of the levels. However, those auto set-up systems can generally get the levels pretty close.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Dont forget that YPAO sets the crossover and size where "we" dont like it. After you run YPAO go back to the manual set-up and set your crossover 60-90hz (just a good starting place, Adam or Andrew can throw in the detail if you need them) and then set all your speakers to small.