Please help! (Polk Monitor 50 Floorstanding)

[Akojouri]

Hello everyone. Ive been reading around these forums for a couple weeks, but I just now made an account for a question I have.
I can get a pair of these Polk Audio Monitor 50's on newegg for $180 shipped. I know they're not top of the line or audiophile quality, but I mean, come on they're $180.
The sale ends tomorrow and theyre being bumped back up to $240. I was just wondering if you guys could help me out with this decision. If you think they're really THAT bad, to where they're not even worth $180, then be honest. But if you think they'll be ok, then great. These will be my first speakers and I am also buying a Denon AVR 1910. I'll probably be watching movies 70% of the time and listening to music 30%.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Akojouri]

No one?

 

[skers_54]

I had a pair of the R50s, which now reside at my parents' being powered by a 590. They are happy with them and the receiver has no problems powering them. I thought they were decent for movies but lacking for music. The Monitors are a step up so they should be better.

Since your primary use is movies, you will need to invest in a good sub. At these prices, you can generally get better performance from a bookshelf speaker than a floorstander. You'll need to cross both towers and bookshelves over, so the increased extension of the tower isn't used. I think you'd do better looking at bookshelves in this price range and pairing them with a sub.

If you don't intend to get a sub, the extra extension of the towers becomes more important. From what I remember, that's a decent price for those speakers.

 

[Akojouri]

Thanks for the reply. I will take your advice and look at some bookshelves, but I do have to get stands for them if I buy them, so when comparing the prices Ill have to take that into consideration too. But now what about satellites + Sub? There is also a combo deal on newegg right now for an Onkyo 607 (Which would have been my second choice over the Denon anyway), and a 5.1 set of Klipsch 'HD 500.' Will I get better sound from those? I will actually probably use it as a 2.1 and save the center and surround speakers for later, for reasons I dont wanna get into. So what Im trying to say is, do you think I would get better sound out of the Monitor 50's, or 2 of the Klipsch sats + the Klipsch sub that come in the HD 500 package?

 

[skers_54]

Thanks for the reply. I will take your advice and look at some bookshelves, but I do have to get stands for them if I buy them, so when comparing the prices Ill have to take that into consideration too. But now what about satellites + Sub? There is also a combo deal on newegg right now for an Onkyo 607 (Which would have been my second choice over the Denon anyway), and a 5.1 set of Klipsch 'HD 500.' Will I get better sound from those? I will actually probably use it as a 2.1 and save the center and surround speakers for later, for reasons I dont wanna get into. So what Im trying to say is, do you think I would get better sound out of the Monitor 50's, or 2 of the Klipsch sats + the Klipsch sub that come in the HD 500 package?

Stands do add to the cost, but you only have to buy them once. You'd probably have to buy stands for your surrounds in the future anyways, so you could reuse them if you decided you really wanted towers for the fronts.

I would never recommend a small satelite system over real-sized speakers. I'm not a fan of Klipsch (find them bright and irritating) and I wouldn't recommend purchasing them without auditioning first. I also prefer a good 2-channel system over a compromised 5.1 system (even for movies). So the Polks would be my choice hands down over the Klipsch sats.

You have a very good plan to gradually grow your system. Spreads out the costs, allows you to wait for better deals, lets you really narrow down what you want, etc. You can easily expand with the Polks, while it would be more difficult and expensive to do with the Klipsch because you would be replacing rather than adding components.

I'd also recommend the Denon over the Onkyo. The Denon has Audyssey MultiEQ vs. 2EQ, which is a huge improvement. Onkyos also run hotter, which could be an issue if the receiver has to go in an entertainment center.

 

[Akojouri]

Yeah the whole heat issue and the upscaling were the only things keeping me from the Onkyo. But I didnt know the Denon was superior in sound also. I knew they have the same chip, but when I actually listened to the Onkyo one I thought it had better sound for some reason. But I would still rather have the Denon one.

So yeah, I guess Ill just go without any combo deals or anything and just get the Denon one with the Polks. Is there any other floorstanders you would recommend rather than those, with a budget of $250?

Also, with the whole sats vs floorstanding, thats what I had always thought too, but when I listened to some Def-tech sats, and then some def-tech floorstanders in the same budget, I thought the satellites were much clearer and less distorted and just generally better sounding. I am absolutely clueless about all this stuff though and that might have just been my ears fooling me or whatever.

And thanks again for the advice. Really appreciate it.

 

[skers_54]

Receivers in the same price range sound the same without any processing. It's the improved version of Audyssey that gives the Denon the edge. It's hard to judge sound in stores b/c the speaker placement and floor noise are usually less than ideal. How the receivers are setup is pretty much anyone's guess too.

I don't have any recommendations about specific floorstanders in your budget. The closest are the new EMPs which are close to double what you want to spend. The Infinity Primus towers (really good drivers, decent crossover, so-so cabinet) used to go on sale for $100/each but I haven't seen that for several months. I think you would have to up your budget by $50-100 for them.

What you heard with the Def Techs is what I was alluding to with the bookshelf vs. floorstanding suggestion. Bookshelves have lower inherent cabinet resonance and cost less to build, generally making them a better value at budget prices. I don't like small satelites like the Klipsch mentioned above because the small midrange drivers need to be crossed over too high to integrate well with a sub. This gives you a gap in the upper midbass, making them sound thin and hollow. Bookshelves are basically larger "satelites" and avoid this issue.

 

[m_vanmeter]

you will be hard pressed to beat the Newegg sales on Polk Monitor 50 or Monitor 60 towers. For the price they are excellent. As mentioned, the only speakers that come close are Infinity Primus P series towers, if you can still find them on sale (watch for free shipping - towers can cost a lot to ship). If you miss a sale at Newegg, just wait a couple of weeks, the sale will be back.

The Denon 590 / 1610 or 790 / 1910 are very good receivers, as is the Onkyo SR607. Receivers can get warm if they are not well ventilated...and stuffing them into entertainment centers usually causes the heat issues.....for just about any receiver.

A powered subwoofer will help out any modestly priced speakers...also frees ups the receiver of the "heavy lifting" of amplifying the lower frequencies.

 

[Akojouri]

Thank you both for replying.
Yeah, so I thought about it for a while, and I decided to just go with the Polks. I almost even got ready to bite the bullet and order them. But then I got to thinking, either one I get(The polks or the Klipsch sat+sub) will get replaced. Ill do just fine with the Polks for a long while but I dont think Ill keep them for more than a year or two. And with that in mind, I dont have any use for two extra floorstanders laying around, but I would have lots of uses for the satellites and the sub. And Im never gonna drop $600 on 5 satellites and a sub, but $350 (the price they would be if I went with the combo deal), sounds alright. I dont know though, Im still leaning towards the Polks, but this just made it even harder for me to choose.

 

[marky12]

I purhased the monitor 50s a while back from Newegg for even less so the sales are always going to be there. As for the speakers, they are hard to beat at their price range. I use it as a two channel set up to watch tv some times and the sound is pretty decent for what it's worth. One thing I would say though, I don't think the center for this line is better than just running the two towers, so I recommend running a phantom center. They're bright speakers so you might want to take that into consideration.

 

[m_vanmeter]

I know Klipsch has a good reputation in the speaker world, at least for those who like loaded horn technology.....but the HD500 includes speakers with 2.5" mids (I won't even try to call them woofers) and a .75" tweeter really can't move much air...nor reproduce much sound below the high mid frequencies. They are obviously a serious compromise to get "small size" instead of good wide frequency response.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

Fry's has the R50's on sale for $59 each. I picked up 2 for surrounds. I am not sure how they differ from the Monitor line but the price can't be beat.

 

[Matt34]

If your not set on getting towers I would get the berhinger 2030P or 2031P or the infinity P162. Pick up a dayton 120 or PA-120 sub and you'll come in at your price range and have a far superior "full range" system than any 350 dollar tower pair will be able to give you.

 

[Akojouri]

Yeah I went ahead and bought the Polk's and an Onkyo 607. I realize the Denon was better and I actually wanted that one more, but the Onkyo is $150 less, and I feel more comfortable buying from newegg than anywhere else, and newegg doesnt carry Denon's. But with the whole Phantom center thing, I have no idea about soundstaging or how to do it or anything. Ill maybe look it up later on but should I even bother with a phantom center if I dont have surround speakers? Or do people set up center speakers even with stereo setups also?

 

[Akojouri]

I know Klipsch has a good reputation in the speaker world, at least for those who like loaded horn technology.....but the HD500 includes speakers with 2.5" mids (I won't even try to call them woofers) and a .75" tweeter really can't move much air...nor reproduce much sound below the high mid frequencies. They are obviously a serious compromise to get "small size" instead of good wide frequency response.

Yeah thats what I figured. The only reason I would have gotten them is so I can have some extra surround speakers and a sub and stuff laying around to mess with after I upgraded, but I figured I could do the same with the Polk towers too.

Fry's has the R50's on sale for $59 each. I picked up 2 for surrounds. I am not sure how they differ from the Monitor line but the price can't be beat.

Oh man I wish I would have known that before! Oh well I guess Ill at least get a little bit better sound out of these maybe. I dunno, its alright $180 is still a pretty damn good deal for me
Appreciate it though.

If your not set on getting towers I would get the berhinger 2030P or 2031P or the infinity P162. Pick up a dayton 120 or PA-120 sub and you'll come in at your price range and have a far superior "full range" system than any 350 dollar tower pair will be able to give you.

If I ever decide to get speakers for my computer, Ill get one of those, or just any other good bookshelves. Ill then maybe mess around and switch them up and try them on my AVR and stuff. I just didnt want to mess with stands and stuff, and also have to buy a sub.


Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it. Ill tell you guys how I think the Polk's sound when they get here

 

[QwikKotaTx]

Good choice on the receiver, that is more important to cry once, buy once as it is the heart of the system. You can move the Monitor 50's to the surround area if you ever upgrade the fronts. I just picked up the HT-RC160 from Newegg, I like it so far. Similar to the 607. I got the Ipod dock for free as well, I really like that website.