[mentholmoose]

This is probably less of a computer audio question and more of a home theater question, but I'll ask here anyways.

I'm looking into getting new speakers for my media center, which right now is my desktop and TV connected to an AV receiver, which is powering some cheap crappy speakers right now. I wanted to upgrade my speakers by getting a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 50's for the front channels.

The reviews look good, and the price for two of them is not bad, but I'd like an opinion from someone who knows this stuff better than I do. Are they good speakers? And are they worth the price?

EDIT: I'm going to be using them mostly for watching movies and TV shows, less often while listening to music or playing games.

 

[christalnet]

You should get a lot of feed back on this post, I use M-Audio studio monitors. They can be had reasonably at pro stage lighting and audio and sound fantastic plus you cannot beat the price.
Hell I even bought a pair of AV40's for my desktop and have not regretted one red cent...
here is the bottom line on audio though, get out and go to stores, listen to different TECHNOLOGIES not just DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS. Your ears are different from mine and every one else's what sounds good to me may be to "tinny" to you etc, etc.
You are simply going to have to put in the leg work if you truly wish to make a purchase in this area you will be happy with and DON'T let any one tell you otherwise.

Now, that being said, most of the Bose or Polk products are really good but for this price range there is a myriad of options to choose from so don't close the door on less expensive alternatives untill you ahve actually HEARD them.

Best advice I can give you and hope it makes sense or helps.

Chris
Aspect Computing

 

[TUDJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by christalnet You should get a lot of feed back on this post, I use M-Audio studio monitors. They can be had reasonably at pro stage lighting and audio and sound fantastic plus you cannot beat the price. Hell I even bought a pair of AV40's for my desktop and have not regretted one red cent... here is the bottom line on audio though, get out and go to stores, listen to different TECHNOLOGIES not just DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS. Your ears are different from mine and every one else's what sounds good to me may be to "tinny" to you etc, etc. You are simply going to have to put in the leg work if you truly wish to make a purchase in this area you will be happy with and DON'T let any one tell you otherwise. Now, that being said, most of the Bose or Polk products are really good but for this price range there is a myriad of options to choose from so don't close the door on less expensive alternatives untill you ahve actually HEARD them. Best advice I can give you and hope it makes sense or helps. Chris Aspect Computing

Avoid Bose, please.

I don't know much about Polk as they are far more popular in the US than here in the UK but as the poster above said, the best bet is to go to a dedicated AV/HiFi shop and listen to some setups, good dealers will try their best to let you listen to the same Amp you have at home.

 

[grossebeaver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tUDJ Avoid Bose, please.

Definitely a must.

Other options to look into are KEF and Definitive Technologies for around the same price.

Klipsch also makes some good speakers for the money, but they tend to be a bit more subjective, particularly the horn tweeter can be a bit harsh for some peoples tastes.

One of the best sounding options for a bit more would be to get the Bowers & Wilkins 686 or 685. Their mids/highs sound absolutely awesome for most music, plus when paired with a sub they can sound really good for the money.

 

[TUDJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mentholmoose This is probably less of a computer audio question and more of a home theater question, but I'll ask here anyways. I'm looking into getting new speakers for my media center, which right now is my desktop and TV connected to an AV receiver, which is powering some cheap crappy speakers right now. I wanted to upgrade my speakers by getting a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 50's for the front channels. The reviews look good, and the price for two of them is not bad, but I'd like an opinion from someone who knows this stuff better than I do. Are they good speakers? And are they worth the price? EDIT: I'm going to be using them mostly for watching movies and TV shows, less often while listening to music or playing games.

Are you set on floor standers or are you flexible on that? Also, what is the most you can spend on the front 2?

 

[mentholmoose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tUDJ Are you set on floor standers or are you flexible on that? Also, what is the most you can spend on the front 2?

I can probably spend about $300-$350 on the front two. I'd like to have floorstanders but it's not absolutely necessary. I've got a rather powerful subwoofer, so I'd like speakers that match it in power fairly well.

 

[Mikecdm]

Well, a good sub should be able to blend in seamlessly with any speaker, be it a bookshelf or a tower speaker.

As for the speakers themselves, I don't know too much about them. $280 shipped isn't really a lot of money for a pair of decent speakers and there isn't all that much in that price range. I personally like bookshelf models in anything under $1k. I feel that they offer better quality components and better build for the money. For $280, I think that the polks are trying to cram too much into a speaker at such a low price.

Still, it seems that the $280 isn't the regular price of these speakers and if you are not very critical of sound, they should do fine. If for example you can buy the bookshelf models at half the price I'd rather do it, but then you'd probably have to spend the difference on stands.

So as for the price, I think it's fair and you will probably be very content with the speakers. If in the long run you feel that you want a better speaker, it's not like you spent a lot on these and you will be well on your up the food chain.