Getting frustated about deciding on new speakers Help !

[Rmb1080p]

Hey guys....first off im a new member...hello to everyone! Anyway I am wanting to purchase new fronts...currently i have Sony ss-b3000s...they aren't bad but i really would like an upgrade. I have a budget of about 400-450$ for a pair. The speakers i have been looking at are the Polk tsi 300s and Energy C-300. I was able to listen to the tsi 300s at best buy and switch them back and forth between the ss-b3000s i currently have...I really liked the way they sounded in comparison...i guess now im wondering what the tsi 300s sound like in comparison to the c-300s....which would you recommend?

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Rmb1080p

Hey guys....first off im a new member...hello to everyone! Anyway I am wanting to purchase new fronts...currently i have Sony ss-b3000s...they aren't bad but i really would like an upgrade. I have a budget of about 400-450$ for a pair. The speakers i have been looking at are the Polk tsi 300s and Energy C-300. I was able to listen to the tsi 300s at best buy and switch them back and forth between the ss-b3000s i currently have...I really liked the way they sounded in comparison...i guess now im wondering what the tsi 300s sound like in comparison to the c-300s....which would you recommend?

The TSi-300 are A good sounding speaker , I use them as my surrounds & surround rears ! I have never heard the 3000's so I could not compare for you !!

BTW ~ welcome to the forum !!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Rmb1080p

Hey guys....first off im a new member...hello to everyone! Anyway I am wanting to purchase new fronts...currently i have Sony ss-b3000s...they aren't bad but i really would like an upgrade. I have a budget of about 400-450$ for a pair. The speakers i have been looking at are the Polk tsi 300s and Energy C-300. I was able to listen to the tsi 300s at best buy and switch them back and forth between the ss-b3000s i currently have...I really liked the way they sounded in comparison...i guess now im wondering what the tsi 300s sound like in comparison to the c-300s....which would you recommend?

Speaker preference depends on the individual. The other factor is the center speaker. It is important that the three front speakers are from the same line and the same manufacturer. Ideally, three identical vertical front speakers is the best option.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Rmb1080p

Hey guys....first off im a new member...hello to everyone! Anyway I am wanting to purchase new fronts...currently i have Sony ss-b3000s...they aren't bad but i really would like an upgrade. I have a budget of about 400-450$ for a pair. The speakers i have been looking at are the Polk tsi 300s and Energy C-300. I was able to listen to the tsi 300s at best buy and switch them back and forth between the ss-b3000s i currently have...I really liked the way they sounded in comparison...i guess now im wondering what the tsi 300s sound like in comparison to the c-300s....which would you recommend?

Having listened to the TSi300s/Monitor 50s prior to buying the Energy C-300 I can tell you that Polks are good speakers, they do good with movies, mids are good, highs to me a little exaggerated although not terriblely bright, but that is part of what makes them better for movies then music, and the lows are good. I used to have Sony SS-F5000s so I know exactly what you are comparing. I bought the Energy C-300s because the Highs were accurate, crisp and smooth. The Mids out perform the mids of the TSis completely, smooth laidback with a sound that is detailed all the way through. The lows are smoother but slightly more powerful. Overall the Energys have much better depth, detail and clarity. Movies sound awesome and powerful with good mid-bass punch and music is awesome, far beyond what I ever expected. Overwhelmingly I would say get the Energys, I don't have anything against Polks at all, but sometimes one speaker is just better then another, and that is the case here.

Depending where you are you can probably audition the C-300s, where are you?

[Rmb1080p]

Hey thanks for the replies....im in virginia... and im not sure if there are any places around me to audition the c-300s.....im actually going to upgrade my entire front soundstage...right now all of my speakers are sony's so if i went with the polks i was going to get a cs20 center...and if i went with the Energy i was going to the get the c-c100.....my other gear consists of a Jbl sub12 and my avr is a sony str-dg720...i plan on posting some pics in my gallery tomorrow.

[Rmb1080p]

so Callas...just how much of a noticible difference could you tell between the sony's and these speakers? with movies mainly. i watch more movies than anything.

[Beta Man]

Since I just had the misfortune of needing to order a new surround..... I know my local shop will sell a B&W 686 for $215.47 out the door........ might want to give them a listen.... very accurate sounding speaker for the small price.

Klipsch is a popular one too..... many love them for movies, so give them a listen, along with Paradigm, and Def Tech.

Happy hunting!

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Rmb1080p

so Callas...just how much of a noticible difference could you tell between the sony's and these speakers? with movies mainly. i watch more movies than anything.

Well, my sonys speakers had more of a boomy sound, they could be loud but not very accurate sounding, they had low end and highs, but to me there was not much midrange. or at least the midrange was muddled by the boominess of the woofer. When I got the Energys they were noticably better right when I hooked them up. they took about a week to fully open up. Movies are excellent. I was like you I mostly watched movies, and still it is probably about 60-70% of what they are used for is TV/Movies, but I have been listening to more and more music lately because they sound so musically good. Details and clarity are just so much better.

A good example of what I mean. I own Miami Vice on DVD, when I used to watch it on the sonys I always had to turn the center channel up as well as the volume to hear dialog. With the Energys, the dialog was so much more clear and understandable, I was hearing things that I have never heard before, and even my wife commented on it too. I always thought the audio quality on this movie was terrible, turns out its not. Only things I had changed was the Speakers!

[Skulltap]

Welcome to the forum! I would also like to recommend Axiom. While it may be hard for you to audition them, since they aren't sold in stores, they have a return policy so that you can order them, check them out, and return them incase you don't like them. If you can stretch your budget...


Bookshelf pair $296 USD
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m2.html


Center channel $255 USD
http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp100.html


I have listened to Polk Monitor 40's in comparison to my Axioms, and the Axioms bring more clarity to the table. Also, the Polks are nice. Right now, they aren't on sale like they were when I got mine, so I have to say go with something else, b/c you would notice a sonic difference.

Just my two cents... whatever you decide, good luck!!!

[Big Daddy]

In addition to Axiom speakers mentined above, the following speakers are sold factory-direct. The list is in alphabetical order. A couple of them are high-end and expensive.

Aperion Speakers:
http://www.aperionaudio.com/catalog/...roducts,4.aspx

Ascend Acoustics:
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages.../spkrlist.html

Audio Engine, Powered Speakers:
http://www.audioengineusa.com/

Axiom:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/

Cadence:
http://www.cadencehometheaterspeaker...re/pc/home.asp

Crystal Audio (B&W alternative):
http://www.crystalaudiovideo.com/productcategory.aspx

Emotiva:
http://emotiva.com/speakers_feature2.shtm

Fluance:
http://www.fluance.com/

Funky Waves:
http://funkywaves.net/catalog.cfm

Home Theater Direct:
http://www.htd.com/cabinet-speakers

Hsu Speakers:
http://www.hsuresearch.com/speakers.html

NSM Audio:
http://www.nsmaudio.com/brochures/direct-sales.html
http://www.nsmaudio.com/brochures/clearance-sale.html

Orb Audio:
http://www.orbaudio.com/

Tekton Design:
http://www.tektondesign.com/loudspeakers.htm

Theater Research:
http://www.trtheaterresearch.com/

The Speaker Company:
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/

Tyler Acoustics (Ultra High-End):
http://www.tyleracoustics.com/

Urban Fidelity Planets:
http://www.urbanfidelity.com/planets/

[Hammie]

You can check here to see where the Energy's are sold near you.