worth it

[sewerdog]

Looking at some Polk Moniter 70s for my fronts any opinions on these speakers. Receiver is nothing fancy Onkyo 302 it cranks since I live in an apt it can't get very loud. Also off subject which is better on a movie Dolby Dts or Dolby 5.1 this receiver decodes both really can't tell the difference

[ZedsDead]

You're receiver can not power those monitor 70's enough to make it worth a purchase in it's own right. If you plan on making upgrades one component at at a time than depending on the price of the 70
s they could be a worthy investment.

Most knowledgeable people will tell you to audition speakers when possible and to upgrade when piece at a time when funds are tight. It's much better to slowly procure quality merchandise you really want, than to just blow your budget on something you won't be happy with in a few months.

[callas01]

the quick answer would be yes, polk makes nice speakers and if it meets your budget then you would have a nice start to a setup. Audition them if poss.


On the other hand, you can also look at these Energys RC-30s, for $480 for the pair, they are a steal. Typically priced at $1100 for the pair. They are excellent for HT and Music. Definetly worth a listen.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by ZedsDead

You're receiver can not power those monitor 70's enough to make it worth a purchase in it's own right. If you plan on making upgrades one component at at a time than depending on the price of the 70
s they could be a worthy investment.

Most knowledgeable people will tell you to audition speakers when possible and to upgrade when piece at a time when funds are tight. It's much better to slowly procure quality merchandise you really want, than to just blow your budget on something you won't be happy with in a few months.

I am not very knowledgeable on all the older Onkyo models, but Zed may have a point on your reciever. It may be a temporary stop gap but it may be the next item you want to upgrade.

[sewerdog]

Thanks to all the replys maybe they just might work for what i need i forgot i live in a senior apartment so the old fogies around here cant take to loud a sound thanks alot

[Driver_King]

Buy the best pair of speakers you can afford now and start from there.

[talstarone]

Well even though I Bleed Polk Blue,in this case I will have to make a different recommendation.

Since you have a smaller Onkyo receiver it may be wise to find a speaker with a High Effeciancy Rating.The first line that comes to mind would be Klipsch.
They normally reach 90db's of efficency and above.Which could make them a perfect partner for the Onkyo Receiver.

So,if you need a speaker thats easy to power with a small receiver one that is efficent then Klipsch would be worth a look.(IMO)

[Riff Magnum]

Since you live in an apartment, spend the money on a better receiver and an awesome pair of headphones.

[Driver_King]

First, I will say that your receiver is not that powerful. That's a given. The thing is, you can always upgrade your receiver. You could get away with some vintage speakers, like the Polk SDA's. They are very efficient, 92dB I think. You will be able to hear a full-range sound even at extremely low levels. The only issue is that they are 4 ohms. They could be difficult on your receiver, but, as long as you don't run them at crazy levels for too long, you (your receiver and speakers) should be fine. With the SDA's, you really don't even need surround sound speakers or a center channel. In some circumstances, you may not even want a subwoofer to go with them. They sound like they have their own powered subwoofers inside them when they're playing (they actually have 12" to 15" passive radiators in them!). Polk SDA's can be purchased online or locally. They are Polk's high-end speakers from the 80's. They don't quite make speakers like the SDA's anymore. There are many versions of SDA speakers and they all are very similar in sound. I would recommend keeping an eye out for a deal on equipment here or here.

[sewerdog]

I would like to go with polks how about the TSi series or the m20's are there any polks that won't give my receiver to much grief ?????

[callas01]

Try these or these or even these.

The Klipsch speakers would probably be the easiest of the speakers for your receiver to push given their high sensitivity. But I would personally prefer the Energys first then the Polks and Klipsch last. Klipsch makes good speakers especially for HT, but they are a little bright for my tastes... I would suggest that you seek to replace your receiver with perhaps the Onkyo 607 when ever you can.

[Riff Magnum]

I've never lived in an apartment and i know it probably depends on the situation, but exactly how much can you get away with in terms of volume in that environment? I thought that's why people went with little satellite speakers or the small bookshelf type. Wouldn't floorstanding towers be too much?

[Hoser59]

I too live in an apartment and I initially went with the Polk M20's for my L/R speakers for fear of upsetting the neighbors. The salesmen at the time tried to convince me to upgrade to better fronts but I went with my original choice. Fast forward almost a year and I found a great deal on the Monitor 70's so I decided to buy them. I have to say that the difference in clarity and detail is fantastic. I am finding that I do not have to turn the volume up as loud as before because the sound field is much fuller. I figure that when I move to a house and can really start turning up the volume the 70's should handle things just fine. As others have said, your receiver may be under powered but that is always something you can upgrade later. I say listen to them for sure and then decide

[sewerdog]

Thanks for all the inputfrom everyone will make up my mind in about a week