Polk Audio Monitor Series

[Flipx99]

I am very new to HT. I already have a Pioneer Elite ex-500 series DVD player and receiver, and a Samsung Slimfit 30" TV.

My room is 20 * 26, but the listening area is closer to 12 * 12. (It a finished upstairs, has barn roof-like angles). I am considering purchasing a speaker package or a "selection" speaker package. I come across the polk audio monitor series. I like the 40 for the mains, 30 for surround, and the matching center channel. They are also running a deal where you get a free sub. If I piece together outlet and scratch and dent, the total comes to ~$600. It actually exceeds the amount I want to spend by some. From what I read, I need a bigger budget, but it's hard to justify considering I only watch a movie every other month or so. I won't be using it for music other than music videos.

Is the Polk good or are there better suggestions for ~$600.

[wildfire99]

I am considering purchasing a speaker package or a "selection" speaker package. I come across the polk audio monitor series. I like the 40 for the mains, 30 for surround, and the matching center channel. They are also running a deal where you get a free sub.
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Is the Polk good or are there better suggestions for ~$600.

I tried out the Monitor 30's and the matching CS1 center when they were on sale a month or two ago. As a warning, I'm a total speaker snob, but I found the Polks to be really uninvolving, lacking bass, and the center channel was just a hollow-sounding mess. For retail, it wasn't bad at the price point, but IMO, all retail sucks. I also spent about $600 for the set, and thought I got a bad deal.

I looked at their higher-end stuff, and found it all seems to be built with the same drivers and general design considerations.

For my new "cheap theater," I repurchased a box set that I originally tried nearly 2 years ago, the AudioSource AST 5.1 system. Search fleabay for "AUDIOSOURCE AST5.1GRP" and you can pick up a set for just over $200 shipped. I originally bought the same set at Costco for $600, and now Carver is selling the thing under their own name for scary-high prices (the sub alone costs more than the whole set under the AudioSource name).

If you don't watch movies much, I think it's a great match. The sub is no earth mover but is surprisingly throaty given its size. The dinky matched mains and surrounds do their job and don't sound that bad at all (but they have no low end and require a subwoofer). For films, I have no issue with it at all, and it even made me wonder why I spent several thousand on DIY speakers at one point (but I got over that quickly ). And at the price I don't care if they suck just a little bit, like the Polks.

Aside from that, the only place my snobbish tastes would go towards are the less expensive online brands like AV123 or Ascend, or maybe even that SVS set. The issue with those though is always that the sub kills you in the pocketbook.