Not happy with Polk tsx 440

[triumph]

I recently purchased Polk tsx 440 towers. My Avr is denon Avr x1000. I am not really impressed with these speakers. Currently running at 2.0 setup. I use it for both movies and music. For movies these are really great pair of speakers. Great bass and theatre like experience. But while playing music they lack that wow factor. I felt it was muddy and was poor in detailing.
I still have a choice of replacing it at profx and getting higher range of speakers that they have like Polk rti a5 and Kef q500. My room size is 16*12 feet (L*B).
Which speaker would be better ?
I am thinking of buying on the basis of review by you all since I won't be able to audition it
Will my Avr x1000 be able to run these speakers well ?
Kindly help.

 

[triumph]

Let's help each other guys. Pls dig in. I also have Kef c7 in my mind.

 

[ranjeetrain]

It could be that the amp is a tad underpowered for these. Try to borrow another amp from any local FMs and play them together. If it sounds better, may be you need a different amp. Otherwise you can also look at Dali Zensor and KEF Q300. They are easier to drive.

 

[mikehcm]

I would suggest to go for KEF as they are musical, IMHO polks are great for movies than music, look for a model which is at least 8 ohms with good sensitivity by this way your amp should be able to drive speakers well without an huff, pls take an audition before you pick one, if possible take your amp along, I hope ProFX guys will accommodate. Also, if possible try listening to your Polk with a stero amp, they might make some difference.

 

[elangoas]

I recently purchased Polk tsx 440 towers. My Avr is denon Avr x1000. I am not really impressed with these speakers. Currently running at 2.0 setup. I use it for both movies and music. For movies these are really great pair of speakers. Great bass and theatre like experience. But while playing music they lack that wow factor. I felt it was muddy and was poor in detailing.
I still have a choice of replacing it at profx and getting higher range of speakers that they have like Polk rti a5 and Kef q500. My room size is 16*12 feet (L*B).
Which speaker would be better ?
I am thinking of buying on the basis of review by you all since I won't be able to audition it
Will my Avr x1000 be able to run these speakers well ?
Kindly help.

Before you consider changing your speakers, some pointers to check....

- Hope you have run the Audyssey Set-up for calibrating speakers...
- Check if the Tone controls (Bass & Treble) are engaged when you are playing music content...
- Also make sure Audyssey is turned off when listening to music....
- Try listening to the stereo material in PureDirect function.... This will override all the functions on your AVR & play close to the source material...

 

[triumph]

I have not run Audyssey . Somebody told me not to since my room is not acoustically treated and my MT does not have a door yet. I am also willing to try with Denon Avr x2000 before I make another purchase.

 

[triumph]

Do I have to run Audyssey ? Running 2.0 setup now.

 

[spirovious]

Before you change anything,try Audyssey as suggested.If that doesn't work,try good source player(CDp) and stereo amp.Denon X1000 is certainly not driving them well.
If not,then may Dali Zensor be the another one to try for.

 

[srisaikat]

Get Kef Q300 along with a SUB Woofer. It will definitely sing........

 

[elangoas]

I have not run Audyssey . Somebody told me not to since my room is not acoustically treated and my MT does not have a door yet. I am also willing to try with Denon Avr x2000 before I make another purchase.

Audyssey can work even without room treatment....

Do I have to run Audyssey ? Running 2.0 setup now.

Since you have only front speakers, when running audyssey set the other speakers to None.....This will calibrates the speaker distance & levels automatically.... Once the setup is complete, use Audyssey for movies & DTH content.....

For stereo listening, switch to the Pure direct mode in AVR & share feedback....If you still don't improvement, then you may consider suggestions for either speaker (or) higher end AVR...

 

[ps_sonic]

I was a Polk TSI 300 user who recently switched over to Dali Zensor 5. I would say Dali are more balanced speaker for movies & music. Polk especially TSI series are HT speakers they do not perform well for music but very good for movies. My TSI 300 had ear piercing treble and no bass.Another biggest difference I noticed was the stereo imaging of these speakers the Dali was never sensitive to placement where as with the polkies one day I would have to toe in another day I would have to toe out It was crazy. I suggest you do a trial of your speaker with a stereo amp then take a decision.

 

[square_wave]

The Lsi series ( their flagship) is where some level of refinement is obtainable. Even those sound like the typical American speaker meaning big sound with scanty inner details. If looking for refinement, look elsewhere. Polk audio used to make some good speakers for music decades back. They have gone mainstream in the recent times.

 

[denom]

The LSiM series are IMHO the best from the polk stable.

Did a A/B of Polk LSiM705 vs KEF R700 & its was no contest, Polks won handsomely!
The hit / miss ratio of the KEF was far greater than the Polk.
Cost wise also cheaper than the KEF R Series

 

[jkarthik]

+1 to square_wave

 

[triumph]

Audyssey can work even without room treatment....



Since you have only front speakers, when running audyssey set the other speakers to None.....This will calibrates the speaker distance & levels automatically.... Once the setup is complete, use Audyssey for movies & DTH content.....

For stereo listening, switch to the Pure direct mode in AVR & share feedback....If you still don't improvement, then you may consider suggestions for either speaker (or) higher end AVR...

As suggested I manually selected centre, rear and subwoofer to none, front as Large. Ran Audyssey and saved it. I checked all the configurations to know what changes have been made by Audyssey. Most things have gone to - dB . Mainly the test tones. I made it to zero again and it was better. Overall there was some improvement . After going through owners manual and doing some configurations myself I felt things started to workout. now I need to spend some time with the owners manual and learn things. I hope once I complete my 5.1 setup things will become lively with Audyssey.
Thanks everyone for your help.
I will be needing more help regarding setup and Audyssey in future.

 

[rajudhs]

i recently upgrade my HT to Wharfedale speakers, while auditioning, i too didnt like Polk.

I felt they are good for movies, but for music i didn't like them at all. I too felt they are muddy, just volume and no clarity.

i liked wharfedale, so went for it.

I also see many positive reviews in forum for Dali Zensor, so why dont you try them out as well.

 

[triumph]

Yup. You're right. I am thinking of completing my HT with Polk first since they are really good for movies. Later on I will buy a stereo amp and bookshelf speakers for my bedroom.

 

[elangoas]

As suggested I manually selected centre, rear and subwoofer to none, front as Large. Ran Audyssey and saved it. I checked all the configurations to know what changes have been made by Audyssey. Most things have gone to - dB . Mainly the test tones. I made it to zero again and it was better. Overall there was some improvement . After going through owners manual and doing some configurations myself I felt things started to workout. now I need to spend some time with the owners manual and learn things. I hope once I complete my 5.1 setup things will become lively with Audyssey.
Thanks everyone for your help.
I will be needing more help regarding setup and Audyssey in future.

Good that you found some improvement.....

Sure... Shoot your queries & FM will be glad to help you thru...

 

[efernand1]

Hi Triumph

All new speakers need time to adjust and burn out some hours to be fully tuned in for optimal performance. This is something I read over the internet and also experienced. My Bostons were sounding good when I first connected them. 2-3 months down the line, they sounded better and today after a year its perfect.

If you feel you need more bass, add a subwoofer.