Sony SS-CN5000 Dual 5.25" Center Channel Speaker (each, black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)TV: Panasonic 58pz800u
AVR: Onkyo SR-605
Bluray: Oppo BDP-83
Sat: Dish Network ViP 211
Fronts: Sony SS-F7000
Center: Sony SS-CN5000
Surrounds: Sony SS-B1000
Subwoofer: Onkyo SKW-530
I've been using this center for the past 6 weeks now and let me say first that this center looks simple, clean, and doesn't attract very much attention. It's size is noticeable, however. It's a pretty big Center, and weighs like about 15 lbs.
BUILD
It's a nice looking fake black wood enclosure. It has some heft, heavier than most centers I'd think. It's made of MDF inside and has some foam in certain patches in certain areas. The front screen is easily removeable revealing the composite woofers, tweeter and front port. Has spring clips for the speaker wire. Overall, very good build for this price.
MATERIALS:
The tweeter is a 1" Nano Dome, good solid choice for a tweeter.
The Mid Range Woofers are slightly less than 5 inches and made of HOP. This type of material is stiffer then regular polypropylene.
Overall, the materials used is really good considering the price of the center. 10 years ago this stuff was high tech in speaker construction, esp in car speakers which run on 4ohm usually. With the prices of these materials coming down, Sony is able to use them and give us a lot of great sound and tech for not a lot of money.
SOUND:
I primarily use my system for Satellite and movies. I don't listen to too much music, but when I do it's a CD and through my Oppo. So since this center most typically will be the most used speaker of all. It will be in charge of voices, action, some background music and other directional effects. It handles all these with EASE. It is extremely accurate sounding. Audessy shows that the center is FULL RANGE and lets all bass frequencies go to the center on the center channel. This gives insane dynamic range, from deep exhaust notes and voices to high bells and screams from movies.
For music the center sounds crystal clear on everything from symbol to sax to bass guitar to electric guitar, etc. Very good, solid music reproduction. Doesn't have any punch in the lows, but, it's a center channel, it's not supposed to. Most center channel information won't ever go lower than a deep vocal.
I can definitely understand why this center is sitting pretty at #1 in the Center Speaker section for some time now. I would not have tried this Sony setup if it weren't for other reviews. For the price (I paid $83 shipped), this is a really good center speaker. The only thing about it is it's too accurate at times, and can be slightly lower in volume during whispers or low passages due to it's crazy dynamic range. Anyone with an AVR that has Dolby Volume Plus or Audessey Dynamic Volume won't know it though.

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Polk Audio Monitor 30 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, don't be mislead by the price. The Polk Monitor 30 has great potenial and a huge bargain at its close out price (replaced by TSi series which is nearly identical). A bookshelf with depth, both in that it protrudes twelve inches from front to rear when placed on a wall, and, also, provides ample bass for its stature. It matches well with Polk's CS1 or CS10 center channel speaker for surround systems as a front and surround channel, or can be paired with the larger M40 bookshelf, or M50 and M60 towers as a surround speaker. It should be able to outperform most satellite speaker systems, but will stand out prominently from the wall when hung from it's bracket. On opposite end of the hanging bracket, short legs keep the speaker evenly spaced from the wall and allow the rear port to breathe.
Since both Polk's Monitor/TSi bookshelf and center channel speakers provide ample levels of bass (55Hz), it offers more flexibility when used with a subwoofer than small satellite speakers. Subwoofer crossover can be set lower allowing the sub to handle the lower frequencies with more detail. While crossover with a satellite speaker generally should be set no lower than the 120-150Hz area, which is at the uppermost range of most subwoofers, the M30 can easily be adjusted down to the 60-80Hz area. Of course the extra speaker size can take more power and produce more volume than satellites, as well.
However, for front channel use the Monitor has limitations. For mid size rooms the Monitor 30 is a bit small as a front channel and noticeably lacking in bass detail no matter what the room dimension. There are bookshelfs that use larger mid/woofer drivers or at least two 5 inch drivers (and one tweeter) that can produce quite a bit more detail and volume in the lower frequencies. However, you'll have to spend at least $300 for such a pair that match the clarity and quality design of the Monitor 30. The other option is to purchase the Monitors for $100 and spend an additional $100-200 on a subwoofer to have even greater range than the larger bookshelfs.
I use four Monitor 30's as surround and rear channels in a fairly spacious room (16x24 & vaulted ceiling) with Polk Monitor 60 towers and CS1 in the front. Though the 30's are much closer to the listener than the fronts, the levels must be adjusted a couple of decibels higher to make surround effects really come out. In fairness, the front channels employ eight 5.25" drivers versus only two to four drivers depending on 5.1 or 7.1 soundtrack. While listening to music, I prefer using Dolby ProLogicIIx (7.1 surround), rather than two channel stereo. Since the Monitor 30's match so seamlessly with the other speakers, the soundstage is opened up and less volume is needed.
Again, don't let the price fool you. There are many steeply priced speakers using same size drivers that will only marginally outperform and sometimes underperform the Monitor 30. The Dynaudio 52SE for example, costing around $1,000, when tested by Audioholics produced great lower bass until it bottomed out due to lack of internal bracing and overall driver design. When given time to break-in, matched appropriately with other speakers, and tuned with the latest A/V Receivers, the 30 can be a very solid performer.

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The Polk Audio Monitor 30 2-way Bookshelf Speaker is a quality-built yet affordable, high-performance loudspeaker for music and home theater. The Polk Monitor 30 provides open, spacious and clear audio even when driven by modestly-powered amplifiers and receivers, and is voice matched for lifelike surround-sound environments. This monitor boasts a stylish look that complements today's flat screen technology, with a discreet black finish, and built-in keyhole wall mounting brackets for strong, secure on-wall mounting with no added brackets to buy.
The Polk Audio Monitor 30 in black.

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