Speaker selection dilemma: Polk or Infinity? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Kao]

Right now I'm looking at the Infinity IL-10 and the Polk RT-35i. The IL-10s have glowing reviews and I have heard nothing but good things about them, and while the RT-35i's are very new, I've also heard very good things about them.
If I go the Infinity route I'd probably get the IL-36C center to match, & if Polk, than I'd be getting the CS400i. Now here's the thing... I'm a bit impartial to Infinity as I already have Infinity HPS-1.5 booshelves, but after reading the Sound & Vision review of the Infinity Interlude system (link), I'm a bit weary of the IL-36C center:
"The Interlude system seemed to sugar-coat voices, which sounded tonally natural but lacked articulation. Any roughness or edge to a voice was glossed over. Since much of the dialogue in The Green Mile is spoken in a Southern drawl, it was sometimes difficult to understand the lines. Several times my movie-watching partner and I looked at each other and asked, "What did he say?" The Interludes didn't always provide the answer."
However, from perusing audioreview, a few people who listened to both the Infinity and Polk, stated that the Infinities displayed superior 'crisp' highs.
The HPS-1.5's will be going in the rear. If I go Polk I'll probably phase this pair out for another set of RT-35i's in the future. Who knows, Polks and Infinities may even match well! So what do you guys suggest I do?

 

[Thomas_A]

I will say one thing about the Polks...they image very well. The Infinities that I have heard sound a bit fake and not as well defined like the Polks... both being played on a HK 7000...

Basicaly... like others will suggest- listen and compare with familiar pices of movies/music. Your ears are the best to make the final decisions

one other thing...the cs400i is an amazing center channel. I like it a lot better over the infinity model

 

[Matt Wallace]

Mike,

A/B the two and I think that you will never say the Polks don't have the high end of the Infinity's. Just has not been the case in my experience. Circuit City has a good demo room for these two brands, btw.

Matt

 

[Howard Smith]

I am new to this forum but have the polk setup you are looking at.I tested both at CC before buying and liked the Polks better.The 400i is a great center in my opinion and will work well if you upgrade the fronts to towers later on.

I had limited budget for speakers and planned on getting the 800i when CC marks them down.Also several places to get polks online at good prices if you go that way.I would look at the Fx 300 or 500 for surrounds,I am very happy with the 300 for movies.

I like music and HT and the polks were the best fit for my budget.The 35i works fine for my music with my sub.

Best,

Howard

 

[Russell _T]

Mike,

I have had most of the Interlude line at one time or another. For value, the IL10 is the best speaker in that line, and the IL36c is the strongest overall. There is a larger following of Polk fans on this forum than Infinity. Things just get skewed that way somtimes, but IMO, the Infinity with the CMMD technology is way underappreciated. This is the same technology that they use in their $16,000.00 Prelude MTS line that is widely acclaimed. I would not hesitate to take advantage of it.

Russ