Downsizing Speakers

I have a pair of B&W DM640i speakers I purchased back in 1994. They still sound great and use them in my family room (about 24 x 15) every day. I'm thinking of possibly downsizing them to large-ish bookshelf speakers. Oh, the only thing I don't like about the B&W's is the CC6 center channel. Voices have always sounded a little muddy. Definitely not crisp and clear. I often end up putting on the subtitles when watching movies, which is annoying - and no, it's not my ears. I also have a Velodyne 10 active/12 passive sub in this setup.

In a another room, I have a pair of Polk Monitor 5 Jr+ speakers. I think I got those in 1990. They sat dormant for maybe the past 18 years until I was able to set up a separate smaller, media room (about 12 x 12) for surround sound. Always liked those speakers and felt they sounded great. They still sound great. Plus, the Polk center channel I have in that room sounds awesome. I have a Yamaha 8" sub in this setup.

If I downsize, I'd like to get something that is not going to break the bank, meaning limited budget. Since I've had a good experience with the Polks, I was thinking of getting something similar to the 5 Jr+, but I don't think Polk makes anything like that anymore and used is always risky. I also have to think about the size of the room. Quite honestly, the B&W's mostly get used for the TV these days. The only time I crank them is when everyone else has cleared out. I thought about swapping the Polks and the B&W's, too. The Polks would be fine in the family room, I think, but the the B&W DM 640i's would be too much speaker size-wise for the smaller room.

Then, I could always swap out just the CC6 center channel for something else. Since I don't really use this setup for serious movie watching anymore, it's probably not that important to have the center matched to the effect speakers. More important to have voices that I can understand.

Anybody have any opinions or suggestions? I'm not up against the clock. I have lots of time to figure out what to do. There isn't any right answer here. Perhaps there's a brand I haven't thought of or heard of that would be great.

Below are pics and spec sheets for the two speakers. The pics are from the internet, not mine.

B&W DM640i
https://polksda.com/pics/monitor5jrplus.jpg


Polk 5 JR +
Vintage Polk Audio Speakers: Monitor 5Jr+

 

I really liked my Polk Monitor Jrs as well. When I replaced them with Polk RTiA3, I thought it was a good replacement. If I remember correctly, I gained clearer highs but lost a bit of warmth. This has been 9 years or so, but that is what I remember. I liked the center channel I had with it as well. Are you using these for multichannel or stereo? For stereo, the RTi A3s were not the best, but for the price they are great! I still use the RTi A3s in my bedroom and they work great for that space.

 

I’m using the the Polks more for multichannel than stereo at the moment, but will be using them for stereo, too. I watched a Harry Potter movie in the back room with my son the other night and the sound from the Polk setup (all five speakers are Polk) was awesome. Their stereo performance is also great. It’s a shame that the B&Ws just kind of sit there lifeless most of the time. It’s difficult to get listening time in the family room with everything going on at home. Easier to listen in the man cave.

 

I used the RTiA3 for stereo as well and they sounded good, but I outgrew them and went full range speakers (the opposite of your direction), but I still really like those Polks. The price sure is right on them to get four and a center channel

 

Had a similar issue with a set of Focal 716v speakers. Dialogue was a little hard to hear and I had to turn subtitles on frequently. It felt like the lows and highs had more emphasis than the mids.

Replaced them with a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 6 speakers and the sound is much better. The bass is not as impactful but I am more interested in dialogue. And it still has dual 6 inch woofers, so it's not like the sound is thin or small.

I'm very happy with the change; dialogue is easier to hear and the much higher end finish is a nice bonus.

 

Loadsa questions.....

Have you set a budget for yourself? If you can share it then it'll prevent us from making suggestions that you can't afford.

Are you downsizing because you feel that the 640is are too big, or do you think that a smaller speaker for the same budget might give you a higher quality sound for the same budget, or .... ?

Re: the B&Ws, how do vocals sound with music (Ella, Nat etc.) as opposed to movies?

(I bought a pair of Monitor Audio GR60 3-way floorstanders from a guy who was replacing them in his music and cinema room with some B&W standmounts plus a subwoofer. When I caught up with him a few years later, I learned that this hadn't worked out and that he'd never really been able to get his new set-up to serve both music and home theatre equally well. The sound balance requirements weren't the same, especially when it came to tuning the subwoofer. So he replaced this set-up with some B&W 804 Diamonds, which worked better for him. When he later moved house he put his cinema in one room and his music in another, each with a dedicated set-up.)

Finally, are you thinking of buying new (in which case there's the opportunity to audition before you buy), or are you thinking of buying used (in which case you can't audition, but you can probably resell, and you can get more bang for your buck)?

 

Well, I don’t feel they’re too big. Hmph... They just don’t go with the decor.

The only thing that I’m unhappy with is the center channel. The main speakers are great with music and vocals. They were originally purchased for music. The home theater came after. If there was a chance of getting something smaller that sounded almost as good with the help from the sub, I’d consider it. I think for now I’ll just replace the center channel with something fairly inexpensive even though it won’t be matched. At least I’ll be able to turn off the subtitles. The main speakers may have to wait. Getting a new OLED tv in the near future and that will set me back a little. I’ll take some time and audition some different speakers. I don’t have a deadline for this. As for the budget, I probably won’t be able to spend anywhere near when I paid for the B&W’s, but I certainly won’t buy something cheap that sounds crappy just because. I’m really okay if the B&W’s stay another 25 years.