guidelines for setting up a home theater (1 Viewer)

[mistershankly]

New member here and glad I found this site with so much great information!! Up until recently, I used a Yamaha YSP100 sound projection system for surround sound in a relatively small room. Now, I am in the process of setting up a larger room with a distant rear wall where I will be using indepndent speakers and a receiver for a more traditional setup. I was hoping some of you seasoned home theater folks could look at the list and my reasoning for buying each piece and let me know if it's good and (more importantly) if it's not good and why. I anticipate upgrading components as the years go by but I'd like to be educated in what I have and where I would likely upgrade. Thanks in advance!!

•receiver... Onkyo TX-NR807 receiver... buying it for the multiple HDMI inputs, power (135W), built-in Sirius, and price
•Two Polk Audio Tower Speakers for front left and right... Polk Audio TSi500
•Polk Audi CS10 center channel speaker... also looking at the CS20 but not sure if that will be overkill with the two towers having such a wider range
•Polk Audio RC60i ceiling speakers for the two rears... I don't want speakers hanging from the ceiling and would like to go with these or something similar that is multidirectional but set into the ceiling.
•room size is about 15'x18' with the 18' being the length of the "theater".

FYI, I'm not dedicated to buying Polk Audio products but they seem like a pretty good value with regards to performance... but I could be wrong which is why I'm here in the first place

Also, the TV I am building this around is a 60" Sharp Aquos LCD. What are some alternatives to placing the center channel on the same shelving as the TV as a large center channel will block the TV. Is there a piece of furniture or mount you can recommend that will accommodate the TV and a large center channel and a receiver and a few other components (XBOX, PS3, DVR) while being aesthetically pleasing to a more conservative/traditional decor in a home?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by mistershankly

•Two Polk Audio Tower Speakers for front left and right... Polk Audio TSi500
•Polk Audi CS10 center channel speaker... also looking at the CS20 but not sure if that will be overkill with the two towers having such a wider range
•Polk Audio RC60i ceiling speakers for the two rears... I don't want speakers hanging from the ceiling and would like to go with these or something similar that is multidirectional but set into the ceiling.
•room size is about 15'x18' with the 18' being the length of the "theater".

The range of your towers have nothing to do with the center you choose except they should be timbre matched. Same drivers from the same manufacture from the same product line. A perfect system has 3 identical speakers across the front.

In-wall and in-ceiling speakers are always a compromise. If you aren't sitting under or very close to the in-ceiling speakers, go with in-wall speakers.

 

[mistershankly]

Thanks!! So ideally, three identical speakers for left, center, and right are the way to go? Also, if I decided to go with the towers and the center channel of the same brand, is there a wattage rating or some other way for me to pick a center channel so that it is timbre matched? Other than the same brand and driver, is there any other criteria I should use in picking a center channel? Thanks again for the insight.

 

[JohnRice]

There are really no ratings to matched speakers. Just get speakers which are designed to go together. The literature usually says what is intended to go together.