Help with Home Theater Build (fun stuff!) (1 Viewer)

I know there are dozens of threads with people asking for help with home theater setups, but I'm hoping you guys like doing this I've been lingering trying to educate myself on equipment. I have a cheap Sony box system (DAV-HDX576WF) that just doesn't cut it. So I want to buy a new receiver and then buy all the speakers individually. I figure I'll buy the front two and center first. Then I'll buy the sub and rear books later. I have some ideas based on research here and looking at Crutchfield. So I have some questions... If I buy a good receiver can I just plug in my old speakers as I purchase new units (because of money restraints)? With the speakers below with the following receivers power them adequately? Here are the receivers I've picked out.

• Marantz SR5006
• Denon AVR1912
• Onkyo NR-609

Not to happy with the Onkyo because it doesn't have AirPlay (we are a big Apple house). I've also heard that the volume has to be very high (50%) for normal movie/TV viewing. I'd have to buy the Marantz through Accessories4Less to get the price range I'm looking at. The Denon seems to be a good option too. Here is what I'm looking at (roughly) for speakers. Let me know if you see flaws. I'm a newb and would love to hear what I'm doing wrong or right. (2) Klipsch Reference RF-52 II Infinity PC350 center Polk PSW125 Sub Polk 150 book shelf Thanks for any useful input - AD

Good choices for the receiver, not so good for the speakers and sub. If I buy a good receiver can I just plug in my old speakers as I purchase new units (because of money restraints)? Afraid not. Those Sony speakers are 3 Ohm and thet will probably put the new receiver into self-protect mode and shut it down. I'd take the marantz over the other two but we all have our own preferences. But the 5006 is more in line with the Onkyo 709 and Denon 2112. Crutchfield is a nice place to go and learn things. It's also a good place to find information on products they carry, including those that have been discontinued. AperionAudio.com has their "Aperion University" which is also a good place to learn. "Let me know if you see flaws.' Klipsch fronts, an Infinity center and Polk surrounds and subwoofer. Where do I start . The front three speakers really need to be from the same series/brand since they often produce the same sound, either at the same time or as sound pans from one side of the room to the other. The surrounds should be the same as well but it's not as critical. Klipsch fronts and an Infinity center is really not a good idea. Klipsch speakers are usually very much on the bright side of the sound spectrum. Infinity is almost on the other end with a softer, warmer sound. They don't match the sound of Klipsch at all. Polk is usually a bit brighter but not like Klipsch. The Polk 150's can be used as surrounds but there has to be a better option. Keep looking. Polk makes pretty good speakers but again, you can do better for the subwoofer. Make a decision on the Klipsch fronts or the Infinity center and then consider getting the same brand to match it for the rest. In full disclosure, I have Infinity Beta's in one of my rooms. Love 'em. Give us a budget on the sub. Under $100, Dayton from Partsexpress.com. Under $200, the BIC F-12 or V1220. $200-$300, Lava with HTF discount or Elemental Designs. Over $400 HSU, SVS and Elemental. There are others but those seem to be the most often recommended..

Ok, I've done some more homework. Here is what I'm looking at. I would love to hear how I'm doing on picking out equipment. Marantz SR5006 Receiver (2) Polk TSI 300 towers Polk TSI C20 center Polk PSW111 sub (free at Crutchfield) Polk R150 books (for my rear surround) Not sure about the R150's as they are cheap. I've heard they are "flat". I'm pumped! I hope this is a good combo. I appreciate any feedback good or bad. This is my price range so please don't suggest $3000 in setup. Thanks - AD

That's a much better matched system. The R150's are O.K. for surrounds since they don't do much anyway, just ambience and background noise. The TSi series replaced the Monitor series but many places like Amazon and Newegg.com still carry the Monitors. You can get a pair of TSi 100's or Monitor 30's in the future to replace the 150's if you feel the need. I the sub is priced right (free!) but the PSW111 only goes down to 38 hz which isn't very good for a powered sub. By comparison, the TSi300's are rated (optomistically) down to 35 hz. Crutchfield is a very good place to buy things. They've been around for a long, long time. But I'd take a peek at Newegg.com and see if you can put together a Monitor based system. If you can't match the prices at Newegg then the Crutchfield system is fine. I didn't know how much the system you've put together is costing you. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008225%2050012345&IsNodeId=1&name=Polk%20Audio Monitor 50's, 30's and a CS1 would be $420 (free shipping) and a PartsExpress Dayton SUB 100 (30 hz) is $100 shipped. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-633 The larger CS2 would be $50 more. The Dual-driver Monitor 40's $100 cheaper than the Monitor 50 tower speakers. If you decide to go with the system you've put together I'd seriously consider selling the Polk sub on Craigslist and replacing it with the Dayton SUB 100 or a BIC V1220/F-12.

So if the Monitors have been replaced by TSI's, why do you recommend them instead? Is it simply price for an older setup or do they excel in some way? I packaged the Monitor 30's, 50's and a CS2. Those with that Dayton would fall in my price range. I just want them to rock!

Mainly the price. The Monitors are heavily discounted because they are a previous years model. New isn't always that much better. Sometimes not at all. The TSi might have a slightly better tweeter (Silk vs Soft Dome) but you'll be hard pressed to hear a difference. I couldn't at BestBuy when they had both in the same area. The Monotors from Newegg (and sometimes Amazon, among others) are routinely recommended around here because they are such a good value. Again, not knowing how much the TSi/R300's were going to cost you, including the free Polk sub, I just thought the Monitors and Dayton sub might give you another option. As we've mentioned in other threads, Fry's has been selling the older RTi series (replaced by the RTiA's) at a pretty good discount as well. If you have one near you go ask what kind of deal they can put together for you. RTi8's ($199/pr), a CSi6 center ($179 and RTi4's ($129/pr) would be a serious upgrade to the TSi's or Monitors, but they are a little on the bright side of the sound spectrum. Good for movies/tv but maybe a bit much for extended music listening. But they may be a bit over of the budget. The RTiA's were given beautiful new curved cabinets, a softer sounding tweeter and a higher price. But this time new is a bit better. Bottom line...the Monitors would be perfectly good for movies/tv but serious music listening can always benefit from a better speaker. I hope I'm not adding confusion instead of facts or knowledge?

Ok, here is what I purchased today. I'm super stoked! I know some of it might not be ideal but I was stretching my dollar while trying to get components that make sense. I bought cherry because the wife liked that color and they were less cost. Marantz 5006 Polk Monitor 70 towers Polk Monitor 30 Books (cheap, but I can upgrade later) Polk CS2 I haven't purchased the sub yet. I'm looking at the Dayton you recommended, but to be honest...the cheap price scared me. I don't want to spend a lot but I don't want junk either. That will likely be the sub I get. Last question. My longest length from receiver to speaker (books) will be about 25'. I'm thinking of buying the following speaker wire. Not sure if I need banana plugs or not. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=100-020 Thanks again for helping!

That's going to be a nice system. The M30's will be fine for surrounds. They don't do much anyway. The 40's would be nice but maybe over-kill. The Dayton subs are "in-expensive" but everyone wants to save a buck. Next up is the BIC V1220 or F-12 for around $175-$200. Worth the price and you will need something that can keep up with those Monitor 70's. For a 25' run 16 gauge should be fine but wire is pretty cheap so splurge on 12 or 14 gauge. Speaker wire really is something you only want to buy once. Do it right the first time. Not the expensive name brand stuff, just good quality from partsexpress, monoprice, bluejean or even the local home improvement center.

So at what point do I need to be concerned that my new Marantz won't power my setup? I seem to be ok, but I"m not even sure how to gauge it. I want to make sure that I buy a sub that I can power just fine. I've been digging for newb articles here, Aperion University and other sites. I guess my next obstacle is setting up my system correctly. I'm sure any monkey can plug in some speaker wire but I look forward to learning the system.

That Marantz is 100wpc in stereo mode, that's plenty poweful. Plus, you don't "power" a sub, it has it's own amp. The connection from the receiver to the sub is line-level. One of the benefits of a detached sub is offloading the amplification of the low frequencies (which take more power) to an amplifier dedicated to the task.