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Moving into new apartment, looking for suggestions + opinions on this Polk/Onkyo/Klipsch setup (1 Viewer)

ChrisTek

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Hi all, I've been reading around the forums for awhile and put together a little shopping list I'm also not opposed to flipping the TV and couch around, but I think with the TV on the left wall the front sound stage and sub would be pushing sound back into our apartment rather than at our neighbor's bedrooms... Again I'm open to suggestions here. The floors are "wood" vinyl, so I also have that to deal with. I'm definitely trying to get a rug to put down in the living room area to dampen the noise a little.
 

ChrisTek

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I'm not sure how to edit posts on here, but here's a stock picture I found on the website of the room I'm describing, with the couch flipped around the other way. I believe I have a sliding door, so I'm not really worried about that patio door.


 

Robert_J

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Klipsch SW350 Sub $290.00
HTF members can get the Lava 12 for $285 shipped. E-mail them with your forum name and they will send you a promo code for 15% off. This sub will play lower and with less distortion than the Klipsch you chose.


http://www.lavasubs.com/12_inch/powered_home_subwoofer.html


the front sound stage and sub would be pushing sound back into our apartment rather than at our neighbor's bedrooms
It doesn't matter which direction you point your speakers, SPL is SPL and you need to find the sound level and frequencies that will not make it through the wall to your neighbor. The lower the frequency, the easier it travels through objects. That's why you only hear bass when some cars drive by.
 

Walter Kittel

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Speaking as someone who has had to deal with bass from neighbors while living in an apartment - forget about the sub woofer. You cannot control the directionality of the sound and you are really going to annoy your neighbors with a sub. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine trying to watch a drama while being subjected to the thump, thump, thump of bass from a neighbor for hours on end. Good times.


- Walter.
 

Jason Charlton

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If you can, I might suggest flipping the sofa and the TV. In a 5.1 setup, the surround speakers should actually be placed to the sides of the listening position. In the floorplan you included, there is really no place to easily mount the left surround speaker (that area seems to be open to the kitchen) short of hanging it from the ceiling.


If you flipped the room, it looks like there's a small outcropping of wall (pantry?) that would be a good place to mount a surround speaker (the right surround, since the room is flipped). The left surround could be placed opposite. Both can be positioned high (above the sliding glass door) and angled downward a tad to the listening position.


Robert made a good point re: the subwoofer. Klipsch subs aren't anything worth writing home about. You'll get a much better value with the Lava. You can always dial it down for now, but it's nice to know you'll have some headroom for the future.
 

ChrisTek

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Originally Posted by Walter Kittel

Speaking as someone who has had to deal with bass from neighbors while living in an apartment - forget about the sub woofer. You cannot control the directionality of the sound and you are really going to annoy your neighbors with a sub. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine trying to watch a drama while being subjected to the thump, thump, thump of bass from a neighbor for hours on end. Good times.


- Walter.

My roommate had a (smaller, but overpowered) sub last year at a different place. I spoke with my neighbors about what was too loud for them and eventually we both ended up reaching a compromise :)

I guess I should mention I am also going to use this system for music, and I want a sub to fill in the deeper parts since we listen to a lot of electronic music where a good portion of the song is bass. So I don't need to always have the sub turned up where it's rattling the walls, I just need a speaker to fill in the lower parts of music. The woofers in the front stage don't handle that well.
 

CB750

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WOW, College digs sure have changed since I was a student. Leather furniture, hard wood floors, and a $1,100 surround system who says we are in tough economic times.

I assume you listened to the Polk's and liked them over others you listened to in your price range that is the only thing that matters in speaker selection. I would also follow Jason's advise on flipping your furniture, Roberts on the Lava sub, and Walt's on being a good neighbor.
 

Robert_J

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Go with the Lava and get to know your neighbors. At the $300 price point, there isn't anything better. In fact, it is difficult to find parts and build an equivalent sub for that price.
 

ChrisTek

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Originally Posted by CB750 It's also furnished, so we can spend a little more on making the place nice rather than buying furniture.


I'm of the opinion that when making big purchases I'd rather save up a bit more and get something that will work well into the future, I can take the surround system with me when I graduate and move on to a different place.


I have heard the Polks before, both in electronics stores and in an apartment similar to mine - a friend had a nice pair of TSi300's and their PSW sub hooked up to a Denon receiver and it sounded very clean although I wasn't too impressed with Polk's sub.

And as for the advice - I'm definitely interested in that Lava sub and flipping the furniture, and I'll meet the neighbors and discuss the noise situation with them as soon as I get all moved in. Thanks for the input everyone!
 

Robert_J

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Heh, trust me it's a huge upgrade from my living arrangement last year... I'm lucky to be in a decent situation with scholarships, college savings, and a roommate to be able to afford a nice place It's also furnished, so we can spend a little more on making the place nice rather than buying furniture.
That furniture is nicer than the last set my wife and I purchased. I had a scholarship. I had some savings. I even had between 3 and 6 roommates (depending on the house). Our audio systems were cobbled together as best as possible when they weren't being stolen by guys on the football team. We bought our furniture for $80 at a garage sale before my freshman year started and it lasted until the homecoming party my junior year. We refer to it as the night the couch exploded. Beer soaked foam peanuts all over the living room, shoe prints on the ceiling and the local PD asking for the people who lived there.


That is the college mascot as my avatar.
 

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