New to home theature, please critique my setup thus-far (1 Viewer)

[Cpt.America]

Since there is no forum for "General" home audio discussions, I will put info about my receiver and speakers in this thread here... I hope thats ok with the admins.

My previous equipment:
circa 1990 kenwood stereo receiver and two 3-way pioneer speakers with 12" woofers. Sound was great for back then when I was a kid and all i wanted to do was bast my Rush. Today, I am looking for way more! They still work like they did when i bought them, but its time to craigslist these guys. I haven't touched home audio (ever really), so I will need a bit of hand holding.

What I want to do now:
I want to set up a low/mid end 5.1 system. My primary focus is a) I can decode any and all codecs so that the audio my blu-rays output will sound as they were designed to. I don't want a system that can't decode some new raw/lossess audio. and b) I need to have a great stereo sound for CD music. I listen to all kinds of rock, jazz, classical, you name it. Therefor, I think my main focus will be my two main front speakers. I will be enjoying movie surround sound often, but good sounding mains for stereo music is even more important.

My current equipment:
Phillips 47" 1080p LCD
Sony PS3
A few HDMI cables from monoprice

The setup I currently have priced out at amazon

Receiver: **Yamaha RX-V663BL** ~$500, plays/decodes all audio formats, plenty of power for a modest sized room, GREAT reviews from everything I have read. Only has two HDMI, but if I ever get a third HDMI device, I can still run that right to my TV, right?... cool.

Mains: **Polk Audio RTi10s** ~$550 for the pair. Great reviews. One of the few sets of speakers I have been able to listen to in person. Half the price they were 8 months ago (new models coming out?) Plenty of power and quality for my stereo music. Attractive

Surrounds: **Polk Audio FXI A4** ~$400 for the pair. great reviews. Should fill the backside very nicely (that sounds gross, no?) about twice the price of some other speakers I have found, but heard its still not a good idea to go cheap on the surrounds if movie 5.1 is important (which it is) Would it be possible to go cheaper with these speakers to save some cash? Maybe something along the lines of $200 for a pair?

Center: **Polk Audio CSi5** ~$250, great reviews, iv heard this speaker in person and it delivers. No reason not to get?

Sub: **Polk Audio PSW505-12"** ~$280, great reviews, certainly not a top shelf woofer, but should do the trick in my modest size room. Should fill out the rest and mate well with my RTi10s? I can't spend $1000 or anything on a woofer, something like this will have to do for the time being.

Well thats about it. That brings my total right up to $2000, the ABSOLUTE MAX for my budget. I cant' spend a single penny more, but wouldn't mind spending less... but not at the cost of losing something important. Any ideas? Conversation? Questions? Suggestions?

I apprecieate the imput! thanks again..

Cpt.America
(p.s. a wonderful forum! I am glad i found this place)

 

[gene c]

I used Polk RTi8's a CSi5 and RTi6's for surrounds and although they're fine speakers, over time I felt they were a little too bright. Almost harsh. But sound is very personal and if you like a bright sound then they should be fine for you.

The 10's however are said to be very power hungry and I'd be a little concerned if the 663 could power them properly. S&V magazine tested the 863 and found it to be a little weak. Rated at the same 105 wpc it tested to be 66 x 2 and 45 x 5. You might want to look at the Pioneer 1018 or Onkyo 705/805. Another issue with the lower end Yamaha receivers is you can only choose one crossover setting for all speaker groups. Most receivers allow different settings for Fronts, Center, Surrounds and Backs. But this shouldn't be a problem for you since all the Polks you mentioned should be able to handle an 80 setting. But if you decided to go lower with the fronts, you won't be able to without setting all of them lower.

As for surrounds, bipoles/dipoles seem to be better for movies but I prefer bookshelves for surround music which is why I use them. RTi6's or 4's should be available for much less than $400, but if movies are your thing you might want to stick with the FX's.

Subs don't appear to be Polk's thing but as you said, to get a "real" sub you need to spend a bunch. Another alternative might be a diy kit from PartsExpress.com. Do a search of the speaker forum to get other members opinions as subs aren't really my thing either. But from what I've read, you can do better than Polk for the sub.

Post in the individual forums for more detailed answers. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Cpt.America]

Thanks for the quick reply.. I certainly am a novice but am solid when it comes to what sounds good, especially with music... thats what I get for being a musician for 20+ years. Ill hit on some of your points here:


Awesome... thanks for the help!

 

[Cpt.America]

Checked out the Pioneer 1018... lots more power, 3 inputs... great reviews. Will this receiver also provide all audio possibilties from my blu ray disks?

 

[gene c]

IYa, I should have left this one alone. Like I said, subs ain't my thing. Take this one to the speaker forum. There's a few really knowledgable subwoofer people over there but they sometimes take the weekend off.

 

[Cpt.America]

The more I look at it.. the more this makes sense actually. The pre-built lower end subs from polk are a bit weak, and I certainly can't afford a 3k JL setup or anything... this seems like it would be a great way to double my sub power/quality, for just a bit more. This is the kind of stuff I need!

 

[gene c]

It's hdmi version 1.3 so yes it will. BTW, I currently own two older Pioneers and have owned two Onkyo's and never had a problem with any of them (but my fingers are firmly crossed!).

 

[gene c]

I didn't think it was but many members do. Besides, bookshelves can be moved to another room for two channel music in the future or are more easily sold than bipole/dipoles which are only good for one thing.

 

[Cpt.America]

Excuse my ignorance... but bipole/dipole = dedicated surround speaker?

 

[gene c]

That's right. Like the FXi's you're looking at. Can't really use them for anything but surrounds.

 

[Cpt.America]

I see I see. Thinking about it... i really can't picture a time where I would disconnect them to set up elsewhere for bookshelf use. They would be pretty dedicated dipole/bipole.

BTW, I think I have narrowed my sub search to two subs... I made a thread about them here on the speaker forum. I appreciate the help Gene! Much appreciated!

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...svs-vs-ed.html

 

[Cpt.America]

By the way... I can't seem to find an "edit" button to edit a post. Is that feature not turned on on these forums, or am I just not seeing it?

 

[mylan]

It should be just to the left of the "quote" key at the bottom right of your post.

 

[Cpt.America]

you'd think, right? All I have in the bottom right corner are three buttons: Quote, MQ Off, and Quick Reply

 

[Dave Moritz]

I would suggest the Denon AVR-2309ci over the Yamaha RX-V663 and the Pioneer 1018. However the Denon will run you more money and MSRP's for around $849, which may be more than you want to spend. But I thought I would throw that out there if you are interested. If you had to choose between the Yamaha and the Pioneer the Pioneer may just be the best bang for the buck.

Denon AVR-2309ci MSRP $849

• 100 watts per channel x 7 channels
• Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoding
• DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS ES 6.1 Discrete, DTS ES 6.1 Matrix, DTS Neo:6 decoding
• HDMI v1.3a processing and switching (4 inputs, 1 output), supports 1080p, Deep Color, xvYCC, CEC functions
• Faroudja DCDi video processing and up-conversion up to 1080p
• Audyssey MultEQ in-room acoustic correction system
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume automatic volume-leveling system
• Audyssey Dynamic EQ automatic tonal balance adjustment system
• Enhanced On Screen Display with icon-menu system and screen saver

This is alot of receiver for the money and would make a great center peice to a home theater.

Hope this helps ?