Suggestions with my setup.. (1 Viewer)

[Sherman91]

I'll start off by saying im new here and fairly new to HT. Ive been an enthusiast for my entire life, watching movies like Terminator 2 on my pops' HT years ago made me want my own cool setup. Ive got a small setup right now, mostly to play 360, watch a couple movies and jam with some music; so really im going for an all around type of system.
Currently, ive got a pair of Polk RTi4's(which i think sound great) and a Sony STRDH520 7.1 receiver. To accompany my Polks ive got a pair of Onkyo speakers from a HTIB and a pretty lame Samsung sub that looks to be 90w. Also this setup is in my bedroom, but will eventually be moved to a main/living room.
I dont currently have a center channel, but I like how my Polks sound and im looking at their center channels but im not sure if i should go with a CS10/20 or if i should step up and go with the CSI A4/6 models, or if it will really even matter.
Also, how powerful of a sub should suffice? i know mine is dinky and ive got to crank it up to recognize that its ever there. Ive seen a few cheap ~300w subs on amazon from a few different companies.
Lastly, do you folks recommend going with a good pair of tower/floorstanding speakers to compliment my RTi4s or another pair of decent bookshelf?
Space is not really an issue, like i said it is currently setup in my room, and will be eventually set up in a living room. Nor is money an issue, but for a center channel, sub and another pair(towers or bookshelf) id rather not spent more than 1500.
Edit: so after doing a bit more research...
i think ive opened up a bit as for center channels and have read good things about the Infinity Primus PC350 and the Yamaha NS-C310. They both seem like good center channels, but im leaning towards the infinity, ive heard/used an infinity center channel before and was happy with it. i dont have much experience with yamaha for home audio.
Also im thinking of getting a pair of the Klipsch b-20 bookshelfs for my fronts and moving the RTi4's to the back, and then maybe later on getting a pair of towers(as i have yet to decide on a pair)
This makes another question arise, Being that i may have many different brands in one setup, would it sound better if they were all matched or does it matter? on my pops' setup he used Mission towers for his fronts and pair of Bose as backs and an infinity center channel and it seemed to work fine.

 

[schan1269]

Stick with the same brand of center...it is CRUCIAL. And as for that, the CSi is the "acoustic match" of the RTi.
The sub doesn't have to be the same brand.
Now the rest of the quandary...
It is up to you about "how big and imposing" your speakers get. You could keep the 4 in the front and get another pair for the rear...or get 3s.
For "proper" stereo matching all 5(or 7) main speakers should be an exact match. But...we live in the real world. The RTi4 makes a lousy center speaker...unless you make a specific space for it under(or over) the TV. Horizontal center is a compromise born of necessity. Until the "acoustically transparent" plasma/LCD/OLED/SMOLED shows up...(we can dream).
Mixing and matching is "never" a good idea. Your fathers sounds good...venturing a guess that if he "picked one" and bought the other ones to match...he would notice a difference.

 

[Sherman91]

so what your saying is i shouldnt mix brands of my fronts/rears/center but the sub shouldnt make a difference? or just fronts and center?
also there is a space on my entertainment center that will directly below my tv for my center channel

 

[schan1269]

I listen to SACD/DVD-A...
Those it is CRITICAL to have the 5/7 speakers MATCH. But we live in the real world of the horizontal center...
Your front three it is essential for a proper sound blend. If all you do is listen to movies, and your rear speakers are small...then they don't have to be the same brand...but...
If you buy a rear speaker that is actually capable of 80hz(and under)...then there is more importance it match.
One of the best movie soundtracks out there that uses A LOT of rear channel...
Curious Case of Benjamin Button. That is a glorious soundtrack. Another really good one is Immortal Beloved.
But if neither of those movies is your taste...then the rears aren't that critical.

 

[Sherman91]

hmm well i guess my main concern is this, how big of an effect does matching center/fronts+rears have? Im playing movies/music/tv/video games on these. basically, CSi A4 vs Infinity Primus PC-350 to go with the RTi4s. will it be a huge difference or something that i would really have to sit and critique to notice?

 

[schan1269]

Depends on how prickly your ears are...
My cousin couldn't tell the difference between a pair of Radio Shack with a Linaeum and Totem Wind.
I have three sets of speakers(two 5.1 the other stereo) and I listen to each "for a reason". My three of choice are BIC America V(not to be confused with the DV on Amazon), DCM TimeFrame and Infinity Crescendo.

 

[Sherman91]

interesting. i found a home theater and audio store near me and had a few things explained to me in person(which helps me personally understand a bit better) and what you posted before now makes more sense!

 

[Al.Anderson]

Lastly, do you folks recommend going with a good pair of tower/floorstanding speakers to compliment my RTi4s or another pair of decent bookshelf?

I'll chime in on the tower/bookshelf question. If you're using a sub then the choice is mostly a matter of preference (or looks). Towers provide a little more low end, but not as much as you might expect. A sub will easily cover what you lose with a bookshelf and then some. If you're on sort of budget, then I always recommend bookshelfs, since almost of the extra cost for towers is for the housing material, not the electronics.
I do agree that whatever you go with, the front three speakers should be from the same line (timbre matched). It 's much less necessary to have the side or read surrounds match the fronts or each other. And the sub definitely does not need to match the mains.

Also, how powerful of a sub should suffice? i know mine is dinky and ive got to crank it up to recognize that its ever there. Ive seen a few cheap ~300w subs on amazon from a few different companies.

Like a lot of audio specs, power is over-emphasized, it's more about the total package. Power is part of it, but what you really need it to do is move a lot of air, so it's a cross between driver selection and power. You didn't mention room size, but most decent sub manufacturers will give room size ratings, and I'd go with those. There are a number of sub manufacturers commonly recommended in the forum; I'll just mentioned the two I'd chose from: Hsu and SVS.

 

[Sherman91]

so i went ahead and bought a pair of towers yesterday, saw in the paper that Fry's Electronics had Infinity Primus 363's on sale for 99 a piece and they are awesome.
and its in a bedroom maybe 10'x10' ish but my setup will eventually go into a larger room. lookin like ill probably go with the PC-350 to match the towers now, i was leaning toward that center channel anyway.
looks like ill be researching on some subs now!