Connecting Bose speakers to a receiver

[Serge2019]

Sure. That said I could work on my tact a little bit. Sometimes I come across as dismissive and I don't mean to be.

I'm getting from you that you would prefer some very small, light, yet reasonably capable wireless speakers? So form over function, but you still want decent quality? I think this is achievable without having to go to Bose, and it's nice that you're not in a hurry so there's time to shop around a bit. Could you link us to what you were looking at for reference and price point?

Hi, right! Not too powerful "loud" as I leave in an apartment for now, though I might move to a house in the next few months. light and small speaker but with a good sound quality. As I already have some Polk speakers "T15 and the center speaker" I was thinking about getting a Polk subwoofer and found these two online, I'm not sure if there's a big difference between each of them except for the price :

Polk Audio PSW108 10" Powered Subwoofer, 100W Peak Power, Explosive Performance for Movies & Music, Black Black PSW108 - Best Buy

Polk Audio PSW10 10" Powered Subwoofer, 100W Peak Power, Compact Design, Easy Setup with Home Theater Systems, Black Black PSW10 - Best Buy

I'd also like to buy two more bookshelf speakers, surround rear speakers. I'm just not sure what to buy , Polk or another brand... About the price I think it will all depends the discounts on Black Friday

 

[Eppie]

Hi, right! Not too powerful "loud" as I leave in an apartment for now, though I might move to a house in the next few months. light and small speaker but with a good sound quality. As I already have some Polk speakers "T15 and the center speaker" I was thinking about getting a Polk subwoofer and found these two online, I'm not sure if there's a big difference between each of them except for the price :

Polk Audio PSW108 10" Powered Subwoofer, 100W Peak Power, Explosive Performance for Movies & Music, Black Black PSW108 - Best Buy

Polk Audio PSW10 10" Powered Subwoofer, 100W Peak Power, Compact Design, Easy Setup with Home Theater Systems, Black Black PSW10 - Best Buy

I'd also like to buy two more bookshelf speakers, surround rear speakers. I'm just not sure what to buy , Polk or another brand... About the price I think it will all depends the discounts on Black Friday

We generally refer to other brands than what Bestbuy carries when it comes to subs. The PSW108 for example only has a 50W amp (100W peak) and only goes down to 35Hz. There are regular speakers that go down that low, so it's not a true sub when movie effects and music can go lower than 35Hz. The PSW10 has the same basic specs. I know you're in an apartment and don't play it very loud, but if you move you will regret the money you spent on those.

Let us know what your budget is and we can find better performance for the dollar. You don't have to stick to the same brand where subs are concerned. Good subs (and that's a relative term) start around $500 but if, say, your budget is only $250 there are better options like some of the Dayton and BIC subs available from Parts Express or subs from Monoprice.com. Some of the Dayton subs include wireless adapters if you don't have floor space near the AVR.

(I went through this with a $250 sub by Klipsch from BestBuy. It is defective after 3 or 4 years and the SVS that replaced it blows it out of the water in so many ways. People underestimate what a big different a good sub can make.)

 

[Eppie]

Hi, right! Not too powerful "loud" as I leave in an apartment for now, though I might move to a house in the next few months. light and small speaker but with a good sound quality. As I already have some Polk speakers "T15 and the center speaker"
<snip>
I'd also like to buy two more bookshelf speakers, surround rear speakers. I'm just not sure what to buy , Polk or another brand... About the price I think it will all depends the discounts on Black Friday

As lovinthehd pointed out, your AVR does not have pre-amp out connections for the surrounds. Some AVRs have pre-amp out for all channels which allows the use of external amps or wireless adapters. Your Pioneer only has a Zone-B line out, which would carry either the same signal as your front speakers or a blended signal of front and back channels to send to another amp and play the same content in another room. You can't use that to feed surrounds.

So you are down to two options. You either need a wireless transmitter that accepts speaker level connections or you have to run wires to the surrounds. If you look at the panel of a typical subwoofer, for example, there are RCA jacks for line level connections and speaker input terminals for a speaker level signal. Most wireless transmitters use RCA line level connections, which your AVR lacks. I have not seen any transmitters with speaker level inputs. The Outlaw Audio transmitter mentioned earlier only has RCA inputs. So, before we start looking for surrounds, how necessary is it that you have a wireless connection? Can you manage to run speaker wires to the surrounds?

 

[Serge2019]

We generally refer to other brands than what Bestbuy carries when it comes to subs. The PSW108 for example only has a 50W amp (100W peak) and only goes down to 35Hz. There are regular speakers that go down that low, so it's not a true sub when movie effects and music can go lower than 35Hz. The PSW10 has the same basic specs. I know you're in an apartment and don't play it very loud, but if you move you will regret the money you spent on those.

Let us know what your budget is and we can find better performance for the dollar. You don't have to stick to the same brand where subs are concerned. Good subs (and that's a relative term) start around $500 but if, say, your budget is only $250 there are better options like some of the Dayton and BIC subs available from Parts Express or subs from Monoprice.com. Some of the Dayton subs include wireless adapters if you don't have floor space near the AVR.

(I went through this with a $250 sub by Klipsch from BestBuy. It is defective after 3 or 4 years and the SVS that replaced it blows it out of the water in so many ways. People underestimate what a big different a good sub can make.)

Well I looked at some of the subwoofer models from Dayton and BIC but they are more heavier than the ones from Polk, from 26 pounds (Polk) and others up to 60 pounds... Well my budget for any subwoofer and surround rear speakers would be around $300 with the discount sale on Black Friday so I guess the regular price would be around $500

 

[Serge2019]

As lovinthehd pointed out, your AVR does not have pre-amp out connections for the surrounds. Some AVRs have pre-amp out for all channels which allows the use of external amps or wireless adapters. Your Pioneer only has a Zone-B line out, which would carry either the same signal as your front speakers or a blended signal of front and back channels to send to another amp and play the same content in another room. You can't use that to feed surrounds.

So you are down to two options. You either need a wireless transmitter that accepts speaker level connections or you have to run wires to the surrounds. If you look at the panel of a typical subwoofer, for example, there are RCA jacks for line level connections and speaker input terminals for a speaker level signal. Most wireless transmitters use RCA line level connections, which your AVR lacks. I have not seen any transmitters with speaker level inputs. The Outlaw Audio transmitter mentioned earlier only has RCA inputs. So, before we start looking for surrounds, how necessary is it that you have a wireless connection? Can you manage to run speaker wires to the surrounds?

Well actually I was thinking about running wires to the surrounds for now.

 

[Eppie]

Well I looked at some of the subwoofer models from Dayton and BIC but they are more heavier than the ones from Polk, from 26 pounds (Polk) and others up to 60 pounds... Well my budget for any subwoofer and surround rear speakers would be around $300 with the discount sale on Black Friday so I guess the regular price would be around $500

A good subwoofer will have a large magnet and strong frame on the speaker, as well as thick walls and bracing for the cabinet, which adds weight. A light weight sub means a cheap speaker and cheap cabinet. You get what you pay for. For reference, look at the SVS PB-1000Pro for comparison. That's an example of a good quality sub. The sealed version, the SB-1000Pro is smaller and cheaper but does not go quite as deep. Looks like prices are going up in October. If you ever decide to go that route, SVS allows free return shipping so you can try them out.

PartsExpress and Monoprice are on-line retailers. I would not expect to find any Black Friday deals on their cheaper priced subwoofers. You might find a name brand sub for half off on BestBuy but you need to carefully compare the specs to see if it's truly a good deal. Ported subs are larger but generally perform better than sealed units. Sealed is only recommended if you have to have something smaller and less expensive.

For your surrounds, you can stick with Polk if you prefer to keep to the same brand. It's not necessary with surround speakers unless you plan to listen to 5 channel music. Surround channels carry mostly effects so it's not as important to timber match them as it is with the front 3 speakers. I see that BestBuy has the Polk Signature Series S15. There is a detailed analysis of the S15 on Audio Science Review. The speaker is on the bright side due to accentuated highs, but has decent bass for its size and does get a recommendation in the end (although it is a marginal recommendation). Considering that it's only $230 for the pair I think it would be tough to beat in that price range. Anything cheaper and I think you're then getting into territory where good sound quality will be lacking.

MonoPrice has the K-BAS for 30% off. Their speakers tend to offer very good value for the money (particularly the THX speakers). You could consider going for some less expensive surrounds and putting more into the subwoofer budget.

 

[Eppie]

Well actually I was thinking about running wires to the surrounds for now.

Well, wouldn't you know, I found the Rocketfish T/R here. On the plus side, it uses speaker level inputs and can be connected to your AVR. On the down side, it is only 25W/ch so it is rather under powered compared to your AVR. Might be ok in the apartment at lower volumes, but if you move into a house it will be woefully under powered and likely run into distortion at higher volumes.

 

[lovinthehd]

Well, wouldn't you know, I found the Rocketfish T/R here. On the plus side, it uses speaker level inputs and can be connected to your AVR. On the down side, it is only 25W/ch so it is rather under powered compared to your AVR. Might be ok in the apartment at lower volumes, but if you move into a house it will be woefully under powered and likely run into distortion at higher volumes.

Didn't know there was one that used speaker level inputs!

 

[Eppie]

Didn't know there was one that used speaker level inputs!

First one I've seen but at 25W/ch it has rather limited applications. If it was simply low level outputs on the receiver, then one could get nice powered speakers but you would have to run a single line RCA cable to each speaker. For a powered receiver you really need a good 50w/ch or more. Either way, as Treb mentioned there is always some cabling involved unless you get into the Musicast system.

 

[lovinthehd]

First one I've seen but at 25W/ch it has rather limited applications. If it was simply low level outputs on the receiver, then one could get nice powered speakers but you would have to run a single line RCA cable to each speaker. For a powered receiver you really need a good 50w/ch or more. Either way, as Treb mentioned there is always some cabling involved.

Barring a battery powered speaker with a BT receiver or something, yep, wires are likely needed Agree that not worth bothering with this unit altho 25w may work for some applications, plus Rocketfish stuff often seems to get poor reports from users.

 

[Serge2019]

A good subwoofer will have a large magnet and strong frame on the speaker, as well as thick walls and bracing for the cabinet, which adds weight. A light weight sub means a cheap speaker and cheap cabinet. You get what you pay for. For reference, look at the SVS PB-1000Pro for comparison. That's an example of a good quality sub. The sealed version, the SB-1000Pro is smaller and cheaper but does not go quite as deep. Looks like prices are going up in October. If you ever decide to go that route, SVS allows free return shipping so you can try them out.

PartsExpress and Monoprice are on-line retailers. I would not expect to find any Black Friday deals on their cheaper priced subwoofers. You might find a name brand sub for half off on BestBuy but you need to carefully compare the specs to see if it's truly a good deal. Ported subs are larger but generally perform better than sealed units. Sealed is only recommended if you have to have something smaller and less expensive.

For your surrounds, you can stick with Polk if you prefer to keep to the same brand. It's not necessary with surround speakers unless you plan to listen to 5 channel music. Surround channels carry mostly effects so it's not as important to timber match them as it is with the front 3 speakers. I see that BestBuy has the Polk Signature Series S15. There is a detailed analysis of the S15 on Audio Science Review. The speaker is on the bright side due to accentuated highs, but has decent bass for its size and does get a recommendation in the end (although it is a marginal recommendation). Considering that it's only $230 for the pair I think it would be tough to beat in that price range. Anything cheaper and I think you're then getting into territory where good sound quality will be lacking.

MonoPrice has the K-BAS for 30% off. Their speakers tend to offer very good value for the money (particularly the THX speakers). You could consider going for some less expensive surrounds and putting more into the subwoofer budget.

Hi! Thanks for all your information. I read the reviews for Signature Series S15 and they are actually pretty good and the price reasonable. What are the main differences between the T15 and the Series S15? Thanks also for the information about the subwoofers, I will do more research.

 

[Eppie]

Hi! Thanks for all your information. I read the reviews for Signature Series S15 and they are actually pretty good and the price reasonable. What are the main differences between the T15 and the Series S15? Thanks also for the information about the subwoofers, I will do more research.

Polk has a pretty good selection of bookshelves.
The T15 is their least expensive model. With the S15 you are getting beefier & better quality drivers and the exterior finish looks much nicer as well. With the S15 on sale it's a better value.

 

[Serge2019]

Polk has a pretty good selection of bookshelves.
The T15 is their least expensive model. With the S15 you are getting beefier & better quality drivers and the exterior finish looks much nicer as well. With the S15 on sale it's a better value.

Ok thanks for the information.

 

[Follower]

As lovinthehd pointed out, your AVR does not have pre-amp out connections for the surrounds. Some AVRs have Most wireless transmitters use RCA line level connections, which your AVR lacks. I have not seen any transmitters with speaker level inputs. The Outlaw Audio transmitter mentioned earlier only has RCA inputs.

Yes, I completely forgot about needing a full set of pre-outs on the receiver when I chimed in.

And, as you said, speaker-level wireless transmitters are both extremely rare and problematic.

 

[Eppie]

Yes, I completely forgot about needing a full set of pre-outs on the receiver when I chimed in.

And, as you said, speaker-level wireless transmitters are both extremely rare and problematic.

I was surprised that there are so few options out there. Seems only the sound bar manufacturers are putting any serious thought into wireless surrounds, except for maybe Yamaha with Musicast (although I'm not too familiar with their system).

 

[lovinthehd]

I was surprised that there are so few options out there. Seems only the sound bar manufacturers are putting any serious thought into wireless surrounds, except for maybe Yamaha with Musicast (although I'm not too familiar with their system).

It's probably the bigger market segment for those wanting such....