Polk Audio System?

[madmax]

Ok so I have been looking for Speakers - Subwoofers - Center Channel Speakers & Good Receivers for listening to my MP3s off of my Laptop & to occasionally drum with the music with my drumset & hook them up to my XBOX 360 & play games & watch DVDs.

I'm on a budget of $1500.00

I have it narrowed down to this:
Polk Audio RTi A7 Single floor-standing speaker
Polk Audio PSW125 Powered subwoofer
Polk Audio CSi A4 Center channel speaker
Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K Receiver

I really wanted USB Input that's why I went with this Pioneer Receiver plus 130 wpc while others in it's price range don't have USB Input & have about 100 wpc.

If I buy new off of Ebay I can save Hundreds of dollars instead of buying from anybody else online.

Is this a good choice?

I am looking for High Quality sound & High Volume also so I can drum with the Music.

Right now I have a Sharp Mini Component System MP3 System with 800 Watts & I want something with High Quality Sound & a lot more volume.

Should I buy 2 Polk RTi A7 Speakers & forget the Subwoofer & Center Channel?

Will this Pioneer Receiver have the Power to push the Polk System or should I buy a better more expensive receiver?

 

[GZA]

you want to get a single floorstand speaker. what good is that. im no expert, actually just a beginer but i think it would be smart to scarp the center and get the pair for your fronts

 

[cl35m]

Have you considered saving some coin by buying some used vintage polks for the fronts? Almost everyone that has heard the vintage polks prefer them over their new ht style polks. The vintage polk SDA's are considered the best speakers they ever made and can be had on CL, a'gon, etc if you're patient.

There is one drawback to the sda series in that they can only be used with a common ground amp/receiver because of the cable that runs between the left and the right speaker.

 

[cl35m]

Here is one individuals site with a wealth of info about vintage polks including past sales and prices:

http://www.polksda.com/

I like the vintage SDA's so much that I have 4 pair of them.

 

[TAINT]

I never post here, but I thought I saw an old friend.

Max-

Get a good stereo speaker pair and receiver/amp first. You can build the HT around it.
If you get the Polks, I would get a Receiver or amp that will be better able to drive them. The Pioneer might drive them, but I'd hate to have to listen to it. . .especially with crappy MP3's. I'm sure there's a workaround for your USB issue, so you can go with Den, Oink, HK, Rotel, B&K etc. I drove a pair of Polks' higher line with the HK, and it worked out well. You'd have an easier go of it with those 7's which are 8 ohm, instead of 4.

 

[madmax]

I never post here, but I thought I saw an old friend.

Max-

Get a good stereo speaker pair and receiver/amp first. You can build the HT around it.
If you get the Polks, I would get a Receiver or amp that will be better able to drive them. The Pioneer might drive them, but I'd hate to have to listen to it. . .especially with crappy MP3's. I'm sure there's a workaround for your USB issue, so you can go with Den, Oink, HK, Rotel, B&K etc. I drove a pair of Polks' higher line with the HK, and it worked out well. You'd have an easier go of it with those 7's which are 8 ohm, instead of 4.

I will buy the Polk RTi A7's.
What Receiver do you suggest?
I don't want to spend over $600 on my receiver because I'm on a budget.
I don't think MP3's are crappy at all only if you have a low Bitrate.
All of my MP3's are 192 Bitrate or higher & sound the same as CD Quality Songs.

 

[dagoods]

Max,

You can get the RTi A7's (Black) on Ebay at Polkdirect for $449. plus $160. shipping. They also have the CSi A4 (Cherry) for $99.00 plus $20.00 shipping. If you want a black one I just upgraded to a CSi5 and have a 6 month old CSi A4 I will make you a great deal on. PM me if you are interested in it.

Also check out the Yamaha RX 663 AVR ($350.00). Lots of good features and it has Ipod dock and bluetooth capabilities ($100.00). I run bluetooth from my laptop for MP3's, internet radio, and anything else I am watching on the laptop with great sound.

Good Luck with whatever you choose.

 

[A/VUSMCSGT]

I'm runnin Polks (check sig) to a Pioneer 1015 and it sounds great. DVD, Blu-Ray, games, music; you name it, it sounds hot! I think you'll be highly satisfied with the stuff you plan on getting.

Good luck in whatever you choose!

 

[TAINT]

I will buy the Polk RTi A7's.
What Receiver do you suggest?
I don't want to spend over $600 on my receiver because I'm on a budget.
I don't think MP3's are crappy at all only if you have a low Bitrate.
All of my MP3's are 192 Bitrate or higher & sound the same as CD Quality Songs.

More expensive doesn't always mean better, just as more wattage doesn't always mean louder. It depends more on what you value. If you think that you will be getting more into the hobby side of audio, and will be integrating a HT system, I would plan ahead. If your TV is 1080, and you do Blu Ray, you may want to go for an Onkyo to get more features with lots of HDMI options while still get some decent sound. If you want the best sound quality in that range, I would go with a Denon or HK. You could look at used Rotel and B&K as well, but it's unlikely that you will get one that does the newer BluRay formats at that price point. If you don't need it, then they would give you better sound. It's not all about the amplifiers in the AVR either. The preamp section will have a large impact, and you could easily blow your whole budget on a preamp alone. So, get the features you need now, some that you might use later, and above all -make sure it has preamp outputs so that you can add on later. A separate amp would make those Polks sing, and a cheap B&K amp (300$) would be a good match. As far as the MP3 thing goes, some are better than others, I agree. But to put it in perspective, they are a compressed version of an already over compressed song in the first place. The same is true of CD's. If you move up the food chain, it becomes more and more evident. If you want an opinion, I'd go HK or Denon. If you want the most connections, decoding, bells and whistles at the same pricepoint, I'd go Onkyo. Good luck!

 

[jostenmeat]

Ok so I have been looking for Speakers - Subwoofers - Center Channel Speakers & Good Receivers for listening to my MP3s off of my Laptop & to occasionally drum with the music with my drumset & hook them up to my XBOX 360 & play games & watch DVDs.

I'm on a budget of $1500.00

I have it narrowed down to this:
Polk Audio RTi A7 Single floor-standing speaker
Polk Audio PSW125 Powered subwoofer
Polk Audio CSi A4 Center channel speaker
Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K Receiver

I really wanted USB Input that's why I went with this Pioneer Receiver plus 130 wpc while others in it's price range don't have USB Input & have about 100 wpc.

If I buy new off of Ebay I can save Hundreds of dollars instead of buying from anybody else online.

Is this a good choice?

I am looking for High Quality sound & High Volume also so I can drum with the Music.

If drummin with the music is first priority, you are going to want a lot more power handling and amp, I would believe.

Check out the JTRs that rmk has. Here is a pic.

I think a pair blows your whole budget. But something more of that nature in any case is what you might want. Say 1.5k

Then get the cheapest receiver you can find with pre-outs. If money is limited, get a superceded SPDIF receiver as used for cheap. Add a pro amp. Forget lossless HDMI. You are going to enjoy power handling much more at this point. Say $50 on receiver, $150-200 on amp.

That blows your budget by a few hundred, and you don't even have a center or surrounds. Still, my guess is that you would prefer my present recommendation.

Then you should most definitely be looking towards treating your room. You can go the DIY route to save the most money. Otherwise, its not so cheap. Though I landed most of treatments on the classifieds at half off, they are still expensive.

 

[madmax]

My First Priority is sound quality over volume.

What Receiver should I buy to power the Polk RTi A7 Speakers & the Polk PSW 125 Subwoofer.

I don't want to spend over $700 on the Receiver.

If I buy the Polk speakers & subwoofer then will I have good sound quality when I play my mp3's off of my laptop?

 

[tiff]

Polk Audio HTS-9605 7.1-Channel Home Theater System with Yamaha RX-V663 Receiver

Amazon has the following for $1500. What do you think?

Polk Audio HTS-9605 7.1-Channel Home Theater System with Yamaha RX-V663 Receiver (Black).

Yamaha RX-V663BL
Polk Audio RM20 5-Pack (Black)
Polk Audio RM101 Satellite Speakers (Black)
Polk Audio DSW PRO 400 Powered Subwoofer
Yamaha YDS-11SL Universal iPod Dock
Phoenix Gold Connection Cables

Deal or No Deal?

Tiffany

 

[cl35m]

I would stay away from any of their current products which are all made in china. Their used vintage speakers are 10 times better than anything they sell now.

http://www.polksda.com/index.shtml

 

[cfrizz]

I like Denon products and they sound good with Polks. Here is a good deal on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-7-1-Channel-2-Channel-Multi-source-Multi-zone/dp/B000UPA4O2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230317851&sr=8-1

As for sound qaulity off of a laptop? It won't be optimum, but it will do. But the best sound would come off of a dedicated cd player. I play my mp3 player connected to my system. depending on the quality of the recording, some of it sounds pretty good, and some of it sounds awful.

You are putting together a good system, keep us posted as you go.

My First Priority is sound quality over volume.

What Receiver should I buy to power the Polk RTi A7 Speakers & the Polk PSW 125 Subwoofer.

I don't want to spend over $700 on the Receiver.

If I buy the Polk speakers & subwoofer then will I have good sound quality when I play my mp3's off of my laptop?

 

[Matt34]

If your set on Polk and don't wan the bigger box speakers of the 80-90's then look at the LSI line. They are suppose to be superior in sound quality to the Rti. You can find the LSI9 for around $650-700, then build the rest of your system around them.

 

[cfrizz]

They are superior in sound qaulity but they also need more expensive superior power to make them run. Since they are 4ohm speakers.

A receiver will not bring out the full potential of any LSI speaker. A receiver would barely get them moving. He would need separate amplification and that will blow his budget right out of the water.

If your set on Polk and don't wan the bigger box speakers of the 80-90's then look at the LSI line. They are suppose to be superior in sound quality to the Rti. You can find the LSI9 for around $650-700, then build the rest of your system around them.

 

[tattoo_Dan]

you want to get a single floorstand speaker. what good is that. im no expert, actually just a beginer but i think it would be smart to scarp the center and get the pair for your fronts

I'm pretty sure he means he would buy 2 of them !

 

[Phil Taylor]

Check out the Onkyo TX-SR705 - plenty of clean power, inputs, decodes everything, bells and whistles too - $450 @ Amazon shipped.

 

[madmax]

Thank you all for your replys.
I will keep you posted on the system I'm putting together.

So if I ever need to drum with this system will It have enough volume to overcome my drums.

Compared to my Sharp Mini Component System how much better is it.

My Sharp System just has enough volume to overcome my drums.

But first off I want sound quality & second high volume.

It would be nice to have both.

Which receiver is better?

Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K 7
Or
Onkyo TX-SR805

Can I plug in my laptop to the Onkyo?

Thanks

 

[cfrizz]

Max, get whichever receiver has all the bells and whistles that you want it to have. Now down the line if you don't think that the Polks are being driven adequately, you can alway add one of these to the receiver which will give you all the power you could possibly want.

http://emotiva.com/xpa2.shtm
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/2200.html You'll need 2 of these