Hey everyone, I first gotta say I love this site. I did what I read to do and went out and tested a bunch of speakers. I found I like the Polk Audio TSI500 the most. It had the nicest sound, and I will be using it for a lot of music and movies and sports. So I will be getting the matching speakers that go with it.
It is simple, really. Just buy other models from the TSi line from Polk, and they will match. Visit Polk's website for the specific models available:
http://www.polkaudio.com/
I suggest, however, that you also listen to the higher RTi line, as the RTi A5 retails for the same as the TSi50. You would give up some of the deepest bass (which, however, if you are going to get a subwoofer, will take care of that), and a tiny amount of total volume (less than 2dB if the specs are accurate), but otherwise, they should sound better. And look better, too, as they have real wood veneer.
You can often get great deals on Polk from their direct eBay sales:
http://stores.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Direct?_trksid=p4340.l2563
I personally would probably go with something like this for all channels:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAIR-RTi4-CHRRY-Bookshelf-Surround-Speaker-Polk-Audio-/230634142265?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item35b2ddba39#ht_4204wt_838
Or better (but harder to drive):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAIR-LSi7-CHERRY-Bookshelf-Speakers-Polk-Audio-40-OFF-/360372072585?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item53e7d97089#ht_5435wt_838
And then get a great subwoofer to fill in the bass, from someone like SVS or Rythmik. The subwoofer does not need to match the other speakers, but the other speakers should match each other.
Now, if you went with my suggestion, if you set it up properly, it should sound better, except it would not play quite as loud as those towers you have selected.
My first question is what receiver blends well with those speakers? Brands? Specific receivers are also welcomed!
The receiver does not matter with easy to drive speakers. I would look at Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, and Pioneer (and probably end up with Yamaha).
If you had the money for the LSi speakers, you would probably want to get a receiver with preamp outputs and buy a separate power amp to drive them, which would greatly increase the cost.
Given the speakers you have selected, your budget probably does not allow for that, and so I would suggest you consider the RTi line, as you can get those RTi4 speakers at a greatly reduced price from Polk right now (they are a discontinued model).
I recommend that you go with the cheapest receiver from a good brand (mentioned above) that has all of the features you require, and put the rest into your speakers. The speakers affect the sound far more than anything else.
Also I would like to buy a turntable to play some classic rock vinyl's. Is there any other way to connect it to the receiver if it doesn't have a phono input?
Thanks in advance!
If the receiver does not have a phono input, you either need to buy a separate phono preamp, or a turntable with a phono preamp built in. The former is the better option, as most turntables with preamps built in are not that great. On the other hand, a great turntable would cost a lot of money. With analog sources, it is expensive to get something that is really good. So I recommend you rethink the turntable idea, unless you have lots of money for it. If, instead, you put the extra money into better speakers, everything you played would sound better. Of course, you would not be able to play records that way, and so it is a question of what your priorities are.
