First Time Setting up 5.1 System, Looking for Advice (Sketch Attached)

[Johngolf01]

Hello All, first time poster (hope to contribute regularly)

I appreciate in advance any input I receive here.
I am pretty green when it comes to home theater systems & components.
I currently am in the process of procuring all the various components for my surround sound system, and am hoping to receive some helpful input / recommendations on what I plan on doing.

This system will primarily be used for listening to cable (Netflix etc…), bluray (movies) and Ps3 / Wii. I wouldn’t mind having room to expand as well. Currently I have a 73” Mitsubishi DLP TV which has a great picture, but the audio BLOWS!

Currently I have purchased 2 floor standing Polk Monitor 60 speakers (got them for $99 on Newegg), and 1 Polk cs1 series ii center speaker ($59 on Newegg). I have future plans to purchase two rear speakers, sub and of course Receiver to complete a 5.1 surround sound system.

I will be placing this system in the short part of an L family room, and part of the couch will be extended into the larger part of the L (as seen in the attached sketch).

Here are my concerns:
1.) Does the set-up appear to be generally OK?
2.) Will the Polk Monitor 60 floor standing speaker that I have placed in front of my couch be a problem?
a. The couch is pretty tall and I’m sure part of the speaker will be blocked (I don’t think I should get stands for the already tall floor standing speakers)
i. Will this muffle the sound coming from that speaker significantly?
3.) Will the surround sound perform well as laid out?
a. Will too much noise leak into the larger portion of the “L” room?
4.) Are the speakers I purchased overkill for that size of room?
a. The sketch is generally to scale, I’d say the L portion is roughly 15’ wide near the TV and 15’ Wide to the end of the couch
i. My goal is quality sound, not to knock the pictures off the wall
5.) What Receiver should I purchase for this setup?
a. I’m planning on purchasing the receiver on Black Friday as I know you get the best deals then
b. Ideally I’d like to spend no more than $250 (on Black Friday I’m hoping that equates to a $400 dollar + Receiver)
c. I like the idea of streaming music from Pandora to the receiver (I’m sure the wife will love that at least)
d. From what I’ve read it seems like Denon and Yamaha are the way to go…
6.) What’s the best way to run speaker wire to the rear surrounds?
a. I plan on hopefully running it under the baseboard (wedging the wire)
b. I could run it under the carpet, but I don’t want to deal with pulling it up and re-attaching it
c. The system is located in a room over a concrete slab, so drilling through the floor will not be an option

Again, I really appreciate everyone taking time out of there day to help me make the best out of my 5.1 system!

Thanks!

John

 

[j_garcia]

Hello All, first time poster (hope to contribute regularly)

I appreciate in advance any input I receive here.
I am pretty green when it comes to home theater systems & components.
I currently am in the process of procuring all the various components for my surround sound system, and am hoping to receive some helpful input / recommendations on what I plan on doing.

This system will primarily be used for listening to cable (Netflix etc…), bluray (movies) and Ps3 / Wii. I wouldn’t mind having room to expand as well. Currently I have a 73” Mitsubishi DLP TV which has a great picture, but the audio BLOWS!

Currently I have purchased 2 floor standing Polk Monitor 60 speakers (got them for $99 on Newegg), and 1 Polk cs1 series ii center speaker ($59 on Newegg). I have future plans to purchase two rear speakers, sub and of course Receiver to complete a 5.1 surround sound system.

I will be placing this system in the short part of an L family room, and part of the couch will be extended into the larger part of the L (as seen in the attached sketch).

Here are my concerns:
1.) Does the set-up appear to be generally OK?
2.) Will the Polk Monitor 60 floor standing speaker that I have placed in front of my couch be a problem?
a. The couch is pretty tall and I’m sure part of the speaker will be blocked (I don’t think I should get stands for the already tall floor standing speakers)
i. Will this muffle the sound coming from that speaker significantly?
3.) Will the surround sound perform well as laid out?
a. Will too much noise leak into the larger portion of the “L” room?
4.) Are the speakers I purchased overkill for that size of room?
a. The sketch is generally to scale, I’d say the L portion is roughly 15’ wide near the TV and 15’ Wide to the end of the couch
i. My goal is quality sound, not to knock the pictures off the wall
5.) What Receiver should I purchase for this setup?
a. I’m planning on purchasing the receiver on Black Friday as I know you get the best deals then
b. Ideally I’d like to spend no more than $250 (on Black Friday I’m hoping that equates to a $400 dollar + Receiver)
c. I like the idea of streaming music from Pandora to the receiver (I’m sure the wife will love that at least)
d. From what I’ve read it seems like Denon and Yamaha are the way to go…
6.) What’s the best way to run speaker wire to the rear surrounds?
a. I plan on hopefully running it under the baseboard (wedging the wire)
b. I could run it under the carpet, but I don’t want to deal with pulling it up and re-attaching it
c. The system is located in a room over a concrete slab, so drilling through the floor will not be an option

Again, I really appreciate everyone taking time out of there day to help me make the best out of my 5.1 system!

Thanks!

John

Hi and welcome!

1) I'd seriously consider the Pioneer FS52 package reviewed by AH not too long ago. Should be in the same price range and IMO, a step up from the Polk Monitors.

http://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/pioneer-sp-pk52fs

2, 3) I'd raise the towers if possible, mainly to clear the tweeter and upper midrange driver to affect the sound less or get bookshelf speakers instead of the towers and place them on taller stands. With a good sub, bookshelf speakers vs towers should not be an issue and then you put the difference in cost between the towers and bookshelf speakers toward the sub. YES the sound will "leak" out into the other portion of the room for sure, but that should not be an issue for the listening area in this case, though sub choice will be affected by the total size of that area more than the other speakers.

4) No not overkill; should be OK.

5) You can get a good refurb receiver with 1yr warranty for good prices right now at Accessories4less: High End Audio at Low End Prices! If you want new then Black Friday is a good bet.

6) You can buy or fabricate "hollow" baseboards to conceal the wires if you want to get fancy or just shove them under the baseboards; it worked for me.