Hey guys, I have been researching and taking in as much information as I can, but could use some basic pointers from someone that has a bit more experience in the home theater arena.
Basically, I've always had some kind of surround sound system, but in the past they've always been HTIB type setups, and to be honest, they were always so crappy that I rarely even bothered to use them.
My wife and I bought our first house last summer, and I'm finally getting around to audio/video setup for the new place.
I have to admit, I've already burned through a little bit of equipment because some of my first purchases were a bit misguided (or at least ignorant on my part), and lacked some basic features that I didn't really understand the importance of at the time.
Anyway, I think I've finally gotten the basics worked out, and I wanted to bounce my thoughts off some smart people to see what your feedback is.
Originally, I bought a basic Denon AVR-X1000. To be honest, it was a huge upgrade from anything I've had in the past - the appropriate codecs for Dolby Digital, DTS, etc, were kind of an eye opener to me. I never realized what I was missing. However, the X1000 didn't have any preamp outputs, or multi-channel inputs, and the wattage rating on it was definitely generous (it didn't really seem to have much power). I didn't think I cared about those things when I started, but they eventually became a limitation. This happened pretty quickly to be honest.
So, I recently picked up an Anthem MRX-300 off eBay for $500 (free shipping). I had been considering the MRX-310 since there is actually an Anthem dealer about 15 miles from me, but given the difference in price, and the fact that Anthem has reduced the 310 to a 5.1 channel AVR, the 300 actually seemed like a pretty good deal. I'm hoping this is an AVR that I'll want to keep for quite some time.
With regard to the speakers, I have been gradually acquiring speakers as they go on sale at Newegg. By no means have I spent a ton of money. Everything I've gotten has been from Polk's monitor series (floorstanders and a center channel), plus two PSW110 subs.
As you can see, I have kind of been going in multiple directions at the same time.
Anyway, I was never happy with the sound of the Polk 65t's with the AVR-X1000. To be honest, they seemed a bit anemic and thin, and not just on the low end, but on the high end as well. What I found was that I was always having to crank up the volume to get any real sound quality, and this of course causes issues with the wife
.
So, here's where I'm at with this today, and this is where I'm hoping that someone can chime in with a little knowledge on the subject.
In my opinion, I believe that part of the reason the Polks have seemed so thin is because they needed some more power behind them. On the one hand, I know these speakers aren't worth putting much money into, but on the other hand, my gut is telling me that a decent power amp from Rotel, Emotiva, or Parasound is probably a good investment either way. I've noticed that while you certainly _can_ spend thousands of dollars on a power amp, you don't necessarily have to as long as you're paying close attention to the specs, and you're buying on the used market.
So, I guess my question is this. Should I be looking to replace these speakers first and foremost, or is the general consensus that getting into a decent power amp is a good investment, then, in theory, I could just enjoy what I have for a while, and decide down the road if I'm still not happy with the speakers and want to upgrade?
I've certainly made some missteps here, as I'm sure many do when they're starting out, but I think I'm finally at a place in my life (and in my home) where I'm kinda done buying junk and then replacing it with more junk. Make sense?
For those that are interested, the room in question is about 11' W x 25' L, and it's a very difficult room arrangement to make work very well. One wall is basically all glass - french door and windows, the floors are hardwood, and unfortunately, the television is wall-mounted in the corner of the room with a sectional in the opposite corner. I can't put things in the center length wise because there's a hallway that opens into the room on the opposite side from the TV. (I'm sure this is probably hard to visualize).
What I do want... I want a little more punch to the audio. That is not to say I want to be blown out of the room with bass, more just that I want a bit more sense of impact/percussion (if that makes sense) to the sound.
Any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated!
