Denon AVR 1905 + Polk surrounds

[akwizeguy]

Alright, Ima admit it before I begin, I am a newbie in the home theater world. I do know a thing or two about steros in general from my expierences in car audio. But I was looking into my first HT setup, and considering the following:

Reciever: Denon AVR-1905 <---Refurbished from Dakmart.com

Fronts: Polk Audio R50

Surrounds: Polk Audio RT15i

Center: Polk Audio CSi20

Subwoofer: Polk Audio PSW202

I mean I know Polks arent the best sounding, but the R50s are on sale from Frys, and looking at the specs and retail price it looks like a very good deal. The surrounds are an older Polk series given from my brother. How do the speakers look to you guys?

My main concern is with the reciever. My price range for the reciever is $200-350 because college is expensive. And from all my research, it led to this unit. I emailed Dakmart about the warranty and it is a 1 year. 3 month from Denon, and the remaing period up to a year will be from Dakmart. They will pay Denon for the unit to be fixed i guess is how it works. The price is exceptionally low for the quality of a Denon. But what are your opinions on refurbs? I mean is this a good surefire bet, or are there other recievers not refurbed that will suit my needs better? I mean in the car audio world, usually the general procedure is spend 85% on the amp and the rest on the sub. Does this go true for recievers and the Home Theater world? Thanks alot in advance guys!

 

[akwizeguy]

can anyone help me with some advice?

 

[zumbo]

This is the deal. If we advise to go with the refurb and it breaks, that will not be good. If we advise to go with the Polks and you don't like them, that will not be good.

So, all I can tell you is what I did. I purchased a new receiver without a warranty from the internet to save some cash. I made that choice on my own. I purchased a dvd player the same way. I already had a cd player and a tv I purchased from a dealer years ago. I purchased MB Quarts with a 5-year warranty from an authorized internet dealer without hearing because I used them in car audio for years and they were the best high-end I had ever heard. Since the dealer gave me such a good deal on the Quarts, I also purchased a NHT sub for $200 off. I also purchased an Adcom 5-channel amp from an authorized internet dealer with a full warranty because the price was too good to pass up. The system ended up costing me a fraction of the retail and the sound is unbelievable! I hope in some way this helps.

 

[akwizeguy]

I agree with you 100% on MB Quarts. I got the reference series in my car, and they are worth eery penny. But, I heard a rumor recently that MB Quart got bought out by Rockford Fosgate, is that true? And how are their home theater components by the way? Do they perform the same as their car audio line? Thanks for your input and help!

 

[zumbo]

Yes, they are a Rockford company now. But it looks as if they are getting the boot. New name will be Third Acoustics. I think they will cut back on the materials in the drivers. I hate it. To me, they were one of best. I doubt the new stuff will compete. The S-Line are "genuine". They are available from Yawaonline.

I have the QLS-830's front & rear. I also have the QLS-330 center. They sound better than my reference three-way seperates. I am still stunned that a 6&1/2 can put out this much bass. I have a 175w x 5 Adcom amp using a Yamaha rx-v1400 as a pre-pro. They are 4ohm with about a 87dB sensitivity. Tough to drive. No problem for the Adcom though!

Rockford Corp.

 

[sjdgpt]

I mean I know Polks arent the best sounding, but the R50s are on sale from Frys, and looking at the specs and retail price it looks like a very good deal. The surrounds are an older Polk series given from my brother. How do the speakers look to you guys?

My main concern is with the reciever. My price range for the reciever is $200-350 because college is expensive. And from all my research, it led to this unit. I emailed Dakmart about the warranty and it is a 1 year. 3 month from Denon, and the remaing period up to a year will be from Dakmart. They will pay Denon for the unit to be fixed i guess is how it works. The price is exceptionally low for the quality of a Denon. But what are your opinions on refurbs? I mean is this a good surefire bet, or are there other recievers not refurbed that will suit my needs better? I mean in the car audio world, usually the general procedure is spend 85% on the amp and the rest on the sub. Does this go true for recievers and the Home Theater world? Thanks alot in advance guys!

Actually, I like Polks. I own Polk's LSi series speakers. I also like Martin Logan's. I would kill for Apogee Diva's. Just remember we all have different tastes, and different rooms. While I would just go nuts if I could own a pair of Diva's, my whole house is barely big enough to do those speakers justice. So I "settled" for Polks.... some settling... the LSi's are pretty serious speakers, and I have heard a LOT of speakers.

So, don't worry about the Polks. If you like them, they are good speakers.

My advice is to avoid refurbs, unless the vendor is factory recognized vendor for refurbs (www.usa.denon.com). If the vendor is offering a factory refurb receiver. I would never suggest a refurb of an item with moving parts (think DVD player)... to many potential problems with too short of warranty.

In the HT market, the $ emphasis is on speakers. You will find people spending half to as much as 80% of their budget on speakers. It is almost like a rule of "you can never spend to much on speakers". Not a bad rule.

As you noted, you are a college student. I suspect your HT room is not huge. In a small to midsize room, the Polks are going to sound great, the Denon will be more than powerful enough. Save some money back, buy some great DVD's, and maybe an area rug to tame the reflective spots in your room.