First Timer, Basic POLKs or Other?

[cdanielski]

I'm putting together my first home theater (multi purpose basement location) and I need some advice with regard to speakers.

Room size is 10'-10"x20'-6", but open on two sides to other parts of the basement. Suspended ceiling height is 7'6". I'll be listening 80% to movies/games, 20% music. I'm trying to stay away from the HTIB solution, so here is what I have in mind for the components:

Onkyo TX-SR606 Receiver
Sanyo PLV-Z2000 Projector (over HDMI)
Sony PS3 for Blu-Ray Player (over HDMI)

That leaves the speakers and powered sub to be spec'd. My budget is $500-600 so I'll be starting with a 5.1 system. I know that puts me into entry level speakers, but I plan to upgrade over time (probably several years from now). Hopefully these first speakers can be re-purposed (kid's room, office, etc) when income allows them to be replaced for "better" speakers.

The speakers I'm considering are as follows:
Polk R150[/URL] for Fronts.
Polk CSR[/URL] for Center.
Polk RC55i (in-wall) for Surround. This is due to the room layout so wall mount is out. Future upgrade to 7.1 will require two more in-walls.

That comes to $400 with $200 left over for a sub.

What do you think? Can I get a "better" setup for the same price from a different manufacurer - JBL, BA, etc?

I'm really looking forward to your replies! Thanks.

 

[skers_54]

I have an entry level Polk setup and am happy with it for the money (<$300). If I were you, I'd wait until Fry's puts the R50's on sale for $50 a piece. They are floorstanding, but IMO sound better than the R150s if you have the room. They do that every couple months or so. You can also find the CS1 center channel, which is better than the CSR, on Amazon for $80, which is less than the CSR. For a sub, I'd look either at the Dayton SUB120 at Parts Express or the AV123 X-Sub. I've got the Polks + x-sub and find it quite enjoyable for music and movies. In your case, I'd look more towards the Dayton b/c of the size of your room. The receiver is a solid unit that is about as future-proof as you can get for the price.

 

[Shicks18]

By the looks of it, your the type of guy who wants to do it right. You have a great start with the projector and blu ray. I would recommend the Yamaha RX-V663 over the Onkyo 606 because it will have pre-outs (for a future amp if you plan on getting serious), if you don't then your 606 is a fine choice.

Since you have a great foundation for your setup, to save money and do it right, it would be best to upgrade by adding piece by piece onto your system with the $600 budget instead of looking for the quick fix. With that said, I would spend that $600 solely on a pair of nice front speakers, it could be bookshelves or floorstanders. Floorstanders will typically have a built in subwoofer or midrange woofers which would do just fine for low frequencies until you add a sub later.

A nice sounding and slick looking pair of floor standers would be the Onix Rocket RS450's... http://av123.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,19/Itemid,37/

They are $100 over your budget however. Another route would be looking for a pair of speakers used. You can get a lot more speaker going that route, and it is typically a safe route to go.

Anyway, search around this forum and find out as much as you can before you rush into any decision.

edit: If your looking for the quick fix, the best route to go for your money would be:
Fronts: Polk RTi8s http://www.jr.com/polk-audio/pe/POK_RTI8_hy_CH/ -- $400 for a pair.
Sub: Bic Acoustech H-100 : http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Bic-Acoustech-H-100-Powered-Subwoofer/1513356/product.html .. overstock has coupons to knock the price down to around $230.
Center: Polk CSi3 http://www.jr.com/polk-audio/pe/POK_CSI3_hy_CH/ -- $100

Obviously you would pick and choose between the sub and center...

 

[skers_54]

By the looks of it, your the type of guy who wants to do it right. You have a great start with the projector and blu ray. I would recommend the Yamaha RX-V663 over the Onkyo 606 because it will have pre-outs (for a future amp if you plan on getting serious), if you don't then your 606 is a fine choice.

Since you have a great foundation for your setup, to save money and do it right, it would be best to upgrade by adding piece by piece onto your system with the $600 budget instead of looking for the quick fix. With that said, I would spend that $600 solely on a pair of nice front speakers, it could be bookshelves or floorstanders. Floorstanders will typically have a built in subwoofer or midrange woofers which would do just fine for low frequencies until you add a sub later.

A nice sounding and slick looking pair of floor standers would be the Onix Rocket RS450's... http://av123.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,19/Itemid,37/

They are $100 over your budget however. Another route would be looking for a pair of speakers used. You can get a lot more speaker going that route, and it is typically a safe route to go.

Anyway, search around this forum and find out as much as you can before you rush into any decision.

edit: If your looking for the quick fix, the best route to go for your money would be:
Fronts: Polk RTi8s http://www.jr.com/polk-audio/pe/POK_RTI8_hy_CH/ -- $400 for a pair.
Sub: Bic Acoustech H-100 : http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Bic-Acoustech-H-100-Powered-Subwoofer/1513356/product.html .. overstock has coupons to knock the price down to around $230.
Center: Polk CSi3 http://www.jr.com/polk-audio/pe/POK_CSI3_hy_CH/ -- $100

Obviously you would pick and choose between the sub and center...

That's a very good option that I forgot about. Starting with a 2 channel setup will get you better sound quality than a comparable (money-wise) 5-channel setup. If you are planning on upgrading anyways, that would save you money and make you happier in the long run. The ID companies, like av123, give you good bang for buck and most offer risk free in home trials. Your room can have just as big, if not greater, an impact as your components so hearing them in your room is vital to getting the most satisfaction out of your purchase. If you're desperate for surround sound NOW, the Polks will suffice, but building a system piece-by-piece will have a better end result.

 

[mazersteven]

How about just going with 5.0 until funds are available to purchase the "proper" subwoofer for your area?

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm

Or scraping up another $400, and purchasing all at once.

http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

 

[cdanielski]

Thanks for the input.

skers_54 - I like the idea of the Polk R50s. I'll keep my eye out for good pricing.

Shicks18 - As far as future upgrades are concerned, I'm afraid that it will be at least a couple of years before I can convince myself to spend more on speakers. At that time I can see going from 5.1 to 7.1, but it will be hard to convince the WAC to start with only two speakers.

With that said, I think looking for a package like mazersteven's suggest is a good option. I've never seen Polk or JBL offer such a setup. Unfortunately the SVSs are too far above my limit.

Any other suggestions are welcomed!

 

[j_garcia]

Frys often puts the Polks on sale, however don't expect them to compete sonically with the offerings from SVS, Onyx and Ascend. I agree with the 2 or 3 channel setup to start out with, as this will give you a good start for what you are spending.

Keep an eye out there, as well as here in the Deals area as someone generally posts about the speaker sales at Frys.

Speaking of the deals section: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45994