Just found this site!

[balcy24@charter]

Hello:

I have been scouring the web for advice on setting up a new HT and found this site. This is exactly what I was looking for!

Background: I have been into good, but affordable audio since the late 70s but have not setup a home theater until now. In the late 80s I bought a pair of American Accustic floor speakers on close out from CMC. Those put out some serious sound and weighed a ton! Sadly, I learned the hard way they couldn't handle summer heat very well. Six months in storage destoyed those huge woofers -- DAMN...

In 2000, I bought a pair of Infiniti RS5 towers from CC to replace the American Accustics. I like the mids/highs but was used to the bass of those 12 inch(?) woofers. My current receiver is a Technics SA-EX600. It has recently developed a loose connection inside (sounds like a gun going off then loud static from the left channel). I can smack the cabinet and fix the problem for a while but that is temporary at best.

Last weekend I ordered an Onkyo 605 from Circuit City. It is supposed to be delivered July 3rd (tomorrow). Total cost was just under $400. Now I need to decide what to do about my speakers. Do I keep the Infiniti's and get a center/surround/sub? Do I get a complete set of speakers but then what do I do with the Infiniti's? Plus, from what I found the subs are not very good in these sets. I was looking at Polk RM6880s from CC and Polk RM20 from Crutchfield. I sent an email to Infiniti asking what they recommend as a good voice match to the RS5's. They answered within minutes that their Primus line would be their closest match since the RS5 are 7 years old.

Does anyone here have any advice? My living room is fairly small (12x14) but with a raised/cathedral ceiling and an open stairway on one end. I listen primarily to music from a Slimdevice Squeezbox and video from Dishnetwork (HD) and an OTA antenna for local HD.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Seth=L]

You don't have to buy new do you? Just look for a used matching center channel on Craigslist, Ebay or some other site and the surrounds could be basically anything. The same for the sub, can be most anything. It is optimal to have the three front speakers timbre matched, and the easiest way to be sure they are is to get them from the same series.

 

[Audioholics]

Hi Dave,

I'm a big fan of gradual upgrades. You may actually want to buy some new main speakers (when you're ready) and move the Infiniti's to the rear for surrounds... then add a subwoofer, then a (matching) center channel, then upgrade the surrounds (your original Infinitis). I like to have my front three speakers matched so that there is no strange timbre change when things pan across the front.

Typically, the matched speaker sets aren't as good as buying the more expensive speaker pairs over time.

Here are some recommendations in various budgets:

http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/system-buying-guides/

 

[Seth=L]

Hi Dave,

I'm a big fan of gradual upgrades. You may actually want to buy some new main speakers (when you're ready) and move the Infiniti's to the rear for surrounds... then add a subwoofer, then a (matching) center channel, then upgrade the surrounds (your original Infinitis). I like to have my front three speakers matched so that there is no strange timbre change when things pan across the front.

Typically, the matched speaker sets aren't as good as buying the more expensive speaker pairs over time.

Here are some recommendations in various budgets:

http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/system-buying-guides/

True, I actually like that idea better than my own. Unless the budget is very strict you should do something like Clint has suggested. (all my purchases are based on a very strict budget, so I have a tendency to think on a strict budget basis for others as well)

 

[balcy24@charter]

That is a thought. I could move the Infinity's to another room and use Zone 2 on the Onkyo (I think) since I am not going 7.1. I have around $1500 to spend and was looking at the Klipsch B-3 Home System. Best Buy has the individual speakers for about $1350. I know nothing of this company. Are these any good? What about the Sub 12?

Thanks for the reply! I just posted a similar thread because I could not find what I posted yesterday (thought I must have deleted it before saving). Now I will see if #2 can be deleted...