Need help creating my first real audio setup!

[themaxx69]

All right! I don't know to much about audio stuff, but I have been doing a lot of research, but there still seems to be so many options. Hopefully I can can get some good feedback here.

I just got a smoking deal on a refurbed tx-sr806 for a few hundred and need some good speakers. Trying to keep costs under $500 or so for speakers.

I seemed to have narrowed it to monitor 50 or r50 for front and rear. Center not sure, cs1 or cs2 or cs400 or cs350 or cs20 or cs10. I have found all of those centers under $200, some under $100. I found r50s new at frys for $69. Then I found monitor 50s at newegg for $89 and I found a pair of monitor 50s locally for $100. I'll get a sub later, maybe a psw110 or psw125.

I keep reading good things about both r50 and monitor 50, front, back, both, mixed.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Also, thinking about the monitor 60s for front for a little more.

 

[themaxx69]

Well, I figured I could get 2 front and 2 back for $250-$300 then a center for $100-200. I mean, I don't have money to burn, but I could spend a little more if it was worth it.

But is spending 2-5 as much on tsi or rti or lsi really worth the price difference. I mean I read about people saying they are so happy with r50s or monitor 50s.

Also, this will mainly be for movies and tv, but also a fair share of music.

 

[themaxx69]

Just found a $15 off coupon code for newegg, dropping the monitor 60 to $115 shipped. Looking better.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

There's a reputable member selling a five-speaker set of Polks for $900 at this thread here: two RTi12's in cherry, one CSi5 in black, and two FXi3's in black.

I'm not an expert on Polk's, so I can't say how much better they would be. I just wanted to point them out in case you were interested.

 

[John Bailey]

You've only mentioned audio at this point.

If that's the case then my advice would be to stick with stereo (two speakers). You can get some pretty nice speakers for your $500 budget. You've got a very nice receiver. It would be a shame to match it up with speakers of lesser quality. My opinion would be you'll get better audio from a stereo system anyway.

If you are going for video use also, I would still advise going with stereo for the time being with your receiver. Again, it a nice receiver and I think money spent on speakers would best be served with just the left and rights. If needed you could add the center for dialogue. You will have a very good system that you can use now and save for the surrounds.

By the way, welcome to Audioholics.

John

 

[bandphan]

Are you planning on running a sub? If so is it budgeted? What is your listening room like? Have you listened to any other speakers? What are your listening habits?

 

[BobSD]

There is a big difference when enjoying sound, if it is for listening to movies or pure music. Anolog,(streio), still rules! How often do you listen to a live group and the piano player, and the bass player are in front of you but the drummer is behind you with the sax player off to the right just to make my point. Go with the best two front speakers with then possibility of adding a sub-woofer.

 

[themaxx69]

OK!! I was watching an auction on ebay (actuall 2 seperate) for lsi15s. I couldn't resist considering how much they normally cost. I ended up get 2 used lsi15s both right side apparently, for $410. Seller says they sound great, we'll see. I think it was the way he had the item worded, why it went cheap. If you searched for lsi15, it didn't come up.

Should I keep them or turn around and sell them? I could probably get a lsic for under $300. I know that's a little more than I wanted to spend, but for lsi?

Are lsi series worth keeping or would other series be better? I know the most expensive isn't always better, but with these I don't know.