Opinions/Advice on beginner set up

J

JOhnMillo

Audiophyte
Hello all,
Have been interested in A/V for quite some time, but only at the tip of the iceberg with understanding enthusiast level audio/HT set ups.
Just wanted some opinions on my beginner set up and what might and might not be a good pairing:

*The set up is in a large, non enclosed living room area
Receiver: Denon AVR730H (7.2)
Center: Polk Sig S35
SW: Polk PSW10
Fronts: JBL Arena 170
Rears: Infinity R162
Top/Middle (For Atmos): Infinity R152

I recently purchased the Arena’s to take over the R162 as fronts, and subsequently moved the R152 from rear to top (ceiling mounted) with a pair of Polk S10s now riding the pine.

-Arenas are pointed straight toward listeners, but sit slightly lower than rear/surround R162
-R162s are on a stand at seated ear level not directly behind listening area, but about 4 feet to the R/L
-R152 are ceiling mounted at top/middle position pointing at an angle towards listening area

In any case, what are opinions/thoughts/suggestions on this set up? Is there too much variance in the products? Anything I should change or upgrade (within the existing price range of current set up) that will match up better? The sound has been amazing, but this is coming from a literal rookie audio enthusiast.

Opinions good and bad are appreciated. Thanks in advance all!
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
If it were me, I would guess that the infinity R162s would be better than the JBL Arena 170s. I would look to upgrading the center speaker and the subwoofers. If you wanted to stick with the Arena speakers for a front stage, get the Arena 125C center speaker. But personally I would move the R162s back to the front left and right, move the Arena 170s to the side surround role, and get an Infinity RC263 as a center, which would be a big upgrade for the center speaker. Right now it is on sale for $179 which likely makes it the best center speaker out there for anywhere near that price, so don't wait, jump on that sale right now.

Your subs are pretty meh. Make plans in the future to upgrade them. For vastly better subs that don't cost a fortune, look at Hsu Research, SVS, Monoprice Monolith THX, or Outlaw Audio.
 
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