what do you think of this setup?

[Drummerboy]

this is what all have for my first forray in home theater :

Pioneer VSX1015TX reciever
Polk RTI 8 fronts
Polk RM6600 satellites(4) and center for rest of 7.1
Polk PSW505 sub

(soon to upgrade to CSI3 center channel, the RM6600 one is to small with 3 and 1/8 drivers i think)


This goes in a 13x14 foot room.

whadoyathink?

 

[Leprkon]

decent receiver.
excellent choice on the speakers. alot of people think the 8's are the most balanced in the Polk line

only weak point might be the sub. I really haven't seen anyone brag about the Polk subs. at that price ($400 to 500 is what I saw with a quick look), you might be better off looking at the HSU, SVS, Velodyne and Outlaw subs for better performance.

http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/lfm1.html

you might not scare the guys who have McIntosh and Martin-Logans, but it's a sure bet none of your friends who own Bose will ever ask you over to watch a movie at THEIR house again !!!

 

[STRONGBADF1]

this is what all have for my first forray in home theater :

Pioneer VSX1015TX reciever
Polk RTI 8 fronts
Polk RM6600 satellites(4) and center for rest of 7.1
Polk PSW505 sub

(soon to upgrade to CSI3 center channel, the RM6600 one is to small with 3 and 1/8 drivers i think)


This goes in a 13x14 foot room.

whadoyathink?

It's a real nice system for your smallish room.

The Pioneer VSX1015TX reciever is a great bang for the buck piece and should be powerful and adjustable enough to fill up your room with plenty of high quality sound.

I am one of those who likes the rti8's balance better than the rti10's or rti12's but they definatly need a sub.

I would like the rti4's as surrounds better but I am guessing you already have the RM6600 system. The fact that you have very small surrounds saves amp power for the power hungry rti8's just make sure you set up the receiver correctly to save all that power.

The center upgrade is a must IMO to match the rti8's better. The center is the most important speaker for home theater.

As for the sub, you could do better for the money, but it's not a bad sub, and if you like it that is all that matters. It will be plenty loud in that size room! Check out the subs Leprkon suggested and I would also add Athena, Energy, Paradigm, Definative Technology...and what ever else you stumble across.

SBF1

 

[Drummerboy]

THNX FOR THE INPUT! if i buy again it will be all paradigm. I am thinking of a CSI3 or CSI5 for the center. i can afford both. and yes, i already had the RM6600 set, which will slowly be replaced by 4 RTI4's. The final system will be RTI8/RTI4/RTI4/CSI5/PSW505. Im just waiting for a good deal. As for the center, would it be better to get the bigger CSI5 with 6's or the CSI3 with 5's?

 

[STRONGBADF1]

What all do you have now?

If all you have for speakers is the RM6600 then I would buy the Paradigm's fronts now. Then replace the center then the surrounds latter. Why buy Polk when you like Paradigm better and the monitor and rti lines are in the same price range???

SBF1

 

[Drummerboy]

i cant afford the paradigm system i want, its several thousand dollars. I was thinking about it in a few years. I love the sound of paradigm, i believe its superior to many other high end home theater systems, though not the very best of course (im not gonna spend 10,000 on speakers LOL). I have the RM6600 now, the RTI8's and the PSW505 are on order. Got the PSW for 350 new, the RTI8s for 525 slightly used, so the deals were good and fit the budget for now. I also like matching a system. All polk for now and paradigm later in a bigger room when i move. The only sticking point is deciding between the center replacement (csi3 or csi5) and finding killer deals on 2 sets of RTI4's. When thats done i can sell the RM6600 as a complete package with the PSW350. What are you saying about the monitor series? I know the line, but dont know if they are a better speaker than the RTI series? Whats the deal on those? They aren badly priced...

 

[Drummerboy]

after looking at the monitor series a little closer, im betting its the efficiency your talking about. Even mid line amps can push these effectively. Are you worried about my reciever not powering the rti8's? I may be able to change the order before monday...

 

[Leprkon]

As for the center, would it be better to get the bigger CSI5 with 6's or the CSI3 with 5's?

the 3 should be just fine. it goes down to 65 Hz, well below most normal human dialog, which is the center's primary task. it also takes up less space and won't be quite so much weight on top of the TV.

it's not worth doubling the price for just a little more range from the center.

if you find a really good deal on the 5, grab it. otherwise, there are more effective places to spend the money.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

the 3 should be just fine. it goes down to 65 Hz, well below most normal human dialog, which is the center's primary task. it also takes up less space and won't be quite so much weight on top of the TV.

it's not worth doubling the price for just a little more range from the center.

if you find a really good deal on the 5, grab it. otherwise, there are more effective places to spend the money.

I agree. The csi3 is what Polk recomends.


SBF1

 

[STRONGBADF1]

What are you saying about the monitor series? I know the line, but dont know if they are a better speaker than the RTI series? Whats the deal on those? They aren badly priced...

I didn't say anything other than that you like them better.

I don't think you will have a problem powering the rti8's with that receiver in your room. Just was reinforcing that any power you save gives your amp more headroom for the dramatic peaks and that the Polk rti series have a reputation for liking all the power they can get.

SBF1

 

[Drummerboy]

good info... this helps a ton... i have the rti8's and sub on the way, and am currently hunting a good CSi3 center.... so far, i found one for 150US. Ill let you guys know how it all turns out, and again, thx for the input, much appreciated!

~J~

 

[Bluesmoke]

I agree. The csi3 is what Polk recomends.


SBF1

I don't know what Polk Recommends, but I've owned both the CSi5 and own the CSi3. To me, unless you're playing at reference levels, I see no reason to pop the extra cash for the 5. It sounds meatier and more focused, but it's not worth double the price. It's also frikken big as hell. Almost double the size of the 3. I ended up keeping the 3 since to me it matched well with the RTi8s.

 

[Drummerboy]

i ended up getting a brand new csi5 for 259 shipped. so i grabbed it.

 

[Leprkon]

that's about 40 % cheaper than i could find it... granted, I didn't look real hard.

good work on your research and pricing and good luck with your new toys !