I'm new to this site, building a new home with large living, dinning kitchen area.

Kensobsession

I'm looking at Polk floor stand speakers in a 5.1 setup vs book shelf. I am considering using an Anthem 520 5.1 receiver, small center channel (as it has little to do for the people sitting in front of it) and in ceiling rear speakers. Would there be an optimal front floor standing speakers or can I get away with bigger book shelf speakers? Thanks

scubalab

Welcome to Club Polk Ken! That's a nice receiver you're considering. I had the MRX-500 for a while, and loved it. I guess the answer will depend on what other speakers you plan to use for rears and your center. It also depends on whether this is for primarily home theater or music or an even mix of both. Lastly, budget is obviously a factor.

I would say do not underestimate the value of your center speaker, especially if you will utilize primarily for movies and television! For HT, my center is the most important speaker in the mix. It's also somewhat important to timbre match your front soundstage (L-C-R), so you should try to get speakers (fronts and center) from the same line and be sure the tweeters match. If you're going new, Polk's new Signature Series seems to be getting a LOT of praise for their performance vs. price. As for floor standers vs. bookies, if you have the room for big floor standing speakers, that's what I'd go with since it sounds as if you're dealing with a large, open space. Keep in mind, even with bookies, you'll probably want to put them on some quality stands, so by that time, you're investing almost as much, and utilizing similar real estate as floor standers...

Good luck!

ROHfan

Would need to know the square footage to really give a proper recommendation.

mrloren

Polk Signature S60 or S55 with a Signature S30 or S35 center. for in-ceiling either SC60 or MC80

HSU or SVS for sub