In-Wall set up

jemrey81

The VP for the company I work for has asked me to help him set up a surround sound system in his house.... He wants to do in wall speakers for the front (L&R) and in celing for the surrounds. The center will be on a shelf and the sub will be off to the side. He is going for a budget friendly system, will also need all wiring, blu-ray player and receiver. My thoughts so far:
PSW 505 (sub)
RC85i (fronts)
RC60i (surrounds)
CS2 (center)

Harmony Remote (not too sure which one yet, most likely One or 700)

I need help with these choices, would the CS2 match those speakers?
I need some ideas for a receiver for less than $400 that will work well in this app.

HDMI cables / speaker wires / all other cables - where should I look?

He is looking to get stuff ordered asap.

Thanks!!

mewisemagic

try monoprice.com

comfortablycurt

Sounds like some pretty good selections you've made already.

To answer one question, yes the CS2 is a proper timbre match to the RCi series in walls, and will work very well with them.

The 505 is a great sub as well. For the prices they can be had at, you'd be hard pressed to beat it IMO.

+1 on the monoprice suggestion. They've got quality cables at very low prices. They aren't top of the line by any means, but will work very well.


For a receiver in that budget, I'd possibly consider an Onkyo 60x series receiver. The 606 and 607 can be had for fairly cheap, now that the 608 is out. They don't have preouts though, so external amplification isn't possible with them.

From what you've described though, it doesn't sound like you're shooting for an audiophile system...but just a nice solid HT setup. With that speaker set, external amps would only provide minimal benefits anyway...so I wouldn't worry about the lack of preouts too much.

If he does have plans for expansion in the future though, you might consider stepping up to an Onkyo 70x series AVR, which does have preouts. There are other great AVR's out there, but the Onkyo's are my favorites.

wutadumsn23

+1 on what Curt said, very good info. The only thing I would suggest is you stay away from the Harmony One remote, while I hear it is a good remote, there is a class action lawsuit floating around for it, not sure for exactly what but something about a 20% failure rate in the first year. There is a thread here for it and I will link it. One of our Mods Mark (dorokusai) is involved in it with his, maybe he can shed some light on it. Me personally I would go with the 880 or 890. I had an 880 for years until it suffered an early demise due to an over excited Siberian Husky, lol.

-Jeff

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1319197 link to Harmony One thread on here.

Amherst

At $500+ the Pioneer VSX-23 is a solid recommendation for receiver just like the Onkyo.

Topper

Hey I just renovated our den using all Polk inwalls and inceiling as well:

HOME THEATER PIX:










Front Speakers: Polk LC265i
Center: Polk LCi-C
Surrounds: Polk LC80i
Subwoofer: Polk CSW200 (2pcs)
Receiver: Marantz SR6003


Not sure what the price of the RC series is but if its close with the TC, I recommend you go with the newer TC series (which is timbre matched to the RTi series). I use the TCi inceiling in our living room and its been great.

(For even more affordable, you could go with the SC series. I've heard them playing music and they are excellent for the price. Haven't tried them with home theater yet though)

Also why does your boss want inwall and inceiling everything but regular center speakers? why not go with an inwall for the center as well and complete the full effect.

jemrey81

Thanks for the monoprice idea... They seem to have all of the wiring / outlets I will need.

That's a nice looking setup you have Topper, I chose the RCi series because Newegg has them on sale right now... $199 for the front pair and $99 for the rear pair. Not sure why he doesn't want an in-wall center. He has the cabinet that the receiver / blu-ray are going in and I guess he just wants to make more use out of it?

As far as the avr goes, how about a Denon AVR 590? It seems to fit the needs and is definitely in the right pice category.

Thanks for the tip about the Harmony One... I have the 700 and love it. It would be easy for me to set it up for him too. Are the 880 / 890 much different? Are they the Tivo "peanut" style ones? The 700 is a color screen and does 6 componants IIRC.

Advantage

I know this thread is a little old, but your setup looks pretty cool Topper. Is that stained maple? What are you using for an AVR to push those speakers? Do you find that you need external amplication with that setup? Thanks for your help.

Topper

Thats just veneer sheets we applied on (they are available in tons of different colors and finishes).

For the power, am using external amplification (a 5-channel bada power amp). For LCi speakers, you really should use external amplification to maximize their potential.

Advantage

Thanks for the reply Topper. Your setup looks impressive. I am using Onkyo's 3008 to power LC265i's, LCi-C, and LC80i's in the rear. The power is definitely there, but I'm wondering if the dynamic range would improve with external amplification?