Home Theatre Speakers/Receiver Questions

1-anh

Hi I am new here I have been reading several posts as to what would be a good setup for a beginner such as myself for my first home theater. My ideas for speakers are:

2 x Monitor 60 or 70 Floor standing for my fronts
2 x Monitor 40 Bookshelf or Monitor 50 Floor standing for the surrounds
1 x CS2 Center Channel
1 x PSW550 Sub woofer

I am still debating for receivers to either go with a Denon AVR1610 or Onkyo TX-SR508. I am leaning towards the Denon, but if people have opinions as to which would be better or other receivers that are equivalent, I am open to suggestions. My budget for the receiver is less than $400US preferably.

I am also hoping to set this up in my bedroom, do you think it would be unnecessary to have a 5.1 setup in a bedroom? My goal is to have it in my bedroom initially and when I graduate from university and find my own place It will be used as my living room home theater. Or should I go for a 2.1 setup initially and then purchase additional speakers when necessary? Not sure if it makes any difference but my main uses will be watching movies connecting my computer and playing ps3 on it. I have a 1080p samsung plasma tv.

I apologize for having so many questions, I am still a noob with home theaters. Any suggestions or recommendations will be extremely beneficial.

Thanks

tonyb

In a bedroom ? Not your own place ? You might piss a few people off with a 5.1 system. I'd say head for 2.1 untill you get your own place besides,by the time you graduate,your going to want something different. As far as a receiver goes,get something with pre-outs so you can add an amp later down the road.

Oh,welcome to Polks house of torture,where the insane reside, along with your wallet.

cnh

WECLOME TO CLUB POLK!!

Both of those are entry receivers. You could step up to the Onkyo 608 for less than 400 on sale. (Ideally you should get a receiver that has pre-outs which are outputs that allow you to hook up an extra power amp to your system in the future...that would be an Onkyo 707...but you are on a budget).

The Onkyo 608 has ALMOST everything you could ever want and decent power for your system...I would start with just the 2 M-70s and the PSW505...the Onkyo has a Theater-Wide feature which can simulate surround sound for a small room--using two speakers. Then gradually add the center--a CS2 most definitely (bigger is better). Then add the surrounds...both choices you mention are good.

I would listen to both Denon and Onkyo....but for the price you really get MORE with the Onkyos.

If SPACE is a consideration..buy the M-40s or M-50s first and the Sub. Then add the Larger towers later.

Basically, I agree with Tonyb above.

cnh

1-anh

tonyb wrote: »

In a bedroom ? Not your own place ? You might piss a few people off with a 5.1 system. I'd say head for 2.1 untill you get your own place besides,by the time you graduate,your going to want something different. As far as a receiver goes,get something with pre-outs so you can add an amp later down the road.

Oh,welcome to Polks house of torture,where the insane reside, along with your wallet.

Hey thanks for the quick reply, Yes it would be in a bedroom and its not my own place its my parents place. Im still a university student hoping to graduate in 2 years. I was thinking a 2.1 setup would be a good idea, i was initially set on the monitor 50's with a psw10 but people said that the psw10 is good for its price point but the psw505 would be better in the long run.

1-anh

cnh wrote: »

WECLOME TO CLUB POLK!!

Both of those are entry receivers. You could step up to the Onkyo 608 for less than 400 on sale. (Ideally you should get a receiver that has pre-outs which are outputs that allow you to hook up an extra power amp to your system in the future...that would be an Onkyo 707...but you are on a budget).

The Onkyo 608 has ALMOST everything you could ever want and decent power for your system...I would start with just the 2 M-70s and the PSW505...the Onkyo has a Theater-Wide feature which can simulate surround sound for a small room--using two speakers. Then gradually add the center--a CS2 most definitely (bigger is better). Then add the surrounds...both choices you mention are good.

I would listen to both Denon and Onkyo....but for the price you really get MORE with the Onkyos.

If SPACE is a consideration..buy the M-40s or M-50s first and the Sub. Then add the Larger towers later.

Basically, I agree with Tonyb above.

cnh

Hey thanks for the warm welcome. I was also considering a 2.1 system until a 5.1 or 7.1 seems more reasonable. I was reading in other forums that monitor 70's require a fair amount of power to reach their potential, would the onkyo tx-sr608's power be sufficient for my purposes mainly ps3, music and movies or would the monitor 50 or 60's be more ideal? After your suggestion I am considering picking up the onkyo tx-sr608 along with either the monitor 50, 60 or 70's and the psw505.

tonyb

608-70's-sub will do you good.

Here's another thought on how to spend your money.
Do you like chicks my man ? Just screwin' with ya bro. Back when I was in school, it was cars,chicks,audio, in that order. Have things changed that much since 1945 ?

Zeros

You can also check your local Best Buy (as much as it pains me to say it). I picked up a Denon AVR-890 last week on clearance for $399. It is still listed at $799 on the website, but the stores are clearancing them out.