Sub choice for new Monitor 50 5.1 system

disco_al

I am almost ready to upgrade my living room set-up to be a 5.1 surround set up, and i am close to deciding on my receiver and speaker choice. I would like some input on the overall choices, and the sub-woofer though:

I currently have a 52" Samsung LCD and a PS3 (fat), plus HD Cable DVR, 1080p DVD Player, DVR/DVD Recorder in my setup.

Due to my room size and other things, i am looking at the following for my 5.1 system: Floorstanding L + R speakers, Centre speaker below the TV, LS + RS on speaker stands behind the sofa, and a nice sub-woofer probably in the front corner.

I had never really heard of Polk before researching these things, but they seem to have great products and plenty of them. After seeing a good price on the now discontinued Monitor 50 speakers, i looked into them. From the polk website spec page, they recommend complimenting Monitor 50s with CS1, Monitor 30 and PSW110. So my setup could be:

2 x Monitor 50 (Floorstanding)
1 x CS1 or 1 x CS10 (Center)?
2 x Monitor 30 (Surround Speakers)
1 x PSW 110 or 1 x PSW505?

So i have two questions: Should i go with the CS10 over the CS1 as the price is about the same and they are nearly identical, or should i stick with the CS1?
Should i get the PSW505 instead of the PSW 110 as it is the same price yet seems much more powerful and gets better reviews?

The sub is the more important factor - will the PSW505 work with the rest of this setup? The CS1 & CS10 have very similar stats so just wondered if it mattered, or if there was a preference for either, for this setup.

The receivers i am considering are (with approx prices and supposed watts per channel):
ONKYO HT-RC260: $349.99 (100w)
ONKYO TX-SR608: $423.63 (100w)
ONKYO TX-NR708: $613.64 (110w)
PIONEER VSX-1020-K: $454.99 (110w)
PIONEER VSX-1120-K: $649.00 (120w)

100w per channel will be enough for my room, and i want 6 HDMI inputs at least, so all of these models have these specs.
My budget is about $1,000, which if i get the Onkyo HT-RC260 is very achievable (I will need two speaker stands for the Monitor 30s in the rear, and some speaker wire). If i step up to a better receiver it will be more but i could probably go to about $1,300 total.

Please get back to me with any advice or recommendations on my potential setup and purchases. I think the speaker set will be quite good, but am curious about switching out the sub and perhaps the center channel.

Thanks in advance for the input!

nedh84

I would stay away from the Onkyo's (not as warm sounding as some other brands and I have heard of hardware problems). Marantz has some great deals on amazon. Have you considered that brand? I hear good things about Pioneer. I personally have an NAD. You got to listen, listen and listen. Thats the best way to pick out your hardware.

"Should I go with the CS10 over the CS1 as the price is about the same and they are nearly identical, or should i stick with the CS1?" Its up to you. Your CS1 will match the look of your Monitor 50's but CS10 looks cool in general. They will sound similar/indistinguishable.

Also last note is that many times Receivers will boast 100w per channel but it could be a lie. Typically these boasts are based on running only 2 channels, not all 7 channels at once.

Higher weight can be an indication of a larger power supply. Thats your first clue. Look for brands that rate their power supplies conservatively. QUALITY POWER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MORE NUMBER OF WATTS. Thats a huge thing also.

Good luck

disco_al

Thanks for the help!

It's a shame Onkyo's don't get more love from the enthusiast community. From what i can tell, they are very popular with entry-level, first time set-ups, but for those looking to spend upwards of $1500 on a receiver and speakers, Onkyo seems to be left out and either Pioneer, Marantz, Denon come into the picture more, if not one of the more specialist brands like Harman Kardon etc. I wonder what ever happened to Sony & Panasonic in this field?

Personally i am right on the line between first time/ entry level and enthusiast. I am willing to spend some money to get a good overall system, but i don't think i could really perceive the subtle differences you get for spending a lot more. I am not decided yet on an Onkyo and i will keep looking, but essentially the receiver needs the 5 or 6 HDMI inputs and needs to work well with my possible speaker choices (Polk Monitor 50, 30 and CS1), and needs to be about $500 or under.

disco_al

Well the speaker setup will now likely be 2 x Monitor 60s (fronts), 2 x Monitor 50s (rears), and still need to decide on CS1 or CS2 for center. I know the CS2 is better but $50 better?

Almost settled on The Pioneer 1020 now also. Pioneer seems to get better love from enthusiasts and might have better customer support. Main reason though is that the 1020 offers audio playback from USB which neither the Onkyo RC-260 or TX-SR608 offers. So for $50 more than the 260 or same price as the 608, i get a feature i like and would use. I don't see the need to step up from the 1020 though so i think (THINK) that is what i'll get. Also the 1020 has supposedly better auto-surround-speaker setup over the 260/608.

disco_al

Went with 70s for the fronts, cs2 for center and 50s for the rears (and the Pioneer 1020 receiver). Only problem is Cs2 is so big it's blocking my tv screen - i have to get a riser for it.

I also now need to get a sub to go with my setup. Any thoughts?

My living room is 23 feet long by 13 feet wide, with main couch 13 feet from TV (and front speakers).