New setup for newbie

Buggy166

Hi folks. I had a budget of $300 for boxing day and i seem to have added another 0 to it accidentally, in a good way. The setup consists of:

2x Rti A9 (fronts)
1x Csi A6 (center)
2x Rti A3 (back)
1x PSW 111 (sub)

1x Marantz SR6005 (receiver)

Now ive dealt with out of the box types for god knows how long so all my hook-up experience is very basic. I grabbed 100 feet of color coded 12 AWG wire to cut, which should do for the short term.

Ive noticed there's bi hookups and some other stuff ive never dealt with and probably to respect the KISS rule, i'll avoid short term.

With that in mind, is there anything i should do or pay attention to while im going to set this up within the next 2 weeks? (waiting on shipments to arrive)

Im thinking of getting a SubDude but the PSW111 seems small and im not that blasting type so it may be a bit overkill?

If there's anything that can make life easier in general as well, feel free to share. Out of the box systems are way easier to deal with than the more advanced stuff, but luckily im a computer nerd so i can handle new stuff with more ease.

Also, for A3 stands, what height should i get as per your experience? I cant really drill my walls since its not my condo/apartment so something more flexible like this helps to have. Ive noticed a fair selection of Sanus stands at local shops which is a good thing.

kawizx9r

Your 'bi' hookups isn't something I'd worry about. Your speakers are bi-amp/bi-wire capable and running off a receiver, I'd just hook your speakers up to just a single set of binding posts. Make sure the binding posts are screwed down firmly in place to hold the jumper that's provided. It'll ensure there's contact between both sets of posts. If there isn't, you'll notice one set of drivers won't be powered/playing. Thought I'd touch the subject before you go nuts thinking your speakers are defective

As for your PSW111, no offense but you're better off returning it unless you got it as a free-sub promo. Those RTiA9's put out plenty of bass alone and won't benefit much from such a small subwoofer. If you really want some bass-in-your-face, check out SVS or Epik subwoofers. If you're looking at something more music-oriented, I'd suggest Rythmik audio as well but the above are just fine :biggrin:

Last but not least, you want your speakers to be at ear-level from your sitting position. More specifically, you want your tweeters to be at ear-level.

-Freddy

PS Welcome to the Club, where we empty your wallet for you!

Fongolio

What was said above plus this, give all those new speakers but especially the RTiA9's several hundred hours to break in properly before passing final judgement. My RTiA7's took about 6 months to truly sound great. Welcome to the club!

comfortablycurt

kawizx9r wrote: »

Your 'bi' hookups isn't something I'd worry about. Your speakers are bi-amp/bi-wire capable and running off a receiver, I'd just hook your speakers up to just a single set of binding posts. Make sure the binding posts are screwed down firmly in place to hold the jumper that's provided. It'll ensure there's contact between both sets of posts. If there isn't, you'll notice one set of drivers won't be powered/playing. Thought I'd touch the subject before you go nuts thinking your speakers are defective

As for your PSW111, no offense but you're better off returning it unless you got it as a free-sub promo. Those RTiA9's put out plenty of bass alone and won't benefit much from such a small subwoofer. If you really want some bass-in-your-face, check out SVS or Epik subwoofers. If you're looking at something more music-oriented, I'd suggest Rythmik audio as well but the above are just fine :biggrin:

Last but not least, you want your speakers to be at ear-level from your sitting position. More specifically, you want your tweeters to be at ear-level.

-Freddy

PS Welcome to the Club, where we empty your wallet for you!

+1 to all of that.

One thing I'd add, is that in my experience the surround speakers sound best when placed about 2 feet or so above ear level, and toed in towards each other so that they're firing towards the back of your head. It sounds like placing them that high may not be practical in your situation since you can't wall mount them...in that case, they'll be fine at ear level.

A sub dude would be a waste of money with the PSW111 IMO. As Freddy said, the PSW111 is a fairly small sub, and will have trouble even keeping up with the A9's. You may even find that it actually sounds better without the sub on. I'd definitely be looking towards a new sub as your next upgrade.


As far as out of the box systems being far easier to deal with...I've never really found that to be the case. They're connected in exactly the same way, using the same cables. The only difference is that it doesn't all come in one box. Hooking up an HT system is really just common sense. Left front output of AVR to left front speaker...right surround output of AVR to right surround speaker...subwoofer preamp output to input on subwoofer etc... There really isn't anything complicated about it.

Buggy166

thanks for the heads up on the psw111. they had it on sale for $150 and thought would be nice to have but if thats the case i can return it and buy something better elsewhere, though it'll probably go from 150 to the 400 dollar range for something decent.

I'll look up the specified subs and see if i can find something thats not monster like but a size or two bigger than the psw111.

DJaxx

Buggy166 wrote: »

thanks for the heads up on the psw111. they had it on sale for $150 and thought would be nice to have but if thats the case i can return it and buy something better elsewhere, though it'll probably go from 150 to the 400 dollar range for something decent.

I'll look up the specified subs and see if i can find something thats not monster like but a size or two bigger than the psw111.

Welcome aboard Buggy....now we can exchange notes both here and via RFD.

I picked up the CSiA6 at FS on Sunday.....what a diffence in clarity and tonal quality.....now just waiting for my RTiA9's as you are.....called purolator and they will likely be scanned tomorrow and arrive later that day or Thursday (they are sourced from Ingram Micro in Mississauga) which is just a stones throw away!

Buggy166

all my purolator order is scanned in already but probably will arive like u said in 1-2 days. then i gotta wait for the cables and then another week or so for the receiver but no biggie, i can wait.

I looked at SVS and HSU and everyone loves them but the price is way up there for their mid range and at best i could only get an entry level one from'em, on top of which theyre almost nowhere to be found online around toronto, nevermind a sale of any kind.

Im gonna dig around and see what else there is. i dont need glass shattering bass just because i live in an apartment building and have neighbours, so ill always keep it in check (except if theyre at work and im home lol).

Any thoughts on the DSW 600 pro? or maybe the 500 to go with this setup? i believe ive seen them around local retailers a bit more. The day ill spend 1 to 2 grand on a subwoofer is still about 20 years away heh.

DJaxx

Buggy166 wrote: »

all my purolator order is scanned in already but probably will arive like u said in 1-2 days. then i gotta wait for the cables and then another week or so for the receiver but no biggie, i can wait.

I looked at SVS and HSU and everyone loves them but the price is way up there for their mid range and at best i could only get an entry level one from'em, on top of which theyre almost nowhere to be found online around toronto, nevermind a sale of any kind.

Im gonna dig around and see what else there is. i dont need glass shattering bass just because i live in an apartment building and have neighbours, so ill always keep it in check (except if theyre at work and im home lol).

Any thoughts on the DSW 600 pro? or maybe the 500 to go with this setup? i believe ive seen them around local retailers a bit more. The day ill spend 1 to 2 grand on a subwoofer is still about 20 years away heh.

DSW Pro 600's have solid reviews and Crutchfield Canada has them on sale for $559 and the the 500's for $449......lowest both have been in the past 6 months.

renowilliams

Welcome to CP Buggy and DJaxx. I'm curious DJaxx, What reciever are you going to drive your new speakers with. You guys should both post your impressions after you get things hooked up.

DJaxx

renowilliams wrote: »

Welcome to CP Buggy and DJaxx. I'm curious DJaxx, What reciever are you going to drive your new speakers with. You guys should both post your impressions after you get things hooked up.

Thanks Renowilliams! I picked up the CSiA6 Sunday (talked Future Shop down to $299) and have noticed a huge improvement over my precision acoustics.

I will be driving these with a Yamaha RXV1800. Not sure if I will bi-amp via the 6 and 7 rear speaker amps or eventually purchase an external supplement......will have to wait and see. Again though, the RXV1800 should be solid out of the blocks.

Will certainly let everyone know once I gain receipt later this week. Looking forward to the aural ecstacy these will no doubt provide!

Buggy166

here's a question:

SB12-NSD for $650 CAD or DSW 600 Pro for $550 CAD


both in the same price range, sort of.

Alternatively i may get some balls and go for the HSU VTF-15h but no reviews outside of the fact that its new and its SUPPOSED to compete with the SVS ultra which would make it a great bang-for-buck given the price of the SVS.

tonyb

The sb12-nsd is a solid performer. HSU is too and wouldn't hesitate on a good deal for either one.

Buggy166

there are no good deals per se since these things never go on "sale" as it were. I sent HSU a quote email but i may postpone it till june (my birthday). Cash flow will be improved by then and i rather have more capital to move into my investment account in January (which is key to further gains), rather than later in the year.

I think shipping will be scary in terms of costs though on anything HSU since they dont have any local retailers.

Buggy166

so speakers came and 1 of the RTi A9s had a huge gash on the left side of it and i could see from the box that someone somewhere had dropped it on an edge of either steel or concrete and busted through the cardboard.

now i have to call in for an exchange sigh. And whoever thought of the packaging styrofoam in the box, are you kidding me? How many pennies would it cost to have ALL edges wrapped in 1 inch of styrofoam from top to bottom. Bad packaging and incompetent handling dont make for a good mix.

The other stuff arrived okay. The CSI A6 barely fit in the lowest level of my TV stand (55 inch tv so its wide and a bit lower than most) and its too deep to have it sit WITH the tv at the top (nevermind putting it on top of the TV).

The A3s are also bigger but i expected it since i was going off reviews saying theyre better than the usual satellite speakers exactly because of size.

I havent opened the PSW111 box yet since im mulling it over. Anything from SVS and HSU, mid range or above is overkill for a small or medium sized condo since you cant pump it due to neighbours BUT, i do agree with the fact that the PSW111 is too small to make it count where it matters so im more than likely going to return it this week, pocket the $150 and until my Marantz arrives (next week at the earliest), i can mull it over in terms of subwoofers in the $600 range (give or take)

Time to call futureshop, again. Call in 2 hours ago and their systems were down.

DJaxx

Buggy166 wrote: »

so speakers came and 1 of the RTi A9s had a huge gash on the left side of it and i could see from the box that someone somewhere had dropped it on an edge of either steel or concrete and busted through the cardboard.

now i have to call in for an exchange sigh. And whoever thought of the packaging styrofoam in the box, are you kidding me? How many pennies would it cost to have ALL edges wrapped in 1 inch of styrofoam from top to bottom. Bad packaging and incompetent handling dont make for a good mix.

The other stuff arrived okay. The CSI A6 barely fit in the lowest level of my TV stand (55 inch tv so its wide and a bit lower than most) and its too deep to have it sit WITH the tv at the top (nevermind putting it on top of the TV).

The A3s are also bigger but i expected it since i was going off reviews saying theyre better than the usual satellite speakers exactly because of size.

I havent opened the PSW111 box yet since im mulling it over. Anything from SVS and HSU, mid range or above is overkill for a small or medium sized condo since you cant pump it due to neighbours BUT, i do agree with the fact that the PSW111 is too small to make it count where it matters so im more than likely going to return it this week, pocket the $150 and until my Marantz arrives (next week at the earliest), i can mull it over in terms of subwoofers in the $600 range (give or take)

Time to call futureshop, again. Call in 2 hours ago and their systems were down.

Not good indeed.....I was supposed to receive mine today and when checking on the site it stated delivered but no one there to receive!!! I have been home all day and to support the driver did not leave a delivery tag on the door! Likely decided to take an early lunch and completely fabricated the fact he attempted delivery!

Called Purolator and politely articulated it was completely unacceptable as now I need to be home again tomorrow. Hopefully no gashes in the packaging, but after today's episode of ineptitude I am not betting the house on it......

Buggy166

DJaxx wrote: »

Not good indeed.....I was supposed to receive mine today and when checking on the site it stated delivered but no one there to receive!!! I have been home all day and to support the driver did not leave a delivery tag on the door! Likely decided to take an early lunch and completely fabricated the fact he attempted delivery!

Called Purolator and politely articulated it was completely unacceptable as now I need to be home again tomorrow. Hopefully no gashes in the packaging, but after today's episode of ineptitude I am not betting the house on it......

oh yea plenty of those too i had to call in and **** at them. If it was a dvd or something i wouldnt be as upset but with stuff that costs thousands of dollars, its not something to be bypassed.

called into futureshop and arranged to have a label sent to me and yada yada yada BUT also called 1 store afterwards to see if they had stock for an exchange and they did so i may drive that half-refrigirator sized speaker down there and exchange them on the floor.

sandworms

You have a great starter set, far better than what I started with, I recommend running your audyssey calibration first and get ready to be floored. Too bad you live in an apartment, I wouldn't be able to keep the volume down on those A9's

DJaxx

Buggy166 wrote: »

oh yea plenty of those too i had to call in and **** at them. If it was a dvd or something i wouldnt be as upset but with stuff that costs thousands of dollars, its not something to be bypassed.

called into futureshop and arranged to have a label sent to me and yada yada yada BUT also called 1 store afterwards to see if they had stock for an exchange and they did so i may drive that half-refrigirator sized speaker down there and exchange them on the floor.

LOL....I share your pain.

Hopefully we both find resolution tomorrow. These are awesome speakers and look forward to seeing unpacking them tomorrow.

Still confident my Yamaha RXV1800 will power them sufficiently but irregardless may look to an external amp......most likely an emotiva......somewhere down the road.

Anyone else in the forum wish to weigh in on the Yamaha's capability to drive the RTiA9's effectively?

Buggy166

bit off topic but onto the subwoofer replacement.

got a quote back for the HSU VTF-15H for $1100 USD to my door. I was expecting something ridiculous around $1300 or so. Needless to say i was looking into grabbing at pc12-NSD for $700+ but at a $400 difference, i may bite the bullet.

The downside is the girth of that thing. holy **** it looks like half my fridge in terms of space. I already scared the crap out of my family (and neighbours) when the RTiA9 boxes came in, lol.

I'll have to see the space i have to work with and may have to un-clutter a bunch of the living room for it. I MAY get away if i position it under a table in a corner lol.

DJaxx

Buggy166 wrote: »

bit off topic but onto the subwoofer replacement.

got a quote back for the HSU VTF-15H for $1100 USD to my door. I was expecting something ridiculous around $1300 or so. Needless to say i was looking into grabbing at pc12-NSD for $700+ but at a $400 difference, i may bite the bullet.

The downside is the girth of that thing. holy **** it looks like half my fridge in terms of space. I already scared the crap out of my family (and neighbours) when the RTiA9 boxes came in, lol.

I'll have to see the space i have to work with and may have to un-clutter a bunch of the living room for it. I MAY get away if i position it under a table in a corner lol.

So now you will have a box freezer to go with the upright fridges. :biggrin:

HSU's are top shelf from all I have heard and read.

Buggy166

yes it seems that way from reading forums all of today all over the place. im going to wait till my receiver arrives and i finish the setup with cabling for everything first, then decide which way to go with the sub. I have a feeling for a condo anything over $600 range in subs will be overkill due to loudness constraints (where if you own a house and have a basemenet, you can go bananas)

Buggy166

ok so i frankensteined a system because my marantz arrived today (sunday) but im missing a subwoofer (returning the psw111 and decided to go with the HSU but it will take a while to get it all done, probably february).

Im also missing front L since im returning it for a fix or exchaged because it was bashed in the side and the wood is smashed from the delivery. This supposedly will also take a few weeks so im SOL.

Anyways, with no calibration, i like the sound and i can see why some would say the A9s are "lively" but i like it. I noticed that the center speaker is tuned low in volume (moreso than back L/R). I also changed front L/R and center speakers to "big" in the receiver's tuning mode.

I just ordered 50 ft more of cable 12 awg and 20 banana jacks because i dont like stuff being as messy as it currently looks. Im also considering some speaker stands for the back but i may hold of until i end up moving later this year (probably may or later) to make sure theyre needed or i have the room.

So im still a month away from having a full system going because of futureshop breaking my crap. Could be worse, im just glad everything else seems to be good in working condition and the Marantz just looks like its a lot of money(its funny since everyone asks how much even if they dont know what it is).

Buggy166

forgot to mention, prime audio level for relaxing seems to be at-35db while -25 dbto me is "loud" ish and probably better reserved for movies or perhaps bluray concerts.

DJaxx

Buggy166 wrote: »

forgot to mention, prime audio level for relaxing seems to be at-35db while -25 dbto me is "loud" ish and probably better reserved for movies or perhaps bluray concerts.

Same here.....I find listening to CD's comfortable at -35db......TV between -30db and -35db, and movies between -25db and -30db. This is about 5 to 10 db weaker than with my old setup.

So far my Yamaha RX-V1800 is performing well......but may consider an Emotiva XPA-3 for the front soundstage later this year.......I have only had a chance to watch one Blu, and will re-evaluate after the sample size increases. :biggrin:

Sorry to hear you will be waiting a few weeks for the second speaker......I was almost shocked when mine arrived in excellent condition.....the boxes were in good shape considering they messed up the delivery and the speakers travelled back and forth between the distribution center for two days.
Called FS HQ in BC and they will likely provide a concession.....awaiting word.

Buggy166

small update, just got the email to send broken speaker back to warehouse today but they are retarded. you know what their equivalent of an exchange is?

you retun item, they fully refund item, you re-order online (its sold out), CALL them to price match your previous price, wait again for a surprise to come to your door.

I had to call them today again to see if i cant "reserve" a replacement or anything and the operator told me they have no control over stock (which i can understand) so here i am with a 4.0 system and a facepalm.

Now i need to sit at home and hit refresh while hoping it comes back in stock day to day. horrible. If i could get anyone else selling one at 399+ tax or even $500 brand new id jump in and buy it but this is quite the adventure.

DJaxx

Buggy166 wrote: »

small update, just got the email to send broken speaker back to warehouse today but they are retarded. you know what their equivalent of an exchange is?

you retun item, they fully refund item, you re-order online (its sold out), CALL them to price match your previous price, wait again for a surprise to come to your door.

I had to call them today again to see if i cant "reserve" a replacement or anything and the operator told me they have no control over stock (which i can understand) so here i am with a 4.0 system and a facepalm.

Now i need to sit at home and hit refresh while hoping it comes back in stock day to day. horrible. If i could get anyone else selling one at 399+ tax or even $500 brand new id jump in and buy it but this is quite the adventure.

Buggy.....I would call their corporate head office in Burnaby BC (604) 435-8223. When in their voice menu select corporate office......do not select customer care or it will bump you back to the same inept group with whom you have already been dealing. Ask to speak with someone in their customer care department at HQ.
I did the same when they twice messed up my RTiA9 shipments last week and ended up speaking with a very nice lady named Judy. I am always civil when articulating the problem and stick to the facts without injecting emotion.
It may curry you a gift certificate or some facsimile for your troubles.

They have a concession budget and this is a case where they are likely to leverage......while the damaged speaker is not directly their fault, it is a reflection on their Brand as they own the entire logistical process. If they could replace the speaker in a day or two that is one thing.....to put you through the process above, and potentially wait weeks for delivery is not acceptable.....especially given your CC has now been charged due to the product invoicing.

Buggy166

thanks dj, ill give it a go tomorrow during business hours probably around 1pm eastern to catch'em at 10am on the west coast after they had their coffee lol

Buggy166

small update. i finally caught some stock and ordered another speaker at full retail. called in to price match but they said i had to wait for old RMA speaker to get delivered so i called today again after it did. They price matched the new speaker to the same $399 price.

Now im hoping its not gonna get broken on the way here.

Im also still stuck with the psw111 sub im trying to return but they told me by the end of today someone will get in contact with me, they didnt, so im guessing its up and coming if not ill call monday again.

I may finally see a resolution to this headache but it takes 5 to 7 business days for the price match (new speaker) and refund (old speaker) to go through so the soonest i can check is next friday for my credit card balance.

Between that, having to buy soem stands for the back A3s, a 5 or 10 meter subwoofer cable, the speaker wire and banana plugs alongside christmas stuff im all dried out of money for now so ill probably end up ordering the HSU some time in mid february by which time i should have the system up and running and will have to settle for the A9's subs for the short term.