RCi 7.1 question

seguetester

So, I am going to do my first home theatre setup and need some advice. I have a 55" Samsung LED TV and a Denon 7.1 receiver. My room is small...only about 10' x 12'. So, I am going to do all in-wall and in-ceiling simply due to space limitations and wife acceptance factor (WAF).

My original thought is RC85i as the in-wall fronts, RC80i as the in-ceiling sides, and another set of RC80i as the in-ceiling rears. So, my main 2 concerns are the center channel and the sub. I would prefer to do a Polk in-Wall center but I (meaning WAF) do not want to spend $500+ on an LCi-C center.

Question #1) Could I just buy another pair of RC85i and use one of them as the center channel? It would leave me with a spare in case something happens to one of the 3 front speakers. Would the RC85i keep up with the demands of the center channel? I (again...WAF) do not like the look of a CS10/20 on the hutch but I could do it in a pinch.

Question #2) Since the room is small, do you think I am overdoing it with the RC85i and RC80i and should step down to the RC65i and the RC60i?

Question #3) Since the room is small, do you think that the PSW111 will give me a decent HT experience or do I need to go bigger. The PSW111 has great WAF. But, I will not have a good corner to put this in. I have a 500W dual 15" sub that my brother-in-law gave me but the WAF is terrible and it is probably too big of sound for the space.

Thanks in advance.

- Michael

ShadowTowel

I don't see the rci80 or 85 surviving as a center channel. Will it physically work? Sure. But I would take the heat from the wife on this one and make sure you get your center channel up to snuff. Get the bigger one if you can. I personally own the rci60's as rears and they do a nice job as rears, although my next move in HT is to replace them with the tci line. They are an obvious weak link in my setup. However, to be fair, they are 50 speakers (individually) being compared to 200+ speakers. I'm not sure if they could handle being the mains for movies, so I would go up to the rci80 or 85 for the front two, worst case. Or save up and get the TCi's up front...

seguetester

I have another question to ask then. If I opt for the CS20 should I go with the RC65i and RC60i instead of the RC85i and RC80i? Would it sound better to have everything 6.5" instead of a mix and match?

seguetester

Also, I see that people are adding fireblocks and making an enclosure for the LCi in-wall speakers. I have found the LCi cutsheet but not the RCi cutsheet. Is there a recommendation for enclosure size for the RCi speakers?

ShadowTowel

seguetester wrote: »

I have another question to ask then. If I opt for the CS20 should I go with the RC65i and RC60i instead of the RC85i and RC80i? Would it sound better to have everything 6.5" instead of a mix and match?

Driver size won't make a difference in terms of matching sound. It really just allows for a lower bass response. I have 6.5" drivers in my front L/R, and 5.25" in my center. The important thing is that they are within the same SERIES. Not sure about that other question.