Complete HT NOOB with setup questions
sebenfitty
Posts: 4
Really need a lot of guidance here--hope you guys can help.
I will be closing on a new house in less than a week. One of the structural features I added was a media room. During construction I got in and pre-wired for a 7 speaker surround system. Not really having a plan or speakers at that point, I only wired for one sub, in the same spot as the center speaker. And I used regular speaker wire, not sub cable.:sad: Although I did run two sets of wires to each of the fronts, and the center.
I then did my speaker and receiver shopping based on price for the speakers, and features for the receiver, and did the research on what I actually needed afterward.
Before I go any further, here is the list of what I have purchased so far and some specs:
Receiver: Onkyo TX-NR616
Center: Polk CS2 series II
Fronts: Polk Monitor 70 series II's
Side: Polk MC65 in-wall
Rear: Polk MC65 in-wall (side and rears may change, just got a really good deal, and wife wanted in-wall)
Sub #1: Polk PSW-505
Sub #2: Acoustic Audio HD-SUB10 (just another good deal couldn't pass up)
I will be getting a projector, a 110" screen, the room is 14'x20'
Question 1:
Now that I am reading a lot of posts on different AV boards, I'm wondering if I may need a pre-amp to run the 70's?? Or will the onkyo push these just fine? I really don't want to burn up the speakers or the receiver. Also, I am about maxxed out on my Home Theater budget.
I will mainly be using this setup for movies, a little bit of music from time to time.
Question 2:
Can my small (acoustic audio) sub be hooked up with the speaker wire in the front of the room, but connected to the receiver by way of the pre-out/sub-out?
My component cabinet will be in the back of the room, I plan to have the PSW-505 under the cabinet.
Question 3:
Are the MC65's a total bad choice, or do you think they may work out well? They stood out mainly because of the price, but also matching speaker composition, as the tweeters are silk and match the Series II's in the front and center. From what I have read, matching speaker composition is important for uniform sound.
I know I have more questions, but am drawing a blank right now. Any guidance, advice, tips would be greatly appreciated. My wife will kill me if I blow up any of this expensive(for me anyways) equipment I just bought.
Thanks a lot!
I will be closing on a new house in less than a week. One of the structural features I added was a media room. During construction I got in and pre-wired for a 7 speaker surround system. Not really having a plan or speakers at that point, I only wired for one sub, in the same spot as the center speaker. And I used regular speaker wire, not sub cable.:sad: Although I did run two sets of wires to each of the fronts, and the center.
I then did my speaker and receiver shopping based on price for the speakers, and features for the receiver, and did the research on what I actually needed afterward.
Before I go any further, here is the list of what I have purchased so far and some specs:
Receiver: Onkyo TX-NR616
Center: Polk CS2 series II
Fronts: Polk Monitor 70 series II's
Side: Polk MC65 in-wall
Rear: Polk MC65 in-wall (side and rears may change, just got a really good deal, and wife wanted in-wall)
Sub #1: Polk PSW-505
Sub #2: Acoustic Audio HD-SUB10 (just another good deal couldn't pass up)
I will be getting a projector, a 110" screen, the room is 14'x20'
Question 1:
Now that I am reading a lot of posts on different AV boards, I'm wondering if I may need a pre-amp to run the 70's?? Or will the onkyo push these just fine? I really don't want to burn up the speakers or the receiver. Also, I am about maxxed out on my Home Theater budget.
I will mainly be using this setup for movies, a little bit of music from time to time.
Question 2:
Can my small (acoustic audio) sub be hooked up with the speaker wire in the front of the room, but connected to the receiver by way of the pre-out/sub-out?
My component cabinet will be in the back of the room, I plan to have the PSW-505 under the cabinet.
Question 3:
Are the MC65's a total bad choice, or do you think they may work out well? They stood out mainly because of the price, but also matching speaker composition, as the tweeters are silk and match the Series II's in the front and center. From what I have read, matching speaker composition is important for uniform sound.
I know I have more questions, but am drawing a blank right now. Any guidance, advice, tips would be greatly appreciated. My wife will kill me if I blow up any of this expensive(for me anyways) equipment I just bought.
Thanks a lot!
Post edited by sebenfitty on
Comments
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Hey there 750, welcome to club Polk!
I can just answer #1 for you; The M70's do real well when fed lots of power. They're rated at max 275w and sounded real good when I fed mine 200, but when I fed them 300, they sounded even better.
Your 616 is only pushing 100w for two channels. The Onkyo's like to drop power per channel, the more channels you add. So once you start pushing 7 speakers, you're not going to be feeding them that well.
The M70 is a great H.T. speaker and is pretty easy to drive, so your system will sound pretty good, just know it could sound a lot better. If driving only 5 speakers, then you'd be feeding a bit more power to the mains.
As far as a pre-amp, your AVR would act as a pre-amp and then send power to the speakers via the amp. Your AVR would need pre-outs to accommodate a power amplifier, the 616 does not. So if you can return the 616 and get an AVR with pre-outs, you could then add a power amp when budget allowed.
Sounds like you have a fun project ahead of you, keep us informed of how it comes along.Source: BRP Panasonic UB9000, CDP Emotiva ERC3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Pre/Pro: Marantz 8802A - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-2 x 2, XPA-6, Speakers, Mains/2ch-Focal Kanta No2's, C-LSiM706, S-702F/X, RS-RTiA9's, WS-RTiA9's, FH-RTiA3's, Subs - Epik Empire x 2
Cables: AudioQuest McKenzie XLR's/CDP/Amp, Carbon 48/BRP, Forest 48/Display, 2 channel speaker cable: Furutech FS Alpha 36 12AWG PCOCC Single Crystal (Douglas Connection)
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman -
Didn't realize it didn't have pre-outs. What receiver would you suggest that would be comparably priced I could go with that does have them. I really want to get the most out of my 70's.
edit: looks like for $100 more I can get the 709. Gotta see about exchanging.
Thanks. -
sebenfitty wrote: »Didn't realize it didn't have pre-outs. What receiver would you suggest that would be comparably priced I could go with that does have them. I really want to get the most out of my 70's.
edit: looks like for $100 more I can get the 709. Gotta see about exchanging.
Thanks.
Yup, the 709 is what I am probably going with. That or the 809 which has some more power which is nice even though my speakers are powered by an external amp. I just like the added features over the 709, but the 709 is pretty good on its own as well!"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
The 616 is going back, costing me shipping. Ended up getting the tx-nr717. Hopefully it doesn't let me down.
