bose or technics

suemedT

I know it isn't much of a choice but I'm upgrading as fast as the budget allows. Until then I can use a bose 301 or technics sb-c21 as my back center speaker. Dose anyone have a suggestion on which would be better?

Ofcourse any other tips or suggestions are welcome. I just got the receiver for christmas and so this is all new to me.
sue

rskarvan

Hi Sue, Welcome to the Polk Forum. Not too many girls on here.

First off, 7-channel surround isn't a necessity. I've set up my Home Theatre both ways and only a relatively few DVD's take true advantage of 7.1 sound.

That being said, the Bose 301's will do a fine job for the back surround channels. I would not recommend the Technics brand for anything.

There are a lot of Bose-bashers on this forum. I've owned Bose and they are fine for what they do.

I used the Polk RT25i's for rear surrounds and they did fine.
I think the replacement model is the RT28i's.

Many people buy a 2nd center channel and set that up as their one rear surround (6.1 setup). That too works well as the back speakers almost always get a mono-type signal.

Personally, if I were you, I'd forego the rear two speakers. They really don't add much at all to the HT experience.

Again, welcome. Please hang around and get a few hundred posts on this forum.

- Ron

George Grand

Ron, with all due respect, your post contradicts itself in places. It confused me. The TX-SR600 is Dolby Digital, so the surrounds should be discrete channels, and not almost mono. I would lose the center channel in the front, long before I dispensed with surrounds. A center REAR channel? Totally unnecessary.

The speaker manufacturers won't stop until every system has 5 center channel speakers in front, with maybe 3 in back.

Sue,

In my opinion, you have a nice amp (receiver). I recommended that amp to about 15 different guys at my squadron, with at least 10 definite purchases, and not a complaint or amp failure yet. This goes back at least two years to the first purchase.

I am not a Home Theater expert by any stretch. There are plenty of guys here on this site who will claim to be just that. Maybe they are. Maybe not. What I do have is about 35 years of audio experience under my belt, and I think I know some hype when I see it.

You have a nice amp. There are plenty of Bose bashers on this forum, and many other forums for a reason. Bose offers the LEAST amount of performance, for the MOST amount of money. Case closed. If they were designed to sound bad, the designer hit the mark, as they excell at just that, sounding bad.

Hit the library, learn more about basic audio, and you can answer some of your own questions (and also learn to smell hype when the aroma arises). Specifically a book titled "Good Sound". The author? A lady named Laura Dearborn.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

Hell, I forgot.... Are those real steer horns on top, or Sears steer horns?

dan t

I know it isn't much of a choice but I'm upgrading as fast as the budget allows. Until then I can use a bose 301 or technics sb-c21 as my back center speaker.

Hello? Are you OK?

Dan

dorokusai

I would worry about getting matching surrounds (e.g, replacing the Bose), before I would bother with a rear center. 7.1 is very nice, but I think that getting your system 5.1 squared away would be a better avenue of approach. I only have 5.1, and have not heard a bad movie yet.

The FX300i/500i, FXi30/FXi50 or RT25i/RTi28 would be drop in, Polk replacements. The FXxxxi/RTxxi match your center, the RTixx/FXixx match your mains. You could, for example, sell the Technics and Bose, and probably fund the Polk purchase, beings they are going for great prices lately.

Nice AVR, its a solid performer. If you really want a rear center, than go with the Bose 301 that you own now. Your system is allready offset as far as timbre goes, so at least keep it somewhat consistant, and have an all Bose rear stage.

I don't care for Bose either, but do what you have to do to move forward.

dan t

but do what you have to do to move forward.

Good advice..

Dan

VR3

I say sell the bose, sell the technics, and get polk.

1) Polk as surrounds will outperform the bose in the side and read
2) It sounds better
3) You could actually talk someone into buying it later...

rskarvan

George,

No offense taken. I can see how my post is confusing.
I agree that the side-surrounds do receive a discrete signal.
Sue is using the bose double cubes for that - and, I've owned the Bose double cubes in the past, and they would work well as side surrounds. The nature of the bose double cubes is a reflected sound - so, I think the side Bose surrounds would offer a diffuse sound - similar to dipole speakers.

When I referred to rear or back surrounds I was referring to channel 6 & 7. Often, these channels receive the same signal. That is why many people use a center-type speaker as a rear-center speaker. I agree with you that channels 6 & 7 don't add much to the home theatre experience.

My advice to Sue would be to get bigger front & center speakers (Polk brand) and move the RT38's to the side-surround position (Channels 4 & 5). Maybe down the road, Sue can get a bigger front center speaker and move her present front center speaker into channel 6's position (rear center).

I think, George, if you re-read my original post now, you may agree that it makes more sense. With so many speakers, home theatre nomenclature is a bit confusing.

I don't recall if Sue has a good Sub or not. That is also important.

- Ron

suemedT

Hey, thanks for all the replies.
Dorokusai said the front rti38 don't match the center. Darn it, I thought the Polk speakers where the one thing I had right. How is the average buyer to know an "i "at the end of the number rather than the begining makes that much difference?

It sounds like my best move is to bundle the sony receiver with the 4 bose, technics and sell. Then use the money to buy Polk.
But do I get speakers with an i at the front or end of the number?
sue

ps. George, the horns are real. I traded my stuffed rattlesnake for them.

George Grand

Ron,

Agreed the early post makes sense with the clarification on your part.

Sue,

Like I said, hit the library. Admittedly there is a great deal of knowledge on this forum, however it feels great learning a lot of this stuff on your own. Try and find the book I mentioned. It's concise, and easy to read. Also written in a layPERSONS language.

Real steer horns. Impressive. I'm automatically thinking half the young bucks aboard are thinking "horny lady" already. DISCLAIMER --
I myself am no longer young. Not even close.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

suemedT

You guys need more women around here.
Thanks, I definitely plan to check out that book. Also been reading in the Polk library. Didn't know it was available until now.
sue

F1nut

Originally posted by suemedT
You guys need more women around here.

That's the understatement of the year!

PS. George isn't as old as he pretends to be. Hell, he's only three years older than me and I am NOT old.

brettw22

Originally posted by F1nut
.....and I am NOT old.

This is what people say that actually ARE old.......hmmmmm......:p

F1nut

I didn't know that, so you're speaking from experience Brett?

VR3

most everyone except a few people are ALOT OLDER than me

George Grand

I'm not as old as some, but not as young as most.

To be perfectly frank, the last thing I need around HERE (El Rancho de No Concerno) IS MORE WOMEN!! I'm the only thing with heavy nasal hair in this house, along with the 3 mad screamers. I had a male dog once, and he was the only one that didn't have a fake smile on when I walked in the door. Poor guy, he went to dog heaven while my sister-in-law was packing it in with us. No question in my mind that living in the same house with four women sped up his demise. My memoirs ("Men are from Earth, Women are from a Distant Galaxy") SHOULD be in bookstores soon.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

wlrandall

I hear ya George!! A wife, three daughters, a female dog and finally a son sixteen years after the first girl. Maybe that's why I hang out here and at Dodge sites so much...

George Grand

Happy to hear you finally got someone aboard to help with the yardwork WL.

Anybody else feel our pain?

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)