Two rooms, two 5.1 systems, two receivers, and one amp: What are the best combos?

sahmen

Dear Polkies

I have two speaker systems meant for two rooms in my apartment; one relatively small bedroom, and one relatively large living room + kitchen combo which is more than twice the size of the bedroom. In order to power both rooms with HT systems, I have one set of mostly Polk RTI - series speakers, and another set of Polk LSIM speakers:

System A

RTI 10 fronts
Csi 5 center
FXi 50 surrounds

System B

LSIM 703 Fronts
LSIM 704c center
LSIM 702 f/x surrounds

Two receivers to match the two systems:

Denon 991 (w/Audyssey Multeq XT, but no pre-outs)
Onkyo 818 (w/Audyssey Multeq XT 32, and pre-outs)

Two subs to match:

Polk PSW 505
Bic America Acoustech Pl-200

One Amp:

Emotiva XPA - 5

I want to set up two HT systems for the two rooms I have referred to, but I am currently not sure which combos to deploy for each room... It is clear that the Emotiva Amp will have to go with the Onkyo 818, because the Denon 991 has no pre-outs. It is also clear that the Emotiva + Onkyo combo should go to the larger room, because they might be overkill for the smaller room, even though I really got the amp not for loudness, but for more refinement in the quality of sound in music and HT (In that regard, I have wondered whether the Amp is even necessary, since the receivers are both already very good, but let me know what you think)... Now here are my questions:

1. Should the Amp + receiver combo (Emotiva XPA 5 + Onkyo 818) go with the RTI series speakers or with the LSIM series speakers for best results in audio quality?
2. How should I match the two subs I have (polk psw 505, and Bic America Acoustech PL-200) with the two system configurations?

As to how much time I devote to music and HT, I would normally describe myself as flexible... When I have a lot of leisure time at my disposal (which happens for relatively brief periods in the year), I am normally 60-80% HT and 20-40% music. However, for work-intensive periods of the year, which far outnumber the "leisure time" periods, I tend to listen to a lot more music (60-80% of the time), especially classical, and laid back jazz, as they tend to relax me as I work.

I could go on and on, but I feel I have complicated things enough already. Impedance-wise, both speaker sets are 8 Ohms, although the RTI 10s and the Csi 5 are rated at 89db/90db (for efficiency) and 20-300/200 watts pc (for recommended amp power), whereas all the LSIM series speakers are 88db (for efficiency) and 20-200 watts.

Any advice or suggestions regarding how to build the two ht combos would be welcome, and how to match them with the rooms would be welcome. Thanks,

PS: Do not forget to comment, if you can, on the utility or necessity of the Amp, in improving the SQ of the system in which it is deployed... Remember that I am more into refinement than loudness when it comes to SQ... The highest I can ever go is always between -20db and -30db, and I am often closer to -30db.

sahmen

One more question: What would be the best cables for interconnecting the receiver (Onkyo 818) and the Amp (Emotiva XPA - 5)?

nguyendot

I would say amp the LSiM set and put the 505 with it for best results based on what you have. As for interconnects others will surely chime in.

hochpt21

SignalCable makes quality, budget interconnects. Mention you are from club Polk and you should get a slight discount.

Thorton

hochpt21 wrote: »

SignalCable makes quality, budget interconnects. Mention you are from club Polk and you should get a slight discount.

+1. Good quality, advise and fast delivery.

zane77

Both of the above answers would work the best with what you have. The interconnects are pretty good but not off the wall expensive.

sahmen

nguyendot wrote: »

I would say amp the LSiM set and put the 505 with it for best results based on what you have. As for interconnects others will surely chime in.

Thanks for the quick response. Incidentally, you have described the exact combinations I have had in mind so far, which is encouraging.

sahmen

hochpt21 wrote: »

SignalCable makes quality, budget interconnects. Mention you are from club Polk and you should get a slight discount.

Thanks: Might these be what you have in mind?:

http://signalcable.com/analoght.html

By the way, as interconnects go, what are the differences between (analog?) RCA and Xlr cables, and what are the advantages of each?

hochpt21

sahmen wrote: »

Thanks: Might these be what you have in mind?:

http://signalcable.com/analoght.html

By the way, as interconnects go, what are the differences between (analog?) RCA and Xlr cables, and what are the advantages of each?

Those will work nicely.

XLR connections are referred to as balanced. RCA connections are referred to as unbalanced.

Typically, people say that XLR are preferred when the connections are available for various reasons, although RCA can out-do XLR in some cases.

In your case, you will only be able to use the RCA cables.

Do a google search on the difference between the two.