New setup for LSiM703

jc2001

I am moving into a new house (living room size 13.5' x 14') and going to upgrade most of my home theater components. I could definitely use some help. I have had my current setup since 2001.

Here is what I currently have:
Yamaha HTR-5540 (5.1 channel, 75 watts per channel)
Polk RT1000i (L/R) w/ 8" downward firing sub
Polk CSi30 (center)

I have been very happy with the sound of the RT1000i's. They have been great
for music but lacked in bass for movies. For aesthetic reasons and for an improvement in sound quality I am considering this for my new setup:

Yamaha RX-A740 Aventage (7.2, 90 watts per channel)
Polk LSiM703 (L/R) on 22" stands
Polk CSi30 (center - no change)
Polk DSW PRO 660wi (12") or Polk PSW125 (12")

At this time I will not be setting up surround speakers, but I may add them in the future.
I have $3,500 to spend. Our usage is primarily for music and TV, and secondarily for BluRay/Netflix movie watching.

Here are my questions.
1) Is this receiver going to be strong enough to power the LSiM703? If not, what would you suggest? How much of a difference would I notice with a better amp ?
2) Is there somewhere I can go to sample the LSiM703?
3) Which sub do you recommend?

Thanks!

teekay0007

Welcome to Club Polk, jc2001!

1) I haven't heard that specific receiver, but there's been some favorable talk about it around here if I remember correctly. The LSiM703s are a pretty easy speaker to drive so the newer Yamaha might drive them to your liking nicely. However, you may want to add a dedicated amp, or amps, in the future so be sure that the receiver has preouts for that purpose.

2) That's a good question for Polk's customer service people - can find their number on the website's home page. I think the 703 is one of the finest speakers Polk has ever made, both in build quality and sonic performance. It also pulls double duty - for home theater fronts and 2-channel stereo - extremely well.

3) The DSW PRO 660wi is a very impressive sub and is leagues ahead of the PSW125!

Hope this helps a little, but it's just my opinion. Hopefully, some others with more experience with that receiver will chime in.

Nightfall

IMO you should move up to the 10xx or higher in the Aventage line, even if you go with an older version in the series (1010, 1020, 1030). The 10xx and up are where the real improvements to the Aventage come in compared to the RX-V series such as the symmetrical amp design.

Good luck!

F1nut

Consider one of the Pioneer Elite SC series AVR's, more power along with other goodies. The 703's will be a major step up, take our word for it and you will not need a separate amp with the Pioneer driving them. That said, you will definitely need to replace the center with either the LSiM 704 or 706 to get a proper timbre match. Get the DSW Pro 660wi sub.