Polk Signature Series Official Discussion
Comments
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Thanks for the input that is what I am thinking as well just wanted to get some different opinions, thanks, loving the s60 towers though
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Good Afternoon!
First post here. Read through all 24 pages of the "Polk Signature Series Official Discussion." While scouring this and other online sources, I have this listed in my shopping list thus far (7.1 system):- Polk Signature S60 or S55 American HiFi Home Theater Tower Speaker (Pair, Black)
- Denon AVRX4400H 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD Network AV Receiver with HEOS black
- Polk Audio Signature S15 or S10 American HiFi Home Theater Compact Bookshelf Speaker (2 x Pair)
- Polk Audio Signature S30 American HiFi Home Theater Center Speaker
- SVS PB12-NSD Black Ash 12-inch 400 Watt Powered Subwoofer
The room is a 14' x 24'
See attached for the setup of the room. Everything should be within an inch or so of being spot on as far as measurements are concerned. The speakers in the drawing are sized to the S30, S60, S15 & SVS PB12-NSD.
This will be used 75% movies and 25% music.
With your experience- S55 or S60 fronts?
- S10 or S15 side and rears?
- With the window placement, can I still just mount the side speakers on the wall or will I need a mount that will angle them down?
- There is about 12 feet from the rear speakers to the listening position. With the doorway in the back or the room, will I need to angle these speakers down?
- Without doing a sub crawl, considering the sub is spatially correct, where would you suggest I set it? Currently, in between the shelves and sub is a furnace grate I don't want to block off.
- What other info can I supply?
- In your opinion, will I be happy?
- What accessories should I look for? (mounting equipment and such)
- What else should I be considering as I have no idea what to expect
Thanks in advance,
Russ -
Hey! There can only be one Russ here....and guess who that is.
Welcome aboard! I suck at HT but others with more insight will chime in.
Russ
Resident Hoarder -
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Think I would try the sub in the back of the room, corner placement, the 2 longer walls.
The surrounds will probably need to be angled downwards a little, best guess 10-15 degrees.
Fairly long distance from the rear wall, would go with the larger speaker.
Front mains, again the larger speaker. Probably want to move them about 2 feet out from the sides of the stand, if room permits and picture is to scale.
You will definitely want to look into surge protection/ power conditioning.
If those are hard wood floors, it will be a nightmare, especially if that's also a leather couch, room treatments will help.
That should start the conversation. -
Think I would try the sub in the back of the room, corner placement, the 2 longer walls.
Do the wireless kits work pretty well for this? If so, recommendations?The surrounds will probably need to be angled downwards a little, best guess 10-15 degrees.
I can make some angled lumber to do that if that id what I need to do.Fairly long distance from the rear wall, would go with the larger speaker.
Looking like the consensus is the S15s on the side and the backFront mains, again the larger speaker. Probably want to move them about 2 feet out from the sides of the stand, if room permits and picture is to scale.
Picture is 100% to scale. The room will be tight. So you are saying the S60s for the fronts?You will definitely want to look into surge protection/ power conditioning.
If those are hard wood floors, it will be a nightmare, especially if that's also a leather couch, room treatments will help.
Recommendations for surge protection/ power conditioning? Yes, they are hardwood Floors. With an area rug in front of the couch and behind the couch.
Why a nightmare? Pardon my ignorance!
Room treatments?
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I don't have first hand experience with wireless kits, but they seem reliable.
You don't need to mount speakers to lumber, there are many wall mounts that tilt out there.
There are a lot of companies that deal with power conditioning/surge protection. The price range is huge, couple hundred to thousands of dollars.ersonally have a Panamax MR 4300, but as I've upgraded my system, I'll be upgrading the protection.
Hard surfaces create echoes, for an example. Just means the sound waves are bouncing all over the place, a creating acoustical chaos. Throw 7 speakers into the mix, and now it's really fun. So you need to tame reflections.
Area rugs, fabric covered furniture, and drapes help, a lot. There are also acoustic panels designed to for the purpose. After calming reflections there are nulls, voids, and standing waves. Speaker interaction with the room acoustics affects all of them. Reflections are most noticeable so address them first. Books are written on this stuff, but it all comes down to trial and error, for the most part.
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Nice room layout @Cigar_Maverick
I would go with the S55 and S15 setup, a 7.1 with an AVR is going to be asking a lot from it. Try the speakers without the lumber or add on mount and see how you like it. maybe add a 2nd sub. make the house shake.When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
I like your username! Makes me want to go smoke a Fuente short story!
Tried to answer some of your questions in bold below. Disclaimer, my answers are opinionated and not necessarily fact.
Edit: Just re-read your original post and see that you have selected quite a beefy Denon. You could probably get away with using the built in amplification on it.Cigar_Maverick wrote: »With your experience- S55 or S60 fronts? S55 if you're planning on using the AVR's built in amplification, S60 if you're going for a dedicated external amplifier.
- S10 or S15 side and rears? S10 is adequate.
- With the window placement, can I still just mount the side speakers on the wall or will I need a mount that will angle them down? Don't need to angle them down, but carefully consider the height, you don't want to mount them too high.
- There is about 12 feet from the rear speakers to the listening position. With the doorway in the back or the room, will I need to angle these speakers down? Again angle should not matter, more important would be mounting height. The Audessey automatic calibration will boost them as necessary due to the increased distance to the listening position.
- Without doing a sub crawl, considering the sub is spatially correct, where would you suggest I set it? Currently, in between the shelves and sub is a furnace grate I don't want to block off. I'd put it directly into the left corner if possible where the bookcase currently is.
- What other info can I supply? How loudly do you like to watch movies and listen to music?
- In your opinion, will I be happy? See above. If you like to watch at "reference" levels like what you experience when going to the local movie theather, I would recommend getting an AVR with preouts and running dedicated outboard amplification for each channel.
- What accessories should I look for? (mounting equipment and such) Should be plenty of universal brackets available on Crutchfield.
- What else should I be considering as I have no idea what to expect Bringing the front towers away from the wall and allowing them to have some breathing room from the rear wall, and from each other will make them sound better. Try to get the center channel as close to ear level as possible, as arguably it is the most important and heaviest used speaker in a HT environment.
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In my opinion, the nice thing about the Signature Series floor standing speakers is that the power port fires down toward the floor and makes placement easier; i,e,. you can place them closer to the wall as the port isn't firing from the rear of the speaker at the front wall. I think that an AVR can handle driving the S60's especially if set to small and the bass is being handled by the sub in the mix. I don't think you need to angle down any of the surround speakers, I would try them them without angling them first and see how it sounds. You can mess around with angling them later but the speakers should disappear and that's harder to do if they are pointed at your ears by angling them. Definitely look into room treatments from GIK acoustics. They'll give you an idea of what you need and will work within your current budget and make suggestions for upgrades in the future. The biggest impact on the sound quality is the way everything interacts with your room.Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10 -
S55 or S60:I would go with the S55 and S15 setup, a 7.1 with an AVR is going to be asking a lot from it.S55 if you're planning on using the AVR's built in amplification, S60 if you're going for a dedicated external amplifier.I think that an AVR can handle driving the S60's especially if set to small and the bass is being handled by the sub in the mix.
LOL! OK, I have 2 x for the S55s and one for the S60 with the Denon AVRX4400H (125 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.05% THD, with 2 channels driven).
I will for sure have a sub. One for now. More if I want later.
Mounting of the side and rear surround speakers:Try the speakers without the lumber or add on mount and see how you like it.Don't need to angle them down, but carefully consider the height, you don't want to mount them too high.I don't think you need to angle down any of the surround speakers, I would try them them without angling them first and see how it sounds. You can mess around with angling them later but the speakers should disappear and that's harder to do if they are pointed at your ears by angling them.
OK, I will mount them flush with the wall to begin and see how it goes.
As far as being too high, I don't have a lot of choice with the one side and one rear speaker due to a window and a doorway. Will the "Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room acoustic measurement system" on the Denon AVR-X4400H take care of that?
S15 vs. S10 surrounds:S10 is adequate.I would go with the S55 and S15 setup, a 7.1 with an AVR is going to be asking a lot from it.
The S10s should also be fine from 12 feet back in the rear with the adjustments that the "Audyssey system" will make, or should i do S15s in the rear?
Sub Placement:I'd put it directly into the left corner if possible where the bookcase currently is.
That is for sure where it will eventually end up. Behind the couch (where the bookcase COULD go is kind of an office area that does not leave a lot of room for the book case as it stands now.How loudly do you like to watch movies and listen to music?
Tough question as I've never had a really good system before. Depends on if I'm sipping on some good bourbon and have the house to myself! LOL!
Truth is that I'm sure that any of the stuff I get here will perform well. Just want to make sure I choose the correct Fronts and surrounds. At least I don't have any neighbors close enough to complain!If you like to watch at "reference" levels like what you experience when going to the local movie theather, I would recommend getting an AVR with preouts and running dedicated outboard amplification for each channel.
Did your edit above void this comment?
From what I've read here, I'll hold off on any mounting brackets until such time as I deem them necessary (or not).Should be plenty of universal brackets available on Crutchfield.
Bringing the front towers away from the wall and allowing them to have some breathing room from the rear wall, and from each other will make them sound better. Try to get the center channel as close to ear level as possible, as arguably it is the most important and heaviest used speaker in a HT environment.
The Center channel will be on top of the entertainment center which is VERY close to "ear level." I can experiment with the towers to see if the towers need to come out of if Halo is right in that the way they are designed will allow me more flexibility.Definitely look into room treatments from GIK acoustics. They'll give you an idea of what you need and will work within your current budget and make suggestions for upgrades in the future. The biggest impact on the sound quality is the way everything interacts with your room.
I pulled up their web site and will do some investigation. I measured the area rugs and mapped them out to show how much area they cover up (See attached). Any specific recommendations from GIK?
Thanks! I've spent a LOT of time on "Sketchup" and measuring things!Nice room layout @Cigar_MaverickI like your username! Makes me want to go smoke a Fuente short story!
Strangely enough, that one is on my bucket list. I have many that I like including Alec Bradley & Carlos Torano most recently!
The drawings don't include and of the office furniture in the back of the room.
Thanks all!
Russ
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S10 is fine for the rear, the Audyssey calibration that you run will boost their levels accordingly.
And yeah, I think it does. Originally I didn't realize that you were going for such a beefy/high end Denon. So, volume levels will be fine.Cigar_Maverick wrote: »The S10s should also be fine from 12 feet back in the rear with the adjustments that the "Audyssey system" will make, or should i do S15s in the rear?If you like to watch at "reference" levels like what you experience when going to the local movie theather, I would recommend getting an AVR with preouts and running dedicated outboard amplification for each channel.
Did your edit above void this comment?
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Have to disagree with the rears.
Went from RTI A1's to the A3's as rears, about 6 feet away from MLP, and had a definite improvement. I guess one could argue that Audyssey is that much better than YPAO, but that's my personal experience. I would still go big for rears.
Front firing speakers mounted with tweeters about 7 feet high, 4 feet above ear level would have to be pretty far away not to be tilted. Hope for your wallets sake I'm wrong, but every penny will count if you make the mistake to ask about cables. -
S10 is fine for the rear, the Audyssey calibration that you run will boost their levels accordingly.Have to disagree with the rears.
Slight update on something I missed. The side speakers will HAVE to be S10s due to window treatments. Only 11 inches from the ceiling to the curtain rod. I updated the drawing. Sketchup is going to either save me or be the death of me!
I just need to make a decision on ALL S10 surrounds or S10 sides and S15 rears.
On a side note, on SEVERAL recommendations, I decided to go with the Denon AVRX4300H receiver over the 4400. Dolby Vision seems to be the only REAL change and that is a free software upgrade. The AVRX4300H is also about $500 less money. However all the power output is the same.
If the AVRX4300H is a "Beefier" unit, then I imagine I'll go with the S60 mains?
Just for fun I e-mailed Polk Support about the side and rears as well. If I hade anybody close who had these to listen to, it would make things simpler.Front firing speakers mounted with tweeters about 7 feet high, 4 feet above ear level would have to be pretty far away not to be tilted. Hope for your wallets sake I'm wrong, but every penny will count if you make the mistake to ask about cables.
I am definetly concerned about the side surrounds. Not as much about the rears as it reflects speaker angle. When you say "make the mistake to ask about cables," what do you mean? The reason folks post here is to learn from other people's mistakes! :-) I'm sure not too proud to take advice!!!
Surge protection.
If a Panamax MR4300 MR4300 is overkill, do you have any recommendations?
Crutchfield like this one:
Panamax PM8-AV
https://thewirecutter.com likes this one:
Tripp Lite Protect It! (TLP1008TEL)
And somewhere along the line I saw this one:
APC SurgeArrest Performance (P11VNT3)
Thoughts?
Here ate the updated drawings with the window treatments.
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Cables are, shall we say, a very sensitive subject and it has been known to take over many discussions.
If you look at the Panamax line, for example, the level of filtration as well as protection increases as you go up the line. When it comes to protecting your electronics can there really be any overkill?
I'm not saying everybody needs to drop $2k or more on circuit protection/power conditioning, but look at the money your spending on gear. You will probably have your TV, AVR, BD player, as well as cable box, gaming consoles, and or whatever else your system consists of. Don't be surprised if you scratch your head and try to figure out how you could possibly have $7-10k worth of electronics setting in your media center some day. That is you have to replace it all because a power surge took it out.
Before I came to this forum, I didn't understand why anybody would spend, even $300 on a power conditioner, until I tried a better one than I had. The sound improvement alone was worth the extra money, at least to my ears.
You also must remember, the people here, or any audio forum for that matter, aren't the normal consumers of audio/video gear. -
Cables are, shall we say, a very sensitive subject and it has been known to take over many discussions.
You also must remember, the people here, or any audio forum for that matter, aren't the normal consumers of audio/video gear.
Point Taken! -
So your doing rears and sides but no overheads for atmos?
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So your doing rears and sides but no overheads for atmos?
Had hoped to do that in the future. -
I took my sides off for overhead and would never go back..
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I took my sides off for overhead and would never go back..
Hmmmmmmmm........ Maybe I better think about this! -
I'd go with 5.1 or 7.1 before adding overhead speakers. now if you can swing 7.2.4 you will be amazed.When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
I'd go with 5.1 or 7.1 before adding overhead speakers. now if you can swing 7.2.4 you will be amazed.
I'll sell a kidney....... wait..... nobody would want one of MY kidneys... LOL!
The Polk ones any good? -
Tell me about it. I had a chance to demo the Seaton Sound ATMOS demo at the 2016 AXPONA show. WOW! ATMOS is pretty cool, especially on a BIG capable system like that.....now if you can swing 7.2.4 you will be amazed.
60'x32'x13' room, 7.4.4 Dolby ATMOS, Dirac Live, 132" screen, 21,200 watts!
https://www.seaton-sound-forum.com/post/axpona-2016-chicagos-westin-ohare-april-15th17th-8049945
As far as normal side surround speakers, I think Dipole speakers are cool for a 5.1, 7.1 system. The old Polk f/X speakers are awesome in this regard, especially the F/X1000! However, it seems these are not recommended for an ATMOS systems.
Anyway, all S10 rears/sides, or S10 sides & S15 rears? Either will be fine so go with the latter if your install can deal with the size difference as the price is not much different.
https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/polk-signature-series-3-640x427-c.jpg?ver=1
http://www.avsforum.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Polk-signature-series-classic-brown-walnut-finish.jpg
2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2 -
Maybe sides and rears work better in a big room.. I sit 6 feet from the tv..it wasent all the noticeable but when I moved them to the ceiling and played a cpl atmos discs.. I was like wow
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OK,
You guys are worse than drug dealers!
This is what I'm going with for the 7.1 portion:- Polk Signature S60 American HiFi Home Theater Tower Speaker (Pair, Black)
- Denon AVRX4300H 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver
- Polk Audio Signature S10 American HiFi Home Theater Compact Satellite Surround Speaker (Pair) (SIDES)
- Polk Audio Signature S15 American HiFi Home Theater Compact Bookshelf Speaker (Pair) (REAR)
- Polk Audio Signature S30 American HiFi Home Theater Center Speaker
- SVS PB12-NSD Black Ash 12-inch 400 Watt Powered Subwoofer
If I wanted to take advantage of Dolby Atmos, what ceiling speakers would you recommend?
Based on my room layout (and adding to what I'm getting) what would you recommend for speakers and speaker placement in the ceiling? This picture is from the Denon manual. Will the 2 speakers make a difference? Will any of the Polk ceiling speakers fill the bill? Something like the MC80?
Thanks,
Russ -
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ken brydson wrote: »
Aayy! Ken! Who's this mook sayin my name here? -
MC/SC 60 or 80 for in-ceiling speakers. they match well with the signaturesWhen I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
MC/SC 60 or 80 for in-ceiling speakers. they match well with the signatures
I'll have to do a little research as to the differences on the MC/SC series. I'm sure I'll have more questions then!
Will just the 2 x ceiling speakers make a big difference? or would I need more? I'm running up on budget and don't want to waste money.
Good Lord these home theater systems are legalized drugs! LOL! -
Cigar_Maverick wrote: »MC/SC 60 or 80 for in-ceiling speakers. they match well with the signatures
I'll have to do a little research as to the differences on the MC/SC series. I'm sure I'll have more questions then!
Will just the 2 x ceiling speakers make a big difference? or would I need more? I'm running up on budget and don't want to waste money.
Good Lord these home theater systems are legalized drugs! LOL!
I would say just the 2 is good.. As long as they are close to over your head.. I couldn't go in ceiling.. I have a overhang using the s10 and are awesome that way..
