new system, need some advice

bogdan

hi:

i just purchased a brand new onkyo tx-sr602 receiver and polk rm7200 5.1 home theater speaker system. as i startet to read all the manuals and numerous websites about setting up the speakers, placement and required wiring, my head started to spin! pretty much everyone recomends something different depending on the room size, money to be spent on speaker wire and etc...

here are my issues and my opinions:

1. what kind of speaker wire would do the job? i purchased 100ft of rca 16 gauge oxygen free wire for my speakers. i think this should be adeqate for my living room size : 18.5 long x 14.5 wide 11 tall.

2. how to wire the sub? polk says not to wire directly to the receiver. others say receiver+sub work just fine! which is it than?

3. my receiver is a 7.1, but i have only 5.1 system. is there a big difference? however, i do have two extra speakers to add. is it worth the trouble?

4. surround sound speaker position? i can't really place the rear surrounds on the sides of the wall, so i'm planing to put them on the back wall about two feet above my listening level (sitting on the couch). what if i want to put the two extra speakers to create 7.1 sound. could i place them also on the back wall facing the front speakers like the rear surrounds?

5. can anyone can tell me please your opinion about the sytem i just bought? i feel it's going to be more than i really need. going from 16 year old stereo system to home theater enviroment will really open my eyes on what i've been missing.

please respond with your feed back. i want to set everything up ASAP!

thanks!
bogdan

okiepolkie

First of all, you bought a good system. You probably did not get more than you really need. You will be happy with this particular system for quite a while.

A couple of questions and comments on your system.
Are your main speakers going on the 14.5 wall or the 18.5 wall?
What speakers would you be adding if you did go with the rear speakers?
Is your couch against the wall?

A little higher gage wire would probably help a little bit. 16 gauge is good, but 14 gauge would be a little better for the speakers you have.

Hook the subwoofer up with a dedicated rca-type subwoofer cable. You can try it the other way to see if you like it that way better.

I could help a little more with the surround speaker placement with the questions above answered. There are always multidirectional speaker mounts you can attach to the wall.

I give you this advice as an opinion, like you stated in your post. In the end it is your personal preference that will determine what to do with your speakers.

Have fun with it all. I think you will be happy with your new system.

PolknPepsi

Take your time..........jump into it.......... play with it for a while (few days-weeks- months) ............see if it makes you happy......then make upgrades and changes IF you think it is necessary.

............................:)

bogdan

hi and thanks for quick reply!!

1. yes, my main speakers will go on the 14.5 wall.

2. i have an older set of paramount pictures speakers taken of the very first surround system i owed. i know that this is not the right way to match the speakers, but at this point this is what i have. at least i could experiment and make some decisions about buying two additional speakers at much higher quality.
any recomendations?

3. yes, my couch is against the back wall. however, we are thinking about moving the couch 3/4 towards the front, but it wil depend if we have enough room for the rest of the fruniture. worst case scenario is that the couch stays against the wall. any idea how to position the speakers for 7.1 sound with that setup?

as for the wire, i will buy 14 gauge as you said. it will give me good night sleep also, with the sub connection...there is a only one way to find out by experimeting.

thanks again for your help!
bogdan

Willow

you can use the 16awg for your rears just go out and buy what lenght you need for your fronts...or use the 16awg you have. one upgrade is to ditch the cables the system came with the RCA's replace those...most of all sit back and enjoy.....as for the sub I would since they are sat/sub...speaker cables from receiver to sub then out to speakers and use the sub xover to ajust. Set mains to large and sub to off

okiepolkie

PolknPepsi is right. You should be experiment with everything before you make any final decisions. Try the surround speakers on the back wall with your couch right below it and your speakers facing forward. Then try different angles for your rear speakers up down, side to side, and so forth.

If you don't like this, moving your couch forward could be your next option while you leave your surround speakers on the rear wall. This will also help your stereo imaging from your front L/R speakers(try an equalateral triangle first with the speakers and your listening position).

Your Paramount speakers you have will probably work at this point in your venture. Like you said, it is what you have right now. You can try different placements of these as well, but your suggestion of putting them on the back wall facing forward is where they are theoretically supposed to be anyway.

Look around at some of the other forum post to see if they give you any ideas.

bogdan

ok,

i try everything possible to get the optimal sound. it's a bit frustrating to get thought all this to get a positive result. maybe it won't be as hard as i think

in your opinoin is it better to put the sub in front corner or the back corner of the room? to me placing sub in fron would make more sense because it cuts the cost of the sub cable instantly.

as for the center speaker, i have not decided if it will be on the wall or on top of my tv or below the tv. i'll experiment.

bogdan

PolknPepsi

I have heard and understand that if a sub is placed in the corner then it will give a LOT more sound.

..................................................Goodluck........:D

Willow

sub front of the room espicially if you wire with speaker cables

it's not as hard as you think maybe a tadd overwhelming but we are here to help remember that:cool:

Mike682

Congrats on the new system:)

You might want to pick up an SPL meter at radio shack and a calibration disc to calibrate your speakers and sub.

I'm still learning myself and I have found these threads helpful:
Do a keyword search (top left) for "calibration", there are very good threads on this. You will also find some really good sub placement recommendations.

Also check the polk FAQ section. Here is a link for speaker placement:

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/advice.php?article=placement

I can guarantee that you will learn a lot here and many people are willing to help.

Have fun..

Willow

order the polk audio guide to HT set up....it's free and a great lil book

bogdan

thanks again for your help! my sytem is almost ready to rumble. i'm finishing with wiring and fruniture moving. i decided to place the sub in front after a long research. i think it will sound just fine in my room layout.


cheers!
bogdan