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bolelet1 · February 2005

In my last thread, I mentioned about the distortion that is coming out of the right surround speaker. After several suggestions I received from this forum, and actually doing it, the distortion just wont go away. I think the best way would be to return this RM20 speakers and get either a polk monitor 70 or 60 or a polk audio RTi10 or RTi8 just to avoid using the surround if this is the one causing the problem.. My question is:

1) Will I still be able to listen to same sound quality with these options or will it be same with the RM20?

2) Do I still need to get a center speaker and subwoofer, if so, which one will fit this system?

3. As I read the specs for the speakers I intend to buy, I noticed that each has it own subwoofer. If this is the case, do I still need to get a subwoofer?

4. Lastly, do I still need to get surround back speakers?

I know that I have been asking you guys a lot of questions. Please bear with me cuz, just like i said in my previous threads, I am a novice to this and as I read each thread everyday ever since I joined in, I see a lot of knowledgeable people out there who could really help me and guide through this process. Thank you very much for any help you can give me. Bolelet1

lomic · February 2005

Floorstanders eh? You might not know what you're getting yourself into

First, they would only eliminate the need for surround speakers by calling all the attention to themselves. Whether or not you need surround speakers is a matter of preference in the end, you don't *have* to have them to enjoy movies and music.

Now, about all the Floorstanding speakers you mentioned - they all need lots of power. You Yamaha might be able to run the Monitor 60's or RTi8's, but only to a degree. To really unleash them you'll need a $600+ amp, which will work only if your Yamaha has pre-outs. The Monitor 70's or RTi10's, I wouldn't even consider running off a normal AVR.

I'd still definitely get a center channel. Having a "virtual" center channel via stereo effect only works from the sweet spot and imo having a speaker dedicated to voice is simply invaluable.

As for a subwoofer, you'll almost certainly need one. Like I was saying, with your Yamaha, you won't be able to push any of those speakers well enough to get substantial bass out of them. So unless you get an Amp and RTi10's, a sub is pretty much a must have. If you do mostly music, I'd get an HSU subwoofer - if you prefer bone-crushing movie bass, SVS is the way to go. If you do 50/50, I'd still lean towards SVS.

In the end, if you spend the money, your system will sound much, much better than the RM20's... of course then you'll be hooked like the rest of us, and end up dropping 20% of your salary on speakers

lomic · February 2005

Now for a second post - sorry, it's hard to explain things simply these days. Since you're brand new, here's some explainations of things I said:

AVR - Audio/Video Reciever (In your case, your Yamaha) AVR's can both power speakers, and process the signals sent to them.
A Preamplifier/Processor (often called a Pre/Pro) is different from an AVR, as it has no power output, it simply processes audio and outputs it to a seperate amplifier.

Power requirements - Larger speakers like the ones you mentioned require more power than your Yamaha can output. To fix this, most people buy an Amplifier. Basically this is a "bridge" between your AVR and your speakers. Currently your setup looks like this:

DVD Player ----> AVR ----> Speakers

With an Amplifier you have:

DVD Player ----> AVR ----> Amplifier ----> Speakers

Speaker Bass Output - When you go to the Polk main website and check out the speakers you mentioned, look at the specifications. What you are looking for is "Overall Frequency Response". This tells you how deep the bass is the speaker will produce, with most subwoofers going down to at least 25Hz. You'll also want to take note of the "Lower -3dB Limit", this is how deep the speaker will go before the bass starts trailing off. On the RTi10, for example, it will respond down to 20Hz, which is very low, but it will start losing its muster around 35Hz, which is decent, but not as good as a dedicated subwoofer.

To check out the subwoofers I mentioned:

www.hsuresearch.com - check out STF-2 and STF-3

www.svsubwoofers.com - check out PB10-ISD

Getting late, so I gotta get some sleep, but I hope this isn't all greek.

bolelet1 · February 2005

Thanks a lot for your thoughts and now I have a clear picture of what I am getting into. I guess I'll just stick to my RM20. There is another thing I found out that my sub is not "shielded" (I don't know what this means) Could this be the source of the distortion?

Pinktulip7 · February 2005

I got HK AVR 7300 WHICH HAS DEFAULT 100HZ!!should I leave it like it or change it ?

bolelet1 · February 2005

Okay, i'll try it now and see the result. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again.

Tour2ma · February 2005

Originally posted by Pinktulip7
I got HK AVR 7300 WHICH HAS DEFAULT 100HZ!!should I leave it like it or change it ?

Don't know your sub, but with the Rti12's backed by a M-500t (nice amp), I'd certainly try lower x-over points. Certainly 80 Hz and even 60...

Originally posted by lomic
To really unleash them you'll need a $600+ amp, which will work only if your Yamaha has pre-outs. The Monitor 70's or RTi10's, I wouldn't even consider running off a normal AVR.

$600 for new, considerably less for used. The $300 area will buy a number of nice used options.
While I agree in general with the desirability of more power for the mains, whether an outboard amp is even needed depends upon listening habits and room size as well as the speaker and AVR choice.
Nice, patient replies in your posts...

bolelet1,
Agree with anonymouse. There are a number of troubleshooting suggestions in the other thread, e.g., swapping speaker wire runs, that you have not responded to. All are intended to eliminate possible causes ntil we are left with only the Yammie.

Drivers employ a permanent magnet to create a magnetic field around the voice coil. But the field also extends externally to the speakers surroundings. This can negatively impact TV picture tubes (Cathode Ray Tubes or CRT's) and other electronics. Shielding means that a second magnet has been added to the driver's construction to neutralize the external magnetic field.

As for the unshielded sub being the cause... not likely, but possible. For the channel that is distorting, is that speaker (or its wire run) the only one in close proximity to the sub?

bolelet1 · February 2005

yes, this is the only wire that is close to the sub. I tried swapping the speaker wires and the result is still the same. You are right that it is now narrowed down to the Yamaha receiver. I guess the only thing to do is not to use the surround L & R only the back surround L & R. Is this OK? Thanks.

Pinktulip7 · February 2005

I GOT AIWA 75 WPC...

bolelet1 · February 2005

Do you think it is worth keeping this AVR or should i just try to sell it and get another one cuz now I'm a little bit paranoid as to what might happen if this thing suddenly overheats. Will it not cause fire (i hope not) Now i have packed the speakers back in the box to be returned to Frys because if I can sell this AVR and get me a Denon or whatever brand better than Yamaha, then I can probably get a decent floorstander and center for a start. I also ckd the svsubwoofer site and wow they are somewhat pricey but i will think about it later. Thanks so much you guys for all your opinions/suggestions.

Tour2ma · February 2005

Originally posted by bolelet1
yes, this is the only wire that is close to the sub. I tried swapping the speaker wires and the result is still the same. You are right that it is now narrowed down to the Yamaha receiver. I guess the only thing to do is not to use the surround L & R only the back surround L & R. Is this OK? Thanks.

Just to clarify...

When you say you swapped wires, are you saying you only swapped connections at the Yammie AVR?

Assuming the answer to the above is yes...
When you say "result is still the same", do you mean:
- the same speaker is distorting? or
- the distortion moved to another speaker?

bolelet1 · February 2005

Sorry about that. the distortion moved to the left surround speaker that is why I agree with you about the problem being in my AVR

Tour2ma · February 2005

Yup... pretty well clinches the AVR as the source...

Good luck...

lomic · February 2005

Recievers and Amps have a "protection mode" that keeps them from getting too hot, they just shut themselves down. Haven't personally heard of a house fire cause by stereo equipment.

bolelet1 · February 2005

just returned from Frys and exchange my RM20 with RTi10, center is CS10 and sub is PSW10 + a got a pair of Atrium 45 for free. The Yamaha I will keep and will try to get a separate amp to drive the RTi10, cuz it has a pre-out which i could hooked the separate amp. I will hook them up tonight and will let you guys know. Thanks.

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