Help with entry level polk system/speaker placement

ht1

I'm researching entry level speakers for home theatre and I would like to get your expert opinion about some options I’m considering.

First, I have some restrictions imposed by the room regarding positioning of speakers:

Fronts: I have two options:

1) I can put them 5’ apart below a 5’ wide front projector screen. I have only 30” for the speakers below the screen so I’m looking for larger bookshelves which I would put on small stands.

2) I could put them above the screen (bottom of the speakers at the top edge of the screen which is 25” from the ceiling). In this position I could space them further apart.

Unfortunately I don’t have space to put fronts (even small ones) on the sides of the screen. I realize that neither of these arrangements is optimal but I would appreciate your advice which option would be better?

Surrounds: There is no wall on left side to mount speakers so I want to use in-ceiling speakers.

Center: The only possible placement would be above the screen.

I considering following Polk speakers for this system:

Option 1:

Front: RTi6
Center: none – I was mainly thinking about option 1 for speaker placement and thought that with fronts only 5’ apart, center speaker would not add that much value.
Surrounds: RC60i
Sub: PSW10

Specific questions:

Am I way off on the idea of not using center speaker?
I know that RC60i are matched with Monitor line, not RT line. Will those two work reasonably well together (even if not perfect)? TC60i are too expensive.

Option 2:

Front: Monitor 40
Center: as above
Surrounds: as above
Sub: as above

Option 3:

Front: Monitor 30
Center: CS1
Surrounds: as above
Sub: as above

Specific questions:

Will a pair of Monitor 30 with a CS1 provide better front sound than a pair of RTi6 w/o center speaker?

I'd appreciate your help.

reeltrouble1

I have not heard your speakers so cant talk about the timbre match. Others here will help you, however, the center speaker is very important to any HT. The only speaker more important would be the sub.

RT1

okiepolkie

Take a look at dorokusai's system showcase. If you can, get good wall mounting brackets allow you to point the speakers towards your listenin position. You can do this with the left, right, and even center if you want. If budget allows, go with the RTi series over the Monitor line. They utilize better components than the Monitor series.

You might even take a look at putting the center channel there as well.

Although none of these are "ideal" placement, you can definetly get by with it.

Zach

ht1

Thanks okiepolkie.

dorokusai's HT looks somewhat similar in terms of limitation, although I have the additional option of placing speakers under the screen.

Do I understand you correctly that placement above the screen (and tilting down) is better than under the screen? I guess I can experiment with both options after I get the speakers.

You say that it is better to go RTi6 for front. Does this mean that advantage of RT over Monitor outweighs better matching between Monitor and RC60i (I won’t get TC60i because of price).

okiepolkie

Using the RC's as rear speakers will be acceptable as well. Remember that surrounds are "mainly" for ambient sounds, so you can get by with speakers that aren't voice matched exactly.

If budget is tight, you might look into the RTi4's instead of the 6's and get the CSi3 as a center channel.

Also, what are you going to be using for a sub? If there isn't a sub involved, the 6's would be your best choice.

I suggest them wall mounted to give you a wider soundstage. You can place them under the television, but I think you will like them better wider and higher.

Hope this helps.

ht1

Thanks, that helps a lot.

I was going to use PSW10 as the sub, mainly because it is free with $500 polk purchase.

RTi4 with CSi3 would be acceptable budget wise. Sounds like that for $80 more it would be a better setup than RTi6 w/o center, right?

da5176

I tried the PSW 10 in a store, (HORRABLE) could hardly hear it, At only 50W you probably want something better. I have the monitor 30s as surrounds. They sound good, but only for surrounds, not mains.

dinnu

ht1,

When I bought my polks (3 yrs ago) they had the same free sub deal, but I negotiated with the sales guy and had him take off the cost of the sub from the total price. If you can do something like that, you may be able to use the money to buy a sub of your choice.

ht1

da5176 wrote:

I tried the PSW 10 in a store, (HORRABLE) could hardly hear it, At only 50W you probably want something better.

I do worry a little about the sub but honestly I have hard time figuring out how much sub I need. When I read on various forums about earth shattering, window shaking subs that you physically fell I know I don’t need that much :-). At the same time I do worry that the little sub will completely disappear.

How high in price would I have to go to get a sub step above PSW10. In other words, will $200 buy a clearly better sub from one of the specialized subwoofer brands or is everything in this price range comparable?