Shall I keep Upgrading? Which way to go?

Jer_ry

I started upgrading my HT system and so far i have a csi3 rti4's as mains and a pb-10, and little klh's surrounds that will be gone soon. I was going to get rti8's in the front and move my 4's to the rear and also replace my csi3 with a 5. I had my rti4's for a week now and here lies my question. I watched a few movies and I'm kinda iffy on whether i like the sound the csi and 4's make. It's not CLEAN It's just sound. For example when swords smash together and slide it's clang and woosh and not ching and swish. When people are talking it's the same way. It seems to be a lot more mid then highs. Now i'm going to try to explain my room because i'm starting to think my room is to small. My room is a rectangle but i don't use the long lenght. From my mains to my surrounds is 11ft the room lenght is about 22ft but I only use half as stated my system is kinda in a 11ftx11ft box but there is not a wall deviding the 22ft. Now I read that the csi5 and 8's are nothing but just more mid and bass so i dunno about those anymore cuz i am looking for a crisp clarity sound and i didnt achive it yet. I listen to movies not blaring but at a slightly higher level then usual. So I'm thinking it would be a big waste of money to get those. I have enough mid it seems and the pb-10 leaves no need for more bass. I have them all set to small too. Now here is question 2. If indeed ya'll feel it would be a waste to upgrade more on speakers, then the money i had saved so far for the 8's will be used to upgrade my reciever! I have a Yamaha HTR-5250 and i have about $550 to get a better reciever which is the best reciever i can get for that kind of money?

aaharvel

give your speakers a chance to break in (100hrs.) and change out your receiver for something better.

Early B.

YES!!! Keep upgrading. Put those 4's in the rear where they belong and get yourself some floorstanders in the front. Geez.

But before you do that, the Yamaha's gotta go. For $550 you can get an excellent NIB receiver, especially if you purchase off the 'net. Take your pick -- Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer Elite, Onkyo, Harman Kardon, Marantz. They're all good. Just make sure it has pre-outs so we can convince you to get a separate amp in a few months. Then for your room size you'll eventually need a bigger sub. Yep, I said it -- a bigger sub. And don't forget to splurge on some good speaker cables and interconnects. And your remote -- do you have a Harmony remote?

C'mon, man, ya gotta upgrade now!

PolkThug

I found the RTi4's to be very articulate. I'm thinking the old Yammie is the problem.

RuSsMaN

Bingo, nothing wrong with 4's, just get at least 3 more of them - and throw the HTR in the lake.

Jer_ry

Early B. wrote:

YES!!! Keep upgrading. Put those 4's in the rear where they belong and get yourself some floorstanders in the front. Geez.

But before you do that, the Yamaha's gotta go. For $550 you can get an excellent NIB receiver, especially if you purchase off the 'net. Take your pick -- Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer Elite, Onkyo, Harman Kardon, Marantz. They're all good. Just make sure it has pre-outs so we can convince you to get a separate amp in a few months. Then for your room size you'll eventually need a bigger sub. Yep, I said it -- a bigger sub. And don't forget to splurge on some good speaker cables and interconnects. And your remote -- do you have a Harmony remote?

C'mon, man, ya gotta upgrade now!

I'm not sure if your serious or being sarcastic! Whatever it be ya'll are going to have to be alittle more specific on the reciever. I don't have a best buy, CC or anything else withen 250 miles from here so I'm going only on word!

Jer_ry

I have a yamaha dv-s5750 progressive scan dvd player that i just bought 3 months ago

aaharvel

Jerry it sounds like to me that you don't like bright sound. To counter-balance the rti's neutral to sometimes bright tendencies (especially since they're brand new speakers) you need to get a receiver with warm sound characteristics. With that being said- forget about Onkyo, Pioneer and especially Yamaha. Stick to Harman Kardon, Denon and Marantz. Any of those 3 will tame the brightness in your system thanks to better quality amplifiers and higher current in their stages, and when your speakers finally break in (when the tweeters tame down) it should be just what you're looking for.

And your RTi4's are ample for the front soundstage, as long as you have a sub.
Good luck on your next move.

Jer_ry

Thanks i'm probably going to stick with the rti4's as the mains then and get another 3 for the rears. I was looking at the AVR line Harman Kardon receivers is that a good line? I knew that if i upgraded my reciever it would be a harman or denon for sure. I was specifically looking at the avr-650

Early B.

If you ask us what receiver to buy, you'll get 20 different answers -- all of which would be good ones. Just do your research, determine what features are most important to you, find a reputable dealer and buy it. Kinda hard to go wrong with any of the major brands at your price point. You'll get much better deals online, especially if you buy a receiver that has been recently replaced by a newer model. For instance, if you like Yamaha, then stick with that brand and get a 1400 or 2400. Check www.audioreview.com for consumer reviews. If you want to play it safe, read the reviews and buy one of the more popular models based on your budget.

By the way, I was being serious in my previous post; you asked us if you should keep upgrading, so the obvious answer is a resounding "Yes." It's a vicious cycle -- the more you upgrade, the more you'll need to keep doing it. I've been upgrading steadily for 8 years, but recently stopped. There are only two things that can place upgraditis in remission -- a wife or an exhaustion of funds.

cfrizz

WAAAAAAAA!!!!! So true!!!!

Jerry, whatever receiver you do get it is IMPERATIVE that you spend enough money so that you have pre-outs!

That way you can always upgrade your power!!!!

Early B. wrote:

By the way, I was being serious in my previous post; you asked us if you should keep upgrading, so the obvious answer is a resounding "Yes." It's a vicious cycle -- the more you upgrade, the more you'll need to keep doing it. I've been upgrading steadily for 8 years, but recently stopped. There are only two things that can place upgraditis in remission -- a wife or an exhaustion of funds.

Early B.

Jer_ry wrote:

Thanks i'm probably going to stick with the rti4's as the mains then and get another 3 for the rears. I was looking at the AVR line Harman Kardon receivers is that a good line? I knew that if i upgraded my reciever it would be a harman or denon for sure. I was specifically looking at the avr-650

HK makes great receivers.

Slow down on getting 3 more Rti4's, though, unless you plan to use your system primarily for surround sound music. First, put together a kick-**** 5.1 system, then build it from there. Focus on enhancing your front soundstage.

Jer_ry

lol thats all i can say...........

Joey_V

The power upgrade..... the POWER upgrade!!!!!

Once you go separates.... you aint never coming back Jerry!!

SKsolutions

Got the 635 delivered for 440 with factory refurb warranty. (CC 900 new) The amp section will be unused as of next month if I continue to buy the LSi's, cause they are greedy little puppies. So far it will power the LSi9's that just came today, and a LSiC for a front stage. I don't know what will happen when I try to feed the rear F/x's when the fronts are at a decent level -cause I hear that they suck more power than the 9's and only slightly less than the Lsi15's. But, who knows. It spec's out at 50 Amp current, but that most likely is dynamic tip to tip not RMS.., so the power transformer has the capacity, but will it fill the Cap's and not fry the output transistors? I'll let you know. Oh..It has pre-outs ....

SKsolutions

Here's the link for above if you're interested.
http://stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio

PolkThug

Personally, I'd go with Denon or Onkyo. I've seen two of the new Harman volume knobs start acting up, and the Harmans are not as user friendly, they have less buttons with more menus you have to scroll through.

Jer_ry

So Out of HK, Denon and Onkyo is the sound equally as good between them? Which lines for all 3 are the ones to look for? There are so many from each one not sure which ones are the good ones. Remember i'm trying to stay around $500-$550. I'm really interested in the HK avr435 and the Denon AVR 2106 I can get them in my price range.

Joey_V wrote:

The power upgrade..... the POWER upgrade!!!!!

Once you go separates.... you aint never coming back Jerry!!

what do you mean by that?

aaharvel

for features unlimited go with the denon
for warm sound go with the harman kardon
for reasons unknown go with the onkyo

Jer_ry

I'm seeking crisp and clear sound. I take it warm is more mellow and not so clear? Unlimited features? All i need is a good sound and a volume botton and i"m happy!
I'll just buy all three and piss on the other 2 I dont like.

aaharvel

audition all of the brands. And add Marantz to your list if you can.
Warm doesn't mean it's not clear it just means it's not bright/harsh over time, especially when you turn up the volume.

Jer_ry

i so wish i could audition them. Trust me if there was a place within even 100 miles from here that had them i would be there.

aaharvel

you can start with these. All have Dolby Prologic IIx, high quality neutral to warm-sounding amps, and most importantly- pre-outs for when you want to upgrade.

Denon avr-2105/2106
Harman avr-235/240
Marantz str-4500

google for reviews.

Joey_V

I prefer the HK brand over the others. VERY GOOD customer service from what I experienced.... very nice design, good current throughput, lovely sound.

Until separates came that is... mwahahaha....

Jer_ry

i was reading in another post about someone wanting a new reciever and outlander just so happens to have my same reciever and says it's awesome with an amp. I didnt even know mine had preouts. So i pretty sure i'm going to go with an amp and not get a new reciever!

Joey_V

A new amp eh.... sweetness....

cfrizz

Good move Jerry. Even if somewhere down the line you do decide to get another receiver, you can use the amp on the new one!

wingnut4772

Good choice!

venomclan

Get the Outlaw receiver and don't look back.

reeltrouble1

Is this system only for HT?

RT1

Jer_ry

venomclan wrote:

Get the Outlaw receiver and don't look back.

lol maybe after i get tired of this reciever with the amp i will. If indeed i ever get tired of it. I'm probably going to get a Rotel 985 5ch amp good choice?