Bought Polk LSi, Need advice assembling the rest...

jkg123

Hello,

I am brand new to the Home Theater world and need alot of help. I am finishing a basment with a rectangle room that is 18 feet wide by about 30 feet long. I have:

(1) Polk LSi Center
(2) Polk LSi25
(2) Polk LSi9
(2) Polk LSiFX
(2) Polk LSi PSW1000

I am building from there. I dont need any help with the TV part, but I have heard so much about Amps and Pre amps, I have no idea what I got myself into. What do I need to power these things? Would a Outlaw 7700 work, plus a Denon 2807? or could I just do it with the 2807? Or with just the Outlaw 7700? Does Denon have anything like the Outlaw 7700? Thanks a bunch for any advice.

John

okiepolkie

Welcome to the forum. It looks like you are on your way to a very nice home theater.

If you are looking to spend the money on the 2807, I would recommend skipping that step and go strait for the Outlaw 990 and 7700. This dedicated pre-amp(990) will be better for your gear in the long run.

cfrizz

Hi John, welcome!

I would 2nd Okiepolkie's recommendation of all Outlaw separates. However, if you choose you can do the 7700 & Denon 2807 instead.

You cannot use the 7700 by itself, it is just an amplifier only meant to run your speakers & it will do a terrific job! You need the 990 (preamplifier) to plug in all of your other equipment.

The Denon is a receiver, which is a combo of Preamp & amplifier so it can do both. However the amp in the Denon is not powerful enough to run your power hungry LSI's!

I have a Denon receiver & I run my center channel & main speakers from separate amps. However, if I had known what a difference the amps would make I would have gotten a 5 channel amp from the get go. Eventually I will go back to all separates for my system.

Let us know what you decide to get.

Early B.

Return the Polk subs you purchased. For a 18' x 30' room, you're gonna need substantially more sub than the PSW1000, even though you have Lsi25's. Check out SVS and buy the biggest sub you can afford.

Okie is right -- skip purchasing a receiver altogether and buy separates -- a pre/pro and a 7-channel amplifier (preferrably 200 watts per channel). Outlaw would be a great choice.

If you do these things, you'll have an incredible HT system.

Frank Z

Keep the PSW1000, it will work fine in your room, especially since you've got two more subs in the 25's already.

Early B.

Even with the 25's, those PSW1000's won't pressurize a large rectangular room, especially in a basement unless you've got some serious acoustic treatment in there.

If you're gonna build a high quality HT system, don't punkify it with subs that aren't quite up to the task.

Frank Z

With a total of four 10" drivers he'll be fine. The biggest problem is going to be sub placement to minimize nulls.

jkg123

Thanks for all the info, that was the quickest response I ever got on a forum. The reason I went with the Polk LSi was because of how they sounded with music and movies.

Now for the sub, If (2) PSW1000's wouldnt work, would (2) Energy S12.3's worl? Or how bout (2) Klipsch Subs (unsure which ones)? Or which (2) Velodyne subs would you recommend? I have heard some people say to get a 10 inch and a 12 inch so you hit all ranges...this true?

This room is a 18 x 30 rectangular room. Where is the best placement for subs. Front and Rear? Front Left and Front Right?

Is there anything else out there from Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha that will do what the Outlaw stuff does? Or are my only chocies for a Amp and Preamp/reciever the Outlaw products for best preformance on the Polk LSi's?

One last thing, acustics for the room...Anyone recommend any sound boards? Something to help the sound be absorbed into the walls?

Thanks,

John

kingkip

This http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/roomacoustics/index.php should get you started. Plenty of DIY if you're into that and proffesional links as well.

okiepolkie

Outlaw is not the only brand that will get the job done right, however it is usually the most cost effective. Parasound, Adcom, B&K, Bryston, Sunfire, Rotel, NAD, as well as several others are good alternatives to Outlaw, however they are usually more costly.

Marantz, Denon, H/K, Pioneer, Onkyo, and Yamaha all make decent entry level(and some higher level) AV receivers, but they are not built to run a full set of LSi's(or any 4 ohm speaker load). Their power supplies were designed run 8 ohm speakers without a lot of difficulty, but they do have their limits.

If you are set on a receiver, take a look at offerings by NAD or B&K. I know there are several people here that are running their LSi's off of these receivers.

As far as the subwoofers go, it depends on the actual model within each prodcut line. As mentioned, www.svsound.com would be a good place to pick up a subwoofer or two. The Ultra series are very nice sounding and looking subwoofers. They are an internet/phone only company, but they make a very nice product, which can be verified by the sheer number of owners across different forums.

Early B.

jkg123 wrote:

Now for the sub, If (2) PSW1000's wouldnt work, would (2) Energy S12.3's worl? Or how bout (2) Klipsch Subs (unsure which ones)? Or which (2) Velodyne subs would you recommend? I have heard some people say to get a 10 inch and a 12 inch so you hit all ranges...this true?

I'd suggest sticking with a single sub at this point. Use of two subs doesn't mean your system is going to sound better. In fact, if not set up properly, it sound worse, so don't get hung up on using two subs. Since you already have Lsi25's, one very large sub should be sufficient. Call or email the folks at SVS, give them your room dimensions and ask them to give you a recommendation on which sub to purchase.

Using the existing Polk subs will work OK, especially if they are located near the seating position. However, they don't go low enough -- they're fine for music, but you'll be missing out on some of the low frequency effects in movies. If you want to take your HT system to another level, probably at no additional cost (or less!), you're gonna need another option. For the optimal HT experience, you'll want to feel the bass, not just hear it.

Early B.

Oh yeah, in terms of price and quality, you can't go wrong with Outlaw.

jkg123

Hey, would the Onkyo TX-NR1000 work for my Polk LSi set-up? From what I have been told I would get over 200 watts per channel at 4 ohms.....Could I skip out on the Amp and Preamp if I went this way?

cfrizz

No matter how expensive the receiver is, it is still just a receiver!:eek: Who ever told you that wattage exagerated wildly!

Please listen to those of us who have experience, you are getting very expensive, power hungry speakers. Get separate amplifier/s to run them!

The Onkyo is priced from about 3,300-5,000 you can get the Outlaw 990/7700 for 2898!

I know that it probably looks good on paper that upgrades are as simple as plugging in a new board in back. But as far as I know this hasn't been done yet with this product. So we don't know if it works & how much a new board will cost!

jkg123 wrote:

Hey, would the Onkyo TX-NR1000 work for my Polk LSi set-up? From what I have been told I would get over 200 watts per channel at 4 ohms.....Could I skip out on the Amp and Preamp if I went this way?

okiepolkie

It is your money, so you can do what you wish.

You have been given good advice about which options would be best for your setup, and the Onkyo was not mentioned.

jkg123

Thank Everyone for all the help, I just ordered the Outlaw Audio 990/7700 this morning! You guys have been a tremendous help. Thanks again!

okiepolkie

Be sure to stay on the forum and let us know how everything sounds when you get it set up.

ohskigod

jkg123 wrote:

Thank Everyone for all the help, I just ordered the Outlaw Audio 990/7700 this morning! You guys have been a tremendous help. Thanks again!

best move you made today brotha. welcome to the LSi club

cfrizz

Nice going! Your LSI's will thank you!

Please stick around and let us know how it sounds! Take pics, & come back if you have any other questions!

GOOD JOB!:D

jkg123

Ok Guys, Your going to be mad....but I canceled my order for the Outlaw 990because of no HDMI....Im still getting the 7700 Amp though. So with out further adue, I have a couple more questions that I am looking for opinions on.....

Energy S12.3 Sub or Velodyne Sub (and which velodyne sub?)????

If I am running a Outlaw 7700 as my amp for my Polk LSi set-up, can I run a Denon 2807 as my preamp???? Will this sound good, or does this have no effect on sound as its not the amp?

Opinions appreicated on the first question.....Expert Advice appreiciated on the second question......Thanks!

cfrizz

Hi Jkg. The Denon & Outlaw will work just fine together. I use my Denon as a preamp & it sounds fine. The most important factor is that you are giving your speakers all the power that they need to sound terrific & not place a strain on your receiver!

Sometimes the combo of a lower priced receiver/amplifier gives you the best of all worlds!

RoosterD

Be sure to get yourself a decent DVD player now. When I bought my LSi setup almost a year ago I had a cheap dvd player. As soon as I bought my 3910, it was like a whole new system. Especially since I can hear SACD and DVD-A now. Sooooo much better. Like you I started with a decent foundation of speakers and I'm still building upon it. Great choices.

Frank Z

Why bother buying a receiver to act as pre-amp only, it makes no sense. Your going to pay full price and only use half of the receiver.

Pick another preamp.

jkg123

Good Point on using half of the reciever. Here is the thing with Denon, I have a friend who works for them, said he can hook me up with one for half off. So....with that in mind....if I want HDMI capabilities, the Denon 2807 would be a great choice....but anyone else know of any good preamps with hdmi video input selectors out there? for under 600 bucks?