What do you think about my system?

OpticalSerenity

I posted in the showcase:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=74300

Let me know what you think? I know the wires are super messy...and just an FYI, behind the TV in some of the pics you see the computer...thats what is running XP Media Center Edition...basically just there to feed 1080i video to the xbox360.

Also behind all the equipment I have a rotating vertical fan to cool everything down.

Sherardp

looking good looking good, get the bookshelfs off the floor and onto some stands, you will notice improvement there in the sound, a tad bit of cable management, a few zip ties and a little time and your setup will be all done up. For the most part nicely done guy, I like it.

OpticalSerenity

Thanks, and yeah...my cables are horrible right now. In fact, I am running 16 gauge speaker wire, and plan on going up to 12 gauge.

Which stands do you recommend for the RTi6's?

Sherardp

hey check this thread out man

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42787

I posted up two links with nothing but stands. Nice setup again, and get some sleep man those 6s need to rest up too, LOL!!!!!! Enjoy it, I did the same thing when I got my setup in place, those 12s are beautiful in every way.

Shizelbs

Nice setup, but get some stands.

What is your gamertag for Xbox live?

Sherardp

my gamertag is NWA R1 Rydder, See me on some Call of Duty 2

halo

you can find some nice stands here.

Sherardp

check these out

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-h69clSiwI92/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=15810&I=051BF31B

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-h69clSiwI92/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=051NF36B&tab=morephotos&a=&s=0&cc=01&g=15810#morephotos

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-h69clSiwI92/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=15830&I=121BT77B

Im using the latter (Btech 77) to mount a set of rti 4s, I have heard of others using them for rti6s as well but double check that, since youre using your 6s as fronts, speakers stand would probably be the best route, others may concur or disagree. Just my 2 cents partna.

OpticalSerenity

I'm going to drop by tweeter and see what stands I can pick up today...I'm sure that by raising the speakers to 30" or so it'll make a huge difference.

Skynut

Looking good, how do you like the sound?

It will sound much better when the speakers are at the right height.

ohskigod

I can vouch for those Tri metal stands from parts express. HUGE bang for the buck. suprisingly sturdy. Held my LSi9's and RT55's without breaking so much as a sweat, so weight wise, your golden with the RTi6's.

Getting them off the ground should be a big priority.

overall, thats a more than solid set up, especially in what appears to be a relativly small room. If I had to play devil's advocate and pick a weak spot, I would say the sub. again, probably fine in that room but something to think of whn the upgrade bug hits (and it will......HARD )

welcome to our sickness!

Toxis

personally, I wouldn't go any higher than 30" and would really go more around 24-28". I have my fronts on 26's and it's perfect for me.

OpticalSerenity

A 26" stand probably would work well because the RTi6's are fairly high for a bookshelf type speaker.

As far as the sound, its amazing. I almost can't believe my ears. Its really a gigantic upgrade from the Onkyo HT-S590 system I'm not trying to sell.

wallstreet

Yeah, what everyone else said about stands. And spread it out. Get some separation between L C and R. It will really open up the front stage for movies. I've got the RTi6's and matched to a nice sub, they'll play damn near as loud as my ls90's.

dorokusai

You're off to a solid start.

OpticalSerenity

Thanks for the input guys!

I went out tonight and bought stands at Tweeter...My next question is, is it ok to drill holes for the screws on the bottom of the RTi6's, or do I want to avoid doing so? I suppose I could always use double sided tape that is super strong to achieve the same results?

VR3

Yeah, cool setup. My first thought was stands.

I was going to sell you my stands - but I see you bought some already. lol

OpticalSerenity

Haha, thanks! I couldn't resist, had to get them off the floor quickly. Now to figure out if I should drill the speakers to attach the speaker's bottoms to the stands or double side tape it.

OpticalSerenity

Yeah... I think the double sided tape idea should do the trick...

OpticalSerenity

Good point. Well, I have a 5 year old, but he's very careful around my HT stuff, so it should be ok. Guess I'll take my chances with the tape. The RTi6's are fairly heavy (about 18lbs or so each) so they feel very sturdy on the stands. Pictures coming soon.

schwarcw

Congrats on your new speakers! The RTi6's will bring you many good hours of entertainment.

OpticalSerenity

I added pictures of the new stands and the new Universal Remote URC-200.

Any suggestions now that I got the stands and the universal remote?

Sherardp

OpticalSerenity wrote:

I added pictures of the new stands and the new Universal Remote URC-200.

Any suggestions now that I got the stands and the universal remote?

Nice find on those stands man, have you noticed a difference in sound like everyone has mentioned, if so what are your thoughts on what you experience now with the RTi6s. Is there anyway you can run your speaker wire inside the stands, not to be stupid, I was asking because with some stands you can run the wire on the inside for a cleaner install. Anyway nice setup and enjoy.

OpticalSerenity

Yeah, I certainly can hear a huge difference. And yeah, I can run the wire inside, only reason I haven't so far is because currently I have 16 gauge wire, and was hoping to grab some 12 gauge speaker wire tomorrow before doing a proper install.

I also got some cable ties so I can do some cable management back there.

Holydoc

Optical,

Welcome to the forum. Nice setup. Looks like you are off to a great start.

Just a couple questions:

1) Have you calibrated your system yet? If you have not, then these threads will help you:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=98554&highlight=extrapolate

http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/spl.htm

Room calibration is the single best non-cost thing you can do to a HT system to improve the sound and HT experience.

2) Have you played with positioning of your front left/right speaker? Though it does not appear you have a lot of manuevering room, turning of the speakers in a bit may focus the soundstage a bit more in. I am talking about facing these speakers in a bit because if you are playing XBox, then you are probably sitting fairly close to the system and centered on the system. The pictures convey that the soundstage may be spread too wide. Room acoustics have a lot to do with that, so you just have to experiment.

3) How do you have your LS FX's set-up? If these are like all the FX series, then you have Bipole and Dipole settings (guessing here)? Have you experimented with these settings to be sure you are getting the best soundstage possible? Here is a good post explaining how you can set them up:
http://www.polkaudio.com/education/tech_article.php?id=27

Finally, I have to agree with Ohskigod and say your biggest weakness currently is probably your sub. The subwoofer gives the greatest impact for action scenes and video games. Since these bookshelves lack a bit with bass response, having a very nice sub would round things out a bit. And though you may not think you have room for a large sub, the subwoofer placement is not crucial to be in the front with the rest of your system. You can hide it behind a couch or in an unused corner. The impact of such an upgrade will be worth finding a spot. Here is a link to SVS who (in my opinion) puts out some of the best subs and best customer service for the buck:
http://www.svsound.com/index.cfm

Again, great start and thanks for sharing.

Sherardp

Hey Holydoc are you thinking what Im thinking.....perhaps a SVS is in the works

OpticalSerenity

I am going to try to spread out the speakers just a bit more...I'll have to take pictures of the whole room to better explain the seating arrangements.

I have the LS FX surrounds on Dipole, and haven't really thought much about it, so I'll experiment with those. All I know is they sound pretty dang amazing.

As far as further upgrades. I plan on going from 16 gauge wire to 12 gauge wire. Thats a fairly inexpensive upgrade that I hope will result in something I can hear. Going from 18 gauge to 16 gauge in the past didn't really do much, other than make me feel better

As far as the calibration goes, I used the Denon microphone it comes with to do the auto calibration. It seems to do a pretty good job. I don't have a sound meter or really know many who do so the auto calibration was one of the reasons I picked up this Denon receiver.

As for future upgrades...I bought the entire setup (minus the monitor, LS FX, and remote) at Tweeter. So perhaps if I plan on upgrading to a larger sub, I'll go to Tweeter and trade these in for larger ones. I thought about going from the PSW303 to a PSW404. Going from a 100 watt amp + 8" to a 200 watt 10" should make a nice difference. Honestly though, I'm totally happy with my current sub. I may get a longer cable for it and face it out so the rear firing port is hitting the wall.

Sherardp

As for the auto cal, I would still suggest you buy the SPL meter from radioshack, its about 35-40 bucks. The auto cal does not exactly setup your system correct. It might set some speakers to large when they should be set to small and be over in distance as far as speaker position is concerned. So even there with a tad more tweaking with a SPL meter you can still get more out of your setup.

As for the Tweeter sub I wouldnt even waste the time with that. As Holydoc mentioned to you, SVS is a good bang for the buck product, given the space shown in your pic I think the PB10 or PB12 NSD would definitely hold you down for awhile. Looking at the cost of the 404 I would just put a little more cash to it and jump on the SVS wagon, just my 2 cents.

Do your homework, google any of the SVS subs and you will read reviews from others who have nothing negative about them. They will compliment those Rtis very well and those XBOX 360 games will come to life. By the way are you running optical out of the Xbox into your receiver, if not give it a shot the sound tracks are even better.

Like I mentioned here before I bought my SVS PB12 plus 2 just from reading here and other forums, sure its allot more sub than I need right now but it's well worth the money spent I can tell you that. Look into it and if you decide not to try it out fine, but Im telling you as others have, they are the best thing out since STARBUCKS.

OpticalSerenity

Thanks I'll read some reviews on those subs...

Yes, I'm running optical out of the X-Box 360 to the Denon, and component for video. I'm very impressed, and one of the ways I show off my setup is by letting someone play Call of Duty 2. The sound is spectacular.

Do you have a model # for the radio shack sound meter?

Sherardp

the SPL meter is offered at Radioshack, it comes in Analog or Digital, most member here use the analog. Due to it being more precise. Give it a shot, you seem to be a HT enthusiast, so its a tool worth having. ANother good 35-40 bucks well spent. Better yet you can order one with your SVS sub, they sell them too.