Help with speaker upgrades

Squiggy33

Hello Polk Club
I have been reading this forum and reviews for while now, and I am setting up a new audio HT setup in our house. I listen to music a lot, though movies with the family. I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile, but it has been with headphones and car audio. My plans are to purchase used or new speakers for a 5.1 set-up. Wife has a one rule only and that concerns the rear surrounds, they cannot be big, she prefers cube type (blah) I can however do in wall or in ceiling speakers. You guys and gals have been very helpful with others , so HELP me please. I live in a small town, and I am limited to what I can hear for myself. I can hear Bose and some Polk, but that is about it. Here is what I currently have and I am thinking maybe build the system around what I have and replace the mains and reciever last, with the chance of buying a seperate amp. Here goes:

Sony 50" LCD HDTV 2006 model.
Yamaha RXV-730 (75 x 5)
Polf audio RT 600.

Not much, but enough to cut down on some cost intially. I am budgeting the intial at $1000.00 and less. These are my considerations; Polk csi3 or csi 5, Polk RC 55i for the rear surround, Polk PSW 10 or 12. When I replace the mains I am stuck between the RTi 8, 10, or 12's. I am open to other brands, but I don't think I will like the Klipsch due the horn tweeters (I had some ID HLCD Comp in my car, nice but very sensitive to everything).

Now you know why I need help. I feel like a newbie.

polktiger

I am considering in-walls for my dining and living room, but I am not sure I will be able to use them. (interior walls are very limited and and exterior walls have cross braces between the studs). In our Den, I took cardboard and cut it to the 2D size of various models of speakers to see what worked. I ended up using a pair of monitor 30s as surrounds, they fit perfectly on a bookcase and above a wall mount cabinet. When I cut the cardboard I was really surprised, as was my wife, how small some of the bookcase speakers are. I am just sharing this because you may not have to use cubes or inwall only in the back.

Frank Z

Welcome to the forum!

How about a little more info about the space you're using for your HT. Dimensions, location within the house, dedicated room or multi-purpose, Windows/doors, pics if possible.

Joey_V

RTi8 are always a favorite in our forum. However, the RTi12 is also another favorite, but this demands a lot more from an amplifier... so YMMV.

I think that the RTi8 would be a good choice for you as it will save you some money and they sound great for HT.

Other brands to check out are Klipsch, as you said, and don't discount the horn tweeters right away. They arent as harsh as some people make it seem to be, IMO... and they are worth a good demo. You may find them less bright than the RTi, who knows? Plus, Klipsch are super efficient and you can get them to Reference Levels on your receiver with ease.

Bottomline, listen to the RTi8 as I think that's your sweetspot in terms of value and sound... and go listen to some comparably priced Klipsch RF floorstander.

Joey

cfrizz

Welcome Squiggy!

You should definately get the CSI 5. As for the mains the 8's or 10's will be good. Polk is not known for their subs, so I would look elsewhere for that.

Getting a receiver with preouts and adding a separate amplifier to it is an absolute must!

Keep an eye out here in our Flea Market for good used deals, as well as Audiogon.

Keep us updated on your progress.

Squiggy33

Okay thanks for the help so far. I can't provide pics yet, but will in a few days. The room dimensions are 13.5' x 29.5'. with tray ceilings (9' in the tray), 2 small windows, and open on to the kitchen and dining room. No bookshelves in the rear. The room is dedicated to the HT. As far as subs what do you all recommend I want to be around 300.00 on the sub. Thanks again. By the way my Yamaha AVR has 6 channel preouts, so looks like I am set on the AVR. Another thing I have thought about is finding some raw drivers and replace the mid and tweeters in the RT 600 with the new series. Any thoughts.

Joey_V

300? The SVS PB10... though a few hundred more.

Another killer is the upcoming AV123 MFW15, heard it yesterday... ridiculous for the price.

At 300$ flat though, you have a ginormous room there (BIG) and I think you need all the sub you can get!

Joey

Squiggy33

Hello, thanks again. The 300 dollar budget for the sub is a ball park, I want to do this right, and slowly if I have to. I am ok with spending a few more dollars to get a much better sub. I basically wanting the best system I can afford, with saying that there is a bell curve (diminishing curve) when it comes to audio and price, you reach a certain price, then every dollar more is not a proportioned with performance. I am okay with buying a seperate amp also. This a project meaning; research, time, and I will pay cash and buy pieces at a time if need to. So again with the budget it is a ball park, that is why I am asking for input from the Polk club. I am also open to Definitive Tech, Aperion Audio, Pinnacle, Boston Acoutics, etc. Thanks again. I will keep everyone posted and look forward to hearing more from the experts:p

Ron Temple

For a decent "budget" sub that performs well google the Bic H100. I've heard it, very clean with good output into the mid 20s. I'd recommend it for small to medium sized rooms < 2200 cube. You also might want to check out this sub...

http://www.edesignaudio.com/edv2/product_info.php?cPath=2_41&products_id=407

The pictures wrong, it's actually a fairly large cube, but the specs are outstanding. It's making some noise on AVS. The few who've gotten theirs are very positive. However, I'd wait a bit to get some more objective/subjective comments.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=750685

Good luck

Squiggy33

Hello again, and thanks for all the input. I want to clarify a little more about my goals of my HT/audio system. The $1000.00 budget is just for right now. I want this system to last me 10+ years. I have been reading about the Klipsch RF series and DT DP series also. So I will piecing this together over the next year. I like the laid back sound of the Polks, but I feel they are a little too laid back. I listen to Elton John to Metallica, and everything in between, and we love to watch movies with the kids BIG Star Wars fans, Lord of the Rings, and etc.

amulford

If I were you, I'd go for all RT series. For the center I'd try to find a CS 400 or it's smaller brother, a CS 245. As far as surrounds, you could go with one of the newer inwall/ceiling model, or try to find a set of Fx500, Fx300 or maybe some RT Fx like these.

Your buying used, and you will stay under your budget if you shop around a little.

Welcome to the club, BTW...

Frank Z

Having a dedicated HT that is open to other rooms will make the bass a bit more difficult to manage. You're going to have to be patient and play around with the sub placement to find the best spot for whichever sub you choose. I'd suggest you download and read the Polk Audio Hometheater Handbook.

Due to the open configuration bipole/dipole speakers may not be the best option for you.

Pics or floor plan?

Sansui

Frank Z wrote:

I'd suggest you download and read the Polk Audio Hometheater Handbook.

I'm not having Squiggy33's problem but I'm new to all this I'm trying to learn. I didn't know handbook was available. Thanks for the link!

Frank Z

You're welcome.

Squiggy33

Hello, sorry for no pics yet. My camera needs a new card, anyway, the update. I went and listened to several front main speakers, they were; Klipsch RF - 82, Polk RTi 8, Polk RTi 10, Paradigm Monitor 7, Paradigm Studio 60 v4. I increased the budget and decided I will buy piece by piece as funds and wife allows until it is complete. So I set a budget of ~1200.00 for the main, less would have been nice, but here is what I heard and decided.

Polk RTi - 8: Somewhat bright and loose on the bottom end, but a very nice speaker for the money. Sounded better with HT than music.

Polk RTi - 10: Less detailed midrange than the RTi-8's, not quite as smooth through the frequencies either. Although the bass was much better.

Klipsch RF-82: Nice tight bottom end, midrange seemed scooped, and the highs well they were tiring to my ears with music, seemed a little harsh over time. I had the salesman drop the treble in the negative by 2. Huge improvement. Sounded awesome with movies, but I did prefer the Polk set-up over the Klipsch. I love the way these look though.

Paradigm Monitor 7: Nice speaker, I still prefered the Polks RT-8's over the monitor line. There just seemed to be something missing, the top end was the worst of the bunch in my opionion, and the midrange wasn't very smooth.

Paradigm Studio 60v4: WOW, WOW, and WOW. Now this may not be a fair comparison as they retail for 1800.00 USD, but I did get them for 1400.00 still more than I wanted to spend, but I couldn't get myself to leave the store. Folks these are awesome speakers. Extremely smooth, and very full and spatious soundstange, and the midrange was the best I have heard. Fast and tight bottom end, and the high's they don't stop. This was a huge increase in performance with MUSIC, and moderate increase in HT, but I felt it was worth it.

I ordered the Paradigm Studio 60 in Black Ash, should be here in a week. I appreciate the feedback.

markmarc

The Studio 60's are a fine speaker, no doubt about it. The dealer around here recommends a good 150 hours of break-in on P-dimes. Plus, different rooms give off different acoustics so don't be surprised if the sound is slightly different. Food for thought: If you're the type who upgrades speakers every few years, order a different finish than black, the resale is higher.

Squiggy33

Thanks for the info, yes I agree, and I am expecting them to sound different than they did at the store. I am working on deadening the room as we speak. As far as the color and replacing speaker every couple of years, not a problem. I have had the Polk set-up for 10 years, just now getting rid of it. This was another reason, I didn't care to spend a little extra for speakers for 10+years.

Joey_V

V4??

WOW.... cool man!

Joey