HT System Advice

Ryan5508

Hey guys I need some help as far as a receiver and amp selection for my new system. I have already decided on the speakers I want, now its just a matter of getting them the right amount of power. Also need advice on two sub woofers I was looking at. I would prefer to get a denon receiver from all the positive things I heard about them. I just need to know what receiver would fit my system the best. Would a Denon AVR-2307CI be enough to power the surrounds properly. I intend on starting with a 5.1 system and moving up to a 7.1 down the road. Also what would be a good amp to power the csi5 and the rti10's? Also where to purchase it? I have been looking mostly on crutchfield.com so far. I guess I'm not sure what I'm looking for amp wise (newbie).

Planed system-
RTi10
CSi5
FXi5 (2nd pair for 7.1 later)

Also have a sub question. Would a Svs PB12-Plus/2 sound that much better then say a Polk PSW1000? Or would both subs be too much for my planned system. Planned HT room is about 20" x 16". Thanks for any help.

janmike

Hi Ryan and welcome.
I owned a Rotel amp and used it to power Rti speakers. It did the job quite well. There are many amps to select from and I suggest you determine your budget as well as new or used. The used market has been good to me. Perhaps check out Audiogon if you are in the used market.

I am not familiar with the Denon but what ever you purchase ensure that it has plenty of preouts so you can add an amp should you choose to do so down the road. Perhaps other members will offer personal experience.

The SVS will smoke the Polk. I for one own a SVS PB12-Plus and it rocks for HT. My room is approx. the same size as yours. Good luck.

MADGSF

I suggest looking at a HK receiver as they are warm and would complement the RTi series which is on the bright side. As for an amp I recently upgraded to the B&K in my signature. Like the HK the B&K products are on the warm side.

I feel this amplifier took the edge off of my speakers and am very happy with the combination. The RTi-10s sound much better with good power behind them as does the CSi-5. With the amp the dialog is much easier to understand, I don't have to play with the volume during a movie when it goes from being loud to a quiet passage.

My second suggestion is get the cheapest receiver, no matter who it's made by, that has pre-outs and the features you want. Then apply the left over money to a 5 channel amp and be done with it. If you want to go 7.1 later all you will need is a 2 channel amp for the RTi-10s.

And as far as the sub goes, for sure SVS over Polk.

Ern Dog

I'm also powering my Rti10's with a B&K amp and using good cables. It makes the world of difference from what I was using before: an HK avr and cheap speaker wire.

Schwingding

You have a nice setup in the making. Polk subs aren't in the same class as SVS subs, and the PB 12 +/2 will make that PSW1000 run for cover. Don't muddy up your low freqs by adding a Polk sub to the SVS. Polk makes nice speakers but I've yet to find anyone with some experience that thinks they make nice subs.

Go for the +/2 rather than the +. You won't regret the add'l investment when you crank it up.

reeltrouble1

My Polk subs are great. The Denon will do you up just fine if that is the one you like. Receivers are pretty much generic at their various price points, I have owned Denon, Onkyo, H&K, Pioneer, not much difference in sound quality, a bit different but not one better than the other, find the one that suits your needs. My experience with all different sorts of Polk speakers is they all sound good. The receiver it should have pre-outs and enough inputs for your needs.

The usual amps B&K, Carver, NAD, Rotel, Sunfire, Adcom, to name some in no particular order. You want high current.

RT1

ben62670

Welcome to club Polk

I have gone the HK AVR-235 route, and Adcom amps. This setup works great. You can get an HK refurbished for about $250 to 300 shipped from HK direct. Look for AVR-235,240,245. They have all the features you need, and have a nice warm detailed sound. I have a nice Adcom GFA-7500 up for grabs that is 150*5 at *ohms with >800 dampening factor with sn>115 @ 150 full spectrum. If your speakers are Bi-Amp capable you can use the HK for the highs, and a separate amp with 150-175 watts for the mids. Also later you can use the internal amp for the rears, or get a separate 2 channel for the fronts. The only reason I am selling my 7500($700 shipped) is I have Big SDA's that are being drive by GFA-585, and GFA-555.

Here is the link for HK direct. They have a lot of good deals so take your time and don't worry about missing a "good deal"

http://stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio

Adcom GFA-7500

http://www.adcom.com/data/manuals/gfa_7500manual.pdf

Adcom manuals

http://www.adcom.com/manuals.aspx

cfrizz

Welcome Ryan. I totally agree with Madgsf. Once you start separate amplification you won't go back.

So save time & money & look for a 7 channel amplifier on Audiogon.

I always recommend at least 200wpc @ 8ohms. This will be plenty to drive any speakers now & in the future!

Ryan5508

Thanks for all the info!

Ryan5508

Ok after looking into some more things I have another question. Say I went with the following items-
HK AVR 340 7.1 reciever
Adcom - GFA-7705 5-Channel Amplifier (5x200)

Would 200w properly power a Rti10 or would it still be underpowered?

Also as far as retail pricing it looks like it would be a better deal to buy 7 outlaw Model 2200 amps for $1820 then the one adcom at $2000....

tonyb

You guys love to drive the poor guy to financial ruin:)
Pick up a used 5 channel sunfire for around a grand and let the avr
take care of the other 2 channels in a 7.1 set up.You won't need gobs of power at all channels,really just the front 3.Before you go out and sink
2 grand on amps,re-think your set up,the cash will offer you better performance by upgradeing your AVR to seperates or put it towards that SVS sub.

cfrizz

Ryan, 200wpc will drive ANY speaker just fine. If you have enough outlets for the Outlaw mono's go for it. Otherwise get one of their 7700's or check Audiogon for used Outlaws, Sunfires, Rotels, Parasounds or Adcoms.

No Tony we aren't trying to drive him to financial ruin, we are trying to get him to do it RIGHT the first time! Once you start amping your speakers you eventually want ALL of them amped.

Back speakers benefit just as much from power as the fronts do. This comes in very handy for concert dvd's, movies, 5 channel music, & sacd & dvd-a's.

tonyb wrote:

You guys love to drive the poor guy to financial ruin:)
Pick up a used 5 channel sunfire for around a grand and let the avr
take care of the other 2 channels in a 7.1 set up.You won't need gobs of power at all channels,really just the front 3.Before you go out and sink
2 grand on amps,re-think your set up,the cash will offer you better performance by upgradeing your AVR to seperates or put it towards that SVS sub.

Schwingding

tonyb wrote:

You guys love to drive the poor guy to financial ruin:)
Pick up a used 5 channel sunfire for around a grand and let the avr
take care of the other 2 channels in a 7.1 set up.You won't need gobs of power at all channels,really just the front 3.Before you go out and sink
2 grand on amps,re-think your set up,the cash will offer you better performance by upgradeing your AVR to seperates or put it towards that SVS sub.

One thing to consider when deciding on one big amp vs. monoblocks is power draw. The 2200s max draw is 600 watts each. Buy 5 of them and you have the following power draw:

600w x 5 = 3000 watts

3000 watts / 120 volts = 25 AMPS

Granted, max draw rarely occurs but should be planned for. That 25 amps number means that you will consume one entire 15 amp circuit and about half of another. Unless you can run your own electricity or can pay someone else to run you dedicated lines - you may find that your electrical situation will dictate the amp you buy rather than other factors.

You still at this point haven't factored in the current draw from your TV, your sub(s) and your receiver.

I started out with two dedicated lines, but have had to build that out to 4 at present.