Need help selecting speakers...

mod220

Hello, after months of lurking i'm finally sold on Polk and ready to buy some speakers! I have a room that is 16' long and 13' deep. when sitting on my couch i'll be around 8' from my tv. i have a 42" plasma now and am hoping to upgrade to a 50", is 8' enough room for a 50"

also, i'm pretty sure a pair of RTI10s will be perfect (12s seem massive and i just cant get around owning 8" speakers)...but I cant decide if im better off goign w/ FXI3 or FXi5...and i'm torn between CSi3 and CSi5...is it possbile to have too MUCH speaker? i dont care about the price difference, but the room isnt huge and i am forcred into using the narrow walls from front to back.

i'm thinking of a psw505 as well...

any input? i'm trying to get this wrapped before the crutchfield sales ends next week.

Thanks!

Matt

cfrizz

Welcome to CP Matt.

Your plan is a sound one. No there is no such thing as too much speaker, or too much power!

Get the CSI5! It is the most important speaker when you are watching movies. If you have room for the FXI5's get them if not get the 3's.

Once everything is all settled, you can think about adding more power via separate amplification. Providing your receiver has preamp outputs!

thejck

you can get the rti12 for great prices right now from jr and onecall. also the csi5 is on sale. get them fast.

i use rt55i's for my surround. i could not spend any more money on new speakers and found them used.

mod220

Thanks, guys. Aside from the increased price, any downside to using the larger speakers in a mid size room? also, from my eyeball to the front of the tv is about 7-8', will a 50" be too big? lastly, thoughts on the psw505? Sorry to be a bother but i'd like to nab these while the crutchfield sale is on...expires 9/3 i believe. last question, any other place you recommend i buy? ebay is much cheaper but i'm still reluctant to buy from these one off shops...thanks again.

Matt

cfrizz

I doubt my room is even midsize & I have 5 speakers & a sub! Go for it!

Florida_Gator

50" is NOT too big. We sit 6'-9' from our 50" DLP, and it's perfect.

sabotg

I'm 7-8ft from my 50 rear projection and it's perfect. Great choice in speakers. I did the RTI-10 CSI-5 FXI-5 and RTI-6 (Rear) The one thing that this forum clued me in on is make sure you have the juice to run the setup. I went from an AVR only setup to using the AVR as a Pre-AMP with a power AMP and I'm telling you it really makes the RTI's sing. I'm finally at the point where I'm totally satisfied and don't feel the need to upgrade. (But now I see that the new Pioneer Elite receivers are out that support DTS-HD and True Dolby HD):D

johnjhii

Here's something I'm struggling with, and I'm sure several of you will weigh in here.

If you're gettting a decent receiver (say 90W x7), and you don't anticipate blowing the doors off the place but still want to crank it up a little on occasion, why would you go through the trouble and cost of getting an amp and perhaps the provision for the extra power? If you can get a great deal with a receiver without the amp., hell just turn the volume knob up higher (does it have an "11"?;) ). Wouldn't the RTis still "sing" coming from a good receiver with the power getting near it's max output?

I'm not trying to be dense, but I don't get the need for the extra power unless you are really trying to rock the house.

cfrizz

You need to do a search regarding separate amplification & the benefits of it. The last benefit on the long list is increased volume. There are far more important benefits that separate amplification gives you.

johnjhii

Ok, a little cryptic, but I get it.

I'm not going to do a search, but I'll assume that you'll get a more dynamic, richer sound from some type of dedicated processing that the amp delivers.

That said, most of the posts I've seen from folks on here talk only about getting the juice needed or being underpowered without an amp. If that's last in the reasons for doing this, then there is a disconnect in their logic.

My conclusion then is that non-audiophile types who won't be stressing the nuances of their system won't need a separate amp. And if they want to hear it loud, they can just turn up the volume.

sabotg

It's hard to explain unless you've made the jump to seperate amplification. It really opens up the experience so to speak. I made the jump to my Cinenova amp and it was the best upgrade I've made yet. (And the kicker is I find myself not cranking it up like I used to) I'm getting all the detail and richer sound from lower volumes. You have to hear to believe.

cfrizz

It has nothing to do with processing. A dedicated amp has one purpose, which is to amplify the speakers. When speakers are given all the power that they can handle, it ensures they are working to thier full potential. which is what I consider the purpose of having them.

My main speakers can run on as little as 30wpc up to 250wpc. They have been fed 50 dedicated wpc to 110 receiver wpc up to 200 & now 405 wpc. They sound best with 200wpc & up.

As Sab has said, until you hear the difference you don't really know what you are missing.

snow

johnjhii wrote: »

Ok, a little cryptic, but I get it.

I'm not going to do a search, but I'll assume that you'll get a more dynamic, richer sound from some type of dedicated processing that the amp delivers.

That said, most of the posts I've seen from folks on here talk only about getting the juice needed or being underpowered without an amp. If that's last in the reasons for doing this, then there is a disconnect in their logic.

My conclusion then is that non-audiophile types who won't be stressing the nuances of their system won't need a separate amp. And if they want to hear it loud, they can just turn up the volume.

Hmmmm..... Your not going to do a search but you are going to start assuming :rolleyes:

Well your first assumption is wrong, amps dont do the processing.

As far as to what MOST of the folks say on here goes, How is it possible to know if you havent done a search?

It looks like you have came to a conclusion all by yourself too. lmaoooo

Wrong again BTW

Non audiophile types wont be coming to these boards anyways

REGARDS SNOW

daboyz

Now c'mon ya'll, if he's happy w/out the amp then God bless him for he know not what he misses.;) Myself, I'm glad I got my amp and can't wait to upgrade to a 5 channel. I've also realized that with the added amplification that I really love my music at lower volumes.

FittyFieFo

I too, have the RTi10's in a smaller room. I have a 11" by 17" room and have the RTi10's set up. I bought the PSW 125 subwoofer (still waiting for it), I believe they discontinued selling the PSW505 because in a couple of weeks, a new edition will be out. RTi10's sound terrific in my room, (using the Yamaha HTR-5890).

That reminds me, if people can send in pictures of their set up, I would love to see them. I will soon take a picture of mine and post it up on this forum. I am really interested to see other peoples' setups.

I planned on getting RTi6's and the cSi5's later in the future. I am currently out of budget...


But the setup you mentioned sounds awesome! And since you are sold on polk, WELCOME! I am also a newbie and people on these forums helped me get started! Your setup sounds familiar to mine!

RaysR6

That setup will rock your theater room. The Csi5 is definately worth it, the center channel speaker is the most important one and it should be the nicest one that you have.