Need Speaker Advice for Onkyo 705

dmbrown26

I recently purchased an Onkyo 705 at Circuit City for $449.00, it was a display unit.

This is my first attempt at putting together a HT system, though I am also concerned with how well music will sound.

As this is my first attempt at putting together my own setup, I'm looking for any advice. I've read posts at onkyo, polk and avsforum for the past two weeks and my head is spinning from all the new information.

I am considering three possible options and I am undecided on the subwoofer (PSW125? 303?). My family room is 24L x 12W x 8H. I was trying to keep the speakers at around $1000, but I don't mind paying a little extra if the sound and longevity of the speakers are worth it.

Option 1:
Monitor 70s - R & L - $600
Monitor CS2 - Center - $190
RC65i - Surrounds - $140
$930

Option 2:
RTi8 - R & L - $700
CSi3 - Center - $380
RC85i - Surrounds -$225
$1305

Option 3:
RTi A5 - R & L - $800
CSi A4 - Center -$250 (Or a CSi A6 for $150 more)
RC85i - Surrounds -$225
$1275 or ($1425 with the A6; is it worth the extra $150?)
*All pricing was from amazon.

Will the 705 be able to power these combinations? What's the best combination for the price (value)? Which subwoofer would work best with these speakers? Since I have never had a HT solution or a nice stereo system, I suppose anything would be better

Any advice or previous experience with the onkyo 705 and speaker combinations listed would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

danger boy

hey if you go with option 1 check out this price on the Monitor 70's. that price is for each. but still less than the price you quoted.

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=28520

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=28529

NewHTguy

If you're patient you can get MUCH better prices than what you're quoting. For example, I paid $250/each for Rti10's (that was including tax and shipping). Take your time and you can save a lot of mone. Amazon pricing is very erratic so you have to keep you eye on the products you're consideirng.

Also, Tweeters is running some incredible clearance deals right now. If you're near one, then definitely check them out.

Ern Dog

I had the Monitor 70's and then upgraded to Rti10's... WOW!!!! It made a very significant improvement in every way. After awhile with the Rti10's I started becoming dissatisfied with the brightness of the tweeters and upgraded other components to tame the tweeters and added more carpets & things on the wall- all of which helped alot. I haven't heard the new RtiA line so I can't comment directly about that. But, what I've read on this forum is that the tweeters are smoother. Bottom line, I'd go with option 3- why not get the best you can afford right at the start.

GlennJames

FYI, here is the system I put together:

Onkyo TX-SR705
Front: CSi5
L/R: RTi6
Surr L/R: TC-615i
Surr back L/R: TC-615i
Sub: HSU VTF-2 MK3

My room size is very similar to yours; I believe mine is 24 x 13 x 8 to 12 (see pics in this thread: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59392)

With the volume at 65 out of 100, it's at my highest comfort level for volume and it sound incredible. That 65 may seem high, but at 30 you can barely hear anything; that seems to be a common complaint with the Onkyos.

Glenn

kuntasensei

Glenn has the right idea - Polk speakers, another company's sub. Look at HSU, SVS, or ED for better value subwoofer options than Polk offers.

You'll love the 705. I'm running older Polks with it - RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi28 surrounds with a SVS 20-39CS+ sub - and the Audyssey MultEQ XT equalization really complements the sound of the Polks, taming the occasional harshness of the highs.

shimey013

I have the Onk 705, and I have the RTi8's, CSi3, and fXiA4 and they sound amazing, i have an ED A3-300 sub on the way, from reviews im terribly excited, but yea i love my polk set up, it sounds AMAZING...so yea, i'd definately though look into another companies sub though

dmbrown26

Thanks for all the feed back. I have responded sooner to some of your posts however, there was a problem my my Polk ID for some reason. I had to change my email address to reactivate.

I think I've ruled out option 1 at this point. Does anyone see any issue with mixing components from options 2 and 3? It appears that the RTi Ax line is replacing the RTix line so I'm hoping I can find some deals on close outs. I have a few HHGreggs wear I live, no Tweeters unfortunately, but all they seem to have is the monitor series. I live between Cincinnati and Dayton OH, so my best bet is web shopping.

NewHTguy, were did you find the RTi10s for such a deal? I'm having a hard time with being patient. I keep sitting in front of my 42" LCD looking at the 705 in the cabinet whispering "get me some speakers..."

Glenn, those pictures look great! If my wife saw the cabinets, I'd be taking back the new stand and credenza I had to purchase before I bought any speakers.

Thanks again for all the feed back. I've checked Amazon, Crutchfield, onecall.com, and www.highdecibels.com (RTi10s for $346 +$43shp). If anyone has any other suggestions for a place to check, please let me know.

One final question, is the Polk warranty effected by the place of business I purchase from?

Thanks Again,
David

Tracy

I have the 705 and here's my set-up:

Polk Cherry A3 Fronts ($399 - Crutchfield)
Polk Cherry A4 Center ($249 - Crutchfield)
Polk Black FXi A4 Surrounds ($249 - Amazon)
Polk Cherry PSW10 Sub (Free - Crutchfield)

Speaker cost: $897. I got free shipping on everything. I do want to upgrade my Sub though, but it was free so its fine for now. But altogether everything sounds simply awesome. Best set-up I've ever owned and I've had stereo set-ups since I was 12 and that was 25 or .........er, um....a long time ago :eek:.

GlennJames

dmbrown26 wrote: »

Glenn, those pictures look great! If my wife saw the cabinets, I'd be taking back the new stand and credenza I had to purchase before I bought any speakers.

Thanks. The wife's family business is cabinets and countertops, so we get a sweetheart deal (so to speak).

dmbrown26 wrote: »

Thanks again for all the feed back. I've checked Amazon, Crutchfield, onecall.com, and www.highdecibels.com (RTi10s for $346 +$43shp). If anyone has any other suggestions for a place to check, please let me know.

I got my in-walls at Outpost.com for a great price ($60 each).

dmbrown26 wrote: »

One final question, is the Polk warranty effected by the place of business I purchase from?

I believe so. They need to be authorized dealers. Check here for the list of authorized online dealers.

NewHTguy

I bought them through Amazon, but they were shipped/supplied by jr.com. Unfortunately, I can't find them at either so they might have sold out. I've read that many people have purchased the 10's from Frys in the past.

Btw, I may be missing something but it does not make sense to pay more for a Csi3 than a Csi4, since the latter is the new model. You can get a Csi4 for $250 or less.

I understand the lack of patience. Whatever you do, don't skimp on the fronts if you plan to listen to a lot of music.

leroyjr1

I just put my HT setup together thanks to the forum and it first consisted of
monitor 50s for the front , monitor 30s for the rear , and cs2 for the center. After reading a lot of posts I returned the monitor series speakers (which in my opinion is the best bang for your buck system) for the RTI a5 , RTI a4, and RTI 4. I didn't want to us the RTI 4's with the new 2008 rti series but I got them new for a great price.($125) vs $300 for the rti A1's.

Both monitor series and rti series sounded great.

Monitor setup $600.00
Rti setup $1100.00

dmbrown26

Ok I think I'm close to a decision. Though I've thrown my budget out the window now.

RTi a5 or RTi a7??? I here these are similar in construction and sound to the RtI8 and RTi10. Is the extra $200 for the a7s worth it?

I'm going to go with the CSi A4 and FXi A4 for the center and rear surrounds. I was considering the A6 but, I do not think it will fit on the top of my entertainment credenza, and I think the extra $150 may be best served in upgrading the mains or helping with the sub (which is still undecided)

Anyone have any feedback on the a5 or a7 from a comparison perspective? for that matter feedback from an RTi8 vs. RTi10 would be helpful as well. The only local authorized distributor near me is listed as HHGregg. When I called them the said they only carry monitors and the the RTi Series was out of their price point. At least most online dealers offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

Thanks again, and sorry for the continued questioning.
David

Ern Dog

When I went shopping for Rti's, I demo'ed the Rti8, 10's & 12's. The 10's were my favorite because the 8's sounded too thin for me with not enough bass extension and the 12's sounded a bit bloated. The 10's had tight clean bass with good extension. As mentioned above, my only complaint was the bright tweeters.

dmbrown26

Ok, here's what I've ordered:

2 - RTi A7 front L&R
1 - CSi A4 Center
2 - RTi A1 surround L&R

Now it's time to select a subwoofer. Though I may have to pick one up on the cheap cause after talking my way from Monitors to the RTi Series.... I'm about broke. :eek: I sure hope these sound good with my onk 705.

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. I posted my question to a few forums and the people on this forum by far has been the most helpful and friendly.

Once I get everything hooked up, I'll post some pics and let you all know how it sounds.

irfan11

you won't be disappointed with the A7s and A4. Though I just upgraded to an A6 (to assuage my raging home theater disorder), the A4 I originally had was still quite nice...

be83663

Again, get a Velodyne 15" DLS-5000R digital subwoofer with 1000 watts RMS for $800!