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sandworms

my existing set up is
rti10's frt l/r connected w14g at 6' and bananas
csi3 cen connected w16g at 5' w/bananas
mon50's surr connected w/16 gauge from 28' to 35' w/bananas
mon30's rear surr connected w16g from 28' 32' w.bananas
new epic valor sub not calibrated yet w/spl at 8' w/rca
now i am not completely set up with avia or an spl but i was wondering if i should dump all the mon's and csi3 for a csi5 and rti8's to go 5.1
and whether my sub should have a better cable or my rear speaks for that matter.
the room is 14' by 18' by 8'
driven by an onkyo 605 ( should i get an amp? )
i know there is a lot of info lft out but please advise on any improvements or suggested upgrades

dane_peterson

My $0.02:
7.1 isn't worth the work. 90% of all films are 5.1... and those that are 7.1 also have 5.1 encoding. I don't think you'll notice a drastic difference unless your room is very deep.

The Csi5 is a good step up. I support the switching to RTis in back... though RTi8s may be overkill. Go for some RTi4/6s.

The cables are fine.

An amp would help substantially. That Onkyo is probably running quite a fever.

maximillian

sandworms wrote: »

driven by an onkyo 605 ( should i get an amp? )

If you get an amp you will also need to get a new receiver since the 605 doesn't have preouts.

dane_peterson

If that's the route you choose, I will gladly give the Onkyo a new home. Consider it a favor from a fellow audio guy.

sandworms

dane_peterson wrote: »

My $0.02:
7.1 isn't worth the work. 90% of all films are 5.1... and those that are 7.1 also have 5.1 encoding. I don't think you'll notice a drastic difference unless your room is very deep.

The Csi5 is a good step up. I support the switching to RTis in back... though RTi8s may be overkill. Go for some RTi4/6s.

The cables are fine.

An amp would help substantially. That Onkyo is probably running quite a fever.

thanx dane, i agree with dropping the 7.1, i don't get much from the rear surrounds unless i put my ear right up to the speak, and i'd like to get the csi5 but need to unload my csi3 or my other monitors first or the ol will shoot me.
i would also like an amp, but would need to unload the 605 as suggested, maybe upgrading to a 705 or 805 in the future. even then i would have no clue what amp would suit my needs or how to incorporate it in the system. more forum studying needed. but if you want my 605 it's yours for a nominal fee. i'll look into the rti4/6's too, should be a better ht sound to get my surrounds off the floor. now i just need lessons in spl calibration so i can get my system tuned ( dying to get my sub tweeked )
thanx again all

Ron Temple

Calibrate your surrounds. HT content in the back is iffy, so listen to some multi-channel music ( once calibrated) you'll notice if you need the RTi improvement. Calibrate the sub, you won't know what your system is capable of until it's balanced and the sub is the most dramatic effect.

The AVR is your bottleneck. It does the job, but that's it. Even so, we here, will spout off about the greatness of more power and it's generally true (at close to reference level)...and when your ears get accustomed to the benefits of headroom and dynamic control, but it's not night and day until your get some personal reference point (it was for me, but isn't for everybody).

Take it one step at a time and enjoy the journey. The CSi3 is a fine center. Wait until you can get a 5 in some sweetheart arrangement. Your surrounds will contribute. RTis will be better, but there's no rush. There's always great deals on ebay or CL that will astonish coming up every now and then. You've got a nice system now, get it working properly. Upgrades are better when you know exactly what you need.

sandworms

yeh, once again your observation is on the money. i've had this set up for less than a few months and have'nt really opened up the throttle on em yet. not to mention i haven't calibrated with spl, only with audessy. i did notice a dramatic step up with the rti10's in frt as opposed to the mon50's. those rti's sound awesome. i guess its just a matter of being intimidated with the prospect of correctly tuning everything together. especially the sub, which i turned off for now knowing i'm not even close to having it set up rt. i'm sure thats why i keep thinking somethings missing or that i dont have the right equipment. i'm gonna take a lot more time listening and adjusting so i can get a reference point as to the way I think a system should sound. thanx to all who chimed in! ron, you the man!!:D