Clean Slate -- Recommendations?

shdowhawk

Hey all, I'm very new to this whole audio / video thing.

My current setup:
23" tv/vcr combo (18 years old). Has awesome green lines across the screen. Built in speakers.

That's it =P

Obviously i'm looking to upgrade everything, which involves getting actual audio speakers and a receiver. I have never really looked into it, much but always remember seeing / hearing amazing reviews for polk stuff. Any recommendations or nudges in the right direction would help ...

My question is:

What should I get? Totally clean slate to work with

Anything is better than my current "system"....
1. This will be used with a HD Projector (optoma hd80).
2. I watch lots of movies, and I like music. (75/25 respectively).
3. I plan on hooking a computer up to it too as well as consoles (wii, ps3 ... ps4, xbox 720 or what ever the next gens in the future will be called =P).

I would LIKE to get a good system that will last a long time... so... while currently i'm sitting on about $500, if you all recommend going a higher (750.. 800?) ... or lower (300?) ... that's fine too as I have no idea what to really expect. I'm not expecting an earth shattering home theater experience, but would like to have SOMETHING to make the viewing experiences better.

Also... what hdmi receivers work well with polk? onkyo's? (I'm looking around $300-$400 but again I don't know what to expect here either... min of 2 or 3 hdmi in for future use though).

Finally ... no idea about anything involving wiring/cables for this stuff (I know to run them, but not what kind to buy/use. I've been RUNNING wiring for ISPs for a long time, so thats the easy part). Any how-to's / recommendations?

Thanks again in advance all

comfortablycurt

You might want to check out the Onkyo TX-SR606 for a receiver. That's what I've got, and it's got a ton of great features for an entry level receiver. It can be had for around 300 bucks. It's got 4 HDMI ins and one HDMI out, so you'd be able to hook up all your video games to it easily. It supports Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio, which are the current top of the line surround sound codecs. So if you decided to get a blu-ray you'd be all set.

There are a bunch of other good options I'm sure other people will have too.

As far as speakers go...with that budget you might want to look into the newer Monitor series speakers. Are you looking for floor standing speakers or bookshelfs?

By the way, welcome to Club Polk,
Curt

shdowhawk

comfortablycurt wrote: »

As far as speakers go...with that budget you might want to look into the newer Monitor series speakers. Are you looking for floor standing speakers or bookshelfs?

Honestly, doesn't matter. I have bookshelfs and open area in the room i'm going to put it in... so whichever is "better sound" is what i'd generally like

The only issue i have is that since i'm using a Projector for the screen, the "center" speaker (assuming there even is a center one) will probably either be ceiling mounted ABOVE the viewing area or on the floor below it (depends on what i get... I personally don't mind either way).

wutadumsn23

+1 for the 606, man Curt you really like that thing huh, lol. The only drawback for the 606 is not pre-outs, so you won't be able to add an external amp if you ever wanted more juice to your speakers. I have the Onkyo TX SR806 and I love it, it has pre-outs for adding an amp later, but is going for about $600-$650. I would also agree with Curt on the Monitor series speakers, I have the 70's for my fronts and the 40's for my surrounds. They are technically last years models 9recently replaced by the TSi series) and can be had for cheap wherever they are currently still stocked. I spent about $1,200 for all the speakers in my signature including the sub about 4 months ago at CC. If not the TSi series is fairly similar the the Monitor series and are currently stocked by CC and BB. You may have to spend a little more to get what you want, but if you want something to last a long time, you have to pay a little extra. Welcome to Club Polk.

comfortablycurt

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

+1 for the 606, man Curt you really like that thing huh, lol. The only drawback for the 606 is not pre-outs, so you won't be able to add an external amp if you ever wanted more juice to your speakers. I have the Onkyo TX SR806 and I love it, it has pre-outs for adding an amp later, but is going for about $600-$650. I would also agree with Curt on the Monitor series speakers, I have the 70's for my fronts and the 40's for my surrounds. They are technically last years models 9recently replaced by the TSi series) and can be had for cheap wherever they are currently still stocked. I spent about $1,200 for all the speakers in my signature including the sub about 4 months ago at CC. If not the TSi series is fairly similar the the Monitor series and are currently stocked by CC and BB. You may have to spend a little more to get what you want, but if you want something to last a long time, you have to pay a little extra. Welcome to Club Polk.

Yeah, I do love my 606, but pretty soon it'll be getting upgraded to what you've got, the 806. In hindsight I wish I would have gotten that to begin with...I want pre-outs dammit! That's the 606's biggest downfall. I guess they've gotta keep the cost down somehow though.

Any of the Monitor series speakers would work fine. The bigger the better basically, but whatever fits your budget. I've heard the Monitor 50's and the Monitor 70 floorstanders, as well as both the Monitor 40 and Monitor 30 bookshelf models. For the price, they're a great buy. They don't have the sound quality of the RTi or LSi series, but they also don't have the price tag of RTi's or LSi's...lol

Are you looking to go 5.1 or 7.1?

A good budget system would be some Monitor 50's or Monitor 60's for the fronts, with some Monitor 30's or 40's for the surrounds. The CS2 would probably be your best bet for a center channel though. I've listened to both the CS1 and CS2, and found the CS1 wasn't really able to keep up with the other speakers as well as the CS2. For the tiny difference in cost it's well worth upgrading to the CS2.

Keep your eye on Polk Directs ebay store if you're looking for a deal. They've usually got refurb units there for pretty cheap. You've gotta wait around sometimes for them to get what you want, but you can get some great deals there.

http://stores.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Direct_Home-Audio_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ153926419QQftidZ2QQtZkm

wutadumsn23

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Yeah, I do love my 606, but pretty soon it'll be getting upgraded to what you've got, the 806.



You won't be dissapointed, I love mine.