Figuring out my first speakers.

parasomia

Hey all,

I'm new here of course. I have had this idea for awhile now to start putting together my own surround sound setup. I love the idea, but its frustrating for sure. I want to go Polk with this setup which is why I'm here. I've not really heard many Polk speakers except in spring of last year when I took a chance and installed some MoMo's in my car. I've been in love ever since.

So now I just can't figure out what direction to go. I want a good surround setup. I know anything is going to sound better than the Klipsch Pro-media HTIAB setup I had for years (which I rarely used fully because I just never felt happy with it). The only thing I'm using now is an old Aiwa shelf stereo hooked into the computer haha. Exciting.

I've just been frustrating myself even more trying to figure out what speakers I want to start with. Yes, this build will take time as I don't have all the money up front. I was really looking at the Lsi7 or 9's. I know the reviews are in love with the 9's, but are the 7's that different? The 7's can be had on their ebay store for about 400 with shipping and tax. The 9's are about 670. Of course I don't have a receiver or Amp to power these yet. I've read these will take a lot to give it what it needs.

On the other hands, a couple of weeks ago I was sure about going for the Rti A3's! Which gets confusing because I can had the lsi7's for cheaper atm!

I'll be using them for everything basically. I suppose I just need help figuring out some frustration. Honestly, I want that awesome sound but at the same time I'm not gonna sit here and buy a $1200 receiver if I have to use amps to get the best sound. In fact I don't see myself paying over $500 for a receiver (maybe if a 700 was had for 400!)

The only thing I'm worried about right now is what direction to go with the fronts and to power them. Like I said, its all about adding onto it as time goes. My thinking is "well.. if you have fronts that sound awesome you can really be gold for awhile!"

I guess its between the Lsi9''s, 7's, and A3's.

comfortablycurt

With that kind of budget, the LSi's probably aren't going to work for you. Those are 4 ohm speakers, and would require external amplification. Most AVR's out there aren't going to be able to efficiently power 4 ohm speakers.

RTi A3's would be a good choice, and don't take a lot to power efficiently.

As far as receivers go, are you planning to ever get an external amp? If you think there's even the slightest chance you might ever want external amplification, make sure you get a receiver with preamp outputs.

If you don't ever plan to go that route though, a good AVR to look into might be the Onkyo TX-SR606. That's what I've got, and I love it. It doesn't have the pre-outs, so no amps. It has plenty of high end features though, in a price that's fairly easy on the wallet. It has the newest surround sound codecs for Blu-ray(Dolby True HD, DTS HD Master Audio), as well as 4 HDMI inputs and an HDMI output, so you can use it as an HDMI switcher. It allows 7.1 hookup as well, in case you ever want to expand to that. It can be had for about 300-350 bucks.

I'm doing the same thing...just piecing my system together one piece at a time. It can be a slow process, but the end results are well worth it. Just make sure you take the time and research things, and ask plenty of questions. When you're spending a bunch of money on it, you've gotta be happy with what you buy.

By the way, welcome to Club Polk.

parasomia

thanks for the real quick reply!

Sounds like you have a nice idea on your setup. The A5's look really nice. And that receiver does look pretty good.

I guess I'm just confused on what direction to go. Let me throw this out as well. And I can only compare this to working on the car so it is different. But is it possible to start with speakers such as lsi7's and an amp? I'm unsure of how much a decent amp to power these would go for. You would be able to plug a thing into the amp? Say rca's from a comp? Until you got a receiver with preamps.

One thing about the receiver. I'm not too worried about the amount of video inputs/outputs it has. For what I have right now, my tv tends to do the trick with 3 hdmi's, 2 components and a slew of s-video and rca's.

I appreciate all advice and help though.

comfortablycurt

I'm not to sure about being able to plug a computer directly into the amp or anything...but I kind of doubt it. The sound quality from that would be terrible even if it was a possibility. It wouldn't be doing the LSi's justice at all.

You could probably get a decent amp to power them for anywhere from 300-400 for a used Adcom or NAD or something, anywhere on up from there.

If anything you could get an AVR with pre-amp outputs, and if you're just going to be powering the two LSi speakers off of it at first, you'd probably be alright temporarily as long as you didn't really crank it. That would give you some time to save up for an amp.

Some receivers to look into that have pre-outs are any of the Onkyo's above the one I recommended earlier, such as the 706 or 806. Those do start to get more expensive at that point though, and wouldn't really fit into the budget you named. Pioneer and Yamaha both have some nice AVR's with pre-outs as well, that aren't to terribly expensive.

obieone

First thing first: Come up with a TOTAL budget, then we can break it down from there. You can get a Pioneer VSX-1018THX at Newegg for $480.00 plus S/H , tax. Or $600.00 @ Best Buy if you don't want to ship, etc. It has all the latest bells and whistles, including preouts, and 130 wpc.
Secondly, WHERE is this system going; dimensions, any open spaces on one side, etc.
We can help you build a nice system, but we need more data from you.
Let's do this right the 1st time, so you don't have buyers remorse;)

parasomia

That is a nice receiver as well!

For a total budget its hard to say. If I'm just adding throughout the year that could turn into a lot more. Probably would like to stay under $2200 total. Right now I have about $1200 to start up. My ideas are of course stereo/5.1/maybe 7.1 down the road (the option is nice). So fronts/rears/center/sub will all be happening over time.

The room right now is not a big room. Its about 12x12. I imagine that could change down the road, but who knows really. I don't see it ever being in a huge type of room. I'll also say that I won't limit myself to just those 3 speaker models. I'm open for ideas.

I appreciate the responses. This could be a fun project instead of frustrating after all

wutadumsn23

As Curt has stated already the LSi series is a 4 ohm speaker and will require external amplification to perform at their best. You can still go that route, it will just end up being more expensive in the long run. With this being your first system, why not try something a little easier on the wallet (as far as not needing amps anyway, lol). I would suggest you look into either the Monitor series speakers or maybe even their "replacements" the TSi series. The Monitor series is sort of discontinued right now, but Polk has been making the Monitor series for 30 years now, so I don't see them being gone long. I have the Monitor 70's and the Monitor 40's and couldn't be happier. The TSi series is Polk's current model and can be found pretty much everywhere. Not much difference between the Monitor's and tht TSi's except one big change is they don't have the silver face behind the grille that many Monitor owners hated, lol. The TSi 200 is a well rounded speaker and is very similar to the Monitor 40, which I use as a surround speaker. I have heard of many people using the Monitor 40 for a front channel and being very happy with the results. They can still be had for around $200 a pair on most sites that still carry them. The TSi 200's are a bit more expensive at around $300 from Best Buy. If you are not set on the LSi series I think 2 TSi 200's (or 2 Monitor 40's) a CS20 (or CS2 for Monitor series) center, 2 more TSi 200's (or 2 more Monitor 40's) for your surrounds, unless you wanted to downgrade to the TSi 100's or the Monitor 30's for your surrounds. Last but not least a sub..... This is where it gets tricky, I would recommend the PSW125, but it is a Polk sub and it is not the best there is out there. Don't get me wrong I love mine, and it works well in my setup, but is would be the one area in your system that most people would recommend not buying Polk, but that will be up tp you. If you go with the Monitor series, the CS2, and the PSW125 all said and done you are looking at around $900 without shipping or extended warranties. If you go the TSi, CS20, PSW125 route you will be looking at around $1200 without shipping or extended warranties. I can give you links to all these speakers and where I found them if you want, but moslty just froogled them. That will leave you around $1000 left for your receiver, and you will be able to get a very nice one for that price. I second Curt's recommendation for the Onkyo TX-SR806, it is the one I have and has yet to dissapoint me in any way. It can be had for around $600-$650, which would still leave you money left over for amps, if you still wanted them. Hope this helps and any more questions feel free to ask. Welcome to Club Polk.

parasomia

I suppose this is the double edge of it all when it comes to building up your own system. Many options, much better sound in most cases... but frustrations and costs!

Wuta, thanks for the info. I saw those Tsi's at newegg and was wondering about them because I haven't seen much about them. They do look nice. I think I want to go a bit higher though. I know anything is going to sound great compared to what I've used over the past few years. I claim the Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 as my first setup and that is why i want to get it right this time.

It does sound like the LSi series will cost me a lot in the long run and probably do not need to go that high. The Rti series looks like the middle ground here though. I suppose I have this vision (don't we all??) Where I'm gonna have this system that will blow me away. Music/Movies/Blu-Ray/Games/ whatever else you can think of will just come ALIVE. Where I'll be listening to a lot of music on it as well and be able to listen Loud. So it is a price comparison and quality. The A3's and A5's seem to get great reviews as well, but I've heard they were better suited for HT then music. Then you look at price and say "well I could get the A3's brand new for $450. BUT I could get refurbished lsi7's for $400". I think I've seen A5's for about $360/single. I am just frustrating myself haha. I can admit, I'm really lost in a direction to go.

I'll stay away from the Polk subs. Thanks for the advice. When I did the car, I went with an Alpine sub which worked out amazing for the system.

nooshinjohn

there was a thread about being able to get lsi15s for 300 each somewhere....

cnh

The Onkyo 805/6 has a 4ohm setting for speakers. And although this involves protection circuitry that will reduce the actual wattage for a 5.1/7/1 system to probably half that of the 8 ohm load. It should be able to power LSIs in a smaller room and you could wait on adding more amplification until you had the money.

I recommend the 805 over the 806 for audio, and the 806 for video. But I consider video-upconversion a useless feature for anyone running HD sources? My second system is an all Polk M70/CS2/M30 surrounds with a Boston A. 300 watt sub. Don't overlook the Monitors...the 70s and CS2 sound better and better as you apply more POWER to them! At over 130 watts the 70's image like crazy. They're a great entry level speaker that many feel has a sweeter sounding tweeter than the Rti series. Although the Rti is great for Home Theater power.

cnh

comfortablycurt

Lasareath wrote: »

I have an Optical cable that is coming from one of my PCs and it is connected to one of the Toslink inputs on the back of my Onkyo Receiver and it sounds Great!

I'm bought a 6 foot cable from here: http://signalcable.com/digitaloptical.html

Welcome To Club Polk!!!

Lasareath

I'm sure that sounds fine, but what he's talking about is connecting a PC directly to an external amplifier. No pre-amp or receiver, which I would imagine not sounding quite so good...



parasomia- RTi's only suited for home theater usage and not for music? I don't know where you heard that from, but I can assure you that the RTi's are GREAT for music. There are many people on board here that use their RTi's for music and love them. Sure, they're not as good as the LSi's typically when it comes to music, but they also don't have the same price tag as the LSi's.

Also, keep your eye on Polk Direct, their stock is always changing. They get the RTi's in there a lot too.

Also, don't completely rule out Polks subs. Their older subs tended to have a pretty poor reputation, but the new DSW series subs are great. There are many people on board using them, that love them.

cnh

On the difference between M and Rti tweeters above. Heard that directly from a Polk Rep? It's much easier to blow the M series than the Rtis and the Rtis sound brighter to some! Of course it's all subjective and a lot depends on amplification. I've also found that to be somewhat true for me in listening...but I will admit that the Rti although brighter by a margin has a bit more detail as well.

In any case we can agree that for music the LSIs rule the roost.

cnh

landgraftj

Parasomia - I have the TSi300s up front, TSi100s rear, CS10 center, and PSW110 and I am completely happy with all of them. Ended up paying $850 for all of them (in cherry) through Polk website about 2 weeks ago. I have an older Pioneer Elite VSX-41 that runs them very well (looking to upgrade that this summer). Worth looking into them in my opinion.

parasomia

I am really thankful for all the responses. It has given me ideas and more things to look around at.

I think I can finally say its down to two speakers (and I hope this doesn't change by tomorrow). The Rti A5's or the Lsi9's. They both have great reviews and seem to be the types that I'm looking for. Obviously the rest of the configuration changes on which one I choose. The front speakers are the most important imo, so I best choose wisely!

I really love that Polk direct store. Everyone raves on how great their refurbished stuff is. I've checked their recent sales and seems they had lsi9's go for under $500 via bidding (they only have them set as buy it now at the moment). I've also seen they have sold a pair of A5's for around 500 shipped. I wonder how often they update their stuff on there. Could really get a great deal!

So the Lsi9's sound great with music, but the Rti's aren't far behind?
I also have read and like you have all stated, the lsi9's will need an amp to properly power them. I've read the A5's can be powered nicely without an amp.

Any other opinions on these two?

parasomia

Landgraftj,

I just saw your post after I posted. You like the tsi300's then? I've seen some people enjoy them. What is the big difference here in sound, with the tsi300's and A5's?

landgraftj

parasomia- love the TSi300s...I would definitely recommed checking them out. You could go to Best Buy if you have one around and give them a listen...they carry the black ones there.

parasomia

Curt,

Ya I've read it a few times that the Rti's were more for HT than music. Might have just been comparing it to other speakers.

I do honestly believe it is down to the A5's and the Lsi9's. I guess it depends on which I can get a better deal for. They are both good choices it seems.

comfortablycurt

parasomia wrote: »

Curt,

Ya I've read it a few times that the Rti's were more for HT than music. Might have just been comparing it to other speakers.

I do honestly believe it is down to the A5's and the Lsi9's. I guess it depends on which I can get a better deal for. They are both good choices it seems.

I think what you might have read is that the RTi's are better suited for home theater than the LSi's are. That doesn't mean that the RTi's are bad for music though. Sure, the LSi's are much more musical speakers, but the RTi's are by no means bad for music. There are quite a few people on board here that use their RTi's for music and absolutely love it.

Either of those speakers are good choices though. If you go with the LSi's though, just make sure you have something capable of powering 4 ohm loads.

parasomia

Thanks Curt,

It is still up in the air and I'm kind of being patient on the whole thing to see what opens up. I like the look of the A5's. Nice floorstanding speakers. Seems very much a good route to go considering the price they Can be had for and what they can output. I'm glad they do well with music. I figure, I'll be playing a lot of music through this. It will be used for everything, but I've always got music playing.

After reading, is it possible that a receiver with an 8ohm load can work decently with lsi9's until I get an amp? I know it isn't going to bring it to life or anything, but it won't hurt anything? Can probably find a used amp for cheap somewhere.

Hawkeye

Have you heard any of these speakers? Buying speakers on recommendations are only that. You have to put YOUR ears on them. You're doing yourself a diservice by not hearing what your buying.

Gordon

parasomia

Well, I am shopping blindly for sure.

Problem is really... we're deep into winter here and its been bad lately. I don't go too far in the winter anyway because I've only got a Firebird at the moment.

The other problem? Not much around here that carries them I believe (checked the where to buy thing). Best buy seems to only care the Tsi models. Most places are quite the distance. So it sucks, but I do what I can. I'll check to see if there are any places, not listed, that carry different Polk models.

comfortablycurt

parasomia wrote: »

Well, I am shopping blindly for sure.

Problem is really... we're deep into winter here and its been bad lately. I don't go too far in the winter anyway because I've only got a Firebird at the moment.

The other problem? Not much around here that carries them I believe (checked the where to buy thing). Best buy seems to only care the Tsi models. Most places are quite the distance. So it sucks, but I do what I can. I'll check to see if there are any places, not listed, that carry different Polk models.

lol...I share that pain. For the first 4 years I had my drivers license, all I had to drive was my 1990 Firebird Formula 350. During the summer, it was great, couldn't have been happier. Come winter though, I was always calling friends up for rides. Firebirds don't like the snow...all they do is spin the tires.:D I still have that car...doesn't get driven much anymore though. Got my work truck now, that get's driven most of the time.

As Hawkeye said, the only way to really decide which one you like more is by listening to them. You can read all the statistics in the world and still be unhappy when you buy something sight unseen.

I know it's not always a possibility though. Not everyone has a Polk dealer nearby. Listening before you buy is about the best advice anyone could give though.

Also, you would probably be alright using an AVR to power some LSi's temporarily until you got an amp. Just make sure you don't crank it up to much, or run it for extremely long periods of time.

CaligulaPolk

I suggest, buy receiver and amp first if you plan to build soon. So this will give you broad option on what you want to buy after you purchase receiver.

This is what i am doing and i know i made right decision to buy receiver first. No point figuring out what you want to do if you dont have proper equipment to run lsi 9 or rti a speakers.


Sounds like LSi is gonna run you lot money than what you want to spend on.

parasomia

hahaha,

yea man, spring and summer and part of fall are awesome! I've practically had to dig it out of the drive-way a few times over the past few weeks. Ugh horrible, can't wait till Spring. I'll be wanting to purchase a secondary vehicle sometime this year! Keep that bird around for as long as you can! Love them.

My thought process now is, either of these speakers (Rti A5, Lsi9) would benefit from an amp. I know the Rti A5 is fine without it, but it can sure take a lot of wattage as well. So I'm starting to think that either way - an amp will be added on at some point. Which makes me think I could go with a cheaper Receiver without all that power, but with the bells and whistles. Seems home amps can get quite expensive though.

I'm just taking my time because I've seen great deals can be found on both these speakers making it very appealing for either or. And If I really wanted to just save myself a headache.. go with the Rti A5 with those great refurbished deals and find a strong receiver for it. That would take care of it!

I generally have music playing whenever I'm around. Movies are those few times a week things and video games are .. random! So it is very important to get the fronts right. Yea I wish I could demo out the two, but as is the case, ugh. Even the closest Best Buy is 40 mins away . Not that they have what I want. Anything else.. Probably well over an hour.

Really, the decision shouldn't be hard. The Rti's are floorstanding which I've always wanted that type. They have great reviews. I won't need to buy stands for them. One good receiver will power them fine. I even heard they sound pretty good for rock music over the lsi9's. Which is my type of music (I listen to a lot of different things though including piano). And yea I have read a few times that the Rti's had more punch for HT compared to music.. but I've not heard any complaints about its music playing either. annnd anyone can throw in more praises for the A5's here.

Maybe I have my decision made already :P but am nagged by "oh these are more expensive they must be better" syndrome haha.

I'm going to stop now before I end up writing a book. I'm making my head spin so I feel bad for you guys.

Caligula, thats a very wise choice by yourself! Actually it is a good idea. Ever get that issue solved with polk direct? I won't bother calling them cause thats how I am. May try to send them a message on ebay though!

betaomega04

If I could throw in my 2 cents...unless you are seriously considering using external amplifiers, I would strongly suggest that you veer away from the LSi speakers because you’ll more than likely end up spending more money than you want to for decent equipment. I currently use an Onkyo TX-NR905 (140W x 7) to power my RTi12’s, 2 sets of RTi8’s, and my CSi5. While my Onkyo can handle almost anything I can throw at it, I am still very wary about using speakers that carry a 4 Ohm load. While it’s designed to be able to handle it, I don’t want to put that sort of stress on it which could potentially cause permanent damage in the long run. The new RTiA series speakers are exceptional speakers. If I could offer a bit of advice...

Your receiver is going to be one of the most critical pieces of equipment you have. You said you didn’t want to go over 500...if I could suggest, look into the Onkyo TX-SR806. For reasons other than it looks like a beast, it may provide you with certain advantages. It’s quite a bit stronger than the 706, so it can potentially push your speakers a little easier, and it could be a bit more versatile if you were to move it into a larger room later on. With your room being 12x12, I really don’t see a need for you to have anything larger than a 5.1 setup. With that being said, I would suggest starting out with a good 2.1 system. Start by buying your receiver. If you decide to go with tower speakers, you could use the 806 to bi-amp them and have a potential 260W of power for your fronts while having 130W per channel to power your center and surrounds. The 806 can be had for about $640 at jr.com and typically $600-650 at newegg.com; the silver models tend to be less expensive, well, because almost everyone wants a black receiver. Polk’s ebay site also offers (when they have them up) a refurbished pair of RTiA6’s for like $650 shipped and they still carry the 5-year warranty. With these bi-amped, you shouldn’t need a sub for a while.

So with a system consisting of that Onkyo TX-SR806 and the RTiA6’s, that puts you close to your ballpark figure of around $1200. With this setup, you would be able to move pretty easily into a 5.1 setup as you save up more money. I got really lucky when the previous RTi series went discontinued. Fry’s was having a sale on the RTi12’s for $300 each and the RTi8’s for $150. And thanks to my tax return and that wonderful little stimulus package, I bought 2 RTi12’s, 4 RTi8’s, and a CSi5, all for $1400 plus tax. I’m fairly certain I won’t have to buy speakers for quite a while...lol.

There’s a lot of good speakers out there, and for the value, you’re making a good decision by going with Polk. As far as receivers, Onkyo tends to give you more bang for the buck and they sound very good. While the Pioneer VSX-1018THX may be in your price range, its imperfections are unfortunately exposed on better quality speakers (I bought it and had to returned it). Denon has more of a musical sound in their better line, as does Pioneer Elite, but those receivers tend to cost a lot more. If all else fails, audition different receivers to see which ones work for you.

Sound card wise, I suggest that you should keep an eye out for the Asus Xonar STX. It’s one of the first self-proclaimed Audiophile sound cards, and from what it sounds like, Asus may be the next big star in the sound card world.

Hoped this helped some.

parasomia

Awesome Post. Very informative! Everyone has been very cool and helpful. Very Much Appreciated with my noobish ways!

I did some searching on the 806. It does seem to offer quite a lot. A lot of power too. I didn't even think of doing a bi-amp! That would sure push a lot of power. Does it have the pre-outs for amps? Not that its extremely needed with what it offers, but it is always nice to have options. I'll read more into it. I've seen people were having issues with the hdmi video quality on it. I guess it is being worked out. Are there really any advantages to using all the video inputs on these things compared to what your normal tv would offer? I have a Samsung 1080p. Has enough connections for what I use. I just figured a receiver that focused less on all the video stuff would cost a bit less.

I was thinking about this last night and in the morning here and I really think I'm going with the Rti A5's. Blindly buying but the rave about these can't be ignored and for the price they can be had for. They would work for me because the A7's seem to attempt to focus more on bass instead of the mids. I'll have a subwoofer added on to this in the near future so that will take care of that. And I'm very positive it will sound awesome, and not cost me an arm and a leg! And the rears won't be too expensive when the time comes. Maybe some A1's or A3's! Annnndd I'll probably be back for help with the Center . Your all right, the Lsi's just would be too much and probably overkill for me at this time. Future project!

You found a great deal beta. lol. Lots of speakers! I can't blame you though at all. I have a feeling that will be me by the end of this year. Looking for speaker deals and grabbing stuff even if not quite needed haha. Those 12's are similar to the A9's huh? Must sound amazing with all those.

I have heard ups and down with the Onkyo brand. They do really seem to give u a lot for less. Heard a lot of good things about Yamaha, but they are usually expensive.

I think I'm gonna see if I can talk to those polk direct folks.

I can't wait to put a real soundcard in my pc. Yea the onboard works and all and for years I usually have just used that. But with a real system, A real soundcard must be encouraged

Thanks for that post. I'm always willing to listen to advice.

parasomia

For the Record,

Right now I am using my old Aiwa Shelf System. Aiwa cx-na508. I've had it for about ten years now. Still kicks out the music although one of the tape decks is broke. The Cd lens has nearly died I think it is only 60watts x2. Yet I couldn't imagine getting rid of this. Probably move it to another area of the house. So as you can imagine, my excitement for a real sound system is beyond words.

I think I'm gonna try ebaying the Klipsch pro-media speakers and sub. Hopefully I can get over a 100 for it since they all work. Maybe two hundred if I can check to make sure the receiver still works. I don't know what it was about that system but I never ever fully enjoyed it. I felt it was lackluster with its surround abilities... or maybe I'm just an idiot.

So, from barely using a HTIAB system, to mostly having my Aiwa connected to the computer and TV. I have a feeling I'm going to be blown away in whichever route I take here which is nearly cemented. And people wonder why I go sit in my car and listen to music haha.


Just in the mood to b.s, you are free to ignore me

wutadumsn23

Beta had some good advice for you, however there is one small detail that he may have been misinformed on. Bi-Amping with your AVR does not double the amount of power going to your speakers. Some people have said that they can notice a difference, while others have stated it wasn't worth the cost of the extra speaker wire. You can still try it and see what it does, but IMO the results will be very dissapointing. The best way to get better/more power to your speakers is with an external amp. The 806 is an amazing receiver, I have had mine for a little over 4 months now and it has yet to dissapont me in any way. Since the 806 has pre-outs for adding an external amp, you will have that option down the road. I have not had any of the video issues with mine and I run all of my devices through my receiver and then out to my TV. You may still end up adding amps later even with the A5's, but at least you won't need them like you would have with the LSi's. Good luck with whatever you choose, and stick around long enough and those LSi's will end up in your living room before you know it. The upgrade bug bites often and quickly here, lol.

parasomia

haha, gotta love that upgrade bug. I can see it happening very very easily down the road!

So, doing a bi-amp setup may not give it more power? What is the point of it then? Maybe just a loudness factor?

So I was looking over the SR806 and the SR706. Both have similar reviews in which people are happy with it. This does seem like quite a good choice. Bells and Whistles and all. So my question is, is there much of a difference between the 806 and 706 besides the Watts (130, 100). The 706 seems it can be had for about a hundred bucks less. Has the ability to add amps as well. This could be a toughie! 30 watts difference is a lot, but if one would Bi-amp them IF that would even matter of course. Added amp(s) down the road IF the upgrade bug bites! Would it really matter then?

Any opinions on the two?

wutadumsn23

Not a huge difference between the 806 and the 706 besides a different THX certification, one extra HDMI in on the 806, 30 more watts per channel for the 806 (realistically neither one pushes that much wattage to the speakers anyway) I would recommend the 806 only because it is the one I have and am very pleased with. I hear the 806 is amazing as far as video is concerned with upconversion and what not, but I run all digital cables in and out of my receiver so no upconversion takes place. Not sure if the 706 does the same, but it has the same "guts" as the 806 so I would imagine it would. Like I said neither of those receivers will push what they say they will in wattage to the speakers, eventhough Onkyo is usually pretty realistic with the amount of power their receivers put out. The 806 probably puts out maybe 90-100 watts a channel and the 706 maybe 70-80, but those are just guesses. Bi-Amping with the AVR IMO is a waste of time and speaker wire, since the power for all the channels is coming from the same place, and won't be increased by hooking up the speakers to another set of binding posts on the AVR. As you stated if you add an amp down the road, both have pre-outs so the power going to your speakers from your AVR wouldn't matter then since the power would be coming from your amp. Go with whichever one you feel comfortable with, if the hundred bones will help you somewhere else. I have included a side by side comparison to the 806 and the 706 so you can see the difference between the two for your self... see link below. I know some guys here have the 706, so maybe they will be able to offer better advice on what exactly it is capable of doing. Hope this helps.


Note: The link will not work for the comparison so I have included another link, just check the box for the 806 and the 706 and click on compare.....

http://www.us.onkyo.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver

cnh

W...23 is right,

I have a 605 and an 805, the 805 is really more like today's 876 in terms of audio and the 806 is really more like the 706.

The 805 had a larger EL transformer and is 14 pounds heavier than the 806 which also loses the Burr Brown 1792 DACs. And I can tell you that you CAN hear the difference between a 605 and a 805 but not between a 605 and a 705!

If you compared an 806 to an 876 you'd notice some difference in real power with M70s. The reason being that the 806 has a high current peak of 36 amps (same as the 706) and the 876 has a 65 amp peak, the 805 had a 60 amp peak!

cnh