Wiring Front and Center Channel only

PHeller

I recently purchased a pair of RTiA3s as front channel speakers as part of an overall upgrade to a new HT system. I'm getting a 42" Panasonic plasma, and I'm looking at the Onkyo TX-SR-570 for a reciever. Because of space limitations and difficulty wiring in my building, I only plan on using the front speakers and a center channel speaker (I'm thinking CSi A4). I may add a subwoofer later.
I want to get the best possible sound, and I'm thinking of bi-wiring. Can I run speaker wires from the rear speaker outputs to the front speakers? Will it help, hurt, or make no difference? Any other tips for getting the best sound from a limited number of speakers?

lukewayne

Welcome to the forums PHeller!

I think you may be confusing bi-wiring and bi-amping. there is a difference. You're speakers are equipped to handle both, it will be up to your receiver's capabilities to see if you will be able to bi-amp.

bi-amping involves using separate amplifiers (and wires) to power different components of a speaker
bi-wiring involves using separate wires only to send the signals to different components of the speakers (although i think some people bi-wire to the same posts on the back of the speaker even on speakers with just two binding posts, im not sure what the benefit of that is.

you'll find mixed opinions of the benefits of both bi-wiring and bi-amping in the forums. i don't mean to speak for the entire forum, but i'm pretty sure its a general opinion that bi-amping using a multichannel receiver, or "all in one unit" doesn't really bring much to the table because of the way those types of amplifiers work.

good choice on the Panasonic plasma, i've got one and i love it.

wutadumsn23

Welcome to Club Polk PHeller, the CSiA4 will be a good match for your RTiA3's but keep in mind you could also use the CSiA6 as well. This is just a suggestion, but keep in mind that something like 70% of audio is played through the center in most movies so you don't want to skimp on the center. I don't personally have much experience with the CSi line, but I'm sure someone here can make a better recommendation based on their experience. As for the Bi-Amping/Bi-Wiring idea, it's not worth the cost of the extra speaker wire IMHO. Any AVR is going to be limited in the amount of power it has to send to any channel based on it's output. Your AVR is listed as 75W per channel @ 8 ohms with two channels driven. So for all intents and purposes it will be more along the lines of 60W or so with three channels driven (just a guess, but probably pretty close) If you use your surround channels to Bi-Amp/Bi-Wire you aren't going to be doubling the amount of power being sent to your speakers because your AVR only has one amp section that powers all your channels. The best way to get more power to your speakers is with an external amp, but the 507 doesn't have pre-outs so that won't be an option for you. The bottom line is, you can always try it and see if it makes a diff. but don't be expecting jaw dropping results. Good luck and good choice on the Onk, I love my 806.

-Jeff