Set up/hookup questions

cstmar01

I just wanted to start out by saying I am very new to the world of nicer audio equipment. For the longest time I was using just basic stuff with my computer as I have been in college for the last 4 years, now that I moved out into an apartment I want to develop a nice set up that will last me for awhile.
Currently this is what I have as a general idea:
Yamaha RX-V665 95W x 7
Samsung LCD 46" series 6
XBox 360
VHS player
HD Cable box
Polk TSi100
Polk Monitor 70's Front

I'm just wondering 1. What is the best connection I should use, currently its barewire, I know its not that great but I just wanted to start with something.
2. What should I do in terms of speakers? What I want to do is a full 7.1 system and I was thinking about getting Monitor 60's for the side surrounds and then Monitor 40's for the rears. (I would be giving the TSi100's to a friend.) For the Center using the CS2 and the sub is still a debate as I do take my bass very very seriously. Right now I'm thinking about the Polk DSWmircoPro 1000 as its on sale at newegg for 380.00 or the mircoPro 3000. Or maybe an old PSW1000.

I'm just looking for any suggestions. I plan on getting a house in about 5 years and want to do a whole HT room. My usage is typically 50-50 between music and HT. My music interest are very bass oriented as I listen to a lot of electronica/dance music (I know lame) and a lot of rock and some classical. And I take bass very seriously as I said before as I'm a bass player and love hearing but also feeling it.

Thanks for the help in advance.

kawizx9r

Welcome to Club Polk!

Hope your wallet's ready
Sounds like you've got a good general idea of what you're looking for, but let's add a bit more to that.
I didn't look at your receiver you have in mind, but I will add that with whatever type of receiver you go with just make sure it has preamp-outputs. It'll give you the option to add an external amplifier to better power the speakers you'll be getting, or even better ones further down the road.
As far as 5.1/7.1 goes, how big is the room you'll currently be using for your HT/music setup? 7.1 would be optimal if your living room was really big, otherwise a 5.1 setup properly will do way better in a small-medium sized room than a cramped 7.1.
I don't have any experience with the micropro subs, but have heard great things here about the Micropro 4000. Other sub lovers here choose epik, SVS, sunfire or velodyne for HT/music solutions. That PSW1000 isn't a bad choice either, just try not to pay too much if you do find one.

cstmar01

ops, sorry about that that stuff that is listed is what I acutally DO have as of right now. The reciever isn't bad I guess, it does have pre-amp outs from what I can recall. My friend was with me when I bought it and said it did and that I could upgrade to a power amp later down the road. I mainly got it because I thought it was a good deal. It retails around 500-600 from what I saw and picked it up for 200.00 so I didn't think I could go wrong for that as just a starter, but realize I may need to upgrade in the future.
And right now I'm open as for a wallet budget, I mean if its going to last and sound good I'm down lol.
The room is medium I would have to say, the exact mesurments I'm not sure of at this moment, but it takes about 30FT of an ethernet cable to run from the back to the front and about the same from side to side. Sorry if that doesn't help at all, I will measure it better when I get home later today.

Thanks!

thuffman03

It seems you are looking in the under $400 range for a sub. I would suggest holding off, save some more $$$ and buy a Sunfire True sub. They will be in the $500 to $700 range depending on condition. This of course is for used. The Sunfire has 2700 watts of power and will go down to 18 hz. More than enough to make your neighbors not like you.

wutadumsn23

Hey cst, welcome to Club Polk. I am with Freddy (kawizx9r) on this one. Running 7.1 isn't a great idea unless you have the room to support it. Also, like Freddy said, a well placed 5.1 will sound way better than a cramped up 7.1 in any room. When you say it takes 30ft of ethernet cable to reach the back from the front, is that straight back or snaked around a few corners? Personally I think you are off to a good start with the Monitor 70's (I have the same) and I would def. recommend the CS2 for your center, don't be tempted by the lower price of the CS1, it will not keep up with those 70's. As for your surrounds I would choose the 40's myself, since I have the same, but the 60's would work too. Only problem with using floorstanders for your surrounds is getting them off the ground or placing them far away from you enough to get the sweet spot of the speaker in "listening range" It is easily done with the 40's with a couple of speaker stands. A quick look at the back of your AVR on Google, confirms that you do indeed have pre-outs for adding an external amp so that is a plus. One other thing I noticed is that you also have two sub pre-outs, and that is cool too. It also decodes the newer Blu-Ray HD codecs as well. That looks like a pretty good unit, it does just about everything you could ask of an AVR now a days and it runs around $400 new, not bad. As for subs you pretty much have two options. You can buy one of the subs you listed now and upgrade it later or you can save some extra cash and buy a better sub now. I have a Polk sub, and while they are not the best subs out there, they are def. not a bad option for the prices they go for, I love my PSW125, it is great in my humble HT. If you want to save up about $800-$1,000 for a sub that is "upgrade proof" then I would look into SVS, Epik, Velodyne or something along those lines. Good luck and welcome to Club Polk.

-Jeff

cstmar01

Thanks for the advice! Well as of this morning the CS2 was ordered. I LOVE the Monitor 70 its just sooo beautiful and sounds wonderful. I did a quick upgrade with my wires as I put some banana plugs on the ends. I didn't see a ton of difference but it was a lot easier to use then barewire.
For the external amp what would you guys recommend? I know from playing bass that tube driven is an awesome sound, but I don't know whats even out there for home theatre or where to even start. The 70's sound great right now and I'm pushing them only at 1/3 volume. I know they will take more wattage but whats the best to do with them?
Is there a better way of doing wiring for my room? I know some people talk about bi amping but I dont' really know what the benefit of this is or really what I'm all doing with it.
And acutally I measured the room last night, its a 25ft wide 30 ft long and I have a kitchen with a half wall about equal size right next to the living room. The living room is carpet with textured walls and the kitchen as the same for walls but just tile floor. I haven't had a problem with anything for brightness or anythign like that for sound. I believe the ceiling is about 8 or 9 but I'm so short its hard for me to judge lol.

Thanks again guys!

wutadumsn23

You won't be dissapointed by the upgrade to the CS2, a much better center than the CS1. They are both good, but for the $ the CS2 is the better choice. As for Bi-Amping I'm assumong you are talking about running another set of speaker wires from your Surr. Back L/R terminals on your AVr to the 70's and removing the stock jumper in between the binding posts. To that idea I say, IMHO it's not worth the cost of the extra speaker wire. You will benifit much more by adding an external amp to the mix. As far as suggestions go the standard is somehwere around 200W, but that is just a number. In all honesty you will see a big improvement even with a 100W amp, over an AVR. Depending on your budget I would suggest an Emotiva XPA3- or XPA-5 on due to their "affordability" Other brands to look into would be Adcom, Carver, etc. They tend to be a bit more pricey, but you can sometimes get lucky on the used market. If you are looking for more bass though, you may benefit from adding another sub, or getting a better sub like suggested earlier. Glad you are happy so far, but strap in because the journey is just beginning, lol.

-Jeff

kawizx9r

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

You won't be dissapointed by the upgrade to the CS2, a much better center than the CS1. They are both good, but for the $ the CS2 is the better choice. As for Bi-Amping I'm assumong you are talking about running another set of speaker wires from your Surr. Back L/R terminals on your AVr to the 70's and removing the stock jumper in between the binding posts. To that idea I say, IMHO it's not worth the cost of the extra speaker wire. You will benifit much more by adding an external amp to the mix. As far as suggestions go the standard is somehwere around 200W, but that is just a number. In all honesty you will see a big improvement even with a 100W amp, over an AVR. Depending on your budget I would suggest an Emotiva XPA3- or XPA-5 on due to their "affordability" Other brands to look into would be Adcom, Carver, etc. They tend to be a bit more pricey, but you can sometimes get lucky on the used market. If you are looking for more bass though, you may benefit from adding another sub, or getting a better sub like suggested earlier. Glad you are happy so far, but strap in because the journey is just beginning, lol.

-Jeff

+1
Pretty much nailed it.
Keep an eye out on craigslist or even on here. Audiogon is another site you can check out for multi-channel amplifiers.

I too want to add that the "bi-amp" or "bi-wire" feature that requires you to run an extra set of speaker wire from the same amp/receiver is pretty pointless. Not saying this is true for all amp sections but if it's coming from the same amp/power supply there's no reason why you should hear a difference. Next best thing you can do is replace the stock binding posts with some better quality speaker wire.

By the way, I hope your wallet has plenty of headroom lol

Hammer Smashed

Whats up guys?

I kinda new to this home theater/stereo receiver hookup, about a year ago I purchased a used Denon AVR-1400 for $65 works great sounds awesome no remote and manual, and about 4 weeks ago a friend of mine sold me an old Fisher EQ-283 ecualizer, and I hooked it up too but I could barely distinguish a little difference in sound, all I want to know is how can you hook up an equalizer on to the receiver mentioned?? , just ot be sure if I have it hooked up right.

almost forgot, the speakers that I have on it are a pair of Yamahas, a pair of JBLs ( they small like book shelf size ) and a Sony Sub woofer, also with a Kenwood Turntable and Dell Optiplex 755.

Hammer Smashed

I guess nobody knows, well thanks anyway, gonna search somewhere else,, or did I post my question in the wrong section? or am I talking to myself? I just really want to know if i have it hooked up right,

kawizx9r

Hammer Smashed wrote: »

I guess nobody knows, well thanks anyway, gonna search somewhere else,, or did I post my question in the wrong section? or am I talking to myself? I just really want to know if i have it hooked up right,

I don't really see any need to hook up an equalizer to an AVR. In my opinion, I would use an EQ only to "tame" whatever harshness I hear. Otherwise any "boost" in any part of the frequency range is an artificial gain, and will thus sound artificial and even distort at higher volumes.

Will give you props though, you have a TT :cool:

Any specific questions you have should be posted on a separate thread, we're all here to help

Btw Welcome to CP!

Hammer Smashed

Thanks dude,, I was a few mins ago checking on the wiring and I think I might have gotten it right, I'm not so sure, I did notice very little difference in sound boost because I also researched this old Fisher EQ and says that it has a built in amplifier, when I power off the EQ sound goes down and when I power it on sound goes up a little, so, I', also thinking of getting an amp in case this EQ does not work properly...

The reason I choose to install an EQ because I like to experiment with Vintage stuff... Also how do you connect an amp?? just curious on what part that of the AVR is it plugged into??

kawizx9r

Hammer Smashed wrote: »

Thanks dude,, I was a few mins ago checking on the wiring and I think I might have gotten it right, I'm not so sure, I did notice very little difference in sound boost because I also researched this old Fisher EQ and says that it has a built in amplifier, when I power off the EQ sound goes down and when I power it on sound goes up a little, so, I', also thinking of getting an amp in case this EQ does not work properly...

The reason I choose to install an EQ because I like to experiment with Vintage stuff... Also how do you connect an amp?? just curious on what part that of the AVR is it plugged into??

You can only connect an amp to an AVR (receiver) if it has a set of preamp outputs. You can check the back of the receiver itself or look online. Better yet give me a sec and I'll take a look.

Edit: Nevermind, can't seem to find it in the Denon archives....only the 1403. Although I had an older 1604 (higher model) and it didn't have preamp outputs so I'm not sure yours does either. Had to upgrade to my current 2805.

If you do purchase an amp and wish to use it, you will either need to:
1. Purchase an AVR that DOES have a set of preamp outputs or
2. Purchase a preamp/processor.

A receiver is pretty much the combination of a preamp/processor with a built in amplifier. A preamp has inputs and takes care of any decoding necessary (in regards to home theater) and sends the signal out to an external amplifier. Separates are a way to go though imo for better sound quality, but can come with a price.

Hammer Smashed

I have a picture of it from behind if you want to check it out and let me know what you think and how to hook up amps and stuff,



you could download the picture to see it up closer... and also thanks man anything that come to mind I'll ask you , you very helpful,, let me know what you think, ,,
this picture i found it when i googled it like a month ago heheh,,

kawizx9r

It's still a bit too small for my eyes, either that or it's because I'm running on super-high resolution via hdmi cable and its 1240am lol My preamp outputs sit right above the speaker terminals (the set on the right above where you connect your speakers) though I think yours might be for a Zone 2 application.

If the model number really is AVR1400 and not anything else, I guess we'll have to take a look further online. Either that or you should check for yourself. They are a set of RCA jacks labled as PRE-OUT. Don't mistake them for "EXT IN" or "Zone 2" I'll take a look again but I'm almost certain it doesn't have preamp outputs.

Hammer Smashed

yeah, it says ' PRE-OUT ' and then ' Front ' whatever that means, I will also look into it, online,, If anything I'll let you know what I find,, thanks man, I appreciate your help buddy,, next time I'll post a picture of my setup,, thanks again,,

kawizx9r

Hammer Smashed wrote: »

yeah, it says ' PRE-OUT ' and then ' Front ' whatever that means, I will also look into it, online,, If anything I'll let you know what I find,, thanks man, I appreciate your help buddy,, next time I'll post a picture of my setup,, thanks again,,

Interesting, then you do have a set of pre-amp out's!

I would assume only for the front L/R channels then right? You can use those preamp outputs to connect an external amp, thus releasing the stress on the amplifier section of your AVR and perform better for your surround speakers. Depending on what you're really looking for, and how much you're willing to spend (soon and in the long run), you may have to take a step forth into the never-ending journey of audio

Hammer Smashed

kawizx9r wrote: »

Interesting, then you do have a set of pre-amp out's!

I would assume only for the front L/R channels then right? You can use those preamp outputs to connect an external amp, thus releasing the stress on the amplifier section of your AVR and perform better for your surround speakers. Depending on what you're really looking for, and how much you're willing to spend (soon and in the long run), you may have to take a step forth into the never-ending journey of audio

Yep L/R channels,,,, Koool I like the sound of that, my never ending journey of audio, nice,, thanks ,,, I'll be in touch incase of any problems or audio advice,, gonna start shopping for amps,, thanks again,,

wutadumsn23

Hey Hammer, looks like Freddy has you pointed in the right direction, as usual. I found a pretty good picture of the 1400 online and from what I can tell it does have pre-outs for the Front L/R, Subwoofer, and Center channel. They are the ones labeled Pre-Out just above your speaker terminals just to the right of center looking at the back of the AVR. Looks like you are clear for external amplification, lol. Welcome to Club Polk, and as Freddy said, in the future feel free to start your own thread for specific questions you may have not designed to answer an OP's original thread. Nobody like a thread-jacker, LOL. Good luck, and get ready to empty your wallet.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/uploads/43/100267_thumb_5bbe17a9179b121875f591935b5cfeaa.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/100267-denon_avr1400_w6_ch_ext_in&usg=__ewxtjCSgUlQI0pL0CyKa6cdZ_Ww=&h=150&w=200&sz=13&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=W99uFEJaiCn-uM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDenon%2BAVR-1400%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 link to the pic I found of the 1400, scroll down and click on the smaller pic of the back panel to enlarge.

-Jeff

cstmar01

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

You won't be dissapointed by the upgrade to the CS2, a much better center than the CS1. They are both good, but for the $ the CS2 is the better choice. As for Bi-Amping I'm assumong you are talking about running another set of speaker wires from your Surr. Back L/R terminals on your AVr to the 70's and removing the stock jumper in between the binding posts. To that idea I say, IMHO it's not worth the cost of the extra speaker wire. You will benifit much more by adding an external amp to the mix. As far as suggestions go the standard is somehwere around 200W, but that is just a number. In all honesty you will see a big improvement even with a 100W amp, over an AVR. Depending on your budget I would suggest an Emotiva XPA3- or XPA-5 on due to their "affordability" Other brands to look into would be Adcom, Carver, etc. They tend to be a bit more pricey, but you can sometimes get lucky on the used market. If you are looking for more bass though, you may benefit from adding another sub, or getting a better sub like suggested earlier. Glad you are happy so far, but strap in because the journey is just beginning, lol.

-Jeff

I looked into the emotiva and they are beautiful. I also looked around at different places and notice there is McIntosh which they are so beautiful its not even funny. The only thing I don't like about them is their price lol but thats because I've never heard what one can do so I would be leary lending out that much buck if I've never heard anything like that. I'm super excited because I should be getting the center any day now and I am sure it will sound great! Hmmmm the one thing I was noticing too is that people get separates for lets say a pre amp and power amp. Now I realize the benefit of this as it would probably give you more control but in HT world is it really better?
I think I may also look at getting a different receiver in the future. Now I would be looking to move to a very large upgrade but I'm not sure what I should be looking for. Also if the reciever wouldn't be the best way then i would probably look at the separates but once again don't know anything of what I should be looking for.
Also any suggestions of good speaker wire to use? Currently I just did a temp upgrade to some banana plugs with 16g but if you have any suggestions for improvement let me know.

wutadumsn23

Man, this hobby is fun isn't it?? LOL Having said that, I too like the looks of the Emotiva amps, and while they tend to get a bad rap from the vintage amp guys, I have heard nothing but good things from the people who have actually owned them. McIntosh is a very reputable company and their products are top notch (again, no personal experience, just what I have heard) My plan for an external amp, when I get the coin saved up is to buy something like an Emo, maybe even a used one and see what it does. Then, just like with my HT I am sure I am going to want to see what else is out there. The CS2, IMHO was a very good choice, and you will not be dissapointed by it's performance. From the advice given on this site often, seperates are the way to go. I love my 806 dearly and can't wait for the day I can add an external amp to the mix and see what my 70's are really capable of. If you were to upgrade your AVR, where would you want to go with it. It looks like the one you have now has all the bells and whistles (HD codecs, HDMI, pre-outs) it seems to be a very capable unit. As for speaker wire, the usual recommendations are monoprice.com, or bluejeanscable.com. They have very affordable prices for their 12 and 14 AWG wires. I would keep the naners and get some "better" wire and call that upgrade good until you can afford some MIT cables, lol. Good luck.

-Jeff

Hammer Smashed

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Hey Hammer, looks like Freddy has you pointed in the right direction, as usual. I found a pretty good picture of the 1400 online and from what I can tell it does have pre-outs for the Front L/R, Subwoofer, and Center channel. They are the ones labeled Pre-Out just above your speaker terminals just to the right of center looking at the back of the AVR. Looks like you are clear for external amplification, lol. Welcome to Club Polk, and as Freddy said, in the future feel free to start your own thread for specific questions you may have not designed to answer an OP's original thread. Nobody like a thread-jacker, LOL. Good luck, and get ready to empty your wallet.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/uploads/43/100267_thumb_5bbe17a9179b121875f591935b5cfeaa.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/100267-denon_avr1400_w6_ch_ext_in&usg=__ewxtjCSgUlQI0pL0CyKa6cdZ_Ww=&h=150&w=200&sz=13&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=W99uFEJaiCn-uM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDenon%2BAVR-1400%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 link to the pic I found of the 1400, scroll down and click on the smaller pic of the back panel to enlarge.

-Jeff

Thanks dude, yeah he helped me out very well, very informative, and right i'm experimenting an old 80s Fisher Eq-283 its said to have a built in amp, and supposedly has 100watts or more I'm not sure, and i noticed a very little boost of sound, very little, but it has a kool light display,.. Today my dad brought me a pair of speakers that were from an AIWA bookshelf stereo system, I just hooked them up and they actually sounded pretty good, the boxes look kinda funny but these AIWA speakers have a great I was surprised, I even turned it up loud and no distortion on these bad boys, lol,, for music I used my computer which is a Dell Optiplex 755, and not any more because I have to install a good sound card on the PC sounds a little dark coming from the on board sound card, so I plug in my Zune and it sounds awesome.. Thanks dude,, This is an awesome site, its kool to see how many people are into Home Audio,, like you said on the other post, this is fun,, lol,,, thanks again, I will be in touch if anything comes to mind..


Jose,,