I'm a newbie with home audio...

Schachts1

Hello:

I am interested in upgrading my home audio system and would appreciate a little help. My roommate has a stunning system that I just love, I believe he has 2 monitor 60's and a 4 year old H/K AVR 510 with a polk 10 inch sub and it sounds amazing. Anyway, that is what got me interested in purchasing a new system.

I have been doing some research for about 2-3 weeks and I am considering the following. I am considering either the H/K AVR 1600 or the 2600. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if the 15 watt difference (times 7.1) is worth an additional $200. I am looking at purchasing a pair of Polk RTI A7 from polk audio direct (refurbished.) Will either of these receivers listed above power these two speakers? In particular, will the AVR 1600 be enough power for this setup, I also have 7 year old Bose bookshelf speakers that actually sound really good that I planned on adding to the system. I am also considering a 10-12 inch polk audio subwoofer. Any suggestions?

Another question I have is regarding my 50' Panasonic PZ85U and this system listed above. How does all of this tie in together, via HDMI? I also have a Playstation 3 so I am wondering if that would connect to it as well. Like I stated above I am a newbie with home audio and any suggestions would help me out. I appreciate it. Thank you.

McLoki

Schachts1 wrote: »

Hello:

I am interested in upgrading my home audio system and would appreciate a little help. My roommate has a stunning system that I just love, I believe he has 2 monitor 60's and a 4 year old H/K AVR 510 with a polk 10 inch sub and it sounds amazing. Anyway, that is what got me interested in purchasing a new system.

I have been doing some research for about 2-3 weeks and I am considering the following. I am considering either the H/K AVR 1600 or the 2600. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if the 15 watt difference (times 7.1) is worth an additional $200. I am looking at purchasing a pair of Polk RTI A7 from polk audio direct (refurbished.) Will either of these receivers listed above power these two speakers? In particular, will the AVR 1600 be enough power for this setup, I also have 7 year old Bose bookshelf speakers that actually sound really good that I planned on adding to the system. I am also considering a 10-12 inch polk audio subwoofer. Any suggestions?

Another question I have is regarding my 50' Panasonic PZ85U and this system listed above. How does all of this tie in together, via HDMI? I also have a Playstation 3 so I am wondering if that would connect to it as well. Like I stated above I am a newbie with home audio and any suggestions would help me out. I appreciate it. Thank you.

No way 15 watts is worth $200. (especially 15 watts from an AVR) There would have to be other features one has over the other. (not saying those features do a darn thing for you - but even an AVR company would have to offer more than 15 watts for $200, Nobodys marketing is that good....)

Polks Micropro series of subwoofers sounds REALLY good. That is the only Polk line of subwoofers I have heard that I would say is well worth the money spent on them.



Your second question.... Your AVR becomes the hub of everything. Everything plugs into your AVR and your TV is hooked to your AVR video output. There is are also ways to connect everything so you can still get sound and video without having your AVR on, but that requires more cables and a more complicated configuration. For now, just know it can be done and let us know if you need that to happen...

Welcome to Club Polk -

Michael

wutadumsn23

I'm with Michael on this one. Either one of the newer HK's will work with your PS3 via HDMI since it has the necessary HDMI in/outs on both models. Either one will also power the RTi A7's just fine, if anything HK's power ratings are underestimated. Taking a quick look at both models both are capable of decoding the new codecs (Dolby TrueHD and DTS HDMA) and neither one seems to have pre-outs for adding an external amp. I am not 100% positive on this though, so don't quote me. I see hook ups in the back that look like pre-outs, but I think they are actually 6-8 channel analog audio connections. With the A7's being able to handle a lot of power, I would suggest looking into something that has pre-outs so you can add an external amp down the road and really bring those A7's to life. Are you sold on the HK, or have you considered other brands? Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha, to name a few. You could pick up any one of those brands similar models with preouts for about the same price as the 2600 in the used market, or if you get lucky may be able to find one new too. As for a sub I would recommend the PSW505, it is about $250 new shipped from Newegg. The Micropro series is also another good line as Michael suggested, just a bit pricier. Also, unless you are going to do 2 chanell listening only, you will need a center channel as well. My suggestion would be the CSiA6, and if you were to look into surrounds I would suggest FXiA6's. Bottom line is we need to know exactly where you want to end up when you are "done"..... 5.1? 7.1? and a budget. Welcome to Club Polk and good luck.

-Jeff

domflane

The Harman Kardon is a nice choice, but I would look into either an AVR254 or a 354 for the added options. You'll be glad you have the expandability later, trust me. Make sure you get enough HDMI's and preouts. As far as the speakers, the RTiA's are another great choice, but the towers are really power hungry. I can't wait to get an amp for my A5's and really hear what they can do. Look into the A9's too, they're a lot more speaker if you can afford it. BTW, throw those Bose bookshelves away and get yourself some matching Polk rears and a center. For your sub, any brand is fine (Klipsch, Polk, Velodyne, etc.) just make sure you get at least 150 watts RMS or it wont stand up to your main speakers. Make sure you check ebay and craigslist for some great used deals on everything. There is someone selling an entire RTiA rig right here on CP. IMO, buy the best front speakers and AVR you can afford, then everything else will fall into place around them. Good luck and welcome to Club Polk!

dvran

$$$$$ Budget?

KASR

The 2600 has Dolby Volume, 2-zone and video up-scaling, extra HDMI, OSD is full-color 3D interface - worth $200 to me.
If you are able, I would get the older 254/354 with the updated firmware. Been hearing strange things/problems with the new line.

Schachts1

My budget is around $13-1400, I've been looking at the refurbished RTI A7's and possibly a refurbished Micropro, but do you think the 8' micropro will do the job well? Are refurbished items good for the money? I mean it looks like they have a warranty, I feel like I can get more bang for my buck if I go refurb. Domflane, why did you suggest not using the Bose bookshelf speakers? I primarily will be using this system for music, not movies. So I am thinking it will be a 5.1 system. Thanks a lot for everyones input!

KASR

Are you interested in creating a 2.1 system or do you want the setup to pull double duty with home theater?

Schachts1

Do you think a 2.1 will sound good enough?

KASR

Schachts1 wrote: »

Do you think a 2.1 will sound good enough?

For music, yes, for movies you'd atleast want to go 3.1 since the center channels commands about 70% of the dialogue. It all depends on what you are intending for your system.

McLoki

KASR wrote: »

For music, yes, for movies you'd atleast want to go 3.1 since the center channels commands about 70% of the dialogue. It all depends on what you are intending for your system.

For movies I would actually recommend 4.1 over 3.1. (I would say the back channels and a phantom center would give you a better sense of surround sound than just the front stage with nothing behind you....)

Just another opinion.

Michael

cnh

+1 on the H/K 2600 the 2600 is a LEAP over the entry model 1600 I wouldn't buy anything less powerful if you're going to run 7s--remember H/K states real ratings...so that 15 watts is more like 30 or 40/channel from other manufacturers! The older 254 and 354 (especially the 354 would be very nice for you and cheaper!).

I also think McLoki's suggestion above is worth trying I used to run a 4.1 system and having some sound coming from the back was preferable to just running 3 up front...ideally, of course, you should build to a 5.1 system?

cnh

nguyendot

What in the world are you going to do with the Bose speakers? Hopefully door stops.

Schachts1

LOL since when does everyone hate on Bose? I've never had a problem with them and they sound good. I really appreciate everyones input! What exactly does a center channel speaker do? Is this a really necessary piece to the puzzle? I was thinking the RtI A7's in the front with the two bose in the back will that not suffice or should I buy like monitor 50's for the rear?

wutadumsn23

Bose is kind of a touchy subject here, lol. Some people like em, most don't. IMHO they are overpriced for their performance. Vintage Bose seem to get a little more respect around here, but the mass produced cube style HTIB setups they are focusing on these days seem to get little or no respect. As for your center channel, it is, IMHO the most important speaker in a 5.1 or 3.1 setup, for 2 channel listening it is not really needed. Most people (including myself) like their rigs to pull "dual duty" maeaning Home Theater and 2 Ch. Something like 70% of a movie soundtrack is formatted to play through your center, esp. dialogue, so if you are planing on using your rig for movies a center is pretty important. Some people here have reported sucess with running a "ghost center" but I don't know much about that scenario. Timbre matching your front three is also important, not so much with the surrounds. If you are getting the RTi A7's for your fronts I would recommend the CSi A6 for your center, it will match nicely with your RTi's. The surrounds are not as important to timbre match and the Monitor 50's should work fine. If you wanted to get the timbre matching surrounds, look into the FXi A6's. Good luck, and keep us posted.

-Jeff

maintrain

I ran Bose acoustimass 6 for years until I heard monitors in Fry's. Needless to say at that moment I understood how much sound I was missing out on. Cubes have moved to the bedroom now but I don't even like listening to them anymore since I got my polks!

domflane

Well, most of my Bose hating is for comedic purpose, but its based mostly in truth. Those HTIB acoustimass systems suck and cost more than a pair of RTiA9's. Really though, those Bose boookshelves will work fine for your rears. Like I said, the fronts and the AVR should be your focus now, esp. if you prefer music. You will want to get a good center channel soon though. For movies, its the most important speaker. I've been pretty impressed with the midrange Polk subs, I think any of the Micropro's will do fine. Look into other brands too, there's a lot of good affordable subs out there. Do a little experiment though, when you get your AVR and the A7's give them a try and then swap them out with the Bose. See what you think . . . just a thought. Good luck

dvran

Bose systems are basically a set of tweeters with a giant subwoofer! They miss 100% of the mid-range sound.

KASR

cnh wrote: »

+1 on the H/K 2600 the 2600 is a LEAP over the entry model 1600 I wouldn't buy anything less powerful if you're going to run 7s--remember H/K states real ratings...so that 15 watts is more like 30 or 40/channel from other manufacturers! The older 254 and 354 (especially the 354 would be very nice for you and cheaper!).
cnh

But be aware that the latest series have been pretty buggy - do some research and you'll hear alot about audio cutting out. In my opinion (or atleast until they get the bugs worked out) you're better off with the AVR254/354 with updated firmware - they offer tremendous headroom for growth and sound great.

Marantz's latest offerings are worth a look too - but won't be near the savings with H/K.

Des Moines

KASR wrote: »

Marantz's latest offerings are worth a look too - but won't be near the savings with H/K.

Just did a test drive of the new Marantz SR5004 this week and was impressed with sound quality. I've had HK receivers for many years and now running HK AVR 520 but thinking about upgrading to a receiver with HDMI. For me the short list will be HK and Marantz based on personal sound preference.

Here is a sweet deal on the Marantz SR5003 (released spring 2009 I think). The SR5004 was released in Oct. 2009.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR5003/Marantz/Sr5003-Dolby-Truehd-/-Dts-hd-Master-Audio-Av-Receiver/1.html

Question for the pros - is the 90 wpc Marantz powerful enough to drive SDA 1Cs as part of a 5.1 setup?

Schachts1

Ok, KASR- If I were to purchase an AVR 354 how would I update the firmware or know if it is up to date or not? Also, after reading alot about the AVR 2600/3600, it seems that H/K is really stressing ease of setup with these receivers. Is the Avr 354 as user friendly? Like I said Im a newbie with this stuff and I've heard horror stories about H/K in terms of setup. As for the subwoofer, I've sort of got my eye on the Polk psw505. Any comments on that? One more thing- like I said Im mainly going to be using the system for music and not movies, so from what I understand I don't want to go with a down firing sub. Is that right? What actually is the difference between a downfiring and a regular sub that faces out? Thanks again everyone!

traissodacrat

Im running PC-BSD on a P3 450 with 384 MB of ram and a GF2 MX 400 video card and its not slow at all, and Im doing developer-level stuff. Have you looked to see if its tanking all of your memory? That could be the cause of the slow-down.

wutadumsn23

Hmmm, that sounds like computer mumbo jumbo in a thread not relating to computers at all, oh wait its SPAM!!, lol. Reported.

-Jeff

cnh

Des Moines wrote: »

Just did a test drive of the new Marantz SR5004 this week and was impressed with sound quality. I've had HK receivers for many years and now running HK AVR 520 but thinking about upgrading to a receiver with HDMI. For me the short list will be HK and Marantz based on personal sound preference.

Here is a sweet deal on the Marantz SR5003 (released spring 2009 I think). The SR5004 was released in Oct. 2009.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR5003/Marantz/Sr5003-Dolby-Truehd-/-Dts-hd-Master-Audio-Av-Receiver/1.html

Question for the pros - is the 90 wpc Marantz powerful enough to drive SDA 1Cs as part of a 5.1 setup?

A Marantz 5000 series will not be able to handle SDAs in a surround configuration! But I think it has pre-outs so just buy a used 2 channel amp to run them and you're good!

cnh