Need help with the finish

thayes34 · January 2004

I am about 80% there with my HT. So far Denon 3803, Front Polk R50, Center Polk Csi-30, Surrounds Polk Fxi-50's. Sub woofer SVS 25-31Pci.
The funds are dwindling fast. Need recommendations on the following. Should I stay with 5.1 or purchase rear center for 6.1 or all the way with rear surrounds for 7.1. Need DVD player, very interested in new tech SACD and/or DVD A, can't break the bank so under $500.

Lastly, what cables do I need to hook TV (Sony WEGA 36"), Comcast Digital Cable Box (some channels digital, some analog), and the DVD player all into the 3803?

Any recommendations on speaker cable?

That's it for my first post ever on a forum of any kind!

Frank Z · January 2004

Welcome to the forum!
I would at least wire for 7.1 even if you don't put the rear channels in for awhile. You might want to upgrade your fronts instead of adding any rear channels right now. The r50's are okay, but a pair of RTi70's will be a huge improvement over the r50's. A Csi40 will also open up the front soundstage for both movies and music. Keep in mind that the center channel carries about 70% of the sound for most movie soundtracks, so a larger center channel is justified.

Take a look at the Pioneer Elite DV-45. Denons players are also popular around here.

thayes34 · January 2004

Thanks for the help. The reason I went with the R50's was I have built in shelves in my room and there is only 38" of height clearance and about 8" on each side of my TV. There is a shelve below that is only 36" high where I will put the sub and the components.

I'm thinking of putting a Csi 40 in the front and using the Csi 30 for a rear speaker.

My wife is going to flip already when she finds out how much I have spent.

The Pioneer Elite DV-45 looks great. On ebay it's about $150 less than the Denon 2200 ($500 on ebay).

I'm leaning towards the Denon, what do you think? Is $500 a reasonable price?

Dr. Spec · January 2004

Originally posted by Frank Z
You might want to upgrade your fronts instead of adding any rear channels right now. The r50's are okay, but a pair of RTi70's will be a huge improvement over the r50's. A Csi40 will also open up the front soundstage for both movies and music. Keep in mind that the center channel carries about 70% of the sound for most movie soundtracks, so a larger center channel is justified.

Right on, Frank! I'd definitely upgrade the front stage before doing rear surrounds. You can use the 30 as a single rear surround and then buy another one later as a second.

Pablo · January 2004

I previsously used my TV for the center channel, and now upgraded to the csi40. Wow what a difference. If you are using the system for mostly video apps, go with a good front. Most of the sound for a movie is through the front anyway. Throw the csi30 in the back for now until you can upgrade it. (but since polk is changing most of thier line, you may be able to get a good deal on some of the discontinued stuff).

As far was wiring, I have 2 component videos going into the 3803 (cable & game cube) and then a component connection into the TV. The 3803 will upconvert the signal, so some of the channels will look a little better (the digital channels seem to be a bit better. I have a third video running directly into the TV (my dvd) The analog ones are a little clearer, but a bit more grainy). Run optical digital where every you can into the 3803 (DVD, cable, and your CD should have them).

I'm looking to upgrade my DVD to a Denon as well. Let me know what you go with and how it looks. Good luck with the system.

Need help with the finish

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