Used Polk speakers -- good choices for HT? What electronics?
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I've been asked to help a friend set up an HT setup. I know almost nothing about HT, so this is a learning curve for me. I appreciate any input people can give me.
I found an ad for the following speaker set:
RTiA5 floor standing speakers (two)
CSiA6 center channel speaker (one)
unspecified dipole bipole surround speakers (two)
Velodyne CT-120 powered sub (one)
The owner is asking $500 for all of them.
Assuming they're in good condition as advertised, would this be a good set of speakers for her? If any repairs are needed, are drivers readily available for them?
My friend's living room is 11x18', 8' ceiling.
She currently has a 41" Panasonic flat-screen TV in it, several years old. The sound is whatever is built into the TV.
She currently has a '90s era stereo (not hooked up to the TV): Polk S-10 speakers, Yamaha receiver, a 5-CD player (don't know the brand), and Technics linear tracking turntable (I don't know what cartridge). The old stereo will go upstairs, the HT in the living room with the TV.
Next question: what electronics should drive this system, on a budget?
She watches movies and TV and listens to music on cable, and listens to CDs and FM radio (mostly classical) and an LP from time to time. She is not a gamer. She is looking for increased sound quality and realism, but she's not looking to shake the house off its foundations or wake the neighbors.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any recommended reading for me?
I found an ad for the following speaker set:
RTiA5 floor standing speakers (two)
CSiA6 center channel speaker (one)
unspecified dipole bipole surround speakers (two)
Velodyne CT-120 powered sub (one)
The owner is asking $500 for all of them.
Assuming they're in good condition as advertised, would this be a good set of speakers for her? If any repairs are needed, are drivers readily available for them?
My friend's living room is 11x18', 8' ceiling.
She currently has a 41" Panasonic flat-screen TV in it, several years old. The sound is whatever is built into the TV.
She currently has a '90s era stereo (not hooked up to the TV): Polk S-10 speakers, Yamaha receiver, a 5-CD player (don't know the brand), and Technics linear tracking turntable (I don't know what cartridge). The old stereo will go upstairs, the HT in the living room with the TV.
Next question: what electronics should drive this system, on a budget?
She watches movies and TV and listens to music on cable, and listens to CDs and FM radio (mostly classical) and an LP from time to time. She is not a gamer. She is looking for increased sound quality and realism, but she's not looking to shake the house off its foundations or wake the neighbors.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any recommended reading for me?
Comments
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If the speakers listed are all in good condition, I'd say the price is a good price even without the surround speakers. The A5's seem to go for around $300-$350, the CSiA6 goes for around $200, and the Velodyne sub seems to pull in around $150 (going off of eBay sales). Depending on what speakers the surrounds are, I'd say it's a great deal. With a $500 asking price, make an offer a little lower. Market selling larger speakers is tough, so they might even come down on price. I would think they should perform well in the space you describe.
As for electronics? Depending on budget, you could get a very nice AVR (like the Marantz SR7008 in the For Sale section - which may be overkill) and stay around or below a grand. With a little patience, you can usually find nice AVR's on the used market that should drive those speakers in the $150 - $200 range. Or, go separates. Find a processor or receiver with pre-outs and pick up a little B&K or Rotel 5 channel amp and you should still be under $1000.
Start with a budget and go from there. Good luck, and have fun on the journey! -
Thats a good price for that setup. I wonder if those bi/dipole speakers are FXiA4 or 6s. If its FXiA6 then its even better. Not familiar with that sub woofer, but the fact its included in the price makes it a good deal. You can get a better subwoofer later if it doesnt cut it for you.
All the drivers and parts are available from polk if they need replacement. Mention that you are a polk forum member and you will receive a discount and free shipping.
I am currently running a very similar setup(one generation older RTi series) and I paid a lot more than that on used market.
For receiver/pre-pro, get something with pre outs and run an external amp. A mid level AVR from 2008-2012 should get you started.
Personally, I have yamaha rx-v667 which has all the inputs (legacy too) and separate 6 channel input and outputs for my SACD player. Power is fed via adcom 5006 to the front three and surrounds are being powered by receiver. Its increasingly difficult to find a receiver with such input output capability in the newer receivers. As you have a turntable and 5 CD player, you might want something similar with separate inputs for SACD and phono for turntable.
Good luck.Sony BDP-S6500 | Raspberry Pi 2 | XBOX One S | Wii --> Yamaha RX-V667 --> Adcom 5006 bridged to 175 watts for front LCR -- >Front: Polk Audio RTi8s | Center: CSi5 | Side Surrounds: RTi4s | Rear surrounds: FXiA4s | Cheap 12" sub woofer|Samsung UN60KU6300 -
That would be a great setup at a great price. she should snatch it up.
Find out her budget for putting together the rest of the system, and what components she wants in her system. Tell her she can get good products at good prices if she is willing to shop used on Audiogon or CL. You can help her out with that.
A universal BR player would suffice for dvd/cd/sacd duty should she decide she wants to investigate dvd/sacds.
She doesn't sound like she is interested in getting a separate amp so getting a good receiver would be key. But getting a good one will have preouts for future growth should the bug bite her. A lot around here tends to like the Pioneer Elite models.
Help her with getting good gear, but keep it simple so that she doesn't get overwhelmed.
Keep us posted so that we can continue to help.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
$500 for all that.....run, don't walk.
For an AVR, a Pioneer Elite or the mentioned Marantz would work nicely. Don't worry about pre outs as I seriously doubt your friend will ever add a power amp.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Thank you for the input, everyone.
Alas, someone else grabbed those speakers, except for the sub.
However, someone else has two RTiA7 and one CSiA6 for $850 (with all boxes and brochures, according to the seller). What are the thoughts on these? Probably not as banging a deal as the other, but still worth it?
Thank you for the input on the electronics. I need to learn more about all of this. HT hasn't interested me -- in fact, I haven't used my TV in several years, and it's not even plugged in -- but I'm happy to help her.
Basically, I'll help her choose everything, including the electronics. She has good ears (she's a musician), so she'll be able to tell if something sounds wrong, but the details are not of particular interest to her. For example, she would get a separate amp if I told her that the system would benefit from it (depending on budget, of course), but she won't specifically go out of her way to do so.
She inherited a larger TV, unless she gives it to her brother, so that may be on the horizon as well.
Thanks again. Thoughts?
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Considering you can get new from Polk's ebay store for $550 for the RTiA7's and $220 for the CSiA6 (free shipping too), that is not a good deal at all. Used RTiA7's are few and far between in recent past eBay sales, but the last two sets sold for $260 and $350 respectively. So, I'd think a fair price for those (depending on condition) would be in the $500 - $550 range.
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Considering you can get new from Polk's ebay store for $550 for the RTiA7's and $220 for the CSiA6 (free shipping too), that is not a good deal at all. Used RTiA7's are few and far between in recent past eBay sales, but the last two sets sold for $260 and $350 respectively. So, I'd think a fair price for those (depending on condition) would be in the $500 - $550 range.
Isn't it $550 *each* for the RTiA7? Or did I misread that? -
Why aren't you considering the T series? A full new 5 speaker setup for under 5 bills and they are easy to drive with entry level receivers.
I haven't heard them. Would they be good for music (especially classical) as well as movies? -
Considering you can get new from Polk's ebay store for $550 for the RTiA7's and $220 for the CSiA6 (free shipping too), that is not a good deal at all. Used RTiA7's are few and far between in recent past eBay sales, but the last two sets sold for $260 and $350 respectively. So, I'd think a fair price for those (depending on condition) would be in the $500 - $550 range.
Isn't it $550 *each* for the RTiA7? Or did I misread that?
Nope... Polk's eBay store has them for $274.99 each with free shipping.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/Polk-Audio-RTiA7-BLACK-RTi-Floostanding-Tower-Loudspeaker-EACH-/391442074188?nav=SEARCH -
Considering you can get new from Polk's ebay store for $550 for the RTiA7's and $220 for the CSiA6 (free shipping too), that is not a good deal at all. Used RTiA7's are few and far between in recent past eBay sales, but the last two sets sold for $260 and $350 respectively. So, I'd think a fair price for those (depending on condition) would be in the $500 - $550 range.
Isn't it $550 *each* for the RTiA7? Or did I misread that?
Nope... Polk's eBay store has them for $274.99 each with free shipping.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/Polk-Audio-RTiA7-BLACK-RTi-Floostanding-Tower-Loudspeaker-EACH-/391442074188?nav=SEARCH
Thanks for the info. I hadn't looked at the refurbished section.
The guy put me off, says he's busy for the next few days. I'll see what happens. -
From what I hear, the refurbs from Polk are good as new! I'd buy them any day over used.
Based on the seller's price and attitude, maybe he's not too ambitious to sell them. I'd look past them.
You might also want to check out Polk's signature line. You can get a nice 5 channel setup for not much more that that used RTiA set for $850. Those members here who've laid ears on the new signature line are praising them for their price point. Look for a review from DSkip soon... -
From what I hear, the refurbs from Polk are good as new! I'd buy them any day over used.
Based on the seller's price and attitude, maybe he's not too ambitious to sell them. I'd look past them.
You might also want to check out Polk's signature line. You can get a nice 5 channel setup for not much more that that used RTiA set for $850. Those members here who've laid ears on the new signature line are praising them for their price point. Look for a review from DSkip soon...
I was a bit surprised to be put off. Maybe his life is crazy-busy, or maybe he's not very motivated. Time will tell.
I'll look more into the refurb listings. Thanks for the tip.
Re signature line: I was just on the Polk site, and didn't see what you're referring to. Maybe it was staring me in the face? I did see a 6-speaker (including sub) HT set and a 5-speaker set, but neither was listed as "signature."
Edit: I just searched this forum and found info on the Signature Series. Guess I know what I'll be reading tomorrow morning.
