Polk Newbie - Assistance Needed

[rajpa74]

Hi All-

I am finishing my basement with a semi-dedicated HT room(19 x 12, walls on 3 sides and 2 half-walls on one of the 19 ft wall, about 8ft high ceilings, TV/Projector on the 12ft wall and the half-walls open into an open area)

I purchased the following at Newegg last night for what I thought was an amazing price and am pretty excited:

2 RTi A7s
1 PSW505
1 CSi A6
2 inwall RC85i

The 2 in walls will be surrounds in the back due to space issues.

I also bought an Onkyo receiver SR-608 a week back, but I am not quite sure if this receiver will give me a good experience with the setup above. I also have a Denon AVR-890 upstairs that I can move down to the basement if needed.

Can the audio geniuses help me guide a little bit here? :) The Onkyo SR-608 is not opened yet and I think I can send it back to Newegg if it's not the right choice.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

[Pycroft]

The Onkyo 608 is a nice receiver. I had the 606, and was not pleased, but many may disagree. I think it did well for HT, but I was not pleased with it's music reproduction. That's why I purchased the HK avr you see in my signature. I also used it with the Monitor series speakers, which I believe are considered a step below the RTI series you purchased. I'm sure it will power them fine, but won't take them to their true potential. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone with an AVR that had preouts so I could add an external amplifier (The 608 doesn't). That said, you might hear it and think it's perfect. It's hard to tell what your ears will tell you. If you decide to take my advice, I believe the next step up in the Onkyo line - the 708, does have preouts (Going from memory, don't take my word for it). If it does, I don't think that it will be considerably more than the 608. Just my opinion.

Welcome to club polk!

James

[rajpa74]

Thanks Pycroft. By pre-outs do you mean "Analog Pre-Outs 7.2 channel"? The 708 definitely has it. Any brand else the below the $600-$700 range that I should look at?

[pdxfj]

I have a 608 with Monitor 70's and am quite happy with the sound quality both in music and movies.

My only regret is I should have bought a 708 (or higher) for the Audyssey MultiEQ so I would have some EQ abilities on my sub.

[Pycroft]

Rajpa -

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure it will sound very good with the 608. If you get something with preouts, that makes it much more 'future-proof'. What preouts allow you to do is plug in an amp that can give your speakers much more power. The RTI's will sound good as is, but can and would sound better if you gave them more clean power. When I bought my Onkyo, I started with smaller speakers, then upgraded. When I upgraded, I felt like I was missing somethign with my Onkyo. I upgraded to the Harman Kardon with pre-outs, got an external amp, and the system really took off. If you think you'll have no intention of every 'wanting more' or upgrading the speakers, I'm sure the 608 will keep you happy for a very long time.

James

[rajpa74]

I think the Onkyo NR-808 has the preouts too in addition to USB iPhone connectivity and networking capabilities for just a few hundred more. I will send this back and get that. I am excited about getting everything hooked up. Too bad I have to wait about a month to get it all done! Thanks guys!

[rajpa74]

BTW Pycroft, I am pretty close to you. I am in Collegeville, PA!

[rajpa74]

I have a 608 with Monitor 70's and am quite happy with the sound quality both in music and movies.

My only regret is I should have bought a 708 (or higher) for the Audyssey MultiEQ so I would have some EQ abilities on my sub.

I think am just gonna go ahead and buy the NR-808. Hopefully it will be able to perfectly drive my setup!