Speaker / Receiver Question

[nolec5]

Hi Everyone,

Here is my current setup:

Onkyo TXSR 607
Polk Monitor 50's
Polk CS1 Center
Polk RM95 Rears
PSW 125 12" sub

When I set this system up, I wanted something that was good quality and that I could grow into. I'm at the point now where I would really like to upgrade the front and center speakers and eventually the surrounds.

I'm having a real hard time finding/deciding on speakers that will work well with the Onkyo 607. Can someone please point me in the right direction?

My understanding is that the 607 does not have pre outs for an external amp, correct?

I've listened to a lot of speakers and really would like to get Polk RTi A9's or Paradigm Monitor 11's.

So...with that said...would I be better off starting over and getting a different receiver? Something like the Onkyo 808?? Or would my 607 run the A9's for the time being?

Thanks in advance!

[tonyb]

Your receiver can run them,but not to their potential. Thats a big jump, the monitors to the A9's, see what happens when that upgrade bug bites ?
Which is why we always suggest a receiver with preouts, so you have a path to grow.
A receiver,and possibly an amp is the ticket. If you jump on the A9's first,keep the volume down until you can upgrade the electronics.

[nolec5]

Thank you for the reply. I know....hind sight is always 20/20, right? ;-)

What about the A7's? Would my receiver run them any better? And would I see a drastic improvement over the monitors? In all honesty, my room is pretty small....10x16 or so with a small viewing distance...about 9 feet.

[PrazVT]

Receivers will run the A7s and A9s, but you won't hear what these speakers actually sound like until you pair them with high current amps. Clearer music, crazy bass response, a soundstage!

I know from experience.

So I'd suggest upgrading to the least expensive receiver that a) has pre-outs and b) has the other features you want, and then get a 2ch (or 5ch amp, budget permitting) amp.

[nolec5]

Can you suggest some receivers to look at?? I'd like to keep it in the 500-600 range...but not sure if that's possible. I was thinkig about that onkyo 808...found it as a refurb for 599.

Also, ive never shopped for home theater amps....can u give me an idea how much they can run, where to buy....brands, ect?

[SRTer]

You always look in to a pioneer elite SC-35 or 37 and I'm sure you will like.

[brgman]

I am using the 808 as a pre with a sunfire amp and it works great.i got mine off amazon and got a great price with all the percs of buying at a brick and mortar.good luck.

[nolec5]

I think I've seen someone else recommend that pioneer too....think it is in the 1k range. I was looking at a factory refurbished onkyo 808 for $599 which seemed like a good deal. I'm torn right now....have the budget to do the speakers....or the receiver...but not both at the moment.

[nolec5]

Brgman....what speakers are you pushing with the 808?

[brgman]

well i am not really pushing with the 808.i use it as a pre for a sunfire 405x5.
before i got it i was driving sda 2's and rta12c's but the addition of the sunfire was like going from a chevy impala to a top fuel funny car.i drive 3.1tl's or 2.3tl's with ease now.
if you buy the speakers before you have the juice to drive them you are setting yourself up for possible damage to them not to mention the fact they will not sound anything like they should.don't put the cart before the horsepower.

[HTguru1982]

Looks at www.accessories4less.com for your receiver. Plenty of options in your price range. Here's a great choice for only $350:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...r/1.html#!more

Marantz will mate well with the RTiA speakers you're looking at. It has preouts but you can probably hold off on buying an amp for now. More money for your speakers .

[TECHNOKID]

I think I've seen someone else recommend that pioneer too....think it is in the 1k range. I was looking at a factory refurbished onkyo 808 for $599 which seemed like a good deal. I'm torn right now....have the budget to do the speakers....or the receiver...but not both at the moment.

well i am not really pushing with the 808.i use it as a pre for a sunfire 405x5.
before i got it i was driving sda 2's and rta12c's but the addition of the sunfire was like going from a chevy impala to a top fuel funny car.i drive 3.1tl's or 2.3tl's with ease now.
if you buy the speakers before you have the juice to drive them you are setting yourself up for possible damage to them not to mention the fact they will not sound anything like they should.don't put the cart before the horsepower.

nolec5, since your budget can not accomodate to replace both the speakers and receiver at once you can start replacing either one you feel is more pressing (receiver or speaker) first. If you replace the receiver first, you could be surprised how the 50s performs with the added power which can give you a break until extra budget is available to replace the remainder. Now, if you replace the speaker first, the main thing is not to drive them too hard in order to avoid clipping. Those RTi A9s need a little juice (minimum 50 watts) even at their lowest rating so you might not want to wait too long to replace your AVR.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/rtia/specs.php

[nolec5]

Thanks everyone...this has provided me with great direction. I really thinking going to go with a new receiver.

I really like the feature of pandora radio through receiver...which the 808 had. Are the marantz receivers much better then the onkyos? Haven't heard much about marantz and I think best buy recently stopped carrying onkyo bc of quality issues.

[PrazVT]

You can get the 708 for ~$650 and it has Pandora + pre-outs. Marantz and Denons share the same parent company I believe. Denon and Marantz are fine too (I have a Denon), but getting one w/ pre-outs usually involves looking at the >$1000 models.

As long as you're getting the network features, perhaps Audyssey DSX, and maybe 3d if you want it ..you should be good. And the 708 has all of those.

The Pioneer VSX-32 can be had for a similar price with similar features -but I didn't see Pandora listed.

[nolec5]

I was actually just looking at the 708 on accessories4less....Seems like a great option at $479

[dnoyeB]

I had an HT-RC270, $449 on accessories4less. Pretty much the same as 708 minus a few advanced features like trigger output and rs232.

Anyway, whatever AVR you get, be sure to get pre-outs. Pre-outs oddly come on the higher end AVRs that already pack plenty of power.

What I ended up doing is putting together a list of AVRs with preouts. Then stalking eBay.

[jbooker82]

I haven't had any problems with my onkyo 808 but I have only had it for a couple of months. It runs my system pretty well, but I am saving and on the look out for an amplifier. Sunfire would be sweet, but an emotiva is more budget friendly.