Speaker Selection Help

[bkfk]

I CURRENTLY HAVE A DENON 3802 SUPPORTING THE FOLLOWING 5.1 SPEAKER CONFIGURATION;
RT55I FRONT SPEAKERS
CS400 CENTER SPEAKER
BIC 12" POWERED SUB
RM3000 REAR SPEAKERS WITH PASSIVE SUB
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND INTO A 7.1 CONFIGURATION AND NEED HELP FINDING THE BEST WAY TO DO IT.SOME QUESTIONS;
1.what would be the best speakers to add and where?
2.if i continue to use the RM3000 with passive sub in the rear or
side do i still need to use the passive sub?
THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP.

[Frank Z]

I'd add a pair of FX300's on the sides and move the 3000's to the rear

[shack]

Your fronts and center are excellent speakers IMO. I would build from there. #1 Before I moved into 7.1 I would upgrade the sub. HSU, Adire, SVS just to name a few will do more for your HT than going to 7.1. #2 Get rid of the RM3000. It was a nice 2.1 sub/sat but you can do better. I would recommend to find some used sides and surrounds to match your fronts as much as possible. One combo might be FX300i for side surrounds and RT25i or RT15i for back centers. Going a little larger would be FX500i with RT35i for rear centers. Another option with either of the sides would be to use 2 CS245i (center channels) for your back centers. This has been used sucessfully. A final option would be to use 4 FX300is or 4 FX500is for side and surrounds. Some prefer this setup. I have seen all of these on Ebay and some of these here and as open box returns at Circuit City.

Of course another option would be to sell what you have and get a new POLK RTi system. The RT55is and CS400 will sometimes get nice prices as they are in demand. Having said that....if they are in demand then that should tell you something...they are nice speakers. I wouldn't go this route...but it is an option.