Please help this newbie!!

[C J T]

Hello Everyone...I am new here, first time poster. I have some issues I need advice with and first of all I have to say i have read some of the posts here and everyone seems really helpful and i thought i could get some advice from people who will tell me the truth, not like some sleazy salespeople I have come across...

First off, I am not a serious audiophile like some here. I like good sound and want the best bang for my buck. I would appreciate some advice from you guys to get the best out of my system. I an not cheap, just don't really agree with the more you spend, the better you get. That's why i bought Polk speakers.

I recently bought a condo and it is a little on the small side...downtown highrise in Victoria, BC, Canada...PARADISE for all you guys who have never been here! anyways...after I moved here from my house (divorce, wife got it) I set up my HT system in the small area I now call a living room and noticed my speakers were too close to my TV and as they are a little old (12 years) , not shielded, my 32 inch Panasonic Tao TV was turning green. I decided to go shopping for some new front speakers. I had 3 way Technics speakers, SB-CX-700. 4 ohm speakers. Don't laugh. I love the sound of them. They are not your typical Technics speakers sold in a package. They have a 12" driver in the front, and another 12" driver in the back that pumps bass off the wall, a passive radiator. They have a treble volume control on the back as well. very heavy (100 pounds) , real wood..anyways....I bought some Polk RTi12's.

let me tell you what my other speakers are: Centre channel, Polk CSi40, rears, RTi28. Sub is a Polk PSW404.

Now here is where i have the issue: my receiver. I bought a Panasonic SA-HE200 (6.1 , 105 W per channel) a year ago because it ran my 4ohm Technics speakers and it was rated #1 for the money in Consumer Reports. The "Toyota Camry" of receivers...not a Lexus, but overall, great bang for your buck. I have been reading here the RTi12's need major power. Before anyone starts hacking my receiver down because it's not a HK or a Denon etc , I have a friend who is a technician and says more expensive brands aren't that much better, if at all. More features. for a receiver under a $1000, I really don't think i can get better. That's $600 US.

My question is, did i waste my money on the 12's? ($1440 Canadian) I have a month to decide. i had a pair of RTi 8's here( $720 Canadian) as well and compared. They were good but not quite as good as the 12's. The 8's sounded like there was a hole somewhere, esoecially in home theatre. They did have a little crisper highs, but overall, mid range was weaker than the 12's. And the 10's are worse. Mids are not good on the 10's. I know my receiver is OK, not the best.. what would you guys do? Any advice to make my system better? I know I need more power eventually, maybe when i move to a house again. Maybe the 8's are a better option with my receiver, but then again, better to have more than not enough. I like the sound of the RTi12's, but as my receiver cuts out most bass to my sub, am i wasting money?? HELP! Thanks very much.

[C J T]

I should add......I hardly hear any bass coming from the RTi12's how I have this set up now. Apparantly they should be shaking my place. Is it fair to say there is no AVR that can acheive this? That's what the salesman at Future Shop said. I need a straight amp to acheive the best results. Will wiring my system any other way help now with my receiver? I have my speakers set to large, filter at 150 on my receiver. I like the sound better there. Will a preamp help? What is invoved with that? Please excuse my ignorance. Thanks.

[okiepolkie]

Is the filter for the powered subwoofer or the RTi12's?

[C J T]

I am assuming the filter in the receiver cuts the bass off the RTi12's and sends all info below that to the sub...

I have also noticed in my manual just now i have preouts for sub and rear left and rights. guess i can't add an amp. Geesh. even my old 10 year old Technics amp had preouts.

i guess i have answered my own question and i need more power. just wishing there was an easy way around that.

[hamzahsh]

You should've bought the Velodyne CHT-12 or 15 subwoofer from Future Shop because now you're stuck with RTi12's to feed power. In other words you're going to spend on the AMP but don't worry. The least should be 100w RMS and anything more will be better to feed those subs inside the RTi12 which swallow the power like a monster.

Look for a HK PA2000 at Futureshop and then bridge the amps to 2-ch 2 x 100w. If not, visit a hi-fi store and look for a quality amp from NAD, Adcom. NAD C272 is rated at 150w x 2 RMS is about $800 Canadian, I do own this amp and my RT800i's without sub sounds like dual 10-inch subs when played at loud levels. Love it. Also there is a shop in Ottawa which sell products online and have the best customer service in my opinion. Contact Mark. H http://www.audioshop.on.ca I bought my Adcom GFA-7605 5-ch from them for $1500. They carry Adcom 2-ch stereo amp 125w x 2 and 300w x 2. Whichever suits you needs go for it. If you're on a budget the Adcom 125 x 2w is a perfect choice or look for a NAD dealer in your area and get NAD 150w X 2 for the best. Check the prices. Adcom and NAD are superior than HK PA2000 amp.

[sowen010599]

I would definitely say your biggest weakness is your reciever. Here, the SA-HE200 goes for under $300. I don't know about your friend but there are HUGE differences between entry level and what we would call "good" receivers. I have never known of any good audio anything to come from Panny. That being said, I don't know of any reciever, short of maybe Sunfire, that could do the 12's justice. They looooove their juice. Awesome speakers though.

SA-HE200
Stereo Mode 100W per channel (20Hz-20kHz, 6 ohms, 0.05% THD
Home Theater Mode 130W per channel (6 channels, 1kHz, 6 ohms, 0.9% THD)
Frequency range for determining Watts (Stereo) : 20Hz to 20000Hz
Frequency range for determining Watts (Surround) : 1000Hz

6ohms? Going by the way it's rated, I would say it's probably closer to 25-30 watts per channel at 8 ohms 20-20k. Power goes down when you drive more channels, NOT up. That's why they get dodgy with the way they rate the surrounds.

If it were me, I would live with it the way it is and save up for some real power. But I don't see anywhere in the specs that you would have pre-amp outs to support an amp, so you may just be out of luck.

[okiepolkie]

Just for grins and giggles, turn off the powered subwoofer. Then turn the filter off on the receiver. Right now you won't be getting much bass at all from the RTi12's because you are blocking out all of the frequencies that make up "bass" that actually shake the walls.
Eventually you will need more power, but it wouldn't hurt to try different setups before you decide anything. For smaller speakers the Pannisonic will do just fine. It was also looked well upon by Sound and Vision.
I would still keep the 12's and upgrade later.

[McLoki]

Based on your power limits, Anytime you are listening to more than 2 speakers, I would set ALL your speakers to small in your reciever. Let your powered sub take care of all the bass and just let your speakers handle 80hz on up. This may sound best for HT anyway (at least with your receiver).

When you listen to 2 channel (cd's, radio, etc.) switch your front speakers to large.

Be sure and balance your sub to your speakers. (get an SPL meter from radio shack - a good cheap investment)

Good luck and enjoy what you have. At least you have a clear upgrade path - many of us don't know where to start.... :)

[Willow]

Welcome,.....

what I would do, the 12's are big speakers as mentioned need lots of power. If you enjoy your receiver then don't change it. Run the 8's set receiver to small for all speakers sub to on turn up the xover on the sub all the way up and set the xover in the receiver to 80-90-100. this way the sub will play the lows the mids will be free to play mids.

Then once you decide what you will do replace the jumpers on your speakers wil left-over speaker cables.

Victoria, have not been there in about 13yrs, yes beautiful is all I have to say...I would like to take my wife out there one day...

[C J T]

Thanks everyone for all your input. I think I will keep thw 12's and get a new receiver a little later.

So next question, what receiver do you guys recommend? I know a 2 channel stereo amp is better but I just don't want to spend that cash and want a HT set up. Is Harmon Kardon the one to look for? What model #? I think I will research. Someone told me the Sony ES series is good....I don't need or want t ospend thousands on a Sunfire or Pioneer elite...thanks..

[cfrizz]

Welcome to Club Polk.

Whatever receiver you get make sure it has pre-outs so that later on down the line if you want to add a separate more powerful amplifier to make your 12's sing you can.