Starting from scratch...HELP

[ryanjoachim]

Ok, my son completely destroyed the mid speaker in my pioneer system. Luckily this system is almost 3 years old, so I've gotten my money's worth out of it.

Here goes. I'm getting probably 5k back in taxes from the feds (woot!) so I decided to get a new TV (probably 65") for 2500 at the most. That means I have around 2k to spend on a new theater system.

So far I have these picked out...

Mid - CSi5

And I know I want these
RTi10's

And the sub - PSW10

That's pretty much as far as I've gotten. I need to order the towers soon, before they go off of sale, or I'll never be able to afford them...

But here's my questions! (sorry to be such a hassle)

1: Are those towers designed to REPLACE the normal front (or back) surround speakers if I get 2 sets? Or merely complement them? (I REALLY want to get away from wall-mounting speakers since finding studs seems to be more than I can handle)

2: Can anyone recommend speakers (I want 5.1 to start out with) that will match the Cherry finish of the sub and mid?

3: I also need a good AV receiver/amp that has at least 2 HDMI 1.3 and that can handle this system.

4: I live in an appartment, but will be moving out into something bigger soon hopefully. Is the CSi5 worth it, or would the CSi3 still be worth the $199 that Fry's has it for?

Remember, I can NOT spend more than 2k, so feel free to recommend replacements if the price starts to jump.

Again, sorry for bothering you guys, and thanks for any help!!

PS. In case you couldn't tell, Home Theaters are NOT my forte...

[RuSsMaN]

.5 Welcome the boards, and thanks for choosing Polk Audio!

1. You can use the RTi10 in ANY position. They are a phenomenal full range loudspeaker, period - home theater or two channel.

2. Anything in the current RTi line will match up well. For the center, look at the CSi3 or CSi5. If your surrounds are on the rear wall, I prefer a direct radiating speaker - look at the RTi6 or RTi4. If your surrounds are on the side wall, check out the bi/dipole offerings - FXi series.

3. Can't help much with the HDMI/video preferences (not my forte), but other members will surely pipe in. As far as amplification, Onkyo, Harman Kardon, and Denon are the obvious brick and mortar choices that mate well with Polk in my experience.

4. Bigger isn't always better, I actually prefer smaller midbass drivers in my center channel - they don't dig as deep, but in general seem to have a more natural vocal character to them.

The PSW10 (I assume free with purchase) is a decent entry level subwoofer, but won't do anything the RTi10's aren't already doing. See if they won't apply that $200 to a DSW PRO 500 or 600, and you'll have the LFE covered in spades.

Cheers,
Russ

Again, no bother, and welcome to the boards!

[ryanjoachim]

thanks for the reply!

Lots of great info in there already.

One thing, I really do NOT want to mount speakers on the wall if at all possible. Can only certain speakers be mounted on stands?

[ryanjoachim]

As of right now, I am going to be sitting about 10ft or so away from my 65" tv, and my couch is flush against the wall. If I understood you correctly, I can use the RTi10's INSTEAD of normal surround sound speakers up front? Could I also order 2 sets and forgo rear-surround speakers as well?

Or would that setup gimp my sound quality?

[RuSsMaN]

Nothing wrong with rear speakers on stands, but if I read you right - all the FX/RT bookies can be wall mounted (if done properly).

Cheers,
Russ

edit - you can use RTi10's in any position, rear surround included. If you want to rock out with 10's front and rear, more power to you.

[ryanjoachim]

Oh, and what should I be looking for in a subwoofer that would make it a worthy addition to this system?

Again, i'm SO sorry for all these questions! I have NEVER put together my own system before, and I REALLY want it to last me a long time and keep me happy!

[RuSsMaN]

Questions? How dare you! That's what the Polk forum is all about.

As stated earlier, a DSW PRO 500 or 600 will fill out your subwoofer requirements very nicely. There are other brands you could look at, but if you can get credit for the PSW10, why not spend those Polk bucks, right? A lot of forum members (including myself) have had favorable results with brands like SVS (http://www.svsound.com) and HSU (http://hsuresearch.com/) among many others.

Cheers,
Russ

[danger boy]

you are off to a great start with the RTi10's and CSi5 for center.. as for subwoofers.. the new Polk DSW line is a really great bargin for being a brand new to the market subwoofer. tons of nice features they built into them.

Polk was a little weak in their former subwoofer dept. now they run with the big guys.. and offer a lot of subwoofer for their price. good bang for your buck. that way your entire home theater would be a proud Polk Audio system. Not bad at all my friend.

Oh yeah. and welcome to Club Polk ! :)

[ryanjoachim]

Also, as far as I knew the PSW10 wasn't being shown as credit...just a separate 199 charge. Did I miss something there?

[RuSsMaN]

Polk was a little weak in their former subwoofer dept

Correction, if I may. They were never 'weak', they chose sound quality over bass quantity in the past - and now through new tech they offer both in one package. Polk never gave in to the typical market and made '50Hz boomers' like a lot of other manufacturers did - they stayed true, and printed realistic specs, nothing more.

Polk has consistently made very muscical subwoofers, with much better actual in room response than the published specifications.

Love you Al.

Cheers,
Russ

[ryanjoachim]

Right now i'm looking at:
CSi3 - Mid
DSW PRO 600 - Sub
RTi10 x4 (2-sets) - Front and Rear Surround

What do you guys think?

Will the CSi3 be drowned out? Or is it still powerful enough to stand out?

Or do i really need the CSi5 to bring this system together?

[hearingimpared]

Welcome to Club Polk Ryan!

[RuSsMaN]

Bigger isn't always better, I actually prefer smaller midbass drivers in my center channel - they don't dig as deep, but in general seem to have a more natural vocal character to them.

Again....

[ryanjoachim]

Again....

Sorry, like I said I'm a complete Dolt when it comes to home theaters.

I was looking at this receiver ONKYO TX-SR605B

It has the HDMI I want/need, as well as 7.1 in case I ever need to go that route. Though i'm not sure what to look for as far as your "LFE" goes russ.

[Sherardp]

Stick with the CSi5 it is the better center of the two. Also not sure if you thought of this but instead of running 10s in the rear why not run Rti4s or 6s but use a nice stand. You can check out racksandstands.com for that. Also if you buying the sub, you may want to consider a sub outside of polk as mentioned. SVS, Epik, Elemental Designs are all very nice bang for buck products. You may want to consider the 705 from Onecall for a few bucks more, http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=87133. One other thing, Im not sure what kind of room this gear is going in, but if you have light control you may want to consider front projection with a 100 inch or so screen. Just a thought.

[Gadabout]

I'm running something simliar to you. From the recommendations of polkies here, I ordered a DSW 500. I finally got in the sub and it sounds pretty good right now. I should have all the speakers broken in by next week (I'm hoping)

You might look at the Onkyo 705. The 705 has pre outs so you can add an amplifier(s) later if you need too. I don't think the 605 has pre outs.

From another newb who is learning.... Welcome to Club Polk.

[ryanjoachim]

Apparently...I can't read properly. I thought the RTi10's from fry's came in a set of 2.

I think I was mistaken. Can someone confirm for me?

[Sherardp]

I think they come in pairs or you can buy them seperately.

[Keiko]

Apparently...I can't read properly. I thought the RTi10's from fry's came in a set of 2.

I think I was mistaken. Can someone confirm for me?

Price per speaker is 199.99.
399.98 for the pair. That's an excellent price.

[Keiko]

FYI ryanjoachim

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/show...596#post773596

Thanks engtaz

[ryanjoachim]

Now, I've heard people saying that a "bigger" receiver (watts) isn't as important for pushing subs/RTi10's and such than an Amp is.

What is the difference? I thought receivers had amps built in?