Help and critique of my HT system please

[digitalvideo]

I have my home theater system setup in full HDMI 7.1 surround sound and was wondering if I could get all your advice and critique on it to see if I'm getting my money's worth out of it and any little advice and suggestions would be great, feel free to comment how you like. This setup is pretty much for tv/sports/movies.

My home entertainment system:

Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-111fd plasma
Pioneer Elite SC 05 reciever
Oppo BDP-83fd
Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature 400 7 channel amp

Center speaker - Polk CSi A6
Front floor tower speakers L/R - Polk RTi A9
Side speakers - Polk FXI A6
Rear speakers - Polk FXI A6
Sub - SVS PB12 Ultra

I know the front speakers are most important to drive the sound and should be the most powerful of the setup, is the the two RTIA9's and single CSIA6 speakers up front exploiting it able to power it up front enough?

Is the FXI A6 a better speaker for HT tv/sports/movies over the RTIA6 speaker also?

[dane_peterson]

From the recent reviews of the SC-05, it sounds like ICE amps work very well with the RTia line. Can't speak from personal experience, but your rig looks like a very nice setup!

Great work. That sub is stellar too.

[danger boy]

How does it sound to you? that's what matters.. not our opinion.. but to meet it all looks great.

enjoy!

[Sherardp]

Sweet rig you have there. Nice selection on the gear as well. Now let's see some pics.

[Retro152]

Wow! didnt realize you had quietly been putting this rig together digital, nice job!:D Similar to mine, but you have the edge.:D



Pat.

[Solumnus]

I would say that is a kick a$$ rig you have yourself there. I think the front soundstage is sufficient. It's only the top of the line of each series.;) I am mostly jealous of the Kuro display. One day I will have one. Oh wait, no I won't, they aren't gonna make em anymore. damn. Enjoy that setup of yours. I know I would.

[Conradicles]

Let's see some pictures of that killer system!!!

I think it is perfect. Enjoy!

[cnh]

I have my home theater system setup in full HDMI 7.1 surround sound and was wondering if I could get all your advice and critique on it to see if I'm getting my money's worth out of it and any little advice and suggestions would be great, feel free to comment how you like. This setup is pretty much for tv/sports/movies.

My home entertainment system:

Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-111fd plasma
Pioneer Elite SC 05 reciever
Oppo BDP-83fd
Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature 400 7 channel amp

Center speaker - Polk CSi A6
Front floor tower speakers L/R - Polk RTi A9
Side speakers - Polk FXI A6
Rear speakers - Polk FXI A6
Sub - SVS PB12 Ultra

I know the front speakers are most important to drive the sound and should be the most powerful of the setup, is the the two RTIA9's and single CSIA6 speakers up front exploiting it able to power it up front enough?

Is the FXI A6 a better speaker for HT tv/sports/movies over the RTIA6 speaker also?

I'd say you don't need our help...and that you 'know' that's a pretty good looking system...

so as sherardp says above..

'Where are the pics??'

cnh

[danz1906]

Looks like you have a great System-Enjoy:D

[Sherardp]

OK, OK, OK, pics or it did'nt happen.

[ahorvitz]

I hope Sunfire amp has enough juice for your setup. I recommend shipping it to me for a THOROUGH evaluation. I'll get back to you with my thoughts in a few years? In the interim, you're welcome to borrow my amp.

[NotaSuv]

ok, ok, ok, pics or it did'nt happen.

x2.. we need pitchers....................

[maximillian]

Great setup. Since NO one is really criticizing, here's my amateur $0.02 - all minor nit-picking ...
- some people prefer a direct radiator (A3's) instead of dipoles for the rear surrounds. I don't have direct experience though. FXi's as side surrounds is perfect.
- Any power conditioning/protection?
- If money is no object you could always go for dual subs. Depends on room size.
- Make sure you have proper speaker placement. This could kill your sound if not done right. We can't help without pictures.
- Bass traps, sound absorbing panels, and other room treatments.

Again, minor nit-picks. Sit back and enjoy.

[mdk5068]

First of all, your system scares me. Second of all, ss an ad-on to the critique, consider the power conditioner highly. I recently bought your same subwoofer off a guy in Maryland who had been in the speaker industry for 30 years, having had $100,000 systems and under of all varieties. He actually advised me not to go for an amplifier first, but instead to make sure that the power going into my speakers was quality and regulated. After this, then go for the amps. So seeing as you already have a ridiculous amplifier, and your system is not lacking in the cost department, I would invest in a conditioner. He had another (million dollars I'm sure) box that I believed had a 3000-4000 watt transformer in it to hold the energy before it was conditioned. If ur looking for more gadgets, eh had a $900 dvd and cd buffer, which essentially eliminated the imperfections on the discs. Apparently the discs wobble on the pin, causing video and audio (primarily video) distortion, and this 900 dollar piece of stone cleans it. Hope some of that had relevance.

--Mark

ps - you system still scares me.

Great setup. Since NO one is really criticizing, here's my amateur $0.02 - all minor nit-picking ...
- some people prefer a direct radiator (A3's) instead of dipoles for the rear surrounds. I don't have direct experience though. FXi's as side surrounds is perfect.
- Any power conditioning/protection?
- If money is no object you could always go for dual subs. Depends on room size.
- Make sure you have proper speaker placement. This could kill your sound if not done right. We can't help without pictures.
- Bass traps, sound absorbing panels, and other room treatments.

Again, minor nit-picks. Sit back and enjoy.

[Retro152]

Hey Digital, are you just "threading" us along? :D



Pat.

[digitalvideo]

I was thinking of a Chang Lightspeed power conditioner, my friend has one and swears by it but I hardly know anything about power conditioners. The least expensive CLS 305 is rated at 2500W at a price of $595. Is that enough power for to drive my speakers without stressing the reciever? Isn't it over kill though? I don't listen to music through my system, just tv/sports and movies/dvd/bluray. I just don't want to stress the reciever.

Also, my house is one of those homes built with a large room over the garage, a 26x26 room with 8 1/2 foot ceilings so it's a big room to fill up and compress. I do believe my 50" plasma is too small for that room, I thought about going for the 60" Pioneer plasma but it was too expensive. Right now I have my L couch placed towards the center of the room because if I were to place the couch against the back wall then watching the tv on the other end of the room would lose that big screen theater experience because the farther you sit away the smaller the screen obviously. Sitting 26 feet away does make a 50" tv look small. I thought about going for a 80" projector screen but I have windows on that wall on each side so I am limited. A 60" to "80 inch screen would be great for that room though. Watching tv in that room during the day is such a waste of money because the plasma isn't great in a bright room, it's best at night with all the lights off.

[digitalvideo]

Great setup. Since NO one is really criticizing, here's my amateur $0.02 - all minor nit-picking ...
- some people prefer a direct radiator (A3's) instead of dipoles for the rear surrounds. I don't have direct experience though. FXi's as side surrounds is perfect.
- Any power conditioning/protection?
- If money is no object you could always go for dual subs. Depends on room size.
- Make sure you have proper speaker placement. This could kill your sound if not done right. We can't help without pictures.
- Bass traps, sound absorbing panels, and other room treatments.

Again, minor nit-picks. Sit back and enjoy.

Would a pair of RTi A3's or RTi A5's be better for the rear surround compared to the FXI A6's? Why would that be?

[Solumnus]

I think we need to see some pictures or...+1 pics or it didn't happen.

[Conradicles]

Dude...you don't even have that killer system without pic's...:)

[digitalvideo]

hahah yes my system is real, I don't know why you want pics, it's not some Puff Daddy MTV Cribs million dollar home movie theater lol This was put together over the years by my wife and I. It only cost a little over $11,000. The tv was a Christmas present and the rest I shopped around for. We use ebay to bid and also private sellers on different forums who sell their used gear. You would be amazed at how much you can save. I saved thousands doing it this way.

Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-111fd www.ebay.com $2999
Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature 400 7 channel amp = $4495
Pioneer SC-05 used with cosmetic damage bought off my friend $500
Oppo bdp-83 www.oppodigital.com $499
Polk CSi A6 www.highdecibels.com $321
2 used Polk RTi A9's bid www.ebay.com $750
4 used Polk FXi A6's bid www.ebay.com $880
Used SVS PB12 Ultra/2 bought off private seller www.hometheaterforum.com $1000

[Solumnus]

just buggin ya. I'm just jealous of the amp and the subs.

[TECHNOKID]

hahah yes my system is real, I don't know why you want pics, it's not some Puff Daddy MTV Cribs million dollar home movie theater lol This was put together over the years by my wife and I. It only cost a little over $11,000. The tv was a Christmas present and the rest I shopped around for. We use ebay to bid and also private sellers on different forums who sell their used gear. You would be amazed at how much you can save. I saved thousands doing it this way.

Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-111fd www.ebay.com $2999
Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature 400 7 channel amp = $4495
Pioneer SC-05 used with cosmetic damage bought off my friend $500
Oppo bdp-83 www.oppodigital.com $499
Polk CSi A6 www.highdecibels.com $321
2 used Polk RTi A9's bid www.ebay.com $750
4 used Polk FXi A6's bid www.ebay.com $880
Used SVS PB12 Ultra/2 bought off private seller www.hometheaterforum.com $1000

However, pics is simply standard in here for gear that's worhtwhile. Just make sure you you insert address/postal code, someone will be happy to pay you a friendly visit ;)

[mdk5068]

I have a projector now and a manual projection screen, and I absolutely love it for ht. I see that your uses are games, bluray, and music. If your tv right now stinks in the daylight, you might do well investing in a manual or motorized screen and a projector. It would give you a much bigger screen, and any definition lost (if you skimp on price) would not be as noticeable since you say you sit far enough away. I would also invest in some blackout curtains for those windows, though, just to attempt at getting day use out of whatever you buy.

I was thinking of a Chang Lightspeed power conditioner, my friend has one and swears by it but I hardly know anything about power conditioners. The least expensive CLS 305 is rated at 2500W at a price of $595. Is that enough power for to drive my speakers without stressing the reciever? Isn't it over kill though? I don't listen to music through my system, just tv/sports and movies/dvd/bluray. I just don't want to stress the reciever.

Also, my house is one of those homes built with a large room over the garage, a 26x26 room with 8 1/2 foot ceilings so it's a big room to fill up and compress. I do believe my 50" plasma is too small for that room, I thought about going for the 60" Pioneer plasma but it was too expensive. Right now I have my L couch placed towards the center of the room because if I were to place the couch against the back wall then watching the tv on the other end of the room would lose that big screen theater experience because the farther you sit away the smaller the screen obviously. Sitting 26 feet away does make a 50" tv look small. I thought about going for a 80" projector screen but I have windows on that wall on each side so I am limited. A 60" to "80 inch screen would be great for that room though. Watching tv in that room during the day is such a waste of money because the plasma isn't great in a bright room, it's best at night with all the lights off.

[Conradicles]

There is no way that TV stinks in daylight if set-up properly. That is BS.

[mdk5068]

I might be wrong but I believe his lack of vision is a result of staring at the daylight. With a tv in front of windows like that, there will be more distortion from the viewer staring in the direction of the daylight than the glare itself. The light tends to strain the eyes and distort the viewing experience out of protection to the eyes, not out of interference with the tv screen. OP keep in mind you might see a dramatic improvement in simply changing your viewing angle, or even the room configuration. There are posts on here about changing from short wall to long wall; you might consider it as an option to avoid windows.

There is no way that TV stinks in daylight if set-up properly. That is BS.

[TECHNOKID]

I might be wrong but I believe his lack of vision is a result of staring at the daylight. With a tv in front of windows like that, there will be more distortion from the viewer staring in the direction of the daylight than the glare itself. The light tends to strain the eyes and distort the viewing experience out of protection to the eyes, not out of interference with the tv screen. OP keep in mind you might see a dramatic improvement in simply changing your viewing angle, or even the room configuration. There are posts on here about changing from short wall to long wall; you might consider it as an option to avoid windows.

However, your earlier proposal of a PJ + screen might even be worse as PJ = Lumens/Light and therefore allergic to any external lights such as the sun. When using PJs in hotels, windows are usually inexistant in boardroom/conference room and artificial light is also dimable/adjustable. For best results, PJs need as dark of a room as possible!

[maximillian]

Would a pair of RTi A3's or RTi A5's be better for the rear surround compared to the FXI A6's? Why would that be?

The key word I used is "some". Some people prefer direct radiators for rear surrounds and di/bipoles for the side surrounds. I cannot really comment which is better. If you did go direct radiators then you should get the A3's, not the A5's. The reason why is because the tweeters should ideally be placed above (and up to 2 feet above) the listening ear height. So it will be difficult to place the A5's unless you put them on stands - which is awkward. Some people leave the tweeters at ear height, that is my current setup but I haven't played around with mounting my FXi3's (I have a 5.1 system - no rear surrounds).

Changing your rear surrounds should not be a priority. Your priority should be...

****Take several pictures and share them****. We can help to ensure proper speaker placement. Poor speaker placement will kill your sound. This is a cheap and quick way of troubleshooting and potentially fixing issues.

From there it is personal preference on how you proceed. So the following is subjective.... I would buy a signal conditioner next. Talk to people about the advantages and disadvantages of dipoles vs. direct radiators for rear surrounds. Finally - better sound sources and room treatments are nice but they are costly; only you can decide whether you will find a benefit. Or you may want to skip everything is this paragraph, sit back and enjoy, and save your money.

[mdk5068]

You are very correct in that a pj+screen might be worse, but as I said he is attempting to solve two problems. The first is the light, which will happen irregardless of whether he has a plasma or a pj. The shades to make the room dark during the day would go a long way to ensuring that either option would be better during the day that what he has now. The second is the size of the screen, which would be dramatically solved through the use of a pj, at a cheaper price than such a sized plasma would cost.

However, your earlier proposal of a PJ + screen might even be worse as PJ = Lumens/Light and therefore allergic to any external lights such as the sun. When using PJs in hotels, windows are usually inexistant in boardroom/conference room and artificial light is also dimable/adjustable. For best results, PJs need as dark of a room as possible!

[cheddar]

Also, my house is one of those homes built with a large room over the garage, a 26x26 room with 8 1/2 foot ceilings so it's a big room to fill up and compress. I do believe my 50" plasma is too small for that room, I thought about going for the 60" Pioneer plasma but it was too expensive. Right now I have my L couch placed towards the center of the room because if I were to place the couch against the back wall then watching the tv on the other end of the room would lose that big screen theater experience because the farther you sit away the smaller the screen obviously. Sitting 26 feet away does make a 50" tv look small. I thought about going for a 80" projector screen but I have windows on that wall on each side so I am limited. A 60" to "80 inch screen would be great for that room though. Watching tv in that room during the day is such a waste of money because the plasma isn't great in a bright room, it's best at night with all the lights off.

I'm a little confused. Since the last time you described your room it was a basement. It's now over the garage with windows? And you now have light problems?

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/show...2&postcount=12

Some specifics on my room size, I have around 85% of my basement set up as a big entertainment room, carpeted floors, couches, a bar. The wall that the tv is attached too is 25ft long, that's the width of my basement. Ceilings are lower at 7 1/2 feet tall cause it's in the basement. The design below is what my basement is like. I'd like floor tower speakers in front on each side of the tv which can be the biggest of the set, then 1 speaker on each side and 2 speakers behind. The speakers on the side of the couch to the left and right can either be floor or wall mounted, same with the two rear speakers.


tv on this wall
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<---26ft---> !
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! 27ft
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------------------ !
! !
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! !

[digitalvideo]

There is no way that TV stinks in daylight if set-up properly. That is BS.

That's not true, the room during the day is pretty bright and you do see lots of glare on the screen from the windows, you actually see the windows on the screen depending on where you are sitting and where the sun is and watching it head on you don't see the deep black levels. If someone is standing in front of the window you see a big silhouette of that person on the screen. I would guess I would have the same problem in way if I had a Samsung lcd with their glass screens that pick up reflections and glare too? That is a draw back of it I guess but I watch most of my tv at night so it's ok, it something I have to get use to since I made the switch to upstairs room as my basement was not a wise place to have that equipment because of the flooding I have gotten in there. I'm glad I all of it out of there at the end of May because my basement was wet most of June because of all the rain we got in Massachusetts for a month. My basement carpet is still soaked.