Home Theatre speaker system for Blu-ray

[BigRedEE]

Hello everyone. I recently have caught the home theatre bug and have decided to add a surround sound system to my Sony TV and Panasonic BD Player. I am more of a video person but am now jumping into sound.

I am in college and live with three roommates and we enjoy playing music along with watching movies. The SQ is important to us, especially the bass. We live in a small appartment now but plan on moving to a house next year so i hope to get a system that has decent strength for an average living room.

I am planning on buying a Onkyo 605 reciever (over my original idea of the sony 720 or 820) mainly for the onboard HD codecs (that the 720 doesnt have) and the hdmi video upscaling (not in the 820).

My main question is what speakers i should use with the reciever. I have seen many people suggesting the polk RM6750 (and maybe adding the step up 10" sub from perhaps newegg) or building the a set starting with Monitor 50's and 30's. I have done a lot of research myself, but still would appreciate more opinions. For christmas I recieved the sony HTiB (the ht-ss2300, i think) but took that back to best buy, since i heard that the system was iffy based on others' reviews. I plan on using the money i got from that and adding some more for a budget of about $600-700 (300 for the reciever and 300-400 for the speakers; hopefully closer to 300). I have also looked at the onkyo speaker sets such as the ht540 and like that they are usually a 7.1 set (other than the ht240, which is 6.1), have a stronger sub than the RM6750, weren't too bad according CNET.

So basically (in no particular order),
1. RM6750 (maybe plus new sub or center channel)
2. ht540 (or other similar 7.1 set)
3. start with monitor 50's and build it up
4. another suggestion

Thanks a lot in advance! (and let me know if i am not abiding by any forum rules)

[gearyt]

check out the limitations of the 605 video upscaleing, make sure you know what you are getting

[BigRedEE]

yeah, well all i am really concerned about is the fact that is has some sort of video analog to digital conversion, so all the inputs go through the hdmi. whether it is 1080i or 1080p really doesnt bother me since it is just upscaling (not true 1080i or p). Plus, bluray is my main focus which is already in full 1080P

anything inparticular that you had in mind that wasnt so good about it?

[Blu_Ray_Fan]

Originally Posted by BigRedEE

anything inparticular that you had in mind that wasnt so good about it?

Don't quote me on it, but I beleive the 605 will just pass through whatever it receives. example-480i/p will be passed through that way, no up-conversion. However, it will pass it through HDMI. (at least thats how my 805 is)

That does not bother me though. The only no 1080i/p componant I have is my original NES which is hooked up directly to the TV for video and sound.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by Blu_Ray_Fan

Don't quote me on it, but I beleive the 605 will just pass through whatever it receives. example-480i/p will be passed through that way, no up-conversion. However, it will pass it through HDMI. (at least thats how my 805 is)

That does not bother me though. The only no 1080i/p componant I have is my original NES which is hooked up directly to the TV for video and sound.

Nah, analog sources are pscaled to... 720p max I think when passed through to HDMI.

[Blu_Ray_Fan]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Nah, analog sources are pscaled to... 720p max I think when passed through to HDMI.

Really? Now that you mention it, I think your right. I hate giving false info
But it just passes HDMI through?? Maybe thats what I was thinking...

Just doesn't do 1080p upscaling... you have to get into the 875 for that???

[BigRedEE]

yeah, i only to have an hdmi cable from my reciever to tv. I am pretty budget oriented right now, but figure that is worth the step up from sony to onkyo (i believe the 605 and 606 are cheaper than sony's 920, which is the first to have any analog to digital converstion). No worries on the false info, i appreciate your time and help

any more thoughts on the reciever, or more importantly speaker ideas?

[Bourne1]

Try finding some Polk Monitor series for your speakers. Go check out New Egg or go to: http://www.polkaudio.com/dealerlocator/online.php

There you will find all of Polk's authorized on-line dealers. Check around those sites and find the best price. The Monitor series are going really cheap now because Polk retailers have been trying to push them out since they are basically discontinued and have been replaced by the TSi series. If I were you, I would skimp out on a subwoofer for the short term and spend that part of the budget on the Monitor 50 towers. Then match it with the Monitor Series CS1 or CS2 center speaker. For your rears I would go with the Monitor 30's. Newegg seems to have the best prices.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290111
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290008

But check around the other authorized online retailers just in case you find something cheaper. Like I said, wait out on the sub for a short time; it's always better to build up; that is what I am doing. I will be slowly upgraded to the Polk RTi A series by going with the RTi A1's for my fronts and CSi A4 for my center. From there I will buy my rear's and go with the Polk DSW pro or DSW micropro sub. After that I will say good riddance to my crappy Bose Acoustimass speakers.

[BigRedEE]

so, to clarify, you're saying for now i should go with a 5.0 system?

Furthermore, I know that with TV's it is not usually worth the money to get extended warrenties, how about for speakers?

[Bourne1]

For now yes and then save up for a decent sub. The Monitor 50's will have decent bass and low end; nothing that you are going get out of a subwoofer. However for the shorterm it will do and once you get a sub; you will have a sweet system. I am also saying this because the Monitor 50's are going for so cheap that it would be a shame that you would miss out. You don't have to match your sub to your system; just worry about matching your front L/R and your center.

A lot of people on here have been grabbing the Monitor 50's since they are so cheap and have great things to say about them. I would jump on it; but I want to stick with the RTi A series.

As far as a warranty goes; I don't know; maybe others on here can say something about that. However, I always buy a warranty when I am buying a television. I don't know if I am buying a warranty when I get my speakers; for sure on the Sub though since they are more complex.

Originally Posted by BigRedEE

so, to clarify, you're saying for now i should go with a 5.0 system?

Furthermore, I know that with TV's it is not usually worth the money to get extended warrenties, how about for speakers?

[BigRedEE]

Hey, thanks a lot! That sounds like a good plan.

To elaborate on the TV comment, i meant that most of the time a TV breaks it isnt within the warranty (i thought i read that in consumer reports or something) but I agree that if nothing else you are paying for peace of mind (sorry pointlessly rambling)

If anyone finds a good price on Monitor 50's or 30's let me know but no need to go out of your way to find them; btw, kinda a silly question but are the Monitor series the same as the "M" series (saw M's on one site pretty cheap)

Just browsing around i saw how floor standing speakers will have from 1 to 4 main speakers, how significant are the jumps between speakers. For example the TSI300 compared to the TSI400

I would also like to know what any has thought about the RM6750 or any of the onkyo speaker sets.

[Blu_Ray_Fan]

I always buy an extended warranty on TV's. Have never on a receiver, speakers, or DVD/BD player besides my Ps3 60gb. Bought it at launch and wanted peace of mind.

[blu_world]

if its mostly for SQ and music....

Def make Sure you have a great subwoofer,who want's to hear there favorite song only for it to rattle and sound like baseball card on a bike spoke....

so yeah,get something that hits good..

[aramis109]

My speakers have a nice warranty on them already. My sub has a 5 year warranty on the sub and 3 on the amp, I believe. Most decently-backed speakers are going to have a solid warranty.

TV and receiver are something you may want to look into extending the warranty on, but I think the speakers will have one already.

The "M" series are not the same as the Monitors. They're pretty much the bargain basement of the Polk family.

[BigRedEE]

based on my budget I will probably only be getting part of the total system in the beginning. so, I will probably get the two Monitor 50's and the cs1 center channel to start. would it be better then to get a pair of 30's or the sub first?

how big are the differences between the 50's and 60's, and the 30's and 40's? Are they stronger/louder, better SQ, etc?

and on what color looks the best. I can find the Maple at newegg, and black at WholesaleAV. Newegg has free shipping and WholesaleAV has $30 shipping for the pair of 50's. What do you guys think about color? I think i want black, but dont know if the $30 bucks is worth it just for a different color. I could not find cherry at either of the sites (newegg has it out of stock)

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by BigRedEE

based on my budget I will probably only be getting part of the total system in the beginning. so, I will probably get the two Monitor 50's and the cs1 center channel to start. would it be better then to get a pair of 30's or the sub first?

how big are the differences between the 50's and 60's, and the 30's and 40's? Are they stronger/louder, better SQ, etc?

and on what color looks the best. I can find the Maple at newegg, and black at WholesaleAV. Newegg has free shipping and WholesaleAV has $30 shipping for the pair of 50's. What do you guys think about color? I think i want black, but dont know if the $30 bucks is worth it just for a different color. I could not find cherry at either of the sites (newegg has it out of stock)

Color-wise is personal preference, but understand this is a veneer and not true woodgrain. The black veneer looks pretty good in my opinion. I've heard good things about the Cherry also. Ask JJ- I'm pretty sure he has Cherry and Black in his setup.

As far as the 50's vs. 60's, you're getting better bass, which may be more important if you hold off on a sub. Understand that none of the Monitors are going to replace a subwoofer. I'm feeling that right now since I'm currently subless.

30's vs. 40's- the 40's are a big step up from the 30's. They're also twice a big. Check out pics in my setup if you want to get a sense of scale. I love mine, but they're not ideal for all setups. The 30's are a solid choice. JasonR has them if you want more opinions. I can say that the 40's have pretty decent bass response and in effect are the same as the 50's, just in bookshelf form.

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Color-wise is personal preference, but understand this is a veneer and not true woodgrain. The black veneer looks pretty good in my opinion. I've heard good things about the Cherry also. Ask JJ- I'm pretty sure he has Cherry and Black in his setup.

As far as the 50's vs. 60's, you're getting better bass, which may be more important if you hold off on a sub. Understand that none of the Monitors are going to replace a subwoofer. I'm feeling that right now since I'm currently subless.

30's vs. 40's- the 40's are a big step up from the 30's. They're also twice a big. Check out pics in my setup if you want to get a sense of scale. I love mine, but they're not ideal for all setups. The 30's are a solid choice. JasonR has them if you want more opinions. I can say that the 40's have pretty decent bass response and in effect are the same as the 50's, just in bookshelf form.

The lower -3Db limit of the 30s is 61 Hz and for the 40s is 50 Hz. Not really an issue for me as I cross my surrounds at 80 Hz. The only thing you really gain with the 40s is lower end response, which can be made up with a decent sub.

I love the 30s, but if you find the 40s for a similar price and have the room for them go for it!

[BigRedEE]

Originally Posted by JasonR

The only thing you really gain with the 40s is lower end response, which can be made up with a decent sub.

Along with that comment and in the previous post about how 40's are really the same as the 50's in bookshelf form, then what if I used 30's for fronts also so then I could use the money I save toward a sub?

[JasonR]

It would probably be a pretty similar experience for home theater use. I think for the cost of the 30s plus speaker stands, you might as well get a pair of 50s though.

[BigRedEE]

Good Point

I am considering the CS1 and CS2 for center speakers options, and the PSW10 for a sub. Any major differences between the centers, or any other comments about the centers or sub ideas?

I will probably be getting them from newegg, but all newegg has is the Maple color and it doesn't look too good to me. So I was wondering, if I ended up hating the color so much, if painting them is an option.

Or any other decently priced subs? (I was really not wanting to spend this much, but SQ is still a BIG thing to me so if you guys insist that it will dramatically affect the overall sound...)

Thanks a lot to everyone!