Home Theater Speakers

[Ohioste]

Alright, I always turn to you guys to make sure I'm getting the right stuff.

I know that I may not do this in the right order, but I have a reason for what I'm buying.

I'm working my way up to my "dream" system. I'm young and building a system for my apartment. Not a huge room but I still want a nice system.

My biggest need/want right now is a nice center speaker. I really think I'm going to try to go with Polk. As from what I've seen they offer the best quality for the price.

It seems my choices are the CS1 for anywhere between 50 to 120.

The CS2 looks like it has been around 90 bucks at CC before.

The CSi A4. Looks like I can get a refurbished one on ebay from polk direct for about 170 shipped. Is that my best deal?

I'm going to start with the center speaker and then find deals on good matching front left and right.

I'm still in need of a lot of stuff! I need to get a new receiver(I know I should probably start here, but my fiancee agrees that we need better speakers but doesn't understand what a new receiver will do.) When I find a good deal, I'm just going to find a good price on a Onk 606. Currently I have a Onkyo HT R340.

http://www.tsnversand.de/media/images/onkhtr340back.jpg

That's the back of it. No HDMI. I know..I know...

I've currently got an older HDTV as well. That's being updated in April to a Sammy 650 or 750 series.

I have a BD55 Panny Blu Ray which I love.

Are there other center speakers that I should be looking for? I just want the best deal and a good quality speaker.

Thanks!

[liquid_celica]

It really depends on the size of your room, but in general, i think you have the right idea about staying with polk.

I would also recommend infinity.
SD always dig up several deals on R50 polks that you may wanna look into. It was a front page item last week i think. Since they're so cheap, you could probably just do 4 of those and use a CS1 or CS2 for your center. To me, i went with the CS1 cause of the price and it was smaller. The CS2 is really big.
It's not uncommon to use bookshelf speakers for the rear surrounds though because spacing is limited for some and maybe more important. So you could try to look at some of those. I think people say that it's not that important to match the rears with your fronts, but the fronts should be a similar quality/brand to your center.

hope that helps.

[Ohioste]

Yeah...it does. I about jumped on the R50s when I saw them at Frys last time. I just decided I better wait though. I wasn't set on if the cherry color was going to match what I was going to get. Turns out I bought a cherry TV stand today, so they would have matched perfectly. Hoping to see them again soon.

Starting off, I'm going to use my Onkyo as my rears. I'll buy the system in steps. First steps are the front three...then the receiver, rears and sub. It'll take some time, but I can't just throw a bunch of money at it when we are trying to pay for a wedding as well.

Thanks for the help, repped!

[axiom]

What's your budget?

Don't buy a center channel on its own. The center should match the fronts.

[Ohioste]

What's your budget?

Don't buy a center channel on its own. The center should match the fronts.

Um...not really a budget, just trying to buy pieces at a time. I have a decent surround now, so I want to find a good deal on the center and fronts and then add them in together.

I don't think I'd pay more than 170 for the center. I'm looking hard at the CSI A4 on ebay.

Only thing I'm worried about is that it's refurbed. Anyone have any experience with their refurbed product?

[axiom]

I'd recommend getting a good pair of fronts to anchor your system around first. Too bad the RTi-8s are gone now, they were on sale for $300 / pair yesterday I believe. Regardless, grab a pair of the Infinitys or Polks that go on sale here. The RTi I think is the best bang for the buck of the Polk lineup.

[liquid_celica]

I'd recommend getting a good pair of fronts to anchor your system around first. Too bad the RTi-8s are gone now, they were on sale for $300 / pair yesterday I believe. Regardless, grab a pair of the Infinitys or Polks that go on sale here. The RTi I think is the best bang for the buck of the Polk lineup.

I would disagree only on the premise that roughly 70% of your sound comes from your center thus making it a priority. Then again, your surround won't be as nice as it would be without those matching fronts.

[axiom]

I would disagree only on the premise that roughly 70% of your sound comes from your center thus making it a priority. Then again, your surround won't be as nice as it would be without those matching fronts.

You could buy the center first and then the fronts, but usually you find deals on fronts, not the centers. The 70% rule is right with movies but with music the fronts are the most important.

[Ohioste]

My speakers are used for movies only. Very, very rarely will I listen to music on my system.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I appreciate the help.

[axiom]

Since the fronts+center should match, I still recommend buying fronts first? Why? Because deals show up on front speakers, not centers. So if a deal on a nice pair of Polk RTis or the Infinity Primus 362 comes around, you can snag it and then buy the matching center.

Buy the center first and your sitting around waiting for the front to get cheap which may never happen. Centers don't go on sale nearly as often.

[hapmar]

Since the fronts+center should match, I still recommend buying fronts first? Why? Because deals show up on front speakers, not centers. So if a deal on a nice pair of Polk RTis or the Infinity Primus 362 comes around, you can snag it and then buy the matching center.

Buy the center first and your sitting around waiting for the front to get cheap which may never happen. Centers don't go on sale nearly as often.

Ditto that. I bought the Infinity Primus P362 for fronts while on sale at Fry's 2 weeks ago. I waited to get a matching center, Infinity PC350, and finally picked it up at a local Video Only (NW region only stores, I think; they're not online) today. Center wasn't 'on sale' but got at a decent $150, which is better than you can find at current e-tailers. Try finding a local B&M if possible to pick up your center--after you've found the fronts at the price you want.

[stevenq]

I know that I may not do this in the right order, but I have a reason for what I'm buying.

I'm working my way up to my "dream" system. I'm young and building a system for my apartment. Not a huge room but I still want a nice system.

The CSi A4. Looks like I can get a refurbished one on ebay from polk direct for about 170 shipped. Is that my best deal?
I'm still in need of a lot of stuff! I need to get a new receiver(I know I should probably start here, but my fiancee agrees that we need better speakers but doesn't understand what a new receiver will do.) When I find a good deal, I'm just going to find a good price on a Onk 606. Currently I have a Onkyo HT R340.

http://www.tsnversand.de/media/images/onkhtr340back.jpg

That's the back of it. No HDMI. I know..I know...

I've currently got an older HDTV as well. That's being updated in April to a Sammy 650 or 750 series.

I have a BD55 Panny Blu Ray which I love.

Are there other center speakers that I should be looking for? I just want the best deal and a good quality speaker.

Thanks!

You mentioned fiancee. If you're getting married soon (unless you are eloping) wouldn't it be prudent to save up for the wedding? Also, sounds like you'll need a new receiver, front speakers, television, etc. That's a lot. I guess you're one of the lucky people still with job.

Personally I would give a hard look at this: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HTCT100-Sound-Bar-Sub-Woofer/dp/B0015HS1HQ/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1234045010&sr=8-1

It's been touted in the Home Theater sections of the Audio Video sites supposedly as the best bang for your buck. It's only $250 and will satisfy your needs for movies with a built in center speaker with surrounds. Another nice thing about this speaker system is you don't need a receiver to make it work. The subwoofer has built in pre-amp with HDMI inputs so you can hook up the DVD player directly to it. This system will cost you less than $250 and is far simpler to hook up to boot. Oh, don't be afraid to look at Craigslist for used equipment it's my fav.

Read the reviews on this Sony. I know it doesn't look like much but when hooked up properly it sounds really good and will fill up a medium sized room with plenty of sound. This speaker system is no joke.

[robinm]

You mentioned fiancee. If you're getting married soon (unless you are eloping) wouldn't it be prudent to save up for the wedding? Also, sounds like you'll need a new receiver, front speakers, television, etc. That's a lot. I guess you're one of the lucky people still with job.

Wow, thanks for the unnecessary lectures on how someone lives their life. :confused:

[Ohioste]

Yes, I am one of the lucky ones to have a good job that I know will be there tomorrow. As are parents in law, whom are paying for the wedding.

Apparently they are that ready to get rid if their daughter, lol.

I have a really nice HTIB now and really am trying to get away from that. I'm someone that wants something really nice and the best way to do that is to buy each piece individually. I have a beautiful 5.1 Onkyo system that I'll probably sell or give away once I find something else.

Yes, I know this isn't a cheap endeavor, which is why I'm on slick deals asking for help!

[Fr8mvr]

Buy getting the Polk center, you would then look at Polk mains and surrounds too. So any choices from Polk Direct are not bad. I have R series speakers and the CSi25 center. If you go for the Csi A4 your next choice is to look at the Lsi7 or Lsi9 for mains and surrounds. Caution on a receiver choice. Lsi9s are 4 ohm and make sure that the receiver you choose can handle a 4 ohm load.
Good luck finding any deals on the Onkyo 606, I think new models should be coming out soon. You may want to look at the Denon AVR1909 also.

[Ohioste]

Yeah, I've noticed that the good receiver deals are few and far between right now. Not sure what I'm planning on doing. The CSI A4 is somewhat cheap from Polk right now. But I assume these wouldn't match up with RTI8's very well. Would they?

[stevenq]

Yes, I am one of the lucky ones to have a good job that I know will be there tomorrow. As are parents in law, whom are paying for the wedding.

Apparently they are that ready to get rid if their daughter, lol.

I have a really nice HTIB now and really am trying to get away from that. I'm someone that wants something really nice and the best way to do that is to buy each piece individually. I have a beautiful 5.1 Onkyo system that I'll probably sell or give away once I find something else.

Yes, I know this isn't a cheap endeavor, which is why I'm on slick deals asking for help!

Don't be so certain. We've got 3 more years of recession to go. Your job could end tomorrow, you never know. The unexpected will always happen when you least expect it.

I came across this system based on the T-amp: http://www.trendsaudio.com/ClassT.htm

It's a small amplifier with pre-amp built in. This model is going for around $180 each. You can buy two and drive 2 sets of speakers with them. If you look at the reviews, the sound quality of these little portable amps is on par with tube amplfiers (the really expensive ones that look like they were made in a science lab).

The only people interested in these things are the true audiophiles who demand the best in sound quality. I'd buy one and try it with your PC soundcard to see if the quality is any good. If you like, you can buy another. This would be a simple system, hook it up directly to the DVD player and away you go!

There's actually a much cheaper version of this little amp here: http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/t-amp_e.html and dozens more different versions based on the t-amp's 2024 chipset. You can find $90 versions on Fleabay if you choose to venture down that road. However, I would stick with the original Trends Audio version because he's added a lot of upgrades that make the unit's performance more consistent.