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This bundle centers on strong RC-70 floor speakers paired with an Onkyo RZ70 that brings Dirac Live and plenty of channel support for a serious home theater. The speakers are described as a clear step up from RC-10s and capable of impressive sound, especially when crossed over to a sub and set to small. The RZ70 is also viewed as the safer receiver choice for demanding setups and higher listening levels. The main caveat is value, since the package looks overpriced if you do not need 11 channels, and the RC-70 upgrade matters less for moderate music or movie listening.
Home theater builders using a subwoofer, because setting the speakers to small with an 80 Hz crossover cleans up mids and reduces distortion at higher levels.
Room-correction tinkerers who want to tune bass integration, because proper crossover setup and Dirac-style calibration can make the system sound cleaner and more effortless.
Movie watchers who want a strong center-focused upgrade, because the center channel carries most dialogue and the towers add little audible change in films.
Two-channel music listeners who already have capable towers and listen at moderate levels, because the RC70s may not sound much better than the RC10s with a good sub.
Listeners chasing effortless reference-level output in a large open room, because the towers can roll off low and may need a very large sub to keep bass punchy.
Set the RC-70s to small and use a 60-80 Hz crossover for home theater. That offloads deep bass to the sub, reduces distortion and power demand, and usually improves clarity and headroom.
If you do not need 11 channels, the bundle is poor value because most of the price is tied up in the AVR. The speakers-only package at $799 is the better buy, and a TX-RZ30 has been available around $700 with most of the same features.
For movies and moderate-volume music, the RC-70s are not a dramatic audible upgrade over RC-10s when a good sub like an SVS PB12 is already in the system. The center channel carries most movie dialogue, so that upgrade is usually more audible than swapping the front towers.
They can work in direct 2.0 listening for music if you do not play very loud and the speakers reach low enough for your taste. The RC-70s still roll off in the low bass, so adding a sub and crossing over around 70-80 Hz is the cleaner long-term setup.
Yes, the TX-NR747 should easily drive these speakers for normal use. If you already have a decent subwoofer and do not need new AVR features, the older receiver is enough.
So I am interested to know why you would want full towers set to small?
if you set your towers to small and cross over at the recommended 80hz (or even a bit lower, maybe 60hz), your woofers can concentrate on mid-bass and upper bass regions (which will be kept tight and punchy without all the lower bass and sub bass signal) and then the sub can concentrate on what it does best (15-100hz) which is relatively non-positional. not only does it keep frequency response cleaner on your towers, lowering distortions and improving transient response, it also keeps them significantly more efficient because it takes way more power to make those lower bass frequencies than it does the high ones, this enables you to get somewhat more volume, lower distortion, keep transients faster, and overall integrates way better so you don't get bass frequency overlap with the sub.
I am currently running my rc-70's as large in a 2.0 configuration on my rz30 and I can't WAIT to get a sub. the low frequency rolloff on these speakers is pretty real - they're also ported so they tend to be a bit more boomy at the bottom... they CAN hit about 35hz, but the bottom tends to lack detail and I can hear it strain... I'm absolutely certain that adding a sub and crossing over at 70 or 80 is totally the move here and i'm working on making that happen. it's NOT just about the input power pushing to make those low notes, it's about the speakers design spec and driver behavior. if you have to push your drivers to do what you want in a particular frequency range, you're doing it wrong and you usually end up with distortion or boominess.
my current issue with a subwoofer is that my living room is part of an open floor plan with my kitchen, a stairway down to my basement (all open), and a short hallway upstairs so there's no way to pressurize it which means i'll need something really big if I want reference levels of bass in my room. thinking about maybe doing an 18" martysub but i'm still researching.
my current issue with a subwoofer is that my living room is part of an open floor plan with my kitchen, a stairway down to my basement (all open), and a short hallway upstairs so there's no way to pressurize it which means i'll need something really big if I want reference levels of bass in my room. thinking about maybe doing an 18" martysub but i'm still researching.
You might want to consider building or buying a mid-bass module nearfield and/or bass shakers as well. Hsu used to make an MBM but it's discontinued now, though the ULS-15 has an "MBM mode" and I think that one or two of the Rythmik subs also have an "MBM mode."
However, depending on your bass experience and expectations, a single 15" ported sub like a Hsu TN-1 or VTF-3 might already be enough, especially if corner loading works in your space. That would likely be the easiest most direct route. Or a pair of robust 12" ported subs, e.g. RSL 12s or Hsu VTF-2.
Last edited by Zorba1446 August 18, 2026 at 03:57 PM.
Tough question since there are so many options and factors to consider.
Upon saying that since you're new.
A very safe and budget friendly options.
I would suggest looking into are RSL & Starke, in that order.
Safest bet would probably be RSL's 10s MKii.
Its size makes it more versatile for optimal placement with good performance.
For a large environment, their 12s might be worth the extra $300.
They have good CS & return policy just in case you're not happy(very unlikely).
There are many other overall better options but would be more for people after specific performance, preference & expectations. That does come at a price though.
I bought the $800 speaker deal and rsl 10s mkii. Im having a problem finding a good deal on a receiver. I've seen advice to buy a used $200-300 receiver, which I've found quite a few options, but a buddy of mine said it's a crapshoot knowing if it's still good and to just go new.
I doubt I'll need anything more than a 7.2. What would you go with around a $700-800 price point?
I bought the $800 speaker deal and rsl 10s mkii. Im having a problem finding a good deal on a receiver. I've seen advice to buy a used $200-300 receiver, which I've found quite a few options, but a buddy of mine said it's a crapshoot knowing if it's still good and to just go new. I doubt I'll need anything more than a 7.2. What would you go with around a $700-800 price point?
With so many switching over to soundbars, you can run into really good deals with used.
Just looking in here you see how many people still recommend 5 year options like Onkyo's 7100, RZ50!
All you need is finding one with features you need.
A main reason those 5 year old units are still recommended is Dirac room correction.
A plus for Denon units is you get the game changing option for their room correction(Audyssey) called A1EVO.
It basically gives you the performance of the Dirac that's included in those two units for free!
There are many iterations, the easiest would be Express version.
I bought the $800 speaker deal and rsl 10s mkii. Im having a problem finding a good deal on a receiver. I've seen advice to buy a used $200-300 receiver, which I've found quite a few options, but a buddy of mine said it's a crapshoot knowing if it's still good and to just go new.
I doubt I'll need anything more than a 7.2. What would you go with around a $700-800 price point?
I bought an onkyo rz30 that was a recent deal here. I think it was $800 iirc and I like it a lot. 7.2 includes a full dirac live license which is pretty fantastic, sounds good... it's 9.2 channels which should work out great for my end game (5.1.4), for now i'm running it as 2.0 until I can move around my room and get speaker stands and such.
You might want to consider building or buying a mid-bass module nearfield and/or bass shakers as well. Hsu used to make an MBM but it's discontinued now, though the ULS-15 has an "MBM mode" and I think that one or two of the Rythmik subs also have an "MBM mode."
However, depending on your bass experience and expectations, a single 15" ported sub like a Hsu TN-1 or VTF-3 might already be enough, especially if corner loading works in your space. That would likely be the easiest most direct route. Or a pair of robust 12" ported subs, e.g. RSL 12s or Hsu VTF-2.
i've thought about doing some bass shakers later on but those are really for like ~10-16hz for tactile bass. that'll come later. for now i'm looking in the 15-18" sub range. I don't really have a lot of space to go with 2 subs, I'd like to do a single large-ish sub which is why i was looking at the martysub. I don't really need more upper bass or mid-bass than my rc-70's can put out (they're honesty fine down to 40hz but the falloff is hard after that). because of my open floor plan, I'm not sure the rsl 12s is going to move enough air to get me to infrasonics with punch. the hsu-vtf-3 has come up in my research a few times, and I do like it, but i'm not sure if it'll quite be enough up to home reference volumes and down to under 18 or so. I'm still looking around. meanwhile something like a mini marty or the like is looking better and better... I don't really mind diy if I can get significantly more value out of it, but also I don't have any wood cutting gear so I can't easily do a full custom fab... flat pack, though overpriced, may provide what i'm looking for.
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Community Reviews
This bundle centers on strong RC-70 floor speakers paired with an Onkyo RZ70 that brings Dirac Live and plenty of channel support for a serious home theater. The speakers are described as a clear step up from RC-10s and capable of impressive sound, especially when crossed over to a sub and set to small. The RZ70 is also viewed as the safer receiver choice for demanding setups and higher listening levels. The main caveat is value, since the package looks overpriced if you do not need 11 channels, and the RC-70 upgrade matters less for moderate music or movie listening.
Common Questions (5)
Set the RC-70s to small and use a 60-80 Hz crossover for home theater. That offloads deep bass to the sub, reduces distortion and power demand, and usually improves clarity and headroom.
If you do not need 11 channels, the bundle is poor value because most of the price is tied up in the AVR. The speakers-only package at $799 is the better buy, and a TX-RZ30 has been available around $700 with most of the same features.
For movies and moderate-volume music, the RC-70s are not a dramatic audible upgrade over RC-10s when a good sub like an SVS PB12 is already in the system. The center channel carries most movie dialogue, so that upgrade is usually more audible than swapping the front towers.
They can work in direct 2.0 listening for music if you do not play very loud and the speakers reach low enough for your taste. The RC-70s still roll off in the low bass, so adding a sub and crossing over around 70-80 Hz is the cleaner long-term setup.
Yes, the TX-NR747 should easily drive these speakers for normal use. If you already have a decent subwoofer and do not need new AVR features, the older receiver is enough.
AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated ago
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I am currently running my rc-70's as large in a 2.0 configuration on my rz30 and I can't WAIT to get a sub. the low frequency rolloff on these speakers is pretty real - they're also ported so they tend to be a bit more boomy at the bottom... they CAN hit about 35hz, but the bottom tends to lack detail and I can hear it strain... I'm absolutely certain that adding a sub and crossing over at 70 or 80 is totally the move here and i'm working on making that happen. it's NOT just about the input power pushing to make those low notes, it's about the speakers design spec and driver behavior. if you have to push your drivers to do what you want in a particular frequency range, you're doing it wrong and you usually end up with distortion or boominess.
my current issue with a subwoofer is that my living room is part of an open floor plan with my kitchen, a stairway down to my basement (all open), and a short hallway upstairs so there's no way to pressurize it which means i'll need something really big if I want reference levels of bass in my room. thinking about maybe doing an 18" martysub but i'm still researching.
However, depending on your bass experience and expectations, a single 15" ported sub like a Hsu TN-1 or VTF-3 might already be enough, especially if corner loading works in your space. That would likely be the easiest most direct route. Or a pair of robust 12" ported subs, e.g. RSL 12s or Hsu VTF-2.
Tough question since there are so many options and factors to consider.
Upon saying that since you're new.
A very safe and budget friendly options.
I would suggest looking into are RSL & Starke, in that order.
Safest bet would probably be RSL's 10s MKii.
Its size makes it more versatile for optimal placement with good performance.
For a large environment, their 12s might be worth the extra $300.
They have good CS & return policy just in case you're not happy(very unlikely).
There are many other overall better options but would be more for people after specific performance, preference & expectations. That does come at a price though.
I doubt I'll need anything more than a 7.2. What would you go with around a $700-800 price point?
Just looking in here you see how many people still recommend 5 year options like Onkyo's 7100, RZ50!
All you need is finding one with features you need.
A main reason those 5 year old units are still recommended is Dirac room correction.
A plus for Denon units is you get the game changing option for their room correction(Audyssey) called A1EVO.
It basically gives you the performance of the Dirac that's included in those two units for free!
There are many iterations, the easiest would be Express version.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fN5cH_T
I doubt I'll need anything more than a 7.2. What would you go with around a $700-800 price point?
However, depending on your bass experience and expectations, a single 15" ported sub like a Hsu TN-1 or VTF-3 might already be enough, especially if corner loading works in your space. That would likely be the easiest most direct route. Or a pair of robust 12" ported subs, e.g. RSL 12s or Hsu VTF-2.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!