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Topic: Building New System (Read 6457 times) previous topic - next topic
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Building New System

Hi all, New to the forum and looking forward to some great information from some experts! 

We are beginning the process of building our home stereo system, and have about $500 to spend for "Phase I."  At this point we simply want two main speakers, and something to drive them.  Newegg has Polk Monitor 70s on sale for $359/pr.  I was thinking I could buy those, and with the remaining $140, find something inexpensive to push them until "Phase II" (more channels, better receiver) 

Does this seem like a wise idea?  If so, any suggestions on what to purchase to push them?  How much power would be ideal?

Thanks a bunch!

Building New System

Reply #1 –
Spending about 2/3 of your budget on speakers sounds about right. That is the only part of the system that actually has a significant impact on the sound.

Building New System

Reply #2 –
Quote from: p99 on
We are beginning the process of building our home stereo system, and have about $500 to spend for "Phase I."  At this point we simply want two main speakers, and something to drive them.  Newegg has Polk Monitor 70s on sale for $359/pr.  I was thinking I could buy those, and with the remaining $140, find something inexpensive to push them until "Phase II" (more channels, better receiver) 

Does this seem like a wise idea?  If so, any suggestions on what to purchase to push them?  How much power would be ideal?

Perhaps. There are a number of benefits to putting the power amplifiers in the speakers and it can also make a tidier package without a receiver. Whether this is attractive or viable will depend on what you want and where you want to go.

An example for home audio:

http://www.audioengineusa.com/a5_home.php

Examples for professional audio (nearly everything works like this now):

http://www.thomann.de/gb/studio_monitors.html

If you do opt for passive speakers then the speaker specification will give a recommended power range for the amplifier/receiver.

Building New System

Reply #3 –
I don't think that especially for a (future) multichannel home theater, active speakers' benefits outweigh the benefit of a receiver/speaker combo. You're pretty much doubling the speaker cabling, and you miss all the receiver's decoding and processing features.

Building New System

Reply #4 –
Quote from: p99 on
We are beginning the process of building our home stereo system, and have about $500 to spend for "Phase I."  At this point we simply want two main speakers, and something to drive them.  Newegg has Polk Monitor 70s on sale for $359/pr.  I was thinking I could buy those, and with the remaining $140, find something inexpensive to push them until "Phase II" (more channels, better receiver)


Quote
When you say "better receiver" that implies you already have something. If so, what is it?


Polk Monitor 70s don't seem to be well-documented on Polk's site.

http://www.polkaudio.com/downloads/manuals...itor_Manual.pdf

doesn't say a lot.


The Monitor 70 appear to be an earlier version of the Tsi 500 which look  pretty credible on paper and are pretty efficient (90 dB/w). Any reasonable receiver should be fine for them. 

Comparing these to the little Audio Engine mini-monitors is IMO not very reasonable.  This speaker looks like it could do well in a good-sized, well-padded room.  Something about far more than 4 times the woofer cone area...

Building New System

Reply #5 –
I agree that most of your budget should go to speakers.  Those look like nice speakers, and Polk has  a good reputation,  But as always, I recommend that you listen to them in a store (if possible) before buying/ordering.

For the future, keep in mind that surround speakers are supposed to be "matched", especially the center channel (mine are not).  If Polk makes "similar" center & rear speakers, you can add these later.  Otherwise, you might end-up buying 3 pair of Polk 70s, or you might end-up with something mis-matched.  And, think about placement & esthetics....  A tower-speaker (or two) as a center-channel speaker might be an issue...

Quote
If so, any suggestions on what to purchase to push them? How much power would be ideal?
You shouldn't hear any audio-quality differences with different receivers.  And, power shouldn't be an issue either.  Receivers with 100W per channel are common (and cheap), and that should be more than enough power for the average home setup.  So, look at things like the number & type of inputs, features, build quality, etc.  Don't worry about the "technical specs".

If you add a subwoofer later, it will probably be "powered" (have it's own amp built-in), and this is where you mostly need power anyway.

Consider getting a 5.1 channel receiver now.  It shouldn't cost that much more than a stereo receiver and, of course you you'll save money in the long run since you won't be buying 2 receivers.

Building New System

Reply #6 –
Thanks to everyone for the replies so far!  I found 2 receivers that are in my price range.  Would either of these be better than the other? 

Sony STR-DH500 http://bit.ly/4wONn6
Pioneer VSX-519V-K http://bit.ly/7TjugE

Should I look for some used equipment instead and try to save a little cash?

For example, used Onkyo TX-SR604 http://cleveland.craigslist.org/ele/1467486587.html
if I can talk down to $200 or so. 

Thanks again for all the great advice so far!

Building New System

Reply #7 –
Quote from: p99 on
Thanks to everyone for the replies so far!  I found 2 receivers that are in my price range.  Would either of these be better than the other? 

Sony STR-DH500 http://bit.ly/4wONn6
Pioneer VSX-519V-K http://bit.ly/7TjugE



The Pioneer seems to have more goozintas.

Quote
Should I look for some used equipment instead and try to save a little cash?

For example, used Onkyo TX-SR604 http://cleveland.craigslist.org/ele/1467486587.html
if I can talk down to $200 or so.


I don't know why someone would pay more for a used Onkyo than a brand new, warranteed Sony or Pioneer.

Building New System

Reply #8 –
Quote from: DVDdoug on
For the future, keep in mind that surround speakers are supposed to be "matched", especially the center channel (mine are not).  If Polk makes "similar" center & rear speakers, you can add these later.  Otherwise, you might end-up buying 3 pair of Polk 70s, or you might end-up with something mis-matched.  And, think about placement & esthetics....  A tower-speaker (or two) as a center-channel speaker might be an issue...

I don't think timbre-matching is as important now as it was before, with most modern receivers (like the Pioneer 519 the OP's considering) having some sort of room correction. My Pioneer VSX-01 does a great job at matching my pair of electrostats with a smallish Definitive Tech center speaker, and also to the Def Tech 350 surrounds.

Building New System

Reply #9 –
BTW, I haven't tried Sony receivers, but I've tried Onkyo 606 (OK) and Harman Kardon AVR254 (horrible software, OK hardware), and lastly my Pioneer, which I like the most. The Pio 519 you're considering looks great, especially since it already has HDMI audio, which most receivers in its price range, up to last year didn't have. MCACC room correction works great for matching the speakers too.

Building New System

Reply #10 –
I have a few of pairs of Polk Audio speakers.  A couple of sets I bought 5 years ago for my surround system.  The other pair I bought 11 years ago which I now use for my stereo setup.  11 years ago when I was speaker shopping, no matter what I compared against, Polk always came out front regarding the crispness and fullness of the sound.  They do, however, require a dedicated subwoofer to fill out the bottom end.

So I think Polk Audio is a good choice for a set of speakers.  Though, as others have said, it's best if you can audition them in a store and compare them to other speakers.  Even with this though, they will sound different in your environment.  Just make sure you order with the option to return no-questions-asked.

As far as a receiver goes, I have a Yamaha home theater receiver that is great.  My brother has a couple of Yamaha receivers he's bought throughout the years and he loves them too.  BTW, he also has a Polk speaker setup that sounds great. 

You might expand your receiver search to include Yamaha.

Building New System

Reply #11 –
Why does there need to be a center channel with surround sound?  Can't the 2 font speakers create a phantom image centered in the middle?

Building New System

Reply #13 –
I hear a lot of HDMI handshake troubles with Yamahas though, including the idiotic problem of some HDMI ports working better than others for particular HDMI components.

Just realized, the specs on Newegg for the 519 might be wrong, it doesn't seem to offer MCACC. I would recommend a receiver with some sort of room correction. I think you can still find cheap enough ones.

Building New System

Reply #14 –
Quote from: DVDdoug on
I agree that most of your budget should go to speakers.  Those look like nice speakers, and Polk has  a good reputation,  But as always, I recommend that you listen to them in a store (if possible) before buying/ordering.


I'm going to jump on my soapbox and rant against the oft-heard and generally accepted wisdom that speakers should be listened to in a store before purchasing.

If you move your speakers from room to room in your house or someone else's house, you'll find that their sound is profoundly affected by the room. I would even say that in many cases, the better the speakers, the more they are affected by the room.

One reason I say this is because if a speaker has a glaring sonic fault, its going to attract your attention in just about any room. But if the speaker has no glaring faults, then the effects of the room on the speaker are going to come to the forefront.

An exception to this effect comes when speakers have well-controlled (relatively narrow) dispersion. Speakers with this design feature tend more to isolate their sound from that of the room.

Bottom line, basing a buying decision on your perceptions of sound quality based on listening in a different room than your room can be a big mistake.

Hi fi showrooms are often among the rooms in the world that are most different from your listening room than any others that you will ever see. They are generally larger, they are often lined with equipment shelves on up to 3 sides, They often have drop ceilings, and they usually have no openings but the door you enter by if there is one. Or, in big box stores, there is often no third wall at all.  I don't know about you, but I've never had a listening room like any of these.

An anecdote: A while back I decided, based on reviews, my budget and some personal recommendations, that I wanted to buy a pair of NHT 2.5i speakers. The in-store demo was horrific. I bought them anyway and they sounded great in my room.

Since then I have taken the approach that if the speakers didn't sound the way I wanted them to, I get out a good eq (4+ band parametric or 30 band graphic) and whip those puppies into shape.

If this fails, there's usually some really bad misunderstanding between the room and the speakers. Some marriages should never be.

I now basically buy speakers based on personal recommendations and reviews. I make a point of *never* listening to them until I get them "home".
 

Building New System

Reply #15 –
Quote from: p99 on
Thanks to everyone for the replies so far!  I found 2 receivers that are in my price range.  Would either of these be better than the other? 

Sony STR-DH500 http://bit.ly/4wONn6
Pioneer VSX-519V-K http://bit.ly/7TjugE


I just bought this Pioneer for my computer audio setup, replacing a 5 year old dead Onkyo. Like the digital inputs. The headphone output is dead quiet, unlike the previous receiver. I got it for 170 on Amazon. Go for it.