# Proposed HT Equipment List - Comments Please



## dfraleyl (Oct 14, 2010)

All,

I am planning on upgrading my HT this winter and I am hoping to get some comments on my proposed equipment list.

Based on multiple recommendations, my current plan is to use the following:

* Panasonic TC-P65VT25 65-inch 3D 1080p VIERA Plasma HDTV 
* Onkyo TX-NR5008 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver
* Polk Audio RTI A9 Floorstanding Speaker 
* Polk Audio CSI A6 Center Channel Speaker
* SV Sound PB12-Plus DSP
* Existing rear surrounds, Boston HS60s
* A Gaming PC as the Blue-Ray player (connected to the internet)
* The surround sound will initially be a 5.1 config, but may increase over time.

In reviewing prices I belive I can get the above for about $8K maybe a little more. As further info, the room is approximatley 13 (deep) x 17 (wide) with a really wide sectional couch across the back. The room is open on the wide sides to other areas of my basement. The floor is tile with a large floor rug on it and the walls are drywall. 

Does anybody have any comments or suggestions on the equipment list above? 

Thanks,

Dave


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Moving to HT recommendations since you're looking for feedback.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

$8k seems pretty step for the components you've selected, but my math could be off. Make sure you shop around.

I think you'll be happy with 5.1 with only 1 row of seating. With a tile floor and bare walls, you'll want to budget for some room treatments. Broadband absorption on the front wall would be a good start, you won't be able to do much with the sides, and you'll have to wait until you get everything setup to see what the bass control situation should be.

Gaming PC may be a little loud for an HT environment depending on the # of HDs and fans. You may need to do some silencing down the road.


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## jliedeka (May 27, 2008)

I think you'll be happy with the gear you selected. I'd consider having the viewing/listening position off the back wall. If possible, add some absorption to both the front and rear walls.

Jim


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## dfraleyl (Oct 14, 2010)

All,

Thank you for the comments and suggestions.

Marshall, thank you for moving this thread to the appropriate location for comments. In regards to the price, I'm working hard to get the price at or near $8K. The real killer is the TV which is about $3800. Add in another $3500 for speakers plus $1800 for the receiver and $8K is looking very suspect.

The treatments are mostly complete. In front of the couch I have a large (oriental) floor rug that covers all of the tile and the walls already are reasonably covered with paintings. I am looking into some cloth treatments to help cut down on reverberation.

Does anybody have any experience using the Onkyo 5007/8 with the Polk RTI A9's? All I read about the A9s is they are very power hungry. In researching this, it appears I could use two extra NR5008 amp channels (based on a 5.1 config) to bi-amplify the front speakers. I'm guessing this should satisfy the A9's power hunger.

Also, while the room is "small", being open on both sides increases the power requirements a lot. As the HT will be used primarily for movies, I am wondering if the sub is large enough. Does anybody have any experience with the SV PB12-Plus? While less $$$s is always good, I am wondering if I should upgrade to the larger PB13-Ultra. I've got my wife's buy in to upgrade the HT now, but if I misstep she would be very reluctant to support replacing something next year because I mis-calculated requirements.

Anyway, thanks to all that have responded and for your suggestions/comments. As an FYI, I have a couple of months before I will do anything on this, as currently I am deployed by the US Army to Afghanistan.

Dave


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## nholmes1 (Oct 7, 2010)

The A9's are power hungry and maybe a bit overkill for a room of your size, but there is nothing wrong with having a lot of headroom. What are you using the system for? Movies? Games? Music? You could take a step down to the a7 and save some money since the SVS will handle the low end more than adequately. I would step down so you could get a nice universal remote to make the system easy to use or the wife.


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## dfraleyl (Oct 14, 2010)

The system is primarily for movies and the goal is to build a killer (yet affordable) home theater system. 

The goal is to maximize sound-track reproduction as accurately possible, not necessarily loud, but accurate. Ideally I would like to get a home roughly system on par with an upscale theater. That is why I'm looking at the RTI A9s, Onkyo TX-NR5008 and SVS subwoofer. Over time I would like to figgure out how to a 7.1 or 9.1 sound system. The problem is speaker placement with my room configuration. 

Regarding the universal remote I had not thought of that idea, but like it. Do you have any suggestions? I also have multi-room audio system that it would be nice to tie into the remote if possible.

Dave


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## nholmes1 (Oct 7, 2010)

Don't get me wrong, the RTi A9 is a fantastic speaker, but its advantages over the A7 or A5 in a mostly movie/tv playback system would be wasted as you would be better off to unload the <50-80Hz reproduction to the excellent subwoofer choice you have made. This will free up the mains and receiver from having to reproduce frequencies the subwoofer is better at handling anyways. If we were talking about a decent amount of music playback I would go ahead with the A9's.

There are multiple options available these days for good universal remotes from the $100 to $1500 range, features and capabilities will determine the price, but get one with RF capabilities and a base station to make control reliable.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Also, you could Dowmgrade the AVR and go with an Emotiva amp to make sure you have plenty of clean power.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

> Polk Audio RTI A9 Floorstanding Speaker
> * Polk Audio CSI A6 Center Channel Speaker
> * SV Sound PB12-Plus DSP


For that much TBQH i think you can do better..

Sub - for around the 1000 dollar range consider a Rythmik 15 inch servo sub (for home theater the ported would be better) - if you want bass accuracy and clarity then the Rythmiks are tough to beat. Actually a pair of the rythmik 12s would be nice although getting a bit pricier. the SVS is nice but don't consider it to be your only option in that price range. A JTR Conquest would also be a sick choice although it would require a separate amp. There's also the elemental designs, Salk, Epik Empire, Seaton Submersive, RBH Sound, Aperion Bravus and HSU subwoofer offerings which are all very nice - so are SVS' but they're not the end-all-be-all. My personal recommendation is to definitely look into a pair of smaller subs rather than a single sub - it will give you better in-room bass response / accuracy - and EQ is always something to look into spending on.

What's your speaker budget, like 2500? I mean for that much I would personally buy different speakers, not the Polks. You're of course free to spend on what you want but with that kind of budget for just fronts, I'd definitely recommend looking into offerings from

brick and mortar brands:
-RBH MC-6CT
-DefTech Mythos
-Phase Technology DARTs (no idea how much these cost TBQH but they're supposed to kick all kinds of)
-Revel Concerta F12
-Usher (do they have anything in that general price range? I only know their amazing 400 dollar bookshelf and their mind blowing ultra high end stuff)

internet direct:
-Salk Song Tower QWT
-Aperion 6T
-Axiom M80
-SVS (funny how I just said that their sub shouldn't be your only option and here I am recommending their mains..lol)
-Ascend

I mean, i'm sure the 1600 dollar Polks aren't bad speakers, but my gut tells me they're not the best value and hey, IMO at least Polks are kind of generic. maybe I just don't like the name LOL.

Either find nearby dealers or read up on them for the internet direct brands I listed. 

And if used is an option, here's a ridiculously good deal on some ridiculously good speakers - although you would have to get a third one to use as a center... if you scroll down you'll see he's only asking 2200 for an amazing sub and two amazing fronts... if you live in the area at least since it's pickup only I'd definitely drive down there and take a listen

And yeah, I definitely second getting something like an Emotiva UPA-5 or better with a cheaper receiver... like a marantz SR5005 and a UPA-5 or something. Or even a dedicated processor instead of a receiver. On that note, the bi-amping you're thinking of is totally pointless - unless you've got an active crossover, and have disengaged the passive crossover, it's really just marketing.

The Panasonic looks like a veryyy nice TV... if your room allows it you can also consider direct projection, there's some great options out there, combined with a seymour AV screen. 

The gaming PC, well that's your call, but i do think an Oppo BDP-93 will probably be less of a hassle for your blu rays


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## brianhutchins (Apr 10, 2007)

You might be able to save a couple bucks and go with a bit less of a receiver. A little overkill for a 5.1 system. Nice though.


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## mandtra (Aug 30, 2010)

one thing you may want to look at is Ebay Polk direct is selling their top of the line Lsi 15's for *899.00 Pair and they sound great, and cost much less than what your looking at


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