# Adding power to my system?



## Hjort (Jun 10, 2011)

I have 2 polk audio tsi100's,1 polk cs10(Center),a psw125(sub),all run by a Denon AVR-791 reciever. I am trying to decide between the polk tsi300 and polk tsi500 floor speakers for my front channels.I really want to add the tsi500 but my main question is will my reciever be able to power all these speakers? And if not is there any way to add more power without replacing the reciever? I am planning on using them all for home theater and music. Thanks for any help anyone might have!


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

The speakers in Pollk's TSi Series are all 8 ohm and reasonably efficient. Unfortunately your AVR-791 does not have pre-outs so you cannot easily add an outboard amp, well it's not that hard but it's not ideal either. OTOH, I don't think your Denon will have any trouble driving the Polk speakers you are looking at.


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## Hjort (Jun 10, 2011)

Ok thanks for the info. I bought the receiver hoping to improve my RCA speakers that I already had but was not pleased with the results. Now I wish I had purchased a different receiver do you have any recommendations for my next receiver upgrade? I spent about $400 on the denon but I really want something that will last a while. I would like to spend around $1000-$1500 or so on my next one but I'm not really even sure what brand to get. I bought the denon for the name and the fact that it had the video passthrough. Any advice would really help because I am really new to this. Thanks again!


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Nothing at all wrong with your Denon. I'm rather partial to them myself, I own an older 3805. For the last few years Onkyo receivers have been providing a lot of bang for the buck. If I were to upgrade today I'd seriously consider something like this factory reconditioned Onkyo TX-NR5008


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## Hjort (Jun 10, 2011)

Wow that looks really good! I will keep it in mind and start saving up! Thanks again for your help!


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

I would also say that unless your receiver is woefully deficient (which your Denon is definitely NOT) you should enjoy a huge improvement in sound with a $1000 - $1500 speaker upgrade vs. a new receiver.


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## Hjort (Jun 10, 2011)

That's what I'm hoping with the Polk speakers. I really like the sound of the tsi100's combined with the sub. And if I can get the tsi500's I hope it will be that much better! But I was worried because the 500's have 4 speakers each where as the 100's only have 1 (woofer) I don't know if that matters (power wise). Right now I am using the 100's as my front channels along with the center and the woofer but for my rear 2 channels I am using my older RCA speakers. My plan is to move the 100's to the rear once I get the 500's.the receiver can handle 7.1 setup but I am only using a 5.1 setup. Also the RCA speakers are 6 ohms, is that bad for the receiver?


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## Superior Audio (Feb 27, 2008)

No worries for 6ohm speakers.


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## Hjort (Jun 10, 2011)

Ok thanks


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

I'll second the notion that the OP's receiver shouldn't have any problem driving the TSi line -- I own speakers from the step up line, the RTi12's, and I'm driving these monsters with an Onkyo 605. Nowhere near the ideal kind of power for these towers, but due to their 8ohm nominal rating and relatively average sensitivity (90dB), my AVR doesn't really have an "issue" making these sing a bit. Would external amplification help and wake these up? So I'm told, and I bet it would -- but in the case of the TSi's, I don't think they should have a problem, at all, being driven by your Denon AVR...:T


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## Hjort (Jun 10, 2011)

Yes! For some reason the audacity mic set all my speaker levels to -6 or -8. I turned the levels up to +1 and there was a huge improvement and more room (up to +12) to go! I have not purchased the new speakers yet but I am sure that my Denon will be just fine! Thanks everyone! And I will have to look into the Rti series I didn't see them on the site when I was looking the other day but I'm going back there now! Thanks again!


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Hjort said:


> Yes! For some reason the audacity mic set all my speaker levels to -6 or -8. I turned the levels up to +1 and there was a huge improvement and more room (up to +12) to go! I have not purchased the new speakers yet but I am sure that my Denon will be just fine! Thanks everyone! And I will have to look into the Rti series I didn't see them on the site when I was looking the other day but I'm going back there now! Thanks again!


What part of NY are you in?

And, just for clarification so you can reference it more accurately next time, it's "Audyssey" in terms of the setup system and mic...:T

As for the calibration "trim levels" which you're talking about above, the Onkyo receivers, like your Denon, go up to a maximum of "12dB" for each speaker/channel -- but just because that's available, you don't want to be near those maximum marks because it's just not how a system should be calibrated; at that dB point, there is going to be distortion introduced, and you just don't want that. 

I know exactly what you mean with regard to the "-dB" range in the speaker settings when Audyssey set your stuff up and how that equated to "lower volume" when you played a film or music back -- Audyssey is setting your levels based on a "reference point" so those "-dB" numbers are adjusted for the listening position you sit at, relative to your other speakers. I, too, don't care for very "low" -dB channel trims, so I have adjusted my system according to taste, but trying to balance everything out as best I could from my sweet spot. All my channel trims are in the "+dB" range, but none of them are near "+12dB" -- don't set any of your channels there.

Now, with regard to the Polks -- yeah, I was advised by Polk's customer support that the RTi line (now called the "RTi A") is much superior in every way to the old Monitors or TSi line; while I don't have enough juice from my current receiver to "properly" power the RTi12 towers (the largest in the series, replaced by the "RTi A9"s), I couldn't pass on the deal I got these speakers for because they were being cleared out for the new RTi As...and, I figured I could always upgrade my amplification down the road being that I'll have speakers that can hold 500 watts RMS each.

If you can swing a pair of the new RTi A's -- or find a pair of previous generation RTi's -- look into them.


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## Hjort (Jun 10, 2011)

Hahah yes sorry I typed that last reply from my iphone and it auto corrected my spelling. Im in upstate NY in Oneida (near Syracuse). I saw the Rti series just now and they do look better than the Tsi. The main difference that I see is that they actually have small woofers instead of mid/woofers? the A9 is a bit out of my price range but the A7 looks pretty good. Do you think that the A7 would be alot better than the Tsi500? I mean worth the extra $$? I already have a 12 inch sub as well, do you think I would be able to notice the difference in lows by adding the A7 as opposed to the Tsi500?


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Hjort said:


> Hahah yes sorry I typed that last reply from my iphone and it auto corrected my spelling. Im in upstate NY in Oneida (near Syracuse). I saw the Rti series just now and they do look better than the Tsi. The main difference that I see is that they actually have small woofers instead of mid/woofers? the A9 is a bit out of my price range but the A7 looks pretty good. Do you think that the A7 would be alot better than the Tsi500? I mean worth the extra $$? I already have a 12 inch sub as well, do you think I would be able to notice the difference in lows by adding the A7 as opposed to the Tsi500?


Well, it's more than the RTi's "looking" better than the TSi's -- from what I was told by Polk themselves, if someone is considering the RTi/RTi A series, they really shouldn't be looking "backwards" at the TSi...

Wish I could be of more help. :huh:


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