i'm getting ready to upgrade to surround sound and would like to use my 2 existing speakers (polk audio sda 2a). they are 10+ years old but in great shape. they have the interconnect cable between the 2 speakers for "true stereo" that reportedly eliminates crosstalk distortion. can i use these as my left and right front speakers with a surround sound system, and purchase only the subwoofer, center, and 2 side speakers? if so, what would you match-up with these? they are 39 1/2" high and weigh 65 lbs. each, but i don't know any of their technical specifications (are these suppose to be "bright" or "warm"?)
the room they will be in is a "great room" 16' by 19' with a high slanted cathedral-type ceiling, and it opens up into the kitchen and breakfast nook behind it. also, the fireplace is in the center of the facing wall where the stereo and center speaker would ideally be. so everything in the front will have to be skewed a little to the left of the fireplace.
i will use the system for movies and music, but mostly music (about 90/10). i don't listen at extreme levels but occasionally i crank it up a little. for music, should all 5 speakers be the same, rather than 2 smaller surround speakers in the rear?
i'm very excited about the new sacd & dvd-a formats and plan to get a new receiver & universal player (i already have several discs but can't play them - getting itchy). i would like the receiver & player to also match up with the polks and each other (i like what i've read about the denon avr-2805 & 3805, and dvd-2900). would this be a good match?
First, I have a Denon DVD-2900 and it has had much use on all formats for several months. It has performed brilliantly. The new 2910 or 3910 should be excellent especially the latter with variable crossover points.
For the best surround sound setup, it is preferable to match your speakers ie. keep to the same brand if possible (the sub doesn't matter so much). This keeps things sonically smooth. Although I don't know if this remains so when speakers are 10+ yrs old - best to contact the manufacturer for advice.
For SACD it is recommended to have 5 full range speakers but this can be a financial burden and very few have this setup. I have smaller rears and center - and the sound is excellent using our Marantz Sr-7300 receiver. But don't go too small with the surrounds as they must be set to the same loudness levels for the hi-rez formats.
I would not consider Denon with the Polks, The Denon receiver range can be a little thin sounding and matched with the bright Polks may cause a little listener fatigue. Marantz, H/K, Nad or Elite might be better better choice. I'd ask this question on the 'Receivers' thread and you should get some more 'expert' advice. And you are in for a treat with DVD-A and SACD. Hope this helps a little.
thanks myrantz for the help. i'll check out some other receivers. also, after i thought about it, my polk speakers are probably 15-20 years old. i had them put away for about 5 years. ron p.
can i use these as my left and right front speakers with a surround sound system, and purchase only the subwoofer, center, and 2 side speakers?
I think the answer is a clear "yes". In fact you may not really need a sub-woofer with large main speakers; the receiver or player will be able to give them the content of the channel intended for a sub-woofer, and this can be just as good in many cases. You can always add a sub later, if you think you are missing something.