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New member Username: Dmc1Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-05 | OK so here is the delema Youve heard it before but its a new year. Whats the best $300-400 HT to run my polk RM6010 speakers with a polk 202 sub. The room is about 15'x20' To get a head start on installation too. I would like to mount the speakers The plasma is wall mounted. Can I just put the front 3 speakers 2 over the corners of the TV and the center in the mid. Is that going to sound ok The 2 rears I wanted to mount up in the back corners near the ceiling. I could mount the 2 fronts up in the front corners too but thats more work, But I will do it its better. Please help |
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Silver Member Username: JohnnyMissouri Post Number: 531 Registered: Dec-03 | In that price range and for those speakers, I would look at Onkyo and HK. They both sound great with Polk. The Onkyo TX-SR502 retails for $269 and the HK AVR-135 retails for $369. However, both Onkyo and HK can usually be found even cheaper than that on the internet. Ecost.com has the Onkyo TX-SR501 refurbished for $169, the TX-SR602 refurbished for $270, the HK AVR-135 for $285 and the AVR-235 for $350. Check out the link below. Those are some great deals, and I think ecost offers free shipping, but don't quote me on that. http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecce/shop/category.asp?eStore=82332000&Category=83887 000 |
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New member Username: Dmc1Post Number: 4 Registered: Jan-05 | Thanks Johnny Is the HK a bit underpowered at 50W. My feeling is getting a better receiver cant really make my lower end speakers sound much better anyway right? What about my installation question |
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Bronze Member Username: Riches1Atlanta, GA US Post Number: 84 Registered: Apr-04 | I would add Denon 1803 to that list. It was just named as an editors choice by The Perfect Vision Magazine. My experience is that the Denon will give you a little better detail. Your original mounting proposal sounds good to me. |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | Also check out Harman Direct on eBay, they give you the full H/K warranty and reasonable shipping rates. If you bid wisely and well, you can come away with a very nice deal. |
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New member Username: Dmc1Post Number: 5 Registered: Jan-05 | sounds nice except the HK units (I think you mentioned av130) are lower in wattage. How will that impact the system. With the polk rm6005 speakers will a higher end receiver unit unit serve them better or woul;d the added cost be foolish thanks |
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Gold Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 1069 Registered: Dec-03 | In real world usage the H/K is far from underpowered. In fact it will blow away a similarly priced Denon,especially in multichannel mode. Besides that H/K matches better with Polk than Denon or Onkyo. That's what's really important as all these units have enough power for most any application. |
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Silver Member Username: KanoPost Number: 245 Registered: Oct-04 | Shop around for a good deal on the HK AVR 230, it is being roled over to the 235 and you may find a good deal. I've seen it as cheap as $300 (CAN) and is a good step up from the 130/135 feature wise. |
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New member Username: Dmc1Post Number: 6 Registered: Jan-05 | OK Im getting there. I think IM getting closer. Im Im looking avr135 or 235 or Onkyo 501,502 or 602 I would love to hear pros and cons for all of these. you guys are great |
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Silver Member Username: JohnnyMissouri Post Number: 532 Registered: Dec-03 | dc, Since you have it narrowed down, it is now going to come to personal preference/features. As Elitefan said, either of the HK models will likely have much more "realworld" power than the Onkyo's will, but for most people, that isn't a concern. HK and Onkyo have very different sounds, so like I said, it comes down to which sound you prefer. HK has a warmer sound, while in my opinion, Onkyo has a more neutral, open sound. Although Elitefan didn't like it, I used to have an Onkyo/Polk combo (still using parts of it in my bedroom) and I thought the combo worked well together. I enjoyed the sound very much...that isn't to say that you will though. It is all up to your ears. Good luck in your search, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!!! |
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New member Username: Dmc1Post Number: 7 Registered: Jan-05 | Kano mentions avr 230 what are the differences in avr 130,230,235? |
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Silver Member Username: Riches1Atlanta, GA US Post Number: 103 Registered: Apr-04 | Subjective (My Opinion and experience) Having owned the H/K 625 (and later the Onkyo 701) paired up with Polk RTI6's and RTI8's and then switching to Denon, I completely disagree with the comment that H/K matches up "better" with H/K. The Polk has a warm midrange and bass, and the H/K also has a warm and forward midrange. I found the combination of Polk H/K to lose transparency due to the excessive warmth to the point of becoming almost muddy. The Onkyo 701 provided a little more detail and transparency with the Polks, but the Denon did best of all. These comments are made from having the units in my living room (H/K 325 for 30 days, H/K 625 for 30 days, the Onkyo for over a year and the Denon 2805 for about 30 days). Objective: (Based on Data and Documentation) As far as H/K blowing Denon "out of the water" and whether H/K's have more "Watts per Channel" at the same price point as Denon is debatable. Both rate their power differently, and I have seen only one direct comparison posted on this forum, ostensibly from some Finnish Hi-Fi rag. I even went to the website, but that was meaningless since I don't read Finnish. The WPC controversy is a separate debate. I will state that producing 20Hz to 20KHz "continuously" with an audio signal never occurs in real world listening situations. It's artificial state that only occurs in the lab. Denon has cleaner power with better THD and S/N ratings at the same output. The Denon 3805 has 4 high quality power supplies with top-end caps and coils, and isolation of the individual circuit blocks, vs. two power supplies for the comparably priced H/K 630/635. Back to the Subjective (What does it all mean?) It doesn't mean squat. What counts is what you like. Some people prefer H/K over Denon or vice versa. I know from previous discussions that elitefan finds Denon "bright and thin". I find Denon neutral. I read a while back in a receiver review on H/K a comment that said "one man's revealing may be another man's bright". Look, if any of this stuff was crap, they would be selling it Wal Mart. If you buy a Denon or Onkyo or H/K, or NAD or Pioneer or Yamaha, you will get a well made receiver, especially if it is rated 100WPC. That seems to be where all the manufacturers have a model, and it is the most hotly contested market in Home Theater. Find what works for you and enjoy. |
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Gold Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 1076 Registered: Dec-03 | I too have owned Polks and never found them "warm" at all. I liked them very much and wish I had my old RTi25's back but warm, no way. You see, Riches1 and I hear things about as differently as two people can and we just fundamentaly disagree on what sounds best. That's why his point about none of this stuff being crap is so correct. Since we do hear things so differently we have all these various brands with their own characteristics to choose from. If Denon was all there was I would be very unhappy and likewise if Elite was all Riches1 would be unhappy. Luckily we can disagree and still be happy. BTW, anytime anyone wants to slam WalMart please feel free. They are doing a bang up job leading us to the bottom. |
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Silver Member Username: Riches1Atlanta, GA US Post Number: 106 Registered: Apr-04 | Note I was talking about the Midrange and bass on the Polks being warm. The tweeter really has some zing to it and can be quite edgy,even a little harsh, especially for a soft dome tweeter. |
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Silver Member Username: Riches1Atlanta, GA US Post Number: 108 Registered: Apr-04 | Also, I think there was a difference in the RTi25's and the RTi6/i8. I think that when the RTi25's were around, Polk was still building speakers instead of just marketing them. Now days, Polk just specs stuff out to the giant speaker factory in China that builds about 90% of the speakers on the market today. That's another good reason to buy Axiom (designed and assembled in Canada) or Paradigm (Everything done in Canada). Besides, both are great speakers and probably the best speakers for the money at any price point. |
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Gold Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 1080 Registered: Dec-03 | You are right about the RTi25's and the new models. The RTi4 and 6 don't come close to the 25's as far as I am concerned. The 25's were my favorite Polk speaker ever and for the price an absolute steal. I got mine on sale for $198. I let a friend have them to complete his Polk system as they were no longer available and he needed them more than I did. I do miss them in the kitchen though. Kind of a broad statement about the Axioms and Paradigms. There are so many fine speakers that it's hard to say whats best but the Paradigm Atoms especially are incredible for under $200 a pair. |
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Silver Member Username: Riches1Atlanta, GA US Post Number: 109 Registered: Apr-04 | yeh, it was a broad statement. Maybe better to say that Paradigms and Axioms are great values at the respective price points. For $200 a pair, the Atoms are hard to beat. Ditto the Axiom M22ti at $400 a pair. |