I just purchased some gear (on super sale - on the spot decision making) and need some help please:

Harman Kardon AVR645
Polk RTi10 front
Polk RTi10 rear
Polk Rti4 to complete 7.1
Polk Csi3 as center

Is the setup above okay? I picked up all the speakers brand new on clearance for c$1400 - seemed like too good a deal to pass up (I haven't hooked it all up yet as I need some cables and set up advice etc)

One of the pieces of advice needed: Can anyone recommend a decent subwoofer to go along with above?

Also, I read about Outlaw Mono Blocks here and there - will the receiver be able to handle the speakers or are additional amps necessary?

I just purchased some gear and need some help please:

Harman Kardon AVR645
Polk RTi10 front
Polk RTi10 rear
Polk Rti4 to complete 7.1
Polk Csi3 as center

Is the setup above okay? (I haven't hooked it all up yet)

Can anyone recommend a decent subwoofer to go along with above?

Also, I read about Outlaw Mono Blocks here and there - will the receiver be able to handle the speakers or are additional amps necessary?

Hi

You should set all of your speakers to Small, and redirect the bass to a subwoofer. You are much better of spending your money on a good subwoofer rather than spending your money on separate amps.

With a system like yours, a budget of $600-$700 for a subwoofer is appropriate. I can suggest the HSU VTF 2.3, the SVS PB12 NSD, the SVS 20-39PCi, or the Ed A5-350.

All the Best

Spyboy

Thank you so much - I appreciate your specifics. After all, I am a newbie and model specifics really help. I will check these out.

I was going to use the HK amp to auto set it self up with its microphone/ez setup - is that a bad idea? I thought it might do a better job than me _ I guess I will find out soon enough and/or play around. (the experts are probably laughing at me right now or cringing)

Razcal,

Spyboy's sub suggestions are sound...what's your budget, room dimensions w/connenting open space, etc.

The 645 a nice AVR and EZ/Set/EQ is pretty good, but you'll probably want to tweak one or more settings manually. The RTi10s dig into the mid 30s and so can be run large and you might want to depending on your sub choice (at least the fronts), but that's after you get setup and see what a quality sub can do. HK allows you multiple crossovers, so you should be able to tweak things to your liking. :).

Once your budget and room are set, take a look at craigsub's thread there's some gold in that 100+ thread.

Hsu, SVS, eD and now Epik are subs you should look at that can get you in the mid to top tier of subwoofage at a reasonable price.

Separate amps like the Outlaws will get you more performance out of the RTis. You can get great value by going used since amps last a long time and great deals can be had on older bulletproof products.

My front speakers are flat to 32 Hz. I have tried running them full range, and also tried them with an 80Hz crossover. The sound was no better with the speakers running full range.

I have a Citation 7.1 power amp, that puts out 425 X 2, and the difference was just barely audible between the $2,800 Citation, and my older Kenwood VR-6070, that puts out 92 X 6 with all channels driven.

I would not get a separate power amp. By using an 80Hz crossover, you will reduce the demands on your receivers amps by 66%.

Ron/Spyboy,

Thanks for reinforcing the choice on AVR - I did things backwards - the prices seemed right due to clearance, so I got the most I could based on my limited knowledge or what I thought were the best for the price instead of doing my research first and selecting choice components that way - didn't even know about this forum (shame on me as I usually research things to death) - in this case, there wasnt much time and it was all sparked on the day I bought my new 50" plasma.

Anyways, I have an option of two rooms:

1. main floor 19ft x 19ft x 8ft = 2888cubicft and there is an adjoining room of about the same size (just an open plan fireplace deadcentre about 10 feet long and 8 feet high separating the rooms)

2. basement 14ft x 14ft x 8ft = 1568cubicft (the area I would want to use for speaker placement) which is part of a larger room (open plan) of about the same size

Thanks for the advice on the amps. Spyboy, I assume you mean using the AVR's crossover and tuning it as such would reduce the load by that much?? That's huge!

I checked out the subs in more depth now - there's just so much choice. I am not one for ordering without physically seeing so I checked out the local bricks and mortar places in the meantime - they only carry different brands like klipsch, velo, polk, athena and energy - ofcourse, all different than those mentioned above. Decisions. Maybe I should just get the new SVS PB13ultra everyone is raving so much about and be done with it!