Okay, I'm currently setting up a home theater system and i was wondering if there was such a setup that could do gaming, music, and movies relatively well?

My current setup is as follows(the speakers haven't come in yet):
TV: 32' JVC 720p capable(i know its not 1080p but its a big step up from SD)
Gaming Consoles: PS3 and non-hdmi Xbox 360(using component cables for it)
HDTV capable settop box from Comcast
Reciever: Onkyo TX-SR605
Mains: Polk Audio R50s
Rear: Polk Audio R150s
Center:Polk Audio CSi3
Subwoofer: None yet, but looking at a Bic H-100 seeing as i've heard alot of good from them

Whew, thats about it. If this is the wrong section to post this in, please move it to the right one. Thanks for any future help.

I'm not completely sure what you're asking, although it sounds like the system you have would be fine for movies, music and gaming. I would say that a subwoofer is a must though. There are lots of options out there for subs. Depending on your budget, the Bic is a popular choice. But if you're willing to spend a little more, there are some better options available too. Anyway, if I've misunderstood your question, see if you can't clarify it for me, and I'll be happy to give you my two cents.

Well, i've looked through the forums lately and sometimes someone will say, "oh such and such speaker is good...if you intend to just use it for movies", I was just wondering if what i picked out was good all around or if i pick up some p.o.s. speakers. One further question though: does what kind of wire i use to connect the speakers to the reciever important? not gauge but the brand....like is one better the other? Thanks by the way

Different speaker cable brands does not matter. Others will say differently, but they are usually cable sales people or high-end equipment installers. Get 14-gauge or 12-gauge cable from the Home Depot and go home happy that you saved money and still get the best sound your system can put out!

You need to get a sub. In addition, you need to consider bass traps and/or absorption panels for the reflection points, or just to reduce general ringing in the room. ATS Acoustics, GIK Acoustics or RealTraps are three companies that sell room treatment. If you have "a Wife problem" then consider buying panels in fresh colors and patterns and pretend it's art :-)

Different speaker cable brands does not matter. Others will say differently, but they are usually cable sales people or high-end equipment installers. Get 14-gauge or 12-gauge cable from the Home Depot and go home happy that you saved money and still get the best sound your system can put out!

You need to get a sub. In addition, you need to consider bass traps and/or absorption panels for the reflection points, or just to reduce general ringing in the room. ATS Acoustics, GIK Acoustics or RealTraps are three companies that sell room treatment. If you have "a Wife problem" then consider buying panels in fresh colors and patterns and pretend it's art :-)

Your right on the money, room acoustics will make one of the biggest impacts on improving the sound in the room. :)

Glenn

I think the speakers you picked out are perfectly adequate. Sure, there are much better speakers to be had out there. I have similar speakers, and eventually I would love to upgrade, but I'm still happy with my system. And the fact is, most people who hear my system say it's the best they've ever heard--obviously even these low end Polk speakers are better than the HTiB speakers that most people have in their homes. Like I said, if you're willing to increase your budget on the sub, there are some other options out there in the $3-500 range. From everything I've read, room treatments are a great investment too. I'd love to have some in my room, but i don't think that's going to happen in our living room :) Anyway, hope that helps!

Thanks for the friendly advice:) The room im doing this in is my bedroom actually so i don't know if i could go with the acoustic paneling route, sounds interesting though. All in all, i don't even have anything set up yet so i'll post again when everything arrives and i have it set up.

Again, thanks for the advice:)

i don't think that's going to happen in our living room

It's ART I tell you! That tomato red is the hottest thing out of Milan right now.

Unfortunately, my wife is somewhat of an artist herself...so I don't think I can sell her on that one. We also pretty much have an understanding that she's in charge of the decorating. If I can ever move our home theater out of our living room, it will be a much more optimal setup.

So, i finally have all my speakers here at the house. All thats left now is to set it up :) btw, are there stores that sell hdmi cable longer then 6ft? also, i ordered my sub: a HSU STF-2. All i need now are a big hdmi cable and some bookshelf speaker mounts and im set.

Have fun! I personally enjoy the setup phase, it's like getting to play with a new toy :) But of course the best part is listening to your new speakers and realizing how they blow away the old ones! From everything I've read, I think you'll be a lot happier with the Hsu than with the Bic. Having a good sub makes a big difference. As far as the HDMI cable, there certainly are places that sell longer than 6ft, but the question is just how long are you looking? HDMI is notoriously finicky over longer distances, so if you're going a long distance, you want to make sure you have a quality cable. I've never used either of these companies, but they are highly recommended--Blue Jeans Cable and Impact Acoustics will both have high-quality cables in whatever length you want. Of course, they are going to cost more than what monoprice charges too :) If you're talking 10 ft, it may not be such a big issue, but 25-50 ft, you could have issues if you don't have a good cable. Hope that helps.

Okay guys, i got it all set up :) waiting for the sub to come in tomorrow. but i got a few questions:

1. Is there a product available that can conceal wiring? I didn't run my speaker wiring through the wall 'cause that would have been alot of work:D

2. What kind of mounting hardware do you guys use for your surround speakers? I have a pair of bookshelf style ones and was wondering what a good brand would be, also do some of these require you to drill into the speaker? just wondering

As always, thanks in advance that can help me.

There are a number of different ways to conceal wiring. If you're talking about wiring run along the floor, you can usually run it either behind your baseboards (kind of tough), or if you have carpeting, it may be possible to tuck it between the bottom of the baseboard and the carpeting. There is also flat speaker wire, that I've read is easy to conceal. I've been told that it's also possible to run your wire under the carpet, but i'm not knowledgeable enough to know how that's done. If you're talking about on the wall, there's something called raceway that conceals wire. You've probably seen it in office buildings or classrooms at some point. I don't know that it is an improvement over having the wires running down the wall though. As for mounts, my speakers are designed to be mounted on wall and already had brackets installed. If I recall, omnimount has a number of good options. One thing to consider with the R150s is that they are rear ported (I believe), so they will need some room to breathe, in other words, there will need to be some room between the ports and the wall. Anyway, I hope that helps! BTW, how are you liking your new setup?

I really like it, though i can't get the full effect until my sub gets here, which is luckily tomorrow(didn't think i could wait till after thanksgiving) the surrounds aren't as loud as i thought but im guessing those are only used at certain points in a movie. so other then it looking like a mess around my a/v rack, its pretty damn good :)

okay, another question and maybe somebody can answer it for me, i have a ps3 and the onkyo sr605. I have '300' on blu-ray. everything is connected via hdmi, i have the ps3 set to liner pcm out but when i select 'english 5.1 truehd' on the disk, the display doesn't light up indicating 'truehd'. I just want to know if im getting 'truehd' or not.

If you're connected via HDMI and are getting sound, then I think you're hearing the TrueHD mix. The little TrueHD light will light up on your receiver only when it is decoding TrueHD. In order for it to be doing this, the player would need to be set to output bitstream, not linear PCM (which I don't believe the PS3 can do). That said, linear PCM is lossless (and even uncompressed), so there is little (and probably no) difference in PCM and bitstream output. So, you're in good shape. If you really want to see the TrueHD light come on, you'll need a player that can output bitstream.