First post at AVS this forum is such a gold mine for information....

anyways basically im about to leave futureshop as an employee and im looking to build a high end setup. As is right now i have a samsung 5044 plasma and a yamaha HTR 5950 as my amp.

Currently im running a HTIB jbl system that will being replaced.

My question for you guys... im looking to build a 5.1 setup with ANY speakers on futureshop.ca (must be something i can purchase at either futureshop or best buy canada)

(price really isnt a huge deal)

The room i have my audio equipment in isnt the best setup but to give basic dimensions. 15feet X 25 feet.... with the viewing distance being 15 feet away and the tv set up roughly 5 feet away from the side wall.

If you guys could help me piece toghether a kit before this weekend i would be super happy.

I have considered the polk and energy speakers but due to terrible demo rooms i cant get an accurate idea of what the speakers really sound like.

I really appreciate the help

Dewan

if it helps to narrow it down..

Im considering either the Energy line of speakers or Polk audio:

For the main i was considering:
Rti a5 / Rti a7 / Rti a9 seem to be the best speakers in the polk line
And we also carry the RC-70 and RC-30 line from energy

Center channel / surrounds im not very knowledgeable at all but again anything of the futureshop website

Eh ... thats all they really have is Polk and Energy. The selection isnt good. On the plus side, neither of those brands suck.


Go with whichever model line they offer has the the biggest, baddest center speaker, and never look back :). The big center will give you big dialog, which will make your movies come alive.

in terms of the center channel which would you suggest?

to be honest the sales staff is more concerned about which product makes them more money rather then which product is actually good.

I personally would go with Energy, but since you are at the store do an A/B comparison and get what you like. Your advantage is that you only have two choices in the same place, not six or seven like most people here; which can drive you nuts.

Best Buy in Canada also has Klipsch Synergy, I personally don't like Klipsch, but you might. I still would go with Energy.

the biggest problem is the speakers are not even close to setup properly they are literally just setup right out of the box with XYZ amp. the comparisons in sound would not be a fair one.

Since you work there, I dont find that a legitimate excuse. Configure them right, maybe in a smaller space, and decide which ones you want.

Hint, the more expensive, larger and heavier speakers will sound better.
The 3-way centers will sound better than the 2-ways.
Also, test them at high volumes, when its quiet, listen to which ones handle the high volume better...

"I'm looking to build a high end setup." Dragenta, Polk and Energy are certainly not considered "high end" products. If you really want a high end system you will need to shop elsewhere.

Looks like futureshop sells Bose. Wow, that's a no brainer... get 'em! They are the best! LOL! :D:D:D

Okay, sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously though, Energy makes some pretty good stuff for the price. But, being an employee, take a pair of Polks and Energy's home and audition in your listening room. Keep whichever sound the best. Simple.

I agree with John, and even under such bad circumstances, there are no advantages, as both speakers will be auditioned in the same conditions. But, as John said, don't be so lazy and play with settings.

"I'm looking to build a high end setup." Dragenta, Polk and Energy are certainly not considered "high end" products. If you really want a high end system you will need to shop elsewhere.

Hey - thanks for your input there - why don't you google "Veritas" and get back to us - unless of course your idea of "high end" starts in the 5 figure category - in which case I stand corrected.

Draganta - do you get a discount at any Future Shop, or only your store? Not many, but select stores will carry the Energy Veritas line which is a high end speaker to most people except audiophiles who have more money than they know what to do with. And even then - the Veritas line will be very close to many so called 'High-end' speakers.

If you can't go Veritas (out of your budget or can't buy from an F/S that carries them) I would choose the RC. But to put it in perspective:

Polk - they are more forward (brighter) and you may get listeners fatigue from them. However, the 'a' series is just out now and I haven't read much about them nor have I had a chance to hear them as of yet (I will soon though).

Energy RC line - has all the detail of the Polk - but the treble is much more subdued - not warm, just not shrill at all. The RC-70's have more bass than the RC-30's and images a bit better. The RC-LCR is a great center speaker, and you can finish it off with RC-R's or RC-10's - depending on if you want a dipole speaker (RC-R's) or not.

I went with the RC's for a great deal and couldn't be happier. For the money you'll get them at - that will be a huge step for you from what you have currently. Go with it and don't look back

i take back the "high end setup" part of it. AVS obviously caters to the highest end audio/video people and not the vast majority of people.

In terms of listening to the speakers it is going to be impossible as no futureshop or best buy in my province carrys anything higher then 1500 in store. (everything must be ordered via website or through the warehouse)

The problem i might run into is my amp really isnt too high end... Yamaha HTR5950.. i think 110wpc 6.1

To ball park pricing... the RC-70 for 600 after tax for the pair and the RTIA7 for around 350 after tax so as you can see the pricing will be really good... are the rc-70's that good of a speaker? this is honestly a case of totally over buying for my ear right now... ill eventually grow into it. I feel like its a case where if a bottle of wine was $5 or $500 i wouldnt know the difference

i take back the "high end setup" part of it. AVS obviously caters to the highest end audio/video people and not the vast majority of people.

In terms of listening to the speakers it is going to be impossible as no futureshop or best buy in my province carrys anything higher then 1500 in store. (everything must be ordered via website or through the warehouse)

The problem i might run into is my amp really isnt too high end... Yamaha HTR5950.. i think 110wpc 6.1

To ball park pricing... the RC-70 for 600 after tax for the pair and the RTIA7 for around 350 after tax so as you can see the pricing will be really good... are the rc-70's that good of a speaker? this is honestly a case of totally over buying for my ear right now... ill eventually grow into it. I feel like its a case where if a bottle of wine was $5 or $500 i wouldnt know the difference


Don't worry for the term "high end". High end to me means at the top of my budget, if your budget is $1K, well anything in that range is high end. There are some purists that just like to have bragging rights. Don't worry about hot air. Kaptain was just being sarcastic, and I think he meant something like what I just told you; just read between the lines.

Your Yamaha is fine, yes you might want to upgrade, but that can wait until you have more funds available.

To ball park pricing... the RC-70 for 600 after tax for the pair and the RTIA7 for around 350 after tax so as you can see the pricing will be really good... are the rc-70's that good of a speaker? this is honestly a case of totally over buying for my ear right now... ill eventually grow into it. I feel like its a case where if a bottle of wine was $5 or $500 i wouldnt know the difference

A pair of RC-70 for $600??? They're listed at $2500 on the Futureshop.ca web site! And there was a $1000 rebate just before Christmas so one could grab them for $1500 a pair. You can get them for $600 a pair? Wow!

I've seen a demo of Die Hard Live Free using those and their matching RC-LCR center and RC-R surrounds plus a Velodyne sub (DSP-12B). It sounded really nice even tho auditioning conditions were far from perfect. Don't know about music...

I've read one review (first link below) saying that the center was not a perfect match but still saying that the package is a good deal...

www.ultimateavmag.com (http://www.ultimateavmag.com/speakersystems/306energy/)
www.soundstage.com (http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/energy_rc70.htm)
www.hometheatermag.com (http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/507energy/)

My suggestion is to check out London Drugs in your area and listen to the Klipsch reference line-up. I found that the Klipsch at London Drugs was waaaaay better than what best buy had to offer. At the time Futureshop was only selling polk audio and some JBL and I wasn't impressed by either. As for the Energy stuff they sell I can't say much. I listened to some Energy C-Series I believe, and they sounded nice and the Reference Conneseir is supposed to be even better.

the pricing is out of control in terms of markup especially on tower speakers.

its really come down to the RC-70 vs RC-30 vs RTi A9 vs Rti A7

Polk - they are more forward (brighter) and you may get listeners fatigue from them. However, the 'a' series is just out now and I haven't read much about them nor have I had a chance to hear them as of yet (I will soon though).




Was able to listen to the RTi10 and RTiA7 today. The new A series is much better - like a different brand of speaker. Never really liked the RTi - In fact, could have bought the RTi10 today for $180 each at Frys. After hearing the RTiA7, no sale:) I would consider buying the RTiA7, its just that prices on the Beta series is easier on the wallet... Anyway, the RTiA7 is fuller, richer sounding, very nice bass - just a much more balanced sound. Whats interesting is that its the exact same speakers in both the 10 and 7. Different designed cabinets and porting - Im new to all this, so I was amazed how the cabinet design changed the speaker sound so much. Also, the new rounded cabinets look reallly nice! Again, just an average persons perspective.

"Hey - thanks for your input there - why don't you google "Veritas" and get back to us - unless of course your idea of "high end" starts in the 5 figure category - in which case I stand corrected."

"Don't worry for the term "high end". High end to me means at the top of my budget, if your budget is $1K, well anything in that range is high end."

Whether your budget is $50.00 or $50,000.00, no amount of wishful thinking will make a $1,000 pair of speakers "high end". Yes, my idea of high end starts in the 5 figure catagory because I live in the real world, and know that you can spend much more than that. Everything is relative, but since there are $100,000 speakers, a $1,000 speaker will realistically never be high end even if that is the "top of your budget."