Getting the most out of my TSi's

5 channel stereo isn't the best sound mode to use if you want your system to sound its best. I only use that for background music at parties. For serious music listening I'd just use plain stereo.

Those Polks tend to compress at high volumes, so unless you plan to replace all your speakers you're stuck on that one.

You also might be better off with a better receiver. The 521 is Pioneer's entry level model. The 1121 should be better but also look at something like the Onkyo NR709 or Denon 2112 which should be around the same price range.

People also love Marantz receivers. Maybe a refurb for accessories4less could be in your budget.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make...AirPlay/1.html

lastly do you have all your speakers set to small? That way the sub handles the lowest frequencies and it takes a load off your receiver from producing the low bass.

The 1121 would be a very great upgrade. It has pre outs if you desire more power. I doubt you'd have to worry about the 110 watts damaging your speakers; I don't believe it will do 110 watts with all channels driven.

I like listening to music in 7-channel stereo. So if you prefer 5-channel stereo, don't let people convince you otherwise (make sure to try out different modes on different music though, as you preference may depend on circumstances)

As for being dissapointed with music at high volumes, it would not at all surprise me if you were (a) overpowering your receiver and (b) the speakers also might not be up to the task.

Klispch and Cerwin Vega have a reputation for rock and roll at high volume level kind of speakers. Of course Klipsch makes a LOT of different models, so it's hard to point you in one direction. CV last time I checked had fewer choices (and I never cared for any I ever heard...seemed to be more about boomy bass and high output than good sound.)

Another company to consider is JBL with their pro audio speakers. I am guessing here, but a lot of their pro audio speakers should be suitable for loud music at home.

And please think about your hearing. As someone who abused his hearing, I suggest getting an SPL meter, and looking up some of the tables on hearing safety. No good to enjoy music at loud volumes now, if you won't be able to enjoy it as much in 10 or 20 years or whatever.

I don't really feel like getting into this whole discussion right now, but forget about watts. The difference between 90 and 110 watts is next to nothing.

You'll almost never use more than 30-50 watts on PEAK, with continous maybe at about 10 at most. Forget watts for now.

Never more than 50 watts? Hmmm. I can't conclude that. Especially as he listens at 'high volumes'

The 709 and 809 are both good choices. If it where me I would go with the 809. Your room is pretty large. Are you including other open spaces in the dimensions? How far is your main listening position from the speakers? Near field would be better for you. Another problem I see is that your subwoofer is to small for that size of a room. No, bi-amping will not get you better performance from your front channels.

So the room is larger then your posted dimensions. The dining room and foyer need to be accounted for in the room dimensions. Unless they can be sealed off with tightly sealed closed doors. The sound will try to fill those other rooms as well as your living room. Especially bass frequencies coming from the subwoofer. I'm wondering if your sound complaint is coming from the main seating position, or if you're listening to the room from many positions and not liking the sound. The main listening positions are the only ones that you should be judging the sound quality from. The bad news is that with a room that size multiple subwoofers are usually the best way to go if you really want an even full bass response. I think you have several issues here. Possibly calibration and speaker/subwoofer placement problems and the lack of enough subwoofer coverage.

I'm glad you're making some progress. With all due respect. The one thing that's going wrong here is that if you keep allowing the wife to make your decisions you're most likely not going to get this room to sound how you want it to sound. Getting an 8" sub is a waste of time. It's to small. You need to be able to move more air. An 8" sub is only good for a desk top system where you're sitting near field in a small bathroom sized office. I don't even consider an 8" subwoofer a sub at all. Most people don't. You need at least a 12" or a 15" subwoofer. I would suggest at least 2 or 3 in a room the size of yours.