My first home theater setup

Can you go with a slightly higher end AVR with those speakers. Something with 100 watts(2ch driven). I favor Onkyo and had the Onkyo TX-NR609 that was 100 watts and was good with my Monitor 60's. I feel 90 watts with the Yamaha you suggested is a little underpowered for the Monitor 70's and CS2. Do you plan on listening at somewhat high volumes? Also, what's your media source....music, movies, TV?

Ok, I say go with a better AVR. 100-110 watts IMO. Music is really demanding for an AVR so the extra wattage will help.

No. I would get Infinity Primus or Pioneer speakers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117403

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006521&isNodeId=1&Description=pioneer+speaker

A 1db increase in volume is considered a measure of a noticeable increase. It takes 10db increase for their to be a perceived double increase in volume. Now, it also takes twice the amp wattage to achieve a 3db increase. So 90 to 100 watts would not be an appreciable difference.

Home theater receivers often do not meet their specs. Don't get too caught up in that difference since one is a newer version of the same model. It's just as likely that those two Yamaha receivers have similar amounts of power. Unless someone here has had experience with both and can tell you otherwise, don't base your decision on that.

In that price range, have you looked at Denons? They come with Audyssey room correction software. Audyssey MulitEQ and MultiEQ XT will do more than YPAO room correction software that comes with that model Yamaha. It will also EQ the subwoofer. Consider the Denon 1912 or 2112.

I would get the Denon 3312. Amazon had it for $550 2 weeks ago. Now it's $671. But I bet Electronics Expo might sell it for $550 over the phone.

Considering it looks like he's on a budget that's probably overkill. I'd suggest the Denon 1712 cause it has MultiEQ XT. The 1912 has all the fancy features but only MultiEQ. The 2112ci has the fancy features plus MultiEQ XT.

No, they have the same Amp power
671
Rated Output Power (1kHz, 2ch driven)
105W (8ohms, 0.9% THD)

Rated Output Power (20Hz-20kHz, 2ch driven)
90W (8ohms, 0.09% THD)

673
Rated Output Power (1kHz, 2ch driven)
105W (8ohms, 0.9% THD)

Rated Output Power (20Hz-20kHz, 2ch driven)
90W (8ohms, 0.09% THD)

Some people seem to prefer the benefits of MultiEQ coupled with the Dynamic EQ (1912) vs. MultiEQ XT alone (1712), even to the point of liking 2EQ with Dynamic EQ better: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1053572/audyssey-multi-eq-dynamic-eq-vs-multi-eq-xt

So if your family wants you to keep the volume down at times, Dynamic EQ with MultiEQ might be the better choice for you.

So what is your total budget? Might be better suggestions on how to allocate it to get you the best bang for your buck overall with sound.

And is this only for HT usage, or do you use it for serious music listening, too?

Upgrade your receiver? If you already have the V673, I wouldn't replace it.

Meanwhile, what is your budget?

The Polk M70s are 159.00 per speaker for the next two days at New egg...that is about the best price I have seen since before Christmas...
The Polk monitor series speakers are NOT the most sensitive speaker ever made, so I think people are just making sure you get an AVR with decent power and as some have pointed out, there are several types of room correction software that you should consider.

The Pioneer SP-FS51 is only $200/pr @ Newegg. I would buy those. Better than Polk.
Edited by AcuDefTechGuy - 7/3/12 at 6:17am

Is your 15x14 room sealed or open to the larger rec room?

I agree with advice from some of the others. Don't overspend on your receiver and skimp on your speakers and sub. Focus the majority of your budget on your left, right, center, and sub. That is where the vast majority of sound will come from and a good dedicated subwoofer is a must for home theater. Not that the Energy subs bad, but with your budget you can do better.

For a good subwoofer I would look at HSU, SVS, Outlaw, and Epik at your price point. The Primus speakers are great for home theater, do you have a Frys near you? I would also consider Ascend Acoustics and the Hsu bookshelf speakers in your price range.

The FS-51 comes on sale for $130 from Newegg quite often. Check their site on a regular basis.

subscribing to this as I'm looking at the same Polk speakers since they are on sale.
I however am starting from scratch.

Newegg is showing a picture of the Monitor 70's with a black finish around the drivers...its silver isn't it?

Then around $400 is plenty to allocate towards a receiver in your budget range. You'll get better use of your money to put the rest into your speakers and sub.

Yes I know. However, I noticed a difference when I went from my 609 to 3009 with my Polk Monitor 60's. Its only a ~40 watt difference but hugely noticeable to me in sound quality and in loudness. That's why I stated 10 watt difference would be noticeable. Maybe its the placebo effect, but whatever it is, my ears love it

Yes, it is silver around the edge of the drivers. That is the Series ii. The Series 1 was silver on the entire front. It was just a cosmetic change.


Agreed! Spend more money on the speakers. This was my mistake when I got into it. I would have bought higher end speakers from the start. Its really hard though because you don't know how any of the speakers sound until you get them. There are a thousand different speakers and only so few you can actually listen to in store.Same goes with AVRs. More like trial and error :/

You went from a $600 receiver to a $2000 receiver. So yeah. There are all kinds of reasons why you might like it better.

fwiw, in your size room i would look into the hsu hybrid 1 package deal for $1325 and a denon 1712 refurb' $240 at accessories4less just a suggestion, imo would sound better than your first post setup

Overall consensus is get a slightly better AVR.

My suggestions:
Onkyo 709 - $558
Polk RTi A5 - $285 x 2
Polk CS2 - $150
Polk Monitor 30 - $110
BIC F12 - $200

All amazon prices now. I say RTi over Monitor because you'll get better sound quality. A sub will make up for the bass. The sub is great for movies, but lacking for music.

If you think the RTi is a better speaker, why are you recommending the CS2 center to go with the RTiA5 which isn't a timbre match. Shouldn't you be pushing for the CsiA4 or CSiA6 center?