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Help with Speakers for Onkyo 605?

post #1 of 8
12/19/07 at 8:55am
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

Thanks to reading and re-reading and re-reading all the collective wisdom on this site, I finally got to the point where I decided that the Onkyo 605 would fit both my budget (technically $0, but I'm trying to shoot for the $600 total range) and what I expect from it.

Now I need to figure out speakers, but the problem is that I haven't bought any stereo equipment since the mid-80's. I still have my old bulky Pioneers that do sound beautiful with the Onkyo, but frankly, they take up a lot of space. Wisdom on this site seems to be to pair the Onkyo with Polk speakers, which is fine for me, but how do you decide between the 6750 set and trying to slowly build a set with the R-series speakers (ie. R50, CSR, PSW, etc)--BTW, I am tending towards the R series because I love the idea of cherry cabinets, but the expense will put me over budget, not to mention space.

The system is 60% for music (my passion), 40% for movies (hubby's passion), if that makes a difference.

Another question: the TV we have is a 37" panasonic that has built-in speakers, is there any way I can use these speakers as a center or other speaker? This would save quite a bit of space, no? Not to mention if I can use the built-in and my old Pioneers for a while, I could slowly buy the speakers in the cherry cabinets?

Also, is there any way to use a non-powered subwoofer with the 605? I have an old donated one, tried hooking it up, but I can't seem to make sound come out of it. :-/

TIA!
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post #2 of 8
12/19/07 at 9:40am
Quote:


Another question: the TV we have is a 37" panasonic that has built-in speakers, is there any way I can use these speakers as a center or other speaker? This would save quite a bit of space, no? Not to mention if I can use the built-in and my old Pioneers for a while, I could slowly buy the speakers in the cherry cabinets?

You're much better off running your system in Phantom mode -without a center channel- than trying to use the speakers from the TV as a center. Running in phantom mode the left and right speakers will image so that it sounds like the voices are coming from the center.
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post #3 of 8
12/19/07 at 9:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt View Post

You're much better off running your system in Phantom mode -without a center channel- than trying to use the speakers from the TV as a center. Running in phantom mode the left and right speakers will image so that it sounds like the voices are coming from the center.

May I ask why?

(I'm trying to become a little educated as I go through this process. )

Edit: I'll have to look up what phantom mode is, I currently have the options set up to only use two speakers.
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post #4 of 8
12/19/07 at 9:50am
Phantom mode is positioning the left and right fronts so their stereo output images across the entire distance between them, appearing as though you have a center speaker.

You don't want to use the TV speakers as a center because 1) they won't be anywhere near the quality to match the fronts and even if they did, 2) they won't match tonally (same reason you want your fronts and center speakers to be a match, i.e. Polk R50s matched to a Polk CSR, etc.)
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post #5 of 8
12/19/07 at 9:54am
Thread Starter 
Thanks! Can either of you suggest a FAQ or a sortof newbie site just about speakers and matching them type stuff? Even better if there is something specific to the Onkyo. I've been trying to pick stuff off this MB, but it's a lot of work to find it all :-/
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post #6 of 8
12/19/07 at 9:58am
The Alternatives thread stickied at the top can help, although most speaker manufacturers should identify what speakers are matched (usually grouped by series.) Although it never hurts to ask.

There are no speakers that would be specifically matched to the Onkyo receivers, or any other of the standard Denon, Yamaha, or Harmon Kardon receivers, either. As long as the speakers have connections to accept speaker wire (and almost all the quality brands do), you can have whatever you want.

It all depends on what you like. We can give suggestions on what speakers sound like with certain equipment, but IMO the best way is to visit an A/V store and audition them, as everyone has different opinions. Even your room will often affect ways certain speakers sound.
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post #7 of 8
12/19/07 at 2:22pm
Thread Starter 
Cool. I'm not counting too much on sound tests because of our hardwood floors and the shape of our room, there aren't too many places shaped/designed the same way.

Since I asked so many questions in the OP, does anyone have any advice re: going with the 6750 set vs building up individual pieces little by little? I suppose one huge advantage of the 6750, other than it being smaller, is that we can almost afford it now, whereas the other way we'll have to buy over time. But as far as quality for a pretty decent sized room (I'm still looking to find the actual size of our main room but it's looooong--even if the condo itself is rather small) with hardwood floors, what would be the recommendation?

Should I trash the old Pioneers, or can they still be good for anything (other than taking up space)?

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post #8 of 8
12/19/07 at 4:20pm
If there's any way you have the space for your Pioneers, I'd consider keeping them. I recently hooked up some old RSL's as fronts and they were incredible. The advantage of 5.1/7.1 systems is space efficiency, especially the fronts. I don't have the room for large speakers (they're back in the garage) but some of the best HT systems I've heard use large towers as the fronts - surr. and backs aren't as critical. And for music, there's just no way to beat a couple of large speakers in front (JMO.)
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