Cranked up the juice in the home theatre

[dparm]

Found a good deal locally on a pair of Marantz SA500 mono-block amplifiers. These are connected to my Marantz SR5005 AVR and drive a pair of Polk RTi10 floorstanding speakers. I use Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 interconnects for amp-to-AVR, and Belden 5000UE speaker cables.

MA500 specs:
125 W RMS power
8Ω @ 20 Hz - 20 kHz
THX Ultra certified


I have to say that moving to mono-block amps totally transformed the sound and was well worth it. For years I was reading suggestions from people on AVSforum to get dedicated amps, and it seems that the hype was justified. For now I'm going to hold off on new speakers since these amps have renewed my love for the RTi10s.

I may eventually buy a few more of these to drive the center and surround speakers, but the SR5005 seems more than adequate for now. Once the prices on HDMI 2.0-compliant AVRs/pre-amps come down a bit, I will probably swap the SR5005 for one of those.

(ignore the messy cabling, I haven't tidied it up since installing them)

 

[SteveSRT8]

I remember my Marantz equipment fondly. Always liked that name.

Sounds like it will be awesome, I'll bring the popcorn!

 

[dave123]

Looks good who's sub or sub's do you drive and center. I have been in the market for a new center have been looking at SVS.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I remember my Marantz equipment fondly. Always liked that name.


I've been very satisfied with their products. Not really audiophile-grade like McIntosh, Paradigm, Cambridge, etc, but for my budget and needs their stuff is definitely a solid buy. For those that don't know, they're the same company as Denon and are positioned slightly above them.



Originally Posted By: dave123
Looks good who's sub or sub's do you drive and center. I have been in the market for a new center have been looking at SVS.


I have a BIC VK12 that sits on an Auralex Gramma for isolation. I have had my eye on an SVS, Hsu, or Dynaudio sub but am probably going to hold off on that until I buy a condo.

Center speaker is a Polk CSi5, which is the matching center speaker for those RTi10s (timbre-matched, same speaker series). I isolate it from the glass shelving with Sorbothane feet.

 

[dave123]

I do run a SVS Sub no way I could run it without living in my own home love it and some great people to deal with. It is unreal how much that sub shakes the room.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: dave123
I do run a SVS Sub no way I could run it without living in my own home love it and some great people to deal with. It is unreal how much that sub shakes the room.


Is it ported or sealed? Ported tends to be boomy/floorboard-shaking. I prefer sealed for a punchier and more controlled sound, so I'd probably buy an SVS SB-2000.

My AVR has Audyssey MultEQ and it does an excellent job at dialing things in properly. The Gramma isolation riser also stops the lowest frequencies from being sent directly to the subflooring -- I highly recommend one.

 

[dave123]

If I would pop for a differnt one it would be a PB12-plus I run a PB1000 that is what their claim to fame is that it is not all boomy sound but hard hitting punch throught their lines of subs and many can reach down to 16Hz not just claim to do it. I also like the Audyssey and use it works great once you undrstand all it can do it easy to use.

 

[FastGame]

I was going to get the SVS SB 2000, after talking to SVS they assured me the PB 2000 is not boomy. I went with dual PB 2000's and they hit real hard with no boom, tight musical bass and bomb blasting HT destruction all in one. I sent one of them back before my walls fell down...haha

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthre...228#post2028228

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: FastGame
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthre...228#post2028228

That's a sweet setup. I would have kept them both, just for the looks.

 

[dparm]

Ported subs are boomier by definition. A well-made one (with the right settings on an AVR) should not be overwhelming, but I still find the sound much cleaner on a sealed sub.

Are those Axioms I see?

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Ported subs are boomier by definition.
Poorly aligned ported subs...emphasis on poorly. You can also make a sealed one sound poor as well. Also greatly depends upon the room...

 

[FastGame]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Are those Axioms I see?


Monitor Audio Silver 8