Home Theater Audio

[Lurid]

I recently purchased a 51" 3D capable 1080P 600hz plasma television and I love it. However the sound is less than stellar, and i'm looking into various options. However I have a few issues:

1) Apartment, with neighbors upstairs.
2) Live in girlfriend who despises wires running through our living room.

So i'm thinking about piecing together a custom 3.1 setup, probably from Polk components. Consisting of something like this:

Polk Audio Monitor 70 Series II
Polk Audio CS2 Series 2 Center
Polk Audio Polk Audio PSW Series PSW505

Then if I feel the need I can add some rear speakers. I'm not sure about the receiver, but as i'm still saving money up for this I have plenty of time to research the issue. The biggest question is, whether or not a 3.1 setup like this would perform without getting us evicted lol.

[Dholby5150]

Have you looked at Soundbars at all. Mine does pretty well Polk with a wireless sub. Don't remember the model #. I would check them out.

[Lurid]

I'll look into it, the biggest issue with the sound bar for us is space constraints really. She sprung for a really nice hard wood television stand (can't wall mount, violates lease) and with all of our A/V equipment installed there simply isn't really any room for a sound bar.

Before anyone mentions just hiding the wires, I have looked into it but I don't really care to install wire run molding and stuff, because its an apartment that we're leasing until we graduate (a year, year and a half) and we're not allowed to paint or do anything like that. So it'd be a waste of time / money for me to install all of that then have to tear it all off and risk losing my deposit $$$

[T0mmy1977]

Originally Posted by Lurid

I'll look into it, the biggest issue with the sound bar for us is space constraints really. She sprung for a really nice hard wood television stand (can't wall mount, violates lease) and with all of our A/V equipment installed there simply isn't really any room for a sound bar.

Before anyone mentions just hiding the wires, I have looked into it but I don't really care to install wire run molding and stuff, because its an apartment that we're leasing until we graduate (a year, year and a half) and we're not allowed to paint or do anything like that. So it'd be a waste of time / money for me to install all of that then have to tear it all off and risk losing my deposit $$$

You could tuck the wiring under the existing molding. By the way, your neighbors will hate you after you install that system. My 5.1 Polk setup is less powerful than your would be and it is VERY LOUD and vibrates my the floor upstairs. Maybe a not so powerful sound bar and sub like Dholby5150 said.

[ELItheICEman]

Originally Posted by Lurid

So i'm thinking about piecing together a custom 3.1 setup, probably from Polk components. Consisting of something like this:

Polk Audio Monitor 70 Series II
Polk Audio CS2 Series 2 Center
Polk Audio Polk Audio PSW Series PSW505

Then if I feel the need I can add some rear speakers. I'm not sure about the receiver, but as i'm still saving money up for this I have plenty of time to research the issue. The biggest question is, whether or not a 3.1 setup like this would perform without getting us evicted lol.

I have a very similar setup in my living room actually. The PSW505 is quite a beast, so be prepared to tone that down a lot. Overall I'm very happy with the Polk speakers, so I definitely recommend them. Just don't cheap out on the amp since that can affect your sound quality.

This setup will definitely be capable of shaking the entire building, so use the Volume+ button with caution.

Additional Comment:

Originally Posted by Dholby5150

Have you looked at Soundbars at all. Mine does pretty well Polk with a wireless sub. Don't remember the model #. I would check them out.

My parents just grabbed one of these. It sounds decent, but it won't at all compare to the setup listed in the OP. IMO if you're looking to drop a few hundred on a home theater system, stick to the classic speakers/amp combo unless the sound bar is more feasible in every way.