19 replies to this topic

[Devs4LordStanley]

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to semi-upgrade my home theater system that is 11yrs old. I'm planning to keep the 5 bose speakers and ditch the receiver + subwoofer (bose set the hpf/crossover to like 200hz and there's no way to change it). Now I found a polk subwoofer (psw10) for $99, but I'm having trouble finding a receiver. It doesn't have to be feature packed since it'll be hooked up to only my pc. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[Bulletproof]

Depends on how much you want to spend on a receiver. Note I said how much do you want to spend, not how much can spend...two different things!

Generally I stick with Onkyo as they make good products for reasonable prices, but let me know your budget and we'll go from there.

Oh and I would ditch the Bose speakers but since you said they are 11 years old, they actually might be good. If you give us the model number of the speakers or from what package they came from, I'll be able to help you out further. And I'm not bashing Bose just to do so, it's just their "Lifestyle" speakers are desgined to be very efficient for certain sound frquencies, making them difficult to match with non-Bose receivers. Still, let me know what you're working with and I'll see what I can do!

[Devs4LordStanley]

Price range: <=$250
The speakers are from the Lifestyle 25 Series 2. They're fantastic speakers.
I don't want to buy a receiver that has tons of features I won't use.
Like I said, it's only for my pc to play music, movies, games, etc.

[Devs4LordStanley]

Y'know what, if it has less features and a lot of wattage, i don't mind spending more.
I guess i'm looking for a oldish receiver -?

[Bulletproof]

Alright, so I did a little research on the system, and I can't seem to find what wattage the cube speakers run at. Problem is, Bose is very cagey about what wattages their systems run at, because you're not really supposed to upgrade with non Bose products. When I get home, I'll do a little more research and see if I cant find a 350W receiver that'll do 5.1 and all the rest you would need to to do.

One question, why are you tossing the Bose reciever? Just curious if it's because there's no HDMI, etc or if it's something else.

[Devs4LordStanley]

Because 1) it has no subwoofer input and 2) it has a high crossover setting that makes the subwoofer not sound good & you cannot change it. Also, 3) it only accepts coaxial and my pc has optical.

Edited by Devs4LordStanley, 17 January 2012 - 04:35 PM.

[Bulletproof]

Because 1) it has no subwoofer input and 2) it has a high crossover setting that makes the subwoofer not sound good & you cannot change it. Also, 3) it only accepts coaxial and my pc has optical.

Ah, that makes sense. Problem is, your Polk sub should be crossed over at 80, 120 at the highest and I'm not sure if those cube speakers will be able to cover the mid bass the module was pumping out. Plus, it's near impossible to find out the effiency or the resistance of the speakers, so I don't want to recommend a purchase that would cause your cubes to blow. I'll ask around to some HT people I know and see if they have some good recommendations for you. I'll keep on it!

[Devs4LordStanley]

I've found that the cube speakers can produce 280hz to 13.3Khz @6.6ohms.
I don't mind that they don't go to 20Khz, i don't like high frequency sounds alas the 10" sub.
Now, the sub has it's own crossover on it, so if I set the crossover on the receiver to 280 & 80 on the sub, will that work?

[Bulletproof]

I've found that the cube speakers can produce 280hz to 13.3Khz @6.6ohms.
I don't mind that they don't go to 20Khz, i don't like high frequency sounds alas the 10" sub.
Now, the sub has it's own crossover on it, so if I set the crossover on the receiver to 280 & 80 on the sub, will that work?

Sure it'll technically work, but my only fear is you'll be missing all the midbass, creating a thinner sound than you might be used to. You'll notice it most in the center channel, as dialouge wont have much "punch" to it. Thanks for the specs on the speakers...that helps immensely!

[Devs4LordStanley]

I mostly play music so mids i could live without. I'm just looking for more punch out of the subwoofer. I use an EQ on my pc and one time i boosted the lows all the way & cut the highs a little, the speakers got good mids.

[Devs4LordStanley]

How do u like Denon?

[Devs4LordStanley]

On second thought, the polk sub has speaker inputs. Is the crossover on the sub only for those inputs or can it do what i described in post #8?

[Bulletproof]

On second thought, the polk sub has speaker inputs. Is the crossover on the sub only for those inputs or can it do what i described in post #8?

Sorry for the late response! haven't investigated in details, but I imagine the inputs on the sub are only for what they call "speaker level" inputs. Some older recievers do not have a dedicated subwoofer output, so in that case, you could hook up the sub using bare wire, just like any other speaker. You'll probably use the "line in", which requires a standard audio cable.

As for the crossover on the sub, that will only set the crossover on the sub, not your speakers. You speakers will have to be crossed over from the receiver. Also, if you have a dedicated subwoofer out, you won't need to set the crossover on the sub itself. Just set the crossover on the recevier for everything, set the sub to "full" and you'll be good to go.

Also, Denon makes great products, so if you can find a 5.1 recevier that accepts optical, you'll be good to go! Just be careful with the resistance on those speakers as 6.6 ohms is tough to match. Receivers usually run at 8 or 4, but genereally not 6. Also, be careful with the peak wattage. If you get a 700W recevier and hook it up to speakers that are used a 350W system, which the Lifestyle is, you run the risk of blowing them.

Edited by Bulletproof, 19 January 2012 - 10:10 AM.

[Devs4LordStanley]

Sorry for the late response! haven't investigated in details, but I imagine the inputs on the sub are only for what they call "speaker level" inputs. Some older recievers do not have a dedicated subwoofer output, so in that case, you could hook up the sub using bare wire, just like any other speaker. You'll probably use the "line in", which requires a standard audio cable.

As for the crossover on the sub, that will only set the crossover on the sub, not your speakers. You speakers will have to be crossed over from the receiver. Also, if you have a dedicated subwoofer out, you won't need to set the crossover on the sub itself. Just set the crossover on the recevier for everything, set the sub to "full" and you'll be good to go.

Also, Denon makes great products, so if you can find a 5.1 recevier that accepts optical, you'll be good to go! Just be careful with the resistance on those speakers as 6.6 ohms is tough to match. Receivers usually run at 8 or 4, but genereally not 6. Also, be careful with the peak wattage. If you get a 700W recevier and hook it up to speakers that are used a 350W system, which the Lifestyle is, you run the risk of blowing them.

It'll give me an excuse to buy new one's lol. could u suggest a receiver cuz idk what im looking for?

[Devs4LordStanley]

nvm.

Edited by Devs4LordStanley, 19 January 2012 - 04:28 PM.

[Bulletproof]

It'll give me an excuse to buy new one's lol. could u suggest a receiver cuz idk what im looking for?

HA, fair enough!

Here's a great little recevier that will suit your purposes just fine and it's on sale for $229, so it's right in your budget. To be fair, I may grab this for myself as this is a great price!

http://www.crutchfie...309.html?tp=179

The only thing I have to say is that this, and most receviers run at 8 ohms. Since your speakers run at 6, there is a strong chance that a) speakers will sound fairly terrible hooked up to it and more importantly b) the recevier is at risk for overheating and blowing. Here's a good article that explains the issue pretty well. Just want to make sure you're aware of the risk before hooking up those cubes to a non-Bose amp.

http://www.prestonel...o/Impedance.htm

Aaaannnd, if you do decide to just ditch the speakers and get new ones, I can recommend some great budget level speakers that would match that amp perfectly. May not have "the Bose sound", and certainly not the "Bose look" but they will sound quite nice! Just let me know!

Edited by Bulletproof, 19 January 2012 - 04:54 PM.

[Devs4LordStanley]

ha, i was looking at that. http://www.amazon.co...f=cm_cr_pr_pb_t
$184.99

Which speakers?

[Devs4LordStanley]

My father gave me his Onkyo receiver & sub + 2 Onkyo candlesticks, sounds amazing. The bose speakers work with it, too. Right now, I'm using the 2 candlesticks + a bose speaker while I wait for more speaker wire & an optical cable.

[Bulletproof]

My father gave me his Onkyo receiver & sub + 2 Onkyo candlesticks, sounds amazing. The bose speakers work with it, too. Right now, I'm using the 2 candlesticks + a bose speaker while I wait for more speaker wire & an optical cable.

Awesome! Glad to hear it's working out with the Onkyo and the cubes. I'd be curious to hear which model Onkyo he gave you, just so I could see the specs but if it sounds good to your ears, then it's a home run!

[Devs4LordStanley]

The HT-R680, 1000w. It was a HTIB but he wanted a better receiver & sub.