Derick Freese wrote:
So, this seems as good as place as any to ask this question.
I am looking to set up a small 5.1 system in a shallow, but wide, room. Polk Monitor 7s up front with a nice sub, some nice JBLs for the rear, and an undetermined center channel. My question is placement. Since these are rear speakers, and the couch and main listening area is against the wall, I don't think mounting them to the rear wall would be what I want. Side mounting doesn't seem like it would be a great idea if I were to point the speakers directly at the room, since they'd have to be in the corner to be even with the main listening area.
What about mounting the rear channels speakers a few feet back from the rear wall and point the speakers generally up and back? That's kind of what dipoles do, right? Am I crazy for thinking that this is the way to go?
Won't work right. Can you side mount them on stands on either side of the couch then adjust level as needed?
Other option would be to wall mount above then angle down.
Honestly if you're running Polks in front, sell the jbls and get polk dipoles for the rear and stop worrying about it. 
Swank Force One wrote:
Any preamp will fix your problem.
So the (-)dB some of them show as the volume indicators are truly a step down and the max volume of "0" means it's a passive preamp?
Yep!
I've had a passive pre on my modded amp before and never got close to 0.
I have a B&K powered pre on it now and still don't go above -20db.
That's pretty simplistic, but basically you just need any old preamp.
In reply to Swank Force One:
Thanks again for educating me! 
Orrr.... a cdp with variable output. Theyre out there. Pioneer used to do it a lot, and a lot of the high end stuff today still does.
I believe the Emotiva cdp does it. I'm not a fan of that unit but the sweet Dynaco might tone it down a bit.
Didn't realize there were cd players with variable output. I'll have to check into that, but a use preamp is probably gonna be less $
Just thought about the fact that a power amp is fixed gain, so I was probably hearing the full output when I hooked up the cd player. No wonder it was so loud...
Heh, yep that's what happened!
I've decided to skip rear channels in my setup. The Polks and a center are more than enough. I feel that anything coming from behind me needs to be behind me, not above me. Since the only person in the house that cares is me, mounting anything on stands other than the left and right channels is off the table. Eventually, the Polks might get sold to fund something different.
Yup SWF is right. Plugging the CD player into the amp directly was like having the volume all the way up. Good way to blow out your ears. And maybe electronics.
Derick Freese wrote:
I've decided to skip rear channels in my setup. The Polks and a center are more than enough. I feel that anything coming from behind me needs to be behind me, not above me. Since the only person in the house that cares is me, mounting anything on stands other than the left and right channels is off the table. Eventually, the Polks might get sold to fund something different.
I honestly still watch movies on my 2-channel setup, and i don't feel like i'm missing a whole lot.
At low volumes at night, the dialogue can get a little hard to understand depending on the downmix, but i'm not too worried about it.
I'd take a good 3.1 over a crappy 5.1 any day.
So, I picked up a set of Monitor 5s last week, and they sound damned good, too. They fit my living room better, and I have a subwoofer to make up for the lack of low frequency response.
Keep my 7s? Sell the 5s? Buy that other pair of 7s that I found on craigslist stupid cheap? I don't know what to do
Some people really enjoy the sound of the 5s better than the 7s. The 7s can get a little boomy down low.
Do you have the correct stands for either speaker? The stands are actually a form of time-alignment, and somewhat important to have for them to sound correct.
If either of the 7s have Peerless tweets, that's what you should roll with. If they don't have Peerless tweets, there's a relatively inexpensive upgrade you can do, and Polk will still sell you the parts. Makes a HUGE difference.
Neither on their stands. I'd have to build them first. For now, I'm sticking with the 5s with the sub on proper stands and keeping the 7s for later. I've tried both at proper height, but not angle.
The 7s don't have the Peerless, the 5s have the black ones with the hole in the dome. The set of 7s I'm looking at is old enough that they may have Peerless tweets.
Both sets would likely be improved with rebuilt crossovers. All original parts.
Rebuilt crossovers and the SL3000 tweet upgrade will make a HUGE difference. As will the time-alignment stands.
So, a question about values on these. They are popping up all over Craigslist for under $100 a pair. There is more than $100 of parts in a pair, so I can't see these as being anything more than people not knowing what they have? Should I buy every sub-$100 pair I can get my hands on, refurb them with new crossovers or cab repair, and flip them? I don't see myself getting rich, but it would be nice to get to pick the right sets to keep.
I don't think i'd ever pay $100 for a pair of these no matter the condition, personally. I've seen some people pay $200-$250 for a mint pair of rebuilt/modded/updated 7s, but that's about it. You won't make money rebuilding and selling.
But yeah, it'd be a nice way to get nice sets to keep for minimal cash outlay.
I still want a set of 11s for garage use.
Yeah, being cheap makes me feel okay about sticking a set in the shop.
Oh, what's your opinion of JB-Welding the motor assembly on the main driver? I've seen it mentioned over on the Polk board, but I'd never seen a point to such foolishness until I locked up one of my 7s on the way home. I mean, the construction is a little shoddy, but does the JB really do a hell of a lot to help, unless you're globbing it on? Just can't picture that.
Guys in the mode of this thread, what speakers for a mancave that is 30 x 30 with 9' ceilings, I am going to use it more often for movies than music, I am not a audiophile, but want clean and crisp sound.
Not even sure if that makes sense, but any advice welcome
Derick Freese wrote:
Yeah, being cheap makes me feel okay about sticking a set in the shop.
Oh, what's your opinion of JB-Welding the motor assembly on the main driver? I've seen it mentioned over on the Polk board, but I'd never seen a point to such foolishness until I locked up one of my 7s on the way home. I mean, the construction is a little shoddy, but does the JB really do a hell of a lot to help, unless you're globbing it on? Just can't picture that.
I wouldn't worry about it. Locked drivers pretty much ALWAYS come from improper transport, and that's it.
What's a good way to dip your toes in the vacuum tube amplifier water without needing the special talent of pooping $100 bills?
In other words, is there an "entry level" tube amp worth a dang? Or do I need to make friends with wealthy audiophiles in order to listen to one of these things?
aussiesmg wrote:
Guys in the mode of this thread, what speakers for a mancave that is 30 x 30 with 9' ceilings, I am going to use it more often for movies than music, I am not a audiophile, but want clean and crisp sound.
Not even sure if that makes sense, but any advice welcome
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipschorn-Corner-Horns-1982-Walnut-finish-/130977920072?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1e7ee47448
1988RedT2 wrote:
What's a good way to dip your toes in the vacuum tube amplifier water without needing the special talent of pooping $100 bills?
In other words, is there an "entry level" tube amp worth a dang? Or do I need to make friends with wealthy audiophiles in order to listen to one of these things?
Do you care if it's actually vintage or not?
Or are you just wanting entry level, cheap, get your feet wet kinda thing? There's a lot of chinese tube amps that are entirely decent.
On the used/vintage side, of things, you're probably looking at trying to grab a good deal on an old Dynaco ST-70 or something, then having to have it gone through anyways. A good vintage tube amp will typically cost $300-$500 by the time you're done, MINIMUM.
A new Chinese unit will be the same or less, with way less hassle.
Or if you're handy, you can DIY for VERY cheap if you have speakers that will do fine on low wattage. (though not all watts are created equal) Powerful tube amps get obscenely expensive.
