HDTV Forum

I'm in the process of evaluating a new in-wall surround sound speaker system. At my previous house I had 5 Infinity CS60s pushed by a Sony STR DH810 receiver, 5x100 watts at 8ohm. The sound was great for movies and television but not as loud as I would like for music. We moved and are looking at another set of in-walls, the receiver and subs came with me. My subwoofers are a pair of Yamaha FSW 150s set in my cabinet.

The wife still insists on not seeing any speakers so in-wall is a must. Budget is $700 +/-. I'm thinking of a few options:

Go with the same as I had before Infinity CS60s but use an Infinity ERS HV 250 for the center. These all have a 88dB sensitivity.

The other option I'm looking at for louder speakers with similar quality; Polk MC65s with a Klipsch R2502W for the center. These all have 91dB.

Two questions, should I use a different center channel speaker than that of the left and right (I have a wide room 24' x 12' with viewing along the long axis)? Also, is the additional 3dB worth the effort (I know it's technically twice as loud at equal power, but is it really). My old floor speakers were Infinity with 92dB and they were crazy loud in the 80's.

Thanks for the help.

You might want to take a look at the Definitive Technology in wall and in ceiling speakers. Their speakers are all in the 90 db sensitivity range with great sound. My previous viewing room was 11 X 22 (with the TV centered on the long wall) and I found their bi-polar surround speakers to be excellent for that type of set up with them placed near the corners of the rear wall.