Newbie Questions!

[MarciaFunebre]

Feeling ready to explore a new level of sound quality I came across Emotiva and I like what I read about it. Now I am putting together a possible configuration and I that opens up a few questions. Please be patient, since I am not really adept in the specifics of HiFi technicalities and my previous system is now 15 years old.

What I am thinking about is this, starting with a configuration for 2.1 but with the option to add on to achive a 5.1 scenario:
XPA-5
UMC-1
2x ERM-6.2 LCR (plus a third as center speaker when I upgrade to 5.1)
Polk PSW 505 12" Sub

The main purpose will be music, though I plan to extend it towards a home theater system at some point. But first and foremost I'd love to create a proper earthquake when listening to the finale of Mahler's 2nd...

The questions here are:
- First off - any comments to this configuration? Suggestions for better choices?
- In this configuration, how many cables and of which kind exactly would I need to get - are there any cables included in any of the equipment?
- Does the Polk Sub work with above mentioned equipment (Since the Ultra Sub is not available anymore)?
- Can I connect from my computer (I have a MOTU Firewire Audio Interface) in a way that I can play DVDs with Surround Sound?

Any help and advice is welcome!

[rdb]

Welcome to the lounge. I would say that your choices for 2.1 are excellent, plus you'll already have the amp when you decide to upgrade to 5.1. As for your other questions I'm sure one of the veterans on here will chime in.

BTW, Mahler's 2nd is an excellent piece of music.

[audiofile]

Have you considered a dedicated amp to each speaker? Two UPA-1's to start for those ERM-6.2's then depending on what center and rear spkrs you pick, add the amps that fit the spkr spcs (looks like another UPA-1 for the center), then maybe a pair of FRD-1's hooked up to a 2 ch amp of your choice. Too bad it doesn't look good for the UPA-2 being around. That would be a good match.

Anyway, just something to consider and drive ya nuts trying to make a decision. ;D

[NorthStar]

^ I like what he proposed.

_____________________

* Welcome to the Lounge Marciafunebre!

P.S. I like your username; are you French?

[Deleted]

The OP's original proposal is a sound one, heh, heh. And, when it is time to go to 5.1, the 6.2s can be used as surround speakers with some better ones in their place up front.

You will also want a "source" device to playback CDs/DVDs/BluRays. I strongly recommend the Oppo BDP-93 (www.oppodigital.com). It is a bit "spendy" at $500. But it is the best quality Universal player in the world and Oppo's support is legendary. You might be able to find a gently used one on Audiogon.com, but don't hesitate when making the purchase from there - the Oppos sell VERY quickly because they are so damn good. And, the Oppo 93 will allow you to stream music and video from your PC to your AV system.

As for cables, here is what you need:

1) HDMI cable to connect UMC-1 to your source (CD/DVD/Bluray player)

2) 6 good-quality RCA cables to connect the UMC-1 to the inputs on the XPA-5. You do not need 6 cables to start, but you might as well go ahead and get them to save on shipping.

3) 3 speaker cables to connect your Front L/R and Center channels. Do NOT stress over these cables. The thick speaker cable you find at Home Despot is more than good enough to connect your speakers. Be sure to buy and extra 5-8f ft. of cable for each speaker to allow you to move the speakers around if needed.

4) 1 good-quality, long RCA cable to connect your subwoofer.

All of the cables can be bought from MonoPrice.com for very little money. Here are links to all the cables you will need:

3 ft. flat HDMI cable - get the flat cable, easier to route.

www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024012&p_id=4157&seq=1&format=2

RCA audio cables - Buy 3 of these and strip them apart. 5 will be used for your Front L/R, Center, and Rear L/R. You will then put aside the one remaining cable as a spare:

www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021814&p_id=2869&seq=1&format=2

Buy one of these (12 ft., you may need a different length) for your subwoofer:

www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2682&seq=1&format=2

Speaker cable (100 ft.) from MonoPrice:

www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023901&p_id=2789&seq=1&format=2

That's it, homes. You can buy these for less than $100 and they will serve you quite well for many, many years.

I say go for it!

-RW-

[geebo]

I had a PSW 505 connected to my UMC-1 / XPA-5 combo and it worked just fine.

[gomer]

- First off - any comments to this configuration? Suggestions for better choices?
Overall, I'd say it looks pretty good. The only thing I may consider changing is the sub, but that is a budgeting issue. What is the sub budget?

- In this configuration, how many cables and of which kind exactly would I need to get - are there any cables included in any of the equipment?
I think the UMC comes with a standard stereo analog cable (those thin red/white terminated one). You'd still need one for your sub as well as speaker cable. Monoprice has really cheap cables that lots of people here like to use. If you are into esoteric cables, I have no suggestions

- Does the Polk Sub work with above mentioned equipment (Since the Ultra Sub is not available anymore)?
Technically, it should work fine. No fundamental reasons it won't (that I can see)

- Can I connect from my computer (I have a MOTU Firewire Audio Interface) in a way that I can play DVDs with Surround Sound?
With a fancy setup, you can pass sound via HDMI, however almost every computer has a standard digital output (you'll need a standard digital cable). You'd need to set the output in your computer setup to S/PDIF output.

[MarciaFunebre]

Thanks people, for the responses -

rlw: thank you. that was a very helpful reply. especially about the cables. monoprice sounds just fine to me.
I am not sweating over cables - I was only wondering about the shielding. In my current setup I have a audible hum and I have read elsewhere that that may happen with insufficiently shielded cables.
For a player I will probably start with what i have - a rather cheap DVD player - Besides 99% of my music collection is on my computer and the most common situation will be for music to be played from there.
Further down the road the Oppo certainly sounds interesting as with the new system, buying SACDs, Bluray or DVDs with surround will have much more appeal than it has now.

gomer: What would you suggest in place of the Polk sub? My budget originally included the Emotiva Ultra sub 12. So it should stay somehow around that price level.
I will have to check again with my audio interface. It may well have S/PDIF outputs, not so sure about the HDMI (but does that transmit more channels than just stereo?).
The computer has HDMI i think but the onboard sound of a Mac Pro is pityful, that is why I go through the Audio Interface which makes a big difference.

audiofile: I think for the moment that would be a bit too much of a stretch for the budget, and i don't know for sure but it seems that with just the xpa-5 you can still blow holes in the wall... :-)

rdb: Mahler is my all-time desert island choice, besides that I am in a way "specialized" in lesser known composers from around that time.

LordOfTheRingsEE: not french, but german, residing in the "u, s and a" as borat would say.

[gomer]

Let me check on the sub to see if there are any better options. Not sure
I use the digital out on my computer and it outputs Dolby Digital and DTS. Not sure if it outputs the new fancy HD versions without having an HDMI interface and proper software/hardware.