New H/K & Polk setup questions

[sunshine_21]

I am in the process of choosing the parts for my first HT/Music setup for home and have a couple questions.

First off is the receiver: I am leaning towards a H/K 147 or 247, even though they seem somewhat over priced here in Canada. They both have the features that I want, just the future-proofing and extra wattage of the 247 would be nice. Initially I am planning to use this setup for 90% music and the occasional movie, and will have it setup in a 15’X25’ room. With H/K’s unique wattage rating, do you guys think the 147 would have enough power for me, or should I go with the 247??

For speakers I’m looking at either a pair of Polk Rti6 + sub, or a pair of Polk Monitor 50 and adding a sub to them later if I find they are lacking in the lower levels. I haven’t had a chance to go try these at a store yet, but generally for music would you recommend a 2.1 setup or just a pair of good floor speakers? I’m working with a budget of about 1500 right now, and the H/K is $600 for the 147 or $800 for the 247 with the balance going to the speakers.

I appreciate any input or suggestions you guys can make. I’ll be making the rounds this weekend to test the various speaker options. Thanks.

[PeruvianSkies]

Personally I think you could take that same money and get twice or even three times the system if you went in a different direction than sticking with the Polks. Don't get me wrong, I like the Polks...I have a pair of Monitor 40's that sound terrific for general purposes, but you can do better than Polks for the same amount of money...

Since you are in Canada check out Totem Acoustics of PSB for starters. For example you could get the Totem Rainmakers for about 1K or maybe even less, if you can't get them for a decent price you could go with something else in their lineup that is less expensive. The Totem Rainmaker is a very musical speaker that would really sing for you! Also, PSB makes a new speaker called the GB-1, which also runs around 1K and both speakers would smoke anything in the Polk lineup. These are both Canadian speaker manufacturers that you are bound to love! Let us know your progress!