M70 vs. RTi A3

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Comments

  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,623
    edited February 2011
    mdaudioguy wrote: »
    Crossover is subjective, and while I generally agree with you about reliance on a sub, an 80Hz crossover seems reasonable for these speakers. Even bumping up slightly to 90 or 100, it should still sound great. I have some smaller Def Tech satellites in my living room, that are not quite as capable as the RTiA3s on the low end, and after much experimenting, I have them crossed over at 80Hz. Sounds great. Different speakers, I know, but the concept is the same - let your ears be the judge. I also crossed my RTi10s over at 60Hz for a while and went back to 80... to each their own, I guess!

    As you said, a lot of it is subjective. But I did not like the A3's below 100hz...

    I just think people are giving the Monitor 70's a bad rap only because they are a "lower level" speaker...

    Some seem to think that price and a pecking order is a tell all for audio, and it's not. IMO, the Monitor 70's play above their price range.
  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited February 2011
    I'm with you U-max! And I could quote a source which shall remain 'nameless' who once said about the M-70s--"Polk got those right!". The rest of you can guess who that was for now!

    As for the OP, I still think he's OK with a sub and the Rti-A3s. Because he can upgrade to towers within that series. Preferably A7s or, my favorites--the A9s (the only Rti tower I'd upgrade to).


    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
  • ShadowTowel
    ShadowTowel Posts: 89
    edited February 2011
    Yeah I am actually doing more tweaking to my system right now, and my speakers are getting better and better as they break in. I am quite happy with the sound I am getting. Live Free or Die Hard is amazing right now... Haha. I don't even have my center either, I'm using a ghost center! Looking forward to the csi a4. And thanks for the advice guys. I think my next upgrade to the fronts may be the a7 or a9 towers, but that will likely be years from now...

    I want to upgrade my rears to the tci60 or tci80's, and upgrade my AVR and blu ray player before I start playing with my front 3 any more. I still am way beyond most people I personally know in terms of HT. I will remain the place to go for movies for a long while! :)

    Also, yes, I do have a BIC PL-200, and that baby really rocks my house. My wife hates it and I love it!! So much better than my psw10... No comparison actually.
    Polk Audio RTi A3 (mains)
    Polk Audio CSi A4 (center)
    Polk Audio RC60i (rears)
    BIC Acoustech PL-200 (sub)
    Denon AVR-590 (receiver)
    Samsung LN46B550 (LCD)
    Sharp BD HP22U (Blu-ray player)
  • thesurfer
    thesurfer Posts: 574
    edited February 2011
    @shadowtowel, Which speakers, are you breaking in???
    Not an Audiophile, just a dude who loves music, and decent gear to hear it with.
  • ShadowTowel
    ShadowTowel Posts: 89
    edited February 2011
    My rears are still under 100 hours most likely, and the fronts are breaking in too. Will be breaking in the center beginning Thursday! Sub is broken in now I believe.
    Polk Audio RTi A3 (mains)
    Polk Audio CSi A4 (center)
    Polk Audio RC60i (rears)
    BIC Acoustech PL-200 (sub)
    Denon AVR-590 (receiver)
    Samsung LN46B550 (LCD)
    Sharp BD HP22U (Blu-ray player)
  • thesurfer
    thesurfer Posts: 574
    edited February 2011
    My rears are still under 100 hours most likely, and the fronts are breaking in too. Will be breaking in the center beginning Thursday! Sub is broken in now I believe.
    Your sticking with the rtiA3,s
    Not an Audiophile, just a dude who loves music, and decent gear to hear it with.
  • ShadowTowel
    ShadowTowel Posts: 89
    edited February 2011
    Yeah, they have put on a good show lately. I have not had sufficient tweaking/break in/test period yet. Once my csi a4 arrives, the real work begins. I really love my subwoofer too. Very impressive beast.

    My rti a3's have really impressed me in some tests today, even with no center! Maybe because they are playing all the dialogue/center actions so I am hearing their quality more than before when they were mismatched with my cs10.
    Polk Audio RTi A3 (mains)
    Polk Audio CSi A4 (center)
    Polk Audio RC60i (rears)
    BIC Acoustech PL-200 (sub)
    Denon AVR-590 (receiver)
    Samsung LN46B550 (LCD)
    Sharp BD HP22U (Blu-ray player)
  • Lietuvis91
    Lietuvis91 Posts: 908
    edited February 2011
    I'm surprised this discussion got to 2 pages with no mention of room size. Room size is likely the determining factor for which speaker to use in this case. The m70 is a really big speaker and fills large areas very well, but would provide minimal benefit in a small room over the a3 and in fact may sound worse if placed in a tight space. The a3 would have the opposite effect, so maybe we should start with room size first and work from there....
    Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:

    M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires

    Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :

    LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3
  • ShadowTowel
    ShadowTowel Posts: 89
    edited February 2011
    Lietuvis91 wrote: »
    I'm surprised this discussion got to 2 pages with no mention of room size. Room size is likely the determining factor for which speaker to use in this case. The m70 is a really big speaker and fills large areas very well, but would provide minimal benefit in a small room over the a3 and in fact may sound worse if placed in a tight space. The a3 would have the opposite effect, so maybe we should start with room size first and work from there....

    Well... It is a strange room... The official dimensions are like 15 x 24, and I am running my system the short way (15 feet from tv to back wall). It fills up the place nicely in my opinion, but who knows if it would be way better in a smaller room.
    Polk Audio RTi A3 (mains)
    Polk Audio CSi A4 (center)
    Polk Audio RC60i (rears)
    BIC Acoustech PL-200 (sub)
    Denon AVR-590 (receiver)
    Samsung LN46B550 (LCD)
    Sharp BD HP22U (Blu-ray player)
  • Oldschool59
    Oldschool59 Posts: 67
    edited September 2017
    Upstatemax wrote: »
    dnoyeB wrote: »
    Why do you prefer M70s + sub over A3's + sub? It would seem that part of the money spent on the M70 is wasted due to the duplication of the work the sub is already doing!?

    The Monitor 70's have great midrange and an expansive soundfield. Thanks to the Cascade crossovers in them, they are a very smooth and as CNH mentioned, put out a WALL OF SOUND.

    I also don't like to have a sub handle all of my lower frq... I prefer to have a sub handle mostly LFE and let the mains handle everything north of 60hz (I now have my RTi A7's set to 40hz). I find they do it tighter and quicker than most subs and it makes it more difficult to locate the sub in the room.

    I have found that when the A3's start to go below 100hz they get muddy and sloppy. The Monitor 70's can go down to 40hz but I found them to be better crossed over at 60. The A3's, I would not dare to drop below 100hz.

    IMO, the less you have to RELY on a sub, the better.

    @Upstatemax, I found this zombie thread, also I just picked up a pair of M70'll, but found online that the RTi-a7 and the a9's are going for a killer price. Now I won't go into which pair vs thing. Having owned the original M70 before that where powered by a pair of 200 X 2 monoblocks.
    I know the M70'll's are a nice value, not just in price and not many other speakers can compete with them in that price range especially when there @70% off. Would like your thoughts on the RTi-a7 in comparison to the M70'll as in use for music. I would luv to snatch up a pair of a9's which I am thinking of going with the only thing stopping me apartment livingroom is about 12 by 15 in which I sit right at 10ft from my mains. So that is why my first choice are the a7's. Your input or any of the other old timers thoughts would be greatly appreciate it. I already know the RTi line for HT are an outstanding performer just from reading the reviews on them. Just wondering if the are musically involved?. I posted in a thread that I have been eyeballing a pair of Martin Logan 40's as mains. But at 2 g's for a pair and the a7's or a9's especially right at 9 bills to me is an outstanding value. So your thought sir! No matter which ones I go with a two channel parasound amp will power the mains I am off the fence between the 2250v2, and the a23, it will be the a23..
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,623
    Upstatemax wrote: »
    dnoyeB wrote: »
    Why do you prefer M70s + sub over A3's + sub? It would seem that part of the money spent on the M70 is wasted due to the duplication of the work the sub is already doing!?

    The Monitor 70's have great midrange and an expansive soundfield. Thanks to the Cascade crossovers in them, they are a very smooth and as CNH mentioned, put out a WALL OF SOUND.

    I also don't like to have a sub handle all of my lower frq... I prefer to have a sub handle mostly LFE and let the mains handle everything north of 60hz (I now have my RTi A7's set to 40hz). I find they do it tighter and quicker than most subs and it makes it more difficult to locate the sub in the room.

    I have found that when the A3's start to go below 100hz they get muddy and sloppy. The Monitor 70's can go down to 40hz but I found them to be better crossed over at 60. The A3's, I would not dare to drop below 100hz.

    IMO, the less you have to RELY on a sub, the better.

    @Upstatemax, I found this zombie thread, also I just picked up a pair of M70'll, but found online that the RTi-a7 and the a9's are going for a killer price. Now I won't go into which pair vs thing. Having owned the original M70 before that where powered by a pair of 200 X 2 monoblocks.
    I know the M70'll's are a nice value, not just in price and not many other speakers can compete with them in that price range especially when there @70% off. Would like your thoughts on the RTi-a7 in comparison to the M70'll as in use for music. I would luv to snatch up a pair of a9's which I am thinking of going with the only thing stopping me apartment livingroom is about 12 by 15 in which I sit right at 10ft from my mains. So that is why my first choice are the a7's. Your input or any of the other old timers thoughts would be greatly appreciate it. I already know the RTi line for HT are an outstanding performer just from reading the reviews on them. Just wondering if the are musically involved?. I posted in a thread that I have been eyeballing a pair of Martin Logan 40's as mains. But at 2 g's for a pair and the a7's or a9's especially right at 9 bills to me is an outstanding value. So your thought sir! No matter which ones I go with a two channel parasound amp will power the mains I am off the fence between the 2250v2, and the a23, it will be the a23..


    If you're going with the A23 I would not get the RTi A9's. I would want those powered by the A21.

    IMO, the most musical of the RTi A line are the A5's and A9's. The A7's don't have the best midrange in the world.

    A5's with the A23 amp and a good sub (or two) would make for a nice set up in that room I would think.
  • Upstatemax wrote: »
    Upstatemax wrote: »
    dnoyeB wrote: »
    Why do you prefer M70s + sub over A3's + sub? It would seem that part of the money spent on the M70 is wasted due to the duplication of the work the sub is already doing!?

    The Monitor 70's have great midrange and an expansive soundfield. Thanks to the Cascade crossovers in them, they are a very smooth and as CNH mentioned, put out a WALL OF SOUND.

    I also don't like to have a sub handle all of my lower frq... I prefer to have a sub handle mostly LFE and let the mains handle everything north of 60hz (I now have my RTi A7's set to 40hz). I find they do it tighter and quicker than most subs and it makes it more difficult to locate the sub in the room.

    I have found that when the A3's start to go below 100hz they get muddy and sloppy. The Monitor 70's can go down to 40hz but I found them to be better crossed over at 60. The A3's, I would not dare to drop below 100hz.

    IMO, the less you have to RELY on a sub, the better.

    @Upstatemax, I found this zombie thread, also I just picked up a pair of M70'll, but found online that the RTi-a7 and the a9's are going for a killer price. Now I won't go into which pair vs thing. Having owned the original M70 before that where powered by a pair of 200 X 2 monoblocks.
    I know the M70'll's are a nice value, not just in price and not many other speakers can compete with them in that price range especially when there @70% off. Would like your thoughts on the RTi-a7 in comparison to the M70'll as in use for music. I would luv to snatch up a pair of a9's which I am thinking of going with the only thing stopping me apartment livingroom is about 12 by 15 in which I sit right at 10ft from my mains. So that is why my first choice are the a7's. Your input or any of the other old timers thoughts would be greatly appreciate it. I already know the RTi line for HT are an outstanding performer just from reading the reviews on them. Just wondering if the are musically involved?. I posted in a thread that I have been eyeballing a pair of Martin Logan 40's as mains. But at 2 g's for a pair and the a7's or a9's especially right at 9 bills to me is an outstanding value. So your thought sir! No matter which ones I go with a two channel parasound amp will power the mains I am off the fence between the 2250v2, and the a23, it will be the a23..


    If you're going with the A23 I would not get the RTi A9's. I would want those powered by the A21.

    IMO, the most musical of the RTi A line are the A5's and A9's. The A7's don't have the best midrange in the world.

    A5's with the A23 amp and a good sub (or two) would make for a nice set up in that room I would think.

    Had a feeling you would have the info on them..really appreciate your input..Thats what I had figured about the A9s, would need a amp like the A21 to bring the best out of them.