Polk RTI4 and Yamaha receiver, bad mix?

pyrocyborg

Hi there!

I just bought some clearance Polk RTI4 combined with a PSW10 sub and I like them. As my first "real" home stereo system, I am pleased with the deal and heard nothing but great reviews about Polk RTI line.

However, I am on a budget and I must find the correct amp for this setup. I got a Yamaha RXV365, entry level receiver. Sounds decent but I do not know if it's too bright.

Anyone knows if the new entry level receiver from Yamaha are still bright and, therefore, a bad match for Polk RTI speakers? I mean, it seems to sound great (while a bit forward, or bright at high volume) for the moment as I am in a medium sized room (12 x 16 feets) but I will soon move in a new appartment where the living room is more like an open area.

Is it a bad idea to combine Polk RTI (which are supposed to be bright sounding more than warm or neutral) to yamaha stuff? Are newer Yamaha models more neutral than before?

I live in Quebec, Canada, what brand would you recommend me for under 300$.

I know I got a lot of questions, but I am to be sure that I am getting to best sound I can get with my money.

Thanks in advance

Edit : I must say that I am using this unit for music (75%) and (25%) for movies and videogames, so music is more important than everything else. While I like precise sound, I do not want to have some headhaches everytime I listen to it.

mdaudioguy

Welcome to Club Polk pyrocyborg!

For me, the answer to your question was, Yes. I thought my Yamahas (I tried 2 different ones) sounded ok for a while with my RTi series speakers, but eventually I found the combination to be fatiguing. Some changes made a difference - external amplification, new cables, etc... but in the end, what really did the trick was replacing the Yamaha AVR with a Harman-Kardon model. YMMV.

P.S. I picked up a refurb HK AVR 254 from here: http://stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio It looks and operates like it was new.

Erik Tracy

Depends on the model, imho.

The 'flagship' series from Yamaha - V1xx, V3xx do not have a reputation for being bright. In fact, on-line reviews call them 'warm':
http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/1007yam1800/index1.html

Highlights
Plenty of ins and outs, including HDMI 1.3
Very flexible multi-zone configuration
Excellent deinterlacing and video quality
Warm, laid back sound

I actually started with a RTi4 setup with my Yamaha V1800 - the 'brightness' if it comes from anywhere would be from the speakers...but then I regard the RTi reputation for 'brightness' and 'sparkle' or 'detail'....

But - that's just me...:p

pyrocyborg

Hi, thanks both for your reply.

As I live in Canada, I can't get any of those refurb offers directly from manufacturer. Will adjusting treble do any good or will it simply reduce the volume and reduce the overall quality?

As from now, it seems to be allright, at least, it does not cause headhaches. However, I can't really listen at high volume for hours as I have no time at the moment (can't test it very loud in my appartment)... So I can't tell if the sound is too harsh for me.

In entry level receivers, what would be "warm" brands for under 300? I don't care about bells and whistles, I want a good "natural" sound though (even if I know this is clearly subjective)

Erik Tracy

pyrocyborg wrote: »

Hi, thanks both for your reply.

As I live in Canada, I can't get any of those refurb offers directly from manufacturer. Will adjusting treble do any good or will it simply reduce the volume and reduce the overall quality?

As from now, it seems to be allright, at least, it does not cause headhaches. However, I can't really listen at high volume for hours as I have no time at the moment (can't test it very loud in my appartment)... So I can't tell if the sound is too harsh for me.

In entry level receivers, what would be "warm" brands for under 300? I don't care about bells and whistles, I want a good "natural" sound though (even if I know this is clearly subjective)

Well, there seems to be a consensus that 'generically' Harmon Kardon AVRs are supposed to be 'warm'.

pyrocyborg

Thanks! As I can read, many people says that older Yamaha models seems to have a bright sound, but RXV series have a "warm" sound associated to it. But is it the case with low end RXV?

I guess my ears will be the judge, but I might end up using another receiver if I don't like it.

Thanks again,

Erik Tracy

pyrocyborg wrote: »

Thanks! As I can read, many people says that older Yamaha models seems to have a bright sound, but RXV series have a "warm" sound associated to it. But is it the case with low end RXV?

I guess my ears will be the judge, but I might end up using another receiver if I don't like it.

Thanks again,

Well, this may be a case of personal experience that once posted by someone becomes 'accepted fact' across the internet.

But, I will admit to not having read any so called on-line 'expert' reviews (from a on-line publication from an 'expert' reviewer) that has stated Yamaha low end receivers are 'bright'.

Maybe there are - you should do your homework to see if you can find any such reviews.

ALL212

I own both an HK and a Yammy...RX630?? series. The HK is definitely warmer than the Yammy. I also own a pair of RTI6's that now have the crossovers modded. Changing the crossover to better components will take some of the harshness and glare out of them as well.

I owned a pair of RTI4's - didn't like them even enough to mod the crossovers but it will help. The problem is that there is a large value cap in the 4's - it would be interesting to see if it would fit physically in the box.

pyrocyborg

Hi again,

I tested everything and it seems that while most styles of music seems okay, Metal and high "treble" music are a bit harsh at high volume.

I reduced by 2db the treble on the receiver and it seems much better now. I am not using it to increase bass (there is a lot with my sub) but reducing treble by 2 seems a fair trade to preserve my ears on this kind of music.

Is it okay to use such controls on the receiver? I mean, does it "cut" a lot of sound and make the sound unatural? An EQ should be way better, right?

Thanks!

Erik Tracy

pyrocyborg wrote: »

Hi again,

I tested everything and it seems that while most styles of music seems okay, Metal and high "treble" music are a bit harsh at high volume.

I reduced by 2db the treble on the receiver and it seems much better now. I am not using it to increase bass (there is a lot with my sub) but reducing treble by 2 seems a fair trade to preserve my ears on this kind of music.

Is it okay to use such controls on the receiver? I mean, does it "cut" a lot of sound and make the sound unatural? An EQ should be way better, right?

Thanks!

Metal is going to test any rig for harshness at high volumes!

What EQ settings have you tried on the Yamaha? Not sure if yours has the same as mine, but I have found that the "Natural" PEQ profile can 'tame' the harshness better than the other PEQ profiles....ymmv...but you should experiment with the settings. You can set the PEQ to none then go into the graphic equalizer mode and dial down some of the treble ranges to do your own 'taming'...compare and pick what you like best...that's the only person you have to please!

pyrocyborg

Hi again Erik,

I do not have this settings on my receiver, in fact, I have no preset EQ settings. Only some kind of "Graphic equalizer" which let me adjust db to 5 frequency bands, but for the center channel only. I realized it did nothing whatever band I adjusted....

Guess I will have to keep it like this, or adjust the "treble" option by -2db... At this setting, the sound wasn't harsh at all, but I guess I lost some precision for sound from 3.5k to 10k... As this option affects frequency from 3.5k to 27k

pyrocyborg

Uhm... I just though about something : I did not use my speakers for more than 25 hours (at low volume), so they may not be break in yet? I mean, will the tweeter sound more natural with time? Thanks again

nhhiep

if you listen music more than movies. Rti series will always be too bright. I have rti8s. tried them with HK AVR 7000, AVR 335, HK PA5800 5 channels amp, and Sony V444ES. ALL give bright sound for music, but kickass for movies. Currently using them with the V444ES, until I find a good deal on the Rti9A, which I heard is a little warmer.

pyrocyborg

Thanks for the feedback. While I prefer detailled over "boomy" speakers, I must say that for some kind of music, they are way too bright, but nothing unbearable if I reduce treble by 2db. I like to listen to every detail of the sound, but sometimes, I must say it's kind of... harsh

I just did over 12 hours of music listening, and only once it was too bright... Nothing to give headaches, but sure wasn't as smooth as everyone would love it.

For most kind of music, it was allright and way better than what I was used for. However, for every hard rock or metal music, I'll be better reducing the treble. While I'll lose some detail, it will prevent my ears from bleeding at high volume :eek:

Thanks a lot everyone, I guess this is how I will need to do it. While it's not perfect, it gives a new dimension to every music I listen to.