rtia9 for rti8

ah-ha

hello everyone,

my room is about 12ft (width) by 20ft (depth) and i have the following speakers : rti8 (front about 9ft apart), csi5 as center channel, rti6 (about 14 ft from tv) and fxi3 (about 18 ft from tv). as receiver, i have the hk avr240 (7.1 channel).

when listening dolby 5.1, it's the fxi3 that works and not the rti6. should i instead use the rti6 for better sound?

also, i am DREAMING of changing the rti8 for the rtia9. will there a BIG difference in sound quality? please, don't tell me yes

and if i do use the rtia9 as front speakers, can i use the rti8 as back or surround speakers? has anyone use floor-standing speakers as back or surround speakers?

i know that's lots of questions but any help or suggestions are appreciated. thanks.

BIZILL

i like using my rti8's for surround duty. if i had the room for it, i would replace my rti6's with rti8's for 7.1 surrounds as well instead of just my 6's. but in the end, 6's work pretty much just as well.

mystik610

ah-ha wrote: »

hello everyone,

my room is about 12ft (width) by 20ft (depth) and i have the following speakers : rti8 (front about 9ft apart), csi5 as center channel, rti6 (about 14 ft from tv) and fxi3 (about 18 ft from tv). as receiver, i have the hk avr240 (7.1 channel).

when listening dolby 5.1, it's the fxi3 that works and not the rti6. should i instead use the rti6 for better sound?

also, i am DREAMING of changing the rti8 for the rtia9. will there a BIG difference in sound quality? please, don't tell me yes

and if i do use the rtia9 as front speakers, can i use the rti8 as back or surround speakers? has anyone use floor-standing speakers as back or surround speakers?

i know that's lots of questions but any help or suggestions are appreciated. thanks.

The A9's are pretty much the RTi8's with smaller mid-bass drivers and an array of woofers to handle the low frequency material that a dedicated sub would normally handle.

Save your money on a good dedicated sub. You'll need a very powerful external amp to drive the woofers on the A9's. A high quality dedicated sub will handle low frequencies better than the woofers on the A9 ever will. Sub-woofers also need to be carefully placed (usually corner loaded) to fully appreciate. Most towers sit in the front, middle part of the listening area, and in most cases, this is a low frequency null area.

If you happen to have a dedicated sub, the woofers in the A9 can actually be detrimental to your lower frequencies as it would the equivalent to running a dual sub set-up, with different drivers. Unless the frequency responses on the subs are either identical or mutually exclusive of one another (ie on handles frequencies higher than 50hz, and the other handles frequencies lower than 50hz), you'd likely run into a lot of bass cancellation.

The one advantage to the A9's is better integration of the lower frequencies with the middle and upper frequencies as the woofers will share the same cross-over network with the mid-bass drivers and tweeters in the A9. This is particularly important if your primarily using the speaker to listen to music....in which case you should be looking at the LSi series anyway. That being said, if you happen to have a receiver with audyssey, it does a great job of setting the speaker distances and equalizer settings so the sub integrates rather seamlessly with the rest of your system.

So in a nut-shell, you should spend more time dreaming of a high quality sub or the LSi's if you're looking for musicality, than looking at the A9's.

cnh

Have to disagree with m610 above, not about the LSIs being more musical but about the A9s making a significant difference from the Rti-8s....the A9s will blow the 8s out of the water...The A9s drivers except for the tweeter are NOT found in any other Rti tower (the A7 shares its 7" woofers x 2). The A9s have a D' apolito array of 5-1-5, and 3 x 7" woofers, not 6.5 inchers that are found on the 8'?. They also have a cascade crossover system NOT available on the 8s....Not only are they prodigious in their sound and power, they are the MOST musical tower of all the RTis! Much better than the 8's...so yes. Since you already have an all Rti sytem....get the A9s, move the 8s to surround duty and put the 6s in the back.

If you want to redo everything and you want to go more 'musical' then sell everything and buy a set of LSis? Sounds a bit expensive to me!

cnh

packetjones

+1 to CNH and Capri's statements...

I think that the A9's would be a significant upgrade over the 8's. You may need additional amplification to get the full benefit of the 9's. i have heard that the 8's/A5's have a great midrange but lack some of the lower end. The 9's will give some improvements in this area.

In regards to Mystik's point. I would strongly recommend a good sub to compliemnt the 8's. Depending on the sub that you have I would also look at making improvements in this area first. I really good sub and the 8's will sound better than the A9's in my opinion, especially if subpar amplification is used onthe A9's.


What are you using the system for most. HT or music?

mystik610

Another thing to consider, is that you start spending as much as you do for the RTiA9's, you start dipping into range into higher end speaker lines. If you're looking at the typical refurb prices for the A9's, for around the same price you could snag a pair of Paradigm studios from Audiogon. This would be a far more tremendous upgrade.

ah-ha

thank you everyone fro your comments. i forgot to mention that i have a d-box 12" sub.

cstmar01

mystik610 wrote: »

Another thing to consider, is that you start spending as much as you do for the RTiA9's, you start dipping into range into higher end speaker lines. If you're looking at the typical refurb prices for the A9's, for around the same price you could snag a pair of Paradigm studios from Audiogon. This would be a far more tremendous upgrade.

He could buy some paradigm studios, but the lower end ones. Now I personally like Paradigm, but he would also have to change out all his speakers to match. This is going to be a lot more expensive to do rather than just getting A9's for around 1200 bucks refurbished off polk direct when they have them.
Also with the studio's if he's looking at the newer models for the price of the polks he's going to be limited to bookshelf speakers and not floor standers.
Personally I have heard the studio 20 V5's which run around 1300 new and yes liked them for a bookshelf, but do not feel they give as much as a full sound as a floorstanding unit does.
The cheapest floor stander in the current line would be the studio 60 v5. It is a great speaker but runs 2200 new and I have not seen these for cheaper.

mystik610

cstmar01 wrote: »

He could buy some paradigm studios, but the lower end ones. Now I personally like Paradigm, but he would also have to change out all his speakers to match. This is going to be a lot more expensive to do rather than just getting A9's for around 1200 bucks refurbished off polk direct when they have them.
Also with the studio's if he's looking at the newer models for the price of the polks he's going to be limited to bookshelf speakers and not floor standers.
Personally I have heard the studio 20 V5's which run around 1300 new and yes liked them for a bookshelf, but do not feel they give as much as a full sound as a floorstanding unit does.
The cheapest floor stander in the current line would be the studio 60 v5. It is a great speaker but runs 2200 new and I have not seen these for cheaper.

It depends on whether or not you're apprehensive to buying used or not.

Paradigm Studio 100's regularly sell for under 1,500 bucks on Audiogon...there are a couple listed on there now that are around that price range.

Personally, I'd rather spend 1,500 for a pair of well cared for used Paradigm Studios, than a refurbished pair of A9's, and over-time build around them. If it weren't grounds for divorce, I probably would lol.

At the end of the day, you'll be spending more than double what you spent for the RTi8's to upgrade to the A9's. Frankly, the A9's/12's aren't going to provide double the performance, and its an upgrade that provides significantly dimished returns. If you want to hear a BIG improvement in sound, you'll have to move to a higher-end line of speakers.

If you're going to upgrade...UPGRADE!

cstmar01

mystik610 wrote: »

It depends on whether or not you're apprehensive to buying used or not.

Paradigm Studio 100's regularly sell for under 1,500 bucks on Audiogon...there are a couple listed on there now that are around that price range.

Personally, I'd rather spend 1,500 for a pair of well cared for used Paradigm Studios, than a refurbished pair of A9's, and over-time build around them. If it weren't grounds for divorce, I probably would lol.

At the end of the day, you'll be spending more than double what you spent for the RTi8's to upgrade to the A9's. Frankly, the A9's/12's aren't going to provide double the performance, and its an upgrade that provides significantly dimished returns. If you want to hear a BIG improvement in sound, you'll have to move to a higher-end line of speakers.


also I do not agree with this.
"If you happen to have a dedicated sub, the woofers in the A9 can actually be detrimental to your lower frequencies as it would the equivalent to running a dual sub set-up, with different drivers. Unless the frequency responses on the subs are either identical or mutually exclusive of one another (ie on handles frequencies higher than 50hz, and the other handles frequencies lower than 50hz), you'd likely run into a lot of bass cancellation."




If you're going to upgrade...UPGRADE!

there are only 2 pairs listed on audigon currently the one has sold and the asking was 1300 this was for 100 V3's and the other is currently v4's for 1700.

http://cgis.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/srch_fs.pl?searchstring=paradigm&B1=go

Once again. If he currently has an all polk set up for the center ect. It doesn't really make sense for him to go out and get the digms unless he wants to spend a bit in upgrading everything.

He was looking for improvement with the current polk line up. He will notice an improvement with the A9's over the 8's.
If he wants to move to a different line then he can also look at def tech, B&W ect that will also give a different sound but for now if he keeps the all polk line up I would say for him to go with the A9's.

Also I do not agree with this:
"If you happen to have a dedicated sub, the woofers in the A9 can actually be detrimental to your lower frequencies as it would the equivalent to running a dual sub set-up, with different drivers. Unless the frequency responses on the subs are either identical or mutually exclusive of one another (ie on handles frequencies higher than 50hz, and the other handles frequencies lower than 50hz), you'd likely run into a lot of bass cancellation."

mystik610

cstmar01 wrote: »

there are only 2 pairs listed on audigon currently the one has sold and the asking was 1300 this was for 100 V3's and the other is currently v4's for 1700.

http://cgis.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/srch_fs.pl?searchstring=paradigm&B1=go

Once again. If he currently has an all polk set up for the center ect. It doesn't really make sense for him to go out and get the digms unless he wants to spend a bit in upgrading everything.

He was looking for improvement with the current polk line up. He will notice an improvement with the A9's over the 8's.
If he wants to move to a different line then he can also look at def tech, B&W ect that will also give a different sound but for now if he keeps the all polk line up I would say for him to go with the A9's.

Also I do not agree with this:
"If you happen to have a dedicated sub, the woofers in the A9 can actually be detrimental to your lower frequencies as it would the equivalent to running a dual sub set-up, with different drivers. Unless the frequency responses on the subs are either identical or mutually exclusive of one another (ie on handles frequencies higher than 50hz, and the other handles frequencies lower than 50hz), you'd likely run into a lot of bass cancellation."

The point is, the OP asked if there would be a BIG difference upgrading to the A9...and the answer is no. Of course there will be some improvement, but not a 'this speaker costs twice as much as my old ones' difference. Saying the A9's will blow the RTi8's out of the water is an over-statement IMO.

When it comes to upgrading, the question you have to ask yourself is will anyone else appreciate the upgrade other than myself? This is the question I asked myself when I found a pair of RTi12's on craigslist for 675. They were a steal don't get me wrong, but I also was able to score my RTi8's + my old CSi3 on craigslist for 350. At the end of the day I ended up upgrading my sub to the HSU VTF-III and that added far more value to my system than the RTi12's ever would have.

Upgrading for the sake of upgrading can be wasteful at times, if the amount you spend doesn't equate to an proportionate improvement in sound quality. For double the price of the RTi8's, the A9's do not offer double the improvement in sound quality. Spending more than that to upgrade to a higher end speaker line would cost more, but provide more value IMO.

Just my two cents.

cstmar01

mystik610 wrote: »

The point is, the OP asked if there would be a BIG difference upgrading to the A9...and the answer is no. Of course there will be some improvement, but not a 'this speaker costs twice as much as my old ones' difference. Saying the A9's will blow the RTi8's out of the water is an over-statement IMO.

When it comes to upgrading, the question you have to ask yourself is will anyone else appreciate the upgrade other than myself? This is the question I asked myself when I found a pair of RTi12's on craigslist for 675. They were a steal don't get me wrong, but I also was able to score my RTi8's + my old CSi3 on craigslist for 350. At the end of the day I ended up upgrading my sub to the HSU VTF-III and that added far more value to my system than the RTi12's ever would have.

Upgrading for the sake of upgrading can be wasteful at times, if the amount you spend doesn't equate to an proportionate improvement in sound quality. For double the price of the RTi8's, the A9's do not offer double the improvement in sound quality. Spending more than that to upgrade to a higher end speaker line would cost more, but provide more value IMO.

Just my two cents.

Here is the problem with your suggestion. From what I can see and what you stated you have not heard these speakers (the A9's or the 12's) which I don't feel its helpful for someone that has not had them in their set up be able to say that they won't make a big difference for the person. You could say that I went from the Monitor 70's to the A9's wouldn't have made a difference, and guess what it made a large amount of difference IMO. If the OP is using these for music, I am sure he would enjoy the 9's a lot more than the 8's and if you add an amp, you'll be good for awhile.

It comes down to if the OP feels its worth it and wanted some reassurance on it, which for the most part it will be an upgrade, for you, you don't think its worth it, but it seems like for the OP he probably would. The 9 is a completely different speaker than the lower models and very good model for HT as well as its good for music (a little bright for my taste but can be tamed depending on whats driving them).

It also as a suggestion to move to a completely different brand all together doesn't seem to make sense as he was asking just for the Polk series and not a different brand. Yes the studios are a very good speaker and sound awesome, but he would have to switch out everything, and don't think he's really wanting to do that seeing his post didn't state that.

The 9's are a totally different speaker, and I would suggest hearing what they can do in an HT and music setting vs the 8's before saying that they won't make a difference. To the OP it seems like he really wants them, and if he does he does. If he doesn't think they are worth the upgrade when he gets them I'm sure he can resell them locally or return them if need be.

upwan

I have the following setup (all Polk):
Front RTi8
center: CSiA6
Surround: FXi A4
A/V: Cambridge Audio Azur 540R (thinking of replacing)

Can anyone recommend a suitable sub?

mystik610

cstmar01 wrote: »

Here is the problem with your suggestion. From what I can see and what you stated you have not heard these speakers (the A9's or the 12's) which I don't feel its helpful for someone that has not had them in their set up be able to say that they won't make a big difference for the person. You could say that I went from the Monitor 70's to the A9's wouldn't have made a difference, and guess what it made a large amount of difference IMO. If the OP is using these for music, I am sure he would enjoy the 9's a lot more than the 8's and if you add an amp, you'll be good for awhile.

Actually if you read above, I have auditioned both the Rti12's and the A9's multiple times at my local Fry's....granted they were usually hooked up to an Onkyo 80x series receiver without a separate amp, but I am familiar with how they sound. I was able to compare the 12's/A9's to the Rti8/A5 side-by-side as they're usually set up in the same room. I compared them extensively as I debated jumping on various RTi12 deals I've run into. In my 'diligence', I haven't heard anything that justifies paying double the price for them, as they do not offer double the improvement in sound quality for double the price.

Going from the Monitor 70's to the A9's would be a signficant upgrade as you're going from a lower line of speakers to a higher line. You have a completely different set of drivers, materials, cabinet designs, and components. Going from the Rti8's to the A9's is less of an upgrade, as they share the same general design, and have mostly the same components.

cstmar01 wrote: »

The 9's are a totally different speaker, and I would suggest hearing what they can do in an HT and music setting vs the 8's before saying that they won't make a difference. To the OP it seems like he really wants them, and if he does he does. If he doesn't think they are worth the upgrade when he gets them I'm sure he can resell them locally or return them if need be.

Of course he should audition them and decide for himself, but he asked the opinion of the forum, and I gave him my opinion, based on my experience with them. He wanted to know if there would be a BIG difference, and frankly, it wouldn't make a BIG difference, as both of these speakers come from the same general family of speakers.

And people ask these questions because unfortunately it isn't easy to just go out and buy a set of speakers (especially 90 lb speakers like the 12's/A9's), and return them or resell them because they don't live up to your expectations. I'm lucky that I have a Fry's local to me and that they always have the RTi series set-up to audition.

This whole cycle of upgrading for the sake of upgrading and selling at a loss when you want to make a real upgrade is wasteful...we've all been through it. Even if you are able to return the speakers, you usually are dealing with restocking fees, and return shipment fees.

Maybe I should have conveyed this better, but the point of my posts isn't that he should upgrade to the Paradigms. The point is, the A9's are not worth the cost of the upgrade....I only brought up the Paradigms as a benchmark of what level of quality that amount of money avails you to. Speaking purely from the standpoint of value...the improvement in sound quality you'll get going from the RTi8's to the A9's is not proportionate to the amount of extra money you'd be expected to pay.

mystik610

upwan wrote: »

I have the following setup (all Polk):
Front RTi8
center: CSiA6
Surround: FXi A4
A/V: Cambridge Audio Azur 540R (thinking of replacing)

Can anyone recommend a suitable sub?

What's your Budget?

cstmar01

mystik610 wrote: »

Actually if you read above, I have auditioned both the Rti12's and the A9's multiple times at my local Fry's....granted they were usually hooked up to an Onkyo 80x series receiver without a separate amp, but I am familiar with how they sound. I was able to compare the 12's/A9's to the Rti8/A5 side-by-side as they're usually set up in the same room. I compared them extensively as I debated jumping on various RTi12 deals I've run into. In my 'diligence', I haven't heard anything that justifies paying double the price for them, as they do not offer double the improvement in sound quality for double the price.

Going from the Monitor 70's to the A9's would be a signficant upgrade as you're going from a lower line of speakers to a higher line. You have a completely different set of drivers, materials, cabinet designs, and components. Going from the Rti8's to the A9's is less of an upgrade, as they share the same general design, and have mostly the same components.



Of course he should audition them and decide for himself, but he asked the opinion of the forum, and I gave him my opinion, based on my experience with them. He wanted to know if there would be a BIG difference, and frankly, it wouldn't make a BIG difference, as both of these speakers come from the same general family of speakers.

And people ask these questions because unfortunately it isn't easy to just go out and buy a set of speakers (especially 90 lb speakers like the 12's/A9's), and return them or resell them because they don't live up to your expectations. I'm lucky that I have a Fry's local to me and that they always have the RTi series set-up to audition.

This whole cycle of upgrading for the sake of upgrading and selling at a loss when you want to make a real upgrade is wasteful...we've all been through it. Even if you are able to return the speakers, you usually are dealing with restocking fees, and return shipment fees.

Maybe I should have conveyed this better, but the point of my posts isn't that he should upgrade to the Paradigms. The point is, the A9's are not worth the cost of the upgrade....I only brought up the Paradigms as a benchmark of what level of quality that amount of money avails you to. Speaking purely from the standpoint of value...the improvement in sound quality you'll get going from the RTi8's to the A9's is not proportionate to the amount of extra money you'd be expected to pay.

All I can say is that IMO opinion yes it will make a difference for the OP to move to the A9's. If its worth the extra money that is up to him, you can't really put a price on improvement, if its a positive one that he likes then so be it but he is the one that needs to justify it to himself, me personally I would have no problem as I've heard the 8s for both music and HT and would much rather have the 9's. And yes it was worth the extra money for me as I wanted an upgrade.

and the cabinets btw are a different design, the 9's have the top mid drvies sealed off from the rest, but whatever.

Let the OP decide, and I'm done. "Big" improvement is meaningless to me as you can't put a price on what someone thinks is better, only the person spending the money can.

All I can say is that most people here would say that they are worth the upgrade.

and the 2nd part in bold, again is totally your opinion and only the OP can really decide if its worth it. For most people I think they would be very happy if they moved from the 8's to the 9's in terms for movies and HT. but I guess I don't know anything so I'm done posting here.

and to the OP for a sub. HSU, SVS, Epik, paradigm, polk Micro's (the 4K is nice) all depends on what you want to spend.

cstmar01

PS forgot to add and couldn't before the edit went away.

If you use your logic and statement, then the OP shouldn't have even bought the 8's we should all stick to bookshelf's because I mean you can't get twice the improvment for the extra money going from RTIA3's to RTI8's right?

you see what I'm saying?

its like saying that he should then go with the paradigm studio 20 v5's because the jump in price (about double) to the studio 100's wouldn't be worth it. This is flawed logic but to each their own.

searay40dad

if OP will consider the RTi 12, which as we know is the discontinued model replaced by the RTi A9, they can be had new w/ full Polk warranty for $359/each (maybe less now) + s/h. Other than cabinet styling, rest of changes maybe considered negligible.

With that being said, I'd then be inclined to take the difference between the refurb'd A9s (~$1,200 I think I read above) and 12s and put it towards a good quality 2-channel amp (or two...because the 12s like alot of quality power to really sing).

IMHO, the 12s would provide a nice improvement over the RTi8 fronts but only if they are properly powered. but, hey, I'll admit it...i'm a newb....

Upwan, you might consider a PSW505...they can be found new w/ full Polk warranty for less than $250 (seems like I saw NEWEGG had it for $249 w/ $20 off coupon recently) shipped. it would be a good match for you and economical if thats important to you.

mystik610

cstmar01 wrote: »

PS forgot to add and couldn't before the edit went away.

If you use your logic and statement, then the OP shouldn't have even bought the 8's we should all stick to bookshelf's because I mean you can't get twice the improvment for the extra money going from RTIA3's to RTI8's right?

you see what I'm saying?

its like saying that he should then go with the paradigm studio 20 v5's because the jump in price (about double) to the studio 100's wouldn't be worth it. This is flawed logic but to each their own.

Going from 300 bucks to 600 bucks is a far smaller jump than going from 600 bucks to 1,200 bucks. The real point is that at 300 bucks a pair your choices are rather limited in terms of quality.....it's in this range that you find most of the mass-marketed, big-box line of speakers.

Once you start spending over 1,000 bucks for a pair of speakers, the quality of speakers available to you increases pretty significantly, and it makes the A9's look very, very over-priced....especially when a pair of A5's with a good sub can do a whole lot more in most cases (other than music). Once you start spending that kind of money to upgrade, you better be getting serious returns in performance.

We're beating a dead-horse here, but what the OP should get out of this is that there are choices and alternatives to simply dishing out an ****-load of money for the sake of having a bigger tower. There's always a cost benefit to the consumer/buyer/owner that will vary from person to person....and really that's what the OP wanted an opinion on...whether or not the upgrade is justifiable considering the price. In my opinion its not. Others may beg to differ.

At the very least, both ends of the discussion were addressed. In my opinion, you can achieve better yields in sound quality by spending (less) money elsewhere than upgrading to the A9's for the sake of having the bigger tower. It's also my opinion that for the price of the A9's there are far better alternatives if you are willing to fork out some money.

.

cnoat

I have 12's 8's and 6's.The 12's are much better than the 8's once I had power to push them.The 8's are a solid ht speaker.Very bright imo.The 6's however are very good for music.Almost flat as far as my ears can tell.If it were me I would invest in a good avr and sub.

Steve

cstmar01

mystik610 wrote: »

Going from 300 bucks to 600 bucks is a far smaller jump than going from 600 bucks to 1,200 bucks. The real point is that at 300 bucks a pair your choices are rather limited in terms of quality....it's in this range that you find most of the mass-marketed, big-box line of speakers

Once you start spending over 1,000 bucks for a pair of speakers, the quality of speakers available to you increases pretty significantly, and it makes the A9's look very, very over-priced....especially when a pair of A5's with a good sub can do a whole lot more in most cases (other than music). Once you start spending that kind of money to upgrade, you better be getting serious returns in performance.

We're beating a dead-horse here, but what the OP should get out of this is that there are choices and alternatives to simply dishing out an ****-load of money for the sake of having a bigger tower. There's always a cost benefit to the consumer/buyer/owner that will vary from person to person....and really that's what the OP wanted an opinion on...whether or not the upgrade is justifiable considering the price. In my opinion its not. Others may beg to differ.

At the very least, both ends of the discussion were addressed. In my opinion, you can achieve better yields in sound quality by spending (less) money elsewhere than upgrading to the A9's for the sake of having the bigger tower. It's also my opinion that for the price of the A9's there are far better alternatives if you are willing to fork out some money.

.

umm no. and no.

guess my A9's are crap. I'm gonna go burn them now. (they are worth what I paid and the price of 1000, I could spend the same on bose set) and also 1000 isn't a whole lot for a speaker, sorry. its really not, and its not even really a break out point for other higher end towers (Mythos series, Paradigm Studios, Focal, B&W, ect. you can get a lot of speaker for 1000 but to say you will start getting dimishing returns there after is silly and well I'm sorry but you will have a lot of other people argue with you, because um please go tell that phrase to the person with Martin Logans or Wilson Watt/Puppies.

Also forgot to mention, to the OP. towers do work for surrounds, however it is a more localized sound, I personally prefer a di/bipole speaker such as the FXI line. I did use some towers for awhile but depending on room size and location they can be a pain. Also it can be hard as you normally want the tweeter at around ear level or higher and with towers this can be hard to do (unless you make some risers for them ect)

mystik610

cstmar01 wrote: »

umm no. and no.

guess my A9's are crap. I'm gonna go burn them now. (they are worth what I paid and the price of 1000, I could spend the same on bose set) and also 1000 isn't a whole lot for a speaker, sorry. its really not, and its not even really a break out point for other higher end towers (Mythos series, Paradigm Studios, Focal, B&W, ect. you can get a lot of speaker for 1000 but to say you will start getting dimishing returns there after is silly and well I'm sorry but you will have a lot of other people argue with you, because um please go tell that phrase to the person with Martin Logans or Wilson Watt/Puppies.

Also forgot to mention, to the OP. towers do work for surrounds, however it is a more localized sound, I personally prefer a di/bipole speaker such as the FXI line. I did use some towers for awhile but depending on room size and location they can be a pain. Also it can be hard as you normally want the tweeter at around ear level or higher and with towers this can be hard to do (unless you make some risers for them ect)

In case that was too difficult for you to understand, the point I was making is that once you spend over 1000 for a set of speakers you avail yourself to higher end lines....at this price point you start to see a significant increase in returns in sound quality from brands like Paradigm and Martin Logan.

The point was, jumping from a 600 pair of RTi8's and jumping to a 1,200 pair of A9's produces diminished returns...particularly when you consider what else is available at that price.

I'm not saying that the A9's are crap, only that for the price you'd pay for them, there are SO many better alternatives.

cstmar01

mystik610 wrote: »

In case that was too difficult for you to understand, the point I was making is that once you spend over 1000 for a set of speakers you avail yourself to higher end lines....at this price point you start to see a significant increase in returns in sound quality from brands like Paradigm and Martin Logan.

The point was, jumping from a 600 pair of RTi8's and jumping to a 1,200 pair of A9's produces diminished returns...particularly when you consider what else is available at that price.

I'm not saying that the A9's are crap, only that for the price you'd pay for them, there are SO many better alternatives.

Um if your going to insult me go for it, but saying that I couldn't comphrend something is uncalled for as your stating in the start of your post.

and the whole point once again I am stating is he is asking about Polk speakers seeing already has ALL POLK SPEAKERS AND IF YOU UPGRADE TO A DIFFERENT BRAND YOU WILL HAVE TO UPGRADE THE REST TO TIMBRE MATCH.
so really your 1000 increase for the L/R may work, but then you have to consider the extra 500 or so for a center and the surrounds and sorry, then just paying the extra for the A9's makes more sense.

Once again its not going in a negatvie direction from the 8's to the 9's. I really don't get how the 8's can sound like the 9's seeing I've heard both and they sound no where near the same, nor is the price unjustified by what you gain.

Also once again, for the price of 1000 there are not many other floor standing models (that you can get factory refurb) that will sound as good as the 9's, sorry, you won't. Trust me I look at prices pretty much every day on the gon, other forums ect seeing what the going prices are on things, and the A9's are pretty well priced for what you get.

Can you get great used deals, yes, but these often will not come with a warranty and the support like polk has. You are saying an increase in sound quality, and there is an increase in quality from the 8's to the 9's. It is a different speaker all together even though they are in the same "family"
The same could be said from the M50's to the M70's, the same family but a completely different speaker.

if people simiply go with the logic you are stating, then your going to miss out on a lot of good speakers simply because they are "in the same family"

cnoat

A9's or 12's smoke the 8's

ah-ha

thank you all for your comments...

first thing first, i used my set-up mostly for listening to movies and also, i don't intend to change to another brand of speakers or else i will have to change all my speakers and therefore it will much more expensive than let's say changing the rti8 for rti a9.

unfortunately, i can't listen to the rti a9 because i don't know any audio store who has it. by the way, i live in montreal (quebec) and if anyone knows someplace, please let me know...

i feel that the rti a9 is a bit over-priced and that's why i am asking for your opinions - is it really worth spending that much money and will i hear the difference???

cnh

To 610...and politely....I've heard Rti-8s and I own M70s bring your 8s to my house and I will show you just how much better the M70s are for MUSIC...that's a dare...BTW.

You OBVIOUSLY have not REALLY heard the Rti-12s or A9s..seriously running those off an Onkyo 800 series does NOT cut it. You DEFINITELY don't know what they sound like. While I do not disagree with some of your other opinions. But not everyone thinks Paradigm towers are the bees knees here. I for one prefer any FOCAL over that company!! Better, cleaner, more holographic sound any day of your week! Speaker preferences are relative. Money 'alone' does NOT secure good sound. Synergy is also a factor, so is Subjectivity..some people don't like Paradigms, some people don't like the Polk house sound, some hate the sound of Bower and Wilkins speakers? There's no one size fits all here.

I say, to the OP, go out and listen to some speakers. If you're interested in staying with the Rti series which would be your CHEAPEST option...get your ears on a set of 12s or A9s powered by a GOOD POWER amp...not an Onkyo AVR. I own a 51 pound Onkyo AVR and if I were going to drive Rti-12s, A9s I would immediately hook my Adcom up to it because I know as powerful as that AVR is for most 8 ohms speakers, the Rti flagship NEEDS MORE JUICE!

One last question I assume 610 owns or has owned Rti-8s, and now has paradigms...nothing wrong with liking your gear and promoting it. No problem there. But there are other possibilities and at least 'really' listen to the Polks under the right conditions.

cnh

mystik610

ah-ha wrote: »

thank you all for your comments...

first thing first, i used my set-up mostly for listening to movies and also, i don't intend to change to another brand of speakers or else i will have to change all my speakers and therefore it will much more expensive than let's say changing the rti8 for rti a9.

unfortunately, i can't listen to the rti a9 because i don't know any audio store who has it. by the way, i live in montreal (quebec) and if anyone knows someplace, please let me know...

i feel that the rti a9 is a bit over-priced and that's why i am asking for your opinions - is it really worth spending that much money and will i hear the difference???

If you're primarily watching movies, the A9's will add little value to your system. The main draw of a full-range tower like the A9's over the 8's is perfect integration of the lower-frequencies with the upper frequencies, as the woofers share the same cross-over network. This is most important for music, as it will produce a seamless sound-stage across the full frequency spectrum. I do some occasional music listening on my RTi-8's and admittedly with my sub sitting near-field, the integration of my sub and towers isn't as convincing as I'd like it to be.

But like you, my AV system is used almost entirely for movies. For movies, most of the heavy low-frequency material is routed to the LFE channel (sub-woofer). A dedicated sub will also do a better job of producing the earth-shaking bass effects you see in movies far better than the woofers in the A9 ever will. What a dedicated sub lacks in integration, it will make up for in output...particularly in the extremely low frequencies. If you want to improve the sound quality of your system for movies, you'd see more improvement by upgrading your sub, AVR, etc etc. If you aren't running a separate AMP with your 8's, give it a try. Once I added a separate AMP to my system, the mid-range opened up considerably. The upper bass notes are nice and punchy, and the brightness that many complain about the RTi series is toned down significantly.

Ultimately our budget will dictate how far we go with this hobby. For most people, dropping over 1,000 dollars for a pair of speakers is a BIG investment, and shouldn't be taken lightly. If you're like most people, this is a decision where you really should consider whether or not the price will have a justifiable benefit to your own wants/needs. Upgrading to the larger tower might worthwhile to some, but it might not be for others, depending on their uses and expectations. But don't kill yourself because you have the smaller tower and obsess over the larger tower simply because its the larger tower.

mystik610

cnh wrote: »

To 610...and politely....I've heard Rti-8s and I own M70s bring your 8s to my house and I will show you just how much better the M70s are for MUSIC...that's a dare...BTW.

You OBVIOUSLY have not REALLY heard the Rti-12s or A9s..seriously running those off an Onkyo 800 series does NOT cut it. You DEFINITELY don't know what they sound like. While I do not disagree with some of your other opinions. But not everyone thinks Paradigm towers are the bees knees here. I for one prefer any FOCAL over that company!! Better, cleaner, more holographic sound any day of your week! Speaker preferences are relative. Money 'alone' does NOT secure good sound. Synergy is also a factor, so is Subjectivity..some people don't like Paradigms, some people don't like the Polk house sound, some hate the sound of Bower and Wilkins speakers? There's no one size fits all here.

I say, to the OP, go out and listen to some speakers. If you're interested in staying with the Rti series which would be your CHEAPEST option...get your ears on a set of 12s or A9s powered by a GOOD POWER amp...not an Onkyo AVR. I own a 51 pound Onkyo AVR and if I were going to drive Rti-12s, A9s I would immediately hook my Adcom up to it because I know as powerful as that AVR is for most 8 ohms speakers, the Rti flagship NEEDS MORE JUICE!

One last question I assume 610 owns or has owned Rti-8s, and now has paradigms...nothing wrong with liking your gear and promoting it. No problem there. But there are other possibilities and at least 'really' listen to the Polks under the right conditions.

cnh

Admittedly I haven't had the opportunity to hear the 12's/A9's with a separate AMP, and I'm sure it would provide a significant difference. I'm not taking anything away from the musicality of the 12's over the 8's....in fact I've pointed out that the 12's will be more musical than the 8's several times here.

I'm also not rooting for Paradigms for the sake of rooting for them...I'm only making the point that the price of the A9's avails you to a lot of alternatives...many of them better than the A9's if you're willing to bring your system to another line of speakers. And you're right, money alone doesn't produce better sound, and that's my point. Just because the A9's are bigger, badder, and more expensive, doesn't mean that for the money, it will be the most cost effective way to improve your system. Given that the OP's primary uses are for movies, his money would be better spent on upgrading his sub, AVR, his surrounds, amplification etc etc.

For the record, I still have my RTi8's, CSi5, and FXi3 set-up. I haven't upgraded because the level of 'upgrading' I'd like to do is beyond what I'm willing to spend at this point. Having heard my friends Paradigm Studio based set-up, I'd love to take a step in that direction, but like others have mentioned, that would be a huge investment of money. The A9's are within my budget, but for my uses, aren't worth the price, but it might be worthwhile to some.

I'm not trying to take anything away from those who have decided to get the A9's, but it isn't the best route for everyone, and too often here you see people suggesting the bigger more expensive speaker simply because its the bigger more expensive speaker. Different people have different uses and expectations, and what might be worthwhile for one person, might be flat-out worthless for another.

upwan

Searay40dad, thanks for the tip on the polk audio. Mustic 610, my budget is USD 500 but I am buying the sub in Europe where prices are almost double. So a USD 250 sub costs me the equivalent of USD 425 here. I have looked into shipping from the US but the subs are not made dual voltage. thats another story alltogether

mystik610

upwan wrote: »

Searay40dad, thanks for the tip on the polk audio. Mustic 610, my budget is USD 500 but I am buying the sub in Europe where prices are almost double. So a USD 250 sub costs me the equivalent of USD 425 here. I have looked into shipping from the US but the subs are not made dual voltage. thats another story alltogether

Give the guys at HSU a call. They have several subs under 500 USD that will give Polk subs a run for the money. I'm not sure if they ship internationally or not, but I read somewhere on their forum a while back (I can't find the thread) that they can modify the amp on their subs to work internationally. At any rate, not absolutely sure it will work out, but its worth giving them a call.