RTi12 vs LSi9

BWilberg266

So per the suggestion of mystik610 I'm considering holding off on buying a pair of RTi12's for $500 (which includes a CSi3) and waiting for a good deal on a pair of LSi9's.

You can see my current setup in my signature, and as for use I listen to about 85% HT and 15% Music. The Ed A2-300 obviously does the heavy lifting with the bass, but I like to have as full a spectrum coming from my fronts as possible for better total immersion when I'm watching movies.

I don't listen to music a ton, but when I do I don't want to sit there wishing I should have gotten something else for my fronts. I am a pretty critical listener but am willing to sacrifice my music experience a bit to have a better overall HT experience.

As always I appreciate all comments/thoughts.

dkg999

First of all if you get the RTi12's the CSi3 center isn't going to work very well. You would need the CSi5 center. You're going to be dialogue challenged in your HT with the CSi3. I would recommend an external amp for either choice, but it's going to be almost mandantory if you want to get the best out of the LSi9's.

IMHO if I was more focused on HT I would go with the RTi12's and a CSi5 center.

BWilberg266

dkg999 wrote: »

First of all if you get the RTi12's the CSi3 center isn't going to work very well. You would need the CSi5 center. You're going to be dialogue challenged in your HT with the CSi3. I would recommend an external amp for either choice, but it's going to be almost mandantory if you want to get the best out of the LSi9's.

IMHO if I was more focused on HT I would go with the RTi12's and a CSi5 center.

The RTi's are really sounding like my best option right now. I will audition them this week and find out for sure but due to my HT tendencies it seems like it makes the most sense.

domflane

Good thinking BW, the RTi's will suit your HT needs much better and will better match the sound of your current setup. The RTi and TSi tweeters have a lot more in common than they do with the ring radiators on the LSi's. Also, the RTi12's are monsters and sometimes bigger is definately better.

mystik610

FWIW I recently swapped out my RTi8’s for a pair of LSi9’s. I haven’t had much time to listen to the 9’s critically until this morning, but I can already tell you that I prefer the LSi’s for both HT and Music.

The LSi9 is definitely more laid back in the upper frequencies than the RTi…whether or not this is preferable is highly subjective. The LSi’s are definitely more laid back, but they’re also ‘blacker’ and a whole lot cleaner. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the RTi’s tweeter is more detailed (its not), but it’s certainly a speaker that favors the tweeter over the mids, and accentuates the upper frequencies.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for HT, as it tends to ‘throw’ the sound of the highs clear across the room and create cool moments of heightened directionality and spaciousness. At times the highs sound artificially inflated…but HT soundtracks by nature, are artificially inflated (for the most part). It does seem excessive after pro-longed listening sessions though, and I’ve experienced listening fatigue with the RTi’s for both music AND movies.

Where the LSi’s shine is in the cumulative subtleties and details that overall create a more life-like sound-stage. While the RTi’s seem to throw sound all around you to create a dimensional sound-stage, they sound a little bit ‘crowded’ and ‘busy’ at times. The LSi’s, on the other hand, create a very dimensional sound-stage by convincingly separating audio details and creating a real sense of depth.

With the RTi’s, you hear everything in the front sound-stage thrown at you at once. With the LSi’s, everything in the front sound-stage is acoustically placed where it should be. Nuanced details are highlighted without being exaggerated...the cumulative effect of these little nuanced create a very life-like sound for HT and music.

To me the RTi’s are like an LCD running with its back-light turned all the way up, frame interpolation modes set to max, and colors exaggeratedly saturated. The LSi’s are a meticulously calibrated Plasma, with deep blacks, deep accurate colors, and just the right amount of shadow detail to create a realistic sense of depth and dimension without looking tacky.

In the end I still think it’s highly subjective. I’d say listen to both and see where your preferences lie (exaggerated sound vs life-like sound). I only brought up the LSi9 as something you should try before you make a leap of faith...but 500 for a pair of RTi12's + a CSi3 is admittedly a very good deal!

dekuda

I have the RTi12's and I purchased them mainly for HT but have ended up listening to more music. I agree that the LSI9's would be better for music but if you listen to HT alot you cannot go wrong for the price of the RTi12's. Through my experimentation, you can get the 12's to sound very nice with the right amp,cables or source. I have mine hooked up to a Parasound HCA1500a amp and listen to cd's off a Rotel player using the analog ports going to a Marantz receiver.I had a carver amp running them before and it made them even less bright. I have the amp for sale now if interested. All this makes the RTi12's sound great for music and I do not experience listening fatique as some call it. That being said, I would consider the lsi 9's if you mainly want to listen to music but then again with the right equipment those RTi12's will sing .

BWilberg266

In the interest of being happy in the long run with my investment I'm holding off on the purchase. (an admittedly rare thing when it comes to a good deal on some Polk equipment for me) I am very intrigued by Mytiks description of the two speakers in comparison to cranked up LCD vs pure natural image of plasma.

Although some prefer exaggerated and larger than life experiences in HT I would have to say I prefer to have the more realistic. It makes the intense scenes more exciting and gives the quiet subtleties more presence.

From what your saying Dekuda you can get some very impressive and less fatiguing sound from the RTi's but I know I would have to do some serious changes to my setup for that to happen. (which in all reality will probably happen with either one I purchase I suppose) It makes no sense to have beautiful speakers that are driven with poor power.

Really going to have to give the LSi9 vs RTi12 some more thought.

Frank840

I would Get the Rti12's as well and if the sound is not what you want sell them and get the LSI's

I personally perfer the sound of the lsi lineup the sound fills the room and isnt directional as some of the other speakers I have had.






not to thread jack but Xcarpri79, I see in your sig that you have both the psw1000 and dsw600. how do they compare I have yet to hear the dsw600?

dekuda

If you do get the RTi12's I would be on the lookout for a used CSI5 here on CP. I had the csi3 center with my RTi12's and I felt the the csi5 center was a much much better match with the 12's as fronts. Those RTi12's want a big brother to play with and the csi3 is recommended more for the rti 8's and and maybe 10's. If you get the 12's you will have a good fronts and as you upgrade your system with power,cables and pre you will see that these monsters will surprise you. They did for me:D



MARANTZ SR7002 AVR
Parasound HCA1500 Amp
Rotel RCC-1055 Cd Player
Pioneer BD320 Blue Ray
Samsung 52” LCD
Mains Polk RTi12’s
Center Polk CSi5
Rears Infinity Alpha 25ES
Subs Mirage Omni S 10’s (2)[/SIZE]

swb502

If your not going to by those RTi12's mind tossing that deal my way :]