Polk RTi A5 or B&W 684

levihouston

I am having a hard time choosing between the following 2 setups....

I watch 90% Movies and TV and only 10% music.

All of the reviews i have been finding are usually based on 2ch music. Does any one have any insight on which would be better for my uses and the reasons why.

I get both options for about the same price from work so its a difference of cost but of what would sound better for Home theater.

From what i have gathered the B&W's can be a bit on the bright side for highs and a little lacking on the the thump in bass. But i have that covered with a 1000w 8" and a 500w 18" to cover any thing below 60hz so not as much of a concern. But have also heard the Polks put out a lot of mid's and mid bass and over power the highs. Then again ever bodys setup and listing preferences are different.

I used to have 7 Martin Logan Frescos before i got robbed and they were great. Time to get the setup up and going again... So any help would be appreciated. Thank you

Gear I have....
Onkyo TX-NR807
65" Panasonic Plasma
Blu-Ray
HD Directv
Velodyne MiniVee Sub
Deftech PF1800 Sub
Old Polk S10's, Mission Center (speakers in question to be replaced )


Option 1

Polk RTi A5 Fronts
Polk RTi A6 Center
Polk Rti A3 Rears or FXi A6's (havent decided between the two)
Or

Option 2

B&W 684 Fronts
B&W HTM61 Center
B&W DS3 Surrounds

coolsax

Well then, if you can get them from work.. are you able to audition them at all? if its not a matter of money then just listen to them both and pick the one you like better?

levihouston

good point sorry i didnt clarify......

the B&W's just got in and are available to audition... and i have. but the Polks are an order only basis and the only place i can seem to find them in town are at FRY's electronics and their setup suck's its hooked up to demo with some crappy dvd and the receivers settings are all over the place and they didnt seem to want to help or allow me to set the receiver up correctly (crossover at 200hz, levels up and down, tone not flat). So its kind of hard to get an accurate test between the 2 being in two totally different rooms with different receivers, dvd/blu ray players, media, ect.

Thats why i was wondering if any one else had some experience with the two speakers....

Thank You for your response

renowilliams

I have not listened to the B&W's but I can tell you that IMHO you would have to go a long way to beat the RTIA5's for H/T. As you can see from my signature,I have a similar set up to what your considering for the polks. I have the RTI6's for rears which are the predesessor to the rtiA3's.

danz1906

The RTia5 are great for Movies,and it seem that's what you listen to most.
The B&W will work for Movies and Music, the B&W will be warmer on Music.
The RTia5 are on the Bright side,but this makes them great on HT!

danz1906

Also........Welcome to the Club:D

levihouston

thank you....

So the Polk A5 with a silk dome tweeter will sound brighter than the B&W aluminum tweeter? i would have thought it would had been the other way... or do you mean overall brighter not just the high notes. I have heard some aluminum dome tweeters and they seem to be really zzzzzzzzz (almost harsh) kind of like a kazoo (a little dramatic) on the top end and the silk domes seem to be softer.

Just curious.

Erik Tracy

levihouston wrote: »

thank you....

So the Polk A5 with a silk dome tweeter will sound brighter than the B&W aluminum tweeter? i would have thought it would had been the other way... or do you mean overall brighter not just the high notes. I have heard some aluminum dome tweeters and they seem to be really zzzzzzzzz (almost harsh) kind of like a kazoo (a little dramatic) on the top end and the silk domes seem to be softer.

Just curious.

I used to own the RTiA3s and currently have B&W CDM 1NTs (Nautilus tweeter).

I would say, based on my listening experience, that the RTiA3 and CDM 1NT are similar in treble presentation - which I call 'sparkle'

Neither are harsh, from my experience - mostly depends on the source material and how loud you want to go. The RTiA3s will sound congested if the mix is hot, and the sound stage will collapse at high volumes, but give it clean power and a clean source and it is great value.

The CDM 1NT is the better speaker, imo, as it has a bigger/warmer midrange and better sound stage width and depth than the RTiA3 - but then again it should for the price. In Polk terms, I would characterize the CDM 1NT as a pleasant cross between the RTiA3 (for detail) and the LSi7 (for musicality).

Not sure how that would compare to the RTiA5, though - that's a floorstander.

mantis

Erik Tracy wrote: »

I used to own the RTiA3s and currently have B&W CDM 1NTs (Nautilus tweeter).

I would say, based on my listening experience, that the RTiA3 and CDM 1NT are similar in treble presentation - which I call 'sparkle'

Neither are harsh, from my experience - mostly depends on the source material and how loud you want to go. The RTiA3s will sound congested if the mix is hot, and the sound stage will collapse at high volumes, but give it clean power and a clean source and it is great value.

The CDM 1NT is the better speaker, imo, as it has a bigger/warmer midrange and better sound stage width and depth than the RTiA3 - but then again it should for the price. In Polk terms, I would characterize the CDM 1NT as a pleasant cross between the RTiA3 (for detail) and the LSi7 (for musicality).

Not sure how that would compare to the RTiA5, though - that's a floorstander.

Completely agree.

The B&W 6 series are a better speaker then the RTia series. The Rtia series IMO is the best the RT series has ever been and narrows the gap between B&W's entry level 6 series. But if you sit and listen as described in the above compare with the CDMNT series of years and years ago, the B&W's are clearer in the mid range. It's very clear when you have Rt and 6 series side by side. For movies this does make a wonderful difference. But the B&W's carry a slightly higher price and thats something you have to deal with if they break your budget.

If you remove the B&W's from this , the polk Rtia series are indeed a wonderful pleasing series. I enjoyed my time Installing them and sat that really liked them. I find them to give a tone that I wish mine did years and years ago in the older RT series.

So what does all this mean? You should listen to both speakers and see which one you like more. I see you can get a demo of the B&W's but not really the polk's. I would check into 6th ave electronics if there is one near you or do a search and take a trip. It's worth listening before you buy as I like the B&W's much better then the polks but you might feel another way.