Polk Rtia7's

Ericw2431

Alright so i was really thinking about getting the polk rtia7s for fronts.. but then ppl say they sukk or the a5 and a9s are a better choice why and in wut way if i amp the a7's wuld dey be better than the a'5s then or still be a better option to go wit the a'5s a'9s...?? i will be running a sub hopefully a good one! if tht matters

gfong

Great for movies, lack luster for 2 channel music!
I have the 7's and am running them as my mains for 2 channel and home theater. They are a very bright speaker, meaning the have a lot of highs and not a lot of lows. They kick butt for home theather, but are very weak for 2 channel music.

Before buying them, I had read lots of reviews about the brightness of them and thought that I could work around that for music, but I have not found a way.

Nice speaker for home theater use only.

PrazVT

gfong - what are you powering your A7s with?

Eric - the A7s (more so for the A9s) will sound bright / weak unless you get a nice, powerful amp.

Sufficiently powered, the A7s in particular kick ****. You can see my shocked post the day I got my Parasound amp

Gulfstrings

I can't understand what it is that would make the 7s brighter than the 9s. Other than one larger midrange speaker (6.5") in the 7s vs. two smaller (5.25") for the 9s, the 7s have the exact same bass drivers (just one less) and the same tweeter. Where does any of this add up to a brighter speaker?

I run 100 watts of NAD power thru two of these and challange (invite) anyone to come over for a listen (and a glass of wine, of course) and tell me these are "bright" sounding or not musical.

No disrespect to any one here, but I wonder how much of this is heresey and how much is genuine listening experience.

On balance, though, I will readily accept any technical word from Polk that says the 7s are designed to sound brighter than the 9s at which time I'll quietly go about the rest of my life knowing I enjoy bright sounding speakers ... and good wine.

Dave

PrazVT

Sorry Gulfstrings - that is not what I meant.

Let me rephrase my remark:


the RTi A7s and A9s will sound bright / weak if you don't have good quality power going to them.

Upstatemax

I love my A7's... They can handle music without a problem.

I don't see them as REALLY bright, just brighter than my Monitor 70's that they replaced.

I still prefer for my 70's for dedicated music playback, but the A7's do a great job all around.

Fongolio

When I was using the A7's for two channel with a Carver TFM-25 they were excellent for music. Lots of deep bass and NOT too bright by any measure. With an AVR they definitely needed a sub to get the bottom end but not with a decent amp. No sub required with the Carver.

mdaudioguy

I use my RTi10s for 2-channel occasionally, and find them quite satisfying. (They are the predecessor to the A7s.) My HK and Adcom push some wonderful, full-range sounds through these speaks. It took some tweaking to get it right, but I'd think the 7s could be even better.

Ericw2431

ok so im getting no answer one says yes one says no?!?! i will be running 200-300 watts to them if tht will help my avr already does 100wpc.......i love the a'3s not much bass from them thts why im deciding on a floorstander and the a5 and a'7s are my only choices! i wuld be gettin a sub but i still want decent bass for fronts so it kan blend in nicly as for home theater im leanin twards but i also listen to all types of music and i wuldnt want them to bleed my ears

Fongolio

If those 200-300 watts are decent clean and most of all "real" watts you will be happy. By real I mean RMS as opposed to maximum when overdriven into clipping. I was happy when my Pioneer Elite AVR powered them but I was thrilled when I first hooked them up to the Carver. They amaze me still when I play surround (SACD DVD-audio). They are a tad less bright than the RTi10's which are their predecesor. Put them on a good amp and you'll be glad you bought them.

Fongolio

edit

PrazVT

Eric -

When your Onkyo is pushing all your speakers, they are NOT getting 100wpc. And more power doesn't mean higher volume necessarily. Good clean power = better dynamics, more detail, better soundstage at moderate listening levels.

Your speaker choices are wonderful (and voice / timbre matched). My vote goes to RTi A7s but the A5s are nice (and less exp). Just understand that at some point, when you're ready, an AVR with pre-outs and a 5 or 7 channel power amplifier will take your whole speaker setup to a new level. Perhaps that's reason for the criticisms you mentioned initially.

F1nut

I was lucky enough to win a pair of RTi A7's at Polkfest and I have to say that I am impressed with them for HT duty. I do not find them bright and they certainly do not lack bass.

As for 2 channel (music) use, I cannot say as they will never be used for that, but they seem to do well enough with soundtracks.

Knucklehead

My Rti8's with my Rotel amp are awesome for H/T, clean detailed sound with plenty of low end even with a sub. I find them "acceptable" for 2 channel. My RT8T's I moved to my office, they are being powered by a 1969 Allied 2 channel receiver that is Im guessing, 45 to 50 watts per channel and those speakers simply kick **** for music.

Gulfstrings

PrazVT wrote: »

Sorry Gulfstrings - that is not what I meant.

Let me rephrase my remark:


the RTi A7s and A9s will sound bright / weak if you don't have good quality power going to them.

Praz - No apology necessary at all. And I couldn't agree more that when properly powered the 7s perform very well - easily above their price point based on my own listening comparisons.

My comment, in general, is intended to caution against heresey. In a hobby that has influence being dealt from all sides, I just believe it's important that opinions are based on reasonable objectivity.

And if I may add ... pop the newest Tom Petty (Mojo) in to your player, pour a nice glass of chilled chardonay and crank up the power to those 7s. Your ears will be all the input needed ...

Ericw2431

yes i will be upgrading the amp to one tht has pre outs!.....ok so a7s it is!?

geebolt

I'm pushing mine with a 200wpc seperate amp and am vewry pleased with the sound for both music and HT. Better than my TSi500's and not too bright. Bass is fine too.

PrazVT

@Ericw - yes! do it!

@Gulfstrings - will a cold beer and Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 suffice? lol

Ericw2431

i was thinkin bout the xpa3 and the xpa5 but is 200W for the Csia6 to much?! i dnt wanna mess it up!

PrazVT

No - more power won't hurt - they're rated to 200W. I've got 200w going to my CSi A6 as well.

gfong

Hi, let me add a few things to my intial post! First off, I like the speakers, lol! They are a great speaker for all around duty.

The reciever that I am using is the Sony STR-DA 5400 ES (specs say 120 watts x 7). I do not know what other higher model rti speakers sound like, so I can not compare. I also do not know what a pre amp would do to them, so I can not comment on that.

I find that they sound brighter then a comparable Klispch, JBL or Cerwin Vega comparable tower speaker. For home theater the RTI A7's would be my first choice but would be my last choice from the brands above for strictly two channel music.

I picked them over the other brands as I was only thinking about movies and the odd cd to play and the 7's rocked for home theater. (sale price was a factor as well)
Since then I have been using them for mostly 2 channel music, as I have bought a sacd player and a turntable.

I mentioned that to me they sound bright. Maybe I require more power to get them singing the way that people have posted up on here.

I really like the way they perform with home theater material but they do require a sub to get the best effect with movies as do most speakers.

With two channel or sacd they are weak in the mids and even seem a little flat which imo brings out the highs that I am speaking about. Bass is sufficient with the proper media and recording of that media.

Last night I was listening to Sarah McLachlan "Surfacing" Classic Records LP 200gram release. The album has tremdous bass (for the content) and crystal clear vocals. It sounded amazing on my setup.

I am not knocking the 7's but I do think they have limitations and two of those are they are a bit high on the treble side and lack a bit of bass for 2 channel music.

It is great to read other owners of these as some of you have stated that cleaner power may bump these up a notch for me.

Nice speakers and you should be happy with them, just do not expect earth pounding bass. Once you get them it would be great to hear your opinion.

Goodluck.

PrazVT

It's more than a notch, man. I seriously don't use my sub for 2 ch music because there was that much of an improvement. Hell it was the first time I've seen the woofers actually move (if that says anything lol). It's about as much pounding bass that you can expect from 7" woofers - but quite admirable.

Anyway - the fact that your A7s have untapped potential gives you something to look forward to, should you go in for an amp at some point.

Gulfstrings

[QUOTE@Gulfstrings - will a cold beer and Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 suffice? lol [/QUOTE]

Praz - Make mine a Sierra Nevada and the Wilburys will do just fine ...

mdaudioguy

F1nut wrote: »

I was lucky enough to win a pair of RTi A7's at Polkfest and I have to say that I am impressed with them for HT duty. I do not find them bright and they certainly do not lack bass.

As for 2 channel (music) use, I cannot say as they will never be used for that, but they seem to do well enough with soundtracks.

Hey, Jess - congrats! Not a bad deal. What are you powering those puppies with? I didn't know you did HT!?!

mdaudioguy

@Ericw2431 - Btw, welcome to Club Polk, dude!

With proper amplification, you won't need or want a sub for music. I used to have an XPA-2 and XPA-3 in my rig, but replaced them with a single Adcom (less watts, but also a more neutral sound). The key to my success with 2-channel was switching to an HK AVR - excellent for HT, and way more than adequate (for my needs) for 2-channel listening. Be sure to run your AVR in "direct" mode for this.

mystik610

I've spent a lot of time comparing the RTi8 (A5), RTi-10 (A7), and the RTi-12 (A9), and I've actually owned the RTi8's.

For 2 channel music without a sub, I'd say RTi-A9>RTi-A7>RTi-A5.

The A7 is definitely brighter than the A9...the A9 is stronger in the low frequencies, and more articulate in the mid-bass region as well. The difference isn't just in the drivers either....the cascade tapered array cross-over in the RTi12 does a better job splitting the mid-bass and lower bass across different drivers, and making each region more articulate overall. If you have a chance to listen to the A9's against the A7's, put your ear up to each driver, and listen to how much more nuanced each driver sounds.

For HT with a sub, I'd say the RTi-A5>RTi-A9>RTi-A7

Ericw2431

yeh thnks! i will be getting the xpa3 then tnks! i was jus scared tht the center will blow or sumthing.//... ha and brighter?! arent they using the same tweeter?! i find it odd?!

F1nut

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Hey, Jess - congrats! Not a bad deal. What are you powering those puppies with? I didn't know you did HT!?!

Thanks Ed.

Nothing worth talking about at this point in time.

I didn't, but this has given me a push in that direction.