Adcom/RTxxxi Review.

VR3

Will do review tommorow

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when my Mom is gone to work and I can really crank the tunes and lay some material on it. Stay tuned.

VR3

Adcom/RTxxxi/M&K Review

Hello,
Well, I have all of my gear here with me now. All my Adcoms have arrived. My speakers that I plan to use for the next while are here. My Subwoofer is here, although I hope to give it a SVS companion.Until then, This is going to be a very long and detailed review. So it may be a very long read. Anway, I hope you enjoy it. So let's get started.
First up,

Speaker: Polk Audio RT35i
Pre/Receiver: Pioneer Elite VSX-41
Amp: Adcom GFA-535 (Original)
CD Player:Yamaha CDC 585
Wire: 16 AWG Home Depot
Cables: LAB
Setting: Effect Off, Stereo
Demo Material: Fuel - Something Like Human

Looks/Build Quality -
Finish: I really like the finish on the RT35i. I like the way it has cut marks running all through the black stain/paint. Although not real cuts, gives a certain look to the speaker. The real wood finish is a nice touch for a speaker of its price. Many speakers in this price range and far above its price are in a Plastic Container (So To Speak). This is pretty annoying, when your laying down some mega bills to come to realize you bought a piece of MDF with plastic over it. I mean really, this was a nice touch by Polk Audio. This was one of the deciding factors to start with when I purchased this speaker not so long ago. Other speakers had cheap enclosures, so that probally meant they had cheap parts to right? I will give Polk its props on build quality alone. Very fine stuff here.

Build Quality: This is a very sturdy speaker. Weighs a good 15-20 pounds a piece. Very smooth wood exterrior. The raised baffle gives me a sense of a higher quality of some sort. I can not quite pin point what it is. But the fact I don't see the heads of screws, but allen bolts, and that raised baffle makes me feel Polk really spent their time in this speaker to make it look great. The enclosure looks to be around 1/2-3/4 of an Inch thick. Very low resonaunce(sp) on the outside of the enclosure. Most of it comes to a hault as the vibrations come to the outside of the enclosure. But like most speaker, you can still feel it. Overall, Polk has a far superrior quality in build quality over most speakers in say, Circuit City. Even some from Tweeter. The wood veneer alone gives me the sense that I know it's better. I won't have to worry about it peeling off in the future. (Like my KLH.)

Grills: I like the grill on the RT35i, or any of the RTxxxi, CSxxxi speakers for that matter. I think the new RTixxx grills look cheap - almost like styrofoam. The RTxxxi's grill though is a fine quality. Very transparent it seems, it tones down the tweeter just enough to get rid of some sibilance that is sometimes present. But not to often. I don't see why Polk used a different clothe on the new line though. Looks fine. I don't like the nameplate though, Its very boring looking. White on black. Very boring, the Red/White on black is awesome. Simply awesome looking at first glance. It really gives Polk's new line a sense of authority to the others. I'm kinda getting off track over here. So, Lets move on.....

Drivers: The drivers on the RT35i seem to be pretty high quality for their price range. I have yet to blow a woofer or tweeter in either speaker. The woofer is probally the coolest **** I have seen. Blue is pretty awesome, the Blue/black combo meshes well with the entire RT series. It is a fine looking piece. Pretty cool to watch it to at times. It moves alot, but not near as much as say a Klipsch woofer does. But Its pretty cool to watch the blue woofer. lol. The tweeter is pretty cool looking to, Dynamic Balance. El Yeah! lol! Very cool lookin, silver. Enough about drivers.

Size: The RT35i is a fairly large bookshelf. Not to large like a RT55i. But It is pretty big. It holds a sense of authority beside say a Bose Cube for instance. lol, but beside the KLH is look medicore. Then you turn it on...and well thats next. The RT35i is just the right size, not to big, not to small, but still holds a place in the room to where it is noticed.

Sound -
Highs: Ever since I have ran this speaker off of the Adcoms the highs have become very clear and detailed. They are actually audible now! They were still pretty harsh when I ran it off of the GFA 545, but now that it is on the 535 (Original) it runs alot smoother. It has a sense of realism on certain instruments than most tweeters in its price range. Infinity the direct compitetion, has a much smoother tweeter. But some reason, I find the Tri Lam much more detailed and refined, but not as smooth. The Tri Lam exstends much farther, and sounds much better in alot of recordings. Overall, I like the Tri Lam over most tweeters I have heard. Very crisp and full sounding.

Mids: The Polk has a very refined midrange. Loose, but refined. It is very full sounding. Where as a speaker like Infinity sounds Hollow and dead, the Polk sounds alive and out there. The mids blend very well with the highs also. My only beef with it is, it's not the most open mids on a speaker I have heard. I think it sacrifices this because of it's bass response. But pickers cant be choosers can they? lol, Overall the mids are the best I have heard in its price range. Very refined and real to life. They have a sense of Authority.

Bass: This bookshelf has crazy amounts of bass! I never could have imagined a speaker this size with so much bass. I mean it's not enough to rattle the walls or move the floor, but I mean for a bookshelf its crazy. Its not boomy or anything either. It is very articulate and full sounding. Where as Infinity --- Is empty, heck. I can't compare Infinity here, they have no bass. But the bass rolls off smoothly and blends well with the mids, and dosnt drown them out.

Instruments/Vocals -
Drums: This speaker does drums pretty well. It is nothing like a 87,000 dollar speaker. But it does it well all considered. The Tri Lam goes cymbals very well, has a tang sound to it. Sounds very real compared to other speaker. The snare is a very full sound and not overly bright and annoying. Most snares sound like a tin can on garbage day. THe RT35i just dosnt do that. It dosnt sound real, but it dosnt sound false neither. Its like a mix of Klipsch and Bose with a hint on Infinity. Its a fullness, in its own way. It dosnt do the bass drum very well though. It offers no authority in this region, which is expected for a bookshelf this size. But overall, it does the drums very well, its in the least bit audible. But its no where near the quality of real drums. But everything rolls off very smoothly.

Guitar: I feel this is where the RT35i rules most speakers in its class and above. It does the Guitar VERY well. It can do the most complicated of Dream Theater to the simpleton rifts of Sum 41. It does them all with authority and life like realism. Depending on recordings, you can hear the guitarist pick the strings, but in most cases that is a mear dream of the Polk. But for its class, it does the guitar very well. Very smooth, the transitions between the lows, to mids, to highs is very smooth. Nothing over powered the other. But sometimes the highs get etchy, mostly depends on the recordings.

Bass Guitar: Well let me put it this way, it does some of it - but this is M&K territory. lol. But what it does it does with a refined tone, but not very full.

Vocals: This is where I believe Polk excells, but its not always the clearest. But for what it sounds like, it holds a sense of fullness, but its missing the texture of say the Wilson Audio X-1. It does female vocals extremely well. The Tri Lam does Tatu extremely well. Very crisp, and never ends in harshness. At times it can even do them smoothly and never get etchy. This is a rare happening. However with recordings such as Evanescence and Tatu, really makes the Tri Lams scream (in a good way). The RT35i does male vocals, like in rap or rock very well. It is like it was designed to handle it. Very full, deep, and accurate. Loose enough to do rap, and tight enough to do rock, and its basic recordings. It does Male vocals probally the best however. Seems as if the Tri Lam is not always the strong point of the Polk. But the woofer, being able to do the bass it does can complete most vocals. Sometimes the M&K has to handle extremely deep sounding vocals, but the M&K and RT35i blend well together, so its not highly noticeable. But overall the Polk does vocals extremely well compared to its competitors. Nothing like the Wilson Audio X-1 though. Not even close, although not in the same class. The Wilson had a sense of texture, where you could hear the letters roll off the tounge of the singer, and you could hear them perfectly clear. Where as the Polk seems to be sorda closed in and restricted.

Soundstage: The Polk has a very good soundstage, pretty basic however. It places the Guitar and bass on the sides, drums in center, vocals infront of drums, not letting the drums over power the singer, and what ever flys behind you, fly behind you. But the Polk seems all together, not really seperated in anyway. Pretty jumbled in comparison to a higher class of speaker. But for the $$$, I'm not complaining.

Will Do CS245i next, then RT25i, then M&K, then the entire setup together. Will be back later.

VR3

Speaker: Polk Audio CS245i
Pre/Receiver: Pioneer Elite VSX-41
Amp: Adcom GFA-545
CD Player:Yamaha CDC 585
Wire: 12 AWG Home Depot with Radioshack Banana Plugs
Cables: Radioshack
Setting: 5 Channel Stereo. Mains, Surrounds Turned Off
Demo Material: Fuel - Something Like Human

Looks/Build Quality -
Finish: Kind of a oxymoron here. It dosn't have a finish. But the vinyl quality of this speaker is very high class. No where is it peeling up or loose or anything of that sort. It is in tact and looks great for that matter. But, I believe for the money Polk should have made it a wood veneer. I mean if they can put 2 speakers costing the same as this one in wood, why not this one? Just dosn't make sense. I'm not to fond of the fact that I paid 150-200 for it and its plastic. Not to cool, but other than that, there is nothing wrong with the finish. Looks great, they did a great job on it. Should be wood, enough said. I think Polk skipped alot of corner on that, and that just pisses me off.

Build Quality: This is a pretty heavy speaker, round 15-20 pounds also. But I can't look at it and think that, I see screw heads, I see plastic. I know it is built well because it hasn't tilted over into 20 pieces of from a glance its a lamer. No Doubt. It is very well built though. Should have a power port though. Once again, I think Polk rips you off on center channels. For the same price, you get the RT25i, 2 woofs, 2 tweets, more cabinet material, wood veneer, 2 power ports. Polk really skipped alot of corner on this center channel. IMO Of Course

Grill: See RT35i Review

Drivers: See RT35i Review (Only difference, the CS245i woofers dont move worth anything. They pretty much stay still all day!!!!!!!! So, Whatever. Pretty boring speaker to watch.)

Size: Pretty good size center, not to tall, not to wide. Dosnt look like an oversized POS. (Like the CS400i) IMO. I dont know, Polk needed to put alot more thought into the look of the RTxxxi Centers. They plainly are butt arse ugly and look cheap as crap. I'm just not satisfied with how it looks. BLEH!

Sound -
Highs: I just recently plugged this center channel into the Adcom GFA 545. Ever since then this tweeter has done nothing but satisfy me. Very smooth, crisp and clear now. Before it was very etchy, and by far the most annoying thing to listen I have heard to date. But now, it does alot of things well, and overall is audible say to least. Very nice tweeter on this thing, very smooth and crisp. I find it very hard to believe Polk used the same tweeter on the CS245i as they did on the RT35i though. Just sounds kinda different. Does things differently, and just overally sounds different all together. In somes ways its more laid back, and controlled than the RT35i. I just listened to some part of the Fuel CD. OK Polk, I see you cut another corner -- It dosn't exstend near as far as the RT35i. *Gives a thumbs down!!!!*

Mids: The CS245i use to sound pretty dull, very annoying to listen to with music. Just couldnt really take listening to it worth a thing. Just etchy all around, didn't blend good or anything. Now it is pretty clear. Still not open, the soundstage is pretty much kept within the box. But it reproduces the sound much better than it use to. Much smoother, and blends alot better. I can actually tell where the snare ends and begins now. Use to just be like one huge sound. *rollseyes*. It was just annoying to listen to. Its just a new speaker now. I am pretty satisfied with it when in 5 channel stereo. Which is later on in the review.

Bass: *laughs* What bass? This speaker has no bass. I hope its the high crossover on the receiver. Can't cross it over no lower than 100hz. But I mean really, its just bassless. It makes some instruments sound hollow because of this. Its pitiful!

Instruments/Vocals -
Drums: This center does cymbals VERY well. I am very surprised at just how well it does them. It is very clear, I can tell when the drummer hits them seperately now actually. It is a very clear sound, very open and clear. Something this speaker was missing before. It does snares considerably well, not very lifelike or open. Pretty much everything is within the speaker in a 4 feet area. Its pretty boring sounding just not open. Alot more than it use to be. It dosnt do bass drum what so ever. That is strictly M&K. With the subwoofer off, it sounds bout like an Infinity speaker on Denon.

Guitar: This speaker does the Guitar O.K. Nothing worth a rant or anything. Its pretty much all meshed together, and dead sounding. Dosn't exstend enough to do all the notes, and dosn't exstend high enough to do some notes. Its just a pretty big lamer in the music region. But enough to satisfy me in 5 channel stereo. (5 Channel/Movie Review to come later.)

Bass Guitar: *Laughs* Are you kidding me?

Vocals: Now this is where I really like the CS245i. Although it dosn't play low enough to do some part of the male vocals. It does them very clearly, and does them with a very high sense of realism. Hey! I get it now! Polk paid INFINITY TO MAKE THEIR CENTER!! I get it now, ghost instruments, clear vocals, smooth highs. It just scream infinity! lol! But the vocals are extremely clear and highly articulate where as everything else is boring as crap. Pretty enjoyable to listen to with plain vocals. Just one problem -- (Look at Soundstage)

Soundstage: Time to get my rant on. This speaker is probally 17 inches wide, and the soundstage is probally 22 inches wide. Not very wide. Pretty much everything is 6 feet in the air, in the center, coming at you. Nothing behind you, beside you. Its pretty boring to listen to really. Drums are in the center like their supposed to be. But thats it, when the drummer does a roll across the drum instruments, its all there -- THE CENTER. IN ONE SPOT! Its like he stacked all his drum equipment on a rack on top of one another and hit one individually like that. Pretty friggin annoying if you ask me. I wanted to shoot it! I have this RT35i here that fills up the entire room with sound, and then I have this CS245i that fills up the room within 22 inches and forwards. It is a complete lamer. Guitars, guitars are 2 inches beside the drummer on each side. You cant really pinpoint it, its not really there. Its just kinda rocking a boat with no paddles. Everything is in the center. Bass Guitar isnt even there. Its completely adsent. I wanna shoot it. It's not a musical center channel. I could run it off of Krell and it still wouldnt be musical on its own. Now in 5 Channel Stereo, thats a different story (See 5 channel/Movie Review, to come later).

Overall: Alone, I am pissed off. But with the entire system its an awesome little piece of equipment. I do not think I will upgrade to the CSi40 or 400i. No need to really, it is an awesome Center Channel with the system. Alone -- Well you read the review. HaHa! Oh Well!

RT25i review to come.

VR3

Speaker: Polk Audio RT25i
Pre/Receiver: Pioneer Elite VSX-41
Amp: Adcom GFA-535 II
CD Player:Yamaha CDC 585
Wire: 12 AWG Home Depot with Radioshack Banana Plugs
Cables: Radioshack
Setting: 5 Channel Stereo. Mains, Center Turned Off
Demo Material: Fuel - Something Like Human

Looks/Build Quality -
Finish: (See RT35i Review)

Build Quality: (See RT35i Review)

Grill: (See RT35i Review)

Drivers: (See RT35i Review)

Size: This is a very good size bookshelf speaker. I mean it can pretty much dissapear in your room. Very small, and compact. But far from what it sounds like. Awesome speaker for its size though. No Doubt. I definetely see why Stereophile rated it one of the best speakers for the bottum dollar. Just a good size speaker for a room my size. But hey, I'm weird. I want the bigger speaker running the butt of my system! Nothing against the RT25i, it could easily do the job as the mains.

Sound -
Highs: (Due to Placement) The highs are pretty etchy since they are shoved in a corner up at the ceiling. But other than that, they are very refined, crisp and pretty effin clear. Seems as if the CS245i and RT25i use the same tweeter. I still can't imagine the RT35i and CS245i using the same tweeter. Just a huge difference in the sound. The RT25i's tweeter seems to be more exstended than the CS245i's though. So I just dont know. The highs are really clear, but have a shrill to them due to their placement. But in proper positioning they would be much more smoother sounding.

Mids:The mids on this speaker are pretty amazing for its size. Once again though, I believe it uses a different 5.25 inch woofer than the CS245i, not only does it move alot more, but it is like 10,000 more open. The placement of the RT25i's in my room are about 11 feet apart, shoved in a corner up at the ceiling. Yep you guessed it, their my surrounds. Duh! But from up here, they have some pretty clear mids, and still remain an adiquate soundstage though. Which I find absolutely amazing for this speaker. It does alot of stuff the CS245i cant seem to manage.

Bass: Very big bass from a very small speaker. Nothing earth shattering, but in 5 channel stereo, I can really hear the thump bumpin from the woofers on this speaker. Very loud bass from a small speaker, but nothing over powering or anything. It is all pretty well blended within the speaker. Please, do not go buy the RT25i or RTi28 and say It didn't shake my room, that I'm an idiot or I can't hear. It has a very large amount of bass for its size. Nothing earth shattering or wall shifting. Its like Quadrouple that of the bass of the CS245i. Thats just how much bass the CS245i DOSNT have.

Instruments/Vocals:
Drums: This speaker also seems to do cymbals extremely well. Very clear, and I can hear when the drummer hits it individually each time. Pretty sweet stuff there, very refined tweeter. Pretty laid back in comparison to the RT35i though. Which once again dosnt make alot of sense to me. This speaker does snares incredibly well. I enjoy the snare on the RT25i alot more than the RT35i. Much more realistic in a sense. I dont know why. Just dosnt seem so fake in a sense. They both, dont get me wrong, do the snares well. The RT25i dosnt do the bass drum to well, but its noticeable to an exstent, other than that, the M&K, does the rest. But other than that, it does the drums pretty well, the drum solos of Dream Theatre roll off smoothly, very good roll off side to side, very smooth and clear. Nothing fake about it, it makes Bose sound like a cup and string.

Guitar: This speaker does the guitar considerably well. But I just cant seem to pin point what I don't like about the CS245i/RT25i's tweeters. Something about them in comparison of the RT35i's is different and It is driving me insane. Its like it dosnt exstend as far as the RT35i or something. Just dosnt sound full or exstended. Sounds plain and rolled off like a Bose with a tweeter. HaHa, funny but true. Other than that, it can do the strings quite well, acoustics seems to be its strong point. Very clear stuff there, it does DT's guitar solos with a finease(SP). It's pretty cool to listen to this speaker, I wish I had them positioned better than shoved in the corner. But no where else to put them, room dosnt allow any different placement. But from where it is at, the guitars are done nicely. Very seperated from all the other instruments, and very clear.

Bass Guitar: You wish........

Vocals: (See RT35i Review) The only difference really in the RT25i in vocals than the RT35i. Is the tweeter and the bass. It seems the Tweeter rolls off way to soon in female vocals. So the texture of the female voice seems to be shortened and somehow kinda forgotten as a whole. It looses the realty of it all together. But other than that, it produces the female vocals with ease. It can't do all male vocals, but it seems to handle Fuel's quite nicely. But bands like Everlast and such, the sub has to help it out. Which is expected from a Speaker its size that rolls off at 50hz. Nothing unexpected.

Overall: I enjoy listening to the RT25i. I would never put them in the place of the RT35i though. Their good, but not up to par with the RT35i. Which is kind of a huge DUH! But, I mean for the price - it is an AWESOME speaker. Just needs more bass and more exstended highs.

M&K MX-90 Review up next.

VR3

Speaker: M&K MX-90
Pre/Receiver: Pioneer Elite VSX-41
CD Player:Yamaha CDC 585
Cable: Monster Cable
Setting: Effect Off, All Speakers Turned Off (While playing Bass CDs, on while playing regular music)
Demo Material: Various Bass Tracks, Fuel - Something Like Human

Looks/Build Quality -
Finish:The M&K has a very high quality finish. Wood Veneer. Black stain, very thick coat of it too. It has some wear and tear, but nothing overly amazing. Kinda plain, no real design to it or anything. Its this huge black box. HaHa. But the finish is high quality, has never been touched up or anything, has original job for over 14 years. It has remained in good condition. Considering it sits on the floor and has for all this time. But considering that fact alone, I give it it's props. it looks awesome. Very smooth sanding, awesome coat of stain, no splotches or anything. Pretty good. IMO. But like I said - nothing special! lol!

Build Quality: The build quality of the M&K is solid. The entire enclosure it real wood, 1 inch thick, if not more. It is heavily braced on the inside and bottum. It weighs in a heafty 75-80 pounds. Which for how big it is is kinda light. Subwoofer smaller weigh more. But is has solid construction, easily can support my Dad and I if we stood on top of it. No problem there. Overall, It is not something I would want to have to pick up all day, seems like a back ache waiting to happen! lol! But the build quality over all it awesome. Nothing I can find wrong with it. I am sure if good ol Doc looked it over he may say something outside the ordinary! lol!

Grill: Very good quality clothe, its over 14 years old and only the corners have suffered some wear. Which is expected from a wood grill, the corners have kinda wore away over time. Which isnt a big deal. The grill clothe is of the thick sort and isnt the most transparent but it works. It is very good quality. I have found it very hard to clean though. It seems to like try to trap the dust like it wants to save it for breakfast or something. I dont know. I wish it had a faceplate, it vibrated off a couple years back when I my Dad still owned it. I believe he said 9-10 years ago. Of course he lost it. That either means the M&K can bump, or the employees at M&K ran out of glue. But both faceplates on both of his M&K's vibrated off. Who knows! lol! Other than that, I have no problems with the grill. Its old, who cares! lol!

Drivers: The driver is of pretty good quality, can't expect much from an 83 dollar a pop driver. But it has a high quality surround that after 14 years hasnt even began to show wear. The VC on it dosn't like me to well however. Other than than that, the driver has a semi big dust cap, shiney cone, and M&K on the font. Pretty basic, looks pretty cool when its moving. The bottum driver, you can't see without a flash light or unless you turn the subwoofer upside down. But why would you want to do that? But the drivers are pretty basic and boring looking. Pretty cool to watch though like I said.

Size: The M&K is pretty dang big. Its like a gigantic trash can that makes sound. It has this look of go the heck away I'm taking a dump. Its all boxy and looks very intimidating compared to subwoofers no adays. Especially the ones you see in CC. Beside say a Velo 12, or 15. It is huge in comparison still. LoL! Just a very big subwoofer. Gives a very intimidating feel to the entire room actually. So do the KLH speakers, but who cares about the KLH speakers. Since I am giving such long reviews today, maybe I outta plug the KLH's up to the adcoms and give em a whirl!!! lol! Who Knows!

Sound:

Highs: I'm JSin YA! haha!

Mids: Right..................

Bass: Weeeeeeeeeeeeee, Now were talking. The Bass of this M&K is pretty laid back. Not very powerful sounding. It brings a weak force to the term *deep bass* M&K so often pertains to. But for stuff like I love big speaker it shakes the foundation. It can be loud when called upon. But regular usage is pretty normal. It is very accurate. Deadly accurate. I love the push pull design. It dosn't miss a note. Well I guess now It would miss a note considering the bottum driver is out of working order but hey! I'm not complaining. I don't need to replace it, I'm never home! Next up is a SVS. So......................................

Instruments -
Bass Drum:: This M&K does the bass drum very well. It pounds you in the chest, and blends well with the mains. Most of the time dissapears in the room, and it seems as if the RT35i is doing it. BTW - The M&K could never dissapear. It's to big to do that. But the kick drum has an impact to it. Very force-ful and powerful sounding.

Bass Guitar: The M&K does the Bass Guitar VERY well. Everything rolls off and blends smoothly. Each string done with authority. The M&K just leaves the room, and the room leaves itself. It really just shifts the room. Although, when you go to a concert the bass guitar sticks out alot from the rest of the instruments for some reason. I dont know if it is really supposed to do that or not, but the M&K just kinda meshes with the rest of the system. You kinda get the feeling the bass guitarist is sitting on top of the subwoofer jammin at times. Like when DT's bass guitarist is jammin, the M&K loves that. It dosn't miss a note. By far the most accurate of subwoofer I have heard yet. IMO Of course. Many may disagree with me.

Music: As I said above, the M&K just really meshes with the entire system. It blends in well, and just kinda leaves the room. You can't even tell the M&K is doing the bass most of the time. Can't really pin point it. Now you put on rap. It's boomin something fierce and very easy to pin point. But the M&K does music extremly well. Depending on the music, the M&K can be overly loud, or overly soft. It mainly depends on what is playing. But other than that, Doc will tell you (I know he will) that the M&K won't top past 107db with normal music. I have seen 118db on the SPL meter when this Bass Track of like a plane went over. It went from 119-117. Very loud, it was like a sudden adrenaline rush or something. Pretty cool to hear. lol!

Movies: The M&K is O.K at movies. It really depends on what you can do. My Mom works at a video store so we get alot of screeners (No Menu's on DVD's so I can't select Dolby Digital 5.1). So the bass will be weak, but with Dolby Digital 5.1, the bass is jumpin. I mean it literally shifts my room. Like it Shrek, on the opening scene when they play All Star. It's hitting like a straight 105-110db. It's pretty cool. On VHS it is pretty lame, I am sure most setups are. I turn on midnight mode and this strengthens the bass a little bit. Not really, but a little bit. Nothing major, I don't watch enough movies to care really.

Soundstage: Yeah, Subwoofers have soundstages to. Are they locational or not? The M&K, when playing rap music or any boom boom music for that matter is pretty locational. But for Rock music or any blended music it is pretty hard to pinpoint. But when a subwoofer is like 6-7 feet away from you. It's kinda hard! lol! But overall, junk flys around you, junk shakes there, junk shakes here. Junk shakes everywhere. Pretty ineresting to listen to.

Will do 5 Channel Stereo/Movie review next. First, I must go mow the yard. I will bbl.

VR3

Pre/Receiver: Pioneer Elite VSX-41
Mains: Polk Audio RT35i
Amp: Adcom GFA-535 (Original)
Center: Polk Audio CS245i
Amp: Adcom GFA 545 II
Surrounds: Polk Audio RT25i
Amp: Adcom GFA 535 II
Subwoofer: M&K MX-90 (MX-125)
CD Player:Yamaha CDC 585
DVD Player: Pioneer DV-340
Wire: Mains - 16 AWG Home Depot ::: Center and Surrounds - 12 AWG Home Depot with Radioshack Banana Plugs
Cables: LAB on Main Amp :: Radioshack on Center/Surround amp - CD Player - DVD Player

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Digital Coax (Radioshack)
Setting: 5 Channel Stereo (Music) --- Dolby Digital II (Movies)
Demo Material: Tatu - 200 KM/H In The Wrong Lane (Music), A Man Apart (Movie)

Looks -
In my room my system is kinda cluttered I suppose. Beside my TV is the Amps. The Receiver/CD Player below that, and the VCR/DVD Player beside that. To get a better view of what I mean go to the System Showcase. The Adcom gear has this ::Eff You Attitude::. Its simple looking, easy to hook up, big switches, it plainly just seems like its staring at you tapping its fingers and laughing at the same time. Very serious looking gear to me. Then you have the Pioneer Elite. Looks a little more classy. Has that High Gloss Black look going on, looks very Intimidating as you walk into the room. It just adds a sense of class to the overall look of the system.The PE is a dust/finger print magnet though. So it can get annoying, but other than that it is a beauty in the system! lol! My CD Player looks pretty basic, nothing special. VCR/DVD Player looks like crap. TV looks like a TV. Speakers.......you wanna know --- Read up! lol! Can you tell I am just jabbering? Oh yeah! Although their not getting reviewed. The KLH 900b make the room very intimidating. Makes it feel big. You walk in and see these big black boxes. Then you realize their not even plugged up and go WTF! lol!

Sound -
Highs: In 5 channel stereo the highs have a totally new tonal signature. Much more tang type sound, with a more vibrant ring to the snare of the drums. They also hold a more stronger presence in the room. Where as in 2 channel they are kind of laid back. But there is a perfect fade all around in the treble region, that gives it one el of a soundstage. Friggin awesome to hear. Especially the Tatu CD. Perfect dynamics on the top end. Very smooth throughout, since most the instruments are computer, and the vocals are recorded well it makes a awesome combination to listen to. Very smooth, crisp, and definetely clear. It exstends all the way up to 25khz, definetely. Very full sound, just simply amazing. If you havn't heard the Tatu CD. BUY IT NOW! It is an excellant demo CD. It can make about any speakers that sucks sound bad. Will eliminate alot of speakers! lol!

Mids: The mids in 5 channel stereo are much fuller. They have an excellant fade from front to back, and back to front. Ever since I calibrated with the SPL meter I can really tell a difference with the overall presence of the system sound wise. Much fuller highs, fuller bass. More articulate in the vocals. Everything just has a new feel to it. More powerful, more open. Its just easier to listen to than 2 channel stereo. Even with the Adcoms the RT35i is not open enough to be considering a good enough speaker to run alone. It just dosnt cut the bread. But in 5 channel Stereo, enough is behind you, beside you. Everything. It is just awesome to listen to! lol!

Bass: Ah here we go! The RT25i's really rock da house back there. You can hear the background effects roll off with force. The speakers actually out play the M&K. In volume, the M&K can't keep up. It is around 1-2db short of the rest of the system's volume. But the M&K can keep up on some recordings. All depends, but the Bass is real deep within the speakers and blends smoothly with the subwoofer all around. The bass dosn't over power the mids in anyway. I need to clean my monitor........something is all over it............anyone have windex?

Instruments/Vocals -
Drums: The drums, although are more in the back than I would like. It is mainly up front, and all around the front soundstage. But does not interfere(sp) with the guitars part of the soundstage. Drummer rolls go off smoothly and accurately. It is pretty cool how the snare is done very vibrantly. Its a mix between the CS245i, and RT35i put together in the snare area and it sounds ella cool. Very forcefull with the snare. The cymbals are tangy as I said above. Have a presence to them when hit. Like a *taaaaaang*. Very lifelike. For Bass Drum, look at the M&K review.

Guitar: Ah heck yeah! The guitar sounds awesome in 5 channel stereo. With the mixture of the CS245i, and the RT35i. The guitar is very full sounding. Very complete and toally open. Each string the guitarist hit, whether it be Acoustic, Electric, or Computer. It sounds open and real. Which is a contradiction in itself. But anyways. The high notes are tooken care of with power. Real good sounding in most cases, the CS245i tweeter seems to give out before the others however. Dosn't make much sense to me, but its a perfect timbre from font to back. Very well blended and sweet sounding.

Bass Guitar: See RT35i/M&K review

Vocals: The vocals have a real powerful sound. Very in your face type sound. Very clear and very loud. Yet dosn't drown the instruments out. The female vocals of Tatu have a very refined sound to them, very textured and lifelike. Very open and vibrant. Clear and articulate. So many words to describe it. You have to hear the CD to understand what I am talking about. The vocals are just so right there in your face and the treble is so unreal. But yet so lifelike at the same time. You just have to hear the CD to comprehend what I am talking about. I am sure it would sound much better on other rigs. But it is completely awesome on mine. So I know it will rock on others.

Soundstage: Just read the entire review, I talked about it all through the mids, highs, just everywhere. LoL! Anways

I will get yall the Movie review --- AFTER I watch the movie! lol!

VR3

Eff the movie review.......its a movie......

VR3

BUMP!

To long eh? I'll keep bumpin da post up! lol! Ah well......:cool:

faster100

I didn't have time to read it now, but that is one long review, did you duplicate it 4 times though??

Airplay355

i didnt read it either...after the first review i fell asleep...some pictures would be nice

VR3

No, their all different reviews. 5 of them. One of each speaker, then as a whole. Pictures my ****$, go to Polkaudio.com

pjdami

Trey,

Wow, you ever hear of the saying "turning a new leaf over" like with that apologetic post the other night? Well, this review "rakes the entire yard!"

Very well written. Your English teachers are going to like you very much.

As you continue to explore this audio world, get older and are able to afford more and more upscale equipment, these are exactly the types of things one has to listen to in order to decide and test hi-fi equipment. You've already heard some of the best speakers in the world on that New York trip so you have something as a reference to compare to.

You have an uncanny and great ability to do this at a young age. And this is just the beginning....

Keep rockin dude..

PJ.

VR3

Thanks man! lol! So did you really read all of that? lol!

dorokusai

Nice job Vr3, its good that you took the time to put your thoughts about your equipment onto the forum.

VR3

no problem man. I felt I needed to review my setup. Just for laughs and giggles.

goingganzo

i am enjoying my adcom amp it is realey nice. i want a qualit pre but keep spending my money on other stuff instead of my pre.

need a quiter/smaller comp for my ht. 5 case fans and 4 hard drives dont help much.

VR3

So what, do you run your computer with your HT as a CD Player? Or is it just in the same room?

Do you have the 5 or 7 channel Adcom amp? 125 watts it was?
Do you have the FAT amp? Can you share the light on the FAT technology (If you have one of the FAT amps)

amulford

Dude,

I just read your entire review. Rather lengthy, but very detailed.

You are 14 years old, right?? Have you thought of what you might want to do when you are older?

I have a friend who is an accoustic engineer. He basically travels around designing and integrating some seriously kick **** systems for theatres. (I mean actual movie theatres. I heard his work at an omniverse, wow!!!) It has actually turned out to be quite lucrative.

With your aptitude for sound, I just figured to put a bug in your ear.....

Nice set up, is that in your room???

Dr. Spec

Good work Sid - your putting a lot of work into this stuff!

I never said your sub can't play over a certain loudness, I said it was limited to a certain loudness at 10% distortion. All subs can play far louder than their 10% distortion limits.

Doc

VR3

Doc,
Yeah your right. Just so happens my sub dosnt like to go past where you said it couldnt! lol! Thanx

Amul,
Thats cool man, no clue what I am going to be doing in the future. Yes, I am 14 - yep, is all in my room. That would be cool to design theaters and mess alike. But unless I did a good job on it, I wouldnt admit doing it. Alot of guys on this board don't go to the movies for one reason, well mainly one reason (other than the babies crying, etc) is that the sound SUCKS! lol! I mean I agree, but ah well. Who knows, but it'd be a cool job! Thanks again!

VR3

I don't know how yall could have read that...lol
I read it -- very long. And at times repeative, which I'm sorry for. I was typing that, looking at the monitor - no looking back - 80wpm full force typing! HaHa! I wrote each review within 20-25 minutes. Depending on length. Took me around 40-45 to write the RT35i. I wasn't quite sure how long i wanted to make it, or what to do with it. But after that it was all peaches and cream! lol!

goingganzo

my comp is a midea center i use it to play movies i dl and music. i have over 70 gigs of hi quaility mp3 and all of my anime. i also play games on it too.

VR3

What soundcard do you use with your computer? Does it sound good? -- Been thinking of doing the same other than buying a new cd player.