Polk 5JR+ or RTi38 plus subwoofer

Coleman
Coleman Posts: 17
edited December 2010 in Speakers
I have a set of first series 5JR+, but have an opportunity to get a pair of RTi38s and an 8" powered sub for $100. I've never heard the RTi38s. How do they sound? Would that combo sound better than my 5JR+s? I like the fact that you can mount the RTis on the wall, but my 5JR+s sound really good. I don't want to blow $100 for nothing. :confused:

Also, what center channel would you use for the RTis?

Any input is welcome!
Post edited by Coleman on
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  • thsmith
    thsmith Posts: 6,082
    edited December 2010
    I have the same RTiS for rears and were at one time my mains. Good speakers in either case and price if in great shape is not bad.
    Speakers: SDA-1C (most all the goodies)
    Preamp: Joule Electra LA-150 MKII SE
    Amp: Wright WPA 50-50 EAT KT88s
    Analog: Marantz TT-15S1 MBS Glider SL| Wright WPP100C Amperex BB 6er5 and 7316 & WPM-100 SUT
    Digital: Mac mini 2.3GHz dual-core i5 8g RAM 1.5 TB HDD Music Server Amarra (memory play) - USB - W4S DAC 2
    Cables: Mits S3 IC and Spk cables| PS Audio PCs
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2010
    Buy them....it's not $100 spent for nothing. Worry about the actual mind boggling listening experience for later. Will they sound better? Hell, I don't know, it's your damn system. I believe that you'll find them a lot different on the high end but the low end will be classic Polk. That sounds like a great deal to hear something you've yet to listen to, coupled with the fact you have a really cool pair of Monitor 5jr+(One of my personal favorites)....when did this become difficult? And yes, I'm picking on you Coleman, but only lightly dude and Happy Holidays.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • GZ
    GZ Posts: 343
    edited December 2010
    Coleman wrote: »
    Also, what center channel would you use for the RTis?

    From Polks site:

    Recommended Systems
    Front Center Surround Subwoofer MSRP USA* MSRP Canada*
    RTi38 CSi30 RTi28 PSW303 $999.80 $814.85
    RTi38 CSi30 RTi38 PSW404 $1179.80 $889.85
    RTi38 CSi40 FXi50 PSW505 $1594.80 $1264.85

    I have a pair of the 38's as mains in the recroom and they sound good to me.
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  • Coleman
    Coleman Posts: 17
    edited December 2010
    No issue with a couple nuggies!

    I guess I was asking, all things being equal, what the differences are if they were being auditioned in the same room with the same equipment. The 5JR+s are a little bright and have an okay bottom and have good definition and imaging. I was curious to know how the imaging and definition were on the RTi38s. The reviews seem to be fairly good, but one person complained about the lack of highs. That must be what you're referring to.
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  • Coleman
    Coleman Posts: 17
    edited December 2010
    GZ wrote: »
    From Polks site:

    Recommended Systems
    Front Center Surround Subwoofer MSRP USA* MSRP Canada*
    RTi38 CSi30 RTi28 PSW303 $999.80 $814.85
    RTi38 CSi30 RTi38 PSW404 $1179.80 $889.85
    RTi38 CSi40 FXi50 PSW505 $1594.80 $1264.85

    I have a pair of the 38's as mains in the recroom and they sound good to me.

    Thanks, GZ. Just saw that. If I pick them up, I'd have to locate a CSi30 second hand.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited December 2010
    What tweeters do your M5jrs. have in them? I have some larger M5s with Peerless and bright is not a word that comes to mind. In fact you can even run them off a cheap Panasonic AVR D-class amp and they still sound pretty good. Though I've only done that once out of curiosity. Maybe you should also think about some RDO replacement tweeters for the Jrs.?

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,019
    edited December 2010
    Coleman wrote: »
    No issue with a couple nuggies!

    I guess I was asking, all things being equal, what the differences are if they were being auditioned in the same room with the same equipment. The 5JR+s are a little bright and have an okay bottom and have good definition and imaging. I was curious to know how the imaging and definition were on the RTi38s. The reviews seem to be fairly good, but one person complained about the lack of highs. That must be what you're referring to.

    Thats because everyone has different rooms, driven by different gear. People can only comment on what they hear in their own environment. What you hear in yours could be totaly different. Do as Mark suggests, for the 100 bucks, a no brainer to try something new and if you don't like it, you could resell with no loss.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • Coleman
    Coleman Posts: 17
    edited December 2010
    tonyb wrote: »
    Thats because everyone has different rooms, driven by different gear. People can only comment on what they hear in their own environment. What you hear in yours could be totaly different. Do as Mark suggests, for the 100 bucks, a no brainer to try something new and if you don't like it, you could resell with no loss.

    Fair enough. I'll be looking at them tomorrow.
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  • Coleman
    Coleman Posts: 17
    edited December 2010
    Picked up the 38s today. They were bundled with a Yamaha 225 subwoofer and cherry speaker stands. The speakers were bonded to the stands with strands of double-backed tape. I had to chisel them off. Except for a few scuffs, the boxes are in good shape. The sub is in decent shape, too. So were the rubber ball and whistle I found inside. I'll give them a listen in a couple days. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.
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  • Coleman
    Coleman Posts: 17
    edited December 2010
    Did some critical comparisons last night. Looks like I'll be keeping my 5JR+s and will be flipping the 38s. I'll keep the subwoofer. Dorokusai was right, they are very different on the high end. The 38s sounded dull to me. They're not as lifelike as the 5JR+s. Nice boxes, though. It's a very nice design and beautifully crafted.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited December 2010
    That sounds about right. I've tried M5s in a NUMBER of different rooms...with 3 or 4 different sources of amplification so room effects are NOT an issue, at least for me? And I've found them to hold up in ALL conditions. To me, that is the mark of a good speaker. One that has decent synergy across the board and is not temperamental like many High End speakers are.

    This is NOT to say that those higher, better speakers aren't in fact better. But just that I don't like having to futz around for months to find exactly what the prima donas like. I'm too impatient and I get frustrated too easily.

    Give me a speaker that likes to play nice with a lot of equipment and sources in many different spaces, and, lazy me, I'll choose that every time.

    Enjoy!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • classic carl
    classic carl Posts: 652
    edited December 2010
    I have a pair of 5+Jr Series II. They are really nice speakers. I've used them as rears in my HT and also in a 2 channell system with a sub. They are presently in a closet because I have no place to use them at this time. I also have a pair of RTi38's that I bought and still use as rears in my HT. Both pairs are impressive small speakers, but the RTi38's are a better match for my HT system. I hooked them up to a 2 channel amp for a short time and was surprised how good they sounded. For $100, I'd definitely pick them up too. You can always use the sub with the 5+Jr's, if you don't like the RTi38's. That's a really good price for the RTi's alone. It's like getting the sub and stands for free. A no brainer, IMO.
    Main System:
    Proton AA-1150 ~ Yamaha C-4 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Sennheiser HD600 ~ Monitor Audio Silver RS8 & FB210 ~ Martin Logan Dynamo ~ Teac R-919X ~ Marantz CD5003 ~ Squeezebox Classic ~ Music Hall dac25.2 ~ Dual 1229/Acutex M312 III STR ~ Music Hall mmf-5.1/Goldring 1012GX ~ Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0

    Home Theater:
    Yamaha RX-V800 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Marantz DV6001 ~ EPI M90 ~ Polk Audio RT35i ~ CS400i ~ (2) Polk Audio PSW450
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  • Coleman
    Coleman Posts: 17
    edited December 2010
    Agreed. I wasn't able to audition them when I picked them up, so I took a chance on them. I have them on craigslist now for $125 so I have little wiggle room. If I can sell them, yes, I'll get a free sub out of it. It's a shame, through, because they really nice very nice looking speakers. I had thought about using them for rears, but they're a little big for the room. Will probably get Rock Solids for the rears.
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