New RTI-A7s Sound Bright

markiki
markiki Posts: 3
edited January 2011 in Speakers
Hello. I am new to the forum. I just recently replaced a pair of Monitor 10Bs with a pair of RTI-A7s.

My setup: Squeezebox Touch -> Rotel 60w/channel integrated amp -> RTI-A7s.

In listening to the new setup, on many recordings, it sounds like the high frequencies are somewhat over emphasized.

Has anyone encountered this before? Should I expect this to change over the breaking in period?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Thanks,
Mark
Post edited by markiki on
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  • gfong
    gfong Posts: 1,079
    edited January 2011
    I had been using them for a year and they will mellow out a bit more over time. I feel that the speakers are fantastic for movies and home theater. Mulit channel SACD music was fantastic and 2 channel stereo was adequate. ( I found them a little bright as well)

    I have not heard Monitors, so I can not compare the 2.
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  • danz1906
    danz1906 Posts: 5,144
    edited January 2011
    Welcome to the Club!
    The RTiA series are a little on the bright side.
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited January 2011
    RTis have an edge to the tweeter that does get better, but in comparison to early monitors, they are forward.

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  • PrazVT
    PrazVT Posts: 1,606
    edited January 2011
    Yes they are a little edgy at first - I wish I could say for certain that mine warmed up due to the passing of time, but I've added enough gear that it could be that as well. I do know that my A7s sounded brighter with my old Yamaha RX-V663, than they do w/ the Denon/Parasound/Cambridge combo.

    Not sure what Rotel's characteristics are like - but I'd say give it time :) Great speakers, I love 'em.
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  • mdaudioguy
    mdaudioguy Posts: 5,165
    edited January 2011
    +1 to break-in, and as Ron suggested, it may take some time for your ears to adjust, coming from older Monitors. I know Rotel stuff is pretty good quality, but I think I've seen Rotel gear occasionally described as bright, too. (Could be wrong, though). Also, make sure they're getting enough power to really push the low end, as better balance across the entire frequency range may help to provide the needed balance.

    I've been able to mitigate the brightness of my RTi speakers, but I still wouldn't say they're anywhere near as laid back as Monitor 10s.
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  • mystik610
    mystik610 Posts: 699
    edited January 2011
    markiki wrote: »
    Hello. I am new to the forum. I just recently replaced a pair of Monitor 10Bs with a pair of RTI-A7s.

    My setup: Squeezebox Touch -> Rotel 60w/channel integrated amp -> RTI-A7s.

    In listening to the new setup, on many recordings, it sounds like the high frequencies are somewhat over emphasized.

    Has anyone encountered this before? Should I expect this to change over the breaking in period?

    Thanks in advance for any input.

    Thanks,
    Mark

    The RTi-A's are bright by nature. They're more oriented to HT than they are music. The RTi-A7 is also the brightest amongst the RTi-A towers. They will sound a little warmer overtime, and using a warm amp will go a long way, but they are designed to over emphasize the highs a bit.

    I had the RTi8's, and had great results pairing it with a warm amp. But they were always bright to me, and my ears never did get use to them for music. I always found them too bright for music no matter what I did.
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  • thesurfer
    thesurfer Posts: 574
    edited January 2011
    It all depends on your taste,,, like the old tri-lams,, some said they were to bright,,, others said they were somewhat laid back,, As far as breaking them in,, thats a debate in itself,, some claim, you just get used to the sound,, and think you have broken them in,,, others swear, that certain speakers sound better when play for 40-80 hours, i feel the same,, but, in the end, it comes down to what you like,,, if there bright now,,, to the point where it bothers you,, maybe there just not your cup of tea,, JMO,,,
    Not an Audiophile, just a dude who loves music, and decent gear to hear it with.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited January 2011
    They will mellow a bit, your new RTiA's are less forgiving than the 10's, and play out much further on the top end. A little bit is the speaker, a lot is probably the quality (or lack thereof) on the material you are listening to.

    For example, original Beatles releases sound wonderful on 10's, you can hear the compression moreso on RTiA series, and they are all but unlistenable on the LSi(m).
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2011
    Were your 10's on stands? If yes, flat or angled? Part of your impression could be as simple as your ears are now at (or closer to) the level of the tweeter.

    What tweeter did your 10B's have?
    More later,
    Tour...
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  • nhhiep
    nhhiep Posts: 877
    edited January 2011
    Rti/A series is always bright for music...get TSI/Monitor or LSi series for music
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  • markiki
    markiki Posts: 3
    edited January 2011
    Tour2ma wrote: »
    Were your 10's on stands?

    Yes.

    If yes, flat or angled?

    Angled.

    Part of your impression could be as simple as your ears are now at (or closer to) the level of the tweeter.

    What tweeter did your 10B's have?

    I'm not sure.
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  • markiki
    markiki Posts: 3
    edited January 2011
    Thank you everyone. The posts pretty much confirmed what I believed to be the case: Yes, they are bright; Yes, the amp being warmed up helps; Yes, the quality of what I am listening to contributes to the perception of brightness.
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