RTi A5 vs M60
Got a mild case of upgrade-itis after seeing a pair of cherry RTi A5s in person recently.
I wasn't able to listen to them but they are drop-dead gorgeous and I'm thinking I want some.
Curious as to how they compare to the Monitor 60. Is this worth the upgrade sound-wise? Or should I just wait and save up my money for some LSi's much later on down the road?
I wasn't able to listen to them but they are drop-dead gorgeous and I'm thinking I want some.
Curious as to how they compare to the Monitor 60. Is this worth the upgrade sound-wise? Or should I just wait and save up my money for some LSi's much later on down the road?
Post edited by Dobermann on
Comments
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If you're already thinking of LSi's, then I'd hold out for them.Pioneer 1018
Polk RTIA5's
CSIA6
RC80I's
SVS PB12-nsd -
Here's the thing. If you get RTi's you can run them on whatever AVR you have now. If you get LSi's they require a dedicated amp that can handle 4 ohm loads. That means you need to buy an amp with enough channels to run the number of LSi speakers you plan on getting, so either 3 or 5 channels. IN ADDITION if your AVR doesnt have pre-outs you will need to buy one that does.
So for the short term if you dont have pre-outs RTi's are probably your best bet while you save up to get the rest of the LSi checklist items."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
I went from the Monitor 60's to the Rti8's (older version of Rtia5) and it was a huge upgrade, i'd definitely recommend it. If you're running 5.1 i'd definitely go with the Csi a6 as well to keep your fronts matching.
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I went from the Monitor 60's to the Rti8's (older version of Rtia5) and it was a huge upgrade, i'd definitely recommend it. If you're running 5.1 i'd definitely go with the Csi a6 as well to keep your fronts matching.
Sounds like a plan. I think I'm going to do it.
What are you using for surrounds? -
EndersShadow wrote: »Here's the thing. If you get RTi's you can run them on whatever AVR you have now. If you get LSi's they require a dedicated amp that can handle 4 ohm loads. That means you need to buy an amp with enough channels to run the number of LSi speakers you plan on getting, so either 3 or 5 channels. IN ADDITION if your AVR doesnt have pre-outs you will need to buy one that does.
So for the short term if you dont have pre-outs RTi's are probably your best bet while you save up to get the rest of the LSi checklist items.
Thanks, this helps. I didn't realize the LSi needed that much oomph.
My current AVR is a Denon 591. no preamps and no room for separates so whatever I get needs to run off of the Denon. You think it's got enough juice to push the RTi's well? -
I'm running Fxi 3's as surrounds, and i've been very impressed with them.
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Thanks, this helps. I didn't realize the LSi needed that much oomph.
My current AVR is a Denon 591. no preamps and no room for separates so whatever I get needs to run off of the Denon. You think it's got enough juice to push the RTi's well?
If you can't have external amplification then I would get the best receiver I could aford. IMO something along the lines of a Pio SC series receiver or a denon 3312 at a minimum...
You want your system to sound GOOD, not mediocre. Do it once, do it right, you won't have any regrets and save money in the long run! No point in getting nice speakers if you will not feed them the power to show their potential
Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
Thanks, this helps. I didn't realize the LSi needed that much oomph.
My current AVR is a Denon 591. no preamps and no room for separates so whatever I get needs to run off of the Denon. You think it's got enough juice to push the RTi's well?
Debatable based on how loud you like to listen. BUT unlike the LSi's you could always just get em, run em on the AVR you have now and then upgrade your AVR later on to one more powerful as the RTi's can run off any AVR"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
EndersShadow wrote: »Debatable based on how loud you like to listen. BUT unlike the LSi's you could always just get em, run em on the AVR you have now and then upgrade your AVR later on to one more powerful as the RTi's can run off any AVR
Right now, my TV room is small, 8 feet x 10 feet. The Denon gets my M60's louder than I can tolerate. We won't be living in this house forever though, so whatever room I have in the future I want to make sure it can fill it up. -
Right now, my TV room is small, 8 feet x 10 feet. The Denon gets my M60's louder than I can tolerate. We won't be living in this house forever though, so whatever room I have in the future I want to make sure it can fill it up.
Personally then you might save up and wait till your room is larger to get the RTi's. The RTi's will sound better than your Monitor 60's at the same volume, but from what most say they really need some decent wattage to really show you what they can do.
So maybe save up right now for when you have more space for a set of RTi's and a new AVR with more power and then use your current Denon in a secondary space or a bedroom."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
8 feet x 10 feet.
That's tiny... I'm not even sure I would do floorstanders in that space. Why not just do rti A3 fronts and A1 rears which your current receiver will handle without trouble. Then when you move to a big house you can buy floorstander fronts and a nice receiver and have a sweet 7.1 system.
I feel like people very often pick floorstanders for wrong applications, often just cuz they look cool. But in reality, in a small room floorstanders don't sound good and they just dwarf the already tiny room. On top of that, that person probably didn't power them correctly to make them sound good in the first place.
Just cuz floorstanders look cool, doesn't meant hey are right for every application. And they do require more juice which many poeple "don't feel like wasting money on"...
What is it that you don't like about the m60's in the first place, that's making you want to upgrade?Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
Some people don't want to keep buying new stuff when they move...
The A5's should work fine in that room, and if you get a home with a larger living room they will still be fine.
The A5's are more detailed and forward that the M60's. The RTi line is great for HT and with the right components, pretty good for casual music.
Just looks alone should sell you on the RTi A5's! -
Upstatemax wrote: »Some people don't want to keep buying new stuff when they move...
The A5's should work fine in that room, and if you get a home with a larger living room they will still be fine.
The A5's are more detailed and forward that the M60's. The RTi line is great for HT and with the right components, pretty good for casual music.
Just looks alone should sell you on the RTi A5's!
To each his own, no speaker sounds good underpowered...Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
Lietuvis91 wrote: »To each his own, but no speaker sounds good underpowered...
I agree, but power the speakers need is wholly dependent upon the volume level. If he isnt cranking it now with Monitor 60's, chances are he wont be with the A5's. So they might not be underpowered at all."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
EndersShadow wrote: »I agree, but power the speakers need is wholly dependent upon the volume level. If he isnt cranking it now with Monitor 60's, chances are he wont be with the A5's. So they might not be underpowered at all.
Exactly... -
I will just say this:
I have noticed a significant improvement in the sound of my monitors after adding amplification at all volume levels. Clarity, crispness and fullness of sound improved across the board, it nearly changed the speaker's quality entirely. Obviously more so at higher volumes, but now it is a pleasure to listen to my monitors at low levels and be able to hear the presicion of all the details. Hence, I cannot agree that power only benefits higher volumes. I have to draw conclusions from my own experience.Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
Imagine how much detail and clarity you would hear with with more detailed speakers... And you can do it at lower volumes.
It all plays a part. The amplification AND speakers.
He does not NEED better amplification with the A5's is all we are saying. -
I hear you. And I'm saying he can make better use of the space and power he has with bookshelves without compromising sound quality. In fact in my opition bookshelves will sound BETTER in small space he has and given the power the receiver puts out. It's just a suggestion, so it's ok to take it for what it's worth.Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
BTW, I have monitor 70's also. They are sitting in my basement collecting dust now, but I ran them for about 4 years and I loved them.
However, I slowly swapped them out. They went from my HT rig to my then new 2ch rig. When I pulled the M70's for RTi A7's, the M70's were blown away for HT duty (on the same amplification). The detail and clarity was night and day. I just swapped them out again in my 2ch rig for LSi 9's and once again BLOWN away across the board (again same amplification). -
Upstatemax wrote: »BTW, I have monitor 70's also. They are sitting in my basement collecting dust now, but I ran them for about 4 years and I loved them.
However, I slowly swapped them out. They went from my HT rig to my then new 2ch rig. When I pulled the M70's for RTi A7's, the M70's were blown away for HT duty (on the same amplification). The detail and clarity was night and day. I just swapped them out again in my 2ch rig for LSi 9's and once again BLOWN away across the board (again same amplification).
Thanks for sharing your experience, I will likely end up going down a similar path. Why did you go to bookshelves when you went to lsi series?Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
Lietuvis91 wrote: »I hear you. And I'm saying he can make better use of the space and power he has with bookshelves without compromising sound quality. In fact in my opition bookshelves will sound BETTER in small space he has and given the power the receiver puts out. It's just a suggestion, so it's ok to take it for what it's worth.
I would not call the A5's a power hog though...
For full disclosure, I'm not a fan of the RTi bookshelves as mains, I find them to be muddy below 100hz and overall underwhelming. So I might be a little jaded... -
Lietuvis91 wrote: »Thanks for sharing your experience, I will likely end up going down a similar path. Why did you go to bookshelves when you went to lsi series?
I got a really good deal on my LSi 9's... Lol.
But I was looking for bookshelves or small towers since I plan to add a small sealed sub to my 2ch rig. -
Upstatemax wrote: »For full disclosure, I'm not a fan of the RTi bookshelves as mains, I find them to be muddy below 100hz and overall underwhelming. So I might be a little jaded...
Really...?! Interesting... Did you power them with the same gear as your a7? How big is your room? I am genuinely curious now...
Either way, looks like the OP should have some good information now to make a decision that is a fit for him.Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
Lietuvis91 wrote: »Really...?! Interesting... Did you power them with the same gear as your a7? How big is your room? I am genuinely curious now...
This was in a friends system.
He was using an Onkyo 808 AVR and his living room is about 15'x20' if I had to guess... -
Upstatemax wrote: »BTW, I have monitor 70's also. They are sitting in my basement collecting dust now, but I ran them for about 4 years and I loved them.
However, I slowly swapped them out. They went from my HT rig to my then new 2ch rig. When I pulled the M70's for RTi A7's, the M70's were blown away for HT duty (on the same amplification). The detail and clarity was night and day. I just swapped them out again in my 2ch rig for LSi 9's and once again BLOWN away across the board (again same amplification).
What were you using for amplification? My Denon is not top of the line, but it's not a kid's toy either.
The RTi's actually have the same sensitivity the M60s which makes me think I'll be OK. If not, I'll put them in a two-channel rig in the bedroom with my father-in-law's old Nikko integrated which is supposed to have been a pretty high-end piece in its day. Our bedroom is huge (15x30) so they would definitely have some room to breathe. -
Lietuvis91 wrote: »That's tiny... I'm not even sure I would do floorstanders in that space. Why not just do rti A3 fronts and A1 rears which your current receiver will handle without trouble. Then when you move to a big house you can buy floorstander fronts and a nice receiver and have a sweet 7.1 system.
I feel like people very often pick floorstanders for wrong applications, often just cuz they look cool. But in reality, in a small room floorstanders don't sound good and they just dwarf the already tiny room. On top of that, that person probably didn't power them correctly to make them sound good in the first place.
Just cuz floorstanders look cool, doesn't meant hey are right for every application. And they do require more juice which many poeple "don't feel like wasting money on"...
What is it that you don't like about the m60's in the first place, that's making you want to upgrade?
I like the Monitors just fine. But the RTi's are so gosh-darn pretty. I guess I just like buying things...LOL
As far as why I bought them, at one time I had a much bigger room to work with. Then we went and had a baby. Apparently kids need their own rooms and stuff. Who knew... -
What were you using for amplification? My Denon is not top of the line, but it's not a kid's toy either.
The RTi's actually have the same sensitivity the M60s which makes me think I'll be OK. If not, I'll put them in a two-channel rig in the bedroom with my father-in-law's old Nikko integrated which is supposed to have been a pretty high-end piece in its day. Our bedroom is huge (15x30) so they would definitely have some room to breathe.
In my HT, the M70's were hooked up my my Denon 2808.
In the 2ch rig they were hooked up to my HK 3490.
I would use the M60's in the 2ch rig if you get the A5's. IMO the more laid back top end is better suited to music duty. While the more in your face style of the A5's is better for HT. -
As far as why I bought them, at one time I had a much bigger room to work with. Then we went and had a baby. Apparently kids need their own rooms and stuff. Who knew...
I'm thinking of just giving this house to my daughter and finding one for me...
My HT rig playes Baby Einstein and lullibies more than anything now. :frown: -
@Upstatemax:
How do the 9's sound on the HK. I have one and am quite curious as right now its rocking my Monitor 60's..."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
EndersShadow wrote: »@Upstatemax:
How do the 9's sound on the HK. I have one and am quite curious as right now its rocking my Monitor 60's...
I LOVE them...
Naturally I have heard all the talk about how I need an amp @ 200w/ch @ 8ohms to get the best out of them. I'm sure there is plenty of truth to that, but I have been in love with the sound so far.
Nice tight bass extention compaired to the M70's, FAR better imaging and detail.
I fully plan to get into seperates in the future, but I'm very happy for the moment.
