How to get more Treble from my RTi A7's

myke

Hello Polk'ies,

I wanted to get a little more brightness or treble from my RTi A7's and figured bi-wiring was the way. I was hoping someone would walk me through the process and/or confirm I am right in this assumption. If not then please enlighten me on the proper way or link me to a youtube vid etc........

I will end up with an XPA-5 rather soon to help but regardless of that what can I do??

Thank you,

Sherardp

Buy the amp and go from there. You should notice improvement almost immediately.

F1nut

Try adjusting the settings in your AVR as treble is not a problem with those speakers. Bi-wiring is a complete waste. Instead, replace the stock jumpers with high quality speaker wire.

I will end up with an XPA-5

Why? If you just have to have an amp at least aim higher, much higher.

myke

F1nut wrote: »

Try adjusting the settings in your AVR as treble is not a problem with those speakers. Bi-wiring is a complete waste. Instead, replace the stock jumpers with high quality speaker wire.

F1Nut -

Why? If you just have to have an amp at least aim higher, much higher.

What, just wire in a small line from one jack to the one above instead of the stock jumpers?? Would that small adjustment really make a difference? I have 14g (or 12...forgot w/out looking) monoprice speaker wire.

I used the Mcafee to setup the avr, so i'm a little cautious in adjusting the treble "appropriately" (never tried).

And really......., how bad can the Emo be (in your opinion)? I mean for the price (which is a factor) and the quality it can't be beat!!?!? I ask b/c I've seen your posts before so I don't think your a fan of Emo.

I only ask b/c after hearing blackhawk down again i remembered the energy speakers I compared the polks to originally and thought they could use a tweak.

myke

Dskip -

Hearing is just fine.......w/out responding further to that statement, I do have the stock jumpers in.

falconcry72

myke wrote: »

Dskip -

Hearing is just fine.......w/out responding further to that statement, I do have the stock jumpers in.

Hearing: DSkip is asking about yours because the RTI's are generally considered to be bright sounding speakers. I'd check your AVR's settings, as Jesse (F1nut) suggested.

Jumpers: a worthwhile tweak, but it won't make the difference between dull and bright.

Emo Amps: if you have to buy new, then they are a decent deal, but if you are down with used gear then you can find higher quality, better sounding amps for less money. (think b&k, adcom, parasound, rotel, nad, etc).

Enjoy those speakers, they're pretty sweet!:biggrin:

F1nut

What, just wire in a small line from one jack to the one above instead of the stock jumpers?? Would that small adjustment really make a difference?

If it didn't, I wouldn't recommend it.

I have 14g (or 12...forgot w/out looking) monoprice speaker wire.

Gauge doesn't mean much once one realizes that there is more to cable than that.

I used the Mcafee to setup the avr, so i'm a little cautious in adjusting the treble "appropriately" (never tried).

I believe you mean MCACC. McAfee is an anti-virus program. MCACC is a great starting point, but isn't the end all. Try adjusting the settings to what sounds best to you.

And really......., how bad can the Emo be (in your opinion)? I mean for the price (which is a factor) and the quality it can't be beat!!?!? I ask b/c I've seen your posts before so I don't think your a fan of Emo.

You are correct, I am not a fan because they simply do not sound good. You can buy a better amp used for about the same money.

Consider this, even if you do add an amp the settings in the AVR still control the basic outcome, so play around with those first. You may very well find that your AVR is all you really need for HT purposes.

myke

Dskip - Thank you for clarifying.

i suppose hearing Klipsch, energy, and a friends definitive speakers today ....and then mine tonight (on the same flick) made me think I need a little more brightness ( i love the warmth but want a little more bright too as a compliment).

F1nut -
MCACC...right (haha) - long day/night :biggrin:

I guess i haven't really considered used amps to be honest, I'm thinking emo due to it being my first amp, new, strong, and a great addition to my modest setup.

The whole used thing kinda scares me.......i think the most i would go comfortably is refurb (but open to consideration).

I'll try to adjust the avr first as it sounds like a logical first move...I also can't imagine the pio is enough in & of itself to push the speakers?!

Whats a good option other than the standard bridge that comes with the speakers?? I thought bi-wiring was an option many people found valuable??

I appreciate everyone's opinions/thoughts as I'm still learning in my new hobby!

F1nut

i suppose hearing Klipsch, energy, and a friends definitive speakers today

Were the speakers you heard powered by an AVR or an AVR plus an amp?

I guess i haven't really considered used amps to be honest, I'm thinking emo due to it being my first amp

You are the target audience for their gear. That is, folks who don't know any better and haven't heard other amps.

I also can't imagine the pio is enough in & of itself to push the speakers?!

It's plenty. The A7's are easy to drive.

Whats a good option other than the standard bridge that comes with the speakers??

Short pieces of just about any speaker cable will do the trick.


Let's get one thing clear, adding an amp is not going to magically make the treble more prevalent. The settings in your AVR will.

jbooker82

You might also look at Outlaw Audio. They are around the same price as emo. I dont know how they compair. I just looked at them when I was shopping around.

tonyb

F1nut wrote: »

Let's get one thing clear, adding an amp is not going to magically make the treble more prevalent. The settings in your AVR will.

Bingo....I would strongly suggest the OP read the receivers manual, if he hasn't yet.

steveinaz

A solid copper conductor type speaker wire (such as Audioquest) can sometimes improve treble clarity over multi-stand topologies.

Erik Tracy

I'm not familiar with Pioneer's implementation of MCACC, but if it like Yamaha's YPAO, there are several room EQ modes that will effect the tonal balance (Front, Natural, Flat, etc).

You could try turning room EQ 'off' and let the natural 'sparkle' of the RTi line come beaming thru.:biggrin:

HTguru1982

Erik Tracy wrote: »

I'm not familiar with Pioneer's implementation of MCACC, but if it like Yamaha's YPAO, there are several room EQ modes that will effect the tonal balance (Front, Natural, Flat, etc).

You could try turning room EQ 'off' and let the natural 'sparkle' of the RTi line come beaming thru.:biggrin:

+1. When I ran the auto set up on my Yamaha, I initially set the EQ to Flat. While it was definitely easy to listen to, there was noticeably too much warmth and the system lacked any kind of "spark". I re-ran auto set up and this time set the EQ to off and this made all the difference. The system was brighter but not in ear straining/harsh kind of way.

rebuy

I would think your Elite would make your Rti's sound great. I have some smaller RTI's running with a Onkyo and it really took a while for me to get the sound settings right.
You know how it is with these new fangled AVR's.

With some sound modes, my RTI's sound lifeless and dull. I basically set my system up and got close to the right sound for my room. Then I started switching between the different sound modes my receiver has to offer. There are a couple of sound modes on the receiver that send a real clear and more textured sound to the RTI's and really made them sound very nice while others are dull. So many people are afraid to play with their toys and make the synergy work between all equipment.

tonyb

Alot of people moving up from an older receiver to a more up to date one,will find they are not plug and play like the older ones. You have to read the manual and get a grasp on the adjustments available and what they do. The sound you get depends on it. Not saying that is the OP's case, just sayin' is all. I see alot of posts, complaints about sound quality when they never truely understand how to adjust/tweek the settings in their avr to problem solve.

myke

Thanks everyone, I actually did move up from a very old sony last yr and thought i found the right sound mode but as I re-read the manual I realize I have forgotten a lot. Not to mention there are many sound modes! I at least know now what i want to improve on and hope it will be a good starting point.