RTi8 v. Monitor 70

Sci-fi Polk Guy

The '8's are available for about $400, and the '70's are available for $335. How do the two compare soundwise? BTW, I am willing to pay the extra $65 for real wood. Thanks for your help.

concealer404

Typically, the RTi-series is brighter, geared towards HT. That said, i'd pay $65 more for the RTi8 even if it had fake wood. Consider the real stuff a bonus.

Sci-fi Polk Guy

One piece of info that I did not mention in my OP is that I will be using the speakers mentioned with an SVS PB12NSD sub.

cnh

Rtis better construction. Better sounding? That's subjective. I don't care for the 8s much. Whereas the M-70s are acceptable for music because they are "less" bright and have more output.

But you have to listen to them really. Let me give an example. The only two speakers I really like from the old Rti line are the Rti-4s and the Rti-12s. Don't care for everything between them that much. Why? Who knows....well the Rti-4s image better than the larger cousin and the Rti-12s have more presence and a different crossover/array design that I feel makes a "significant" difference there.

What would I do. Get rid of the Rti-8s and 10s and produce an Rti-9 with two 6.25" woofers and a silk dome in a D'appolito array with a cascade crossover and a cabinet size somewhere closer to the Rti-10s or bigger?

cnh

domflane

I have the RTiA5's, which are very similar to the RTi8's and a good buddy has Monitor 70 series II's. I prefer the RTi's hands down over the M70's. With the right amplification, the brightness that many mention is tamed and whats left is a much more detailed and all around better speaker, IMO of course. The only thing that the M70's offer is a little more boom, albeit not the cleanest bass ever, but I'd rather get that from a good sub, which you already have.

On a side note, you should be able to find a pair of RTiA5's for around what you are willing to spend on the RTi8's if you pay attention to the classifieds here or scour the rest of the internet. They are sonically almost identical, but the A5's have a much more attractive curved cabinet and don't have the ugly silver plastic front panel. Just my .02.

Dom