TSX220 or RTI A3
testina.cla
Posts: 2
Hi guys,
First post here. I have the possibility to buy a pair of tsx220 or rti a3 for the same price. Later on, I am willing to add a center speaker (is possible a new rti line will come up?...that would be a problem if I want to buy it the next year).
Anyway...which pair would you suggest?
Thanks in advance!
First post here. I have the possibility to buy a pair of tsx220 or rti a3 for the same price. Later on, I am willing to add a center speaker (is possible a new rti line will come up?...that would be a problem if I want to buy it the next year).
Anyway...which pair would you suggest?
Thanks in advance!
Post edited by testina.cla on
Comments
-
The A3....don't worry about new lines, Polk speakers on the used market is very well priced.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 -
The A3....don't worry about new lines, Polk speakers on the used market is very well priced.
Agreed. A3.
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
The A3Home Theater
Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable
2 Channel
Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+
Stuff for the Head
JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365
Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin
-
A3 all day and all night long over the 220.
-
Thanks for your fast replies! It seems that there is NO doubt here!
So...decision made! -
Forgive if I come across as being a pretentious gear snob,but I've been wondering about the differences between the 2 models myself and I can't base my decision on comments like; "the RTi A3 is better by a country mile,or all day,all night,over the TSx220b's...I mean really?Wtf?
Can someone please offer a more comprehensive description of the sonic differences...please??
Such as whether or not the low end frequency response is more pronounced,with the RTi A3's?
If so,is the bass tighter?Punchier?Boomy?Thin & flat?How is the higher frequencies...such as the mid range clarity & top end?Brash?Muddy?How is the dispersion of the tweeters?Do they have a wider stereo field?
Also...the acoustics of the room the speakers are in,plays a part in the performance of the speakers....so what types of rooms do you people have?
Wall to wall carpeting?Any acoustic absorption panels of the wall?Insulated curtains on the windows?
What are the dimensions of your listening areas?Small...medium...or large?
As things are in my home theater,I had made a transition from a 6 channel mixer and 4 8" powered studio monitors,to 4 Polk Audio speakers(the TSX110b's & 220b's) and a Sony receiver.
The overall clarity of this new set up is satisfactory,but I regret buying the 110b's(as I should have just bought 4 220b's)...as the bottom end is lacking a bit.
Rather than getting another pair of 220b's though,I thought about going with a pair of RTi A3's...for a more well rounded low frequency response(hopefully).
Before I spend an extra $100 for the RTi A3's,I need to know precisely why I should spend another $100??
I don't doubt the clarity of the RTi A3's in the HF range necessarily,but what about the bass performance?
My living room is large(about 16' X 13),so I need some bottom end that will fill this size room.
My acoustical treatment of this room is minimal at the moment,but right now,my main concern is that I find a 2nd pair of decent speakers on a budget.
Since I don't have the option of going to a showroom to test them out beforehand,I would appreciate any info,anyone could provide(beyond the rudimentary endorsements thus far,in this thread.)
Thank you. -
elwoodblues1969 wrote: »Forgive if I come across as being a pretentious gear snob,but I've been wondering about the differences between the 2 models myself and I can't base my decision on comments like; "the RTi A3 is better by a country mile,or all day,all night,over the TSx220b's...I mean really?Wtf?
Can someone please offer a more comprehensive description of the sonic differences...please??
Flunked out of charm school huh ? You want more bass response....how about adding a subwoofer ? The reason why we can't be too descriptive is because there are too many variables that go into what a speaker will sound like. Your room for one, and associated gear/cables being another. Then there's the source material.
These are smallish speakers so bass response isn't going to be top notch in a bigger room anyway. Your best bet is adding a subwoofer. That Sony receiver isn't doing you any favors either.
You want more info from us, how about you give us more info. Like what are you using as a source...cables....do you listen to mostly music or movies....how is the receiver setup for both....how are the speakers positioned in the room.....how far back are you sitting...etc.
The RTIA3 is simply a better speaker in any given room all things being equal. If your fretting over spending a 100 bucks to find out, then audio may not be the hobby for you. Audio takes some personal experimenting, in your room, with your gear, with your ears.
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 -
Well said Tony...
it's because the same question has been asked so many times already and if you spent a little time reading some threads in speakers section, you should know by now.....
WTF is bottom end? do you want bass repsonse like AR9 delivers (my definition of bottom end)? what is your basis for bottom end? That's your preference....
Video: LG 55LN5100/Samsung LNT4065F
Receiver: HK AVR445
Source: OPPO BDP-93
HT: POLK SPEAKERS RTi6, FXi3, CSi5, VTF-3 MK2
2Ch system: MC2105, AR-XA, AR-2A, AR9, BX-300, OPPO BDP-83 -
"it's because the same question has been asked so many times already and if you spent a little time reading some threads in speakers section, you should know by now.....
WTF is bottom end? do you want bass repsonse like AR9 delivers (my definition of bottom end)? what is your basis for bottom end? That's your preference...."
Flunked out of charm school huh ? You want more bass response....how about adding a subwoofer ? The reason why we can't be too descriptive is because there are too many variables that go into what a speaker will sound like. Your room for one, and associated gear/cables being another. Then there's the source material.
These are smallish speakers so bass response isn't going to be top notch in a bigger room anyway. Your best bet is adding a subwoofer. That Sony receiver isn't doing you any favors either.
You want more info from us, how about you give us more info. Like what are you using as a source...cables....do you listen to mostly music or movies....how is the receiver setup for both....how are the speakers positioned in the room.....how far back are you sitting...etc.
The RTIA3 is simply a better speaker in any given room all things being equal. If your fretting over spending a 100 bucks to find out, then audio may not be the hobby for you. Audio takes some personal experimenting, in your room, with your gear, with your ears.
So let me get this all straight,the guy that started this thread,having been his first post,actually read through the entire forum before posting here?
If that's the case and if he was so enlightened that these neolithic-ally simple endorsements were sufficient,why in the hell,would he need to start this thread to begin with?
It seems to me...that the truth is,this guy was just a novice that simply wanted an upgrade from anything that he would find at a local Walmart and really didn't know where to start,in terms of the hi-fi arena.
So....he must have figured that by asking for approval on a Polk Audio website,that any reply he got,was enough to make a sound decision on speakers(just by virtue of it being a hi-fi website).
No offense meant to the thread starter,but he seems very new to the game,which would explain why he was so easily swayed into his decision,by such vague recommendations.
My reaction to the subject of this thread,though not charming at all...is nonetheless honest & speaking my mind is all I ever cared about,because I am a straight shooter.I just felt compelled to express my disgust at how vague the recommendations were,because I would never approach anyone's query with such opaqueness...as I feel it is a disservice to the prospective buyer(regardless of their level of audio knowledge.)
As for subwoofers,I don't care for them...because for one,they require optimal conditions..in terms of acoustical treatment(absorption panels aren't cheap) and it's more of a bass response than I need or want.
Second...subwoofers are monaural,so if there's any sounds(in a film) in the LF range that pans from left to right or vice versa,then such sounds won't be represented to my liking.
As I had said,my previous set up(four 8" active monitors) were sufficient for me and I never had a need for a sub.
Primarily due to the fact that my previous gear performed well under the 50Hz range(between 40 & 45Hz) and personally,I don't care for rattling my windows with bass frequencies any lower than 40Hz.
Too many variables to give me an answer beyond what was said in this thread,heh?Ok...here's a hypothetical scenario for you....under optimal conditions across the board,how do the RTI A3's sound,in contrast to the TSx 220b's?
Not that speaker positioning isn't important...as indeed it is,but this has almost nothing to do with the fact that my pair of TSx110b's are just to small for the job and that I only bought them to save money(& I had hoped that my second pair of the larger 220b's,would be sufficient.)
I should also mention,that since my plastic is maxed out,I had to resort to Gettington.com for my home theater needs.
I was actually very surprised that Gettington carried Polk Audio and I could have easily ordered 4 pairs of of the 220b's,but I did not want to create larger monthly payments beyond what I can afford.
Also....I have some computer audio gear I can sell,which is primarily why I am seriously considering upgrading to the RTi A3's.
Anyhow...my 220b's are 6 feet from my sofa and my 110b's are on either side of my sofa(it's a love seat)...so being positioned in the middle of my couch,the 110b's are approximately 2.5 feet from my ears.
All speakers are situated in an equilateral triangle,at ear level and they are all resting on isolation pads.
So...my Sony receiver isn't doing me any favors,heh?Funny...I don't recall even mentioning what MODEL of Sony I have.
Not that it is really relevant to the topic at hand so much,but I have a Sony STR-DH130 amp.
Yeah...it's a $150 amp and nothing fancy,in terms of multiple bells & whistles...but I only wanted a 2 channel,quadraphonic set up and contrary to what you may think of it,it does the job quite well.
Essentially,the only differences between your Pioneer Elite and mine,is that yours,unlike mine,has more wattage,more channels,much more connections on the back,more secure speaker terminals and simulated surround sound effects.
As for sonic clarity,I can't imagine any discernible differences(as my amp has a very clean sound) and as for volume,mine is more than sufficient(especially since I live in an apartment complex).
Signal transfer is critical and I bought the best grade wire I could afford for the time being,which is 12 gauge wiring(Auvio from RadioShack).
As for low end performance,in terms of range,amps don't play a critical role in this,as ultimately,the bass port tuning of a speaker cabinet,is responsible for delivering a specific range.
Regardless of the amp and wiring...if the bass ports are not engineered correctly,then the speaker's spec sheet,that is described as having a LF reponse down to say,40Hz...this level will not actually reach your ears...but rather,you may be hearing more like 50Hz instead.
This is what is known as a bass roll off point.An audiophile such as yourself,who spends several hundreds of dollars on Reality cables alone,should know this.
As for fretting over pricing...well...as I said,I am on a budget,but that can always improve over time.
With regard to audio hobbies,I have spent the last 10 years building up a semi-professional recording studio in my apartment,so my audio hobby is actually very pertinent in my life(& probably more so than yours).
The bottom line is for me,that my recording studio takes precedence,in terms of monetary investment and if I had the extra coin to spend,I would have just gone for a pair of LSiM703's without any procrastination whatsoever and I would not have bothered with this thread.
-
How about you buy both sets and then you can tell us?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
Erik Tracy wrote: »How about you buy both sets and then you can tell us?
Based on the direction this thread is going in,it would seem I have no other option,but to make a hands on assessment myself.
At this point,it's apparent that it is much easier just to buy the RTi A3's and return them if I don't like them(rather than trying to get any useful info from here),prior to purchasing them.
If you want to know more about the RTiA3's,then I suggest you do the same,as I am done with this forum.
-
Elwood,
You do know that people on this site are not paid by Polk? But are Folks who love audio and like to help others whether it's a single comment or multiples paragraphs, so stop being rude and show some respect or just go away cuz you're acting like a troll.
Have a great day
Roger
-
elwoodblues1969 wrote: »Erik Tracy wrote: »How about you buy both sets and then you can tell us?
Based on the direction this thread is going in,it would seem I have no other option,but to make a hands on assessment myself.
At this point,it's apparent that it is much easier just to buy the RTi A3's and return them if I don't like them(rather than trying to get any useful info from here),prior to purchasing them.
If you want to know more about the RTiA3's,then I suggest you do the same,as I am done with this forum.
I DID do the same, you whiny baby.
Use the search function. I did my own side by side of the RTIA3 and the LSI7 - cuz I put my money where my mouth was.
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
elwoodblues1969 wrote: »Erik Tracy wrote: »How about you buy both sets and then you can tell us?
Based on the direction this thread is going in,it would seem I have no other option,but to make a hands on assessment myself.
Well, no kidding, isn't that the way it should be ? You could have simply done a search for the RTIA3 at the top of the page and come away with scores of threads to read and get peoples impressions.
But since you've spent 10 years setting up recording studios you know that what sounds good in one room may not in another. What sounds good with one persons system may not in anothers. So those opinions mean little then, no ? Unless you try them yourself in your apartment with your gear.
150 buck Sony entry level receiver and 12 ga. from Rat Shack is the start of a recipe for poor sound in my book....which no speaker will overcome. Look at your system as a whole instead of focusing only on speakers. Everything plays a part in the final sound you hear.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 -
LOL! Out of that long winded rant I'm almost sure I read that all amps sound the same....
seriously some people need to relax.2 channel:
Bryston 4B3, Bryston BDA3, Cary SLP05, Shanling CDT1000SE with parts conneXion level 2 mods, Nottingham analogue ace space 294, soundsmith Carmen MKii, Zu DL103 MKii, Ortofon MC 20 MKii, Dynavector XX2 MKii, Rogue Audio Ares, Core power technologies balanced power conditioner, Akiko Corelli power conditioner with Akiko Audio HQ power cable, Nordost heimdall 2, Frey 2, interconnects, speaker and power cables, Focal Electra 1028 BE 2, Auralic Aries Femto, Black diamond racing cones, ingress audio level 1 roller blocks, JL Audio E110 with Auralic subdude, Primacoustics room treatments.
Theater:
Focal Aria 926,905,CC900, SVS PB ultra x2. Pioneer Elite SC85, Oppo BDP93, Panamax M5400PM, Minix neox6, Nordost Blue heaven LS power cables. -
TSX 220 or RtiA3, yeah get them both audition them then keep the A3's like everyone suggested as they are the better speaker, but then you will be stuck with another pair of TSX series speakers. It seems your a little late for comparisons, plus yeah that Sony is where you should start the improvements you seek.Home Theater
Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable
2 Channel
Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+
Stuff for the Head
JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365
Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin -
testina.cla wrote: »Thanks for your fast replies! It seems that there is NO doubt here!
So...decision made!
Good for you....hope you enjoy them. I also want to apologize for Elwood who did a good job hijacking your thread. Don't let one bad apple spoil your stay here, enjoy the forum and any further questions we'll be glad to do our best to help ya out.
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 -
the difference is attitude, dude. I don't know where you came from or the forums you normally frequent, and maybe this is one of the last places on the web where people appreciate good old politeness and common courtesy. come in here acting like a db, you're gonna get the db treatment and no one's going to be particularly friendly or welcoming, regardless of how well intended (not apparent in the the least) or knowledgeable you might seem. plus, you wrecked the OP's post with your crappy attitude. he's a new guy asking for some advice. don't pull that crap here, man. just because it wasn't answered to your satisfaction in the first couple of responses doesn't mean the discussion wouldn't carry. it's getting tiresome that this has become the norm due to the anonymity that the internet allows. venture to bet that charm doesn't get you very far on the other side of your computer, either.elwoodblues1969 wrote: »So let me get this all straight,the guy that started this thread,having been his first post,actually read through the entire forum before posting here?
If that's the case and if he was so enlightened that these neolithic-ally simple endorsements were sufficient,why in the hell,would he need to start this thread to begin with?
It seems to me...that the truth is,this guy was just a novice that simply wanted an upgrade from anything that he would find at a local Walmart and really didn't know where to start,in terms of the hi-fi arena.
So....he must have figured that by asking for approval on a Polk Audio website,that any reply he got,was enough to make a sound decision on speakers(just by virtue of it being a hi-fi website).
No offense meant to the thread starter,but he seems very new to the game,which would explain why he was so easily swayed into his decision,by such vague recommendations.
My reaction to the subject of this thread,though not charming at all...is nonetheless honest & speaking my mind is all I ever cared about,because I am a straight shooter.I just felt compelled to express my disgust at how vague the recommendations were,because I would never approach anyone's query with such opaqueness...as I feel it is a disservice to the prospective buyer(regardless of their level of audio knowledge.)I disabled signatures.
