Recommendations for RTi10 Amp and HK3485 Receiver

mikey1987

Hi all,

I just decided to replace my old Polk R40's with the RTi10's (ebay direct - awesome price).

I'm currently running the R40's off an HK3485 receiver directly in a 2 channel stereo music only set up. Bass is definitely lacking and the R40's sound pretty tinny and a little harsh.

My RTi10's will arrive tomorrow and I am looking forward to plugging them in and hopefully having an improvement from the R40s.

I do want to go the separate amp route, so I think regardless of how the HK3485 sounds powering them, I'd want to add a 2 channel external amp.

Right now, I am leaning towards Outlaw M2200's. Looks like they sell 2x combo refurbs with free shipping for $679.

I was considering Emotiva XPA-2, but I'm not too big on their looks. Also looking at older Adcom's but my fear is getting something that breaks and having to get it repaired for almost what it cost in the first place.

Any advice?

Would the HK3485 >> Outlaw M2200 x2 >> RTi10 setup suit me well?

Hermitism

I have no experience with this, but a lot of people here recommend Parasound and B&K amps for the RTi line of speakers. The RTi's are a bit bright sounding for some music and those two brand amps take that edge off those higher frequencies without losing detail.

tonyb

There's a Parasound for a nickel in our own FM. Would work very well with RTI10's.

mikey1987

tonyb wrote: »

There's a Parasound for a nickel in our own FM. Would work very well with RTI10's.

Yeah.. I can't view the add. Post count isn't high enough

tophatjohnny

Yes mikey, snag that parasound. I took this advice and love mine. Game changer. My new speakers don't require as much power as I have, but they still sound amazing with the PSound driving them!!

tonyb

Cathy gave the seller this link noting the OP was looking for an amp, we'll see if he chimes in.

mikey1987

thanks for the help so far guys.

these RTi10's arrive tomorrow. so anxious!

if the seller wants to PM me i am open.

i am looking at the specs on that HCa-1500 - looks good!

mikey1987

nbrowser wrote: »

mikey, looks good is one thing, it sounds better than it or it's specs look...not all watts are created equally.

Oh, i know it. Used to be into car audio years ago. Finally have enough cash after paying off some large bills that I can finally afford to put together a decent home stereo set up.

Would have done this sooner, but had to save up for a new laptop the last 6 months or so. Thank god audio products don't need to be lifecycled as often as PCs do! (or lifecycled, ever )

mikey1987

Speakers just arrived and I am doing some listening. *WOW* - so much better than my previous R40's all around.

Bass is very strong. Midrange is a little lacking compared to the R40's, but I actually prefer the way these RTi's sound!

The highs are much more crisp and refined than the R40's. Not even the same ballgame. I can't see why people rate these speakers as harsh or for HT use.

They meet my music needs perfectly.

My QA line up for today will be Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Enya, Enigma, Tool, and of course, some Dr. Dre.

Hermitism

The guy I bought my AVR from had RTi10's and I really liked them. I was impressed by the amount of bass they had, and he was only powering them with my AVR. A lot of people around here remove their drivers and apply Dynamat Extreme to the baskets to bring out more detail. I did it to mine. Dynamat stops the resonance which in theory produces better clarity and imaging. That may help with the lacking midrange you speak of, but I would imagine that it will also void your warranty. Applying to your midrange drivers might be something you could try one day. I didn't notice a dramatic difference applying it to the speakers. I noticed a much bigger difference when applying it to my components. It's very inexpensive to try and doesn't take much. I have the RTi8's, which don't have the two woofers that yours have, so my speakers were really bright for some of the music I listen to. So my goal has always been to try things that give them a warmer sound.

Hermitism

Damn spell check got me.

Spelled Dynamat Xtreme.

mikey1987

man... after giving these new speakers at least a 10 hour listening per day since they arrived last thursday, i'm not really sure i wanted to go the separates route just yet. they sound amazing as is at the moment.



just curious - does anyone have experience using tube preamps with solid state amps? i was thinking of a dared sl-2000 + parasound hca-1500a combo to save up for.... thoughts?