Speaker upgrade.....Replacing TSi300 by RTi A5?

French_guy

Hi
I do have 2xTSi300 and 1xCS2. I think I like the "Polk sound" by itself.....
I would like to upgrade, and I was thinking to get the RTi A5 ($425/pair)
My receiver is a Pioneer VSK920....no the best maybe, but it's what it is for now. I may upgrade later (would like to get a Marantz some days)
Anyway, will I notice a big difference in sound improvement going from the TSi300 to the RTI A5, even with my current receiver? I know my center will have to be replaced, but let's go step by step...
I've done a lot of reading "RTI A5 vs RTi A7", and looks like the RTi A5 with a good sub will do just fine, even better than a A7. And A9 is too big for my room anyway...
Let me know what you think
Thanks

PerfectCreature

I had some Monitor 50s for quite some time powered by a very old and highly outdated Teac system. They sounded good and I was just not all that impressed with their performance, I thought about upgrading them to some Monitor 70s at the time but was talked out of it. I upgraded my receiver as per a recommendation to do so to a Harmon Kardon 3490 and they instantly became a totally different speaker. I mean it was night and day, I was hearing things I never imagined.
It was not the speaker that was holding my sound quality back, it was the receiver.
I think you would reap far more benefits by upgrading your receiver before your speakers.
Afterall, what is the point of spending all that money on speakers just to under drive them and never push them to their potential.

Take the money on those new speakers, sell your old receiver and get a new high quality one. I am partial to Harmon Kardon personally, but to each their own.

French_guy

What would be a good pick for a new receiver? Something where I will hear the difference of course, and still with video upscaling?
About the budget, I would say the cheapest one that has these 2 characteristics....

tonyb

The RTIA5's are a better speaker, period, but like the others have said, your receiver is holding your sound quality back. I'd go ahead and get the 5's for now, but keep in mind your receiver needs upgrading and possibly cables too depending on what your using now.

French_guy

OK......so if I pull the trigger on the A5 now, which receiver would you recommend that will give me a better sound?
I also need upscaling for my daughter's PS2 and Wii....

polk500

Hello as far as what receiver well that depends on how much you have to spend cuz if you go cheap you get cheap.
Unless you go used then you get a better bang for your buck. I would suggest you start reading up on AVR's as there is a lot of choices.
I like HK, Pioneer and Yamaha. And you should make sure they have pre-out's so you can add an external Amp cuz that's the way this hobby goes.

Cheers
Roger

AsSiMiLaTeD

While I agree that the receiver should be a consideration and maybe even be what you should buy next, I'd suggest that you have an upgrade path in mind before you start buying gear, at least have an idea of what you want.

I like to start with the speakers. Go out and listen to speakers and figure out what you want, and don't limit yourself to Polk. Once you know what kind of speakers you want then you can think about the rest of your gear.

If, for example, you really like the RTiA sound and know you want those you can get away with spending less money on a receiver. If you end liking the LSiM or another demanding speaker more then that will mean you need to look at spending more on amplification.

The trick is to not just start buying gear randomly as you can afford it. Even if you can't buy everything at once it's good to at least have a plan before you start spending any money, regardless of which pieces you buy first.

French_guy

I agree, but biggest problem is to find a place where you can listen to several different speakers
In my area, I've found so far 1 place that sells B&W and Klipsch. I would love to find a place to listen to Polk RTiA line......but can't find one!!!
This is why I'm hesitating so much before buying. I would hesitate less for a receiver, but I know speakers is all about your own feelings, so listening first is important (even if I know from the forums that RTiA5 seem to be very decent towers)

PerfectCreature

The holiday season is here.....take advantage of free and extended returns.
Many online stores at this time take a hit on returns and exchanges to entice customers to impulse buy. They advertise free returns, no restocking fees etc etc.
Perhaps that is an option?

gudnoyez

+1 on upgrading your receiver first.

French_guy

PerfectCreature wrote: »

The holiday season is here.....take advantage of free and extended returns.
Many online stores at this time take a hit on returns and exchanges to entice customers to impulse buy. They advertise free returns, no restocking fees etc etc.
Perhaps that is an option?

Looks like Polk website is saying 45 days to return, and they will also provide prepaid shipping labels. But not for the "Friends & Family discount".....which is 50% off !

French_guy

gudnoyez wrote: »

+1 on upgrading your receiver first.

Looking at Accessories4Less, which model would be a nice upgrade, keeping the budget low?