RT3000p Bases as Subwoofers

Inspector 24

With the announcement of the HSU VTF-15Mk2 I didn't waste much time posting my dual Mk1's for sale, and naturally they sold quickly leaving me without all that bass. So I placed my order to find that the first production run hadn't hit the port yet. No biggie. Well then apparently the port workers went on strike, shipping delayed at least a week. Crap. What to do...Oh I know!



Yeeesss, those are the bass modules from the RT5000p system I've been sitting on for a while now. Long story short, they work quite well as stand-ins! No, they definitely can't keep up with the 15h in terms of sheer air movement and fall off quite sharply below 30-40hz it seems, but oh boy do they compliment the A9's quite nicely giving my large 5,000ft^3 room a much needed boost in the lower regions.

While I've had them set up before, I'm once again surprised at the output of these puppies. They seem to put out more than the sum of their parts, easily besting the combination of three PSW505's I had at one point and are certainly much tighter and more musical. Topping it off, the don't appear to work very hard...based on watching the cone movement during my favorite bass tracks.

Hmm...now I think I'll go hook up the full 3000p towers and have a little fun A/Bing the A9's.

Dennis Gardner

Cool patch until your subs come in!

If you could keep the drivers together and the amps healthy, they were some of the most musical offerings Polk ever made, but they sure had their share of quality issues, that has tested customer service for over a decade now.

cincycat13

If you A/B the 9s to the RT3000p towers please post your impressions. Certainly an apples to oranges comparision but it sounds fun.

Inspector 24

I did A/B them, and between my wife and I didn't take long to come to a conclusion.

Some familiar music with some really great vocals, Red Wanting Blue is one of our favorite underground/indie bands, and while some tracks aren't recorded all that great, others really shine and make for great testing material. We started with the 3000p, placed just inside of the A9's, and once again was welcomed by the warm, rich tone of the RTxxx series of speakers...except the RT1000i, never cared for those, but that's another review. Center image of the vocals was spot on, appearing to come from the center channel (had to make sure it was in stereo) instruments from the left and right channels were easily picked out, though soundstage wasn't particularly wide, and didn't seem to extend beyond the speakers themselves. Vocals were warm and rich without being overly chesty, cymbals and treble sounds were laid back, not in your face at all, giving a more deep than wide soundstage. Bass guitar and drum hits solid and thick. With the volume adjustment on the front it's super easy to turn the bass up or down to your liking; I ended up setting it where it most closely matched the natural output of the A9's for even comparison.

Swapping to the A9's was an immediate and and obvious difference. To start, center image is still solid but cymbals and similar instruments now occupy a much wider part of the stage, appearing to extend beyond the sides of the speakers. However RTiA's being what they are, are much more forward sounding, so you loose some perceived depth. What you do get is detail and texture. The main vocals now had nuances not heard on the 3000p. The lead singer has a velvety kind of deep rasp to his voice. On the 3000p this was a warm velvet rug, plush, but lacking in detail. On the A9's his voice takes on more of a highly flocked burlap quality, or your favorite if slightly itchy wool sweater, which is much closer to his actual voice as I've seen him perform live and talked to him in person. Also gone is a slight chestiness that was present in the 3000p. Bass guitar and drum hits took on a more defined quality as well, becoming righter, more defined, more textured, if a bit weaker in overall impact.

In summation the 3000p gives you soundstage depth, warmth, and is the cozy familiar blanket you always like coming home to all while giving you as much or as little thump as you'd like, and yes, making life very easy for whatever amp you're driving them with. A9's offer quite a lot more clarity, detail, and reality, and a wider soundstage that lets you hear every instrument and their textures, with a very upfront kind of sound. But you need power, which I have, so while I really like the 3000p, and will always have a fondness in my heart for the RTxxx series, the A9's are simply more accurate and revealing, which is why they win, yet again.

Associated gear:Marantz SR7005 receiver, Panasonic BT-DMP500, Parasound HCA-3500. 12ga OFC w/banana plugs. A9's were bi-wired using the factory bi-wire connections on the Parasound. 3000p used one pair to the high/mid section connected to the upper terminals and using the factory jumpers to the lower terminals, 2nd pair to the high level input to the bass modules.

cincycat13

Very cool! Thanks for taking the time to write your impressions. I have an rt5000p set up rotated out of service when an amp went south. I have the repair pieces but just never rotated them back in. Switched to some modded lsi7s and an lsic when they were closing out the line and loved the detail. Although floor space with 2 small kids played a factor. I miss the rt3000p bass on demand but my wife hated that feature. It was the need to fix an amp that let me find this place over 5 years ago and its been a fun journey of music since.

Inspector 24

You bet! I really enjoy the LSi7's, just sold a pair that I couldn't justify hanging on to. I hope the new owner enjoys them a lot. I bet modded they're stellar! I really enjoy my 15's and LSiC upstairs. Just perfect for upstairs TV watching and music.

Based on all the awesome reviews I've no doubt I'd like me some Ushers. Looks like they're going to be at CES this year, I'll make it a point to go and check them out!

trentbreeding

Looking for Rt3000p powered subwoofer bases i have the top speaker