Looking for input on the RTi Series

savage925

Hi Guys,

I am a designer at Polk. We a doing research on the RTi Series and would like some feedback straight from our customers. There are a few questions below, but feel free to add any other comments you may have, good or bad.

• What do you like about the RTis.?
  
• What do you not like about the RTis?
  
• What technology, hardware, etc.. do you wish the RTi series included but doesn’t?
  
• If you could have a custom color way made for you, what would it be?
  
• Is there another brand or product you would buy instead of the RTi?
  
• If you own the RTis what do you use them for: Music, Movies, Games?

Thanks for your input!

Velocitydreamer

Bring back outriggers. They look totally awesome on the RTi's. I feel the 3rd gen A's feet look way too dainty for the quality speaker. Also, I've heard the crossovers have been designed in a rather limiting way for the 7" drivers... most people who purchased the A9's / RTi12's plan to purchase a dedicated amplifier. Granted, I'm no expert, seriously, but I have owned plenty of 1st and 2nd gen RTi's, and the old RT/i series. The outriggers look awesome on my 12's & 10's. Simply wish they'd have the curved cab of the A's and natural wood fronts instead of silver.

Hermitism

I've always wondered this and you'd be the perfect person to ask. I have a pair of RTi8's, why are the binding posts mounted so high on the cabinet? With so many people using heavy cables, I could see how a high binding post could create a problem with stress on the connections. There might be a simple explanation, I just always wondered.

gudnoyez

Answers for these questions.
#1 Everything
#5 No happy having all RitA's in my HT rig
#6 Mostly movies, and sometimes music.

Like your Avatar, just bought a grey one, liked it so much I also bought a Urchin. I'm happy with my RtiAs are you guys going to continue with the current series or making some changes? I for one did not care for the outriggers on the the Rti series.

tonyb

I think you should go in a different direction with the RTI's. More like a Watt puppy or Salk HT3. Anyway, smooth out that top end some so it isn't as bright and more accommodating to a better variety of gear. Outriggers adds a touch of class.

If you stick with the tall box style, maybe rework the cabinet.....add some curve to it, maybe an open baffle design on top. Big boxy speakers from an appearance stand point are a dime a dozen. Yet another one from Polk isn't going to get anyone I know off the couch and into a showroom for a listen.

Another speaker maker has an illuminated compartment housing the crossover that you can visually see in the rear. Adds a touch of coolness and a warm blue glow as backlighting. I guess it all boils down to how much Polk wants to invest into making the RTI's better. Can you say Ribbon tweeter ? lol

voltz

I have the RTiA7's in my HT rig and they work great for that, use to like them for music but not anymore since I heard my Vintage Monitor 10's & CRS+'s. I also finally got my ears on some Lsim 703's and really like them for music a lot better.

Tony above has better ideas of where to go with the series then me as I have not heard or experienced enough to make a suggestion at this time.

mrbiron

I've had the 5s 3s 1s and A4.
- Was happy with the HT performance especially the bass produced.
- the black cabs scream cheap. The cherry is more classy but didn't work estheticly in my house.
- have no input here.
- gray, maple, oak....not black even though that color probably works best in a nice dark ht.
- after owning them, I like the idea of a Zu ht but it gets pricey.
- now, only ht/game but did use the 5s for a poor mans 2chan and was happy.

comfortablycurt

I've owned several different RTi series speakers. I've owned the RTi8, RTi6, and RTi4, with the CSi6 center channel and a Polk sub. This was all part of a 7.1 system being driven by a 700 series Onkyo HT receiver.

Home theater (including gaming) was the strong suit for these speakers. They had a very wide range and excellent response for the demands of home theater. They blended warmer mids with a slight brightness in the high end. They were very dynamic for home theater settings. They did well when the scene called for a laid back sound, but when the action started, they excelled at immersing you in the scene, especially with a matching surround system. I always felt that they were a little bit lacking in the low end. However, my mains were the RTi8s. Had I gotten the RTi10s or RTi12s this likely wouldn't have been an issue. In either case, most people using these speakers are going to be using a sub as well, so this is a smaller concern.

For casual music listening or for playing background music, these speakers are great. They carry well and have a full sound. However, for more critical listening the brightness in higher frequencies started becoming more apparent. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - many people like brighter sounding highs. That isn't typically the sound that I prefer for listening to music. I tend to prefer a more neutral, bordering on warm type of tone. When I was using this RTi system, I still tended to revert to my old Polk Monitor 7As or my SDA 2As for listening to music. I ended up selling this whole setup because I was getting more interested in building my 2 channel rig.

I also owned some RTiA3s for a shorter period and I was able to compare them side by side with the RTi6s, which are basically different generations of the same speaker design. I felt that the RTiA3 was a bit tamer in the higher frequencies. The brightness in the tweeter seemed a bit mellower to my. Many people seemed to share this general opinion when the RTiA series was first released. This difference was often attributed to the (vastly superior) cabinet design of the RTiA series.

The cabinet design - The RTiA's are beautiful speakers. I always wanted to get a pair of RTiA7s or RTiA9s just because they looked amazing. The RTi series is very good looking in its own way, but the RTiA series is just much more refined. The contoured cabinet adds a lot to the design.

Overall, my experience with the RTi and RTiA series was very positive. I wish I still had all of them. I don't currently have a HT setup because I've found myself far more interested in 2 channel audio. However, I'd consider buying some RTiA's or some new evolution of the RTi series when I put a HT system together again.

gudnoyez

C curt said the right things about them I also feel they excel in the HT department Reference Theater series rightfully so. I built a home theater around them and feel it was a very good investment. If you bought these more for music then yes they are a bit bright but,for movies and concert blurays these are fantastic. I get nothing but compliment s when we entertain.

rpf65

Currently running RTI A5, CSI A4, FXI A6, RTI A3, and have RTI A1 for heights when AVR is upgraded.

Have them in cherry finish, and really like the looks, except for the feet. Kind of small to call them out riggers in my opinion, some may disagree. I think the silver color makes the speakers look a little cheap, black would have probably looked better, just my opinion.

Everybody that has heard these speakers has had nothing but good things to say about them. There were a few ladies that thought the A5's were too big, but that is too be expected. I've watched people look towards the FXI A6 when some off screen sound was mixed in, small animals is a good example. So for HT, or TV foe that matter, these speakers are probably the best in the market at their price point.

Not being an audiophile, I thought they sounded great, for about six months or so. Can't really remember if I first heard what people describe as bright on Fleetwood Mac's "You Make Loving Fun" or "Say You Love Me". It was one of those 2, and I thought it may only be those songs, or Christine McVie's voice. Then I began hearing the same thing on other female vocals, Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine was next, I believe.

As time progressed, began to hear male vocalist sounding bright, new it couldn't be my imagination when I began hearing it with Matthew Bellamy of Muse. Could be the associated gear I'm running, will be upgrading it to find out, but whatever that freq range is, that is the only thing I can find wrong with them.

As a side note, the brightness with vocals seems more pronounced when running in 2 channel. A few times when I've thrown in a CD, and left it in 7 channel, the brightness was greatly reduced. Seems the center channel calms it down immensely, could be part of the original design concept, but not being a sound engineer, I have no idea.

Not into gaming, so I can't comment on that.

F1nut

1. Nice looking cabinets, love the cherry veneer, the color tone and 10 degree sheen. I also like the power port, allowing them to be placed closer to the back wall.

2. The treble is too hot. I fixed that with a crossover upgrade and got rid of the bypass caps. Also, the silver driver trim....ugh!

3. Metal binding post plates and better binding posts. High quality wire jumpers instead of the jumper plates would also be a good move. I upgraded all of that on mine.

4. I'm good with the cherry. One thing I would suggest, do not offer them in a high gloss sheen. Used in an HT rig the reflections from the TV would be extremely annoying.

5. No, now that I've tweaked the RTiA's in my HT rig they do an excellent job.

6. Strictly for HT.

Inspector 24

Gear in Sig.

1)
Wife Approval Factor is huge with these. She loves the look as do I, and they do look a lot more expensive than they actually are. We like that they sound good with nearly everything but live recorded orchestral music. For their price point their sonic performance is hard to beat. Once you get power on them the impact and depth they can play is truly impressive. Plastic rings around the drivers are cheap, but look good from 3' away.

2)
Higher quality feet is a must. Grafting feet from the LSiM series for at least the A9 sized speakers would be a massive improvement. The ones on there are cheap, flimsy, difficult to adjust and don't match the rest of the speaker.

3)
Even a small improvement in top end tonal quality would be huge. It's all fine for home theater, but for music they leave a bit to be desired, exactly as F1 said. Lots of power and associated warmer gear helps, but doesn't fix everything. Also, the A9's are power hogs to shine the best. Not sure if that's fixable or not with so many drivers.

4) A slightly richer deeper cherry, but not as red as the LSiM's cherry. Or a nice light Mahogany, a LOT lighter than the LSiM's mahogany.

5)
RBH, they've got a new series which I've fell in love with at CES. Similar configuration as the A9, D'Appolito array but with all 6" drivers, and 6" woofers, gorgeous finish, a tonal quality that to my ear, nails it.

6)
50/50 movies/music

Velocitydreamer

Dem outriggers doe!

trj

What do you like about the RTis.?
Dynamic range and low power requirement, of more power is better though. Size and weight.

What do you not like about the RTis?
Outriggers, if you can call them outriggers at all. I made my own outriggers for RTi8 from some aluminum bar and spikes.
Probably mellow down the highs a little. But I think RTiAs already do that, I have RTis.

What technology, hardware, etc.. do you wish the RTi series included but doesn’t?
Again, proper outriggers. Better jumpers.
I disagree with people asking for neons and LEDs. It will just be a distraction when you are watching a movie.

If you could have a custom color way made for you, what would it be?
Piano black.
If the face of the speaker cabinet and drivers be made black that would be great too.

Is there another brand or product you would buy instead of the RTi?
Probably Klipsch horns, but no I wont.

If you own the RTis what do you use them for: Music, Movies, Games?
Movies/Games 90%, music may be 10%.


PS: RTi is the home theater line, keep it that way. Don't try to make it a compromise between music and HT. Trying to cram everything may make it mediocre in everything and not good in anything.

Inspector 24

PS: RTi is the home theater line, keep it that way. Don't try to make it a compromise between music and HT. Trying to cram everything may make it mediocre in everything and not good in anything.

Agreed.

savage925

Hermitism wrote: »

I've always wondered this and you'd be the perfect person to ask. I have a pair of RTi8's, why are the binding posts mounted so high on the cabinet? With so many people using heavy cables, I could see how a high binding post could create a problem with stress on the connections. There might be a simple explanation, I just always wondered.

Thanks for your comments Hermitism, the RTi8's were designed before my time at Polk, but from what I can see there was not enough room to put the binding post below the power port. You are correct, going forward its a good point to keep the connectors low so we are not adding stress to the cables.

polkfarmboy

I double anyone is going to be using a pair of cables with rti8 that it would be of any real concern.

I have literally used dozens of speakers that have come through my door and I always come back to the RTI for the reason that many dont like them, the brightness. Sure if your running a big rig then your gona want to tame them down but if your doing video gaming all the time at a moderate volume then the sound is awesome. I like to hear people sneaking up the stairs when I am camped out with a sniper rifle late at night and hey deliver.

I love the bass on these and the rti line is my go to speakers for streaming movies where the audio aint that great and video games. I never use them for just pure music but if I do I like some tubes with them to tone em down. With cheaper tube amps that roll off the highs they work out pretty good. The bass and the mids is top notch and games like killzone, call of duty always rock the speakers the way I want.

As far as design goes I like many of my friends find a gloss piano black or white to be sexy. I would like to see the RTI in future with a more contemporary look with rounded edges and everything blending into the one form. It would be nice to see high gloss blue and reds thrown in too.

Inspector 24

I also own LSi15's and have often thought that if the RTi had the LSi's ring radiator tweeter it would be near perfect.

Why? To my ear RTi's always sound like they have a tweeter. LSi's don't.

Another way of describing it, the RTi's tweeter announces itself, let's you know it's there doing something. Not the LSi, blends much more smoothly with the mids.

gudnoyez

Those that bought the Old Rti line or the RitA line for just music bought the wrong speakers, we have a couple of decent shops that sell gear and when I was looking for Home Theater speakers these were highly recommend in both shops for the Home Theater enthusiast, that's why I bought them. I use the 2 channel rigs for strictly music. I do like listening to 5.1 Blu Rays and SACD's with the HT rig sounds great.

Hermitism

savage925 wrote: »

Thanks for your comments Hermitism, the RTi8's were designed before my time at Polk, but from what I can see there was not enough room to put the binding post below the power port. You are correct, going forward its a good point to keep the connectors low so we are not adding stress to the cables.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! I had always wondered.

polkfarmboy wrote: »

I double anyone is going to be using a pair of cables with rti8 that it would be of any real concern.

It's not that I'm using $1000 cables with the RTi8's, but I am using Furez copper nanners that bend extremely easily by the weight of the cable. An anchor on the back of the speaker to cable tie the cable to would have been nice. I anchored them to the edge of the port, so all is good.

Note: I don't know if the RTiA speakers are like this but on my RTi8's, the binding posts aren't as deep as the ones on my center channel or the posts on my avr, so my banana plugs don't push in all the way. Just something that always bugged me. May have been fixed on the newer RTiA's.

Erik Tracy

I'm sorry, but why change the RTI/A sonic signature into an LSi/M, they are two different lines for a reason, right?

And, I liked the RTiA series for music and did not buy the 'wrong' speaker.

I actually did a side by side shootout of the RTiA3 and LSi7 and preferred the RTiA3 for *music* based on my system and listening preferences.

The solicitation for comments need to be weighed against speaker lines Polk already has and what the goals are for each.

So far it 'sounds' like folks here want an LSi/M speaker - that already exists, right?

1Locoweed

I am in the "they're too bright crowd" so I replaced the tweeters with these
http://www.parts-express.com/morel-mdt-22-1-1-8-neodymium-tweeter--277-062.

Made the speaker much better for music & I didn't notice any downside for movies.

I would have liked the speakers in oak.

I'm not a fan of the gray colored feet & accents on the grills.

devani

I currently have RTi6, CSi5 a FXi3 that does HT duty....all wall mounted and pointing down. Mostly used for DVD, Bluray and computer files (AVI, MKV, etc) as well as TV
I've had other Polk speakers LSi, Monitor, Vintage Monitor and each had their strengh and weakness.

What do you like about the RTis.? - it's clarity that is paired with HK receiver. It's perfect combination IMO and does wonderful job of filling the LR with great sound. I had LSi HT setup but got rid of it only becuase my HK receiver was for driving 8ohm speakers. 8 ohm speakers made it easier for me to use center and surrounds on HK. mains are driven by Denon amplifier. My son enjoys watching Big Hero 6 movie big time...

What do you not like about the RTis?- the depth is too much for speakers to be wall mounted...if they were on a shelf, it would be a different story. How about making affordable wall mounts for future speakers? I don't listen to music on them since I have AR9 that does 2 channel duty. Big difference in sound. when playing poorly recorded materials, it really shows how bad it is...

What technology, hardware, etc.. do you wish the RTi series included but doesn’t? - cabinets designs are big now...drivers, tweeters, crossovers and etc are somewhat fixed in design point(cosmetic view, Jesse mentioned silver face) RTi series look really dated while RTiA series are much more modern looking ones....

If you could have a custom color way made for you, what would it be? - the currently offering is fine with me - Can you make the colors all same throughout the Polk speakers? so if someone had Monitor cherry color and wants to get a RTi series cherry center at least the color will be similar...

Is there another brand or product you would buy instead of the RTi? - there are many in fact. it's the balance of price and performance that draws me to Polkaudio. - AJ pioneer(I bought them for a friend of mine as a gift),

If you own the RTis what do you use them for: Music, Movies, Games? - Movies and PC games

ZLTFUL

kevintomb wrote: »

I never called them "Not Designed for music" etc.
Blanket statements like that only serve to insult those that like their musical values!

I think the sentiment arises from the fact that "RTi" stands for "Reference Theater improved" and not from someone trying to insult other members.
If I am looking for a speaker for critical 2 channel listening, I will most likely not even consider a speaker that specifically says "Theater" in its name.

jeremymarcinko

ZLTFUL wrote: »

kevintomb wrote: »

I never called them "Not Designed for music" etc.
Blanket statements like that only serve to insult those that like their musical values!

I think the sentiment arises from the fact that "RTi" stands for "Reference Theater improved" and not from someone trying to insult other members.
If I am looking for a speaker for critical 2 channel listening, I will most likely not even consider a speaker that specifically says "Theater" in its name.

Except for the first line of Polks description of the Rti12's says, "The new standard in all out musical performance, the RTi12 floorstanding loudspeaker is the epitome of "Real Wood, Real High Performance.""

ZLTFUL

jeremymarcinko wrote: »

Except for the first line of Polks description of the Rti12's says, "The new standard in all out musical performance, the RTi12 floorstanding loudspeaker is the epitome of "Real Wood, Real High Performance.""

Touche.

savage925

Thanks for all of your comments! Keep them coming, it really helps out.

I wanted to clarify that this discussion is also intended for the RTiA line as well. I forgot to add the "A" in my original post.

1Locoweed

Could you possibly post a photo of how you mounted those? Maybe in the DIY area, as inspiration for others?

Pretty straight forward. The tweeter fits in the hole without any modification, drill small pilot holes for screws.

I use the speaker grills, so they are out of sight.

gudnoyez

Erik Tracy wrote: »

I'm sorry, but why change the RTI/A sonic signature into an LSi/M, they are two different lines for a reason, right?

And, I liked the RTiA series for music and did not buy the 'wrong' speaker.

I actually did a side by side shootout of the RTiA3 and LSi7 and preferred the RTiA3 for *music* based on my system and listening preferences.

The solicitation for comments need to be weighed against speaker lines Polk already has and what the goals are for each.

So far it 'sounds' like folks here want an LSi/M speaker - that already exists, right?

Erik your not complaining of them being to bright, and are happy with their signature sound. I'm referring to those that bought them for only music and are complaining of them being bright, those are to whom I was referring to. I'm happy with mine heck yeah and am I not one bit disappointed with them at all even if they are a tad bright in the high end when playing music with them.

EndersShadow

I think Jesses spot on with his suggestions.

I was not a fan of the silver driver rings at all, even on my Monitor series speakers.

I'd LOVE to see a magnet mounted grill like the LSiM series. That way folks can show off the speaker and finish without the grill mounts there.

Polk has figured out how to do it with the LSiM's so I'd love to see that passed down to the RTi A series.

I'd also like better jumpers than whats there by default. Maybe even a metal plate for the binding posts rather than the plastic one that is there (again a-la LSiM).

Other than changing those two things looks wise, and anything Jesse @F1nut mentioned crossover wise, I think they are fairly good the way they are...

But I will throw out a last ask for a Ribbon tweeter just because why not

And lastly I would like to THANK POLK for keeping wallmounted dipole speakers around. My LSi f/X's are great and I highly recommend the F/X RTi models as well for folks. Lots of other brands are going away from those in favor of just offering bookshelves that can be mounted on brackets (which polk offers too).

ZLTFUL

kevintomb wrote: »

Reference theatre improved?

I remember a few forum members speculating that "maybe" that was what it meant, but never saw Polk market it or Brag about them as a home theatre speaker only.

In fact they talk about musical qualities.

Stereophile reviewed several of the Smaller Rti line and gave them QUITE favorable reviews based on musical qualities alone.

I feel a bit lost, but when was it determined they were designated as a home theatre speaker solely?

I feel a bit lost because you are putting words in my mouth. Anyway, I'm out. Some people only want to argue for the sake of arguing or "being right". Not worth my time.