polk rti a1 or a3 as fronts if combining with a subwoofer

notpierce

hello all

i am considering the polk rti a1 or a3 bookshelf speakers for purchase for use as front speakers in my HT

i was wondering if i would notice any difference in the sound performance between those 2 models & if the larger driver and enclosure of the a3 will have any difference from the a1 as i will be crossing over LFE at 80hz since i have a klipsch 12 inch powered subwoofer?

if yes what would be those differences in sound output?

also which av receiver would you say is the best match for the speakers - yamaha 581, denon 1300 or marantz 1606?

my listening will be 70% movies, 30% music

my room is about 210 sq ft & my listening position is about 8 or so feet away from where i will position my front speakers

i would like to have demoed the 2 and done an A/B comparison but where i live i dont have that facility so your inputs will be appreciated


thank you

mdaudioguy

Probably not a significant difference with the crossover. If you ran each speaker full-range, without a sub, you'd likely prefer the larger one. What center and surrounds are you planning to buy?

I don't have a preference among those receivers, although I'd suggest investing a little more to get into the better range of each brand. I am partial to Yamaha's AVENTAGE line. Better specs and internal components make a difference.

notpierce

i wont be running fullrange and will crossover as i will have a sub in the setup. so would you suggest i go for the a1s or the a3?

i'll be using my existing wharfedale diamond 8.2 as rears & wharfedale diamond 9.0s as height speakers.

so far i've had no center channel & been watching with a 'phantom' center. now i'm torn between continuing with that 'phantom' center arrangement or buy the polk csia4 or maybe even buying another pair of a1s and using one of them as center as have read some posts of how that is the ideal center speaker setup (& for the price of a single csia4 i can get a pair of rti a1s). which would you suggest?

the yamaha aventage is more than double the price where i live so out of my budget unfortunately

Erik Tracy

I went from the RTi4 to the RTiA3 as I was curious about the upgrade.

In a moderate to large room the RTiA3 will throw the bigger soundstage and have marginally better slam/microdynamics when given good clean ample power.

In a small room the RTiA1 will do just fine.

The differences are not huge.

I think the choice depends on the deal you can get.

ymmv

mdaudioguy

Well if I were you, and going without a center speaker, I would buy the better, more capable speaker. Just seems to make sense in my head.

mdaudioguy

Three bookshelf speakers would also work. I use an additional, identical floorstander, rather than a traditional center. +1 to Erik's assessment.

tonyb

A3's....

rpf65

While the two sound similar, the A3's have a much more fuller sound. Probably wouldn't be too noticeable as surrounds or rears, but as fronts the A3's would be my recommendation.

gudnoyez

A3s says I

gp4jesus

'A3s!! With and especially w/out

Further several month ago I upgraded my surrounds from 'A1s to 'A3s - REAL glad I did!

notpierce

a3 it is then

thanks guys

now @mdaudioguy has got me thinking about my other speakers - which would you guys say is the best option for my center speakers -

1) rti a1
2) csia4
3) phantom center

?

gp4jesus

1. CSi A6
2. CSI A4
3. Oops. No third option.

Regardless shop on Polk's eBay site Polk direct - $ave w/warrentee

gudnoyez

A4 Center or A6 if you plan on getting bigger Fronts.

rpf65

The height and width of the A4is about the same as your AVR. Only about half as deep. It will work fine with the A3's.

The A6 has a fuller sound, but it is a big speaker.