Polk Audio RTi A5 Speakers with Onkyo TX-8140 Receiver

skiwi2

I have Polk Audio RTi A5 tower speakers that I bought less than a year ago from Best Buy. I am using them with an Onkyo TX-8140 receiverand the sound quality is terrible. It sounds way too much bass with a muffled treble sound. I have tried the speakers with another receiver with the same sound output. I am very frustrated and don’t want to take the speakers back as they are quite big and heavy. Any suggestions?

ken brydson

Have they always sounded this way or has something changed? Are the binding posts securely strapped? What are you using for sources?

skiwi2

They have always sounded this way. They are tolerable but not what they should sound like for the money I spent. I have tried many things. I tried connecting my Bell Fibe TV with an optical cable and play music from the digital box. The sound is still horrible. The binding posts are secure and the speaker wiring is correct. I noticed that I am getting sound out of both speakers when I have the balance set to just one speaker. The sound is predominantly to the left or right but I still get sound out of both.Then I tried my old Teac receiver and the balance works one speaker when set to left or right. No sound in the other speaker as with the Onkyo receiver. The sound is still horrible with the Teac receiver. My sound system in my Mini sounds way better and it has a Harmon Kardon sound system.

tonyb

Could be a setting in the receiver that is off. Read the manual, if you haven't already. Make sure the speaker posts on the back of the speakers have that metal strap connecting the top and bottom posts.

Also, playing music in that way isn't the best, try a dedicated CD player, or even spin a cd in your dvd player if you have one. Your problem may be elsewhere besides the speakers.

rooftop59

If the binding posts are strapped together then you must have blown tweeter or bad crossovers. With that combo of amps and speakers I would expect the opposite problem, ear piercing highs and under powered, underwhelming bass. Carefully remove one tweeter and test it separately.

F1nut

I noticed that I am getting sound out of both speakers when I have the balance set to just one speaker. The sound is predominantly to the left or right but I still get sound out of both.Then I tried my old Teac receiver and the balance works one speaker when set to left or right. No sound in the other speaker as with the Onkyo receiver.

Your Onkyo has a problem that likely damaged either the speaker crossovers, tweeters or both. Hard to believe you could listen to speakers with no treble for close to a year.

skiwi2

Onkyo has informed me that setting the balance to right or left only reduces the sound in the other speaker by 50%. They claim it’s designed to do that.

F1nut

Tell them they're idiots.