Choosing the right towers for music

bhsguyjesse

Hello! I’m a music fanatic who spends lots of time on qello. A brief history on my setup. I used to have 12” MTX DJ speakers in my home setup. My music preferences have shifted away from the boomy teenage sounds haha to a desire for clear mids and highs mostly for classic rock music. I purchased a set of T50s which was a step in the right direction. I have a RX-V383 Yamaha 4K 5.1 receiver which typically only used in a 2.1 configuration.

I have the low frequencies covered and am primarily concerned with clear mids and highs. I prefer somewhat smooth mellow highs, nothing too crisp.

I’m looking at the Monitor 70 vs RTI-A7
For lows I have three 10” subs tuned for my genre so I’m not really concerned about frequencies under 125 hz. Before joining I read some posts here that suggested the RTI-A7s are more suited for ht and are really crisp, almost too crisp for music. Is this a general consensus or a few people’s opinion?

As for right now I have no plans for bi amping. What do you recommend specifically for music in the $500-700 (pair) range?

F1nut

Go with the Signature or LSiM series for music.

Welcome to Club Polk. Don't worry, we will help you to spend your money.

mrloren

^^^What he said^^^

Hello and welcome.

Signature series S55 or S60 sounds more like what your looking for.

I owned RTi-8's before I got the Signatures. Night and day for music on those.

For example, RTi I could not listen to Rush 2112 above -15db. I've had my S60 @ -3db and it was still clear. With the RTi I thought my ears were going to bleed.

Yes we will help spend all your money, you will in the end have an awesome system.

rburgess714

Echo the Signature series or LSiM series.

bhsguyjesse

Cool I’ll look into the signature series. I don’t have the money for LSiM series but If I want it that loud I’ll just crank my band’s system. We are running about 12,000 watts peak. I know the pro audio side quite well which is what’s made me want to finally redo my home setup.

mrloren wrote: »

When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.

. ^^^ Hahaha I love that! This is so me!!^^. I have a small detached workshop that is going to soon be repurposed as a man cave/small music studio so eventually my main setup will be there where no one will complain about the volume. It’s hard to replicate the full sound of being at a rock show but it’s possible at home with the right speakers to get close

Milito

I bought my Signature S55's here and had no trouble with them.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_CAds=&_ex_kw=&_fpos=&_fspt=1&_mPrRngCbx=1&_nkw=polk+speakers+refurbished&_sacat=&_sadis=&_sop=12&_udhi=&_udlo=&_fosrp=1

msg

Welcome, otherJesse.
You're gonna fit in well around here.

rooftop59

Moving up the line isn’t about louder, it’s about better, more refined, and more accurate sound. It pro audio is your measuring stick, maybe you should just stick with that. Pro audio is designed for volume, bass, and distribution over huge spaces. Home audio is designed for accuracy, musical balance, and a good but much smaller sound stage for a much smaller room.

The lsim is actually a more laid back and polite speaker than the lower lines, especially rtia. But most people really like the signature line, so I would go for that. Or, since you already have good subs, this would be my choice:

https://www.adorama.com/pklsim703b2.html?sdtid=12884953&emailprice=t&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=rflaid62905

Get a good HOME audio amp and stands and listen to these puppies sing...

rooftop59

DSkip wrote: »

In pro audio you overpower noise. In home audio you want to eliminate it. It's not about sheer watts as it is quality of those watts. It's like Clemens vs. Maddux if you will.

I actually really like the T50 and think you could invest in better amplification and get much better results. Your receiver will do no favors for any speakers hooked up to it.

very well said.

And although I have never heard the T50s outside of best buy, I agree that no matter the speaker the OP needs a better receiver with preouts or better yet a two channel pre, and either way a decent HOME amp for power...

bhsguyjesse

rooftop59 wrote: »

Moving up the line isn’t about louder, it’s about better, more refined, and more accurate sound. It pro audio is your measuring stick, maybe you should just stick with that. Pro audio is designed for volume, bass, and distribution over huge spaces. Home audio is designed for accuracy, musical balance, and a good but much smaller sound stage for a much smaller room.

The lsim is actually a more laid back and polite speaker than the lower lines, especially rtia. But most people really like the signature line, so I would go for that. Or, since you already have good subs, this would be my choice:

https://www.adorama.com/pklsim703b2.html?sdtid=12884953&emailprice=t&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=rflaid62905

Get a good HOME audio amp and stands and listen to these puppies sing...

Oh I know I was just being fresh about the loudness of our pro setup and absolutely I agree. Pro audio is about maximum sound across all frequencies and being able to broadcast to a large audience. When I was younger I was more about the thump boom. I’m definitely looking for clarity and acoustics now. And yes unfortunately consumer line receivers never have enough power and unfortunately my Yamaha doesn’t have preouts for a power amp.

I’d love to get a premium speaker system with a good power amp but I have many other priorities now that are higher on the list. I’m gonna take a trip to Crutchfield this weekend and do some comparison testing with the different lines. I am lucky to live so close to them as their two retail stores are setup with the ultimate test rooms where you can hear many different speaker setups.

cfrizz

Welcome to Club Polk! I'm another happy Signature S60 owner, they do great with both music and movies.

motorhead43026

If you are on a budget the Signature line is your huckleberry.

BlueFox

One option is to find a used speaker in great condition. I had Polk LSi15s, and really enjoyed them.

http://www.audioreview.com/product/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/polk-audio/lsi15.html

mrloren

When I first heard the Signature S60 I was blown away. I was lucky and given a tour of Polk in Vista. They had the Signature S60 hooked to a small old POS Onkyo. Oh my they sounded so sweet. Signature line is made not to need a big power AVR.

About a month after the tour I got my S60 from Adorama ($800 for 2,S60 1, S30 & 2, S20). Oh yeah they hit the spot. I added separate power amp and they sing. These replaced my RTi8. THe RTi are a better speaker for HT use but not that great for music. Signatures are a musical speaker that do a good job in HT.

bhsguyjesse

Ok so Crutchfield had the S60 and S50 on display. I have three 10 inch subs already tuned for music. Im really thinking about the S55 instead of the S60 due to the price difference. Are the S60s REALLY worth the $200 difference when my current subs are taken into consideration? Will I always regret not getting the S60s?

I’m headed back tomorrow as I couldn’t fit either in the vehicle I was driving today.

rooftop59

Dude wait on Adorama you will get a much better deal..

mrloren

I agree check around online

cfrizz

bhsguyjesse wrote: »

Ok so Crutchfield had the S60 and S50 on display. I have three 10 inch subs already tuned for music. Im really thinking about the S55 instead of the S60 due to the price difference. Are the S60s REALLY worth the $200 difference when my current subs are taken into consideration? Will I always regret not getting the S60s?

I’m headed back tomorrow as I couldn’t fit either in the vehicle I was driving today.

You will probably always wonder just how much better the S60 are if you settle for the 50s or 55s.

If you have the room and the funds, go for the 60s and don't look back!

cfrizz

It is just wonderful when I decide to listen in 2 channel mode to have my room sound so full with the music.

mrloren

House cleaning day today. The S60 make it soo much better when I can't hear the vacuum.

Milito

cfrizz wrote: »

bhsguyjesse wrote: »

Ok so Crutchfield had the S60 and S50 on display. I have three 10 inch subs already tuned for music. Im really thinking about the S55 instead of the S60 due to the price difference. Are the S60s REALLY worth the $200 difference when my current subs are taken into consideration? Will I always regret not getting the S60s?

I’m headed back tomorrow as I couldn’t fit either in the vehicle I was driving today.

You will probably always wonder just how much better the S60 are if you settle for the 50s or 55s.

If you have the room and the funds, go for the 60s and don't look back!

I agree I would have bought the S60's, but the wife already thought the S55's were too big compared to what we had before.

BlueFox

No excuse.

lewis91

It’s worth having an idea of the kind of sound you’re looking for before you buy. Are you interested in hearing music exactly as the artist intended? In that case, it’s worth looking for speakers that are known for their neutrality and clarity. If you like your music to have a bit of personality, perhaps with some serious bass, then it’s worth taking that into account and going for a model that emphasizes the low-end.

Clipdat

Wow, thanks lewis91! How incredibly insightful! Did you go to speaker school?

joecoulson

Its actually more important to know how to plug your stereo into a wall socket than any of the aforementioned advice - But you need to know what kind of socket you want to plug into.
Say you want to hear the music as intended, plug the 110v devices into a 110v outlet, but if you want some personality, plug that same 110v into a 220v, then you'll be rockin'

rooftop59

Its always curious to me when some dude shows up and posts some random advice on one old post with no spam or question or anything and then *poof* he's gone never to return. Why make the post? Like what was the motivation?

Clipdat

@rooftop59 they usually add in a spam link in their signature after they make a few nonsense posts.