RTi 10's--What's the verdict?
I've been reading a lot of threads in the forum, and I have yet to read a lot of positive feedback about the new RTi 10's, let alone reading that anybody has them. I've also seen some remarks about the 10's lacking in midrange output.
Personally, I have a pair of RTi10's and I couldn't be happier with them. I don't really understand the hoopla over the 10's lacking in midrange. I don't find that to be the case at all. True, the 10's will not reach as deep as the 12's in the bass range, but they are certainly more than capable of handling a decent amount of bass. I think they work very well for two-channel music, with or without a sub, however I still prefer a sub for my HT usage.
Just the other day I was listening to several types of music, really straining my ear for any lack of midrange on the 10's, and the music sounded great. Rock was wonderful (specifically "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve, "Baba O'Reilly" by The Who, and "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley). Guitars sound like they are right in the room, and vocals are clear and pronounced. Classical/Orchestral sounded great, with piano concertos sounding particularly well balanced. Also listened to the score for Gladiator, which has tremendously rich bass throughout, and the 10's handled the bass very well, shaking the room, while violins were amazingly clear, and horns rang out heroically. Of course the bass has a greater impact with a sub, but at high volume, the 10's are just about right, whereas the sub makes the bass for this score almost overwhelming. I'm not the most experienced audiophile, in fact I'm a bit of a beginner, but if I was losing any midrange with the 10's, I didn't notice, and I was listening very discernably. For HT usage, the 10's are perfect. The sub handles the low bass, while the 10's provide tangible and clear sound f/x, while complimenting the sub with just that bit more bass. They are a good compromise between the 8's, which are not so good w/o a sub for stereo use, and the 12's, which need so much extra juice. I run my system with an Onkyo TX-SR701, with 80 Hz crossover and mains set to Large. I'd be interested to know what anyone else thinks of the 10's.
(Sorry if you read this already, I posted most of it as a reply to a gentlemen mulling over which RTi towers to buy).
Greg
Personally, I have a pair of RTi10's and I couldn't be happier with them. I don't really understand the hoopla over the 10's lacking in midrange. I don't find that to be the case at all. True, the 10's will not reach as deep as the 12's in the bass range, but they are certainly more than capable of handling a decent amount of bass. I think they work very well for two-channel music, with or without a sub, however I still prefer a sub for my HT usage.
Just the other day I was listening to several types of music, really straining my ear for any lack of midrange on the 10's, and the music sounded great. Rock was wonderful (specifically "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve, "Baba O'Reilly" by The Who, and "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley). Guitars sound like they are right in the room, and vocals are clear and pronounced. Classical/Orchestral sounded great, with piano concertos sounding particularly well balanced. Also listened to the score for Gladiator, which has tremendously rich bass throughout, and the 10's handled the bass very well, shaking the room, while violins were amazingly clear, and horns rang out heroically. Of course the bass has a greater impact with a sub, but at high volume, the 10's are just about right, whereas the sub makes the bass for this score almost overwhelming. I'm not the most experienced audiophile, in fact I'm a bit of a beginner, but if I was losing any midrange with the 10's, I didn't notice, and I was listening very discernably. For HT usage, the 10's are perfect. The sub handles the low bass, while the 10's provide tangible and clear sound f/x, while complimenting the sub with just that bit more bass. They are a good compromise between the 8's, which are not so good w/o a sub for stereo use, and the 12's, which need so much extra juice. I run my system with an Onkyo TX-SR701, with 80 Hz crossover and mains set to Large. I'd be interested to know what anyone else thinks of the 10's.
(Sorry if you read this already, I posted most of it as a reply to a gentlemen mulling over which RTi towers to buy).
Greg
Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner
Post edited by gregure on
Comments
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I like them quite a bit too. Originally I was like many on here and like the 8's more, but I'm leaning more towards the 10's now. I just feel it's a more balanced sound.
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Perhaps you like a somewhat recessed midrange?
Seriously, for acoustic music having the midrange slightly recessed can have a very nice effect. The Vandersteen 1Cs that I'm picking up this month have the same effect, and it makes acoustic guitars one of the most pleasant things to listen to. -
I agree that acoustic guitar is very well reproduced on the 10's, but I'm just saying that I don't find the midrange to be "recessed." It seems to me like I'm not missing any sound at all, whereas many complain that the 10's have a hole in the overall sound. I don't find that to be the case.Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner -
Well, compared to the RTi8 with its two midrange drivers, I guess it would be considered recessed. I think that it is a fantastic speaker for 2-channel audio. My other guess it that perhaps it is not the midrange that people are actually complaining about. I would venture that there may be a slight bump in the upper bass that makes it feel as though the midrange is pushed back. There is a similar occurance between the LSi7 and LSi9. The 7 has a bump that makes the 9 seem to have a superior tonal balance. I preferred the 7, but with acoustic music, that bump rarely came in to play the way it would with say, amplified bass guitars.
The comments about there being a hole in the frequency response, however, make no sense to me. I simply don't agree with the statement. -
That's a very interesting take. I'd never thought about it that way before. I agree there is no hole in the sound, as some have stated. These are still the best speakers I've yet owned, and I'm extremely happy with them. I probably won't be in the position to upgrade for awhile, so I damn well better be happy with them.Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner -
I have the 8s, I don't have the 10s, but as far as the 8s having much superior midrange? Well, let's just say that I think that the power of suggestion here on this board can carry a lot more weight with it's perception than the actual reality.
The 8 probably does have slightly better mid range dynamics, especially when high passed compared to the 10s, but it is subtle at best.
The 10s will be a better 2 channel perfomer, IMO.
