RTI 8's or LSI 7s?

mattggotu

I initially thought I wanted the LSI7's because of their smaller size but now I'm not so sure and was hoping to get advice from some of you much more knowledgeable folks.

Here are my issues/questions.

What if anything would I lose by wall mounting the LSI7's?
It seems to me that I would need to have them on stands there's no real advantage over the RTI 8's (which I think are actually cooler looking than the LSI's on stands).

I'd be powering them with an Onkyo receiver that claims to be able to power 4 ohm speakers but I've been led to believe differently by some postings on these boards. It doesn't appear that there would be any problem using this reciever with the RTI 8's.
What would be the affect of using this receiver (in other words would it make the RTI 8's perform at the top of their game and the LSI 7's at the bottom)?

I'll be mostly listening to rock music along the lines of (well let's just see what's coming up on itunes) Five for Fighting, Aimee Mann, Warren Haynes, Nick Lowe). The room is about 26 feet by 15 feet but we use half for our living room and half for our dining room so I'd be listening about 15 feet away from the speakers. The room doesn't have a great deal of soud absorbing material on the walls or floor (I don't know if any of this is relevant but I figure the more info the better).

From the listening I've done in the showroom, I think I like the LSI7's better at lower volumes (which is what I'd listen to them at for the most part) but I get the feeling that with my gear and in my home I might not be able to reproduce that same sound and would in fact be better off with the RTI 8's which could at least on occassion let me rock out a little more.

I'd really appreciate anyone's opinion or feedback.

VR3

A receiver wont power either of those speakers to their max.

mattggotu

Thanks for the reply.

However, I'm not sure what it is you're telling me.

Would I be better off choosing another speaker all together that the receiver will max out?

I didn't think it would max out either of the speakers I'd mentioned in my original post but wanted to find out if it might work noticeably better with one over the other.

michael_w

While I have never heard the RTI8's it might be better for you to get those instead of the LSI7's if you don't plan on getting a different / more powerful amplifer. Like Vr3MxStyler2k3 said, the onkyo will be able to power them but they will need a lot more power to get them to sound what they are supposed to sound like. Since the LSI7's are 4 ohms it puts a lot of strain on your onkyo (and the speakers for being underpowered). It may say it can handle 4 ohms but in reality most receivers are much more sutible for at least 6 ohm speakers.

When I first got my pair of LSI7's I hooked them up to my crap panasonic receiver and thought they sounded good but I was a little dissapointed in how they sounded. At low volumes they were pretty good but my panny struggled majorly to get them to mid / high volume. A little later I picked up an NAD integrated amp and then I really found out why these speakers get high reviews.

Well I hope some of that helps,

Michael

PS welcome to the forum

VR3

The RTi8 will be powered better by a receiver - true.

(easier per say)

If you want 2 -channel, get a 2 channel preamp and a seperate amp - if u cant afford it now, save up... you wont regret it.

mattggotu

Thanks Mike. I think you answered my question. I'm just looking at moving up from the Bose AM 3's so I think the RTI 8's will be a big improvement and do the trick for me.

I hadn't really looked at floorstanding speakers because my wife would kill me for bringing a couple of huge ugly boxes into our house but I think the RTI 8's look pretty sharp in the Cherry and they're pretty sleek.

Originally posted by mattggotu
Thanks for the reply.

However, I'm not sure what it is you're telling me.

Would I be better off choosing another speaker all together that the receiver will max out?

I didn't think it would max out either of the speakers I'd mentioned in my original post but wanted to find out if it might work noticeably better with one over the other.

HBombToo

Originally posted by mattggotu
I'm just looking at moving up from the Bose AM 3's so I think the RTI 8's will be a big improvement and do the trick for me.

I should hope so

an addict in the making;)

1/4twin

lomic

Don't know most of the artists you mentioned very well, but if it's harder rock, I'd go with the RTi8's. I've tried Tool, Disturbed and such and my LSi7's choke a bit, prefering soft rock, female vocals, classical etc.

Dennis Gardner

Originally posted by lomic
my LSi7's choke a bit, prefering soft rock, female vocals, classical etc.

Are you running your HK set to small or large with your HSU?

I found that even my RT55s sound better set to small than large when using a sub. Cleaner in the mids and highs.

halo

I'm using an Onkyo Integra (TX-108) stereo reciever with R50s in a 17 x 14 room. More often than not I listen to rock/hard rock/metal & I'm VERY happy with this combination.

Cheers

lomic

Yeah, they're set to small. It's not so much that they sound bad on with hard rock/metal, it just isn't their strong point. If that was my primary music choice, I'd choose a different speaker.

dorokusai

Iomic - If there ever was a brand of speaker that varied reproduction of genre's, it's the Polk line, and that's actually a good thing in my book.

I feel the same way in that the current lineup doesn't present media in the same way. For example....I like the LSi7 alot, but it was too "forward" for me in my application and it required some placement issues which in my HT for example, I don't have the luxury of movement.

In the 2CH rig they are pretty amazing for their size, but just didn't work for me....so I hooked up another member on a deal. I haven't heard anything back, so I will presume they are still in an audio coma.

lomic

I like them how they are, as well. I don't listen to that sort of music loudly anyway - as long as they can play Floyd and Mac well - which they do exceptionally, I'm happy

The intro to Sheep on Animals makes my head spin with these things. Acutally feels like you're flying in your living room, and without drugs none the less.

mattggotu

I've noticed that Bose takes a lot of abuse in many of these forums and I'm sure that to the well trained ear it's warranted but I do have to say that they were a big step up from the speakers I had previous.

I was only about 20 when I bought a JVC rack system. I thought it sounded pretty good in the store and it had great big speakers. Being in my early 20s I was of course very concerned about size and figured bigger meant better.

I bought my Bose speakers just over four years ago and using the same receiver they sounded a lot better to me and were much more attractive than the big ugly boxes I was subjecting my wife to.

Now I'm ready to take yet another step up so I went out and got a better receiver and I'm trying to figure out what speakers I want.

Another question, and this may warrant a seperate thread...
Has anyone listened to the Axiom M40 TI?
I've read good things on some discussion boards about these speakers and just going by the specs quoted they seem almost identical to the RTI 8's at a slightly lower price ($650 shipped).

Originally posted by HBombToo
I should hope so

an addict in the making;)

1/4twin

Devo220

I have the RTi8's and a HK AVR335 receiver and the combination to me sounds great, now the trick is to get a receiver that sounds good with music and home theater. I had a hell of a time doing that, most sound good with one or the other but not both.

Tour2ma

.

Joey_V

A receiver that sounds good for HT and music? Never heard of that line of argument before. :rolleyes:

I thought as long as you had proper amplification, you're gold.

HBombToo

Originally posted by dorokusai
I haven't heard anything back, so I will presume they are still in an audio coma.

I'm still in an audio coma Mark and luvin it since I joined this club;) At least the wife is buying music again.


Joey_V there is a world of difference between the two applications and please don't limit yourself in understanding both. FWIW I'm still trying to figure it out.

Twin

Joey_V

Originally posted by Zero
I did however, find the Lsi-9 to be more capable of handling the big stuff, for what thats worth. Ok, so maybe this didnt help - but I had to say something!

This is why my 7s are rears and my 9s are my mains!

Oooops... that didnt help either... heheheh.. .

Seriously, between the RTi8s and the LSi7.... with your current equipment, I would *probably* go with the RTi8s for pure sound performance (louder, more capable). The 7s are better if you are a discerning listener AND do not care for total volume output. This is the reason why I went with the 9s, the 9s are much more adept at louder volumes than the 7s are, yet not only retain much of what makes the 7s a great speaker BUT improves on several characteristics, too!

malikarshad

I have Lsi7 stacked on top of Rti70's as my front speaker powered by outlaw 770 amp. I don't like the sound of Lsi7 by itself. I have tried numerous combination but to me Lsi7 by itself cannot equate the sound of a Rti series floor standers. Its a odd combination until I upgrade it to Lsi15's.
Mattggotu if I were u i chose Rti8 anytime. BTW i happen to use Rti6 in my computer system and I really like the sound of the newer Rti series but that's subjective.
Hope it helps!!!!