B & W vs, RTi8

PRC

I was thinking about chaging speakers to B & W 603's. The dealer lent me a set. When I put them up against my RTi 8's I found the Polks were higher in treable, did not quite have the diverse midrange sound and had a little less crisp base. But the B & W's sounded muffled and did not have the clarity. I also like the plywood box on the polks, not the vinyle fake wood on th B & W's. I am staying with the Polks.

I tried a Rotel RB-1050 from the same dealer. Now the Polks are comming to life even more. I am now shopping for a used
RB-1070. I think this will really utilize their potential. I curently hava a Yamaha RX-777 reciever which i like but i really noticed a differance with the Rotel amp. If anyone has a 1070 laying around i would be interested.

Thanks.

Patrick

gregure

Glad you've come to see the impact a good amp can have on the Polks. I agree the 603's have a decent overall quality, but are certainly overrated. Just because they are B&W does not make them better, especially at that level. I still find them too bright for music.
Now the new diamond tweeter 803's, those are impressive. Still, tho, electrostats from Martin Logan are better, at half the cost of the 803's. Some would say Magnepan, but I prefer the ML's, both aurally and aesthetically.