4 Ohm????

polkyphil38

Hello people I have read a couple of times that the Rti10 is really 4 ohms and NOT 8 ohms as listed on the Polk site. If so, then why does Polk NOT correct this? Even Crutchfield has the Rti10 listed as 8 ohms. Not trying to start a war BUT would like to know if the Rti10's are 4 ohm or 8 ohm-so which is it???? Also, would any members hear describe the distinct differences in sound between the Rti8 and the Rti10??? I am sure the Rti10 has more bass BUT other than that what is/are the differences??? Personally, I really like the sound of the Rti8's very much BUT there really is NOT a lot of bass. This is no big deal because I own a Mirage S12 that handles the bottom end. The thing is I dont like using my sub much when listening to music which is where my emphasis is. However, I do watch a lot of dvds and want very good home theater effect. Anyways, please help if you can. Have a great day people.
Phil

Dennis Gardner

Its 8 ohms nominal/average acrossed the full range of the speaker. All speakers have peaks and dips and the 10s may dip more than others, but I don't think they are 4 ohms nominal. I haven't seen any graphs of them specifically, but Polk has always rated there resistance consistently be it a nominal 8,6,5, or 4 ohms in their specs.

EricBurg

The Rti10's are nominally rated at 8 ohms. This means that is the maximum resistance of the driver. All speakers have a certain rated resistance, but speakers are not a "constant" resistance to current throughout the entire frequency spectrum. What you find is when you measure resistance at low frequencies and extremely high frequencies, the resistance of a driver will usually decrease. They can dip as low as 4 or 6 ohms during heavy bass passages, which means you will get better performance from an amp that can deliver more current effectively. Just look up Ohm's Law for a more detailed physics lesson.

As for the difference between the Rti8's and the 10's...The 10's demand more wattage to begin with and can reproduce a little more low end, so to get the most out of them, a bigger amp is usually prefered to lets say a reciever. You can definitely run them off the reciever power without any concerns, because they are an 8 ohm rated speaker, but you just won't be getting the speakers max performance.

Since you already have a sub, I would suggest getting the Rti8's. I know you said you don't like listening to music with a sub, but I think just playing around with the crossover settings a little, you will find that you are able to "blend" the speakers together and preserve the low bass in both LFE and music tracks. I have the Rti10's running off a Rotel 1080 and I wouldn't say that they are "strong" in the low end. I have my crossover set at 80hz and prefer the sound with the sub, rather than the speakers set on large without. Of course everyone's tastes vary and you may like the sound of the 10's without. Just be willing to give them at least 200 wpc of good power.

Eric

polkyphil38

Dennis Gardner wrote:

Its 8 ohms nominal/average acrossed the full range of the speaker. All speakers have peaks and dips and the 10s may dip more than others, but I don't think they are 4 ohms nominal. I haven't seen any graphs of them specifically, but Polk has always rated there resistance consistently be it a nominal 8,6,5, or 4 ohms in their specs.

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear they are 8 ohms for the most part.

polkyphil38

EricBurg wrote:

The Rti10's are nominally rated at 8 ohms. This means that is the maximum resistance of the driver. All speakers have a certain rated resistance, but speakers are not a "constant" resistance to current throughout the entire frequency spectrum. What you find is when you measure resistance at low frequencies and extremely high frequencies, the resistance of a driver will usually decrease. They can dip as low as 4 or 6 ohms during heavy bass passages, which means you will get better performance from an amp that can deliver more current effectively. Just look up Ohm's Law for a more detailed physics lesson.

As for the difference between the Rti8's and the 10's...The 10's demand more wattage to begin with and can reproduce a little more low end, so to get the most out of them, a bigger amp is usually prefered to lets say a reciever. You can definitely run them off the reciever power without any concerns, because they are an 8 ohm rated speaker, but you just won't be getting the speakers max performance.

Since you already have a sub, I would suggest getting the Rti8's. I know you said you don't like listening to music with a sub, but I think just playing around with the crossover settings a little, you will find that you are able to "blend" the speakers together and preserve the low bass in both LFE and music tracks. I have the Rti10's running off a Rotel 1080 and I wouldn't say that they are "strong" in the low end. I have my crossover set at 80hz and prefer the sound with the sub, rather than the speakers set on large without. Of course everyone's tastes vary and you may like the sound of the 10's without. Just be willing to give them at least 200 wpc of good power.

Eric

Thanks Eric for your help. Like you I have a Pioneer 1015 and love it. I also agree that the Rti8 would be more ideal for my needs.

Early B.

Get the 10's. Even if you'll be using a sub, the 10's will have more dynamic range than the 8's and will certainly perform better for HT.

polkyphil38

Early B. wrote:

Get the 10's. Even if you'll be using a sub, the 10's will have more dynamic range than the 8's and will certainly perform better for HT.

So very true BUT not sure my Pioneer 1015 would be enough power to really do them justice. Right now I can not afford an out board amp. I have been thinking about the mono block amps available from Outlaw Audio. But, right now funds are short and what there is remains spoken for if you know what I mean. Down the road I hope to own one or two. Thanks for your insights.