Rti8's and music

PolkFan1

What do you guys think of the rti8's just mainly used for music. I hear many people think they are too bright?

Willow

Well I wouldn't say they don't do music well, they don't do great like other lines. They were not primarily designed for music, for HT I gather(from what I have read) I have them, they were bright with the kimbers and the yammaha, but with my HK and Marantz amps they are a different speaker. Given the chance, I'd keep them for HT but buy say LSIs for a 2ch music system.

PolkFan1

are there any other lines that are better that are in the same price range, if so which ones? I paid 600 for the 8's...

McLoki

PolkFan1 wrote:

are there any other lines that are better that are in the same price range, if so which ones? I paid 600 for the 8's...

You can get LSi9's for about $500 (used) and a decent set of stands for about $100.

Ricardo

Or for less than that you could get a pair of small SDA's, or vintage monitors; you could also search Audiogon.com for used speakers; lots of choices for $500 or less. If you don't like them, just sell them and pick another with little or no loss. That's the beauty of the used market. Experiment a bit.

PolkFan1

How about something from paradigm like the old/new monitor series? Or are they just about the same as the rti8's with music? I usually like to buy stuff brand new...

Willow

As far as Sona's review goes.....

I think there may have been issues to start with, was the system calibrated, it's not a plug n play kind of deal.

even on my cheap yamaha it was plenty loud, maybe the speaker cables were not connected properly.

These will blow away any table top system by any company..(can't believe you put these and bose acousticrap in the same sentence.

sounds like you may have also required more power..so many things...How was the receiver set up, did you have the mains set to large?

zombie boy 2000

Sona...
I believe your sig is the best on the Forum.

Huck344

Sona:

You pretty much exactly described my experience with RTi8's to a T. I could never accurately describe my listening experience with them. Now I can. The "stick the landing" comment is so true.

In defense of the RTi8's, I still don't have a seperate amp to run the speakers and my accoustics are less than desirable. However, I did take my 8's over to a friend's place last weekend and did a test with a solid state and tube amp that he had and also compared them to a pair of Dynaudio 1.3 bookshelf speakers that he has. Of course this is like comparing apples to oranges. His dynaudio's were far superior in sound quality and performance, but I expected that from $2000 speakers vs. the $700 RTi 8's.

Now back to the original question by Polkfan1, if he is mainly going to be using the speakers for music, then I personally wouldn't recommend the 8's. If he will be doing mostly HT, then the 8's will work. I do love the 8's for HT.

MattN03

I've been pretty well pleased with the RTi8's once I fed them 200watts/channel from bi-amping my Rotel. They are still a little bright for music, but much better than before & I'm satisfied with them for the price...

These definately shine for HT applications-no doubt about it.

Lowell_M

Sona wrote:

I just bought and returned a pair of RTi8's. Here's what I wrote to myself before returning them:

What Did you say in return after receiving this note from yourself?

Xharlix

I've had RTi8s since October and I would say they are bright and lacking in midrange. At first, it was almost annoying but after breaking them in over a weekend, the response became smoother. I added curtains and carpet to my listening room which tamed the brightness very much.

Ron Temple

I thought the 8s imaged well with a very detailed midrange. The only drawback was the tweets with some content. This was with a moderately powered amp. They weren't world beaters, but very nice. I agree with HTRookie, for around the same price, you will get a considerable upgrade for a music first speaker with the SDAs.

Willow

Ron Temple wrote:

I thought the 8s imaged well with a very detailed midrange. .

Agree big time

MrNightly

I love my 8's. I use them mostly (95%) for HT, and they completely rock! I do want to add a nice 5 channel amp down the line, but that is probably next years upgrade. I feel they will shine all the more.

Very solid speaker for HT... Bright, detailed, and clear. I am having issues with my CSi5 though.. just seems to fade into the background too much... hard to hear dialog it seems during movies.. I might just need to crank it up some more...

Anyways... The RTi8's rock IMO.

MillerLiteScott

I just made my second trip to Dodo's in 2 week to pick up a set of RTi8's for a friend of mine that is just getting started. He also picked up a SVS PB/2 from Doro. We hooked up what he had.

He has a monster sized Samsung DLP (I think), Yamaha VX2500 (I think), Xbox 360, RTi8's, my DIY bookshelf speakers that were collecting dust as his center channel and the SVS PB/s.

All in all it sounded pretty good considering what we had to work with and what we did not have to work with. He was pretty happy.

While I did not get to spend a lot of time listening to the RTi8's. They sounded pretty good for both music and HT/xbox games.

daboyz

Love my 8's. I've only heard them using my HK and a Denon at the store where I got 'em. The mids are awesome and the lows I get with my sub. they do tend to be a tad bright but I like them that way. Upgrading the cables made a big difference,too. HT blows me away so all in all I think they are well worth the price.

Tequila

To me the Rti8 are fantastic. I love the bright side of the music and 8´s are on my way.

A good sub complete the team.

I am very happy with this speakers and I did listen ALL the Lsi and Rti polk series before. And I still with my 8´s.:D With MB Outlaw (200w/ch) is a great pair front for music.

Jet_olson

Guys,
I auditioned speakers across the board (LS, RTi, DEf Tech, B&K, klipsh, Sony and JBL). I definately liked the polks the best. So it was between the LS and the RTi's. According to my untrained ear I just couldnt cost justify getting the LS's. Its not to say that they arent worth the money or that they dont sound better because they do...But as a Home Audio newbie I am very happy with my RTi8's for music. BTW...my sub hasnt come yet and I am still lovin it. Cant wait! Godspeed to my RTi8's!!!

McLoki

Jet_olson wrote:

Guys,
I auditioned speakers across the board (LS, RTi, DEf Tech, B&K, klipsh, Sony and JBL). I definately liked the polks the best. So it was between the LS and the RTi's. According to my untrained ear I just couldnt cost justify getting the LS's. Its not to say that they arent worth the money or that they dont sound better because they do...But as a Home Audio newbie I am very happy with my RTi8's for music.

You listened to both and picked the one that had the sound and price that you wanted. No other justification needed, that is how it is supposed to work. Congrats on the new speakers.

Michael

Jet_olson

Thanks Mike!

Huck344

So, I went out and purchased a used Sunfire Cinema Grand 5 x 200W amp over the weekend. What a difference this makes to the RTi8's. I must say that my previous complaints about the 8's were erased once I gave them more juice!

cfrizz

Welcome to the wonderful world of separate amplification!!!

PolkFan1

Hey Jet,

Out of all the speakers you auditioned can you compare how the rti8's sounded to the other brands?

Jet_olson

Hey Polkfan,
in a nutshell....The RTi8s I found to be just the right amount of brightness yet could also deliver adequater mids. With stand alone 2 channel music they definately dont compare to the LS series, however with my sub and amp settings I am very pleased with what I've got. For movies, these speakers are stellar, in my opinion.

ok back to my thoughts on comparing.....
The LS series definately had a definitive edge in overall sound but again I just couldnt pull the trigger due to price. I was actually very impressed with the Def tech bookshelfs but again the price (for bookshelves) and finish were factors. The Klipsh I auditioned (F3's) were in the price range but I found them to be super bright, almost offensive. The JBLs were average but the RTI8's sounded way better to me.

Again this is so subjective, but that was my experience. I honestly felt, and still feel, that given my price range and needs these were the best fit for what I wanted to accomplish.

josh_parsons626

Willow wrote:

Well I wouldn't say they don't do music well, they don't do great like other lines. They were not primarily designed for music, for HT I gather(from what I have read) I have them, they were bright with the kimbers and the yammaha, but with my HK and Marantz amps they are a different speaker. Given the chance, I'd keep them for HT but buy say LSIs for a 2ch music system.

Would you say the RTi is better for HT? Or would you say the LSi is the "super" speaker? Meaning the LSi is the best for 2-ch and for HT?

Jet_olson

Better is relative to your ears...Personally I think the Rti's do a stellar job for HT, musically the LS's sounded better to me but overall, (considering all of the factors I was contemplating, mainly price, good sound quality) my decision was a no brainer.

IMO...if you are looking for an overall good performing system for HT and Music and price is a factor then I would suggest the RTi's. If money is no object then LS's all the way...there definately is a difference in sound. Audition both...

josh_parsons626

Even with seperate amplification....which would you suggest more? LSi, RTi?

McLoki

josh_parsons626 wrote:

Even with seperate amplification....which would you suggest more? LSi, RTi?

I would highly suggest listening to both and deciding what you like. If you are unsure what to do with your money, send it to me and I will write you a nice note letting you know what I got with it.

Michael

MikeC78

josh_parsons626 wrote:

Even with seperate amplification....which would you suggest more? LSi, RTi?

IMO, neither of those. The Monitor line for sure!

McLoki

MikeC78 wrote:

IMO, neither of those. The Monitor line for sure!

Liar - SVS is the speaker to get. (what was the question???)