Are The RTi4's Bright Or Just Very Detailed?

jerrymb

Just got a pair of these and thought that they sounded very bright but maybe very detailed is more correct.Brightness usually means harshness and I hear none with the RTi4's.

Early B.

Nope. Bright would probably describe them best. What are you powering them with?

jerrymb

Yamaha RX 797 receiver.But other speakers have sounded fine with this receiver.They sound good but I'm just not used to a bright speaker.I had some Infinitys and read that Infinitys are bright.But the Infinitys didn't sound that bright to me.

F1nut

Bright.

RuSsMaN

Yamaha and Polk aren't the best match. The preamp section of most Yamaha gear is forward and hard on the top end. Give the speakers a little while to break in, the tweeter will 'soften' a bit after a couple dozen hours play time.

Cheers,
Russ

Mike Reeter

The RTi series is first and foremost a HT speaker.They can be very "bright" when playing music...The LSi series is more suitable for music,but also very good in a HT set-up.

RuSsMaN

What?

jerrymb

Damn.i guess I'll be returnung them.I wish the I had this info before I bought them!I read so many rave reviews for them.It was never mentioned that the Polks and Yamaha receiver were a poor match.

Early B.

jerrymb wrote: »

Damn.i guess I'll be returnung them.I wish the I had this info before I bought them!I read so many rave reviews for them.It was never mentioned that the Polks and Yamaha receiver were a poor match.

Nah, don't return the speakers. If anything, your Yammie is the weaker of the links. I'm guessing the Harman Kardon 3480 receiver wil sound much better for less money.

jerrymb

The reciever cost twice as much as the speakers did!I have a pair of the cheap Infinity Primus 150's and I just hooked them up on the same reciever.I'm A-B them and the Infintys are warmer sounding.Smoother.Not as clear but less harsh and more relaxed sounding if that makes any sense.I'm not sure what to do.I assumed there would be a huge difference between the Polks and Infinitys and there's not.

cheddar

If you don't like the sound of a speaker, you shouldn't keep it. The RTi isn't something you should shop around finding the perfect high priced component to match. But you might want to give it some time for both your ears and the speakers to 'break in' as suggested above.

But if you know the kind of sound you like, just keep shopping until you find speakers that meet your expectations. If you don't like bright, and the RTis sound harsh to you, there has to be a better match to your...ears...;)

jerrymb

To be honest I don't what I like anymore .All new speakers always sound great to my ears at first then after time I'm not sure.Reading reviews and opinions on forums are starting to make my head spin.

Lowell_M

Early B. wrote: »

Nah, don't return the speakers. If anything, your Yammie is the weaker of the links. I'm guessing the Harman Kardon 3480 receiver wil sound much better for less money.

+1 I'm not a big fan of the Yammies. The RTi's tend to be a little bright and the Yam's make them sound even brighter! IMHO they pair nicely with a neutral AVR such as Dennon, or the slightly warm (or maybe laid back) Harman Kardon.

jerrymb

Well all I can do is return the Polks.I can't return the $500 Yamaha receiver.What speakers in the same price range as RTi4's would match up well with the Yamaha receiver?

engtaz

If yammi has pre outs the add an amp

Early B.

jerrymb wrote: »

Well all I can do is return the Polks.I can't return the $500 Yamaha receiver.What speakers in the same price range as RTi4's would match up well with the Yamaha receiver?

If you liked the Infinitys you tried, then go for it.

aaharvel

the speakers don't sound bright in my setup at all. Component matching is almost as important as the speaker itself.

For example - here a reviewer said the rti4's sounded just adequate with music on a 170 watts x 2 yamaha amplifier, but it was on a little push-pull tube amp rated at just 15 watts x 2 that allowed the speakers to really shine. This end-result is nearly identical to the differences in sound quality i got when my rti4's were hooked up to a Sony receiver and then upgraded to a "lesser-powered" Harman Kardon receiver. Adding an H/K Signature 2.1 5channel amp into the mix further impressed me of the potential of these speakers (and of the entire rti line) with music even still.

Money Quote:

Even from humble sources such as Internet radio via Airport Express, I was amazed by the synergy between the Super Amp and the Polks. Powered by the Super Amp, these speakers sound spectacular. The midrange was rich and open, and loaded with texture. Bass was absolutely voluptuous, with great extension and definition. Nice full tone all across the spectrum. I guess what I am saying is, these speakers are damn sexy!

I was impressed by the Polks great separation of instruments. Details are very well delineated. High frequencies were extended and super smooth, free of fatigue and harshness. Instruments and sound effects arose from nowhere, and sounded very full and powerful every time. Each note was full of life.

As I mentioned in the discussion about home theater performance above, the Polks created a wonderful sound field in a two-channel configuration as well. Music was wonderfully three-dimensional, with voices, instruments, and sound effects arising out of nowhere, and then disappearing right back from whence they came.

I had trouble finding many things wrong with this speaker that couldn't be attributed to upstream components. For example, I got less than stellar results when I hooked the Polks up my Yamaha MX-830, a bruiser of a power amp that puts out a hefty 170 watts per channel. I usually use this guy to power my VMPS subwoofer, where it does a terrific job. When paired with the Polks, however, music was just plain harsh and not very enjoyable. This was very out of character for the Polks, but not solely the fault of the amplifier, as I have heard it sound great when matched with other speakers. This looks to be a rare case of poor synergy more than a pox on the performance of either component, and something to watch out for. Even with friendly and flexible speakers like these, you can't expect them to sound great with everything.

http://www.audioreview.com/POLKRTI4crx.aspx

aaharvel

Mike Reeter wrote: »

The RTi series is first and foremost a HT speaker.

Sorry but I don't agree with that assertion at all. maybe in comparison to the lsi, it's less musical sure.. but to simply label a speaker as something built for home theater i don't get.

WilliamM2

aararvel,
I have compared thenm directly to my RTi28's, the older RTi series, and they are much brighter. They are a bright speaker.

Nothing wrong with that, some people prefer bright speakers. But they are what they are.

aaharvel

Never said the rti4 was not a bright speaker, I merely said that it's not a bright speaker with my setup. Again, I was just making the argument that careful matching of components can make a world of difference.

Yes, I know the rti4 is a brighter speaker than the rti28, rt25i, and rt15i. I've heard them all.

Mike Reeter

WilliamM2 wrote: »

aararvel,
I have compared thenm directly to my RTi28's, the older RTi series, and they are much brighter. They are a bright speaker.

Nothing wrong with that, some people prefer bright speakers. But they are what they are.

Sorry man,I've owned a pair of RTi12's for about three years now...the tweeters are bright and "detailed" nothing wrong with this aspect if that's what suits your listening and wants.

I've done about everything I could to make them easier to listen to in 2-channel playback,but have have moved on to a seperate 2-channel rig.

As mentioned a tube set-up would more than likley "tame" the detailed tweeter that was asked about in the original post.

RT=Reference Theater

treitz3

I have a set of RTi10's, and the tweeter is so bright, I have completly bypassed it and am using a set of Focal 807v bookshelves in it's place [dual amped / dual speakered stereo system]. I don't know whether all of the RTi line speak's use the same tweeter or not, but if they do, then yours are bright as hell. Detailed, no. Bright yes. To put your mind at ease, I purchased mine because of the reviews. I will NEVER trust the reviews again and from now on will only trust my ears. They don't lie.

I have been told that they were geared toward the HT crowd.

jerrymb

I purchased my RTi4's because of the reviews.A great review from Stereophile and many other 5 star reviews.I got the RT's last Monday.They just didn't sound like I thought they would after reading all the glowing reviews.The first cd I put on was Al Stewart-Year of The Cat-the remaster.I always use that cd when I get new speakers.I had my reviever set to flat.As soon as the sound started my first reaction was-very very bright.I checked my receiver to make sure it was flat.I checked all my wiring.The highs seem to overwhelm everything else.

TN_Polk_Lover

The "T" in RT stands for "Theater". The "L" in LSi stands for "Listening".

I have nothing but RTis in my house but they are the series before the current series. To me, mine don't sound overly bright, but my rooms are fully carpeted with wall-to-wall carpeting and I have alot of upholstered furniture in the rooms. If I had hardwood floors and less furniture, they probably would be much brighter sounding.

Lowell_M

TN_Polk_Lover wrote: »

The "T" in RT stands for "Theater". The "L" in LSi stands for "Listening".

I have nothing but RTis in my house but they are the series before the current series. To me, mine don't sound overly bright, but my rooms are fully carpeted with wall-to-wall carpeting and I have alot of upholstered furniture in the rooms. If I had hardwood floors and less furniture, they probably would be much brighter sounding.

I have the RTi 70's and can definately say that they are not even close to as harsh as the RTi8's. I love the 70's...can't stand the 8's.

Yashu

I bought a pair for 2 channel music and they were extremely bright (I wrote about it here when it happened). I had to return them almost the same day. The tweeters were sizzly even after some break in, and it was either use the tone control on my NAD (for the first time!) or return them.

I bought PSB Alpha Bs... they are a good match although it still seems like something is missing... but at least they aren't stabbing into my ears and down into my brain. More neutral all around and much better bottom end.

I too picked them up (the RTI4s) because of the glowing reviews... oh well.

I was impressed by the LSi speakers, but I was kindof scared off of polk after the Rti incident. I am not sure I want to take a pair of LSi 7s home, and end up returning them too.

I suppose I am now warey of speakers who's spec sheet lists far beyond 20khz response...

If you are looking for a good bookshelf, I would consider Paradigm Atoms... They seem to be pretty friendly speakers all around. I would recommend the PSB alpha B, but I think you can do better in PSB land with the Image B25. You will find that The RTi 4s also don't have as much of a bottom end for their size. Out of all the bookshelves I have auditioned, they were the largest but had the weakest bass. I second the opinion that they are more suited for HT, where a sub is most often employed.

A pity, though, because they look quite nice.

dale 442

I too have witnessed the brightness of the 4's firsthand.
My 4's were originally paired up with a Yamaha receiver. It was HORRIBLE!!
I returned the Yammy after 3 days of constant playing, trying to find a happy medium within this setup. NO dice.

I brought home a Denon receiver and within a few seconds I knew that this was about where I was hoping to be.

I think you have 2 choices. Return the Yammy and try a different brand, IF that is still possible, or return the Polk's. These ARE nice speakers at this price point, but IMHO NOT a match at all with Yamaha power.

Can you still return the receiver??? and try a Denon or HK? A little work will get you what you want, just not always the first time.

aaharvel

dale 442 wrote: »

I too have witnessed the brightness of the 4's firsthand.
My 4's were originally paired up with a Yamaha receiver. It was HORRIBLE!!
I returned the Yammy after 3 days of constant playing, trying to find a happy medium within this setup. NO dice.

I brought home a Denon receiver and within a few seconds I knew that this was about where I was hoping to be.

I think you have 2 choices. Return the Yammy and try a different brand, IF that is still possible, or return the Polk's. These ARE nice speakers at this price point, but IMHO NOT a match at all with Yamaha power.

Can you still return the receiver??? and try a Denon or HK? A little work will get you what you want, just not always the first time.

thank you dale for cliffnoting what i was trying to say in the first place. +1

michael_w

Yashu wrote: »

I was impressed by the LSi speakers, but I was kindof scared off of polk after the Rti incident. I am not sure I want to take a pair of LSi 7s home, and end up returning them too.

I suppose I am now warey of speakers who's spec sheet lists far beyond 20khz response...

Having a speaker capable of going beyond 20khz doesn't make it bright. Besides, music rarely goes past 12-15khz and most people can't even hear past 15-20.

The LSi's are a totally different beast. For the average sale / store price it's a hefty difference, but well worth it. But if you're not happy with the speakers try something different. In that budget range psb makes some decent speakers, as does athena (but they're bright too). If it's possible bring your receiver to demo the new speakers with. It'll be the best way to give you a good understanding as to how they'll perform together.

Room treatments can help too. What kind of flooring do you have? What shape is the room? Bare walls and no furniture won't help you out in this case. Something as simple as a big area rug between you and the speakers if you have hardwood floor can work wonders!

aaharvel

I personally can't wait for the LSI experience. I just need more space for a 2ch. rig.

PolkThug

I bet its more the yammy than the RTi4's.