LSi's or RTi's for music?
Anyone prefer the Rti's to the Lsi's for music? I auditioned both, and found the Rti's to sound more open, and lively, and also a bit brighter, and the LSi's to me sounded more refined, polite, and laidback. Am I crazy, do you have to adjust to the sound of the Lsi's? Maybe they are just not for me?
Post edited by Doc99 on
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Different people hear different things in music. What makes one person smile can make another run screaming from the room. So trust you own ears.
I like the sound of the pair of RTi6's I have (w/ a PSW10) and bought them instead of the LSi7 or LSi9 that I also auditioned at the time. I don't think the RTi6 is the greatest speaker ever, but it does very well, is an incedible value, and suites my needs in a secondary (music only) system.
Note that the LSi series is 4 ohms vs. 6 ohm,s for the RTi. This places more demands on the amp. Many amps & receivers can't handle the lower impedence. This may also affect your decission.
Room conditions, placement, and amp/receiver all have significant effects on a system's performance. Take everything into account when evaluating and choosing speakers.
Cheers, JimA day without music is like a day without food. -
Do you know what was running the two sets of speakers? Most people think the LSis are much more musical, but they really need separate, high current amplification to sound their best.
On an AVR, you're not getting to see near their full potential.Stereo Rig: Hales Revelation 3, Musical Fidelity CD-Pre 24, Forte Model 3 amp, Lexicon RT-10 SACD, MMF-5 w/speedbox, Forte Model 2 Phono Pre, Cardas Crosslink, APC H15, URC MX-950, Lovan Stand
Bedroom: Samsung HPR-4252, Toshiba HD-A2, HK 3480, Signal Cable, AQ speaker cable, Totem Dreamcatchers, SVS PB10-NSD, URC MX-850 -
Hi Doc99,
I really like the RTi's a lot for music - I have the 4's and the FX's. I like a brighter sound and the RTi's have a much more forward tweeter. I just AB's the RTi's and LSi's on Thursday at Crutchfield (see the "Matching LSi25, LSiC with FXi3's" thread for some of my thoughts. I ultimately decided to make the move to LSi, even with my preference for brighter sound. I found that after listening to each for extended periods, the LSi's were smoother and less fatiquing. After living with my RTi4's and then compring RTi12's to the LSi line, I found the midrange on the RTi's to be lacking in my tastes. I found that with my RTis, I was actually missing the mids and mid lows more than I was enjoying the forward treble. I was actually always using "Night Mode" on my Sony STR-DA5200ES reciever to compensate. The LSi's have about a 4db dip in the upper frequencies (between 10-20kHz), see http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/161/index2.html for the measurements. While I don't have the LSi's in place yet, I feel confident I can brighten them with placement and some receiver EQ. But time will tell (I'll post my results in early August after I set them up in my new place. In any case, this is a very subjective choice. The best speaker is the one that sounds best to you. You'll note in my mini-comparison in the "Matching LSi25, LSiC with FXi3's" thread, I liked the RTi's and LSi's much better than a $10k pair of Thiels with high end Marantz amps and source. Have fun with your comparisons and trust your ears. -
Do you know what was running the two sets of speakers? Most people think the LSis are much more musical, but they really need separate, high current amplification to sound their best.
On an AVR, you're not getting to see near their full potential.
Agreed. I owned several RTi speakers and drove them with an AVR. When I switched to LSi and separates, the LSi series won hands down.Michael
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60° -
I think for many people the RTi's can be more pleasing initially because of their brighter sound, but at the end of the day, I don't believe it to be the more realistic sound. They are a fun speaker and you can rock out to them though. The LSi's are just silky (love string instruments and female vocals on them!). The other overlooked aspect is how nice of a soundstage the LSi's have.
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LSi > RTi. That being said, you have to invest more in your setup with them. Not just the speakers themselves, but also higher quality components if you are to utilize that ring radiator's full potential.
Imo, for the cash, the RTi4/10 in particular sound just fine for music as long as you pair them up with warm sounding gear. If you prefer the RTi's, rare as that is, then great. You just saved yourself alot of money. -
I really like my LSI's for music and HT.....you can listen to them all day and never get tired of them.....so smooth and clear.....you can always set the gain a little higher on the treble if you likeB&W 804s mains
B&W HTM4 center
Polk PSW 1000 sub
Outlaw 990 Pre Amp
Anthem MCA 30 Amp
Monitor Radius 180 surrounds
Audiosource Stereo Amp for surrounds
Denon 2910 Universal DVD/SACD Player
Comcast DVR
Pioneer Elite 42" Plasma 940 HD
Harmony Universal Remote
Blue Jeans interconnects and biwires
Itunes Air Express -
I hated the RTi4s. I really did not enjoy them at all.
I can handle a little brightness, I have a set of early 90's JBl studio monitors, for example, and they can be pretty hot, but damn, the RTi4s were almost unlistenable. Compared to my PSB Alpha Bs, the RTi4s were much more forward in the treble and also very lacking in the bass.
MY ears are VERY sensitive, and my amplification is not poor, the RTis are just really bright.
I can see why some might like the sound, they are probably good on some types of music, and probably really good for movies... but if I was to go polk again, it would be vintage, or LSi.
I like silky smoothe treble... since my ears are so sensitive. I remember, in the past, hot tweeters weren't as much of a problem when tweeters were made of paper. The LSis vifa tweeter isn't too bad though, and if I had enough space on my desk, a set of LSi 9s would be teh awsome. -
At the Lone Star Audio Fest Russ had both the LSI 9 and RTI 10 setup. With the Dodd pre, Dodd amp, and Arcum source the LSI won my ears hands down. However, quality equipment makes almost anything sound good.
The RTIs did sound very nice, but not much better than the RTI 70s that I run on my AVR at home. The LSIs just brought the music to life, IMO. Even the Jennifer Warnes, which I don't really care for, that was playing sounded smooth and life-like.
But, as most everyone else will tell you, YMMV.
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IMHO, LSi for music, RTi for HT. RTi are very bright, which I think is great for movies. LSi follow the music much tighter and closely.Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector for movies
Carada 106" Precision Series (Classic Cinema White)
Denon AVR-X3600H pre/pro
Outlaw 770 7-channel amplifier
B&W CDM1-SE fronts
B&W CDM-CNT center
B&W CDM1 rears on MoPADs
JBL SP8CII in-ceiling height speakers
Samsung DTB-H260F OTA HDTV tuner
DUAL NHT SubTwo subwoofers
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray player
Belkin PF60 Power Center
Harmony 1100 RF remote with RF extender
Sony XBR-X950G 55" 4K HDR Smart TV + PS3 in the living room -
Come to think of it, the LSi 15, and the RTi 10s were both hooked up to an Arcam AVR300 I believe. I can definitely tell that the LSi's were more refined sounding, but I am looking for a speaker for rock music. There are some SDA's that just came on Audiogon if anyone is interested, around Florida.
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Anyone prefer the Rti's to the Lsi's for music? I auditioned both, and found the Rti's to sound more open, and lively, and also a bit brighter, and the LSi's to me sounded more refined, polite, and laidback. Am I crazy, do you have to adjust to the sound of the Lsi's? Maybe they are just not for me?
I had this same experience when I auditioned the Rti10's and Lsi15's at Best Buys. Both were being powered by an avr. And I thought to myself that it really wasn't a fair audition because the Lsi's weren't powered correctly. I ended up getting the Rti10's and have added a warm amp, a tube pre-amp and upgraded my CD player all in an effort to smoothen out the brightness- which has helped a lot.
I still want to hear what properply powered Lsi15's sound like. And once I do that, then I can make a better choice about whether I want to upgrade or not. -
Don't let the slightly laid back presentation of the LSi's fool you. They are very detailed and you aren't missing any of the music. They are seductively smooth, effortless and fatigue free. For many who have never experienced a true top end speaker it takes some getting used to becasue they aren't "all in your face" bright and overbearing. They are never fatiguing and they deliver soundstage, precise imaging and detail in spades. Vocals, brass and strings are it's biggest strength along with that very addictive lower mid-bass warmth.
As had been said here and every other thread about Lsi's; your equipment choice has a big impact on how they perform. The better the gear, cables, etc. the better they sound. And I would suspect many who don't prefer them don't have them hooked to nice enough gear.
If you are going to stick with an AVR, a cheap source and cheap cables, etc. maybe the LSi's aren't for you.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I have very good seperates at home capable of powering the LSi's, so I might give them a try. I currently own Canton Karats, but they seem to bother my ears a little after listening for an hour or 2.
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I have very good seperates at home capable of powering the LSi's, so I might give them a try.
That will be the best determining factor. Make sure they are properly broken in and give them a good listen for a couple 3 weeks with your favorite and most familiar music. This way you can rely on what your ears tell you and not us
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I spent a hour a/b testing the LSi and RTi series and was suprised to find I preferred the RTi's. The LSi's just seemed veiled and lifeless compared to the RTi's..just my opinion...No earth robot is going to tell ME which button to press!!
--Stuff--
Front: Polk Audio RTi12
Center: Polk Audio CSi5
Surrounds: Polk Audio RTi8 (x4)
Sub: SVS PB10-ISD (Dual)
AVR: Denon AVR-3805
Blu-Ray: Panasonic BD30
Display: Sony KDL-55NX720B
STB: Xfinity X1DVR -
I spent a hour a/b testing the LSi and RTi series and was suprised to find I preferred the RTi's. The LSi's just seemed veiled and lifeless compared to the RTi's..just my opinion...
I bought my 12s in a blind buy, and wasnt able to demo the LSi line until I went back to the USA for vacation and a meeting. I was able to sit in a room in the store and listen. And to me the Rti line really seemed more alive to me as well. The Lsi sound very good, look stunning, however I prefer that forward sound of the RTi line. Both are awesome products, it all depends on what you want/prefer I guess. Without a doubt, Im very happy with my setup.Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!
Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580 -
Wow, so many different opions about which series brings music to life and both camps seem pretty solid in their conviction.
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I spent a hour a/b testing the LSi and RTi series and was suprised to find I preferred the RTi's. The LSi's just seemed veiled and lifeless compared to the RTi's..just my opinion...
If they were hooked up to a receiver, your ears probably weren't deceiving you. As you've heard, they sound only ok when hooked up to AVRs. I found there really is a night and day difference when you hook them up to a good amp.Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
Another factor for me is , why are the Rti's cabinets so deep? I mean, I forget what models were out before them, but I never remember any like this. The Rti10' are like 18''. So for my room, these might not work.
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LSis, no question. Provided you have a nice amp behind them. The LSis have so much more potential for music than the RTis.
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Another factor for me is , why are the Rti's cabinets so deep? I mean, I forget what models were out before them, but I never remember any like this. The Rti10' are like 18''. So for my room, these might not work.
You need the volume so that the drivers will sound right, and the market hates wide cabinets... so, best to make them deeper.Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
Yeah,,but the previous Rtis were not built like this.
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~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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I started with the R50's, R15's, and CSi25's. Then, I bought an RTi6 and began looking at the CSi5's and RTi12's until I heard a pair of LSi15's vs RTi12's playing back Star Wars and jazz on XM radio. The 15's were being powered by a Denon receiver so for Star Wars vesus the 12's, it was a tie. For jazz, the 15's were exactly what I wanted. Then, the audio gods smiled on me and Tweeter had a going out of business sale...
I hope the audio gods find you in favor.
