RT FX Bipole/Dipole Question

hearingimpared
hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
edited October 2007 in Speakers
I am Home Theater retarded. I just hooked up my first serious home theater system and my head is spinning.

I don't have and can't find online the manual for Polk RT FX speakers. Can someone please educate me on what the bipole/Dipole switch on the back of the RT FXs is for.

Thanks,
Joe
Post edited by hearingimpared on
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited September 2007
    Straight from polk's own site:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/education/tech_article.php?id=27

    Opinions vary on what sounds best. But there's nothin like playing around with both and letting your ears be the judge...:D.
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited September 2007
    The RT F/Xs are also side specific. Make sure you have them on the correct sides... it says on the label in back.
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited September 2007
    hearing impared and HT retarded..?!!

    WWWwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    Don`t be so hard on yourself bro !

    You hear better than most (bose owners)
    and just alittle inexperienced with those speaks !!!


    What are you putting together ?
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited September 2007
    I still haven’t figured out on my FX5's if the woofer goes towards the front or towards the back on a dipole setup. I just point the towards the front. I’m going to have a problem in my HT because I can only place them in a certain spot and the rear seats will not be in the "zone". I'll probably end up sitting back there most the time for HT.
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited September 2007
    Silverti wrote: »
    I still haven’t figured out on my FX5's if the woofer goes towards the front or towards the back on a dipole setup. I just point the towards the front. I’m going to have a problem in my HT because I can only place them in a certain spot and the rear seats will not be in the "zone". I'll probably end up sitting back there most the time for HT.

    I have a similar problem, the right rear speak is only about a foot behind the sitting position where the left speak is a few feet behind it.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited September 2007
    beardog03 wrote: »
    hearing impared and HT retarded..?!!

    WWWwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    Don`t be so hard on yourself bro !

    You hear better than most (bose owners)
    and just alittle inexperienced with those speaks !!!


    What are you putting together ?

    NAD T773
    RT2000Ps
    CS350
    RT FX

    w/ Sharp Aquos
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited September 2007
    dane_peterson wrote: »
    The RT F/Xs are also side specific. Make sure you have them on the correct sides... it says on the label in back.

    Thanks Dane I had them reversed.
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited September 2007
    Cool !
    I have the RT2000i`s

    That is what brought me here long ago...


    I also have the RT FXi`s....I forget which way I had them before I put the LSi`s up
    Are they on the sides , or in the back ?

    They are really cool speaks
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited September 2007
    this is not so difficult... the woofers face forward or towards you if they are behind, they should aways face the front of the room.. not face backwards.

    it take about 1 minute to set the bi/di pole setting... i can tell right away that di pole is wrong with my HT set up, immediately it sounds off or out of phase. bi pole all the way for me.

    Joe, i'm glad to hear you're getting away from that silly 2 channel stuff and into some serious house shaking home theater. ;)
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited September 2007
    danger boy wrote: »
    Joe, i'm glad to hear you're getting away from that silly 2 channel stuff and into some serious house shaking home theater. ;)

    Ha ha ha, Well the house shaking from the HT is that fake sub woofer, pubic hair trembling, sound. :D

    WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA on the silly 2 channel stuff, however, I'll take the room trembling bass from the 1.2 TLs over a sub woofer sound anyday.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,019
    edited October 2007
    Nice set up your putting together Joe.When I had my 2000p's,I found the 400 center to be a better match though.Just for giggles,throw a decent sub in the mix.You and I will agree on the sub thing for 2-channel,but HT,it's a must have in my book.Good luck Pal.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited October 2007
    tonyb wrote: »
    Nice set up your putting together Joe.When I had my 2000p's,I found the 400 center to be a better match though.Just for giggles,throw a decent sub in the mix.You and I will agree on the sub thing for 2-channel,but HT,it's a must have in my book.Good luck Pal.

    Tony when I played King Kong and War of the Worlds, the windows were rattling, the pubics were vibrating and when my wife put her hand on a wall two rooms away the wall was vibrating. . . sounds like plenty of sub sonics too me. I will however have to sneek a sub in to see if it improves the sound of the HT.

    BTW here is a pic. Ha ha ha, the furniture is so new that we hadn't even taken the tags off before getting the HT going.

    One more question; should the front speakers be toed in?
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited October 2007
    Looking good Joe. I tilt my centre up a little just because it is on a stand and a little low.
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited October 2007
    I would like to but my wife don't like it like that. I have to get a stream lined center channel. . .this one to old beat looking and is obtrusive.
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited October 2007
    Nice chair you got there Joe.
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited October 2007
    1) (edit) Actually, that toe-in looks about right considering the alternative seating and distance.

    2) I had the 2000Ps for a brief while, and found that the HSU VTF-3 added a nice low-end balance. The built-in subs are definitely powerful, but the HSU went a little lower, and made a nice balance. YMMV.
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  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited October 2007
    Do what sounds best to you. I run my dipole on the sides.
    Never Forget
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited October 2007
    PolkThug wrote: »
    Do what sounds best to you. I run my dipole on the sides.

    Yep that is definitely what sounds best in my room.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited October 2007
    janmike wrote: »
    Looking good Joe. I tilt my centre up a little just because it is on a stand and a little low.

    Whoa same one; did you get that from Lanes?
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited October 2007
    Lets change up the discussion a bit. I've been reading a lot on AVS that surround speakers that are di/bi are no longer needed by current spec's. There is a lot of discussion about it but a lot of people say that you should just put in a normal speaker. For example, I would switch my FXI5's with say some RTI8's or something like that.
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited October 2007
    Silverti wrote: »
    Lets change up the discussion a bit. I've been reading a lot on AVS that surround speakers that are di/bi are no longer needed by current spec's. There is a lot of discussion about it but a lot of people say that you should just put in a normal speaker. For example, I would switch my FXI5's with say some RTI8's or something like that.

    I'm seriously considering using my modded CRSs for the rears. The SDA effect is in both the mid woofers and the tweeters.
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  • mwaarna
    mwaarna Posts: 280
    edited October 2007
    Silverti wrote: »
    Lets change up the discussion a bit. I've been reading a lot on AVS that surround speakers that are di/bi are no longer needed by current spec's. There is a lot of discussion about it but a lot of people say that you should just put in a normal speaker. For example, I would switch my FXI5's with say some RTI8's or something like that.

    Got a link for the avs thread?
    Click here To see My system
    Polk LSI15,LSiC, LsiFX, SVS PB-12 Plus/2, Blue Jean Cables,Onkyo Pro PR-SC885P, Earthquake Cin
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