poor sounding rti8

kaku42

Hi,
I recently bought a pair of rti8. In order to test it out, I removed the speaker wires from the front left and right speakers of my rm7200 5.1 set up and attached it to the rti8s. I also changed the receiver setting (Onkyo 601) for the front speakers to "Large"
The resulting system sounded horrible. Firstly, I watched Oceans 13. The RM7200 center speaker had to carry most of the load. For some reason, even the surrounds became weak.
To get rid of any dependency on the 5.1 set up, I switched to stereo FM. The rti8 sounded pathetic compared to the smaller front speakers of RM7200

I am convinced that either I am doing something basically incorrect or I have got a couple of lemons (from Frys). I am sure these speakers are not that bad?

Another related question - I am going to set it up in a different room and so looking for surround speakers on a budget. Will RM101 work with the rti8? (assuming i dont return them)
Kaku

Jed Leland

Hello,
Can you elaborate on what is not sounding correct? Do the speakers sound dull, with no high frequency response? Do they sound tinny, no mid range sounds? Just listen to them in two-channel mode, no surround sound going on. Listen with a vocal CD playing. Each speaker has three components, a tweeter and two mid range/bass drivers. Are all of them working?
Jed.

kaku42

I am currently listening to a vocal CD in a 2 channel mode.
It does appear that all the components are working. However, the overall clarity and range of the voice is disappointing for a speaker of this size and reputation. It sounds just about "average" - much louder than than the RM7200 fronts but not better in terms of sound quality. Bass is definitely missing and cant really say that the instruments are sounding distinct.
Will keep experimenting with different kinds of CD all day today
And the moment i put it in a surround set up, almost all the sound is getting directed to the center speaker (front= LARGE).

kaku42

its an Onkyo TX SR601 - have been using that for 3 years with the RM7200

to give a more concrete example of "poor" sound - the helicopter sound at the beginning of the "we dont need no education" song in the Wall album (Pink Floyd) was muffled and hardly "distinct" sounding

kaku42

As I have indicated, I just took out the wires from the existing front speakers and put it in the rti8 and changed the front speaker setting on Onkyo to "large"
so connections should be ok

McLoki

What happens if you change the setting back to small?

kaku42

Doesnt improve it.. similar kind of output
btw, i am now listening to "The Wall" using the DIRECT mode on Onkyo that sends pure stereo sound to the front speakers without any filtering and without subwoofer output. Thats the best test for the speakers.
they sound very ordinary while playing the Wall. No effects from the drum beats or the Pink Floyd guitaring

kaku42

Crossover didnt help. The reason is because in a stereo mode (purest form), the subwoofer doesnt come into play anyway. All the sound goes to the side speakers
anyway, if the front speakers are "large", the crossover shouldnt matter for them

GSRBOB

Have you tried raising the levels in the calibration menu? I have the RTi 10's and i really had to raise the levels to bring them up to my likes. What size speaker wire are u using?

mantis

If everything is correct then maybe you just don't like the speakers. It does sound like you have the plus and minus backwards. When this happens, bass is thin and the speakers run "out of phase".

Your Onkyo receiver is extreme bright and not a good match for polk speakers in my opnion anyway. It's a poor match.

Dan

kaku42

I will try this again this weekend with a new Harman Kardon AVR147
AVR147 also has auto calibration so that should take out the level doubts

GSRBOB

Ya I'm tired of my Onkyo. What AVR r u runnin Dan?

xandra

Kaku,

Have you turned on 'Double Bass'? (you'll find under Speaker Config) This is only available after you've set speakers to large - you may need to back out of then return after making the switch. It's not an effect I care for, but for Movie dynamics, might be just what you're looking for.

Joe08867

Sounds like they are out of phase to me. Check your speaker connections again. It is an easy mistake.

Did you buy the RTI's new?? If they are used they may have some problems. Other then that aI say you just don't like them.

kaku42

Checked the wires - phase is correct. If the connections were loose, then I guess no sound would come from the speaker instead of poor sound

MSALLA

mantis wrote: »

If everything is correct then maybe you just don't like the speakers. It does sound like you have the plus and minus backwards. When this happens, bass is thin and the speakers run "out of phase".

Your Onkyo receiver is extreme bright and not a good match for polk speakers in my opnion anyway. It's a poor match.

Dan

Rti's are a bright speaker and so is the Onk. The 8's don't have alot of bass anyway. Most peolpe love them when backed up by a sub though.

kaku42

ok thanks to all for your inputs. I agree that with playing around with Onkyo's calibration , the speakers sound much better now. Hopefully, the auto calibration in Harman Kardon will help further.
In all, I am a bit disappointed with the speakers - looks like its not a great choice for playing music. They are good for movies.
I won the battle with my wife to get these tall speakers instead of small cubes of bose and now I am losing the war:(

kaku42

also to add, its not a good idea to pair these speakers with a RM7200 set up.. though all polk speakers are apparently timbre matched, they dont mix well together

McLoki

kaku42 wrote: »

also to add, its not a good idea to pair these speakers with a RM7200 set up.. though all polk speakers are apparently timbre matched, they dont mix well together

Nope each line is timber matched with itself, not each manufacturer....

RM
R
Monitor
RTi
RTiA
LSi

All different voice matching. If you have fronts from any of these lines, you should check in the center channel options available from that line.

Michael

ivansfo

I've experimented with the RTi8s driven by an Onkyo 701. The RTi8s are rear ported so you have be mindful of speaker placement or you will have poor bass. Generally, I believe they work best if positioned a feet or two away from the walls. I'm sure others can better advise you how best to position them in a room.

This was the biggest problem for me and my room configuration did not allow for better placement. So I ended up returning the RTi8s. I really want to try out a pair of RTi10s if I can find a great deal on them. The RTi10s have front ports.

I also felt the Onkyo 701 didn't provide enough power for the RTi8s to really come alive. So power might be a consideration too with your 601.

PolkWannabie

... and just to be sure ... You do have the metal jumpers attached between the upper and lower speaker binding posts ... right ?

kaku42

1) Yes., I do have the metal jumpers attached. thats how they came out of the package and i didnt disturb them
2) Do you guys think Harman AVR147 will be powerful enough to drive rti8
3) Unfortunately i cant match the center since the csi3 is too huge..
4) I have a bigger problem with my surrounds. I have ceiling mounts (and in-wall is not acceptable to my wife). => choice of rear speakers have narrowed down to rm8 or rm101
Again that wont go well with rti8 though...
anyway any recommendations on the surrounds (no, I cant hang rti4)

again thanks to all who have replied so far.. have got some very useful tips

obieone

I may have missed something but, try wiring them thru the sub(if youcan), setting the
8's to large, and the sub to off/no.
Good luck

kaku42

actually, after setting it up from scratch with my new HK receiver, they are sounding great. HK drives these speakers much much better than onkyo. I am now much happier with the speakers
my question on surround speakers is still open in case someone can help...

obieone

Is there a 'space' issue? IF not, I'd go with RTi4's or Monitor 30's- closer matches.
You might find a deal on RTi4's depending on where you live, and not a ton more $$$ than the RM101's
good luck

kaku42

unfortunately space is an issue. I was also very tempted by the price of rti4- they are almost the same price as RM101 but the speakers will hang from a mount on the ceiling => have to be less than 8 lb