Monitor 70s or something else?

dcacc

I have about a week left on a 30-day trial of my Monitor 70s. I have them paired with a HSU STF-2 sub and JBL Northridge EC35 center, and I like them a lot, but I sometimes find them a bit too bright -- especially when female singers sing words with "s" in them. I paid about $560 for the pair during a sale. I'm wondering if there's another Polk floorstanding speaker that might be better for that price or a little more.

Any thoughts? I need to decide pretty soon whether to trade up.

Thanks

zingo

For $560 a pair, you got a good deal (about half price). How long have you had them? If they aren't broke in yet, the bass may not be as extended as it can be and they might sound bright. Usually Polk has been blamed for making a speaker too warm. Is the JBL center adding to the brightness of the sound?
As far as speakers for that price, you could try the RTi A series. It just got reworked and you might like it.

danger boy

move out of the monitor line and go with the RTi line instead.. prices are cheap right now..

S's mean sibilance somewhere in your system.. usually it's the source like your CD player or even from cables some times.

dcacc, you also didn't mention what receiver you were using.. that makes a huge difference too.

jerrymb

Sometimes the sibilence is simply on the recording itself!

dcacc

Thanks for the feedback. I'm using a pretty modest receiver -- Onkyo TXSR505.

I've had the speakers for about three weeks. Not sure how long it typically takes for speakers to break in. But I pretty much have to decide this weekend if I'm going to return them for something else. Which RTiA model could/should I get in this price range?

Yeah, the center may be contributing. It got fantastic reviews, but it can be kind of harsh. Anyone have a recommendation for a Polk center that would blend well?

Hadn't thought of the source. I'm listening to CDs through my Pioneer DV400v DVD player. Again -- not a high-end player. Thinking of replacing it with an Oppo. Any thoughts on whether that would make a difference?

jerrymb

Many recordings are poorly recorded.Take a cd that you know sounds great with smooth vocals.If you don't hear any sibilance then it's the recording.If you hear sibilance on everything you play then it's something else.Most recordings-cds are very poorly recorded.If the sssss is on the recordings an Oppo won't change that.

Fongolio

I have found the monitor line to be a little too bright for my liking. I now have the RTiA7's which are considerably more money but to my ears less bright and more natural sounding. As for the source, I have the same model Pioneer (and also a Pioneer Elite DV-79AVi) as well as an Oppo 981HD. Sonically the Oppo is slightly better but by the smallest of margins (the Elite sounds much nicer but is many hundreds of dollars more). I use the Pioneer strictly for viewing DivX type media and IMO nothing beats it. The Oppo is great on DVD (good upconverter) but not so great on DivX files. If you can squeeze the budget a little more the new RTiA(x) line is the way to go.

dcacc

So, I just found a deal locally on a pair of RTi10s -- $450 for the pair. Anyone have these? Are they considerably better than the Monitor 70s?

Also: Do I need a more powerful amp to drive the RTi10s? My Onkyo is fairly modest.

Fongolio

The RTiA7's are an upgraded cabinet version of the RTi10's. I believe the drivers are all the same but I could be wrong. I have never listened to them side by side but on there own they sounded very good to me and $450.00 is a fantastic price. I'm using a Pioneer Elite VSX-52Tx to drive the A7's and they sound great. It's sending 110 watts and is a high current amp. The Onkyo may be a little light for the speakers. But then you can always get the speakers and upgrade the amp down the road. Whoops did I say that out loud?.....queue the endless upgrade cycle!! Sorry I don't mean to be a bad influence.

jaysonbarnett

have a question and i am new to polk. I bought RTI8s and CSi3, and i am wondering if i can use 4 rti4s as the rears or rti4 and fxi3. the reason i am asking is because the fxi3 are hard to find now and in a couple of months i will not be able to find them. So i will have to use the rti4 (x4) instead. Will this work? or do i have to have the fxi3? ANy help would be very much appreiated.