sibilance with RTi10s

dcacc

I've had my RTi10s for about a month, and I'm trying to figure out if the sibilance and harsh highs I'm hearing are their fault or caused by something else in my system. I'm running them off a new Onkyo TX-SR805. I'm using high-quality 14guage wire (from BlueJean). And I'm running a Pioneer upconverting DVD/CD player (can't remember the model).

When I female vocalists in particular, their voices sound shrill and piercing. Feist, in particular, can be unbearable (some might find her so regardless of the speakers).

I guess I"m looking for feedback from RTi10 owners. Do you find their highs really harsh? Any thoughts?

danger boy

from little bit I know about sibilance.. it's often times caused by the source.. do you have another CD player you can swap in it's place? how about when you play the tuner in the Onk? is the sibilance still there?

I have read in here Onkyo's can be bright with the RTi line of speakers... but with another receiver. they are not. so not sure.

Do you have the treble cranked up? what is your crossover set at?

kuntasensei

Have you run Audyssey on your 805 yet? With my 705, my Polks had some sparkly highs... but post-Audyssey, they sounded perfect. I recommend that you run it with the mic on a tripod, do all 8 positions as recommended, and angle the mic slightly forward toward the front speakers for each position. You still want the sound to graze the mic from off-axis, but the base of the Onkyo mic can cause issues with the calibration. The Audyssey mics for other brands actually have the mic capsule extended out to prevent this.

jerrymb

It's not your speakers.I just got a pair of the rti6's. Some cds sound nice and smooth and others are very shrill-sibilance. Depends on how the cd was mastered.My rti6 make good recordings sound great and poor recordings sound awful.

Kchill

Sounds like the source as well, what goes in come out. Some of my music on my 10 sounds high as well, depends on how much my ear can take as well. Turn the treble down if you can or get or make a better copy of your source.

Yashu

RTi can be bright to some... Some people have very sensitive ears... you may be one of them. RTi10s just might not be the right speaker for you.

I heard the same thing and I have a much warmer amp. Everyone's ears are different. When it comes to this hobby, go with your gut, otherwise you will never be happy. You will be chasing something that may just be a very simple thing. A new source, cables, various tweaks, even a new receiver, you could spend a lot of money and still not be happy. It is not a bad thing to go with your gut. The RTi10s are good speakers for many people, but they aren't for some Just like anything in this world, there is no one size fits all. Polk did their best to create an affordable high end home theater speaker. They can't please everyone.

Can you find another pair of speakers to test? I would suggest something with a different tweeter design and see if it makes a big difference. If it really is the source, the difference will be small, the sibilance will still come through.

dcacc

Thanks, everyone. I am expecting a new Oppo DVD/CD player in the mail one of these days. I hear great things about its audio capabilities. Hopefully that will cure it. I've suspected my DVD player but haven't been able to compare it before now.

I'll keep you posted.

Yashu

That is very true. They do grow with your associated equipment.

Polk speakers are like that... it seems even the more affordable lines sound better when you mate them with quality equipment. Good amplification is the name of the game.