RTi6's and R50's together as fronts

maximillian

I bought the R50's in January because they were so cheap. They are my first Polk's. I have been enjoying them quite a bit and think they sound nice. I do not have audiophile ears though. In looking to expand the system and reading that they are inferior to the RTi line I am looking at buying some RTi speakers. I mainly listen to 2 channel stereo but I want to eventually do HT as well.

I just purchased and received a couple RTi6's (thanks bopicasso) and hooked them up in an A-B combination with the R50's. They are positioned about 1.5 feet on the outside of the R50's on stands. They seem to compliment the R50's nicely. They really bring out vocals and the highs. The R50's handle the bass and mellow out the music. The R50's are probably broken in by now but I don't think the RTi6's are.

Here are my questions:
1) Any negatives to my current setup? They combination sounds quite nice. The two together have quite a presence.

2) How does this setup compare to having only RTi10's as fronts?

3) If I keep the setup, would a CSi3 or CSi5 center be timbre matched with this combination?

Thanks for the help. The answers to these questions will help me in planning my upgrade path.

Kchill

Interesting, the only way to say it is to try to put the 6's in the back for a week and see if you like it...there is no comparison between the 10's and 50's as I own them both...but the 50's are making good rears for me. With that set up the csi3 is fine, even if you used those 6's up front with a good sub that csi3 would be the way to go, it wouldn't be overpowered at all in that type of set up. Right now if it were me I would use the 50's as backs and the 6's as surround sif you were to get the 10's and csi3. But one day you will let the 50's go and will be sad you did.

maximillian

Thanks Kchill for the input. The R50's are great but I am looking for better sound. That is why I am considering the RTi10's. Therefore putting the 6's in the back will not work well. My original idea was to use the 6's as surrounds, the R50's as rear surrounds, and then get better fronts. However, due to money constraints I may want to keep what I have exactly as I have them. The two speakers side by side sound quite nice. Both add to the sound where the other lacks. So I wonder if anyone has tried this before and how it compares to the RTi10's by themselves. Also, if I keep the two sets together, would a CSi3 or 5 be closely matched?

Thanks for the help.

nm4710

Huge difference between the R series and the RTi's. As someone that owns every speaker in question here (R50, RTi6, RTi10, CSi3, CSi5) I can tell you the following:

1) RTi10's need a lot of power...unless you have a VERY high end receiver or an external amp to drive them I'd look elsewhere.

2) CSi3/CSi5 will match the RTi line and there's not much difference between the two (at least not to my ears).

3) The RTi6's are fantastic on their own. If you want bass I'd add a sub instead of a pair of R50s. The R50's larger drivers will only muddy up the clarity of the RTi6.

maximillian

nm4710 wrote: »

3) The RTi6's are fantastic on their own. If you want bass I'd add a sub instead of a pair of R50s. The R50's larger drivers will only muddy up the clarity of the RTi6.

My setup is mainly used for 2-channel music listening. HT is down the line. I wasn't planning on buying a sub for several months, thus I have been looking for a deal on some RTi10's. Do people enjoy music using smaller bookshelves and subs together? I thought this was more of a HT setup.

I had a friend over last night to listen to this setup and he enjoyed it. We both agree that the R50's lack too much at the low end but it wasn't bad. Having the two sets of speakers spaced apart there was a pleasant separation of the music. For example, we played some big band music and could here saxophones coming from the RTi6's but trumpets from the R50's.
I hear the same effect with some other music with backup singers. It's rather interesting.

Do you think the RTi10's will sound better than this combo, or does having 4
speakers produce a better soundstage?

Thanks for your insight into my questions. My funds are gated by my wife's approval so I have to make every purchase count. That is why HT is later this year.

Meechsterlee

Not sure...RTi10's (with gobs of good power) VS. RTi6's and R50's...hmmm. I'll take the RTi10's and a hearing aid to go, please. BUT! Only if you have the power for the 10's.

Sans amp, I would buy a really good sub and another pair of RTi6's. Why? The 10's can get low...a solid sub will allow better low-end extension...something you ill want if HT is later this year. All said and done, you will add a CSi3/5 and have one impressive rig for all formats...2, 2/3/5.1

nm4710

I'd be surprised if the RTi6 + R50 combo sounded much better than either alone. Here's why: Unless positioned extremely accurately there would likely be interference between the two as they're both reproducing the same frequences. Are you running them both the same? Or are you running the R50's as large and the RTi6's as small. What are your crossover settings?

In fact if you look at the specs the RTi6 covers the same low frequences as the R50 (same overall freq response and +/- 3dB response). So I'm not sure why/how the R50 is adding much.

What I think you are calling "separation" is simply the RTi's better high end detail outshadowing the R50. I think it's creating a false image. If you enjoy it though, no problem. This hobby is all about what sounds good to you. A sub with the RTi6's would probably be more accurate. If you get a musical sub it will sound great.

The RTi10, provided adequate power (ie separate amp) sounds fantastic. This would be preferrable, IMHO, to mixing speakers as fronts.

maximillian

nm4710 wrote: »

I'd be surprised if the RTi6 + R50 combo sounded much better than either alone. Here's why: Unless positioned extremely accurately there would likely be interference between the two as they're both reproducing the same frequences. Are you running them both the same? Or are you running the R50's as large and the RTi6's as small. What are your crossover settings?

Well there is a drastic difference running them together. There could be some interference but its hard to tell. I am running them with a 2 channel Technics receiver from the early 90's that has an A-B switch so I can turn them on and off independently. That is how I can tell that the R50's are adding quite a bit of bass and the RTi6's are adding to the vocals and highs. The receiver has a built in equalizer but no crossover control for A or B channels.

nm4710 wrote: »

What I think you are calling "separation" is simply the RTi's better high end detail outshadowing the R50. I think it's creating a false image.

I would agree. The speakers are about 1.5 feet apart so the overall "speaker" sounds bigger than it actually is.

nm4710 wrote: »

If you enjoy it though, no problem. This hobby is all about what sounds good to you.

My problem is that I am new to this hobby and I don't know what is supposed to sound good. It's going to take a while to train my ears. As the clearance RTi stuff gets more scarce to buy I want to make sure I get in on a good deal now. If I could find a good deal on the RTi10's then I would buy them. I agree that they probably sound way better than what I have currently. The R50's just don't have enough bass.

Thanks for your help.

nm4710

Well I'm sure everyone is getting sick of reading me prattle on...but let me say this:
Owning RTi10's and knowing what I know (esp how much power they require to sound good), if I could do it over again I would stick with RTi6's or RTi8's. By the time you've invested the money to make the RTi10's really sing you're in another league price-wise.

Ron Temple

nm4710 wrote: »

Well I'm sure everyone is getting sick of reading me prattle on...but let me say this:
Owning RTi10's and knowing what I know (esp how much power they require to sound good), if I could do it over again I would stick with RTi6's or RTi8's. By the time you've invested the money to make the RTi10's really sing you're in another league price-wise.

It's only money .

RK8

I recently got a Polk csi3 center from a friend that needed $100, new in box.
So then I bought 2 r50's from Fry's for $120/pr, and 4 r150's for $100.
I added a Klipsch KSW10 subwoofer for $150. I think these were good deals, but not sure.
Do these match well for a Home Theater system? Any recommendations for a 7.1 receiver? I was looking at a Marantz 7500, but am fairly clueless.
How many watts do I need?
Thank you very much for any help you can give me.

hydrostream

My r50s with all the trouble i had with them i was thinking of giving
them away.
They sounded like crap with my old sony my onkyo 540 and my onkyo
805.
Now they are in my garage with my new found love 2 channel the 805
has been sitting idle for weeks.
I have the 50s hooked up to a adcom preamp and a acurus 150 amp that
i'm test driving from the repair shop where my nad is being repaired.
I never heard the 50s sound so good plenty and i mean plenty of bass they
rock.
I must say the wife is a little pissed with me spending $ on this other system
and the 805 just sits there.
They even sounded fantastic with my onkyo m-282 now the 50s are keepers.
I just checked frys and they are sold out i was thinking of getting another
set for the other corners.
Maybe i will move the RTi8s to the garage i'm sure the wife would flip.
jerry

Kchill

I say get the RTI 10's....even a little underpowered they shake my house....Ron told me that I'm pumping about 45wpc through them and if that's what I'm putting in them then dang I can't wait to put 200wpc through each when I move up in avr and amps. Go for it now while you can! I really doubt if I buy anymore fronts...I moved from the 30's to the 50's and right to the 10's..done.

maximillian

Keiko wrote: »

Max, if I may suggest...Invest in a decent 5.1 receiver and subwoofer. (Get your google on and search some of these threads for recommendations.) Try using those RTi6's up front with a matching CSi center and your R50's for surround. A good sub should provide the bass that you want. You may be pleasantly surprised. Just a thought.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone for the advice. Most of my listening will be two channel music. Will this type of setup (RTi6's with a sub) work as good as just RTi10's without one? Will the RTi10's be pretty good for some general HT without a sub (would buy one eventually though)?

Kchill

Maximillian there is a place called stereo advantage over in buffalo ny, a little drive from you but do able on a saturday. They sell polk and will also give you a lifetime warranty on products bought from them. They are on the official authorized dealers list here on this site although the 8's from them are higher than girraffs crotch!

http://www.stereoadvantage.com/store/