RTi10 or RTi A7??

broncsrule21@

Well I had my mind made up that I was gonna get the A7s. Then I found the 10s for $488.00 /pair. (plus Atrium 50s for free). Now I can get the csi a6 and the 10s for less than a pair of A7s. I will compare them in the store before I purchase, but can anybody give me a reason to get the A7s now??
Any comments are welcome.....

Fongolio

I demo'ed them both first before I ended up buying RTiA7's. I found the 10's too bright on similar music. Even though the 10's sounded good, I found the A7's to be more refined and I loved the new cabinets which really do help to reduce resonance by reducing standing waves inside the box through curved sides and better baffling. With the right equipment the A7's can deliver really deep acurate bass and crisp clear but not overly bright highs. It helped that I got mine on sale for $715.00 a pair.

MADGSF

What Fongolio said. I have not heard the A7 but did an extended demo of the A5 and found them to be less bright than my RTi-10s. It sounds like the A7 are also a bit more laid back. If you have the money I would step up to the A7.

metal83

I just picked up a pair of RTi10's at Tweeter for $479 for the pair. Along with a CSiA4 and some RTiA1's for my rears. I'm running them all with a Pioneer Elite 92 receiver.

So far i love my set up, its sounds very good. Just out of curiosity, would it be worth switching the RTi10's for the RTiA7's, even tho I'd have to pay an extra $520. Would i notice that much of a difference to warrent the big difference in money?

Ron Temple

That's a subjective question that only you can answer. IMO you should stand pat. This is your first setup. The 10s are great speakers. After you've had them for awhile and develop a sense of what they do and don't offer, then go out and listen to some gear. Your tastes will have developed and you'll be better able to spend upgrade dollars wisely. Put the money toward that sub for now.

metal83

Ron Temple wrote: »

That's a subjective question that only you can answer. IMO you should stand pat. This is your first setup. The 10s are great speakers. After you've had them for awhile and develop a sense of what they do and don't offer, then go out and listen to some gear. Your tastes will have developed and you'll be better able to spend upgrade dollars wisely. Put the money toward that sub for now.

Thanks for your input, i appreciate it:).
Yeah that sounds like a good idea, i'll definetly just get a sub with that money. And i'll sit on this system for quite some time since it is my first setup. Let my tastes develope, learn as much as i can, then go out and upgrade in the futre with more knowledge of what i want and need.

maximillian

I agree with Ron, unless you have a lot of money to spend now and would rather be "settled". The A7 is better, but $500 is probably not worth it. Also that amount opens up so many more options. If you are new to this hobby you also want to avoid upgradeitis. So if you like what you have now, sit back and enjoy. Put the money in upgrading other components, interconnects, other speakers, etc.

Kchill

Max and Ron are right. The 10's are fine unless you want to spend more. Sometimes I found mine bright but it could be a combination of thing that may not cost me an extra 2-500.00.

First could be the room layout and placement. Might be your reciever. I know for myself I will upgrade the reciever in another year and will expect a big difference when I add a amp as well.

jaysonbarnett

Do you guys know that the 10's are the same as the A7's just a new box. All the drivers are the same here compare for yourself http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/individual/floorstanding/rti10/
and
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/individual/floorstanding/rtia7/

I know because i had a blown driver and they sent me one from the new series and they said it was the same speaker. Looks a little different but is the same exact quality.
The new box might give it a different sound but that alone is no reason to pay all that extra money.

Parachoute

I was wondering if somebody has ever done a BLIND side by side comparison between Rti10 and A7? I doubt that one would hear the difference. I think it's more an aesthetic preference.

Ron Temple

Parachoute wrote: »

I was wondering if somebody has ever done a BLIND side by side comparison between Rti10 and A7? I doubt that one would hear the difference. I think it's more an aesthetic preference.

You don't need to do a blind A/B. There are significant differences in the sound, notwithstanding utilizing the same parts. The RTi A is more like RTi(i).

maximillian

Here is a thread with some user comments:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61278&highlight=rtia7

I think there is a review out there too. Fongolio's comment above sums up what a lot of people are saying. It's a better speaker over the RTi10 but still not as good as the LSi speakers for music. Again, $500 more does not justify the difference in the speakers IMO.

RutgersFTW

I find that the further you can get the RTi towers away from the wall the better. For some reason they sound exponentially more laid back @ > a foot and a half off. Give it a shot and see what you think.

MADGSF

My thoughts were my opinion to OP's question. He is on the fence, doesn't have anything currently and has it narrowed down to those two speakers. All I know is the RTiA5s I had in my system for over a month did not have the same brightness using the exact same source, cables, CDs, etc. in my room. If the box makes the difference using the same parts then so be it.

For me the amp did not tame the brightness I have. It did add a lot of kick a$$ bass though! It will most likely take a source upgrade to fix. I have already, moved them out from the wall, added a high current amp, tried different interconnects. The next step is a source.

On a side note. Being in manufacturing (phone systems) I have found he one thing you cannot get is the same parts you created a product with forever. That is the biggest reason we have to obsolete products, you simply cannot get the parts to make them anymore. And making replacements work with the original design is usually not possible. So while a crossover is a very simple circuit and I am sure the crossover parts have the same values, etc. I would bet they are not the exact same parts from the exact same supplier. That can in my experience make a big difference in how a product works and why the new version is a little more laid back.

broncsrule21@

Thanks for alll your responses. Unfortunately the money is a factor for me. So i pulled the trigger on the RTi 10s. I was able to get 10s, a Csi a6, and the Atrium 50's for a total of $830. Too good of a deal to pass up. Basically a free kick **** center channel! I pick up everything on Friday.

Ern Dog

That is a pretty sweet deal. I bet you'll love the 10's.

broncsrule21@

I picked up the RTi10s earlier today. WOW!! I am very happy. First thing in was Dark side of the moon (SACD). Next was some DMB. Then the wife came home and we watched a Shakira concert. Just a beginning, but not a bad first couple hours of loosening up. Maybe it is the amp/speaker combo I am running, but I did not find the 10's too bright or harsh in any way. Crystal clear and good tight bass. i'm very satisfied. Looking forward to breaking them in with some flix over the long weekend.(the csia6 comes tomorrow)

Fongolio

Give them a good 3 months for full break in. They just get better and better. The bass drivers really start to sound full after a few months. Glad to hear you are pleased. All the opinions in the world matter not. It's YOU that needs to live with them. Rock on dude!!
Oh and way to go on the WAF too.

(wife acceptance factor)

Kchill

MADGSF wrote: »

My thoughts were my opinion to OP's question. He is on the fence, doesn't have anything currently and has it narrowed down to those two speakers. All I know is the RTiA5s I had in my system for over a month did not have the same brightness using the exact same source, cables, CDs, etc. in my room. If the box makes the difference using the same parts then so be it.

For me the amp did not tame the brightness I have. It did add a lot of kick a$$ bass though! It will most likely take a source upgrade to fix. I have already, moved them out from the wall, added a high current amp, tried different interconnects. The next step is a source.

On a side note. Being in manufacturing (phone systems) I have found he one thing you cannot get is the same parts you created a product with forever. That is the biggest reason we have to obsolete products, you simply cannot get the parts to make them anymore. And making replacements work with the original design is usually not possible. So while a crossover is a very simple circuit and I am sure the crossover parts have the same values, etc. I would bet they are not the exact same parts from the exact same supplier. That can in my experience make a big difference in how a product works and why the new version is a little more laid back.

Mad is correct. I hear the brightness on the source that I put in, what you put in comes out ...crap in crap out. It is many other factors too such as the reciever, My next upgrade is a reciever and amp. We will never have perfect just have to be satisfied and the 10's are at the price of being satisfied.
They impress me and impress everyone that comes over and listen...what more can I ask for?

Parachoute

broncsrule21@ wrote: »

I picked up the RTi10s earlier today. WOW!! I am very happy. First thing in was Dark side of the moon (SACD). Next was some DMB. Then the wife came home and we watched a Shakira concert. Just a beginning, but not a bad first couple hours of loosening up. Maybe it is the amp/speaker combo I am running, but I did not find the 10's too bright or harsh in any way. Crystal clear and good tight bass. i'm very satisfied. Looking forward to breaking them in with some flix over the long weekend.(the csia6 comes tomorrow)

Enjoy! What amp do you have? I just upgrade my receiver from a small Yamaha to the big harman kardon avr8000 and it makes my Rti10s sing a lot better!

broncsrule21@

I use a Denon 2808 for my reciever. I was worried that the 110W per channel wouldn't be enough. Not anymore. I am gonna bi-amp soon, just to see if there is a difference.

tallinstaller

I am looking at the A7s or the A9s as my fronts, 70% movies, 30% music. Center will be an A6 and rears will be B & W in ceilings. My question is whether it's worth the extra money to do the A9s if, for the time being, they will be powered by an Elite 92 (130 watts per channel)? Is there any real reason to step up to the A9s besides just to have the top of the line?

Imperitor

Personally I would get the A7's and save the difference for a good sub.

tallinstaller

Oh yeah, I forgot about the sub. I plan to do the HSU VTF-2 MK 3. Anybody got another recommendation for the sub?