RTi A7 Qustions

New2Audio

Hello guys, new guy here, to the forums and to audio in general, in need of a little help.

I want to buy some RTi A7's, i love the cabinets and hear they sound pretty good as well, plus they are in my price range. I can't afford the next step up in the RTi A line unfortunately.

The one thing that worries me is that i've read a lot of people on here talking about the lack of midrange with the RTi A7's.

What exactly does this mean?
What would i be missing, what kind of sounds, etc?
Can anyone give me examples of what i'd be missing with these compared to an RTi A speaker with good midrange?
And maybe an explanation?

I'm just very confused and any help would be great.

New2Audio

I just noticed that i messed up on the title of this thread, sorry about that.

Dawgfish

New2audio,

Welcome to the board! There is a lot of debate between various members about the midrange response of the A7s compared to the A5s and A9s. I own the RTI8, 10, and 12s which are the predecesors to the A5s, A7s, and A9s. A lot of folks think that the two 6.5 inch mid/bass drivers of the RTi8/A5s gives better midrange response than the single 6.5 mid of the RTi10/A7. The RTi12/A9 with their twin 5.5 inch midrange drivers also seem to have superior midrange performance to the single 6.5 midrange of the driver of the A7.

Others argue that the A7 with its single, but dedicated 6.5 mid driver gives superior response than the dual drivers of the A5, which also have to perform bass duties, and are not free to be dedicated midrange drivers.

What I have found is it's a matter of amplification. I used to be in the camp that believed the A5 gave superior midrange performance over the A7. When just running off of an AVR, this was definitely the case. When I started powering the RTi10s with the good clean power they deserved however, the midrange really came alive. I would say with good amplification, the midrange on the A7s is at least on par with that of equally well amplified A5s and maybe slightly better. Neither is as good as the A9s though with good amplification.

My advice would be this; if you plan to just use your AVR to power your speakers, you will probably be better off running the A5s. If you planning on using a good external amp, or think you will be in the future, I would look at the A7s (and the A9s :-)).

Hope this helps.

Steve

leroyjr1

The RTI a7's midrange is no where near the midrange of the a5's. Amp or not.

comfortablycurt

If you're using it in a HT setup, the A5's wouldn't really be trying to produce any bass. So the fact that the mid's are also producing the bass isn't really a big issue.

Are you using this in a 2-channel setup? Home theater setup? Are you going to be running a sub with them?

curved

IMO, it depends if you are setting up a HT or 2-channel. What are you powering them with? How big is your room? Will you have a sub with them? Do you intend to get a sub?

MHayes

leroyjr1 wrote: »

The RTI a7's midrange is no where near the midrange of the a5's. Amp or not.

I knew it was coming soon. Anytime A7s are mentioned, leroyjr1 is quick to respond.

Seriously, go listen to them yourself if you are able to. Let YOUR ears be the judge, as the RTiAs are all fine speakers.

Retro152

MHayes wrote: »

I knew it was coming soon. Anytime A7s are mentioned, leroyjr1 is quick to respond.

Seriously, go listen to them yourself if you are able to. Let YOUR ears be the judge, as the RTiAs are all fine speakers.

Yes. Leroy, do you feel the 7's lack at higher volume or lack period? I know you like the 9's and 5's, I just got the 7's and your ears are better than mine. So far they have been great.

manman

MHayes wrote: »

I knew it was coming soon. Anytime A7s are mentioned, leroyjr1 is quick to respond.

Seriously, go listen to them yourself if you are able to. Let YOUR ears be the judge, as the RTiAs are all fine speakers.

dude, the guy is just giving his opinion when asked for it by the OP, and if you look around it's pretty well substantiated from a lot of others. Everyone might not agree- but I don't see the point in calling him out like that.

fwiw, I've heard both- and agree with leroy.

Retro152

Didnt mean it like that, should have worded differently. Leroy has a lot of knowledge it seems with Rti line just curious for more details, Wasnt "Calling him out".

manman

yeah sorry, for jumping the gun on that one. After I read it again, I thought maybe you were just messing around with him. Sarcasm doesn't always come through well in text:D

Retro152

I know, it didnt look good after i read it a few times (Duh)? Sorry Leroy dont misinterpet my post, no disrespect intended.

Pat.

leroyjr1

MHayes wrote: »

I knew it was coming soon. Anytime A7s are mentioned, leroyjr1 is quick to respond.

Seriously, go listen to them yourself if you are able to. Let YOUR ears be the judge, as the RTiAs are all fine speakers.

Thank you.:p

leroyjr1

leroyjr1 wrote: »

The RTI a7's midrange is no where near the midrange of the a5's. Amp or not.

Just stating a fact. PERIOD.

manman

haha, I need to find more opportunities to quote myself:p

New2Audio

Wow, thanks guys for all the input.

I'll be running these off of a Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH that i picked up at a decent price.
The room is 18x12, but 5' of it is seperated by an archway, so really it's only 12x13.
I don't plan on buying a sub anytime soon even though i know it's recommended.
My main usage would be Blu ray movies, TV, video games, and music (rock, heavy metal, etc), so basically everything lol.

I already have my center channel speaker, i got the CSi A6. And i have the rears on order and should be getting them next week sometime. I got the RTi A3 bookshelf speakers.

Retro152

Welcome to CP, Good luck with your setup.

manman

well i'm also new to audio so I'm no guru, but if you are mainly into home theater, I really don't recommend going without a sub, it makes SUCH a difference. When I built my system I was on a budget too, so I didn't get a great sub. Velodyne VX10 for about 150 or so, and it gets the job done till I can afford something better.

I don't know where you're looking to buy, but if you can get the A7's then you could probably find the A5's with a decent sub for about what you would spend on the 7's. If you are really set on going without a sub- then maybe I would actually recommend going with the 7's because at least you'll be getting some better bass... still IMO the A5's with even a cheap sub beat the pants off the A7's.

leroyjr1

Whichever speaker you choose it'll sound great , but you should definately look into getting a power sub especially for movies.

New2Audio

Well i'm actually living in an apt right now while me and my wife save up for a house, and my landlord lives upstairs, so i figured i might be better off staying away from a sub until i'm finally in a house of my own, which won't be for 2 more years at least.

manman

Haha, before you said 'landlord' I was gonna say it should be fine as long as you keep the sub at a 'safe' level... it's probably still alright if you just talk to your landlord and just make sure it's not bugging them. Might want to give it a thought...Home theater setup without a sub...just not the same :eek:. I'm in a condo right now with neighbors below and I haven't had any complaints yet. I just try to keep it at a respectful volume....until I know they're out. Then crank up some dark knight! That flick has some evil bass.

New2Audio

MHayes wrote: »

I knew it was coming soon. Anytime A7s are mentioned, leroyjr1 is quick to respond.

Seriously, go listen to them yourself if you are able to. Let YOUR ears be the judge, as the RTiAs are all fine speakers.

Unfortunately i cannot listen to these in person, the only place i could was Tweeter but they are gone. Best Buy does not have them, Circuit City does not have them, i do not have any other B&M stores around here so i'm out of luck on that.

leroyjr1

New2Audio wrote: »

Well i'm actually living in an apt right now while me and my wife save up for a house, and my landlord lives upstairs, so i figured i might be better off staying away from a sub until i'm finally in a house of my own, which won't be for 2 more years at least.

I would talked to him to find out his work schedule and when no one's at home CRANK THAT MOTHER!!!!!!!!!

metal83

leroyjr1 wrote: »

I would talked to him to find out his work schedule and when no one's at home CRANK THAT MOTHER!!!!!!!!!

Haha...I'm in the same sort of living situation as this guy, except my wife is not my wife yet (fiancee), were saving for a house, and my landlord lives above me. He's cool though, i can blast it when he's home and he doesn't care at all. My RTi10's did pretty good without a sub, still shook the place nicely, especially when watching The Dark Knight!!!

New2Audio, you should seriously talk to your landlord, maybe he's cool and won't mind, otherwise just do as leroyjr said and when no one's home CRANK THAT MOTHER!!!!!!

nm4710

I'm sorry to disagree, but I think there is an abundance of misinformation on this thread...at least from my experience. Make of it what you will.

I don't think the RTi A7s lack for midrange. I've heard them side by side with the A5s. I own the older versions of both (RTi10 and 8)...in my hands, in my room, to my ears, the A7s have BETTER midrange. Let me not mince words here, BETTER. I'm running them off of an emotiva LPA-1. External amplification but rather modest. If the A7s were as bad as folks on here make them sound, Polk wouldn't have released them. Like it or not, they are the higher model...and are thus regarded by polk (and most listeners) to be a superior product. The A5's lack of bass lets its midrange shine through...but that doesn't mean its midrange is any better than the A7s. I'm tired of trying to explain..listen to them and buy the one you like. Personally I think the A9's are the best.

Now as for the "A5s cheap sub beats the pants off of the A7s" comment...depends on what you call a cheap sub and depends what you are using it for. I have a VX-10. It's a wonderful side table but a really crappy sub. I'd actually prefer my RTi10s w/o sub to the VX-10 (I have another sub I use with my setup). The RTi10s seem to pressurize my large room much better...not to mention bass localization is better. That said, I didn't reap these benefits until those speakers had some power behind them. Even WITH my sub, I prefer to run the RTi10s full-range...bass localization being the major advantage.

Lastly, I just want to say I am in 100% agreement with dawgfish. If you want a pair of tower speakers to run off of a receiver stick with the A5s...they will work guaranteed. The A7s may work in your setup with a receiver but you're taking a chance. If you are willing to fork over the dough for external amplification, the A7s will bring and entirely different experience...and it IS a better one.

Cheers

Fongolio

nm4710 wrote: »

I don't think the RTi A7s lack for midrange.

I absolutely agree. My A7's are just over a year old and the older they get the better they sound. I have never been one to put too much emphasis on speaker "break-in" but these speakers definitely need it. Perhaps most people haven't heard them "post" break-in. Brand new, I agree, they were just slightly lacking in midrange but now that they are a little looser they are sweet as honey. And the bottom end has just turned massive. These speakers go way down low but very controlled. Now all this is with really decent power (Carver TFM-25). I am a huge fan of Pioneer Elite and just recently swapped out my VSX-52TXi for a Yamaha with HDMI and HD audio capability. The VSX-92 mentioned will power the A7's nicely but not nearly to their potential. Give them 200 watts and watch them shine once there broken in.

metal83

Nice, I was considering getting the A7's as well. All though i've leaned towards the A9's now, if Polk Audio Direct ever gets any!!!! (i know they will i'm just impatient lol)

I was thinking about just getting the A7's along with an Emotiva-XPA3 since it's on sale for $499.
But i'm sure those A9's are sweet so i must wait.

New2Audio

I'm not even considering the RTi A9 speakers because i'd like to get an AMP along with the speaker i choose. And if i get the RTi A9's i will not be able to get an AMP for quite a long time. That Emotiva AMP your talking about, the XPA3, is that a good match for the RTi A7's?

metal83

New2Audio wrote: »

I'm not even considering the RTi A9 speakers because i'd like to get an AMP along with the speaker i choose. And if i get the RTi A9's i will not be able to get an AMP for quite a long time. That Emotiva AMP your talking about, the XPA3, is that a good match for the RTi A7's?

Some people on here seem to like that amp, but i personally have no experience with it, or with the A7's, so i have no clue.

Retro152

nm4710 wrote: »

I'm sorry to disagree, but I think there is an abundance of misinformation on this thread...at least from my experience. Make of it what you will.

I don't think the RTi A7s lack for midrange. I've heard them side by side with the A5s. I own the older versions of both (RTi10 and 8)...in my hands, in my room, to my ears, the A7s have BETTER midrange. Let me not mince words here, BETTER. I'm running them off of an emotiva LPA-1. External amplification but rather modest. If the A7s were as bad as folks on here make them sound, Polk wouldn't have released them. Like it or not, they are the higher model...and are thus regarded by polk (and most listeners) to be a superior product. The A5's lack of bass lets its midrange shine through...but that doesn't mean its midrange is any better than the A7s. I'm tired of trying to explain..listen to them and buy the one you like. Personally I think the A9's are the best.

Now as for the "A5s cheap sub beats the pants off of the A7s" comment...depends on what you call a cheap sub and depends what you are using it for. I have a VX-10. It's a wonderful side table but a really crappy sub. I'd actually prefer my RTi10s w/o sub to the VX-10 (I have another sub I use with my setup). The RTi10s seem to pressurize my large room much better...not to mention bass localization is better. That said, I didn't reap these benefits until those speakers had some power behind them. Even WITH my sub, I prefer to run the RTi10s full-range...bass localization being the major advantage.

Lastly, I just want to say I am in 100% agreement with dawgfish. If you want a pair of tower speakers to run off of a receiver stick with the A5s...they will work guaranteed. The A7s may work in your setup with a receiver but you're taking a chance. If you are willing to fork over the dough for external amplification, the A7s will bring and entirely different experience...and it IS a better one.

Cheers

nm4710, Thanks to you and Fongolio for the Info.

Dawgfish

The XPA-3 combined with the A7s is a match made in heaven. I have an XPA-3 powering my RTi10s and absolutely love it. That amp has done wonderful things for my RTi10s that other amps I have tried on them (Monster Power MPA3250, Adcom GFA 545 and 555) did not do.

Leroy1, maybe it's the amp, as I have my XPA-3 powering my RTi10s, and the GFA 555 powering the RTi8s, but the addition of the XPA-3 to the RTi10s woke up the speakers in a big way across the whole frequency spectrum. I used to be in the camp that believed the RTi8s had superior midrange to the RTi10s, but that's not the case anymore with my setup. I am now getting superior midrange with the RTi10s hooked up to the Emotiva than I am the RTi8s hooked up to the Adcom. Maybe I need to hook up one of the RTi8s to the XPA-3 and see how it responds to that.

From what it sounds like though, with living in an apartment and powering the speakers off of a reciever, he is probably going to be better off with the A5s anyways. I also highly recommed what the others are saying about the addition of a good sub. You will definitely need this to get the most out of your A5s and system in general.