RTi A9 or A7

jdub15
jdub15 Posts: 4
edited March 2009 in Speakers
The receiver I am looking at is rated at 130 watts. Would this be enough to power the A9 or A7? Would the A7 sound better than the underpowered A9? I would not upgrade to an amp for sometime. What is the difference in sound quality with 130 versus 400 watts? Does that simply mean that i can not crank it all the way up?
Post edited by jdub15 on
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited March 2009
    I would go with the RTI A9's and take it easy on the volume knob. Receivers power ratings are usually over rated. You can get a nice entry level amp for about $200.
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  • jdub15
    jdub15 Posts: 4
    edited March 2009
    I was thinking of the Denon AVR-3808CI Receiver. Is this a good choice? It is rated at 130 watts, can this be trusted?

    What would be some recommendations on an amp?
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited March 2009
    jdub15 wrote: »
    I was thinking of the Denon AVR-3808CI Receiver. Is this a good choice? It is rated at 130 watts, can this be trusted?

    What would be some recommendations on an amp?


    The Denon 3808 is a great unit but it will not properly amplify those speakers. Depending on your budget a good starting point would be an Adcom 545II ($200) or Adcom 555 ($300).

    What's your total budget for receiver/amp? The rti a5's are a great receiver speaker if that's an option.
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  • jdub15
    jdub15 Posts: 4
    edited March 2009
    I was wanting to stay around 1500. overall, I was wanting to stay around 5000. of course, budgets are made to be broken.
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  • jdub15
    jdub15 Posts: 4
    edited March 2009
    dumb question...when an amp is hooked up, does it add to the power of the receiver? for instance, 100 watt amp with a 100 watt receiver, does that equal 200 watt to the speaker?
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited March 2009
    jdub15 wrote: »
    dumb question...when an amp is hooked up, does it add to the power of the receiver? for instance, 100 watt amp with a 100 watt receiver, does that equal 200 watt to the speaker?

    No, the external amp is hooked up the the pre-amp outputs on a receiver, which bypasses the power section of the AVR. The external amp will then be the only thing powering the connected speakers. You can also just use a 2 or 3 channel amp to power your fronts, or fronts/center, and let the AVR power the surrounds if you so desire.


    That being said, I say go for the A9's over the A7's. If external amplification isn't going to be happening anytime soon though, you might consider the A5's like Leroyjr suggested.
    The nirvana inducer-
    APC H10 Power Conditioner
    Marantz UD5005 universal player
    Parasound Halo P5 preamp
    Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
    PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
    Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's
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  • metal83
    metal83 Posts: 1,219
    edited March 2009
    I went with the A7's, I love them and they sound fantastic.
    But with that being said, I wanted.... and still want some A9's. So i'd get which ever pair of speakers you really want so that you only have to do it once (for now;)), they are all great sounding speakers.
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  • Retro152
    Retro152 Posts: 985
    edited March 2009
    metal83 wrote: »
    I went with the A7's, I love them and they sound fantastic.
    But with that being said, I wanted.... and still want some A9's. So i'd get which ever pair of speakers you really want so that you only have to do it once (for now;)), they are all great sounding speakers.

    I just started getting the itch for A9's myself. Do like the A7's alot, but curious about the 9's. Wonder if my landlord might put an addition on my apartment to make room for those monster's? LOL:D
    Receiver: Pioneer Elite SC-05
    Amp: Emotiva Xpa-3
    Front L/R: POLK Rti-a9s':D
    Center:POLK Csi-a6
    Rear surround's:POLK Rti-a1s'
    Sub: Klipsch Synergy sub-12
    Sony Kdl-46w4100 46" LCD
    PS3
    Audioquest type 4 wiring.
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  • jdwmap
    jdwmap Posts: 116
    edited March 2009
    I own the A9's and they are fantastic speakers. Currently I am looking to upgrade to the Onkyo 876 for a receiver, but the Marantz Lineup has caught my eye and am looking to demo a unit. You could easily spend a lot less on a receiver and get a seperate amp, but if you don't turn them up loud, you shouldn't have a problem.
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  • apphd
    apphd Posts: 1,514
    edited March 2009
    I'm a little surprised this hasn't come up with all the talk on these units lately. Not sure what the price is you're looking at on the Denon, but you might want to look at the Pioneer Elite SC line up. Lot of good things being said on performance and current deals.

    Here's a good deal of info: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80499

    Another option is downgrade the AVR selection and go with an amp. If you go too far down the line with any manufacturer, you loose pre-outs (then you can not run an external amp) and some SQ from the pre.

    Good Luck
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  • asd1234
    asd1234 Posts: 30
    edited March 2009
    1st make sure you buy the a7's or a9's from the polk direct ebay store, they by far have the best prices. If they have none on ebay call them directly and get the ebay department. These are all refurbished units, but you won't be able to tell that they aren't "new."
    I ran a denon 4308ci rated 140watts and it easily handled the a7's so i don't see why the 3808 couldn't handle the a7's. If you want to add an external amp in the future then you can do it. It all depends on how much money you want to spend :)
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  • asd1234
    asd1234 Posts: 30
    edited March 2009
    jdub15 wrote: »
    I was wanting to stay around 1500. overall, I was wanting to stay around 5000. of course, budgets are made to be broken.

    You can get a pair of a7's, fxia6's, and a Csia6 for $1200 and for about $1550-$1600 you could upgrade to the a9's instead of the 7's.
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