My polk setup...what would sound better for around same price?

Polkie918

I have

onkyo 606
rti8 fronts
csi3 center
fxia4 rears and a velodyne sub...


I do like the sound alot but when I really want to crank a dvd at like 50+ volume ....explosions and loud parts of the movie dont sound right to me...maybe to much highs??? I dont know alot of people say they sound bright....??

what do u all think and for the money do I have a great setup?

I listen to NO music...just tv and movies...

any help would be great, thanks!!

Polkie918

would these be better frys has them for 129 each

INFINITY PRIMUS-P362BK

Ender

Hmm... couple things. Maybe it's your sub placement. Or maybe the 606 is not providing enough power.

Polkie918

I bought the 606 because I thought it had lots of power!...sub is placed next to the left side rti8...in the corner

danger boy

do you have your front speakers set to large? if you don't the they won't be getting a full range signal. set them to large and adjust your subwoofer for best sound.

also, check to be sure your treble isn't cranked to +10 or something weird like that.

Ender

Hmm... Well, I don't know about the RTi series, but I am pretty sure the LSi series would love to have more power than what the 606 could provide. I think the RTi are more efficient, but hopefully someone can can comment on that aspect.

Also, check the above post. That is probably some of the most basic troubleshooting to check on HT setups.

pearsall001

danger boy wrote: »

do you have your front speakers set to large? if you don't the they won't be getting a full range signal. set them to large and adjust your subwoofer for best sound.

also, check to be sure your treble isn't cranked to +10 or something weird like that.

Just the exact opposite. Set all speakers to "Small" & play around with the crossover setting. Somewhere between 60-80Hz should do the trick. By leaving them at Large you're asking them to produce what they can't, & they're dying because of it. Take the heavy bass out of the equation & they'll really open up for you especially running off an AVR.

williamgauci

+1 on what Pearsall said.

danger boy

pearsall001 wrote: »

Just the exact opposite. Set all speakers to "Small" & play around with the crossover setting. Somewhere between 60-80Hz should do the trick. By leaving them at Large you're asking them to produce what they can't, & they're dying because of it. Take the heavy bass out of the equation & they'll really open up for you especially running off an AVR.

I have to disagree. The RTi8's can produce plenty of bass in their own right. This is no law that says a person can't run their towers on large and with a subwoofer.

it does not send all of the bass to the sub.. but it can blend nicely from front to back if the mains are picking up some of the sub bass. I have tried both, and have had good results with both to some extent.

How many of us have a separate 2 ch only set up? Quite a few in here do i'm sure. for most of us.. we don't have that option of choosing a large or small setting in our music only systems and having a subwoofer.. so you are sending a full range signal to your speakers, right? are they dying? I would think not.

royalty

Doesn't the 606 only output 75watts/channel?

pearsall001

pearsall001 wrote: »

Just the exact opposite. Set all speakers to "Small" & play around with the crossover setting. Somewhere between 60-80Hz should do the trick. By leaving them at Large you're asking them to produce what they can't, & they're dying because of it. Take the heavy bass out of the equation & they'll really open up for you especially running off an AVR.

Maybe they're not quite dying but they sure as hell are struggling. You have to understand the limitations of a single box speaker. So as far as answering the OP's question...the above info is the way to go.

leroyjr1

I'm currently running my rti a5's full range but I don't think that's his problem because mine sound great on large and small, low volume and high volume. Just my .02 cents.

Dennis Gardner

Music and movies are two different animals. RTi8s can't handle the full range of movie LFE tracks and they are dying.

For music in 2 channel, full range is best, cause there isn't any sub 25 hz stuff going on to rob your amp's power.

wingnut4772

Sounds like an amplification issue to me

Polkie918

so these are not the best speakers for movies? they are more for music?? like i said I listen to NO music.....

or u are saying the 606 isnt producing enough power for these speakers.

leroyjr1

Your rti 8's are HT speakers.

Mike21

Hi 918.

IMO, the 606 is not powerful enough to drive the RTi8s for surround sound. First of all, the 606 is not putting out 75wpc: that spec is either for 1 or 2 channels driven. With 5 channels driven, its pobably around 60wpc.

The 8s have only average sensitivity (90dB) and have a recommended max power input of 250w. These "max" fixures are usually conservative and I would have no concern about driving the 8s with 300wpc.

So, you are driving the 8s with something less than 75wpc when they really need at least 130wpc (like an Onk 805, 806, or 876).

Having said all of that, I'm not sure that lack of power is what is causing the "bright' sound. I agree with the other posters who think adjustemnts to the EQ are needed.

Mike

Polkie918

well damn...thats why i bought the 606...i guess i can sell it and get a refurbed 805 or 806 for like $150 more....good idea?

danger boy

When it comes to high-impact home theater and music, Polk's tower speakers deliver. The RTi8, sold individually, sports Polk's latest-generation Dynamic Balance® drivers for smooth, wide-open response with extremely low distortion — a redesigned 1" silk/polymer dome tweeter provides stellar treble extension, and dual 6-1/2" woofers dish out full, satisfying mids and lows. Add the handsome real wood veneer, and you've got yourself a great-sounding tower speaker that looks great, too.
Read More

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Pick up a pair of RTi8s for stereo music or for front left and right speakers in a home theater setup. Plus, you can add the RTi8 as surround speakers in a 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 surround sound system.

danger boy

Polkie918 wrote: »

well damn...thats why i bought the 606...i guess i can sell it and get a refurbed 805 or 806 for like $150 more....good idea?

are the jumpers in place on your binding posts?

something ain't right.. either with settings on your AVR or the AVR itself has tiny rat balls for amps.

did you try the large setting for your fronts? Despite what pearsall001 said

Conradicles

Run them "large", they can handle it. That is not your problem...

leroyjr1

Make sure when setting your system up it's best to do so at the levels you normally listen at.

royalty

If his receiver is not even close to running the recommended power for these speakers, wouldn't it be a bad idea to run them as large. Would they not need more power for the large setting?

Conradicles

Sure they could use more power, but it will work just fine if set-up properly.

danger boy

i used to run my HT speakers off a 70wpc receiver too.. yeah it wasn't ideal, and bass is not that great.. but it was ok for a few years. adding an external amp helped quite a bit. and I would recommend this if his receiver has pre outs before buying a new receiver.

thsmith

I had RTi8s and they were great for HT. I found they sounded best set to small and XO at 80hz.

Although the 606 is not high powered it should be good enough unless you have a 6 or 7 K cubic foot room.

I did not read all the post in this thread but you sub and center maybe your actual problem. My room is 4200CF and I was running a CSi30 (older version of the CSi3) and found I needed the CSi5 or CSiA6.

I would reset the 606 back to factory default, run AUD CORRECTLY, set mains to small and XO to 80hz and make sure your sub is balanced with the mains as a starting point.

If your are local to Dallas I will give you a hand, if not maybert there is a knowledgable polkie who is local to you that might do the same.

pearsall001

Conradicles wrote: »

Run them "large", they can handle it. That is not your problem...

Sure they can handle it...they just can't produce it. You can't mess with the law of physics. Set to small they are relieved of trying to produce bass as it's meant to be (again, something they can't come close to producing). They will sing like you haven't heard them before. Plus it takes a load off the AVR.

Polkie918

I will check tonight but im almost positive they are set to LARGE and I dont know about the hrz..........also the metal binding post I removed cause I bi-amped the speakers.

candjhuntley

pearsall001 wrote: »

Sure they can handle it...they just can't produce it. You can't mess with the law of physics. Set to small they are relieved of trying to produce bass as it's meant to be (again, something they can't come close to producing). They will sing like you haven't heard them before. Plus it takes a load off the AVR.

Another agree with Pears - check out this article...

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/128214.html

wallstreet

You could easily upgrade the CSi3 too. I've got one of these in the bedroom HT. It does a nice job but the CSi5 would be a nice improvement.

thsmith

Polkie918 wrote: »

I will check tonight but im almost positive they are set to LARGE and I dont know about the hrz..........also the metal binding post I removed cause I bi-amped the speakers.

You are bi-amping of the 606 and have the strap removed off RTI's, right ?

or the strap is removed and you no longer are bi-amping ?