RTi Ax Floor Standers

firo

I have had a pair of RTi A3's and a CSi A6 for over a month now and I love them to death. When I bought them though, I knew I wanted floor standers in front. I intend to move the A3 pair to the sides.

I am having a hard time deciding between the A7 and A9. I know there are other threads out there on this subject, and I have read some of them several times.

To start off, my room is 10x15 with an 8 foot ceiling. It is a small room, and I have read in several places that these towers might be overkill. When I started looking for speakers at the beginning of the year, I decided I wanted a set that would last me a very long time. I like the solid construction of the RTi Series, so I have no problem there. I want to avoid buying small and wanting to upgrade later on down the line when my room gets bigger. When it will get larger is still a bit of a question mark, but it will happen.

What difference if any will I notice between the A7 and the A9? Is there anyone with experience in one or both of these speakers? The A9 is of concern to me because it is a behemoth on paper. 75 pounds per speaker is definitely no lightweight speaker. The A7 seems more manageable, since I auditioned the Mirage OMD-15 in my home, and they are of comparable size and weight. But if the extra woofer and different build design of the A9 is something that would be better in the long run, I would heavily consider it. I am leaning towards the A7 right now due to it's manageability, price, and practicality.

My current set-up is:
RTi A3 Front
CSi A6 Center
Rythmik F-12 Sub
Marantz SR5003

I am also looking at adding an amp with these towers. Something like the Emotiva XPA-3 or a UPA-2?

In summary, anyone out there who had A7's and went to A9's, or has A9's exclusively, or has A7's and would like to expand on what they enjoy out of that model?

Rocco1

Firo,

Welcome to the polk life!

I was recently had your same problem. I went to listen to both speakers, actually the 5 7 and 9's. They all sound great. You hit the nail on the head each step up in speaker gets you a little more low end, and in the 9's case, and i dont know if this is just because of the 9's being a bit taller, the 9's had gret mids and highs. If i am not mistaken the 9's were a good 6 to 10 inchs taller than the 7' and 5's. The 9's also have the extra midrange woffer.

Next issue the 9's can be run easly, i listened of a onk 876. When they where ran thru an amp that was 200wpc they rocked a lot harder. The final factor for purchase for me was when i heard all three ran of a adcom 405wpc amp. The 9's took every bit of power and just blew my mind.

Long story....short. You should prolly get out and listen to them. Because not everyone likes the same taste in sound from a speaker, but i would imagine everyone on this site would agree that all three are great speakers.

By the way i listened to the A3s, which i am doing an install with at my buddies house, and they are just some great sounding speakers as well.

firo

Thanks for the input Rocco!

I've been on the hunt for a place to listen to the bigger speakers in the RTi line. I wish they had fry's up here in western PA. I'm going to keep hunting as the Best Buy here doesn't care anything above the TSi.

I think I have found one promising dealer, but I have yet to check with him on his offerings. The A3's were a blind buy, but I ended up keeping them and sending the Mirages and Paradigms (the other two finalists in my search) back.

Menasor

firo wrote: »

Thanks for the input Rocco!

I've been on the hunt for a place to listen to the bigger speakers in the RTi line. I wish they had fry's up here in western PA. I'm going to keep hunting as the Best Buy here doesn't care anything above the TSi.

I think I have found one promising dealer, but I have yet to check with him on his offerings. The A3's were a blind buy, but I ended up keeping them and sending the Mirages and Paradigms (the other two finalists in my search) back.

Small room, Rhythmik F12... Since you have a good sub to cover the low end, my recommendation is to save some money and get the A5's. If you get the A5's, you probably won't need to get an external amp either. Saves you like $1000

renowilliams

I agree with Menasor. You'd be very happy with the RTIA5's, I know I am. I also have the RTI6's for rears, which are basically the same speaker as the A3s.

danz1906

Menasor wrote: »

Small room, Rhythmik F12... Since you have a good sub to cover the low end, my recommendation is to save some money and get the A5's. If you get the A5's, you probably won't need to get an external amp either. Saves you like $1000

The RTiA5 with a good sub is hard to beat.

superjunior

I want to avoid buying small and wanting to upgrade later on down the line when my room gets bigger. When it will get larger is still a bit of a question mark, but it will happen.


I'm in the same boat, I can't seem to find anyone who carries the rti line. The best buy around here (n.e. ohio) only carries the tsi line. I'm an upgrade fanatic. I know if I went with the a5's, I'd soon be wanting the a7's, and so on. Goin right for the throat and saving for those a9's! Haven't heard them, but man are they pretty!

renowilliams

superjunior wrote: »

I want to avoid buying small and wanting to upgrade later on down the line when my room gets bigger. When it will get larger is still a bit of a question mark, but it will happen.


I'm in the same boat, I can't seem to find anyone who carries the rti line. The best buy around here (n.e. ohio) only carries the tsi line. I'm an upgrade fanatic. I know if I went with the a5's, I'd soon be wanting the a7's, and so on. Goin right for the throat and saving for those a9's! Haven't heard them, but man are they pretty!

You could get a set of A5's for your fronts. Then later if you decide you want bigger move them to the rears. I'm not totally convinced you would not be satisfied with the 5's though. I know that after the burn in time, I have come to love my 5's and even if I was to upgrade, I would still use them for home theater.

superjunior

renowilliams wrote: »

You could get a set of A5's for your fronts. Then later if you decide you want bigger move them to the rears. I'm not totally convinced you would not be satisfied with the 5's though. I know that after the burn in time, I have come to love my 5's and even if I was to upgrade, I would still use them for home theater.

I would love to be able to use floor standers for the rears, unfortunatly with my room configuration, I'm limmited to wall mounting. Gonna have to go with 2 sets of a6's, shucks Thanks for the great suggestion, though
jr

curved

Get the A9's and don't look back.

I would rather have the 5's than the 7's though.

superjunior

curved wrote: »

Get the A9's and don't look back.
.

Thank you, my thoughts exactly, wife saise if I spend that much on speekers, I'll be sleeping with them. How comfortable are the a9's ?

Rocco1

well it looks like you have a big problem on your hands.

superjunior

Rocco1 wrote: »

well it looks like you have a big problem on your hands.

I've slept in worse places;)

jimsvm

vms are real cooozzy

curved

superjunior wrote: »

Thank you, my thoughts exactly, wife saise if I spend that much on speekers, I'll be sleeping with them. How comfortable are the a9's ?

Would she say the same thing if you went with the A5's?

superjunior

curved wrote: »

Would she say the same thing if you went with the A5's?

probably not, but I wear the pants in this house, at least that's what she let's me think

Rocco1

i guess then you have your answer. GET THE 9s

superjunior

Rocco1 wrote: »

i guess then you have your answer. GET THE 9s

yeah, I don't think I can even talk myself out of this one. Haven't seen any good deals on em lately, polk ebay direct hasn't had them for a while either.

Rocco1

if your willing to go with the cherry wood go to price grabber you can get them for like 1100 shipped

superjunior

Rocco1 wrote: »

if your willing to go with the cherry wood go to price grabber you can get them for like 1100 shipped

actually, cherry is my first choice, will check out price grabber after work today. Thanks
jr

Cochise

RTI A9s sound excellent, but be warned, they are very big, 21 or so inches deep.

I have a pair for sale, cherry, PM me if you would like.

kevhed72

You need to sell the "long term purchase" factor to your wife. You want to make the purchase that makes the most sense in the long-term so you don't get upgrade-itis. Also, becaue of the weight and footprint, they are the safest speaker for the family...my three kids and 2 labs have not managed to knock them over yet...(knock knock)

Dawgfish

Another thing to consider is what is your main emphasis with your system. If you plan on using your system for mostly home theater, I would get the A5s and a good sub or two. If you listen to a lot of music also, I would look more towards the A7s or A9s (you'll eventually want to add a sub with them also for hometheater use). Between the A7 and A9, I would go with the A9s. Trust me on this, I started with Rti8s as my fronts, upgraded to RTi10s, and eventually went with the Rti12s. If you get the A7s and you're anything like most of us, the upgrade bug will get the best of you and you'll probably end up getting the A9s anyways. That being the case, save money in the long run and go with the A9s.

superjunior

kevhed72 wrote: »

You need to sell the "long term purchase" factor to your wife. You want to make the purchase that makes the most sense in the long-term so you don't get upgrade-itis. Also, becaue of the weight and footprint, they are the safest speaker for the family...my three kids and 2 labs have not managed to knock them over yet...(knock knock)

That's one angle I haven't even thought of, they're the SAFEST speekers for the house... I LOVE IT
will do a review on how this flies..:D

superjunior

Dawgfish wrote: »

Another thing to consider is what is your main emphasis with your system. If you plan on using your system for mostly home theater, I would get the A5s and a good sub or two. If you listen to a lot of music also, I would look more towards the A7s or A9s (you'll eventually want to add a sub with them also for hometheater use). Between the A7 and A9, I would go with the A9s. Trust me on this, I started with Rti8s as my fronts, upgraded to RTi10s, and eventually went with the Rti12s. If you get the A7s and you're anything like most of us, the upgrade bug will get the best of you and you'll probably end up getting the A9s anyways. That being the case, save money in the long run and go with the A9s.

That's where I'm at, I know my upgrade problem will have me selling a pair of of a5s and a pair of a7s within a year. If polk comes out with a new line to replace the rti a series, I'll probably be selling my a9s, which I don't even have yet. So...my best bet would be to get the a9s and hope polk doesn't come out with a new line of speakers anytime soon:)

superjunior

Cochise wrote: »

RTI A9s sound excellent, but be warned, they are very big, 21 or so inches deep.

I have a pair for sale, cherry, PM me if you would like.

pm sent...

Toolfan66

RTiA9's all day!!! if your going to do it do it BIG!!!! My opinon is biased.

Rti A9's midrange section is also sealed off from the rest of the cabinet as the 5's and 7's are not.

mdaudioguy

superjunior wrote: »

That's where I'm at, I know my upgrade problem will have me selling a pair of of a5s and a pair of a7s within a year. If polk comes out with a new line to replace the rti a series, I'll probably be selling my a9s, which I don't even have yet. So...my best bet would be to get the a9s and hope polk doesn't come out with a new line of speakers anytime soon:)

Yeah, I know, bigger is better... However, isn't there a point of diminishing returns? What I mean is that perhaps there's an optimal size speaker for any particular room. I too, am an upgrade fanatic, yet I rarely see the "bang for the buck" in moving up a notch within a line. I'd rather move up a line - or up to another brand - that, to me, is a real upgrade. I've got RTi10s in my room and I've never looked back. (OK, I did once consider swapping them out for some RTiA5s, but that's a different story...) The 10s are amazing to me. Would the 12s be better? Well, I listened to them in the store, and I think, possibly, yes. It has taken some time, but I appreciate what I have more each time I hear them. Seriously, these babies can sing! I shall not want for more. Right now, I'm enjoying just two of them as they render one of my fave's - Pink Floyd's The Final Cut... beautiful.:)



PS - My point is, you CAN buy the A5s or A7s and be very, very happy, too.;)

PSS - They are pretty freakin' amazing for HT too.

superjunior

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

RTiA9's all day!!! if your going to do it do it BIG!!!! My opinon is biased.

Rti A9's midrange section is also sealed off from the rest of the cabinet as the 5's and 7's are not.

Larry, I love your biased opinions! Btw, I hooked up with metal, soon to be a proud new owner of the xpa3 Thanks for the tip
jr

superjunior

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Yeah, I know, bigger is better... However, isn't there a point of diminishing returns? What I mean is that perhaps there's an optimal size speaker for any particular room. I too, am an upgrade fanatic, yet I rarely see the "bang for the buck" in moving up a notch within a line. I'd rather move up a line - or up to another brand - that, to me, is a real upgrade. I've got RTi10s in my room and I've never looked back. (OK, I did once consider swapping them out for some RTiA5s, but that's a different story...) The 10s are amazing to me. Would the 12s be better? Well, I listened to them in the store, and I think, possibly, yes. It has taken some time, but I appreciate what I have more each time I hear them. Seriously, these babies can sing! I shall not want for more. Right now, I'm enjoying just two of them as they render one of my fave's - Pink Floyd's The Final Cut... beautiful.:)



PS - My point is, you CAN buy the A5s or A7s and be very, very happy, too.;)

PSS - They are pretty freakin' amazing for HT too.

I used to really be into home audio when I was a teenager(back in the 80's) I had a nad reciever that just rocked, man I wish I still had that. Back than, technics (sp) was real popular, I had a pair with 15" woofs, my setup would move furniture around - my neighbors house:D So I'm kinda picking up where I left off, some 20 odd years ago. I'm going with the rti a's, for 1, I think they are just gorgeous. Are the lsi's much better, I'm sure many would say yes, but they just don't do it for me visually. I'm not knockin the lsi's, or the a5's or 7's, but my room is roughly 16 x 24 and my tv is mounted quite high. I figure the height of the 9's would better suit the screen location. The room cries for the 9's, gotta keep the room happy!
jr

mdaudioguy

superjunior wrote: »

I used to really be into home audio when I was a teenager(back in the 80's) I had a nad reciever that just rocked, man I wish I still had that. Back than, technics (sp) was real popular, I had a pair with 15" woofs, my setup would move furniture around - my neighbors house:D So I'm kinda picking up where I left off, some 20 odd years ago. I'm going with the rti a's, for 1, I think they are just gorgeous. Are the lsi's much better, I'm sure many would say yes, but they just don't do it for me visually. I'm not knockin the lsi's, or the a5's or 7's, but my room is roughly 16 x 24 and my tv is mounted quite high. I figure the height of the 9's would better suit the screen location. The room cries for the 9's, gotta keep the room happy!
jr

I sold a Technics 5.0 component set about a year ago to make room for what I have now. All along I thought those 3-way Technics towers with 12" woofers were really nice... Took about 10 seconds with new Polk speakers (RM50Ts that I didn't keep) and a Yamaha AVR to realize what I had been missing - just about everything!:o

My point was... whatever works for you (or anyone else). The best I can describe the LSi's from the little I heard them is smooth. From all accounts, they require additional amplification to get the most out of them. The RTi's will play nicely with high current AVRs, however, if you really want the larger towers to sing, you're doing the right thing by adding an amp. You're buying metal83's XPA-3? Be sure to let us know what you think when you get everything set up.

Btw, we haven't heard from the OP since the day he started this... even though we're still on topic - sorry for jackin' your thread, firo! Let us know what where you are with your purchasing decision too!