Best Polk Line for music (other than LSi)

unclepauly

What's the opinion on RTA 11TL's? Someone said they could sell me some brand new for $400

christo4

apphd wrote: »

I'll let Kex chime in on this as he knows NAD from a first hand perspective, but I have heard lots of very good things about NAD and their power. The 325BEE has true 4 ohm capabilities so there is no reason for low-impedance speakers scare you (except some very difficult to drive). It should handle any of the Monitor and RTi line with ease (except possibly the RTiA9).

This makes me very happy. I am intrigued by all the buzz here about the SDAs. But I typically ldon't isten to music loud enough to get the full effect, I'm afraid. On top of that, I don't have the energy (no pun in intended) to find a good high-powered amp for a decent price that will do them justice. Finally, they look rather large and I have a small house. I listen to music at modest levels or lower, but almost never at reference levels, so I'd like to keep upgrading my bookshelf system in quality without increasing the size or power too much. If LSis perform well at lower levels, then maybe there's a pair in my future. Thanks for all the great feedback in this thread! I'll have to keep a watch out for some SDAs--then I'll come back here to learn how to mod them properly. In the meantime, the hunt continues for the perfect bookshelf system.

concealer404

unclepauly wrote: »

What's the opinion on RTA 11TL's? Someone said they could sell me some brand new for $400

I find that hard to believe... they haven't been in production for quite some time now.... Like, years. A decade? Something like that.

If they are TRULY brand new, unopened box, sure, get those suckers. They're GREAT speakers.

Ron Temple

concealer404 wrote: »

I find that hard to believe... they haven't been in production for quite some time now.... Like, years. A decade? Something like that.

If they are TRULY brand new, unopened box, sure, get those suckers. They're GREAT speakers.

more like > 15 years. I saw the post on AVS where the guy offered them...not sure if I believe it. That said, they are great speakers. I'd just wait and find a mint pair for around $200.

concealer404

Ron Temple wrote: »

more like > 15 years. I saw the post on AVS where the guy offered them...not sure if I believe it. That said, they are great speakers. I'd just wait and find a mint pair for around $200.

I figured it was getting up there.... I don't know timeline too well, just what i want.

I might be persuaded to buy a "brand new" pair for $400, if it could be PROVEN that they were absolutely brand new, not just brand new looking.

Breaking in a great 15+ year old speaker has to be a good feeling.

mmadden28

concealer404 wrote: »

I figured it was getting up there.... I don't know timeline too well, just what i want.

I might be persuaded to buy a "brand new" pair for $400, if it could be PROVEN that they were absolutely brand new, not just brand new looking.

Breaking in a great 15+ year old speaker has to be a good feeling.

Yeah, as long as you don't get a pair that happens to have a manufacturing defect in them--now that would suck.

LuSh

Current offerings other then the LSi are recommended to the 'mute' position on ones receiver/pre-amplifier for music. Page 99 of owner's manual.

jaysonbarnett

I don't think you can get a cut and dry answer for this. A lot will depend on personal preference, some will depend on what's driving them, and some will depend on the room. That being said some models in certain lines buck the trend a little for that line, the RTi A1 being one of those in the RTi line that can do music very well for most.
Keiko has the best answer.... listen and decide what does music best for you in your budget. Polk offers a lot of choice and value, but don't be afraid to listen to other brands, and older/used (granted harder to do) Polk speakers.

your the man. thats the best advice ever. Everyone should always listen to the speakers yourself and if polk does not work for you then move on. You have to live with what you buy. thats my .2

CRESCENDOPOWER

RTiA9, 7, or 3 if you are looking for something different from the LSi series. And, no the 7's are not bright no matter what anyone tells you, just burn them in.

Big Dawg

As many have said, all that really matters is how your speakers sound in your system to you. I can only report my own impressions as I have heard them.

I own Polk Monitor 7Bs (tweeter - Peerless) Monitor 10Bs (tweeter - SL1000), and SDA 2Bs with the TL mod (tweeter - RDO 198, of course).

I really like the volume of sound and warmth of the Monitor 10s, which can be had for $200 or less very often. Having said that, I think the Monitor 7s, while producing less voluminous sound, are more musical than the 10s. They can be a little harder to find than the 10s, but can often be found for under $150, even under $100, and are wonderful speakers.

I bought my SDA 2Bs, already modified, here from another Polkie. They are not perfect speakers, and the SDA affect is not always an asset (heresy, I know), but these are extremely musical and wonderful speakers that I can sit and listen to for hours without fatigue. I paid $500 for them, which is expensive for unmodified SDA 2Bs, but I thought fair for modified ones (since the mods alone cost nearly that much).

I don't know where you're located, but if you're close to me, I'd be open to having you come and listen to mine. I will probably be selling at least one set, probably the Monitor 10s, sometime soon, so if you want to compare them all we should probably do it sooner rather than later.

I've also listened to some of the newer Polks in stores, so my impressions are probably less meaningful than from those people who live with the speakers, but I find the smaller RTiA1 and RTiA3 to be bright but very pleasant sounding, and I wouldn't mind owning a pair of them. I think they shine at low listening levels. LSi bookshelves (don't remember which ones I heard) were much warmer and, I though, more musical, but with a very (almost too) laid back high-end. The larger RTiA floor standing speakers I listened to sounded boomy to me (although the store environment probably played a role), and I didn't really like them so much.

There are lots of speakers under $1,000 that are very musical, especially on the vintage market. I see them all the time. Take your time, listen as much as you can, try not to buy anything without listening to it first, and enjoy the journey.

Dawg

madmax

I think the LS90's may be polks most audiophile speaker.
madmax