Worth Upgrading From TSI400 to A5.

stereo01

I really like the sound of my current speakers (TSI400). I'm wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade to the A5 speaker system. The A5 has two 6" woofers instead of the three 5" woofers in my TSI400. Would the 6 inch woofers give me a bigger, wider sound than the three 5" woofers. I think the tweeters are probably the same in both speakers. I see that if I buy the A5 speakers from Crutchfield I get a free subwoofer. That seems like a good deal to me. I just wonder others think who are familiar with the TSI400 and the A5 speaker system.

mystik610

I upgraded from the TSi300 to the RTi8 (older version of the RTi A5), and yes its worth the upgrade. Imaging is a lot better, and the clarity in the mids and high's blows the TSi's out of the water. Its a pretty signifcant improvement IMO.

The tweeters in the RTi line are actually very different from the TSi line. Very detailed, and downright pristine!

BiotypE

I am brand new to the Polk forums. I had picked up a pair of tsi300s to replace my Kef egg L and R speakers. I was extremly impressed with how dynamic and clear the midrange was on the tsi's.

My judgment got the better of me and I found a pair of KEF Iq5s for the same price as the tsi's so I returned the tsis. Well after getting the new KEFs setup, I was very unhappy at what I knew I was missing after hearing the tsis. I now have the IQ5s up for sale and have ordered Polk direct refurbed RTI A5s and I can't wait to hear what they sound like compared to the tsis which to me sounded great.

I should be getting them tomorrow so I will post back hear to let you know how they sound to me in comparison to the tsi300s.

Now to find a good Polk center that integrates well with the A5s.

stereo01

Yes, let me know how you like the A5's. I agree, the TSI400's that I have are really excellent speakers. They have a very realistic mid-range that to me is a special characteristic of the speaker. It will be interesting to see if the A5's maintain that characteristic. If you hear an improvement, I may upgrade also. I just don't want to upgrade and end up with something that doesn't sound as good to me as what I now have. I've discovered that the cost of speakers isn't the determining factor of whether you will like them or not. A person can spend thousands and have a speaker that may sound harsh to them. That's another reason why I like my TSI400's, the tweeter is not harsh at all to me. It's very realistic.

domflane

Go with the rti's, theres really no comparison between them and the tsi line. The enclosure is far better and the midrange from the 6.5's will be much better than what you have heard from the tsi. I have a pair of a5's that I got from polk direct and am very happy with them. The sound is full and clear and the construction is fantastic.

BiotypE

Allright, I recieved my A5s with only only one small problem. One of the Grills was cracked in half apparently during shipment. I am sure Polk will offer a replacement grill without too much of a hassle.

I hooked these badboys up and could immediately tell a huge difference in the range of the speakers compared to both my Iq5s and my TSI 300s. The mids and highs are not harsh at all. If I had one complaint it was with the highs on the TSI model, they caused me a little ear fatigue after listening to them.

These A5s are in a completely different league than the TSI300s I owned. The mids are amazingly clear and the midbass goes down low and clear enough to blend in perfecly with my sub at an 80hz crossover. This is something I was missing with both the TSIs and the KefIQ5s. One thing that really caught me off gaurd is how much larger these are compared to the 300s. They weigh about 25-30 pounds more than the 300s and are several inches taller and deeper. Great looking speaker and solid as a rock.

I am not a all what you would consider an audiophile but these sound vastly superior to my ears than the 300s. Great seperation and imaging and they really dont take alot to drive. I am running an Onkyo TXSR706b at 90wpc and I can crank it pretty good with absolute clarity. If you have the money my feelings are it would be a very large upgrade from the tsi line.

Enyas has a few songs that really showcase the clarity of these speakers, I couldn't be more impressed.

cnh

The A5s are definitely the better speaker...I cannot however fully agree that the A5s blow all the TSIs out of the water because the Flagship TSI-500....can probably hold its own against the fives...probably has MORE LOW end...a bit less high end detail but a much 'smoother' balance between high, mids and lows than the A5....I, personally find the extra detail in the A5 tweeter...a bit fatiguiing and irritating for music but great for HT....which is really what this series is for.

If you want something more musical...I'd go A9s, or just jump to the LSI 9s or higher.

cnh

BiotypE

Yeah, I can only compare the a5s to the tsi 300s. So I couldn't really draw comparisons between the larger tsi models and the A5s.

After some tweaking I am liking the A5s more and more. These thing produce a quality in the midrange I have never heard. Amazing.

On a side note: I called polk to see if they could ship me a replacement Grill for the one that broke during shipment and I have NEVER had such a pleasant experience with support. I told him the problem he said "No problem" took my address and said it would arrive at my door in 5 to 7 days. That is outstanding customer support. He also mentioned the A5s sound noticably better after a 60-80 hour break in. Good stuff.

devani

congrats on your new speakers....I had to sell LSi15 because of baby, but i still like my monitor 50's...BTW what source(pre/pro) are you using?

BiotypE

I am a newbie at all of this. I haven't gone the seperate amp route yet. I need to do a ton of research before I even think about picking up a seperate amp/s
Oknyo TXSR706b
A5 fronts
Kef surrounds
Kef iq60 center
H100 sub

I am the process of converting all of my Kefs over to polk which explains the mismatch. My wife can only handle this av hobby in metered doses.

mystik610

BiotypE wrote: »

I am a newbie at all of this. I haven't gone the seperate amp route yet. I need to do a ton of research before I even think about picking up a seperate amp/s
Oknyo TXSR706b
A5 fronts
Kef surrounds
Kef iq60 center
H100 sub

I am the process of converting all of my Kefs over to polk which explains the mismatch. My wife can only handle this av hobby in metered doses.

Adding a separate amp really brought out the mid-range in my RTi8's.....Seamless integration with my VTF-3. The A5's/RTi8's are very easy to drive, but they do benefit quite a lot when you add a separate amp.

cnh

Though most Polk speakers exempting the LSi series are 8 ohm loads and highly efficient....so they can be driven by modest amplification. I have found that even the bookshelf speakers benefit from external amplification, especially for 2 channel listening...you can really hear the speakers open up! But you don't need to do this now....those will run fine off a 706.

cnh

BiotypE

This may be a bit off topic but on the subject of amps. Can you pick up just an amp that handles the front L and R speakers or if you run those through a seperate amp do you need seperate amps for all of the channels. I guess what I am asking is, would it be fine to pick up a two channel amp for the l and r channels and continue to run the center and surrounds off the receiver? Like I said, I am a newbie.

danz1906

stereo01 wrote: »

I really like the sound of my current speakers (TSI400). I'm wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade to the A5 speaker system. The A5 has two 6" woofers instead of the three 5" woofers in my TSI400. Would the 6 inch woofers give me a bigger, wider sound than the three 5" woofers. I think the tweeters are probably the same in both speakers. I see that if I buy the A5 speakers from Crutchfield I get a free subwoofer. That seems like a good deal to me. I just wonder others think who are familiar with the TSI400 and the A5 speaker system.

YES, the A5s are great speakers!

danz1906

BiotypE wrote: »

I am a newbie at all of this. I haven't gone the seperate amp route yet. I need to do a ton of research before I even think about picking up a seperate amp/s
Oknyo TXSR706b
A5 fronts
Kef surrounds
Kef iq60 center
H100 sub

I am the process of converting all of my Kefs over to polk which explains the mismatch. My wife can only handle this av hobby in metered doses.

Welcome to the Club!

A seperate Amp will make a big difference with the A5s.