About to buy some Polk speakers, a few questions

dfn

Hi,

First post here. I am about to purchase some Polk speakers after auditioning a few different pairs.

I've decided on the following:

Fronts: Polk RTi A3 ($330 CDN)
Center: Polk CSi A6 ($350 CDN)
Rear: Polk FXi A4 ($350 CDN)

Total: $1030 CDN, might be getting it for ~$900 CDN

For the Center, the CSi A4 is $330 CDN - I thought the A6 is a good deal, but is it worth it? Am I compromising the sound too much or is it close enough to the RTi A3?

For the Rear... I could go with another pair of A3s right? I don't know if I want to save 20 or not, heh.

My plan is this: buy them, bring them home, compare them to my current HT speakers (Mirage 190is/avs 100/90is/PS-8 sub). If I like them better, they become my main HT speakers and the Mirage speakers become my desktop speakers. Otherwise, the Polks become my desktop speakers. Now, before I test them, can my receiver, a Pioneer VSX-05, even 'drive' these Polks decently? If not, it won't be a fair test?

Overall, given the amount of money I'm spending, am I getting a deal or is this an average price?

I'd appreciate any feedback. Thank you.

wutadumsn23

Hey dfn, welcome to Club Polk!! I am no expert when it comes to the RTi line, but from what other peeps here have said, you made a good choice!! The RTi's are a great sounding speaker, that isn't overly hard to drive at the same time. I usually recommend the biggest, baddest center your budget can afford, esp. if you are going to be using it for HT. Both the A4 and A6 will work and for only an extra $20, I can't see the harm in the A6. Have heard good things about the FXi surrounds too, but another set of A3's would work too. The FXi's IMHO are a better choice because they are specifically designed for surround duty. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

-Jeff

Toolfan66

Go pick these up and be done, for $1300 you can't beat this deal.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89128&page=2

superjunior

I don't think Leroy wants to ship, but what a sweet deal that is. anyhow welcome to club polk dfn. yes your sc-05 will drive those speekers nicely. for the little extra coin - go with the a6, if you ever upgrade your fronts you'll be glad you did. and as Jeff mentioned above, the fxis are awesome surrounds.

ViperZ

You'd want the drivers in the center to be the same as the drivers in the mains (ideally). Perfectly matching the mains with the center really makes a difference.
Regarding surrounds, IMHO, you need a proper room to get the real surround effect out of those bipolar/dipolar speakers. I ended up selling my RT/FX rears and buying a pair of regular 2-way speakers for rears.

hearingimpared

Welcome to Club Polk dfn!

packetjones

I had the A3's and the A4 center and was happy with it. I could not fit the A6 in the cabinet or i would have went with it. If size is not an issue i would go with the A6 for sure, especially for only 20 more.

I have no experience with the FXI's but if the focus is HT i would say they are a great choice. If it is more for multi-channel music i would recommend a second pair of A3's for surround duty. Either way i think the RTi series is a great place to start with Polk's. enjoy the purchase and welcome.

dfn

Thanks for the welcome (and the replies).

My budget already balooned from $500 CDN to $1k + receiver and sub. I am not currently ready to make the jump to $1300, especially with shipping costs. In fact, I missed out on a lot of great deals because I live in Canada. The prices here are generally higher, and shipping from US sites costs a lot of money.

Good to know I can go with either the FXi A4 or RTi A3 for surrounds. I think I'll go with FXi A4 since I do not plan on listening to any multi-channel music. I've got 30 days to test them and return anything for a full refund, I just wanted to potentially avoid the hassle, heh.

Thanks again.