RTiA5's for HT

Murray1

Getting a new pair for under $450. Also a floor model CSiA6 center for super cheap. I have read some of the threads and am concerned about the brightness of the A5 speakers. We will use mostly for HT. I thought the A9's were bright and am wondering how the A5's compare. Santa is coming tomorrow so I need your comments asap. Thanks everyone.

cnh

A5s are brighter..but that can be controlled by what kind of AVR you use....Harman Kardons and Marantz are 'warmer'--will take some of that away...and as you say it does NOT matter for HT....

Have you also checked out the Polk ebay site....I've seen both the A5s and the previous RTi-8s sell for less than 400 a pair there? See link above!

cnh

Murray1

Any particular Harman Kardon or Marantz models to look at? I checked out HK website and it seems like they do not put out much power. I do not want to add an amp to my system.

leroyjr1

Murray1 wrote: »

Any particular Harman Kardon or Marantz models to look at? I checked out HK website and it seems like they do not put out much power. I do not want to add an amp to my system.

HK's put out enough power for the A5's so no external amp will be needed.

packetjones

I have a HK and had the same concerns about power. Here is a thread i started about it with some great opinions.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87913

Nypolker

leroyjr1 wrote: »

HK's put out enough power for the A5's so no external amp will be needed.

not needed, but recommended though.

danz1906

cnh wrote: »

A5s are brighter..but that can be controlled by what kind of AVR you use....Harman Kardons and Marantz are 'warmer'--will take some of that away...and as you say it does NOT matter for HT....

Have you also checked out the Polk ebay site....I've seen both the A5s and the previous RTi-8s sell for less than 400 a pair there? See link above!

cnh

I also thought that the A5s were a lil on the bright side.

domflane

I have the A5's and use an HK AVR345 to power them and they don't sound bright at all. 75 WPC makes them sound really good, but I'm still looking for a Carver amp to power them. With my PSW650, they sound really good for music and are great for HT and gaming.

mystik610

I have the RTi8's (RTi A5's, with a different cabinet), and played fine through my Onkyo receiver by itself. The A5's are pretty efficient, but if you want to really unlock their potential, I'd add a separate amp. The A5's have a very detailed tweeter, which make them a good choice for home theater...the downside is that they can sound a bit bright. After adding a separate amp (an HK amp actually) and upgrading the speaker cables and interconnects (audioquest), the mid-ranged filled out, the bass is much punchier, and the speakers sound fuller overall. The other day I watched The Hang Over on blu-ray and went though the whole movie without notcing that my wife had unplugged my subwoofer. Granted the hang-over doesn't utilize the LFE channel very often, but the soundtrack did have some bassy moments that were handled very well through the 8's alone.

As efficient as the A5's are, it seems you need some power to get the mid-bass drivers to match the output and detail of the tweets. That's probably why so many people find the Rti8's and A5's bright...without being fed enough power, the speakers will very heavily bias the tweeters, and make them sound brighter. The mid-range on those A5's are niiiiice, and they really have the potential to match the clarity and detail of the tweeters.

As for HK gear....they do rate their stuff very conservatively. If an HK avr puts claims 75 watts per channel, that's 75 watts RMS, from each channel driven. Comparatively, if an Onkyo claims 90 watts per channel, that's 90 watts with 2 channels driven.....equivalent to about 30 watts per channel with 5 channels driven. For an easy comparison, pick up an Onkyo/Yamaha/Denon AVR and compare it to the weight of an HK. HK gear is HEAVY.