Just bought rti12's refurbished to start?

JohnCWillis

I just bought the cherry rti12's refurbished on polk's ebay store as my first set of speakers ever and I am planning on buying a VSX-21THX pioneer receiver with 110w per channel and bi-amp capable. I was originally going to only purchase tsi400's, tsi100's, and i already own a cs10 that just came in the mail. Will the cs10 work with these speakers? (the tweeters and mids are very similar to the rti12's)

also if I went with tsi200's for surround and leave the cs10 center and bi-amp the rti12's will it sound great? I am very new to the hobby but have read here and there about timber matching your speakers. I really love the look of the TSi series and do not like the silver fronts of the rti6's or CSi5. Thanks and glad my friend introduced me to polk!

edit: i also bought the yamaha sw-315 250w 10" subwoofer when i bought the cs10 on sale.

DeusExa

Don't know about the CS10, but the CSi5 is a perfect match for the RTi12s.

Before I let go of the 12s I has one heck of a time with movies. You're going to love the punchy dynamics that they have.

JohnCWillis

can you direct me in a good direction for a diagram and wiring forum? I can not find anything on preamp, amps, and wiring it. I havent heard em yet but they handle close to 500w and i would like to push them more than 100w with amping and preamping (in the furture). thanks for the info

organ

There's only one way to hear if the center works. Since you already have it, try it.

With bi-amping, you can do that for the time being. My Pioneer Elite does that too and it helps. But to get the most out of your 12's, connect them to a seperate amp. You should be running your mains as 'large' with them. Keep the center and surrounds on 'small'.

Congrats on the purchase. Enjoy!

JohnCWillis

ya sucks i wont have the new receiver for another 2 weeks. what amps do you recommend?

organ

Looks like our post came up at the same time. The wiring diagram in the instruction book should be very clear. YOu're looking in the right direction by wanting to go seperates. It's a big step from a receiver. But try to enjoy it for what it is first:).

organ

Ah, I thought you already had the receiver. As for brands of amplifiers, there are so many good ones to choose from. What's your budget? If you go used, you can get some really killer stuff. Good starter and affordable amps can be found by NAD, Rotel, Parasound and Adcom to name a few.

JohnCWillis

my budget on an amp at the moment will probably be close to $400 tops right now. if i bi-amp them will the lpf be for just the 7" woofers and the hpf will be for the mids and tweeter?

organ

If you plan to buy used, $400 will get you a great amp.
I'm not sure what you mean by lpf and hpf, but I'm sure you're referring to the top and bottom binding posts on your speakers. First you have to remove the jumpers that connect the two sections. The top set is for the mid and tweeter while the bottom set for the woofers.

You should wait until the receiver arrives because the instruction book will tell you how. I'm not sure if it's the same configuration as mine. I can bi-amp only IF I run 5.1 instead of 7.1 The receiver sends another L&R signals to the 'surround back' outputs. Not sure how bi-amping is achieved with your model. Have you checked the website to see if there's a downloadable instruction book?

dorokusai

That's a great loudspeaker....nothing like a speaker with a bunch of woofers

organ

Agreed:). You don't even need a sub for 2ch listening with those.

JohnCWillis

see i was going to spend $600 straight up for tsi400s but when i saw these on ebay for $699 shipped i couldnt resist.. The RtiA9 is THE sexiest speaker i have ever laid eyes on in my last few month obsession. i started getting into the research and i might invest in an old carver tfm-45 (375wpc 2ch) or a gfa555. even the carver tfm-35x is rated at 250wpc. I have never listened to a loud home audio setup but from what i can muster; anything over 150w in a moderate living room is way too kickass. still, being a newly turned 21yo, i must push my luck I will try bi-amping first and see if they have enough power for my living arrangement.

JohnCWillis

xcapri they were on polks ebay site ending tomorrow and i had been watching them the last few days. definitely jumped the gun as now my whole system wont match in one way or another. Im going to go with fxia4's for the surround since polk has a lot of cheap refurbs that are a better price than even a set of new tsi200's

cnh

xcapri79 wrote: »

Welcome to Club Polk. Nice purchase too.
I had been looking for a pair of cherry RTi12's for some time now, lucky you.
The RTi12 cherry finish is not too common anymore. The cherry CSi5 isn't too common anymore either.
When were they available on Polk Direct?
The CSi5 or CSiA6 would be the matching center for your RTi12's.
Try the CS10 with the RTi12's and determine for yourself if you like the sound.
If you don't like the silver fronts, then you should consider the newer RTiA series.
The beauty of the RTiA series is that they have a real wood finish which the TSi series doesn't have.

Your ideas on an external amp are right on. The RTi12's do sound better with more available power.
Good luck with your setup.

I've seen TSI-400s,500s in China with 'real' wood finishes in cherry..not the glossy kind like the Rtis but a flat finish and they look really nice. Must be custom made?

cnh

dorokusai

Some models are changed depending on where they are being sold.

JohnCWillis

does anyone have experience with the carver tfm-45? I love that its 375wpc and available used for around $400-500. thanks

rcrook317

i own those exact speakers and they rock!i just added an amp and it is smoking!
ENJOY

Ron Temple

JohnCWillis wrote: »

does anyone have experience with the carver tfm-45? I love that its 375wpc and available used for around $400-500. thanks

Many of us use that amp. It's a great amp for RTis in my opinion.

dekuda

I have the Rti12's with a Carver TFM 35X and they sound great.More than enough power for these and I have no desire to go to a higher model. I also tried biamping them off of my Yamaha V2600(130w/ch) and decided to go with the Carver amp and that for me made these speakers come to life! Not to start another uproar here but also make sure to get some good speaker wires. Never was a speaker wire cable believer untill I hooked these babies up to AQ 4's and wow. These speakers are wonderful with the correct amp and cables

JohnCWillis

haha on the subject of wire, i might experiment someday. My dad and brother are both electrical engineers (im majoring in mechanical), but for now they have explained the science behind wires and on paper it is a scam. now i understand in real life people say there is a difference which is why i am willing to experiment but for now i will go with a good quality general 12ga wire that i can buy in a large spool. thanks for the input on TFM-35x. i will most likely go to that after bi-amping fails (and from what i hear it will lol).

JohnCWillis

just bought an adcom gfa-555 off here to run them. Adcom seemed to be more reliable and cleaner sounding than the carver (from what people have told me) and now I am just waiting... does anyone have experience with the adcoms and rti12s? The guy i bought them from said he had them hooked up and they were an awesome combo. any other experiences?

Ron Temple

JohnCWillis wrote: »

just bought an adcom gfa-555 off here to run them. Adcom seemed to be more reliable and cleaner sounding than the carver (from what people have told me) and now I am just waiting...

Not with RTis, but I've had the 555 here for a few months. It's a tad forward for my tastes. I prefer laid back Carver, but taste's vary. Good luck...the Adcom is still a fine amp.

dekuda

JohnCWillis wrote: »

just bought an adcom gfa-555 off here to run them. Adcom seemed to be more reliable and cleaner sounding than the carver (from what people have told me) and now I am just waiting... does anyone have experience with the adcoms and rti12s? The guy i bought them from said he had them hooked up and they were an awesome combo. any other experiences?

With those speakers I would have stuck with a Carver amp like I have now or maybe a Parasound amp. These RTi's are a little bright and you want to tame them down a little with those amps. In fact, I have been looking for some time for a older Parasound HCA to see what they sound like on my RTI12's. Hard to find for a good price.

dekuda

JohnCWillis wrote: »

haha on the subject of wire, i might experiment someday. My dad and brother are both electrical engineers (im majoring in mechanical), but for now they have explained the science behind wires and on paper it is a scam. now i understand in real life people say there is a difference which is why i am willing to experiment but for now i will go with a good quality general 12ga wire that i can buy in a large spool. thanks for the input on TFM-35x. i will most likely go to that after bi-amping fails (and from what i hear it will lol).

I am not a engineer that can describe to you the theory on cables.And believe me I was not a believer. What I do know is that when I upgraded my speaker cables and my interconnects from my receiver to my Carver I could not believe it and I was so glad I did. Scam or not,no one needs to convince me. BTW, Monoprice haves a good price on good 12gauge wire

JohnCWillis

im rocking 16ga THX monster cable (got a 100ft roll for $35 shipped) and some cheap gold looking banana plugs. everything is working OK and honestly, as this being my first HT setup, I am thoroughly impressed. I will play around with cables I am sure.

So my Onkyo SR876 is in BTL (bridged transless) mode for my RTI12s rated at 210wpc driven. Does everyone agree this dedicated 200wpc amp will deliver more stable on demand power to the three woofers?

I was also considering letting the SR876 power the mids/tweeters with 140wpc while the adcom runs the subwoofers. Any comments on this setup? or if it can even be done considering I would have to set the receiver to bi-amp mode and somehow get the pre-outs set to the low and the receiver power terminals to the highs.

Thanks again!

dekuda

JohnCWillis wrote: »

im rocking 16ga THX monster cable (got a 100ft roll for $35 shipped) and some cheap gold looking banana plugs. everything is working OK and honestly, as this being my first HT setup, I am thoroughly impressed. I will play around with cables I am sure.

So my Onkyo SR876 is in BTL (bridged transless) mode for my RTI12s rated at 210wpc driven. Does everyone agree this dedicated 200wpc amp will deliver more stable on demand power to the three woofers?

I was also considering letting the SR876 power the mids/tweeters with 140wpc while the adcom runs the subwoofers. Any comments on this setup? or if it can even be done considering I would have to set the receiver to bi-amp mode and somehow get the pre-outs set to the low and the receiver power terminals to the highs.

Thanks again!

I have not had alot of success biamping these speakers and alot of other Polkies have said the same.Originally I tried biamping with my 130wpc Yammie.Then I got a external amp.Yes,I believe running a good external amp will definately make a differance. When I forget to turn my Carver amp on(does not have 12v trigger)I can definately tell and then remind myself to turn the amp on and then my RTi's come to life.I run my center(CSI5) and rears off my receiver and they are fine. These RTi12's are monsters and like more power. Remember all the drivers in these that you are trying to drive.Let me know if you are running the 12's at small or large mode in your setup. I have been going back and forth for about a month now and ended up leaving them in small mode . It sounds a little better with the mids and highs and alot of my low bass(below 60hz) is being handled by my two Mirage subs that go down to 20HZ.