Managing RTI A9 "Brightness"?

daveark

Depressed over the Cowboys getting killed by Farve so I decided to focus on something a bit more pleasant.

I recently upgraded the downstairs system with A9s.They haven't had time to break in yet so it is too early to tell if they will change some over time but initially I understand the comment some have made about RTIs being vivid or bright. I actually like them as they are but I decided to play with the old Carver 5 channel amp I have to see if I could moderate the "brightness" if I want to. I removed the jumpers, bi-amped them and then dropped the amp level to the high section by about 10%. It definitely softens the sound. I don't know If I will ultimately leave the output for the high section turned down or not but I like the control the Carver amp gives me while I play with an SPL meter and work on figuring out what I like best. I plan to upgrade the amp at some point but being able to adjust the output level by channel just became a feature I might require going forward. Anything wrong with the approach?

Krazyz1

Polk told me a MINIMUM of 80hrs. break in time. They said the suspension on the woofers are so stiff it takes that long for them to free up and really make any sound. To speed things up I would load up 5 CD's before going shopping and let it play while I was gone.Don't get me wrong , the A9's sound good after break in and mine are about 2 years old and keep sounding better. I just recently added 2 DSW PRO 400 subs.They really fill in the blanks. Vast total sound improvement adding the subs. I'm using a Rotel preamp that has 2 outputs. So I use 1 set to drive the Rotel RB-1090 and the other outputs so I have a TRUE R. & L. sub. Works out fantastic!.

sTiLlLeArNiNg

Wonder if anyone is workin' on crossover mod's for these? Maybe some kind of attenuator's like for car audio? When listening to music i find i have to back the treble WAY down to keep my ear's in check I listen at EXTREMELY high volume level's

I use a HTPC as my source and i have a pretty good feature set with my sound card but i like to run the EQ "flat", i also i have a "decent" EQ on my AVR but again i like to run the EQ "flat"

Think cable's could make a difference? I run HDMI from HTPC to AVR so the one's in question would be from AVR to AMP

concealer404

Cables could help...

OP, let them break in some. They may just not be the speaker for you.

Stilllearning... cables aren't going to make the difference you sound like you need. Think about what your setup is. You don't have a single piece of "warm" gear in your setup. Not one.

Face

Give SignalCable interconnects and speaker cables a try, I found them both on the warm side.

concealer404

Face wrote: »

Give SignalCable interconnects and speaker cables a try, I found them both on the warm side.

This.

I'll also throw Audioquest Sidewinders in the mix, but can't comment personally on their speaker cables.

I think signalcable is cheaper though? I'd probably start there with experimenting.

sTiLlLeArNiNg

concealer404 wrote: »

Stilllearning... cables aren't going to make the difference you sound like you need. Think about what your setup is. You don't have a single piece of "warm" gear in your setup. Not one.

Keep in mind i am talking about listening at VERY high volume level's, at lower/normal level's they are fine, IMHO of course

My AVR is actually very neutral but the xpa1's are a lil' on the "forward" side (not very good with audio lingo) they don't add a bunch to the sound (coloration???) but i think they do present the audio in that manner

The RTi A9's are definately more suited to HT use as opposed to music but i'm not in a posistion to replace them right now I was thinking maybe swapping a resistor or cap on the Xover might do the trick

Face wrote: »

Give SignalCable interconnects and speaker cables a try, I found them both on the warm side.

I'll keep my eye's open for some deal's, hopefully i have the fund's at the time....

I would think that there would be more benefit from swapping IC's as opposed to the speaker cable's themselve's?

Another option i may have is: On my sound card (Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3) there are user swappable OPAMP's, could using different one's get me a lil' more on the "warm" side of thing's considering it is my "source"?

Toolfan66

Polk should just sell better tweeters for the RTi line, with that said Signal or AQ will work great.

concealer404

sTiLlLeArNiNg wrote: »

Keep in mind i am talking about listening at VERY high volume level's, at lower/normal level's they are fine, IMHO of course

My AVR is actually very neutral but the xpa1's are a lil' on the "forward" side (not very good with audio lingo) they don't add a bunch to the sound (coloration???) but i think they do present the audio in that manner

The RTi A9's are definately more suited to HT use as opposed to music but i'm not in a posistion to replace them right now I was thinking maybe swapping a resistor or cap on the Xover might do the trick



I'll keep my eye's open for some deal's, hopefully i have the fund's at the time....

I would think that there would be more benefit from swapping IC's as opposed to the speaker cable's themselve's?

Another option i may have is: On my sound card (Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3) there are user swappable OPAMP's, could using different one's get me a lil' more on the "warm" side of thing's considering it is my "source"?

Gotcha. What you're hearing is sibilance more than likely, though. Any number of things could cause it, or a combination. I doubt it's the crossovers. Likely the tweets themselves, your amps, and using an AVR istead of a dedicated preamp. I haven't had a receiver through here that could hold a candle to even entry-ish-level dedicated pres.

The sound card opamp idea could help... what kind of costs are we talking about for that, though? (I'm out of the loop on PCs, i didn't even realize that anything of the sort existed)

sTiLlLeArNiNg

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

Polk should just sell better tweeters for the RTi line, with that said Signal or AQ will work great.

That would be AWESOME and save me some grief! It seem's like Polk like's to use very "high" tweet's as i see quite a bit of people doing the tweet mod to older Polk's

concealer404 wrote: »

Gotcha. What you're hearing is sibilance more than likely, though. Any number of things could cause it, or a combination. I doubt it's the crossovers. Likely the tweets themselves, your amps, and using an AVR istead of a dedicated preamp. I haven't had a receiver through here that could hold a candle to even entry-ish-level dedicated pres.

The sound card opamp idea could help... what kind of costs are we talking about for that, though? (I'm out of the loop on PCs, i didn't even realize that anything of the sort existed)

The hole only get's deeper! lol not sure about the OPAMP's as i haven't really looked into them as of yet but i know the option is there

So swapping cap's/resistor's on the Xover won't help?

Face

Which version do you have? My Xonar only has HDMI and coax out, so it's only being used as a transport. The digital going to my Peachtree Nova for 2 channel, and HDMI going to my receiver for HT and gaming.

IMO, I/C's can have more of an influence on sound than speaker cables, but YMMV.

Face

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

Polk should just sell better tweeters for the RTi line, with that said Signal or AQ will work great.

I found nothing wrong with them for HT.

sTiLlLeArNiNg wrote: »

So swapping cap's/resistor's on the Xover won't help?

It can. I would check out Claritycaps, they would have good synergy with what you're trying to achieve.

leroyjr1

Face wrote: »

I found nothing wrong with them for HT.
It can. I would check out Claritycaps, they would have good synergy with what you're trying to achieve.

+1 for HT they're not bad, it's when you get into higher volumes when listening to music. My MIT cables made a big difference, it made the tweeter a lot smoother. I didn't notice the difference until I put my monster cables back on.

Murray1

I was fortunate to demo Polk RTiA speakers using different receivers before I purchased. Ended up purchasing A'5 along with an HK 3600 avr. Receiver softens the sound compared to other avr's. For those shopping, try to demo your speaker choice with your avr choice before purchase if possible.

leroyjr1

xcapri79 wrote: »

I forgot about the X-curve attenuation on the SC-07. -1.0db seems to do the trick.
The RTi12's sound much better playing the Beatles.

The X-CURVE makes a big difference getting rid of the brightness. The EQ is also a nice feature on the SC-07

sTiLlLeArNiNg

Face wrote: »

Which version do you have? My Xonar only has HDMI and coax out, so it's only being used as a transport. The digital going to my Peachtree Nova for 2 channel, and HDMI going to my receiver for HT and gaming.

IMO, I/C's can have more of an influence on sound than speaker cables, but YMMV.

I have the Xonar HDAV 1.3 and i'm using only the HDMI, maybe i should pick up an optical/coax cable and see if there is a difference? At the moment i only have an AVR so

I thought IC's played more of a part in it, as of right now i'm using Emotiva X-series

leroyjr1 wrote: »

+1 for HT they're not bad, it's when you get into higher volumes when listening to music.

Agreed, for HT they are totally awesome but when listening to 2ch music at "reference" :rolleyes: level's they can get a lil' annoying

xcapri79 wrote: »

I forgot about the X-curve attenuation on the SC-07. -1.0db seems to do the trick.
The RTi12's sound much better playing the Beatles.

I've been playing with the EQ on my AVR but i can't seem to get it right, maybe i need an SPL meter? I could probably benefit from some room "treatment's" but i just don't have the extra cash right now

IMHO it seem's cheaper to play around with the Xover, provided i could get the right info on what to use....

Quality321

What made a huge amount of change for me was when I added a NAD amp for each of my front speakers.. They introduced a laid back sound on the top end, and brings alot of control to the sound stage... It was a great investment for these speakers... I am very pleased with what NAD deliver...

ken brydson

5 year old thread dude. Most of these guys are long gone...

mantis

Agreed.
It is interesting that people would buy a said pair of speakers only to try and figure out how to fix them.

tonyb

mantis wrote: »

Agreed.
It is interesting that people would buy a said pair of speakers only to try and figure out how to fix them.

I don't know if "fixing them" is the right terminology Dan. Maybe "tailoring the sound" ? Lots of people buy speakers, and gear, without hearing them first. Then you have the room issues too. I think more so people just try and get to a point where everything synergizes to their liking. Which isn't as easy as it sounds.

msg

side question/comment - I've never really understood what's proper etiquette - post a new question and be told to do a search, or do a search, not have your question answered, and add to the old post and be told the post is old. well, then what? does the age matter of a thread matter if the contributing material is relevant? Is it better to sprawl with a new thread?

mantis

msg wrote: »

side question/comment - I've never really understood what's proper etiquette - post a new question and be told to do a search, or do a search, not have your question answered, and add to the old post and be told the post is old. well, then what? does the age matter of a thread matter if the contributing material is relevant? Is it better to sprawl with a new thread?

I find no issues at all in posting your questions even if it's been answered 100 times before. Sometimes the Search doesn't turn up what your looking for unless a member directs you to a thread that answers your exact question.
There's honestly so many things to talk about in the world of AV. A lot of us been around in here for decades and probably seen just about every possible question.
I say feel completely free to start a thread and ask away.

ken brydson

msg wrote: »

side question/comment - I've never really understood what's proper etiquette - post a new question and be told to do a search, or do a search, not have your question answered, and add to the old post and be told the post is old. well, then what? does the age matter of a thread matter if the contributing material is relevant? Is it better to sprawl with a new thread?

No problem with asking a question on an old thread but answering one when the OP is long gone is kinda irritating...

Hermitism

kevintomb wrote: »

A reflective room or a very well absorbing room will often tilt the balance one way or another.

↑ ↑ This ↑ ↑

I built two inch and four inch panels in my room and moved them around a lot to get a sense of what they could actually do. Just two inch panels on the side walls can do wonders in a small room to reduce brightness. Money very well spent and a great compliment to RTi speakers for music.

tonyb

Now if we can only get the dude to drink decent beer, we may have to let him inside the "circle of influence".

gp4jesus

sTiLlLeArNiNg wrote: »

So swapping cap's/resistor's on the Xover won't help?

Don't rule out XO component upgrades. "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link." The existing components are CHEAP! $100K in electronics, cables, & ICs can't get around this fact.

THE first thing the 'A7/9 or CSi A6 owner raves: "the brightness is gone!" So I believe it's likely as, if not more, worth it than nearly any other change or upgrade w/a comparatively low price tag to boot.