Monitor60 tower vs Rti Bookshelf

JimmyJanga · September 2010

Debating between getting a set of Monitor60 towers or a set of Rti bookshelfs... what do you recommend?

I heard that getting the Rti would be better... is that true?

I have a Onkyo 608

mystik610 · September 2010

Music or movies?

JimmyJanga · September 2010

Rarely listen to music. Primarily for TV and for games. Planning on upgrading to a 60"+ Plasma... have a 50" now.

JimmyJanga · September 2010

NewEgg has a deal on the Monitor60 Series II, the CS2 center and the PSW10 right now. I just have the RM6750 5 speaker set.

mystik610 · September 2010

JimmyJanga wrote: »

Rarely listen to music. Primarily for TV and for games. Planning on upgrading to a 60"+ Plasma... have a 50" now.

For HT use, I'd personally go for the RTi6's over the Monitor 60's...especially if you're using a sub.

The tweeter and the mid-range on the RTi's are quite a bit more detailed, bringing out the spaciousness and *sparkle* that people tend to look for with home theater sound-tracks.

The only real advantage I see in the Monitor 60 is the lower frequency extension, however, if you're crossing the lower frequencies to a sub-woofer (which in most cases you should for HT), it isn't anything you would benefit from.

The Monitor line is pretty neutral, while the RTi's are on the bright side. Your personal preferences will dictate which is better for you, but generally, a brighter speaker is better for HT, and a neutral/laid-back speaker is better for music.

From a cost standpoint, one thing you need to consider with bookshelves is the price of stands, if you need them.

On the flipside, to truly take advantage of the low frequency extension of the a full-range tower like the Monitor 60's or 70's, a separate amplifier is highly recommended (though not required).

Just a few things to consider!

rooftop59 · September 2010

Well to me clarity is clarity, and the rti series gives you more extended highs, tighter bass, and more airiness in the treble. The monitor towers will give you bigger overall sound, which is nice for HT, and a little more bass and fuller midrange, also advantages. I prefer the rti series, but then again I am more critical when listening to music. You have to decide whats important to you. What I can say for sure is the monitor setup you are looking at will be a HUGE improvement over what you have, and will provide a pleasing HT experience. My only suggestion would be to save your money for the PSW505 or some similar sub (the mirage prestige s10 on vanns.com would be another option). Good luck!
Peace,
Paul

JimmyJanga · September 2010

Awesome, I appreciate the advice. To be honest, I think anything would be better than the speakers I have now! I want something simple (and don't understand some of the things you mentioned... like "crossing lower freq to a sub")

I don't see the RTi6 on Polk's website. Would it be comparable to the A1 or the A3? Or should I look for one used?

What do you recommend in terms of Center and Sub? I have read center should match the front sides.

I've heard that floorstanding speakers are not necessarily as good as a good set of bookshelves.

Thanks for your help!

BTW I'm up in Cypress!

Zeros · September 2010

The RTi6 is comparable to the A3.

rooftop59 · September 2010

[QUOTE(and don't understand some of the things you mentioned... like "crossing lower freq to a sub")

BTW I'm up in Cypress![/QUOTE]

You should look for rti6s and a csi3 or csi5. You could get a pair of rti4s or fxi/3s for surrounds. You will also need a pair of steel fillable stands to get the best sound out of those rti6s, especially bass.

Where is Cypress? There is a GREAT deal in Austin for a full rti setup (rti8 towers, csi5, fxi/3 surrounds, a harman kardon avr 330 (a little older but a good sonic match for the rtis) and a PSW404 for 550! I have been talking to them and was thinking about picking it up, but I wouldn't keep most of it, just part it out and sell it off because its worth more than she's asking. She agree to meet me in Belton if that helps you.

mystik610 · September 2010

JimmyJanga wrote: »

Awesome, I appreciate the advice. To be honest, I think anything would be better than the speakers I have now! I want something simple (and don't understand some of the things you mentioned... like "crossing lower freq to a sub")

In layman's terms, it means filtering out the low (bass) frequencies out of the main speakers, and playing them through the subwoofer.

JimmyJanga wrote: »

I don't see the RTi6 on Polk's website. Would it be comparable to the A1 or the A3? Or should I look for one used?

The RTi6 is discontinued. Buying well kept used gear provides the most value IMO. The RTi A3 is the RTi6 with an (mostly) aesthetic update.

JimmyJanga wrote: »

What do you recommend in terms of Center and Sub? I have read center should match the front sides.

The CSi5 or CSi A6 would be your best bet in terms of a center. Make sure you have room for it though.

As far as the sub goes, it depends on your budget and flexibility in terms of size.

JimmyJanga wrote: »

I've heard that floorstanding speakers are not necessarily as good as a good set of bookshelves.

Thanks for your help!

BTW I'm up in Cypress!

That's a pretty big blanket statement, but isn't necessarily true.

The advantage of towers is the larger enclosure and woofers give them better bass performance, which creates a more seamless soundstage for music. For the high db bass you tend to hear in HT soundtracks, however, you're going to want to utilize a subwoofer.

Ultimately your budget will dictate what's 'best'. For HT, a booshelf with higher quality components is better than a tower with lower quality components from a value perspective.

cnh · September 2010

Get a good sub and the Rti-6s or Rti-A3s. I run the Rti-4s and a sub in my bedroom with an Onkyo TXSR-604 and SURPRISINGLY. In a smaller room...they're not bright at all. And the Rti tweeter gives you a more defined and stronger mid-high end. The Rti bookshelves are actually more musical than most of their big brother towers, (except for the Rti-12s or A9s) IMO.

The 4's sound pretty darned good on the Onkyo! I was pleasantly surprised. The A3s (6s) will give you more bass!

BTW, I have M70s in my main HT system (TXSR-805)

cnh

nhhiep · September 2010

Rti for movies, Mon60 is for music. the bright tweeters in the RTis don't sound good with music. Heck, RT stands for Reference Theater afterall. My friend has Mon70 and i have Rti8 and we both agree to this.
He has a 6 series Onkyo, I have a mid line Sony ES AVR

B Run · September 2010

rooftop59 wrote: »

Where is Cypress? There is a GREAT deal in Austin for a full rti setup (rti8 towers, csi5, fxi/3 surrounds, a harman kardon avr 330 (a little older but a good sonic match for the rtis) and a PSW404 for 550! I have been talking to them and was thinking about picking it up, but I wouldn't keep most of it, just part it out and sell it off because its worth more than she's asking. She agree to meet me in Belton if that helps you.

Sorry man I snagged these this afternoon, just saw your post.

B Run · September 2010

For the record though I got Rti8's last night to replace my monitor 60's, and everything you've read is true, much more detailed and clear highs and a tighter midrange. I'm VERY happy with them. However i was VERY happy with my 60's until i had these so either way i'm sure you'll be happy with your choice.

rooftop59 · September 2010

Glad someone got them. That was a really good deal, and I really didn't need them or have time right now to mess with it. Good to know they stayed in the Polkie family!
Peace,
Paul

Lietuvis91 · September 2010

B Run wrote: »

For the record though I got Rti8's last night to replace my monitor 60's, and everything you've read is true, much more detailed and clear highs and a tighter midrange. I'm VERY happy with them. However i was VERY happy with my 60's until i had these so either way i'm sure you'll be happy with your choice.

which speaker has a wider sound stage though? The 60's have an extra driver over the RTi8s, I wonder if rti8s fill the room the same as the 60's do?!

I ask, because I can tell a distinct difference between my m70s and m60 in the way they fill the room. The sound stage of the 70's is much broader and the sound is much more filling and engulfing relative to the 60's. The 60's just sound like a smaller speaker... I couldn't go to the 60's after hearing the 70's.

Did you notice anything like that going from the 60's to rti8? I know you said they sound better, just curious about the sounds stage difference... if that makes any sense...

PrazVT · September 2010

Makes sense to me. Unless you're getting RTi10s or RTi A7s, sounds like the Monitors would be better suited to music than RTi 8s / A5s.

B Run · September 2010

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

which speaker has a wider sound stage though? The 60's have an extra driver over the RTi8s, I wonder if rti8s fill the room the same as the 60's do?!

I ask, because I can tell a distinct difference between my m70s and m60 in the way they fill the room. The sound stage of the 70's is much broader and the sound is much more filling and engulfing relative to the 60's. The 60's just sound like a smaller speaker... I couldn't go to the 60's after hearing the 70's.

Did you notice anything like that going from the 60's to rti8? I know you said they sound better, just curious about the sounds stage difference... if that makes any sense...

I have a pretty big room and I feel like they do fill it better but I didn't notice a DRASTIC increase in the soundstage. Honestly i'm not an audiophile by any means, nor do I do any critical music listening but i've been listening to music on them nonstop since i picked them up last night and I like the sound they put out. I've never really heard the M70's so it's hard to compare and i'd hate to give you the wrong advice. I know the rti's definitely sound a lot clearer and more distinct on the upper end, but I felt more comfortable cranking my M60's way up, I prefer to listen to these at lower volumes because they are a little brighter. However I haven't had much of a chance to tweak my receiver and get the best sound out of them yet. I can tell you for movies I noticed a huge difference and I forget the rti's are even there. If you're looking mainly for music i'd stick to the Monitors but for 50/50 i'm happy with the Rti's. I am thinking about trading my Yamaha for a Marantz and I think that would make these sound better too.

Lietuvis91 · September 2010

Thats a good rundown of your first impressions, appreciate it!

I asked, because I actually was thinking about setting up a 5.1 rtia bookshelf setup in the bedroom: rti a3, a1, +center and a small sub, probably a dsw 2000. This would be mostly for easy music listening and very limited tv/movies. But what i'm hearing from you about brightness of the speakers makes me want to stick to the monitors. So now I'm thinking going the 2 channel route with either the m70's or the m60. (i'm realizing that having towers as surrounds in the living room is not feasible as a long term solution, so one of the pairs is coming to the bedroom)

mystik610 · September 2010

B Run wrote: »

I have a pretty big room and I feel like they do fill it better but I didn't notice a DRASTIC increase in the soundstage. Honestly i'm not an audiophile by any means, nor do I do any critical music listening but i've been listening to music on them nonstop since i picked them up last night and I like the sound they put out. I've never really heard the M70's so it's hard to compare and i'd hate to give you the wrong advice. I know the rti's definitely sound a lot clearer and more distinct on the upper end, but I felt more comfortable cranking my M60's way up, I prefer to listen to these at lower volumes because they are a little brighter. However I haven't had much of a chance to tweak my receiver and get the best sound out of them yet. I can tell you for movies I noticed a huge difference and I forget the rti's are even there. If you're looking mainly for music i'd stick to the Monitors but for 50/50 i'm happy with the Rti's. I am thinking about trading my Yamaha for a Marantz and I think that would make these sound better too.

I'd look into Harman Kardon

I was running a pair of RTi8's off Harman Kardon gear for a while and it was pure magic. Warm sounding components will tame the highs a bit, and bring a very full, rich mid-range out of the 8's. They'll also sound far less fatiguing.

For HT, the RTi8's are very hard to beat IMO. The Monitor 70's will be stronger in the lower frequencies, which make them a better choice for 2 channel music, but sound comparatively dull in the highs and mids for multi-channel HT.

Lietuvis91 · September 2010

mystik610 wrote: »

The Monitor 70's will be stronger in the lower frequencies, which make them a better choice for 2 channel music, but sound comparatively dull in the highs and mids for multi-channel HT.

My thoughts exactly, which is why my m70s will be going to the 2ch music rig.

B Run · September 2010

mystik610 wrote: »

I'd look into Harman Kardon

I was running a pair of RTi8's off Harman Kardon gear for a while and it was pure magic. Warm sounding components will tame the highs a bit, and bring a very full, rich mid-range out of the 8's. They'll also sound far less fatiguing.

For HT, the RTi8's are very hard to beat IMO. The Monitor 70's will be stronger in the lower frequencies, which make them a better choice for 2 channel music, but sound comparatively dull in the highs and mids for multi-channel HT.

They actually came with a Harmon Kardon receiver but i sold it with my monitors yesterday. It didn't have HDMI support and was only 50wpc, so it was hard to justify getting rid of a 130wpc Yamaha with HDMI support. I know how conservatively HK rates their receivers though. I'm thinking about picking up a newer one and looking in the $650ish price range, which is why i was considering the Marantz 7002 also. I've never heard a single negative thing about Harmon Kardon and that's saying something. I've already tried onkyo, denon, yamaha and pioneer so might as well haha. Thanks for the advice i appreciate it.

Monitor60 tower vs Rti Bookshelf

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