Polk RTi A9 - Horrible Demo

[Me Tarzan]

Had to run into Fry's today and I remembered they sold Polk Audio and carried the RTi A9 so I headed to the demo room to check them out. They look smaller in person. They had 3 brands of speakers, Polk, JBL and Klipsch each in their own little area and each being powered by an Onkyo TX NR3009. I know nothing about the Onkyo and maybe neither did the kid running the demo. I am hoping since the Onkyo is a 9.2 receiver that maybe he didn't have it set for 2 channel playback because these speakers sounded awful. Very thin sounding and very fatiguing. I think he cranked up the Onkyo all the way and I could still carry on a conversation. The we listened to the RF-7's and they sounded noticeably better but still what I would consider terrible. I have read nothing but rave reviews on the A9's, people going on about how much bass they have and you don't even need a sub. If I bought a pair they would be for 2 channel listening only. I have a couple pairs of speakers already that blow doors on the A9's and was hoping for a major upgrade. Are they designed for theater only? Are the reviewers I read easily satisfied? Is the Onkyo anemic? Anyone heard these speakers with proper power? What's the deal?

 

[rifftrax]

Fry's typically has everything setup wrong. Just a general rule. I used to work there. It was a bit of a nightmare really...

 

[Me Tarzan]

I hope you are right. I did not expect them to sound so thin. Could have been out of phase even. Hope to hear them again under proper conditions one day soon. But where...

 

[GregDunn]

I listened to some new Polks (one of the RTi models, can't remember which) in a home setting and was not impressed. Very harsh sounding midrange, no imaging. They were plenty loud though!

 

[Me Tarzan]

I listened to some new Polks (one of the RTi models, can't remember which) in a home setting and was not impressed. Very harsh sounding midrange, no imaging. They were plenty loud though!

It had to be the HT receiver or improperly hooked up because max volume wasn't even close to my listening level but the sound was as you described. Would still like to give them a try but pretty much moved on in my speaker quest. It sounds easy to get a nice pair of speakers for around 2K but it is anything but! :sigh: Klipsch RF-7 II with B-grade veneer are next on the list, but won't be going to Fry's to audition those.

 

[canuckaudiog]

In all honesty I was never happy with anything from the new lines of Polk, except for the LSI's. However YMMV. Personally I just didn't like the raspy midrange they produce. The bass was a little boomy I found as well. Highs were a little on the tinny side but as you move up in the RTI line they get softer and more transparent. Again though for me it's the midrange - throwing all those woofers in a cabinet didn't seem to do a lot of good for that!

 

[Me Tarzan]

Never been a true Polk fan myself but I have a small pair of bookshelf Polks that sound great with my little tube amp. That and the raving reviews got me interested. Glad I just didn't blindly order a pair. But I do think they must have been done an injustice in the setting I heard. I mean the reviews couldn't be as wrong as what I witnessed.

 

[62caddy]

Just bought a pair of RTiA9s. Couldn't be more pleased. Primarily listen to classical at moderate levels. A very balanced presentation overall with no discernable bumps/dips in the response curve. Just for kicks I threw at them a disco version of "Also Sprach Zarathrustra" on an LP of 2010 movie soundtrack. *Note: This is not the same as the jazz-style version of the same work in the movie Being There. What can I say, but the A9 can take a boatload of power, deliver thunderous rock-solid deep bass and ask for more.

I can't account for the experience you've had with them in the store except to say that my experience is/continues to be completely the opposite. Contrary to what many feel, this is not a speaker that needs a lot of power to get it going. 10 watts is all I can stand in my environment. YMMV.

Amplification from McIntosh MC 2125 (120 wpc); preamp outs from MAC 4300 receiver.

 

[Zonker92]

That's one thing that drives me nuts about AV receivers: No matter how I tinker with the controls, I always have a nagging feeling that the receiver is processing and messing up the sound. I like the "direct" buttons that bypass the processors, but even then I sometimes wonder ...

On the one we have in our TV room, sometimes the settings will get changed and the sound will be really muffled, but I won't notice for a while. Then I mess with it and the sound improves dramatically.

 

[RobRoy]

Fry's typically has everything setup wrong. Just a general rule. I used to work there. It was a bit of a nightmare really...

I would not be surprised if one pair was out of phase.

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Just bought a pair of RTiA9s. Couldn't be more pleased. Primarily listen to classical at moderate levels. A very balanced presentation overall with no discernable bumps/dips in the response curve. Just for kicks I threw at them a disco version of "Also Sprach Zarathrustra" on an LP of 2010 movie soundtrack. *Note: This is not the same as the jazz-style version of the same work in the movie Being There. .

I love the version that was in "Being There" (I love that movie). One of the greatest uses of music in a motion picture. I tried for like 20 years to find out who did that song, and it wasn't until the internet that I learned who Eumir Deodato was. I have a bunch of his stuff now. I like "Deodato II" as much as "Prelude". The original CD versions are among the most-dynamic I've ever heard (I don't know if they remastered his catalog or not since the original pressings).

 

[62caddy]

I love the version that was in "Being There" (I love that movie). One of the greatest uses of music in a motion picture. I tried for like 20 years to find out who did that song, and it wasn't until the internet that I learned who Eumir Deodato was. I have a bunch of his stuff now. I like "Deodato II" as much as "Prelude". The original CD versions are among the most-dynamic I've ever heard (I don't know if they remastered his catalog or not since the original pressings).

Love Being There too. :thmbsp: Great use of the tune when sheltered Chauncey experiences the big bad world for the first time.

The movie was also my inspiration to visit Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. What a place! But that's another story...

 

[Zach S.]

I don't know about this specific model Polk speaker but I can say this, I used to enjoy monster wattage and huge thunderous bass in my car and home when I was younger. I have smartened up some as I have added some years. I am a huge Polk fan. I haven't heard a speaker they have produced that has sounded sub par. I'm sure there are some that aren't as great as others and maybe even a few crappy models, but I would suggest not just giving up on them yet. They probably wont carry the best bass but polks tend to have such a warm rich sound... That is what I cant get enough of.

 

[Van73]

The A9's are a fantastic speaker. You cannot properly drive them with the digital amps sold at Fry's. They need good, clean, raw power. Hell, the RTi8's have great Bass and that is RTi's low end. I would try again.

Best Buy and Fry's wonder why they are going under.....

 

[cnh2]

The A9's are a fantastic speaker. You cannot properly drive them with the digital amps sold at Fry's. They need good, clean, raw power. Hell, the RTi8's have great Bass and that is RTi's low end. I would try again.

Best Buy and Fry's wonder why they are going under.....

Absolutely true. The Rti-A9s are the most POWER hungry of that series. Good luck trying to hear what they "should" sound like on ANY receiver. You need a good deal of power. At least 200 watts, even more before you'll hear the slamming bass and the detailed high end!

Almost no one over at the Polk site runs those without a good power amp behind them!

Are there better? Sure. But the Polks are by no means bad or even ordinary.

cnh2

 

[Me Tarzan]

I am planning on powering whatever speakers I decide on with an Emotiva XPA-2. I don't have the amp yet but that is what I keep in mind when researching speakers. The Polks really are more in my price range but I still have to sell a motorcycle before I buy anything. Could swing the RF-7 II's and may go that route. So many to choose from. KEF Q900. Salk Song Tower. Polk. Klipsch. I have time to mull it all over but am not happy with current setup and getting jumpy.

 

[62caddy]

Absolutely true. The Rti-A9s are the most POWER hungry of that series. Good luck trying to hear what they "should" sound like on ANY receiver. You need a good deal of power. At least 200 watts, even more before you'll hear the slamming bass and the detailed high end! cnh2

Hmmm. I wouldn't say they're exactly "power hungry" but will accept lots of power without distorting. 10 watts of clean power can produce thunderous bass, as well as detailed highs & mids - depending on material.

Almost no one over at the Polk site runs those without a good power amp behind them!

Are there better? Sure. But the Polks are by no means bad or even ordinary.

cnh2

The boys over there have some very simplistic ideas on the whole power-needed issue. Given the wattage obsession so many of the Polkies over there, I wonder how much of their hearing they still have...:scratch2:

Having recently heard a pair of $45,000 speakers, I wonder where the extra $44,000 went. The Polk RTiA9s are by no means "ordinary" IMHO- Agreed 100%.

 

[nokian93]

I have a pair of polk rti a7's in my home theater system, dont use them for anything else, well other than when i have a party at my house or something like that. They are certainly not meant for 2 ch audio listening, but they do wonders for my home theater set up!!!!!!

 

[Me Tarzan]

I have a pair of polk rti a7's in my home theater system, dont use them for anything else, well other than when i have a party at my house or something like that. They are certainly not meant for 2 ch audio listening, but they do wonders for my home theater set up!!!!!!

That is what I was kinda thinking. It's funny, I don't really even care about my HT system. It is a crappy 5.1 Sony with some Onkyo speakers and dual subs of different frequencies. Pretty much just hodge-podged together and sounds ok, but I never tweak it, just set it and forget it. Almost impossible to find a place to demo speakers for 2 channel listening since HT is probably close to 100% what the customers are interested in.

 

[Van73]

Lets us know what you decide and your impressions.