Kicking around the idea of buying a new pair of speakers for my bar / listening room. Currently using Mac XR-5's but I think they are too much for my room. (14 x 20) While I am a fan of the older Polk speakers, the new versions not so much, but these seem to be rated and reviewed very well. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks
Thoughts on Polk RTi-A9's
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I will look at their Signature series. Primary use is 2 channel and my amp is a Mac 2205 which I would imagine should be plenty. What do you mean top end "tipped up?"
Erik Tracy
Everyone's happy when the wizard walks by
F1Nut means 'sparkle' in the treble. 
F1Nut means 'sparkle' in the treble.
Gotcha. Thanks. I like warm with distinct treble but not too bright. Had a couple of pairs of big Klipsch's, hated them. My Macs are great in my big room upstairs, dull in this room.
I had RTIA8's and I couldn't get rid of them fast enough. I thought that they would be an upgrade from a pair of PSB 5T's and they weren't. Imo they weren't very musical, more of a home theater speaker than an audiophile speaker. Polk lost their way when Directed bought them out. The older Polks we're more of an audiophile speaker. If you like a warm sounding speaker these aren't it, they're very bright and often harsh. Listening fatigue is an A+.
I don't know what your budget is but there are many speakers that I feel are better. Older Polks, ADS, Canton, KLH, Advents to name a few. Good luck in your search.
I don't know what your budget is but there are many speakers that I feel are better. Older Polks, ADS, Canton, KLH, Advents to name a few. Good luck in your search.
In my system consisting of RTiA7 & RTiA9, I would not consider them overly bright. Compared to my other system with a pair of Boston T1000 speakers, the Polks have a tinge more "sparkle" but by no means objectionable - particularly if the room has a lot of acoustic absorbing furnishings, ie:curtains, carpeting, cloth upholstered furniture etc.
The reviews of the A7 & A9 used for music have been overwhelmingly positive and their level of performance for the price is difficult to beat, not to mention finish quality. Bass is powerful, deep and authoritative as well.
I don't think RTi A9s are the best speaker for what you're looking for. You may like the LSi / LSiM line from Polk. I had LSi7s next to RTiA7s and found the LSi7 voicing to warmer (and cleaner). Then again you may also like some Monitor 7 or 10s or even some smaller SDAs in that bar / listening room!
I appreciate your input. What stuck out at me was all the positive reviews that they get. I have to go somewhere and listen to the next pair that I buy. I'm not guessing with speakers anymore. Tired of bringing them home and not liking them. Thanks again.
Funny you should say that. There are a pair of SDA 2's for sale locally. They are not expensive and seem to be in nice shape. I think I'll inquire. Thanks.
Hey 62, thanks for your input. Contrary to other opinions here your comments and the reviews I read are overwhelmingly positive. My XR-5's are warm and detailed but not in this room. They just seem to get lost and I'd like to fix that. Are you using both the 9's and 7's in the same room? I have the ability to do the same thing with a 2205 and a 2105. Thanks.
Yes in the same room, same system and with a pair of Snell J7 V as well. The J7 & RTiA7 are used for the front; the RTiA9 for the rear. The sound is glorious. They are powered by (2) McIntosh MC2125s and an MC2155 (driving the A9s). The gain controls of the amplifiers are used to balance everything out.
So you're running about 200+ WPC to the RTi-7's and about 150 for the RTi-9's? I would be using a 2205 which is 200 and a 2105 which is 105. I have other Mac Amps that I could run mono I suppose. Can I ask how big your room is?
3 amplifiers: One MC2125 (120 wpc) powers the Snell J7; another MC2125 to the Polk RTiA7, and the MC2155 (150 wpc) to the RTiA9 in the rear.
Room is roughly 14x22. The front speakers (Snell & Polks A7) facing on the short axis; the Polk A9 are placed on opposite ends of the 22' length facing directly inward toward the L & R of the listening position.
Most of the time, listening is around 1 watt per speaker (x6) or less. With 6 speakers, 1 watt input at each is surprisingly loud, but especially clean because the "burden" is distributed over many speakers as well as "enveloping" the entire room. It is completely different than if 3 watts per channel was fed into a single pair of speakers.
The location of the A9 speakers at the extreme ends of the room provides a sense of spaciousness to the sound field which can be as effective in large arrangement orchestral music, rock/pop as it does for movies. For smaller music ensembles, sometimes I'll shut down the rears entirely and just listen on a single pair of fronts - either the J7 or A7.
That's very interesting. Your room is about the same size as mine. My main space is connected to my bar area in a "L" shape. Right now I have (2) pairs of XR-5's powered by a 2205 and a 2105 and they just get lost. I have yet another pair of XR-5's upstairs in my great room powered by a multi channel Mac amp at 100 WPC bridged and they are amazing. Put them in a smaller room and the difference is night and day and not in a good way. I think the Polks are the way to go. I want something brighter and based on your recommendation of not being harsh I think they are the way to go. I have changed speakers too many times to count and I want to be done with this. The Polks are also very inexpensive so even if I don't like them, I won't lose much. Do you find the 7's to have enough bass? I have a couple subs if they aren't so it's really not a big issue anyway. I like the idea of a smaller footprint up front to save space.
I greatly appreciate your time and your opinion. It has helped me a lot.
My advice is go for the A7. They won't go quite as low as the A9 but they're not nearly as hungry. With a high quality amplifier, bass response from the A7 is exceptionally firm, tight and controlled. If I had to rate the one area where it excels, it would be the bass.
I think the RTiA7 is one of the best speakers (for the money) and every one who purchased them on my recommendation has been pleased. They all pretty remarked pretty much the same thing on the brightness: It's there but not unpleasant, nor to the point of sounding "unmusical".
Again, the type of room furnishings will likely have a significant bearing on this.
I think the RTiA7 is one of the best speakers (for the money) and every one who purchased them on my recommendation has been pleased. They all pretty remarked pretty much the same thing on the brightness: It's there but not unpleasant, nor to the point of sounding "unmusical".
Again, the type of room furnishings will likely have a significant bearing on this.
I think I will try the 7's first. I have plenty of power so that shouldn't be an issue. They are so inexpensive they aren't a big risk anyway. Thanks again.
I don't think you'll regret the choice. I hope they'll give you much listening enjoyment.
Me too. Now I have to find a pair.