Anything better for the price?

[AngelusNexx]

Ok I finally figured out what I want. I get a 57% discount from polk because I work in retail and thats just too good to pass up.

I am thinking about getting...

2x RTI 8
2x RTI 6
1x CSI3

for $662 shipped.

I can get a velodyne VRP-1200 for $219

Is there anything in this same price range that would match the performance of these speakers?

Lastly I can upgrade both rti8 with rti10 for another $130. Is it worth it since I will have a sub?

There is nothing within 100 miles that carres the rti series so I can no longer compare. I have listened to them before though when Circuit City used to carry the rti series. So dont worry im not buying speakers I have never heard.

 

[dillweed]

That is a nice system for the price. I have access to the same discount that you are referring to and as such know a lot about the RTI line.

Three suggestions:
1. Strongly Recommended --DON'T go with CSI3. Pay the extra $$ and go with CSI5. You never want to cheap out on the center channel it is far to important.

2. Are you going to have to buy speaker stands for the RTI 6? If so you might as well go with the RTI 8's for the rears as well.

3. Don't go with the RTI 10's (or the RTI 12's -- temping with discount). Stay with the RTI 8 as those matched with a sub will be just fine. I personally think the whole Polk Power Port lousy.

Hope this helps

 

[AngelusNexx]

Do I really want my rears to be the same as my fronts though? And yes it is EXTREMELY tempting to get the rti12. Even more so when we used to get the 65% off. They used to be less than $300 per speaker.

 

[dillweed]

If you have the space for rear RTI8's I would. No reason not to at that price. If you have a wife you might want to check with her. Personally if it was me I would because after adding in speaker stands (okay ones with CC discount) the RTI6's are going to cost more than the superior RTI8's.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

The RTi8's are fine because the 10's and 12's take so much juice to get any bass from the tiny 7" woofers. My 3805 does a great job but it needs to be up quite a bit to get the 10's jumping. I'll never blow those speakers - they are just too inefficient. I found the RTi4's to sound better than the RTi6's, plus they were smaller for surrounds which I liked. The CSi5 is awesome, but pricey. The FXi series were the best sounding surrounds I'd heard in a long time. And since they have 2 tweeters, you'll never be disappointed in the crisp highs in surround mode. Save a buck or two with the 8's (they have two midranges compared to the RTi10's 1) and get the best subwoofer you can afford with your discount. RTi8's for the rears are too large if you don't have the room or want to mount the FXi dipoles on the sidewall.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

One more thing I forgot to tell you about the RTi towers. The RTi 8's and 10's use a 6.5" midrange. The RTi12's are a smaller 5.25". Something worth noting.

 

[zumbo]

I am with dillweed on this one.
4x rti8
1x csi5

I went with four floorstanders because they were $700 off a pair. Also, I have cats. Bookshelf speakers on stands wound be on the floor the first day.

Oops! One more thing. IMO, nothing else can touch that price.

 

[Leprkon]

another option, especially if you need some bucks for the CSI5, would be to go with a set of Atrium 45's for your rears. They have decent quality sound, can mount anywhere, and do a solid job for surrounds.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Polk-Outdoor-Speakers-Atrium45-/sem/rpsm/oid/50672/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

 

[AngelusNexx]

I am a little concerned with the two channel music quality I will get out of the rti8. If you guys were in my position would it be worth it to pass up such a great discount and go with another speaker?

 

[zumbo]

I wouldn't. And I am not a Polk fan. They are good speakers. But, at that price, they would fill my house with sound.

 

[AngelusNexx]

Wow I never realized that. You are right. Paired with a great sub the rti8 sounds like a better set up then the 10s or 12s. The 10 lacks the extra mid and the 12 has smaller speakers. With a great sub I really wouldnt miss the woofers on the 10 and 12 and it would not take as much to run them.

Slowly I seem to be picking up some knowledge here. Thanks for all of your help guys and keep it coming.

Only problem now that I am more into sound and audio is dealing with the people that think the sony htddw670 surround sound is a good choice to go with a 50" plasma....And trying to educate the Bose people. I cant tell you how many times I get people that ask me to reconfirm that Bose is pretty much the pinnacle of audio performance and its the best you can buy.

My job would be so much more fun if we sold some decent speakers. The best I have to showcase are the Polk Monitor series and the Infinity Beta 50

 

[Leprkon]

And trying to educate the Bose people. I cant tell you how many times I get people that ask me to reconfirm that Bose is pretty much the pinnacle of audio performance and its the best you can buy.

Bose is the "Pinnacle" of audio equipment. Of course I believe that "Pinnacle" makes golf balls, not speakers...

The Polks and Infinities may not be the best ever made, but if you match them to a good receiver and work on your set-up, they are probably the best that most of mass-market America will ever buy. They are definitely an improvement over any cube system. Life could be worse...

 

[AngelusNexx]

lol. I cant tell if you are serious or not. If you are pinnacle means the very top.

I doubt you are serious but you never know. Anyway if it was just a joke hopefully I didnt insult you too much.

I wish they offered the LSi series at that discount because thats what I would go for. Oh well I have heard lots of good things about the RTi series. After listening to the Monitor series its not good but its not completely bad. Based on that I should be pretty happy with the RTi.

Only problem is I am only allowed 1 pair of floorstanding each year at that discount. Now that I know that I wont be able to go with two pairs of RTi8 I need to figure out If the Rti6 or the Rti4 would be best. They will handle a lot of surround effects from games and some movies. Im not real big into the multi channel music but they could also be used for that.

 

[AngelusNexx]

What about the aperion Intimus 422/S-8 Compact Home Theater System? Would I get better sound out of the polk setup?

This is for a small bedroom so thats my only concern with the polk rti8 setup.

 

[Leprkon]

lol. I cant tell if you are serious or not. If you are pinnacle means the very top.

Of course I am serious. Bose makes speakers almost as well as Pinnacle Golf, Inc, makes speakers... Bose does not make as good a golf ball as Pinnacle does, however (although their speakers are hard, plastic, and bounce or split if you drive them too hard...I wonder if they would make that ka-think if you used a Titanium driver instead of a Yamaha RX-Z650 )

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

What about the aperion Intimus 422/S-8 Compact Home Theater System? Would I get better sound out of the polk setup?

This is for a small bedroom so thats my only concern with the polk rti8 setup.

If you are looking for a bedroom setup, and have a PC in the bedroom, why not get a PC surround sound setup? There are some great ones out there with decent subs. I bought my parents an Altec Lansing setup, and I have a Labtec with flat panel speakers that more than fill our 9' X 17' office room. Perfect for all the Bearshare downloads. If your room is any larger that this, the above speakers will be total overkill. Now if you are looking to take these speakers to college or to a future home, you may want to get the larger RTi12's with this killer discount. I've compared the Monitor series to the Rti's, and in my opinion, Polk downgraded their speakers and seems to be trying to save money. I don't think they hold a candle to the RTi's. I can barely lift my RTi10's off the ground. Not a bad dilemma to be in.