Help Choosing Floor Standing Speakers - Polk RTiA9?

A

Adam Murguia

Enthusiast
Hello!

I'm looking for a pair of good, floor-standing speakers and my budget is around $1k (for both). If something was really special I may be able to stretch to $2k (for both). I want something great for music primarily, but it would be nice if it could also supplement home theater. I have a dolby atmos def tech in-wall system but I'm ready to try a brand other than def tech. I know this is highly subjective and depends on taste, but there are so many recommendations and top-ten lists out there that it's hard to navigate. So I just thought I would ask the question on a knowledgeable forum.

I found the Polk RTiA9's after looking around and they appealed to me because they're stylish (I don't want a solid block of SVS prime pinnacle black), fairly inexpensive, and get good reviews. However, they seem power-hungry.

Question: Could my Marantz MM8807's Drive them? How about if I bi-amp (which I have no experience with)? If not, what would be a good amp to drive these speakers?

Many of the reviews say these speakers are bright or harsh, and that does concern me a bit. Lively is okay, but I think I would prefer something warmer or more "musical" (what the hell does that even mean) if other people have found that they are indeed harsh. I would also like something with a decent low-frequency extension. I have an SVS SB-3000 but it's tucked away on another system. So the only sub's I'm running are a pair of Def Tech IW 10/10's so don't want to count on using them while I listen to music.

Question: Is there another pair of speakers in this range I should look at?

Like I looked at the Focal Aria 926's which are a bit outside my budget but very appealing.

There's no perfect answer to this post, I know. It's highly subjective. Just looking for knowledgeable folks to weigh in.

Cheers!
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
There has in recent weeks been a few Threads with suggestions in your Budget
 
A

Adam Murguia

Enthusiast
Oh man. Great. Thank you for the Canton suggestion. I’ll look into those for sure.
 
NINaudio

NINaudio

Audioholic Samurai
At $2k for a pair that puts you right in Paradigm Premier 800f territory, which is a very good place to be.

I'm going to guess when you say you don't want solid black, that you're looking at the polks in cherry?
 
A

Adam Murguia

Enthusiast
Oh nice! Yes that’s right (cherry) but the white cantons are also cool as they blend in and just look awesome.
 
NINaudio

NINaudio

Audioholic Samurai
Here's a review of the Paradigms from our site here:

https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/paradigm-800f

I've listened to them and thought they sounded really great, and come in a walnut finish, which is subtle, yet different from being an all black box. They were the runners up in my latest speaker purchase. I, however, have no experience with the Cantons. On all accounts though, they are also a top notch speaker.
 
A

Adam Murguia

Enthusiast
Excellent. Thank you very much. I'll give this a good read.
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
John Parks

John Parks

Audioholic Samurai
To me, Wharfedale is definitely sounding on the warmer side, so you can't go wrong with these (available in few finishes):
https://www.musicdirect.com/speakers/Wharfedale-EVO-44-Tower-Speakers
and a small step down
Also, these, designed by Andrew Jones: https://www.musicdirect.com/speakers/ELAC-Debut-Reference-DFR52-Tower-Speakers
Elac I expect to be more on the neutral/accurate side.
The Debut Reference are really nice looking!
1598374530105.png
1598374565778.png

Never heard 'em (I've heard the original Debuts and Uni-Fis and like them, especially the latter) but I think @KEW likes his if this is any indication: https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/elac-debut-reference-dbr-62.118064/
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
Bonus: This is a long shot, but OP, you may be just the person who may like unusual speakers, If this is the case, these speakers are ridiculously cheap for how good they sound:
These were meant to compete vs Salk Audio
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
I really like the Paradigm Premier 800F in this price range. I think the Monoprice Monolith THX tower has potential to be very good too.
 
A

Adam Murguia

Enthusiast
These are all great suggestions and even if I'm stretching, all in the ballpark. I'll look more closely at the Evo's and Debuts. I just saw these and it's REALLY stretching (by about a G on accesories4less). But I like the look of these Ventos...

Canton

1598383377661.png


Thanks for pointing me to accessoriesforless BTW. I hadn't seen that sight.
 
8

808MSM

Audiophyte
+1 Warfedale Evo 4.4's. Just bought them. My review is posted in Crutchfield;
Amazing speakers. Wide, dynamic, creamy smooth but precise. These are very telling of your source and equipment. They are also beautifully made and finished. Definitely large, full-scale speakers. The bass is remarkable (I kept checking my sub was off), the vocals from the dome midrange bring another level of scale and detail to male and female vocals. The ribbon (AMT) tweeter is sweet and not harsh at all. They seem to smooth off before any hint of sibilance (except some poor recordings with certain female vocals). I wouldn't call them bright, which was a concern. They are great within a 7.2 setup or 2-channel. I am listening to my music (FLAC and vinyl) all over again and my mouth is usually open and my head moving around and finding all kinds of detail, depth, and separation. I listened to similar $2k speakers; B&W, Martin Logan, Definitive Tech, ELAC, KEF and Monitor Audio. The Monitors and ELAC were close but these just did everything better. I wanted B&W's 603's but the mids were bright, felt dry and overwhelmed the music.

Pros: +Bold, dynamic, spacious sound. +Bass seems unreal for the size of the drivers. +Detailed without being fatiguing. +Beautiful design and build.
Cons: +They are big and fill out a large room well (maybe not a con?). + Telling of poor recordings or equipment.
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
You guys realize this is an old thread and the OP hasn't been around for a couple months
 
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