Which pair is the best? Which brand Klipsch/Polk/Infinity? Bookshelf of Standing ?

[johnmn]

I live in Canada and I want to buy speakers from the US, as a pair of front speakers for my HT, I narrow down to these pairs, they have the same price but I don't know which one is better in quality/performance:
*Klipsch Synergy B-3 is US$330 at Amazon.com
*Polk Audio Rti6 is US$300 at J&R.com
*Polk Audio Monitor 40 is US$300 at Crutchfield.com
Anyone ever has experience with either of these pairs, please give me some insight to decide, thanks a lot.

Also I need an advice on choosing between bookshelf or standing speakers ( I don't care about space/ appearance/ or asthetic issues, as long as it give me the best sound quality for my HT) I wonder if one of these pair might be an option too (they are standing speakers):
*Infinity Beta 40 is US$300 at Vanns.com
*Polk Audio Monitor 70 is US$356 at Amazon.com

My budget is US$300-$400 for a pair of front speakers . Any insight would be very appreciated!

 

[FIqbal]

Infinity 40 is available in Best Buy Canada for CAD 599. You should include freight and handling charges by UPS to compare and deciding on purchase from the US. Also return/warranty could be an issue with US purchase for a bulky item. If you are from Toronto, try tele city electronics for Infinity. They have shops in GTA and as a small shop will always beat the Best Buy prices. Good luck with your speaker shopping.

 

[zumbo]

POLK rti6 out of those by far.

 

[johnmn]

Yes, I live in GTA Toronto . Thank you for the info. I am comparing 2 brand names, Infinity vs. Polk Audio. Yes, Infinity 40 is available in Best Buy Canada for CAD $599 and I also checked out The Brick and Polk Audio dealers in Toronto, they sell Polk Audio Monitor 70 for about CAD$600 . These 2 pairs are almost the same price, I need to know which one is better ?
And also, my question is that: Are standing speakers ALWAYS outperformed over Bookshelf speakers (given the same amount of money spent)?
Any ideas?

 

[johnmn]

POLK rti6 out of those by far.

Does this mean that if I choose bookshelf option, I should buy Polk Audio Rti6 ?
If yes (its quality is best), then should I spent an extra $100 more to buy the standing Polk Audio Monitor 70 instead of the bookshelf RTi6, to give my HT a better sound ?
Any advice?

 

[jostenmeat]

Forgive my "broken-record" nature.

I will take a superior bookshelf to an inferior tower anyday. Well, depending on models, I might take the inferior tower for HT only use.

However, I will also take any tower over the bookshelf in the same line of models. Remember, a decent looking pair of stands runs about $100, sometimes more. You say you don't care about appearance... so that saved cash could bump you up to the tower version of your favorite bookshelf- possibly. Good luck!

 

[no. 5]

And also, my question is that: Are standing speakers ALWAYS outperformed over Bookshelf speakers (given the same amount of money spent)?

I think you can often get superior bookshelf speakers than floor standing for the same price, i.e. $1,000 a pair bookshelfs should be of better construction and sonic accuracy than a pair of floorstanding speakers for the same price.

Which is not to say floorstanding speakers are a 'bad' choice, depending on personal preference and/or room characteristics, floorstanding speakers may be the 'best' choice.

...then should I spent an extra $100 more to buy the standing Polk Audio Monitor 70 instead of the bookshelf RTi6, to give my HT a better sound ?
Any advice?

Define 'better sound'.

Remember that sound quality is, not only measurably, but also subjective. If I'm not mistaken, the RTi series is above the Monitor series, and should perform better, but my vote would be for the Beta 40's, one reason for that being, is I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) they were designed after Harman International hired Floyd Toole, so it should (hypothetical) be a good preforming loudspeaker.

 

[johnmn]

Forgive my "broken-record" nature.

I will take a superior bookshelf to an inferior tower anyday. Well, depending on models, I might take the inferior tower for HT only use.

However, I will also take any tower over the bookshelf in the same line of models. Remember, a decent looking pair of stands runs about $100, sometimes more. You say you don't care about appearance... so that saved cash could bump you up to the tower version of your favorite bookshelf- possibly. Good luck!

Haha, very insightful remark! I got the idea. I think I can just leave the standing speakers on the floor without stands?! Thank you for the input !!http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

[johnmn]

I think you can often get superior bookshelf speakers than floor standing for the same price, i.e. $1,000 a pair bookshelfs should be of better construction and sonic accuracy than a pair of floorstanding speakers for the same price.

Which is not to say floorstanding speakers are a 'bad' choice, depending on personal preference and/or room characteristics, floorstanding speakers may be the 'best' choice.

Yes, it makes sense to me now, bookshelf speakers should be more sophisticated and accurate, while floor standing ones should be loud !? thank you for your comment.

Define 'better sound'.
Remember that sound quality is, not only measurably, but also subjective. If I'm not mistaken, the RTi series is above the Monitor series, and should perform better, but my vote would be for the Beta 40's, one reason for that being, is I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) they were designed after Harman International hired Floyd Toole, so it should (hypothetical) be a good preforming loudspeaker.

Both Infinity Beta 40 and Polk Monitor 60 are 3-way floor standing speakers. Which brand is better ? Is 3-way speakers better than 2-way ? Does it harm the devices If I lie down the standing speakers horizontally on the bookshelves? Thank you for your advice.

 

[MDS]

Yes, it makes sense to me now, bookshelf speakers should be more sophisticated and accurate, while floor standing ones should be loud !?

No and I don't think that was the intent behind No. 5's comment. I think the point was that given the same price point the bookshelves could be slightly better because more of the cost of building them can go into the drivers themselves and less into the actual enclosure (they are smaller after all).

Here's my take on bookshelf vs floorstander:
- I agree with jostenmeat that you shouldn't choose bookshelf over floorstanding if the metric you use to decide is cost. Once you add stands that cost saving can disappear.

- Bookshelves by definition are smaller and they cannot deliver the very low frequencies as well as a larger floorstanding speaker. When coupled with a sub, that limitation disappears but you need to consider whether you will ever need to run them without the benefit of a sub.

- Floorstanders typically can reproduce lower bass than a bookshelf but can still be used with a good sub. The fact that the tower can go lower in frequency does not mean that you are 'wasting' their capability. The xover in the receiver and speakers themselves do not magically cut off the signal at exactly the xover point - they have a 'slope'. It can be easier to integrate towers with the sub than with bookshelves. The downside of course is the larger size which may not work for your room or WAF.

Really it's 6 of one and half-dozen of another. For me, I prefer floorstanding speakers but maybe that's just because I've never owned any good bookshelves.

 

[Tomorrow]

MDS has good information for you.

If you decide to go with bookshelf speakers (which require the added cost of stands)...may I suggest the newest consumer model from JBL. I think a pair of these would be very hard to beat...also compliments of Dr. Toole.

http://www.ubid.com/JBL_L820_4-Way_6"_Satellite_Speakers_-_Pair/a901820890-rsearchone.html

For some excellent floorstanders, there are these....

http://www.ubid.com/JBL_L880_4-Way,_Dual_6"_Floorstanding_Loudspeakers_-_Pair/a901815129-rsearchone.html

Good luck with your hunting.

 

[mike c]

for HT, i would recommend a tower ...

but out of those speakers you listed, they vary so much in sound that you need to hear them for yourself which one suits your taste.

there is no "best brand" out there, only different sounds to the different brands.

i can only comment on the following I've heard myself:

the polk monitor is a crappy version of the rti series.
the infinity beta is a warmer version of the rti series.

 

[zumbo]

I am going to say that I prefer a tower as well. There is another option, the BA VR2 from Onecall. Also, the Rti8 from J&R. Both do hit the ole wallet a little more.

http://www.onecall.com/ProductSearch.aspx?N=0&Ntt=vr2&D=vr2

http://www.jr.com/JRSectionView.process?InSearch=t&N=0&Ntt=rti8&Ntk=All_Record_Search&lastSearch=&search.x=17&search.y=8

 

[no. 5]

Both Infinity Beta 40 and Polk Monitor 60 are 3-way floor standing speakers. Which brand is better ? Is 3-way speakers better than 2-way ? Does it harm the devices If I lie down the standing speakers horizontally on the bookshelves?

I believe the Monitor 60 is a 2.5-way. As for the better brand, they both make very good performing loudspeakers, what it comes down to is personal preference.

Concerning 3-way vs. 2-way, I don't think there is a 'better' between the two, it's just two different ways for the of the designers to reach their goal.

I can't imagine how laying a speaker on it's side would hurt it. It will create a different dispersion pattern, which may or may not be acceptable, it would need to be experimented with to know.

I think the point was that given the same price point the bookshelves could be slightly better because more of the cost of building them can go into the drivers themselves and less into the actual enclosure (they are smaller after all).

Yep, that was the point.

 

[johnmn]

I believe the Monitor 60 is a 2.5-way. As for the better brand, they both make very good performing loudspeakers, what it comes down to is personal preference.

That's very true, a classical music lover likes the crispy sounds and a rock'n roll person likes the warm wild thunder sounds....

Concerning 3-way vs. 2-way, I don't think there is a 'better' between the two, it's just two different ways for the of the designers to reach their goal.
I can't imagine how laying a speaker on it's side would hurt it. It will create a different dispersion pattern, which may or may not be acceptable, it would need to be experimented with to know.
Yep, that was the point.

That's good to know, because my HT room is quite small, I must lie the speakers on the shelves or on top ot the entertainment center....I will experiment the sound dispersion ....thanks a lot.

 

[zumbo]

That's good to know, because my HT room is quite small, I must lie the speakers on the shelves or on top ot the entertainment center....I will experiment the sound dispersion ....thanks a lot.

Seeing as how you have a small room, and stands are not needed, I am going to suggest my initial reply. RTi6

 

[johnmn]

Seeing as how you have a small room, and stands are not needed, I am going to suggest my initial reply. RTi6

yeah, very likely, I will choose Polk Rti6 $249 or Polk Monitor 40 $269, both are being sold at Amazon.com ! I just wonder why the RTi is superior to the Monitor but it is $20 cheaper ? Any ideas?

 

[zumbo]

yeah, very likely, I will choose Polk Rti6 $249 or Polk Monitor 40 $269, both are being sold at Amazon.com ! I just wonder why the RTi is superior to the Monitor but it is $20 cheaper ? Any ideas?

Manufacturing cost. RTi6 has one less driver.

The 40's use 5.25" drivers, while the 6's use a 6.5".

Specs for the RTi6:
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/rti6/

Specs for the Monitor40:
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/monitor40/

Another thing to note, the RTi6's weigh 42.5lbs, while the 40's weigh 36lbs.
Also, the RTi6 is a total of 2" larger in area, so don't let the pictures fool you.

The RTi6's for $249 are coming from J&R through Amazon! Amazon's price for the RTi6 is $286.33

 

[no. 5]

I just wonder why the RTi is superior to the Monitor but it is $20 cheaper ? Any ideas?

Polk has just released a new RTi series, so the 'old' RTi's are being removed from inventory.

 

[johnmn]

Polk has just released a new RTi series, so the 'old' RTi's are being removed from inventory.

Hmm, US$250 for a US made bookshelf speaker pair famous brand name Polk Audio is very appealing to me. But on the other hand, I just researched through the internet and I bump into this Canadian home made product and it's shaking my confidence buyng from the US. :http://www.axiomaudio.com/customreviewsbookshelves.html#m22
For the same price as RTi6, this bookshelf Axiom M22 got many positive reviews, it might make my HT more decent ? Can anyone convince me over this "no name" Axiom ( it is not as commercial as Polk, and may be because I never got a chance to test it) thank you for any of your inputs.
http://www.axiomaudio.com/customreviewsbookshelves.html#m22