Ya know what I'd like to see?

[dougy]

...A factory hot-rodded RTi series. Take the RTi models and add premium drivers and crossovers, and maybe stiffen up the cabs a bit. The looks and basic design are so good, it's a shame you can't get them with better innards.
Well, that's my thought to ponder for 8-22-09. Good night and God bless! :)

[obieone]

VROOM, VROOM.....





VROOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!





:p

[nooshinjohn]

An RTi-SRS? I like the sound of that....

[dougy]

Think of them as Sonus Faber killers... An RTiA7 on steroids! I could get into that! I want it NOW!!

[jojomgee]

So u guys don't like the rti sound?
Add premium drivers& crossovers?
I thought rti was a premium speaker

[comfortablycurt]

Eh...I wouldn't buy them.

The RTi's are great HT speakers, but as far as music goes, I can't stand them. They're way too bright sounding. Fair sounding mid-range...but nothing to write home about. If you started adding higher end drivers and XO components, their price tags would be going waaay up.

If you want more musical sounding speakers...buy different speakers.;) I've heard great things about the LSi's musical ability. Haven't gotten a chance to get my ears on any yet though.

You can always buy the RTi's and upgrade the crossovers yourself, with higher quality components. It's a fairly straight forward job.

[jojomgee]

Are we talking about the rtia's

[comfortablycurt]

Are we talking about the rtia's


RTi's/RTiA's...they're the same speakers basically. The RTiA's are the newer version of the RTi's. They're almost exactly the same aside from the different cabinet architecture. The curved cabinet design of the RTiA's is supposed to make them more acoustically inert, and thus lessen the brightness of the tweeters a bit, and warm up the mids slightly.

I own RTi8's and have heard RTiA5's, which are basically the same speakers. I can't say that I noticed any big differences. I've never compared them side by side though.

[dougy]

So u guys don't like the rti sound?
Add premium drivers& crossovers?
I thought rti was a premium speaker

Not knocking them at all. It's just that to get to their price points, compromises had to be made that wouldn't have to be made if you had a few hundred more dollars per speaker to play with. For example, the RTiA's use rather inexpensive drivers and x/o components. Just moving to higher quality there might provide meaningful performance gains. And then again, maybe not!:) I'd just like to hear a pair of stock RTiA7's side-by-side another pair with drivers and x/o's that were on par with say, what Sonus Faber or some of the other Italian or British speakers use. That's all!

[speakergeek]

Don't forget the flames....:D

[comfortablycurt]

You can't just take different drivers and put them in the RTi cabinets...the cabinets and the drivers were designed in tandem...to work with each other. If you use different drivers, that same cabinet design might not work as well.

[Toolfan66]

Is there a formula to use when building speakers? It seems like there would be. Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but to me if I am building a tank to hold water or air preasure there is a formula in what you need to hold it. I would assume the same would go for speakers on how many cubic feet depending on what and how many drivers you are going to use.

So is this a true assumption?

Or do you put what you want and hope it don't split at the seems. LOL

[comfortablycurt]

That's a true assumption...but don't ask me to explain it, because I hardly understand it myself...lol I just like listening to the final product.

I would like to try my hand at building a pair of speakers someday though.

[dougy]

You can't just take different drivers and put them in the RTi cabinets...the cabinets and the drivers were designed in tandem...to work with each other. If you use different drivers, that same cabinet design might not work as well.

Sure you can...and it might not work as well...or it might work a lot better! Didn't Polk just put the same drivers that were in the RTi's in the new RTi-A's? As far as I can tell, the drivers and crossovers were essentially unchanged. The boutique speaker makers, like Wilson, Avalon, Von Schweikert, etc; they're constantly swapping out drivers without changing the cabinets. It's not like every driver will only work "right" in one particular enclosure.

[Face]

Want a better version of the RTi, how about the LSi series?

Mod the crossovers and you'll have a world class speaker.

[danz1906]

Want a better version of the RTi, how about the LSi series?

Mod the crossovers and you'll have a world class speaker.

Agreed, the Lsi series is a better version.

[comfortablycurt]

Sure you can...and it might not work as well...or it might work a lot better! Didn't Polk just put the same drivers that were in the RTi's in the new RTi-A's? As far as I can tell, the drivers and crossovers were essentially unchanged. The boutique speaker makers, like Wilson, Avalon, Von Schweikert, etc; they're constantly swapping out drivers without changing the cabinets. It's not like every driver will only work "right" in one particular enclosure.

Yes, the RTi's and the RTiA's have the same drivers and XO's...but they're also nearly identical speakers. Aside from the cabinets having curved sides, they're exactly the same.

Regardless, the cabinets were still designed to work with those specific drivers.

Yes, you probably could find some drivers that would work well in those cabinets, but with how much it would cost to do all that experimentation...you might as well get something different. Unless you have equipment at your disposal to design and build your own drivers...and design your own crossovers...it's really not that practical.

Wilson, Avalon etc. as you mentioned do swap different drivers out...but it's not as if they're just pulling random drivers off a shelf and throwing them in a cabinet. They're designing the drivers to work with those specific cabinets.



To quote Face...


Want a better version of the RTi, how about the LSi series?

Mod the crossovers and you'll have a world class speaker.

[messiah]

Yes, the RTi's and the RTiA's have the same drivers and XO's...but they're also nearly identical speakers. Aside from the cabinets having curved sides, they're exactly the same.

Regardless, the cabinets were still designed to work with those specific drivers.

Yes, you probably could find some drivers that would work well in those cabinets, but with how much it would cost to do all that experimentation...you might as well get something different. Unless you have equipment at your disposal to design and build your own drivers...and design your own crossovers...it's really not that practical.

Wilson, Avalon etc. as you mentioned do swap different drivers out...but it's not as if they're just pulling random drivers off a shelf and throwing them in a cabinet. They're designing the drivers to work with those specific cabinets.



To quote Face...

Yep, but now they're 4 ohm speakers rather than 8 ohm speakers.

[Sherardp]

Info on modding the RTi12 x-overs? I'd definitely try this if anyone has done it and has some info.

[comfortablycurt]

Info on modding the RTi12 x-overs? I'd definitely try this if anyone has done it and has some info.


I think there are a couple threads about modding RTi8 XO's on here.

I'd imagine it would be fairly straight forward though.

[Sherardp]

I think there are a couple threads about modding RTi8 XO's on here.

I'd imagine it would be fairly straight forward though.

I'll do some searching and see what I can dig up.

[comfortablycurt]

RTi8 mods...

https://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73485

https://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81626


Modded RTi6...

https://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73087

[Face]

IIRC, the x-over board on the RTI12 is pretty cramped. You could probably modify the tweeter circuit, anything more than that will have to go on another board mounted on the bottom of the speaker.

[Face]

See attached, I believe this is from a RTI 12.

[dougy]

Yes, the RTi's and the RTiA's have the same drivers and XO's...but they're also nearly identical speakers. Aside from the cabinets having curved sides, they're exactly the same.

Regardless, the cabinets were still designed to work with those specific drivers.

Yes, you probably could find some drivers that would work well in those cabinets, but with how much it would cost to do all that experimentation...you might as well get something different. Unless you have equipment at your disposal to design and build your own drivers...and design your own crossovers...it's really not that practical.

Wilson, Avalon etc. as you mentioned do swap different drivers out...but it's not as if they're They're designing the drivers to work with those specific cabinets.



To quote Face...

I think Polk could afford the experimentation. I'm talking about a factory hot-rodded version of the RTi-A's; not home brew.

Of course Wilson, Avalon, etc. aren't "just pulling random drivers off a shelf and throwing them in a cabinet." That's not what I said at all. I'm saying the drivers and x/o's in the RTi-A series could be audibly improved with better components. That's all. And anyone who thinks otherwise is living in a bubble. No offense, of course.

[obieone]

"Transformers: Speakers in disguise!":p
Here's an idea: Why don't one of YOU loons, make a combo RTiA9/ LSi15 speaker. Simple concept, just build both speakers in one cabinet, with a switch on the back to send the signal to either crossover, OR, you could wire them up bi-amp style, with fixed x-overs, and just leave one amp shut off?:eek:

[dougy]

Now that's what I call a "bubba"-loony idea.