New setup comments and advice welcome!

Hi All!

I'm new to the world of audio and had for years admired a set up out together by a (much richer) friend of mine. As I searched the Internet trying to put together what I should buy polk stood out as a good choice very high build quality thorough r&d behind the technology and affordable pricing thanks to offshore manufacturing

Before I continue let me mention I live in India where most audio products are about 1.8 to 2.0 times the amazon or best buy price

So for my set up right now I have the RTi A3 powered by a Denon 1713 pretty much using it for music and movies go my 2011 MacBook Pro. Am happy with the set up especially the bass from the speakers very very good. It is in my bedroom which is about 15(w)x15(l)x10(h). Just finished watching Todd mcfarlanes spawn on DVD with the system (the original show from HBO) and it was awesome.

My next purchase in mind is the CSi A6. Was contemplating a subwoofer but my neighbor downstairs is a nice old lady and I don't want to cause much of a ruckus.

Couple of things

The setup I have now ran me about 1,000 USD in India (shouldn't have been more than 700 with some haggling I know but you can't argue with high import tariffs) so with that level of price appreciation in mind is the CSiA6 a good choice or should I look into the wharfedale diamond 10 CM center channel speaker I've read good things about both brands haven't auditioned either center channel yet wanted to hear what you guys had to say. Wharfedale is about 75 USD cheaper than the polks.

Also given that the website (polk audio) says the range of power for the rtia3 is 20 to 100 watts with the denon 1713 putting out 80 watts a channel at 8 ohms should be sufficient right? I'm not going to risk clipping or blowing the speakers?

Thanks for the inputs !!

Best

- J

The CSi A6 or A4 would be the perfect match to your RTi A3's. The Wharfedale would not be a good timbre match. I would suggest a small sub to balance things out. You could keep the sub volume low enough to not bother the nice old lady while still filling out the bottom end you are missing right now.

Are you planning on adding surrounds at some point?

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Also given that the website (polk audio) says the range of power for the rtia3 is 20 to 100 watts with the denon 1713 putting out 80 watts a channel at 8 ohms should be sufficient right? I'm not going to risk clipping or blowing the speakers?

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Clipping occurs when an amp is overdriven. So, as long as you're not trying to listen at rock concert levels, you should be fine.

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Originally Posted by F1nut

The CSi A6 or A4 would be the perfect match to your RTi A3's. The Wharfedale would not be a good timbre match. I would suggest a small sub to balance things out. You could keep the sub volume low enough to not bother the nice old lady while still filling out the bottom end you are missing right now.

Are you planning on adding surrounds at some point?



Clipping occurs when an amp is overdriven. So, as long as you're not trying to listen at rock concert levels, you should be fine.

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Thanks for the advice!! Being cash strapped I wanted to get a center channel first so as to get more of the dialogue from movies and TV shows.

With regards to clipping the AVR goes from 0 to 98 in terms of volume I generally run it anywhere between 30 and 42 or so.... About 40% to 45% of what it's capable of - that shouldn't cause issues right?

Also if a speaker is 125 watts and 8 ohms is it ok to have an amp that's rated much higher per channel at the same impedance? I'm wondering coz towers will need more drive than surrounds so if your AVR is ok for the towers lets say going 150 per channel could that adversely affect the 100 watt surrounds ??

Thanks again

- J

welcome. :cheesygrin:
Running at 30-40 percent volume is usually quite safe.
Yes your always better off with more power than the speaker rating.
You get into trouble cranking the bass control and the volume way up.
CSI A5 is another speaker to consider as I think it is just an older model of Csi A6.
They go for about $180-$230 here, save you some money if you can get one.

Thanks again for the comments!

Quick question a lot of speaker manufacturers tend to boast about the thickness of the speaker enclosure I know hat polk uses MDF and real wood veneer in the RTI series any clues on how thick the cabinet ends up being?

More so, I believe polk is a successful company because it offers true bang for buck, backed by solid r&d. With that in mind what so you guys think of infinity primus? Seems affordable with strong specs for the price point?

Also, is the law of diminishing returns true with speakers? For instance would the polk RTI series with a good receiver and amplifier sound as good to a layman as let's say Dali or Bowers and Wilkins or does the Kevlar cone and aluminum rings, and "made by craftsmen" in England really add something that a more mass produced Chinese build quality cannot compete with? I do know that speakers are in the ear of the beholder but to be honest I think there perhaps is a certain psychological part to it as well.

Not to poke fun at B&W I've seen videos of their manufacturing process an it is impressive kinda the same feeling you get when you see a video of a Swiss watch manufacture showing how that jaeger lecoultre or patek philippe was put together - however that does not make the omega speedmaster or ulysse nardin maxi marine any less of a watch. Sorry I'm a bit of a watch fanatic hence the analogy.

Would love they your thoughts especially since I'm new to this and not as well versed in speakers which is compounded by the fact that the market for such in India is considerably smaller than its counterpart in the US or UK etc

Thanks

- J

In regards to your amp question. You don't have to add an amp to every speaker in your set up. You can just power the L/R front,and ;et the AVR power the remaining speakers. A more popular option is a 3-channel to run the 3 fronts, and the AVR running the remaining. As many optionouts to your AVs as there are speakers in your setup, and pre outs to your AVR.

As far as the RTI/A series, most mid to upper end AVR's will power all except the A7 and A9 series well without an amp up to the 5 or 7 speaker congiguration. I probably wouldn't go above that without an amp, but again that would be my choice.