Opinions on upgrading speakers?

[brasil]

I just ordered several components and am in the process of upgrading my home theater system: Below is my set-up:

2 Polk RTI 70 (fronts)
1 Polk CSI 40 (center)
2 Polk RTI 38 (side surrounds)
2 Polk FXI 30 ( rear surrounds)
1 Polk PSW 650 / 1 Velodyne DLSR 3750 (2 subwoofers)
Monster HKS 3500 power center
Denon 3806 receiver
Denon 1920 DVD player
Monster cables

I am considering in upgrading the RTI 70 to the new RTI 10 and the CSI 40 with the new CSI 5. I do not plan on upgrading my surrounds. Will I notice a substantial difference in upgrading my main three fron speakers. I am in search of more mid-bass, will the RTI 10 accomplish that, or will it be overkill with my two subwoofers. Are the tweeters substantially better on the new RTI series compared with the previous ones that I currently have?

[VR3]

Heres an idea...

Upgrade to something NON-RTi.

Yeah... that... although the current RT series is better than yours.. it is not a worthy upgrade by any margin.. if anything you need to go to the LSi line or a completely different brand..

Your looking to upgrade...not "lateral step"

[ohskigod]

I dont know sid, that tweeter on the new RTi's sounds alot different to me than the older RT series. I know the RTi10 will definitly give you that midbass your looking for in spades. the RTi70's equivalent in the new series in the RTi8. the RTi10 is a step up, especially if you run your speakers on large in a home theater format.

I have since recently discoverred, at least on my theater, that letting the mains do as much of the work as possible dramatically improved the sound of the theater. I now run all speaks on large and let the subs do LFE only. I noticed an increase in sound quality across the board. along these lines, the RTi10's might be brasil's cup of tea. extensivly demo the system you want to buy. see if you can get them in your house with a possibility of return if you do not notice a big improvement in your set up.

Rti10's are definitly better for music from what I heard of them, so if you do some 2 channel listening, that's an even better incentive.

[Early B.]

Going from 70's to 10's is a nice upgrade (I did it at one time). It was an even bigger upgrade when I got separate amps for them.

More importantly, you should consider selling your subs and buying a single killer sub. That'll probably be the biggest upgrade you can make.

Oh yeah, please get rid of those Monster cables. Try Audioquest.

[VR3]

I know theres quite a substantial difference between that nasty nasty nasty tweeter in the 70s (that line) - that silk is not exactly the most "detailed" tweeter in the world.

For the first time since they released that line... I was trying to be nice about it! ;)

The 70's tweeter is not so good. So anything you buyin the price range is going to be better probally.

I still think going RT to RT to RT to RT is all lateral moves... and sometimes a downward move. The only reason the RT line now is an upgrade over the last RT line is because the last one was not so good...

Try going from the first RT line to the current RT line... would be a much harder decision.

*puts on flame suit*

[dkg999]

Gets out flame thrower, and aims ..............

Seriously, I have RTi70's and CSi40's in my main HT, combined with FXi5/3, and then I have RTi6/4 and CSi5/3 in my bedroom HT. For HT, excluding music, I don't hear a lot of difference in the tweeters. I know that the RTi70 is a much better HT speaker than the RTi8, as I had the 8's for a while. I have to say that I prefer the sound of the RTi70/CSi40 front stage in my HT as compared to the RTi10/CSi5 combo. The new RTi line gets a little shrill and isn't as smooth sounding as the older RTi line.

[brasil]

Wow! What a big difference of opinions!

[Early B.]

Brasil -- the difference between the 70's and the 10's is that the 10 is more impactful, dynamic and detailed. Of course, it should be given its design. So yes, it's definitely an upgrade.

Sid makes a good about moving up to Lsi's, but that'll require eventually upgrading ALL of your speakers.

You should be able to keep your Csi40 with the 10's (I did), but you can so some searches on this forum for other opinions.

[brasil]

But if I get the RTI 10's the CSI 40 will not be coice mached to the 10's due to the difference in the tweeter, correct? Will upgrading to the 10's be worth while even with my two subs? Due the 7 inch woofers in the 10's provide more mid bass? I wish Pol made a speaker like the new Monitor 70's, but in the RTI line

[VR3]

Roll back time...

Pick up a pair of RT55i

[Early B.]

But if I get the RTI 10's the CSI 40 will not be coice mached to the 10's due to the difference in the tweeter, correct? Will upgrading to the 10's be worth while even with my two subs?

As long as you use an SPL meter, you should be fine. I was. I'm saying that if it's a question of prioritizing your purchases according to your budget, you can wait on the Csi5. It'll only make a minor difference, IMO.

Yes, the 10's will be worth upgrading even with your two subs.

[okiepolkie]

Overall, what is your goal? I see that you are unhappy with the midbass in the 70's, but is there anything else warranting an upgrade? I guess, what is your overall budget for your upgrades?

I agree that moving up to the LSi line will be your biggest improvement in the current Polk line.

You could upgrade the front three first, then change rears later. The LSi9's would probably fit what your looking for. You would want(not absolutly need a separate amplifier for them as well.

[brasil]

Isn't the RTI 55 basically the same set-uo as the 70's/ Two 6 1/2 drivers with 1" tweeters?

[VR3]

Better tweeter... tighter bass...

Better speaker.

[dkg999]

In the end, buy what your ears like best. With the quality of HT speakers you currently have, I hope that spending money to go to the RTi10's and CSi5 is worth it for any differences in SQ your experience.

[brasil]

I was under the impression that the Silk tweeters in the RTI 70 were better than the trilaminate in the older series such as the RTI 55, but I have not heard them either

[cfrizz]

Hi Brasil, I'm going to offer up another suggestion. I think you have a great system as is. Purchase a separate power amplifier to run your 70's, it will probably solve your midbass problem.

It made a huge difference for my mains when I hooked them up to 205 high current watts!

[brasil]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

[Zero]

Basil,

You are certainly receiving a variety of responses on this subject matter. You specifically asked if there would be a substantial improvement over the latest incarnation of the Rti’s tweeter… the answer is simply; no.

The new tweeter is what I would classify as a positive step in the evolution of the Rti line. However, it is not ‘substantially’ better. Do not expect angels to sing and holy music to bless your ear-drums.

Some more useful information would be; Not every Rti speaker sounds the same. The Rti-8 *is* substantially more aggressive than the rest of the line. The smoothest sounding speaker of the line will be the Rti-4, followed by the 6 and 10. It’s all in the crossover.

Finally; if I were in your shoes – I would get the Csi5 and the RTi-6 and call it a day. Moving to the LSi will shift everything you know about your system – you would be better served by just starting from scratch in that case (that is, if you care to really get adequate performance from those speakers).

[Zero]

I also want to add;

I genuinely cannot fathom how you are not achieving satisfactory *amounts* of mid-bass. Looking at your system, you should have plenty. This leads me to believe there is a calibration issue occuring in your system. Try different cross over settings, turn down the volume on the velodynes if you got them running pretty hot (11 o clock or more)..

If things are calibrated properly, I would then say your problem is not with the amount - but quality.

[cfrizz]

WAAAA! Classic!

The new tweeter is what I would classify as a positive step in the evolution of the Rti line. However, it is not ‘substantially’ better. Do not expect angels to sing and holy music to bless your ear-drums.

[Early B.]

Brasil -- now that you've opened up a Pandora's box, let us know what you decide to do. Then we can give you a variety of other suggestions to confuse you and make your life a living hell. :)

Bottom line -- if you're gonna go the upgrade path, be prepared to try different things. It takes, time, patience, money, and for many of us, a sympathetic wife. That's the only way you're gonna learn what floats your boat. All of these suggestions are good ones, but it takes experimentation to determine what's best for you. So don't labor over your decision. Just jump in and try something. If you wanna try 10's then get 10's. Otherwise, forget about it while you still have your sanity and enjoy your system.

[james vaughan]

I dont know sid, that tweeter on the new RTi's sounds alot different to me than the older RT series. I know the RTi10 will definitly give you that midbass your looking for in spades. the RTi70's equivalent in the new series in the RTi8. the RTi10 is a step up, especially if you run your speakers on large in a home theater format.

I have since recently discoverred, at least on my theater, that letting the mains do as much of the work as possible dramatically improved the sound of the theater. I now run all speaks on large and let the subs do LFE only. I noticed an increase in sound quality across the board. along these lines, the RTi10's might be brasil's cup of tea. extensivly demo the system you want to buy. see if you can get them in your house with a possibility of return if you do not notice a big improvement in your set up.

Rti10's are definitly better for music from what I heard of them, so if you do some 2 channel listening, that's an even better incentive.

AHHHH! you decided to leave em large did ya! I posted a while back about center channel set to large or small and wonderd if anyone heard the same thing I did by leaving the speakers set to large.