RTi150

by Peter, October 27, 2010

Strengths:

They have balanced sound, good soundstage, and will play loud and clean with enough power.

Weaknesses:

They are large, so they won't fit all rooms, and they do want power. I found the binding posts a bit cramped especially when bi-amping. Still looking for those passive radiators. ;)

Review:

I traded some photo equipment for mine, and I kept thinking I was going to get arrested, because I made out so well. I used to sell Polk (back in the day of the original Monitor 5, 7, 10 & 12 days). I loved them then, and I love them today. Although I have to say 'where are the passive radiators?' (plenty of room on the big flat sides), they don't seem to need them. I've got these hooked up as my front L/R for my home theater with a CSi40 center channel, and they blend perfectly. They love power, no doubt about it. I started with an Onkyo 130 wpc receiver, and that didn't cut it (I must admit that I like things LOUD). I bi-amped, and that wasn't much better. When I put 200 wpc mono blocks on all 3 front channels, things really sprang to life. The soundstage is immense and seamless across my 10' (diagonal) screen. And it's really cool that they are so narrow, so I can get the largest possible screen out of my front room. It's hard to say how deep they really go, because I have dual Velodyne HGS-12 subs (1250 watt servo-controlled), but they never leave me wanting for tight clean bass and balanced sound. Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel myself wanting a bit more out of the top end, but I know enough to know better -- "bright" highs become irritating. In the end, I'm happy. Are they audiophile speakers? Um, no. I've listened to and sold truly high-end speaker systems, and these are nice high-end home speakers -- not "tweak" audiophile quality. I.e., don't put these up against your Martin Logans and expect greatness.

by Dana, March 29, 2007

Strengths:

Bass is tight as well as crisp highs.

Weaknesses:

These speakers are power hogs! This can viewed as a weakness to some.....not me though!

Review:

While my original Harman Kardon AVR320 with 55 W/ch didn't do these speakers any justice. I tried Bi-Amping them which worked. But the ultimate was when I purchased my Harman Kardon AVR7200 with 100 W/ch. With Harman Kardon's clean clear power and the RTi150's ability to deliver the sound exquisitly. The combination is phenominal! The tight bass coupled with the crisp highs and mids make these speakers a great addition to my home theater. For the price these speakers do a great job!

by Rich Buckingham, December 20, 2002

Strengths:

The Polk RTi 150 is an excelent overall performer providing very good overall reproduction and outstanding depth of field.

Weaknesses:

Power hungry. Best listening results require willingness to spend time experimenting with placement/location.

Review:

After the mid-range speaker blew in one of my beloved Dahlquist DQ 10s I settled on the Polk RTi 150 model. After a week of listening and trying various speaker/subwoofer placements, I couldn't be happier. I would have rated the speakers 5 stars, except that they are power hungry ( not a problem for my Carver M-1.5T amp.). I also think they need for to six hours of break-in. I strongly recommend you give the RTi 150 serious consideration if your listening room will accomodate floorstanding model and you are willing to fine-tune speaker placement.

by Raymond, May 28, 2003

Strengths:

Not bad for movies.

Weaknesses:

Not good for music at all.

Review:

I tested this speaker quite a few times along with some others, such as Infinity Alpha 50, Bose 701 and Klipsch RF5, and finally I settled on Mission M53. It is noticeable that RTi150 does not have a clean sound and it could not give the details when playing classical music. However, it is not bad at all for watching movies. DO NOT waste your money if you are going to get a pair of speakers for music.

by Ryan, September 16, 2002

Strengths:

The full range of sounds they produce is amazing. There is not a single frequency that's over looked.

Weaknesses:

kryptonite, maybe? Well, they are pretty power hungry. These things need juice.

Review:

Well, the RTi150's are the second pair of floorstanding speakers I've owned. The first being a set of the old RT800 Polk towers. As soon as I saw just the design, I purchased this set after one 5 minute listening session. Much like the 800s and other polk towers, the sounds produced are very smooth. There's not too much tweeter, but the highs are always present. In other words, the fatigue level on these speakers are great. One could listen to them for hours and enjoy nothing but sound. My favorite thing about these speakers are the mid-bass drivers. Most people would have to either cross over their sub at a higher frequency, or add in extra smaller subs to fill in the midbass. These speakers can play down to 120 hz without a hitch. The midbass produced is just so strong. Powered off of my Onkyo TXDS898, I used a few songs to get my general concencus of these speakers. Starting with Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl." Aside from being a very grungy song, it left me stunned. Without the sub on it was a full range of sounds experienced. I lightened up on the midbass and tested the fullness a little more with Enya's "Only Time." The sounds produced were very rich and the deeper bass notes still had a quite a bit of presence. I moved on to Lenny Kravitz's " I Belong to You" to see what the sibilance on the upper end looked like. The male vocals were rich and his "S"'s rolled off much more smoothly than I would have expected. To sum it all up, these speakers rock. You're getting monitor speakers at an affordable price. If you have a bigger room, these are a must have. They fill it with so much sound, you're sure to be impressed. An excellent solution for anyone who demands clean sound, or simply demands the best.

by Eric Gartley, December 20, 2002

Strengths:

Great Sound (not as good as BOSE)

Weaknesses:

Price is too high!

Review:

I think that the Polkaudio RTi150 tower speakers are very good, but I think that the BOSE 501's, 701's, or 901's are much better. I think that BOSE is better quality than POLK.

by CC employee Rudi, January 7, 2003

Strengths:

great bass, highs, and a mid that you normally don't hear with other speakers... especially that garbage Bose overprices for

Weaknesses:

none that I can see, I have never hooked them up to a low quality receiver or with low quality wiring... At a volume that drives my neighbors crazy they still sound incredible

Review:

I work at Circuit City so I get to demo every type of speaker we carry and compare the quality with every type of music. I previously had the RT1000 floorstanding set with built in subwoofers and I have to say these RTi150's have better bass and the mid bass speakers provide sounds I never heard in music before. It is a must to have a high current receiver to power them, but at the price of these speakers who wouldn't spend at least $500 on a receiver??? Bose does not compare at all... every floor standing speaker Bose produces is put to dust by these Polk masterpieces at a more affordable price than the LSi series. 5 Stars for the speakers that produce the sound quality at a price that makes Tweeter's speakers ridiculous in comparison

by Jon EG, February 8, 2003

Strengths:

They can take almost anything you throw at them

Weaknesses:

Well I've never seen the the cherry model, but I thought personally they could have did a better job with cabinets looks, but they're still built like a tank.

Review:

These speakers really rock!, outstanding BASS I'm using a Harman Kardon AVR 520, and a Carver TFM-25 they sound great with either amp. I highly recommend these speaker if you like quality sound. Great voice (midrange) excellent highs, Bass you lokk at then tell me. -JR-

by Victor Askew, May 2, 2003

Strengths:

A very musical and clear sound,deep bass and all at a price that did not require taking out a loan to pay for them.

Weaknesses:

None.These speakers require amps that produce large current output.i am using a Nakamichi PA 150 and a PA 200,and i've noticed they both run much much warmer these days.I am not bi-amping,i switch amps every other week or so.

Review:

Overall sound stage is impressive,very deep tight bass,midrange and highs are are clear and defined.I played Pink Floyd's Animals CD and the details of the songs were impresive,the Texas CD,Mothers Heaven the slide guitar sounded as if it were being played in my living room live.I think i will retire my ADS 1290 towers now as i have found the perfect replacments for them.

by Mike Owens, May 29, 2003

Strengths:

great sound

Weaknesses:

very heavy in weight, need good back and once in place sit down and listen.

Review:

I have watch movies and listen to CD with RTI100, I thought they were great, but with the RTI150 I hear sounds in these movies and CD that I did not know were there. I purchased the RTI100 and upgraded to the RTI150 and thought my wife would not know the difference since the outward appearance is the same, she knew right away that I had purchased new speakers by the sound.

by Bill, June 29, 2003

Strengths:

Loud, loud, loud, bass, bass, bass, very clear, crisp, sound. Awesome with all music types from hip-hop to classic rock. I thought 50cent sounded good until I heard some AC/DC's thunder, I still hear ringing in my ears!!!!!

Weaknesses:

they need alot of power, may need a reciever upgrade, my $1,000 reciever barely does it!!

Review:

These speakers pound. I had a pair of smaller polk towers and two bookshelf's as A&B. They don't even come close to the sound quality of the rti150's. Do not hesitate as I did for months, just go get them already, they are worth every cent.

by Marcus, July 31, 2003

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

I recently purchased a pair of R50's at Fry's (only $99.99 per speaker) and loved they way they sounded. However, I wanted something that could handle a little more power. After listening to several brands with prices ranging from $500-1500 per speaker, I found the RTi150's. I love they way they sound and I also got a great price - $399.99 per speaker at Circuit City (floor model close out.

by Joe D'Aloisio, August 20, 2003

Strengths:

Nice midrange. Decent soundstaging

Weaknesses:

Sloppy, exessive bass. An uninspiring tweeter and quite power hungry

Review:

Purchased my RTi 150's new and was disappointed with them. The speakes seem to lack the balanced intigration between the tweeter and drivers that you find with better speakers. The subtle tweeter needed more output and presence while the overly strong bass drivers seemed to drown out the midband. The bass also seemed quite boomy and loose rather than tight and integrated. Soundstaging was reasonable but the dispersion seemed quite narrow. I traded them in for paradigms which I find vastly superior.

by Howard Stoppelman, September 2, 2003

Strengths:

Bass, midrange, and treble all seem to be well balanced and smooth.

Weaknesses:

A good amp may be needed to get the full potential of these speakers.

Review:

I did a lot of research before I bought these and read many reviews. I listened several times to all the speakers and finally got these. I was concerned about not having enough amp to power these. My Mac 2100 is only rated at 105 a side but it came through great. I was astounded at the overall clarity and smoothness of the entire range.

by Joe Rod, September 6, 2003

Strengths:

The handsome, powerfull look combined with space saving size! Not to mention the quality of sound they produce. Clean and Clear!

Weaknesses:

Can't seem to find any...

Review:

I loved the rti 100s. But I wanted to go bigger (taller) to match my 65 in widescreen tv and csi40 center. I am glad I did! They gel perfectly with my HarmanKardon 7200. They produce nice clarity that makes you part of the theater experience. They know when to BOOM and when to WHISPER!

by James Bearb, September 12, 2003

Strengths:

Excellent for DVD concert lovers, the bass is incredible, great speakers for rock and rap lovers. Try that with Bose.

Weaknesses:

I had to buy a new receiver to power these babies.

Review:

As soon as I seen these towers I new they had the look I wanted to place them next to my big screen, then I heard them and I was sold. I have strugled to find the right speakers to give me a sound that would make movies come alive in my living room. The bass is awsome, if you want to be sold on these speakers just pop the Fleetwood Mack concert into your DVD, scroll to tusk, crank it up, and sit center stage because you are about to here the concert come to life.

by pervaiz masih, September 23, 2003

Strengths:

excelent

Weaknesses:

i did not find any. sometimes my wife.

Review:

i will say these are the best speakers ever i have in my life. my surround is over three thousand but it think it was uncomplete without these tower speakers. especially if you have good receiver you really can enjoy these speakers. well in the end i will say i am fully satisfied with the sound they make.

by Thomas, September 23, 2003

Strengths:

Mary Shelly said it better "Alive!!"

Weaknesses:

I feel the need to upgrade my center and rear.

Review:

Reggae never sounded so great (wicked sounds). My set up includes; CSi30 center channel with my New RTi150, for sub I have one 10" Def. Tech. I'm soon gonna replace my rear speakers. Polk of course... ;-)

by greg, September 26, 2003

Strengths:

Very good sound along with alot of clean bass

Weaknesses:

I have a onkyo 777thx reciver that cant phase these polks.Had to order a nad power ampto go with the 777.

Review:

I have the sva JBL's which are 550 each and dont even come close. also I have a pair of infinity crsendos that cost me $1700.They were the cleanest speakers that I had until the polk.The polks are not as clean in the mid and high end but the close,but the overall sound is better and bottom is twice as good.

by Aaron C DeVoe, October 14, 2003

Strengths:

I got 2 great home audio speakers for a super deal!

Weaknesses:

I can not get 2 more rti 150 at these prices because Circuit City said that these speakers are being discontinued. What a crying shame

Review:

on friday 10/10/2003 I bought 2 rti 150 at the gainesville, fl Circuit City closeout sale on these 2 speakers. Well I like the very clean sound from these tower speakers. These sound better than the klipsch, and cerwin vega.

by jay Park, November 1, 2003

Strengths:

great sound. try these two speakers only with jazz music. you will love it.

Weaknesses:

heavy and long. hard to handle it by myself from the store.

Review:

With csi40 for the center, fxi30 for the rear, rti150 for the front with denon avr-2803 and monster 12awg cable, who cannot be happy with all the movie he/she is watching?? specially when you purchased rti150 for $219 each?!?!? (even thought it was floor model/open box)

by Black Dragon, January 14, 2004

Strengths:

Great accuracy and transparency in the highs and midrange.

Weaknesses:

Bass is not as accurate or tight as it could be.

Review:

These RTi150s have a great presence and excellent bass response. No subwoofer necessary. I have these hooked up (bi-wired) purely as a stereo setup with my old Harman Kardon AVR20. The CDs sound great regardless of the type of music. Subtleties in the music come through seamlessly. I also own the RTi70s for the fronts of my 7.1 system and they don't sound anywhere near as good as these 150s even though they are hooked up to a vastly more powerful Harman Kardon AVR7200 (Dont' need the bass of the 150s for my home theater as I have two PSW404s stacked on top of each other to handle low end duty). The only weakness I have found in these speakers are that the bass response is not that accurate. This is likely a result of the PowerPort feature in the bottom of each speaker. However, unless one is listening to these speakers very critically every time one plays music through them, one is not likely to notice this small shortcoming.

by Andre, January 19, 2004

Strengths:

solid bass well balanced highs and mids

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

ihave been shopping for a decent pair of towers for sometime now,until I came across a discounted pair of polk RTi150's.I was blown away by the sound overall clarity depth and balance that these speakers produced.Even my wife was impressed. The boys at polk have really been doing their homework.

by Karenbeld, February 4, 2004

Strengths:

Bas

Weaknesses:

Het kan gedetaileerder in het hoog.

Review:

Een vol en goed geluid. Het han altijd beter, maar niet voor €399,-

by James, February 10, 2004

Strengths:

size and power

Weaknesses:

quality of sound, required amp power, price paid for quality.

Review:

its decent enough but the drivers are not of high quality and my 5yr old infinity speakers with 150 watt power are much clearer. this is ok for a regular audio geek but by no means a quality of audiophile. also a pretty bad amp power gobbler. the sound just isn't clear or crisp enough for the MSRP price paid. MAYBE ok for home theater but by far not good for high quality music experience.

by DAN THE AUDIO MAN, February 11, 2004

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

THESE ARE INCREDABLE!I RUN A STRDA2000ES FOR POWER(7.1)AND IT NEVER SOUNDED BETTER.I WAS UPGRADING MY FRONTS(R 40)WHICH HAD GREAT HIGHS &WARM MIDS BUT COULD NOT HANDLE SERIOUS LOWS,DONT GET ME WRONG,THEY ARE GREAT ALSO,BUT NOT ENOUGH.I ENDED UP HOOKING UP 2 SUBS TO COMPENSATE,BUT THEY GOT TO BOOMY.WITH THE RTI150 I GOT THE WARM MID BASS I WAS LOOKING FOR,A NICE TIGHT PUNCH DOWN LOW,AND WAS ABLE TO DISCO 1 SUB. YOU WONT BE DISAPOINTED

by Thomas Shavor, February 26, 2004

Strengths:

Excellent price compared to sound quality. Great looking speakers!

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I recently purchased a set of Polk RTi150 speakers (sight unseen) after listening to a pair of RTi10's at a local electronics store. These speakers are extremely clear and they have a great range of tonal qualities. There is no distortion when played at higher volumes and the speakers are constructed extremely well. After experiencing these speakers, I'm a Polk fan for life!

by John, March 13, 2004

Strengths:

Excellent sound, pure and clean.

Weaknesses:

I may have to upgrade my receiver to do them justice.

Review:

I just purchased these beauties on close out from Circuit City. These are one of the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. They are powerful along with having a deep and rich sound. My son also has a pair of Polks RTI100's. We are now a polk family!

by Jeff A., August 27, 2004

Strengths:

Good bass response and detailed sound

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I bought these at a closeout sale from Crutchfield at half price back in February and feel that I got four times the speaker for my money. I've listened to many speakers and read many reviews on these and other tower speakers. They sound great after I broke them in with my Adcom GFA 7500. Those individuals that rated these low need to spend more time with room placement and a sound meter. The bass was detailed along with realistic mids and crisp highs. Bose speakers were designed for odd room placement and work well for that. That's why I used them for my rear speakers. Running the Polk RTi150's in stereo will show how good they really sound just by themselves.

by Bryan, December 26, 2004

Strengths:

Everything

Weaknesses:

nothing

Review:

Picked these babies up for **** each at employee discount (be jealous). Simly amazing sound quality. Greaty range and clarity, bass is amazing, highs are crystal clear.

by leo, February 10, 2005

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

i just pic a set up of rti12 and a rti15 open box, i got them both for 140 each, i think i got a steal. though the tweeter on the 12 is pushed in i have to see if i can replace it, if not, hey there just for my basement so who cares, polk rocks, i have rti8s csi3 rti28s and psw505 in my other room plus i have my fathers srs u wanna talk tower check them out.

by CS, May 9, 2005

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Be prepared to invest some money in an amplifier to get the most out of these speakers.

Review:

I have thoroughly enjoyed these speakers over my past year of ownership. I started with a 120wpc receiver and then upgraded to an amp with 200wpc - and what a difference! Nice balanced sound once you have the juice to drive them. It also pays to spend some time working on speaker placement. I will enjoy these for music and movies for years to come!

by Mongoose, November 23, 2005

Strengths:

Everything: looks, clarity, ect...

Weaknesses:

Definetly needs a lot of power to get the full benefit out of these babies! But I don't really consider that a Weakness.LOL

Review:

I also purchased these @ Crutchfield's close out at half price. I had my eye on them for 2 years waiting. I too had a mediocor amp then I purchased a Denon AVR-4820R from Crutchfield....OMG what a difference!!! They sound great by themselves but with my system rounded out with a PSW505 & a PSW202, CSi5, and 4 surrounds:RC85i & Atrium 55 I wait for movies to come out on DVD then I veiw them. The sound is absolutely amazing!!!