RTi8

by Brad, March 19, 2007

Strengths:

The whole package

Weaknesses:

NONE!!!

Review:

The best made speakers, true audiophille will love there choice to buy these speakers. Movies are also a pleasure.

by Paul Levin, March 9, 2006

Strengths:

Great sound, looks and value. Quality construction and backed by a great warranty from a great company.

Weaknesses:

Haven't found a flaw, but lack of deep bass might be a concern for some. Sub will resolve all issues and increase HT enjoyment.

Review:

This speaker is simply amazing. Clarity and imaging are efffortless at any output level. The horns and vocals are recreated in true life detail, simply meaning a trumpet sounds like a trumpet. And that my freinds is the highest accolade a speaker can receive, it sounds real. The low end is what you would expect given the size of the drivers, which in my opinion is solid and distortion free down to around 45hz and then they fall off rapidly. I would recommend the addition of a sub for the serious listeners. I use a HSU Research VFT-2 which is clean down to 23hz and produces a beautiful soundstage along with the RTi8's. If you can still get a good deal on these grab them, you will not be dissapointed I assure you. I am in love with them and I was considering far more expensive systems but if you can't hear the difference why spend more. I am certain that these outperform many of the B & W speaker I heard and all of the infinity and klipsch products. Let me add that they look beautiful as well which is a nice bonus. Hope this helps you.

by Ravi Dabare, November 29, 2006

Strengths:

Clarity of sound. Good punch and same time it gives prominent highs & vocals.

Weaknesses:

None so far.

Review:

Excellent sound quality. Very clear deep base, sharp trebles and mid range. Elegant look. I enjoy every time irrespectively to the type of music I listen,thanks to Polk Audio.Value of Money.

by Eduardo Hernández, March 4, 2004

Strengths:

Very clean, great mid ranges, tridimensional, the sound was floating all over the place. I re-discovered the music I have heared for many years.

Weaknesses:

I had no intentions to buy speakers, but when I heared them... could not resist. Then I had to change my old (really, not so old)amp for a new (and better) one, because I new I could have more from my RTi8's. I was not wrong, I was even more impressed. Now I am planning to buy a new pre-amp (sshhh... dont tell my wife). Just one complaint: And not for the speakers. Before I bought them I sent a question by e-mail to customer service (contact us), and was never answered. I was dissapointed. When I bought the amp, every question I sent was answered, they even sent me the amp for a personal home test. I am not asking you to send speakers to your customers... just answer a question, please.

Review:

In 1988 I first saw a picture of a Polk Audio speaker in a sound magazine. I was impressed, they were beutiful. Well now I was more impressed when I first heared them. They made me discover a new sound level. Lesson one: An excellent speaker doesn't have to be ugly.

by rxm, August 3, 2004

Strengths:

Crisp, clean highs Strong mids

Weaknesses:

Bass, needs powered sub woofer

Review:

I evaluated the RTI8, RTI10 and Infinity Beta 50's at Circuit City. The RTI8 sound was the cleanest, although a little light on the bass. My wife also identified the RTI8 sound as the best in a "blind" test. Got the pair from CC with a free PSw202 subwoofer for $500. These are one of the better 2-way speakers in the sub $1K range.

by Graham, April 22, 2008

Strengths:

Clarity, highs, and mids.

Weaknesses:

Everyone says the lows but these speakers weren't made for base, or low frequencies. If you want that get the rti10 or 12.

Review:

I bought these about 1 and a half years ago and I still love them. The clarity of the speaker is amazing and if you get a good receiver it is even more amazing. If you like acoustics then the speakers will satisfy your needs.

by Eric Beisel, October 20, 2003

Strengths:

Unbelieveable clear highs and pure, clean bass. Absolutely no distortion at high volume.

Weaknesses:

Neighbors are beginning to complain :-)

Review:

I blew out my Cerwin-Vegas and replaced them with these. I almost fell over when I cranked them up to Why Part II from Collective Soul. Man I could not believe how clear they sounded.

by Joel McIntosh, October 25, 2003

Strengths:

These speakers offer crystal clear, precise mid-range and high-range frequencies. Also, they offer tight, defined base.

Weaknesses:

Not designed with rich bass in mind, the speakers need a separate subwoofer to fully achieve the lowest bass frequencies.

Review:

I bought the RTi8s because of the clear precision with which they reproduce mid-range and high-range frequencies. They were spectacular out of the box. Originally, I expected the speakers to be a bit on the bright side and anticipated a break in period before they lost their brightness. However, this was not a problem. While the speakers are not laid-back, they do not seem overly bright. Bass with these speakers is clean. My old speakers had an annoying tendency to produce loose, over-blown bass, so the tight, defined bass I hear from these speakers is refreshing. The speakers lack a true woofer, so I would recommend a separate subwoofer to fully reproduce lower bass frequencies.

by Mark Parsell, March 15, 2004

Strengths:

Bi ampable five way binding post.Natural sounding tweeters,not too brite,not too soft

Weaknesses:

NONE FOUND

Review:

The cleanest sound you will find at any price range.I tried a pair of mirage om9's at more than twice the price. These won out.If your looking for smooth,clean mid to highs,these are the ticket.The cleanest tweeters I,ve heard.If you don't have subs,go for the rti 10,s or 12,s

by Pito Lopez, March 29, 2004

Strengths:

Sound -Clear mids,solid lows and crystal clear highs. Looks- Matched beautifully with my HDTV.

Weaknesses:

None....

Review:

Blew out my 5 year old JBL's after I bought my new 7070 Kenwood receiver(120W/ch). Listened to Yamaha, Infinity, Bose601 Series IV etc. and nothing came close to the Polk's RTI8 & 10. I was trying to make a decision between these two but was advised that if I had a SUB , the RTI8 would do and they were right!!! I'm listeneing to all my old favorites as if it was the first time....Way to go Polk!!!

by Mario, March 30, 2004

Strengths:

GREAT mids, awsome highs (not harsh) and ok lows but you need a sub.

Weaknesses:

Why cant polk make there speakers more efficient????

Review:

These speakers rock!! They play loud and clear. In my opinion, i liked the way the old polk RTi70s sounded. I like warm sound. But theres no way you can complain about these speakers because they sound so good.

by Gary Perry, May 20, 2004

Strengths:

Quality construction, balanced sound, good stereo imaging and reproduction. I especially like the floor spikes that allows the cabinets to sit up off of floor which substantially reduces potential for cabinet resonance.

Weaknesses:

None. (If you need blasting bass you might add a sub, but not needed otherwise.)

Review:

Very impressive speakers. Equal to many in much higher price range. I have a project studio and I bought these to listen to final CD mixes. Excellent stereo imaging and true reproduction of sound. Nice balance of mids and highs especially listening to acoustic instruments even at low volume levels. Over-all just a well rounded sound.

by Eric, July 21, 2004

Strengths:

The new rti tweeter sounds more crisp then the old one. These woofers i think have a better surround then the old rti's\ and they pump out alot of bass you wont be mad for buying these.

Weaknesses:

....of course not....

Review:

Just bought these speakers from CC. I got them on clearance for 250$ each. I was worried as I went thier to buy a subwoofer and came back with towers. I thought for sure i would need a sub. but these speakers put out enough bass, they just lack below 35hz. I have them running from an onkyo501 and i can tell these things like thier power. Highs are clear, mids are excellent, and the bass is really good for a 6.5inch driver. I previously owned a set of rti100s but i used the upgrade program at CC. NO complaints, except CC doesnt carry them in CHERRY.

by Alejandro, July 22, 2004

Strengths:

Very clean, great mid ranges, tridimensional and pure. Amazing experience

Weaknesses:

They are not cheap....... but the best ones!!

Review:

I bought the frontspeakers the last week, every day that I return from work I listen to with my dvds favorite. I cannot believe the high quality of sound. This is a product with a exelente definition of sound. Sony STRD-995 RTi8 CSi30 RT15 PSW-150 Take your favorites dvds and go to a near dealer to appreciate its quality. At this moment I am thinking about changing by Marantz, Denon in order to enjoy them most possible.

by nathan foltz, July 26, 2004

Strengths:

price, great looking speaker,unbelievable clear sound,and a great factory warranty

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

bought csi3 center,fxi3 surrounds and got a psw 202 subwoofer free, two weeks later i picked up a pair of rti4,s for my fronts, i didn,t think things could get any better until i walked into cir. city and they had the rti8,s on clearance for $154.00 apiece,i couldn,t get my check book out any faster.

by Dave, July 30, 2004

Strengths:

Soundstage, midrange, mellow highs.

Weaknesses:

Can't bring them to work with me.

Review:

It's 3:30 on a Friday and all I can think about is getting home to fire these speakers up. I've lived with them for some 2 weeks now and can honestly say that cd's in my collection that were sounding tired have been given new life with these speakers. We've all read reviews with similar raves, but it has to be said again. I'm confident that these wonderful speakers will breath new life into some familiar recordings. Great soundstage, sweet midrange. A bit light on bass but with a good sub, WOW. Got em' for slightly over 4 bills'. Go get some!!

by bob, August 2, 2004

Strengths:

sound great

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

got them at cc blowout

by kisypher, August 7, 2004

Strengths:

Quality construction, incredibly tight mids and highs. Superb sound imaging!

Weaknesses:

None at all.

Review:

These speakers are very well built, very solid. Polk takes the time to not only build a great sounding speaker but also a speaker that is "wife friendly". In other words, they "are pretty". Anyway, these RTI8's sound incredible. They do lack the low, "booming" bass, but you can only expect so much from 6 1/2" woofers. However, the mids and highs are crisp, tight, and just a pleasure to listen to. Boom bass lovers will need a powered sub, common sense dictates that. I am very happy with this purchase, especially since i got the pair at Circuit City brand new in the box for $324. Nope, that's not a typo, $324 for the pair. Lucky me....also got the CSi3 center channel for $129. Good day for me that was. Anywho.....you can't go wrong with the RTI8's. Quality sound and construction all the way around. I'm done rambling now...

by r.f.rawski, August 24, 2004

Strengths:

open, dosen't even begin to discribe these speakers. close your eyes and your there.

Weaknesses:

a little short on the deep end, but that is bearly notice.

Review:

wow, what else can be said about these speakers. i split my system. home theater and music don't mix. so i started auditioning speakers. when i heard these, that stop!!!. i tokt them home and been constantly happy every sence.

by colby, August 30, 2004

Strengths:

Pure sound

Weaknesses:

So good they make you want another set

Review:

I've had these speakers for 2 weeks after I wrestled the last pair away from the salesman at HHGregg. He wanted them for himself but fortunately for me we've been friends for a while. Very tight sound. Music sounds more lively with these than i remember with my old speakers. These speakers make you want to crank it up and bang your head a little bit. Thank you Polk

by Chuck, October 15, 2004

Strengths:

Everything. Have them in black and look great next to the AV rack,

Weaknesses:

The bass is a little low, getting a sub for that though.

Review:

AWSOME!! Im building my HT one piece at a time. I have an Onkyo 701 reciever and an Onkyo DVD player. These speakers are amazing. I searched for a long time to find what speakers id be happy with. Cant go wrong here. Ive just purchased the CSI3 center channel and am waiting for it to come in the mail. After a month I plan to upgrade the center to the CSIa5 and put the 3 in the back with the the FXI3. All that with a Velodyne sub. Everyone likes to come over and watch moveis. Gladiator and Saving Private Ryne in DTS. Makes you feel like your thier. Thankyou Polk. Youve made my first home theatre experience a memerable one. I feel I have a system to last a long time. You have a lifetime customer here. Word of mouth is a good thing, after having them. 2 of my freinds went out and purchased the same ones after hearing mine. Were all impressed and very happy. Thankyou so much. Keep up the good work.

by Javier Beruff, November 6, 2004

Strengths:

The RTI8's are perfect for music,the RTI series match up very well.

Weaknesses:

I just can't say no!!

Review:

I decided to buy the Polk RTI8's after auditioning the RTI8 and the RTI10's in three different showrooms and coming to the same conclusion each time.These are my observations based on my stereo needs;I strictly listen to music. The RTI8's appear to have a more open and complete sound. Center imaging on the RTI8 is crisp and detailed as is the midrange. The mid range on the RTI10 appeared to be competing with an overpowering bass which seem to be better suited for HT. The bass on the 10's sounded exaggerated in order to give the full effect of the roar of cars or airplanes. I could not turn the bass down on the 10's without effecting the natural sound of the tweeter and mid range .The 8's, on the other hand, I was able to turn the bass level up a notch giving the speakers a warmer and deeper sound without being to heavy.In two showrooms the salesman came in and told me how nice the RTI10's sound, but I informed them that it really was the RTI8's with the bass tured up a notch. At home the RTI8's lived to thier showroom potential. Paired with RTI6's for surround,MII3 for rears and CSI3 for center,the RTI8's create an overall bubble of music which sounds tuned and a pleasure to listen to. I hope that this review is helpful and I plan to get years of listening satisfaction from my Polk system.

by Richard Ferguson, December 6, 2004

Strengths:

Great sound. Clear crisp highs and smooth midrange.

Weaknesses:

If your a bass boomer freak these aren't for you. A sub is needed to shake the pictures off of the walls.

Review:

I've been searching for some time for a set of towers at a reasonable price point that would sound great for music reproduction and yet work well for home theatre. There are some pretty speackers out there, but pretty is all they are. This is my first set of polk speakers. Infinity and Bose sat in my home before these. Now I wonder why I didn't buy Polk sooner. Look great beside my wide screen, remarkable music reproduction, and gave my home theatre system a new dimension.

by Rex Mercer, December 18, 2004

Strengths:

The most clear crisp sound ever produced.

Weaknesses:

Tired from slapping myself for not ever buying Polk before.

Review:

Holy Crap!!!! These are the best speakers I have ever owned in my life. I never owned Polk before and I will never own anything else. I bought the rti 8's with the 404 sub and it kick's butt.

by keith allen, December 22, 2004

Strengths:

Great universal speaker...very musical,good value of course...its Polk

Weaknesses:

Bright tweeters

Review:

Great speakers for the price,very good for the music lover(thats me)good when watching movies too.I'm a music lover,listen to just about everything...ac/dc,earl klugh,statler bros,allman bros,these speakers are very universal plays all music well...very well!Good bass,tight with good punch,I run a sub at times with them,but not a must.Only thing negative is the tweets are a little harsh but you can tone them down,a good preamp,and quality cd player did the trick.Only reason I dont give them a 5 is,their not SDA...only polks worthy of 5 stars

by Joe, January 18, 2005

Strengths:

Best speakers for the money

Weaknesses:

Oh so pretty, cant stop looking at them during a movie

Review:

I have searched and listened to many many brands and Ive heard unbelievable sound from MartinLogan, Phase Techs, and B&W. But I couldnt bring myself to spend that much money. Rti8's bring everything to my HT that I wanted that would cost double if I went with B&W CM4's. The sound is pure and smooth, the mid range is outstanding, bass is tight and gives depth, if you listen to hiphop or distortion-y rock, you may want to use a sub. If you have an SACD player and a tuned setup, throw in Santana, very impressive to say the least. If your reading this to make a decision, save yourself some time and get em! My pair came with a free 10" sub. (Thanks to the guys at Tweeter for letting me listen for hours)

by Scott, February 18, 2005

Strengths:

Amazingly clean, clear & natural sounding low-to-mid and high frequencies. Nice looking speaker.

Weaknesses:

Tweeters sometimes sound a bit bright depending on the music.

Review:

Great speaker. Does very well with all types of music and as fronts in a home theater set-up. Sound from the RTi8's approach that of live music. A good subwoofer (like the ps404) adds LFE (low frequency effect) that I absolutely need for movies and deeper bass-intensive music.

by Rob, March 8, 2005

Strengths:

Best sounding speaker I have ever heard and I have had several from bose,sony etc., beautiful cabinet's,grills and all. Very well built at 50lbs. each. love the feet that they come with also. helps get the sound more at ear level.

Weaknesses:

I have no weaknesses or complaints. The sound is just amazing. if you are somebody that listen's to rap,hip hop music or want wall shaking ,chest pounding bass. add a powered subwoofer.

Review:

I have never been much of a polk audio fan. I was looking for replacement's for my old speaker's (Bose) and ran across a super price on a brand new pair of these in black. Man was I surprised at the sound quality. The sound is so clean so clear distortion free I could not believe my ear's. WOW! And they are also very nice looking speaker's. The sound is so nice I purchased 2 more pair's for my home theater set up. They sound awsome with any music and awsome with a movie. I was afraid of the speakers would not have enough midrange but when I hooked them up I was just totally amazed. the sound is sooooo balanced. if you want pounding bass just add a subwoofer ( the bass output of the speaker's is perfectly balance so you won't get chest pounding bass). You won't be wrong with this purchase.

by Tom, May 23, 2005

Strengths:

This is my second set of Polk speakers, and I'll only Buy from Polk for my speaker needs.

Weaknesses:

None.

Review:

Outstanding speaker and a great value. They handle every type of music from Jazz to Motzart. Great highs, mids and bass, another Polk winner.

by Matt Gabrielson, October 18, 2005

Strengths:

Transparent and detail for its price.

Weaknesses:

The tweeter can be bright, but this never proved to be irritating.

Review:

I have no complaints about this speaker for the paltry $800 I paid for them. With the RTi series, Polk Audio achieves a very high quality/price ratio. My living/listening room has substantial gains in bass to mid-bass, thus the mere 2 1/2 way setup with 6 1/2'' drivers causes no longing for more bass during my listening. Futhermore, I listen to no music that requires the nonmusical "bumps" associated with certain other genres. As I mentioned, the highs can be bright. Specifically, the treble rises at 8kHz to a peak at +5db at 10kHz and remains above ±0 db until 20kHz. The first example of this was during The Life Aquatic film with bells in the soundtrack. The bells rang clearly, but accentuated. However, I actually found this to be enjoyable, which made me question whether I do, indeed, favor brightness. When I upgrade my system, I'm going to get the RTi10 series. I've read the complaints about the weak midrange, but given that the RTi8's and -10's use the same midrange driver, I cannot see reason in this claim.

by Stopher J, December 13, 2005

Strengths:

Excellent detail and clarity Excellent imaging Strong distortion-free bass Great mids and highs Stylish and sturdy construction

Weaknesses:

None. This speaker does everything it is intended to do.

Review:

I was really pretty surprised at the quality of sound of this speaker. I have read other reviews stating that they went with the monitor series due to them not being able to tell the difference in quality. At the store I was able to switch back and forth between the RTi and monitor series and the clarity and imaging of the RTi series was hands down the winner. I would rather spend the extra hundred or two and not have any regrets about if I should have gone with the others. Also within the series the RTi 8's played better (to my ears) than the 10's which seemed to lack mids and the 12's, although Im sure the 12's sound better if you really give them enough power. However if youre running these off youre standard 75-100W per channel HT reciever than in my humble opinion you're almost better saving the $300-700 and spending it on a sub that can hit the 20-30Hz range considering even the 12's only go to 30Hz at best with enough power. Once I got these in my living room I popped in a CD and just ran a straight 2 channel signal to these and was very pleased with the imaging and clarity. Not to mention the bass wont knock your socks off, but down to the 40 Hz that it will play the bass is strong and has little to no distortion. I got these with the free PSW10 sub which makes them an extra good value considering you can eBay the subwoofer if you dont need it. Overall I think they're probably the smartest buy in the whole Polk line-up right now when you pair them with a quality sub to fill out the whole dynamic range.

by nik, December 14, 2005

Strengths:

runs with the best of them great sound just a great look "wich made me choose them over paradimg and what a name to run against just thinking that there in the same class"

Weaknesses:

a bit over prise but i going to wait tell after 05 to get them

Review:

wow win i went into frys i said to myself am going with paradigm but win i heard the rti8 i had to say it mad me think ALOT i went over to paradigm sound and vision the sound from the performance was just so nice the speakers in this class rti and the paradinms are all going to sound realy nice but one thing was sertan and that is that polk has a great name and the thing that is going to make me buy these speakers in freb is that they look so much better then all of them the woffers give deep bass and the midds are just great coming from the same speaker as the bass the highs are just so much better then my sony ss-mf750s and there is just such a look works of arts

by Ed, December 16, 2005

Strengths:

Crisp and clean speakers

Weaknesses:

My kids like to try and hide behind them and I worry about them falling. So far no spills.

Review:

Fantastic speakers. I compared them against similarly priced Bose, Klipsh and Infinity. The Infinity speakers where the only ones that came close in quality. They lacked some of the high and midrange crispness of Polk. Bose speakers where not even in the running. Sound quality was way below the others. Not until you doubled the price of Bose did the sound get close to the others.

by Oliver, January 2, 2006

Strengths:

PERFEKT

Weaknesses:

plastic feets, lows could be more deeper :) but I use a subwoofer

Review:

VERY NICE SOUND!!HIHGS ARE CLEAR AND NICE!!PERFEKT STYLE I USE IT IN REAR FRONT THE RTI 12.. SOUNDS GREAT!

by gabby, January 2, 2006

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

perfekt

by Kevin Humphrey, January 6, 2006

Strengths:

Nice Look Excellent Sound

Weaknesses:

none.

Review:

I upgraded to these from the R50s about a year ago. I have the RTi6's in the rear that match perfectly. These are the best sounding and looking speakers I have ever heard. My friends can't believe that only 2 mids produce the sound they just heard after listening and then taking the grill off. Highly recommend! I Agree with the others that you need a good sub to compliment these. I will only buy Polk Audio.

by Garry Whitney, January 16, 2006

Strengths:

Clarity and construction. Clean highs and enough bass to wake the nieghbors.

Weaknesses:

I am still looking and listening for one

Review:

Choose just one word to describe these speakers and that word would be, WOW! This is my first time using Polk speakers and I am impressed. The clarity and crispness is incredible for a speaker in this price range and the construction is top notch. If you are looking at the Infinity speakers in the same price range, stop looking and buy these.

by josh, January 18, 2006

Strengths:

i used to have a pair of jbls but these speakers are ten times better .the speakers are incredibly clear and i think they are by far the best looking speakers

Weaknesses:

i thought for the thousand dollars i paid that they would have alot better base than what they do.

Review:

overall very good speakers but you would definately have to add a sub for the bass. but other than that these speakers are awesome

by Gustavo Gonzalez, February 15, 2006

Strengths:

Beautiful

Weaknesses:

None.

Review:

Great speakers, I think this is the best deal in the market. To me, they are the best speaker in the Rti mode from Polks. In my bedromm sounds great.

by G-force, March 11, 2006

Strengths:

- Excellent smooth range of sound - Very impressive bass for such small drivers - The venner finish is unmatched at this price - Nicely designed rear power port - Two terminals for optional config. changes

Weaknesses:

- One of my grilles had some scuffing on the bottom plastic face from the factory. That is the only weakness I can think of, and I'm sure not many are like that.

Review:

I've been nothing but pleased with my rti8's. They amaze me everytime I listen to them. Also the veneer finish is a big step up from the laminate monitor series. They look and sound like pure class, and at an excellent price point. I have them matched with a csi5 and rti4's and honestly couldn't be any happier.

by Luc Martin, March 14, 2006

Strengths:

-power handling -looks -quality -detail

Weaknesses:

N/A

Review:

Excellent speakers competing with some the of top brands for much cheaper. If quality matters to you, go get a pair of of RTi8. I wasn't sure between RTi8's and RTi10's and I prefered the 8's for the detail of the highs... The 10's handle bass better but you actually lose some of the highs. My answer was a pair of RTi8's with a sub :).

by simphiwe Sithole, April 28, 2006

Strengths:

Good bass, voice and presents. very clear. They look good.

Weaknesses:

None i can think of at this moment.

Review:

Good sounding speakers for the money. Looking for something that sounds big but dont have the budget for it then try this pair, plus the fact that its finished in real wood veneers is a bonus, its almost unheard of at this price point. great for home theater, great for music as well. if you remain still long enough you can feel the bass in your diaphram area. For 61/2 inch drivers they sure deliver a lot of muscle. i always wanted something to anoy my neighbours but didnt know what, here is my answer.

by jaykar, May 1, 2006

Strengths:

Very good sound imaging, with tight bass and good mids

Weaknesses:

Front panel asthetics could be improved design wise to make it a little sporty.. it is tooo simple for the awesome sound it deliverss..

Review:

I have just got my RTi8 and i was just floored with the crisp sound that these speakers deliver. I was finalising between polk and jamo..i felt jamo 680 had a continuous bass which was causing fatigue..while RTi had the right mix of bass and excellent mid range.. i was worrying that these were 2way speakers but after a lot of hearing other 3 way brands , i felt Polk was the BEST.. CHEEEERSS

by Chris Garner, June 3, 2006

Strengths:

This speaker does it all, crisp high, solid lows, and intense mids, Polk for the win!

Weaknesses:

Nope

Review:

This speaker, combined with the essense of heavy metal, has helped me achieve self actualization.

by Chris, November 5, 2006

Strengths:

clean highs and mids, awesome finish, can't get over the sound of these

Weaknesses:

nothing, feet could be metal

Review:

i just purchased these and im in love with them, purchased the cherry finish and i cant believe how they sound and look. my friends are in love with them, i can't get over how clean they sound. i had wharfedales before and they were decent, redoing my home theater with all polk products, csi 5 on order and also psw505 i was looking at some energy speakers and also the new jbl and focal stuff but the prices were ridiculous, for the money and sound i liked the polks the best. if you run these on seperate amp other than your receiver you will love the sound better, have mine running off an adcom 545.

by Noel, November 15, 2006

Strengths:

Styling and handling at high volumes. Almost zero distortion.

Weaknesses:

None.Even if you are looking for any.

Review:

RTi8 , I have only owned them for about 3 weeks but I am enjoying every bit. I was almost doubting my av reciever thinking I needed an upgrade after 3 years. With the RTi8s I am very pleased sometimes amazed at the sound reproductions I have grown acustomed to before the RTi8s and how they truly sound. To polkaudio thanks for an absolutely quality product that is value for money !!! Noel - JHB ,South Africa

by Mike Jones, January 9, 2007

Strengths:

Nice mid range sound, more volume with min distortion than I thought I would get out of them. The Highs and tweeter make this speaker a winner. Sound and look great

Weaknesses:

Maybe could handle more bass but I have 2 PSW505 Subs so that won't effect me.

Review:

I finally traded in my old RT800's, almost 10 yrs old they still sounded great but the look and sound of the RTi8's blew me away. I didn't know I would notice suck a big difference. I this the mid's and bass are close to the same they are noticably louder and the highs sound great. Nice job polk.

by Daren, January 22, 2007

Strengths:

Sound quality vs all the other speakers I auditioned in the price range.

Weaknesses:

As many have mentioned seemed to lack abit on the low end but I noticed a huge improvement with bi-wiring, see below. Not quite the sound output of the Rti10's but they are in a different price range, so this isn't really a weakness.

Review:

I have owned these towers for abit over 2 years now & at the time of purchase nothing else came close to the sound quality in the same price range & even some more expensive Bose towers etc. A couple others seemed to have more bass but the clarity wasn't there. I have them hooked to a Yamaha high current Receiver & had been running them with a single 14 awg speaker wire. I always thought they were lacking abit in the low end but my polk sub made up for it. Recently I read about bi-wiring & thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't to sure if it would make much of a difference but let me say it made a huge difference. It brought the mids out as well as the bottom end, so much so that the highs now sounded a little too muddy for my taste. I origionally had the highs on the EQ fairly low as they tended to be very bright at high levels with the single wire so I made a couple tweaks with the EQ & it brought the highs back exactly where I wanted them. They sound like a new speaker all over again, it made so much of a difference that a sub is almost not needed anymore. If your still running a single wire, I would defently recommend to try bi-wiring & also make sure your running a good size wire gauge as I have found upgrading to a larger gauge really helps in the bottom end (especially with the high current receivers)

by Scott Olson, February 27, 2007

Strengths:

Look, range, tonal quality.

Weaknesses:

None!

Review:

Being my 2nd HT setup, I was looking at many different brands and configurations. I went from inwalls to bookshelves to floorstanders and back again....I finally settled in on these as the core of my config and all I can say is that I couldnt be happier...Music as well as Movies sound incredible. For the money these speakers hit my sweetspot and keep delivering. Along with my CSi3, TCi610 surrounds, everything sounds stellar. I regret nothing! Love em!

by charlie, March 4, 2007

Strengths:

Wonderful 3-d imaging for music and movies

Weaknesses:

Lacking detail in the midrange. Also, nice metal spike feet over the plastic ones would be nice.

Review:

Overall, it is a very good, very capable speaker. And it gets better when properly broken in over time.

by christopher santini, March 6, 2007

Strengths:

awesome clarity, clean bass. They didnt lie when polk stated great for music and movies

Weaknesses:

none from me

Review:

I love these speakers. They were better than I expected. I would get a CSi5 center, I got the CSi3 and it sounds fine. I prefer the RTi series over the moniter series any day

by Arturo Heredia, June 4, 2007

Strengths:

Una claridad sorprendente y sin distorción de los bafles, me encanta la fuerza con que reproduce cada detalle desde los sonidos de alta frecuencia hasta los graves significativos

Weaknesses:

ninguna.

Review:

Cuando decidí comprarlos quise probar entre varias marcas PSB, INFINITY, KEF, entre otras, pero decidí adquirir mi primer par de RTi8 porque aprecio muchísimo mejor los dos géneros de música que me agradan, el JAZZ y la Música Sinfónica. mi equipo es: A/V RECEIVER ONKYO TX-NR-801 ONKYO DXC390 COMPACT DISC PLAYER MARANTZ DV3100 DVD PLAYER POLK AUDIO RTi8 1 PAIR POLK AUDIO RTi RTi6 1 PAIR POLK AUDIO CSi5 CENTER CHANNEL INFINITY PS12 SUBWOOFER

by Graham, July 6, 2007

Strengths:

Appearance, overall sound quality, one could buy these speakers and have a system set for life - no major weakness to make the upgrade bug start itching.

Weaknesses:

The highs get a little harsh at high volumes - require some good amp to get the most out of them

Review:

Well made speaker that looks great and performs well across the board. Many reviews spoke of a lack of bass response - I agree, even with a good HK receiver the bass was only starting to pop at almost max volume. Added a 200W x 2 power amp and it really made a big difference, now the bass is much better defined at all volumes. The Polk subs are good for movies, but don't have enough attack or finesse for music in my opinion, the improved bass with the power amp really helped strike the bass notes more accurately, with the sub reinforcing.

by Jeffy, September 12, 2007

Strengths:

The build quality is there. The richness and warmth of the wood is nice if you go for the cherry. The lack of seams on the edges makes them look clean. Overall a good value.

Weaknesses:

I noticed too that the highs were a bit harsh when I was comparing them to the RTi10's in the store. Actually, they seemed high compared to the Monitor 60's too. At home, I don't notice it.

Review:

I was about to buy the Monitor 50's but found a great deal on these. The speakers are great for a home theater. I don't listen to music so, I can't really say how they do there. With any home theater though, you really need a dedicated subwoofer otherwise the lows just aren't there. With a sub, these speakers sound awesome.

by David Alleyn, September 29, 2007

Strengths:

Exceptionally clear Highs and Mids. Deep and clear bass. Simple / sleek design.

Weaknesses:

These speakers don't polish your shoes for you :P

Review:

Of all the different speakers that i have been checking out over the past 4 months, none compare to the wonderful highs and mids of this set of speakers. Having said that, i've read a lot of reviews that complain about weak bass from these speakers. I don't follow these complaints, and couldn't possible imagine how much bass people are expecting out of their speakers, but these speakers have some of the deepest bass i've heard in over 100 speaker vs. environment demonstrations.

by Chris, November 22, 2007

Strengths:

Clarity, loudness, mids and highs are great, lows are decent.

Weaknesses:

Some would want to add a sub, but a pair of these Polk RTi8's are plenty for me. I probably could have settled for smaller Polk speakers to go along with my receiver, but the RTi8's sound amazing if I crank up the volume.

Review:

I bought a pair of these to go along with my Onkyo TX-8522 receiver which puts out 100 watts/ channel. I use the Polks stictly for music in my basement. These sound amazing! If I turn my receiver up halfway, my house shakes and my eardrums start to hurt...just the way I like it. These speakers can get very loud. Probably enough to upset my neighbors. I have to turn the volume up quite a bit to really feel the bass. Not a whole lot of bass at lower volumes. Maybe my receiver isn't powerful enough. Oh well, It still sounds amazing though. For instance, I played "Snow (Hey Oh)" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers and it sounded awesome when I turned it up. I could really feel the bass and the guitar and vocals were crystal clear.

by Mike V, November 30, 2007

Strengths:

Clear highs, Clear mids, Punchy lows

Weaknesses:

Could use a little more low end. Sub takes care fo that

Review:

AMAZING SPEAKERS, I have heard many diferent high end set-ups from top of the line B&W Nautilus,to Sotas, and Legacys. These are by far the best in this price range. Polk you have done it again, Good job!

by Wil On, December 22, 2007

Strengths:

Performs well, even in high volume. Clarity is excelent.

Weaknesses:

For the price, no comment.

Review:

I've loved Polk Audio once I've heard them at friend's home. I picked these over TRi10's because I knew I'm gonna need a woofer. All I wanted from my speakers was power & and clarity. Bass; leave that to the woofer.

by sandy charos, December 29, 2007

Strengths:

everything..exept that the high peak sounds come out a bit squiky

Weaknesses:

none...good quality all the way

Review:

Very satisfied ..has a great clarity to the hole package the look is great

by Mike W., December 31, 2008

Strengths:

quality of sound is A+ at all sound levels

Weaknesses:

None that i have found

Review:

These speakers pound! I tried to play them as loud as i could and the quality of sound never was lost! With these alone you do not need a subwoofer however a sub will fill out the low bass frequencys nicely.

by JASON, January 15, 2008

Strengths:

Crips and clear...very detailed

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

I am using these as my rear speakers along with the RTi 12s as my front speakers. theses would be great as a rear speaker of front speaker. If you have a tight small room, then i would go with these speakers all the way around and a nice POLK 10" sub.

by Mike, January 16, 2008

Strengths:

Lots of power at all frequency ranges, even the bass is pretty decent, but transitions well with a sub.

Weaknesses:

Not the most detailed speaker sound wise but at high volumes where you can feel sound running through you it never distorts.

Review:

These speakers give you a rush and make you wanna dance, a complete reversal from those home theater in a box gimmicks which cough out a taste of what these can do from a lonely sub. I can't even imagine pouring 250 watts per channel into these, my house would explode! The bass is pretty decent but with a 12' sub this system really pounds at all frequencies. If your on a budget, I'd recommend getting these as their new line is pushin the prices down, but if your only satisfied with the best I'd suggest paradigm.

by Chuck Schmitt, February 14, 2008

Strengths:

Price (thru Frys), cherry cabinets, great sound whether listening to FM, DVD's or CD's

Weaknesses:

still have to get up to get my own beer

Review:

I've had these speakers just over a week. Replaced a pair of R50's which I thought were outstanding. These are awesome, great separation, good highs and lows. Some of the other reviewers complained about the bass. I thought it is very adequate with or without a sw. Very satisfied.

by Cajun, February 19, 2008

Strengths:

Great sounding mids. I hear sounds that i did not know existed.

Weaknesses:

Could use a little more bass, but sounds great with a sub. I am now addicted to loud music.

Review:

Purchased these speakers and i have no regrets. Athough I believe they do not produce enough bass, they sound great combined with a good sub. The mids are pretty much perfect. The highs were a little harsh when new but now that the speakers are broken in the highs blends in very well. Cannot go wrong with these speakers especially at the clearence price they are asking now.

by Raul Maldonado, March 19, 2008

Strengths:

Great sound production. Elegant design.

Weaknesses:

Absolutely none.

Review:

I just picked up a set yesterday, and wow. i had been using a pair of Bose 301's up front and after hooking just one up I was more than satisfied. These speakers have incredible highs, great mids, and superb lows. I was a little sketchy about them reading other reviews here and elsewhere but, placement is key. I had these next to my 61'' samsung dlp tv and sounded good, yet when I placed them a foot off the side walls, they just got better. Overall im happily satisfied and my friends envy my living room and its sound repoduction. None the less I only paid 350 buks for the pair thru ebay and picked them up myself, lol. Equipment: Pioneer VSX-1017 7.1 Polk Rti8 front Bose 201 rears (not for long, fxi3 soon) Martin Logan Dynamo sub Samsung 61" DLP 1080p All Monster Wiring

by Russell, July 10, 2008

Strengths:

They kick arse.

Weaknesses:

No cupholder.

Review:

These are amazing speakers. I upgraded from a pair of R50's. I have had these RTi8's for about 4 months now, hopefully within the next couple, I will be upgrading to some RTi12's. Nothing beats a Polk speaker. (Ok, well, maybe some $30,000 McIntosh speakers).

by Scott, July 11, 2008

Strengths:

Great sound. excellent reproduction of live music!

Weaknesses:

really? none, but if i must... the bottom part isn't as attractive as the pics make it.

Review:

System Csi3 Rti8's R15's PSW303 BEAUTIFUL!! Fronts for my surround sound! and they are PERFECT!! replaced some no name JBL monitors. they are the embodiment of excellent sound. i auditioned the R50s, and the Monitor 50s, while they are all great speakers for their respective prices, they just didnt hold a candle to these. keep in mind, you do pay a hefty price for the improvement. well worth the price that i paid. thanks Polk!!

by Ryan F, August 13, 2008

Strengths:

Sound is crazy clear. The sound field these speakers produced is very detailed and precise for both music and movies.

Weaknesses:

Not a huge fan of the plastic cone feet. Sound quality improved significantly after I bi-amped these. I tried them at 100W single amplification first before bumping them to 200W each. If you cannot bi-amp you will want a heavy duty amplifier running these guys to get the best sound out of them. Clarity is amazing, they will point out music or movies with sub standard sound production.

Review:

I bought a pair of these in Cherry a couple of weeks ago. I have them paired with a CSI3 center and a 500 watt 12" sub. The room I run them in is very large with cathedral ceilings. Forget the room, I have these Bi-amped and they rock the whole house. One thing you will not get a good impression of online is the build quality and seamless Cherry woodgrain laminates. I replaced some speakers in the R series and its a huge improvement in both sound quality and build quality.

by Nathen, January 7, 2009

Strengths:

LOUD, CLEAR, BASS IS FINE FOR MY TASTE AND SHAKES MY HOUSE.

Weaknesses:

My girlfriend is jealous of them.

Review:

WOW! I had these delivered yesterday to my office and was impressed before I even plugged them in. They sat by my desk and I couldnt wait to get them home. I hooked them up to an Onkyo 606 Reciever and biamped them. I also got the CSi5 center channel. The sound of these speakers blew me away. They are on sale right now becuase of the RTiA line and after what i paid for my 3 speaker system (working on the rest) i feel like i stole it! These are incredible speakers.

by Jerry, February 26, 2010

Strengths:

Quality made and more importantly, awesome sound. They handle a lot of power.

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I was not sure what to make of these speakers when I first got them. I had a Yamaha receiver hooked up to them and they seemed like they were seriously under-powered. Hooked up an HK receiver and they are awesome. Best speakers I have ever owned.

Home Vision magazine (Germany)
March 2004

Excerpts from a review of a home theater system consisting of RTi8, CSi3, RTi4 and PSW303
"...the features of the RTi-Series are not marketing gimmicks, they work -- really well..."
"...the complete set sounds very harmonic, the center and the PSW303 match perfectly to the rest of the system..."
"...one of the highlights of this set is the very good (low) distortion and the power handling..."
"...the internal bracing is very solid, so the are no problems with resonances at all..."
"...the tweeter can handle a lot of power without any distortion..."
"...the PSW303 works nearly perfect..."