Wanted: Home Theatre Advice

[project240]

I've been planning on buying some new speakers for my home stereo. Will be used for watching TV and movies, some music. Tomorrow Future Shop has these on sale.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0034762&catid=

They will be $699.99 and also comes with this sub for free.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0053785&catid=

So, is this a good deal. I'm not an audio person, but I have listened to many different sets of speakers. These are within my planned budget, but should I be looking for something else or would these work for me.

I don't want to spend much more than $750, would this probably be the best "bang for my buck" considering I'd like to purchase relatively quickly, or should I wait for something else.

I need some opinions from all you audio experts out there.

I'd really prefer a good 3 way speaker, but not sure it's within my budget right now.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0039302&catid=

Opinions Please.....

[Fusion]

I think it nice speaker,,but i like klipsch speaker..but all the link u post its all sold out..Oh my bad the last one still avaliable

[djayz]

Get the RTi10's and forget about the sub for now.

The RTi series from polk audio is awesome. Sure its not the best but the quality and sound you get for the price is way above average.

Later on you can get some rears as they do go on sale at futureshop often and a sub you can pick up when they have good sales on home theatre. But the RTi10s are a good speaker.

[project240]

To be honest, I'm wondering if the RTi10s might be too much sound for the smallish room I plan on putting them in. I've read many reviews and am thinking the 8s with sub might actually work better.

I'm going back to FS tomorrow to listen again and try to decide.

Other opinions still wanted.

[Revhard]

Originally posted by djayz
Get the RTi10's and forget about the sub for now.

The RTi series from polk audio is awesome. Sure its not the best but the quality and sound you get for the price is way above average.

Later on you can get some rears as they do go on sale at futureshop often and a sub you can pick up when they have good sales on home theatre. But the RTi10s are a good speaker.

I have to agree. The rti8's have a crossover point that is not conducive to great sound, and will produce distortion easily when pushed.
The more drivers you have, the easier it is for the speaker to handle the demands of producing loud,clean soundwaves.
The sub is not a good design anyways, forget about it.
A 50w 10" sub is like a 160hp v6 1/2 ton. You won't be happy.

The rti10 has a midrange driver, which helps take some of the burden from the bass drivers, and more importantly, takes the hard work from the tweeter.
The small speaker craze is a fad brought on by rooms that were never meant to harness good sound. You can't fool physics, just humans.

Polk makes some great subs for the money, but this one is a pass. Wait to see if and how your living space changes, and buy a better sub later, or if you move.

The sub that I am trying to sell would run circles around that one, and it cost's less...
If you can afford it, read some reviews, come and demo it in my house. I don't care if you buy it or not, just don't let the salesman tell you that other sub is worth it.
You will be happier to save for a sub with more power, as that one will have no reserve for dynamics. It will simply distort.
$300-500 will get you a good 150-300w sub.
I think the RTi10 sreakers will do you for now, and would be better than the other combo now and later.

[hifiguy]

How big is your room and how loud do you like you movies and music? That will determine what to look for to meet your budget. You are on the right track if you are listening to the system before purchasing. However, everything sounds different in different rooms, so listening in the store vs at home will be very deceiving. You failed to mention what you are using to power your system. Quality amplification will also determine what the final sound level and quality will be like for your room. I generally suggests getting good amplification first then matching speakers with the appropriate sensitivity and resistance for the room and volume level you are expecting. See if any store will allow you to try the system at home or offer money back refund if not satisfied for any reason without penalty. Specialty stores cost a bit more but offer such trial periods for serious customers.
Shopping suggestions, generally speaking, best buy had a nice klipsch floor standing pair for $299 which are a true bargain and would allow for a seperate decent subwoofer purchase like the velodyne 12 " for $179 at A&B. That is if you were looking specifically for two main speakers and a sub. It also leaves you with additional $ for other speakers. Unfortunately, these were boxingday prices, so you may not get the same bang for the buck now.
Polk is a great make, I have a complete hometheater utilising 7 polk speakers, but I find it needs decent amplification to perform.
If your room is small, you might find the RTi8 more than enough with appropriate amplification. I have 2 polk subs and don't recommend them. I find their performance weak and will never purchase a Polk sub again unless they have improved substantially. I am quite serious about my sound more than anything else so take my criticism with a grain of salt. Good luck.

[frostyda9]

Summing up
"When John Atkinson suggested that I review the Monitor Audio Silver RS6, I never expected the level of realism I ended up hearing from this loudspeaker. There's nothing much more I can say—the flawless and exceptional Silver RS6 gave me more listening pleasure than any other loudspeaker I have reviewed for Stereophile. In my more than 20 years of reviewing, I have not reviewed an audio component that produced greater sound quality per dollar than Monitor Audio's Silver RS6."

Just a little over your budget, but well worth it if you can stretch it a bit

[sxtasy]

Go for a set of klipsch! Great sound, highly efficient and within your budget for a nice floorstanding. Klipsch gets great reviews from audiophiles check out www.avsforums.com or www.audioholics.com Go to Radiocrafts on 16th ave and demo a pair from the reference series. I just picked up the RF-62 and am very happy with them. The good thing about Radiocrafts is that you can get a great deal any day of the week, you dont have to wait for sales. So when you have the money to add on say a sub or center channel you can pick it up for a great price. Best Buy only carries lower end Klipsch.

[project240]

Right now I'm using an older pioneer receiver, I think it is a VSX-D609... 500 watt 5.1. This is just off the top of my head, I'll head to check when I get home. This will eventually be replaced with something newer.

The room is about 10x12, maybe 10x14, so not a real large room. I've been using some cheap older speakers for quite some time, but I just bought a new Panasonic projector (AE900U) and now need new speakers to match the new picture.

The projector has already been a touch of a stretch, which is why I'm on more of a budget with the speakers. I definitely wouldn't call myself an audiophile, I just want a good HT set-up.

[project240]

Also should mention I'm in Sask, not Calgary, so my options are pretty much only big box stores.

Another Q: Does my receiver even have enough power for these polk speakers?

[djayz]

if you werent in saskatchewan i would sell you my complete speaker system for less than those polks.

My room is smaller than yours and ive had a friend bring over his RTi12's when he first bought them. We tried them out in my room and they sounded awesome there sure as hell was no need for a sub.

[toomuchb00st]

Your all forgetting the sub comes FREE when you buy those speakers.

[project240]

Originally posted by djayz
if you werent in saskatchewan i would sell you my complete speaker system for less than those polks.

My room is smaller than yours and ive had a friend bring over his RTi12's when he first bought them. We tried them out in my room and they sounded awesome there sure as hell was no need for a sub.

What kind of set up are you running?

I'm also going to be purchasing a new center and surrounds, if I end up buying polk, I'll probably go with a Csi5 center and RTi6 rears.

So total, I'm looking at between $700-$1000 for the fronts, plus another $500-$600 for center/rears. I'd rather buy a complete set up all at once, but $1400-$1600 is basically my total speaker budget right now.

I'll probably go listen again to both for awhile and maybe do some more research. I still feel a little lost in this since I want a system I'll be happy with for at least a couple years.

[toomuchb00st]

I just sold a similar set-up to one of my good customers last night. I set him up with RTi 10's for $999.99, RTi 6's for $399.99, CSi 5 for $241.99, and a 12'' DPS-12B for $499.99. To power all these speakers he bought a Yamaha HTR6090B for $999.99. He had a room about your size and was looking for an ideal HT setup where he had the option of expandibility and a decent speaker set-up that the average joe would want. I talked to him earlier today and he was more than happy with the way it sounded.


Klipsh and Monitor Audio are awesome set-ups as well, but with your budget your better off with this PolkAudio line up your interested. I would tell you to come see me for a beyond only special but you live too far ....

[djayz]

Originally posted by project240



What kind of set up are you running?

Sony reciever, pro linear speakers all the way around, jbl sub and jbl bookshelf fronts in the front as well for low bass tones.

Its not an expensive system but it definately gets loud and sounds good. Only thing i need is a 12" sub to handle some lower freq. and its set.