I'd like an experts opinion on the better of 2 Pol speaker systems..Polk rm6900 or the Polk surroundbar..Anyone have either or have any opinions or advice..They are about the same price
The soundbar is garbage, an overpriced marketing gimmick.
If you have to have sats the RM6900 is not bad for the money but you'd get better sound from real speakers at the same price or just a tiny bit more.
Rumadian
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Not to undermine Tommy - we are all entitled to our opinions, especially in this hobby - but I can't help but laugh. I am assuming Tommy has had real bad experiences with either product or dislikes Polk Audio as a whole.
Heres the deal; The mojo behind Polks surroundbar borrows from nearly two decade old technology known as "stereo deminsional array". There is no gimmick there - just a lot of science and lab work. The white papers are up on the company site which explains how this technology works.
The Surround Bar was not made to replace a well calibrated surround rig. It was instead built to be a one box solution for those wanting the surround effect, without the clutter and aggrivation of wires and calibration. While it wont give you the entire surround effect, it will take you most of the way there. It can go surprisingly loud and remain clean. Its a nifty product. For a few hundred more, I hear Yamaha has a killer 'bar' as well. I have no experience with it.
The RM6900 series is reasonable and carries much of the same sonic signature. The major benefit with this series is that you have the ability to get true surround effects.. wide sound staging, clean and clear sound. The major downfall of this system is not the speakers, but the sub. Polk just can't seem to get their subs down right..
Other alternatives to investigate for micro systems would be from the likes of Energy or M&K. (There are a host of others that are just not coming to mind right now).
My cousin has the Polk soundbar and I can tell you there is zero "surround" effect whatsoever. It's just as bogus a claim as Bose's 3-2-1 system or any other fake surround sound without real surround speakers. Other than that I have no beef with Polk.
You are right that the soundbar does go surprisingly loud and clear though, but for the money you can do a lot better with even a 3.0 or 3.1 setup using cheap conventional speakers.
Rumadian
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Tommy,
It's cool. I am not going to be one of those that argues against your experience. It is your experience, after-all!
My experience with the surround-bar was up to spec with what was advertised. The effect was very real and reasonably convincing. Again, it could not do what a well calibrated system can do - it could only replicate it to some degree.
So in closure, I certainly wont contest your experience. I certainly dont blame your opinion given that experience. But, I do not agree that its a 'bogus' claim either.
I have a pair of Polk RTi-10's as part of my 5.1 set-up. I really enjoy them, and have no beef with them whatsoever, other than catching my cat trying to use the grill as a scratching post...
I am considering an upgrade to the RTi10s. Right now I have some RTi8s which sound heavenly with my Panasonic xr55 but I could use a little extra bass.
Have you heard the RTi8? Is this a worthwhile upgrade?
Just the thread I was looking for. I am looking at a pair of Polk RTi10 at the moment as well, they sound great on my marantz sr7000, but could do with a little more bass. I tried the RTi12 as well which had a lot more bass, but for the same price I can get the RTi10's and a sub. I am also looking at some KEF IQ5 (that is the model number I was given) but I am going to listen to them tomorrow. Which brings me to my question, what are the major differences between the two brands?
Diana, if your 8's sound heavenly already then your probably better off getting a powered sub. The major difference between the two is the extra woofer. The 10's and 12's have the same tweeter, the 10 actually has a larger driver, at 6+1/2 inches, but the 12 has two @ 5+1/4 inch. The woofers are the same @ 7 inches, but the RTi12 has two. So for freq management the 12 cannot be beat (compared to the 10), but it obviously cannot compete with a dedicated powered sub at the 100hz and below level, so for the difference in price, that is my recomendation. Now I do not know what your price range is, or where you live, so cannot even gues what is avail to you, but if you were planning on buying a pair of 12's you had at least a 1k USD avail to you, so you have some decent options for subs. For my input, I suggest listening to Velodynes DSP 12B. I own one, and really enjoy it, and the clear bass tones. No harsh "boominess", it really emphasises the bass in music and the LFE in movies, without overpowering or drowning out the vocals. Having said that, depending on where you live, for the same price there is Tom, which Jan really likes, and he strikes me as a someone who knows what he is talking about, so don't be in too big a rush to buy something, look at all your options first! Cheers and good luck.
Diana, while gaining some bass, you will sacrifice some midrange moving from the Rti8 to the Rti10s. (The 10s have 1 mid range woofer while the 8s have two) I found the 10s sounded a little congested with some material. If you're looking to upgrade the speaker look at the Rti12s, or consider stepping up to the Lsi15s or Lsi25s, which will deliver everything you're looking for.
I run the Rti8s with a subwoofer and am quite happy overall. It sounds as if music is your main focus - I'd look at HSU, and Velodyne.
Cheers and good luck.