Product Description

Polk Audio RTi12 High Output Floorstanding Loudspeaker, Single (Cherry)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64279 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Cherry
• Brand: Polk Audio
• Model: AM1532
• Dimensions: 50.13" h x 21.00" w x 7.75" l, 88.00 pounds

Features

• Single real wood floorstanding speaker with all MDF construction and resonance-free enclosures
• Equipped with dual 5.25-inch polymer composite cone drivers and three 7-inch polymer composite subwoofers with rubber surrounds
• Features Power Port technology to reduce "chuffing" or "port noise"
• Equipped with one 1-inch silk/polymer composite dome tweeter
• Features a neodynium magnet, low viscosity ferro-fluid cooling, and a heat sink on the back of the magnet

From the Manufacturer
Why settle for vinyl speakers when you can have the warmth and beauty of real wood at the same price? RTi Series features real wood at vinyl prices.

Features

• Acoustically inert, asymmetrically braced 3/4" MDF cabinets, finished in Real Cherry Wood or Real Black Oak veneers.
• Dynamic Balance polymer composite drivers for smooth wide-range response with low distortion.
• PowerPort® Plus bass venting for superior clean, low distortion bass that you can really feel.
• 1" silk dome tweeter with a neodymium magnets for clear, detailed highs; heat-sinked for superior heat dissipation, power handling and reliability.
• Three 7" woofers have the surface area of a single large woofer with the low-mass and acceleration of small woofers, for a high force-to-mass ratio -- bass response is tighter, punchier, more accurate.
• Butyl rubber surrounds for high performance durability.
• Acoustically inert stamped driver baskets.
• Floating anti-diffraction grilles minimize grille diffraction for spacious, 3-dimensional imaging.
• Magnetic shielding for safe placement near video sources.
• Mylar bypass capacitors in the crossovers extend high frequency response and improve detail and transparency.
• Dual, bi-ampable gold-plated 5-way binding post inputs (with wide holes for large-gauge bare wire connections) for the most secure connections and the most versatile wiring applications.
• Adjustable leveling feet in an outrigger base to provide stability on any type of flooring.
• Timbre-matched to fit into any Polk Audio home theater or multi-channel music system for a more realistic, more seamless surround sound environment.

Customer Reviews

Sonic integrity, versatility, and value for money
About a month ago, I bought a pair of RTi12s as the outgoing model (they were replaced by the RTi 2008 series.) Little did I know how lucky my timing was; two weeks later, there were no more to be had. And I'd gotten them at just below half of MSRP from Amazon.com.

It was the price that got me to buy when I did, but now that I have lived with the RTi12s for a while, progressively adding components to my stereo, tuning it all, and trying to stay true to my goal of a modest budget, I believe that if I had paid the normal street price I would be no less impressed.

And I am impressed!

According to Polk Audio, "Mid-level amplifiers and receivers will bring out the best performance from RTi models", and thus not high-end audiophile gear, they imply. I believe them, but not because the audible result is less than exemplary. This is why:

As part of correspondence with one of Polk Audio's helpful customer service reps, I wrote

"So far, I have found a combination of two things to be most successful: setting the Onkyo DX-7555 CD player's digital filter to 'slow' (more analog-like, relaxed and warm) and rolling off the receiver's treble knob slightly. Since I don't have a dedicated equalizer, this seems to be my best bet. When I reduced the mid/treble amp's levels, I lost dynamics and sonority in the midrange, especially the lower mids.

Like some other owners, I find the RTi12 to be a bit bright. I can't speak for them, but by 'bright' I don't mean harsh in the treble range. Rather, with respect to treble, it almost seems they were designed to compensate for less capable equipment upstream in the audio chain.

True, with the CD player's filter set to 'sharp' (more digital-like and flat) I hear shimmering air in the sound field and almost bionic sibilance in choral music. The RTi12s reproduce this faithfully. But some instruments suffer from this. And more importantly the spectral balance does: the lower midrange and bass sound de-emphasized and uninspired. It's perceptual, not technical, but there it is.

Anyway, so far I have found that the RTi12 midrange drivers want to be hit hard. So I'm hitting them."

I wrote this before I read Polk Audio's statement about pairing the RTi12 with mid-level components. So I think my guess about "less capable equipment upstream" was right.

Granted, my other components _are_ modest. I have heard that my Onkyo CD player is as close to high-end as you can get without spending several times more. And I cannot believe that most listeners would even be able to appreciate the difference. But what is important is that no matter what it feeds the RTi12s (by way of an AudioSource Amp One/A for the mid/treble), they reproduce it: the desirable and undesirable.

Years ago, I was a musician for many years; toward the end, a professional. During that time I focused on sound as a thing in itself, which led to my practice of sound design, synthesis and production, in addition to writing and playing. I know sound. And the RTi12s, when used in a modest system that has been tuned at all (speaker placement, component isolation, etc.) deliver truly beautiful sound.

Highly recommended.


NB: These speakers do not implement true bi-amping. Rather, they allow their internal passive crossover to be driven by two full spectrum amplified signals.

In true bi-amping, an active crossover first divides the full spectrum signal into (typically) two sub-spectra, each of which feeds a separate amplifier, which in turn drives separate speakers. Thus each amp is more efficient because it is burdened only by its part of the full spectrum, not the whole thing. Also, active crossovers are usually more accurate than passive ones.

I guess one advantage of the RTi12's pseudo-bi-amping scheme is to keep the load on each amplifier at 8 ohms. Thus each amp will still do as much work as if they were used alone (because they are amplifying the full spectrum signal), but will not do any more work (because they are driving only one set of speakers, bass or mid/treble, not both sets.) Or something -- I don't really know!

Another more obvious advantage is the ability to set the levels of one or the other amplifier, to change the balance between the output of low and high frequencies.

Similarly, a particular amp can be chosen for use with the highs vs. the lows. I chose my AudioSource amp for the highs because of its reputation for transparency.

Lastly, it permits summing the output of two amplifiers. This is important since (as many have pointed out) the RTi12 is very power hungry. Give it some power and it sounds good. Give it lots of power and it sings with a beautiful voice.

Nice speaker, horrible shipping
This is a great speaker for the money. I don't think it can be beat at this price. The sound is great and they look beautiful. I'm pushing these with an Onkyo TXSR805.

Shipping on these has been a nightmare. I ordered a pair from [...] and they arrived damaged from UPS. In my opinion, Polk is at fault for not sufficiently packing these from the factory. These speakers are just too heavy to be single boxed. I have spoken to several Polk owners with similar shipping horror stories.

In Amazon's defense, they have done everything to make this right. They shipped a replacement for the speaker that was destroyed, but it was damaged in shipping as well. That's not Amazon's fault.

In Polk's defense, when I contacted their Customer Service, they said they would replace the broken grilles at no charge.

Again, a great speaker, but be prepared for some shipping damage.

Great Audiophile Quality Speakers
The Polk RTI lineup is an affordable speaker set that is of audiophile quality. The RTI12s have great highs and great lows (Rates at 30Hz - 26kHz (-3db)) and sound very clean even at high volume. Cant wait to bi-amp them! After reviewing various comparable front channel speakers I settled on the RTI12s. They blend well with their black oak boxes (also available in cherry). These speakers are powerful and will sound best with a powerful receiver.

The Polk RTI12s are massive, 4ft at least and weighing about 85lbs. They include cone shaped feet that make them very stable and keep them from running away during high bass. They are being replaced so now is the time to buy them for cheap!