Customer Reviews

Polk Audio RTi8 High Output Floorstanding Loudspeaker (Single, Cherry)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These speakers sound and look fantastic. I would imagine most of the people in the market for a mid range speaker have a home theater set up. Bass is a personal preference, if you like your bass heavy you'll need a sub. What these speakers excel at is reproducing incredibly clear mid and high range frequencies. They are rated to go down to 40hz, but you will probably want to set your crossovers at 70 to 80 give or take. I have 200 watts running to them using their bi-amping capabilities and they rock. House filling sound with no distortion or apologies and a high level of detail at all sound levels.

Some people reading this may be suprised that I said mid range speakers. If all you know about speakers is Best Buy and Tweeter you've only seen the tip of the iceberg. This is Polk's upper mid level speaker and will blow away your expectations. You would really need to spend well into the thousands to get to the next level of performance. You would also need seperate amplifiers to power that type of equipment which can get messy and expensive.

Fit and finish is way above what you would expect in this price range, I would highly recommend going with the Cherry finish. The black oak looks nice, but the Cherry looks amazing. The pictures online don't do the wood grain and seamless edges justice.

I have these running with a polk CSI30 center channel speaker and a 500 watt subwoofer. Over the past 6-8 months I have been upgrading my home theater one piece of equipment at a time to take advantage of the new high resolution audio formats that Blu-ray DVD's offer. I did a lot of research before I purchase these and I couldn't be happier with my decision. I bought these for 400 a pair. Polk is rolling this model line out to make room for the RTI A series, the new version is the RTIA5 which is an identical speaker in a slightly different cabinet for twice the price. I would highly recommend you pick up a pair of the RTI8's at these crazy clearence prices before they are gone.

This is absolutely the BEST speaker at this price range, bar none.

I am somewhat of an audiophile, meaning sound quality really matters to me, and I have the ears to distinguish speaker quality, especially if side-by-side.

I have listened to many types of speakers at this price range and up to 25% above, and I have to say none come close. I pair these speakers with Yamaha HTR-5990 at 150 watts per channel, along with CSi3 for center and RTi6 for surround.

At first I used conventional setup, but later discover the bi-wire capability. Conventional setup was pretty amazing already, except for the low low (but I have a 400-watt subwoofer, so it wasn't an issue). But wnce I set up bi-wire, the sound really came alive. The high and mid are crisper and clearer, and the bass (low) response became amazingly deep and precise. For music, I now turn off the sub, as the RTi8 woofer is good enough, and in fact more precise and balance.

Again, use bi-wire when possible - it makes a huge difference.

Ed Komo

After putting on the sturdy outriggers and spikes that they came with, I pulled out the speaker and the first thing everyone says is wow. Absolutely gorgeous cherry finish for a speaker at this price.

Using 100 watt/channel a/v receiver the sound was immediately incredible even with 16 guage wire. I was planning on bi-amping with my other amps but these babies sound great without it. Great frequency response across the whole spectrum and they haven't even broken in yet. Yes, they are a little bright like most Polk's but not abrasively so. The sound is incredibly crisp with both movies and all types of music. THESE SPEAKERS WILL REVEAL FLAWS IN SOURCE MATERIAL. mp3's will sound flawed on these even at 320 kbps. The flac format was made for speakers like these.

I could go on all day but I won't because I want to go fine tune them some more. Please don't hesitate. Easily worth $300 a piece.

...I disagree with the previous reviewer's advice to get the RTi10 instead because the RTi10 and RTi12 both require a much stronger amp to drive to their fullest potential, for not that much more benefit in terms of overall sound quality.

Actually the best course of action would be to get the RTi6 bookshelf speakers and put your savings into a quality powered subwoofer which will not only go lower and louder in terms of bass, but take a lot of pressure off your amp/receiver when crossed over, allowing the speakers' mids and highs to really shine. This is especially true if home theater use is your primary concern.

Generally your best price to performance value will come from Internet-direct manufacturers, particularly in the subwoofer department: a Hsu or SVS sub will effortlessly decimate any comparably priced store-bought sub from Polk, Infinity, Klipsch, Sony, Yamaha, etc. Also worth looking at Internet-direct speakers from Ascend, AV123 dot com, as well as Hsu and SVS.

Google is your friend: do your homework, read professional and user reviews, and you'll be far better off for it!

Price:
These are some great speakers that should not be passed up, especially now when the new line of the RTi8s (the RTi A5s) are being rolled out. Amazon has a great price on them for $224, but you can get a pair direct for roughly $400, including tax, and shipping and handling. I've also heard that Fry's Electronics have sold these speakers for $130 in the past year. Bottom line: Keep your eyes out for some surprising pricing.

People say...
My system consists of the Polk Audio Csi3, Rti4s, and PSW303--all of which are being powered by an Onyko SR607. Many polk enthusiast have stated that this series runs "bright" when paired with a Yamaha, yet sound balanced with an Harmon Kardon or Onyko receiver. In addition, Polkies have expressed that these speakers are a good match to the RTi series in comparison to the RTi12s, and A9s. Reasoning is due to the fact that the voice coils are identical to the rest of the series. I've never tested these claims, and I don't stand by these statements, yet I can say that my Onyko sounds naturally matched with 90 watts running to my current system.

Sound:
I don't have the credentials to say that I'm an audiophile, yet anyone with a clear conscious would have to agree that for the price, these speakers are a great buy. Before owning these RTi8s, I used my bookshelf RTi4s for fronts. Sound produced was adequate for a small HT system, yet I didn't realize how much I was missing until I connected the RTi8s. Now, the sound stage sounds incredibly larger, yet just as clear as my RTi4s.

Previous reviewers have encouraged future buyers in purchasing a subwoofer. I'd have to agree, especially if you want to hear those rumbles when watching a movie. On the other hand, I'd have to say that these speakers produce surprising punch for rather small woofers. This was ensured while watching the NFL playoffs in two-channel mode (no subwoofer, rears, or center).

Appearance:
My girlfriend...hates the way speakers look. Because of this, I didn't tell her that I had bought a pair of tower speakers. Thankfully the huge packages arrived on a day that she was at work, and I was home from school (and work). I connected these babies, rearranged my bookshelves, and didn't tell her about the new additions in the living room. TWO DAYS went by until she noticed something different. First she yelled, "How much were those!?" I half-truthed the price (obviously), and then asked whether or not she liked the way they looked. She repeatedly exclaimed that she enjoyed the "real-wood look," and that they fit nicely with the surrounding furniture. I explained that the speakers were made of real wood, while also repeatedly explaining that I had gotten a great deal.

FYI:
1) I use Audio Quest 14 AWG
2) Check out the Polk Forum on Polk and search engine these speakers
3) If possible, listen to these speakers, and other speakers if possible. Everybody has different listening preferences. Sound can be subjective.

Hope this helps and good luck in your HT experience!

best speakers i ever owned and their absolutley gorgeous. i have these bywired for my front speakers, and csi3 for center, 4 rti4's for surrounds, and a psw303 for my sub pumpin off my yamaha rxv663 receiver hooked up through hdmi from my panny blu ray player(which by the way has a better picture and sound options than the ps3 trust me) rockin the new Rambo movie in 7.1 DTS Master HD audio ducking my head so i don't get hit in the crossfire bullets whizzin by my head it sounds so real and amazing and CRAZYYY!! ... by the way i had these before my sub and they pump out amazing bass by themselves, a lot more than i expected. i couldn't even imagine the rti10's or 12's, the 8's are plenty and then some...polk all the way, amazon prices even more the way. got mine from J&R Music through amazon brand spankin new in the box mint 100% awesome = one satisfied customer

In regards to one reviewer Eduardo disagreeing with another reviewers comment that the 10s are a better choice not only do I disagree with this comment I find it foolish to accept advice from someone who obviously in nearly every one of his "reviews" is pimping or shilling for other manufacturing companies.

You may ask why. In his "review" of the 10s in between shilling for others he wrote I quote "But the RTi towers are much better than RTi bookshelves". But in this so-called review he advises to use the Rti6s so he can now shill for some on-line companies. His reasoning to save your receiver. Well the RTi10s, 6s and Polk Monitor 50s sensitivity is 89db and again quoting his review of the Monitor 50s "89db sensitivity means you don't need some massive super-powerful amp to drive these". Well, Ed since the rest of us are apparently using a receiver that is powered by something other than C-cells using the 10s may not be a problem. Also, speakers are about moving air and if smaller was better we all would be sitting around with Bose cubes stuck everywhere in Nirvana.

Now down to a real review. I own both speakers. My main system is 10s front, the 8s surround, CSi5 center, and an old "tank" AudioSource 15 inch sub. Powered by Pioneer Elite and strung together with some good generic 12 gauge wire. Both the 10s and 8s reproduce sounds accurately and in a pleasing manner but I prefer the 10s. The 10s range and imagining is fuller and deeper with better bass response. If budgeting is a problem the 8s at $199 apiece is a fantastic bargain and hooked with some good mid range electronics would give you a great system. For a 5.1 set-up buy four and use the CSi 5 as your center. Subs are subjective but you will need one to get the full effect especially for home theater. There are some decent ones in the two to three hundred range that will do the job. If you have a bigger budget spend the money on 10s for the fronts, a good mid range CD player, and then your sub.

The main set-up, or a similair one if you preferred a different line's sound, I have would make 99% of people happy in both home theater and music listening without breaking the bank. The other 1% or "audiophiles" would not be happy and that is fine.

One hugh word of advice! Before you buy a speaker or system if at all possible listen to it. Don't take mine or anyone else's opinion as the final word. Visit places where you can listen, and trust YOUR ears.

P.S. As a plus both speakers make for some more than decent looking furniture and do appear a lot more expensive looking than they are. Also be prepared for some nice real wood smells in your listenting area for some time.

I recently upgraded from some RTi6's to the 8's for my fronts, mainly for listening to music. I compared the RTi8's to the RTiA3's at the audio shop and found the RTi8's to be much fuller with near identical, crisp high end (which I like). The low end on the RTi8 is better than the bookshelf RTi6 (no suprise), but if you want a real full range sound you will need a sub. I now have the 8's as fronts, a CSi3 center and the RTi6's as backs with a Polk sub (I never intended to be a Polk junkie). The sound of this system is excellent for music and very powefull for the Blu-Rays. I found the 8's at $150 each and was just able to sneak them in the family room without any objection. Great value!

Bought these speakers after hearing them in a local store, they went up against speakers costing 3 to 4 times more, the guy trying to sell me 1k speakers whispered in my ear " hey buddy don't say i told ya but get the polks" no dissipointment whatsoever. i have them matched with a polk center channel and as for now i have not needed a sub. these things rock your socks off you will be very happy wit the sound, don't hesitate on these polk had a whole research team devoted to music reproduction and it shows.

i'm not an audiophile. and i couldn't tell the difference among speakers once they reach certain level. this is a beautiful pair of speakers that works for me. sound is excellent. proportion is gorgeous.