Polk RTIA7 vs B&W 683 VS Klipsch RP280F

S

samcruise

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Hi guys, i have auditioned b&w 683's and klipsch rp280f's recently and yet to audition polk rti a7's. Please let me know which of these speakers are good for a room size of 26*19. Please suggest based on your experience of using them, having used them or using them since some time.

I am planning to drive them using Marantz 7010, would that be good enough?

Also i am looking at a 7.1.4 or 7.2.4 setup. Should the surrounds also be of the same company as LCR's or can we mix and match. For example, can i have b&w lcr's and polk fxia6 as surrounds and polk rc80i as in-ceiling atmos speakers?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you :)
 
Do you have Marantz 7010 already? If not, where are you planning to purchase it from? Is there any place in HYD to do a audition of it?

Thanks

-Rahul.

samcruise said:
Hi guys, i have auditioned b&w 683's and klipsch rp280f's recently and yet to audition polk rti a7's. Please let me know which of these speakers are good for a room size of 26*19. Please suggest based on your experience of using them, having used them or using them since some time.

I am planning to drive them using Marantz 7010, would that be good enough?

Also i am looking at a 7.1.4 or 7.2.4 setup. Should the surrounds also be of the same company as LCR's or can we mix and match. For example, can i have b&w lcr's and polk fxia6 as surrounds and polk rc80i as in-ceiling atmos speakers?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you :)
Click to expand...
 
Sam,
The room intended for HT is large (26x19). You may want to lean towards high efficiency speakers.
Other than Klipsh, some brands that have 90+ dB rating are Tannoy, Paradigm, Def Tech.

As per spec Marantz 7010 has a respectable power amp stage, but it may fall short in a big room with lower efficiency speakers.
Having the 3-9 dB extra headroom at amplifier helps for diverse movie content.

Use this link for estimation.
Crown Audio - Professional Power Amplifiers

Below are sample setbacks (can be less since you are getting room treatment):
L/C/R: 3 ft from back wall
L/R: 3 ft from side walls
Speaker to first row seats: 8-11 ft
Speaker to second row seats: 12-15 ft

Surrounds/height speakers may be from a different brand; compromises are acceptable here.
Would suggest 2 mid size subs vs 1 monster sub to check if some room modes can be inherently cancelled (or get the DefTech BP)

Cheers,
Raghu
 
raghupb said:
Sam,
The room intended for HT is large (26x19). You may want to lean towards high efficiency speakers.
Other than Klipsh, some brands that have 90+ dB rating are Tannoy, Paradigm, Def Tech.

As per spec Marantz 7010 has a respectable power amp stage, but it may fall short in a big room with lower efficiency speakers.
Having the 3-9 dB extra headroom at amplifier helps for diverse movie content.

Use this link for estimation.
Crown Audio - Professional Power Amplifiers

Below are sample setbacks (can be less since you are getting room treatment):
L/C/R: 3 ft from back wall
L/R: 3 ft from side walls
Speaker to first row seats: 8-11 ft
Speaker to second row seats: 12-15 ft

Surrounds/height speakers may be from a different brand; compromises are acceptable here.
Would suggest 2 mid size subs vs 1 monster sub to check if some room modes can be inherently cancelled (or get the DefTech BP)

Cheers,
Raghu
Click to expand...

yeah i need to audition paradigm to get an idea. I understand what you are talking about in terms of amplifier able to run the speakers, (did not quite understand the link that you provided though :sad:).
The setbacks, i believe, are sufficient in the room that i am planning.
Two subs is what i was also thinking. Please suggest which one is better, svs or velodyne. Thank you :)
 
samcruise said:
yeah i need to audition paradigm to get an idea. I understand what you are talking about in terms of amplifier able to run the speakers, (did not quite understand the link that you provided though :sad:).
The setbacks, i believe, are sufficient in the room that i am planning.
Two subs is what i was also thinking. Please suggest which one is better, svs or velodyne. Thank you :)
Click to expand...

Will send you a PM.
Cheers,
Raghu
 
If you are using this setup for movies mostly, then its hard to beat the Klipsch. In a large room you need speakers that sound big and the Klipsch model you are considering are real monsters. My vote goes to Klipsch
 
Sam,
Just to recap what we spoke about over the phone:
- play with the calculator link to get a rough idea
- in the demo room, find out the specs of the AVR being paired with (for comparison with your shortlisted Marantz)
- check if there is a prepro + power amp in action (not what you will be using)
- play a movie you are familiar with
- ask for movie to be played with L/R only, L/C/R only, L/R+sub, L/C/R + sub, all speaker demo; some combos may sound lacking but it should not sound odd
- play your music to test L/R performance (important for those musical passages in movies)
- keep volume somewhere between 30-50% and check (for combos listed above)
- ask to see the AVR calibration levels and source input level

Cheers,
Raghu
 
raghupb said:
Sam,
Just to recap what we spoke about over the phone:
- play with the calculator link to get a rough idea
- in the demo room, find out the specs of the AVR being paired with (for comparison with your shortlisted Marantz)
- check if there is a prepro + power amp in action (not what you will be using)
- play a movie you are familiar with
- ask for movie to be played with L/R only, L/C/R only, L/R+sub, L/C/R + sub, all speaker demo; some combos may sound lacking but it should not sound odd
- play your music to test L/R performance (important for those musical passages in movies)
- keep volume somewhere between 30-50% and check (for combos listed above)
- ask to see the AVR calibration levels and source input level

Cheers,
Raghu
Click to expand...

Thank you so much Raghu, it was really informative talking to you. I have a better idea now and will audition in that perspective, thanks again :)
 
While there are so many Dali Zensor fans here including yours truly :), I would like you to not remove the Polk Rti's either. The A7 is also too good for movies to be ignored. So if possible audition the Zensor 7 and Polk Rti A7.
Happy listening.
 
Sam,

Today I heard Paradigm Monitor 11 v7 at a Bangalore FM's place (HFV handle: Jeanpher).
Very capable speakers.

When connected to Denon AVR it was not doing things right the first time.
After a little bit of tinkering on the AVR calibration levels we managed to make it sound good.
The purpose of the visit was to check how the speakers perform with an IA and dedicated power amps.
With the DAC and IA (70W) combo the speakers did come alive; the smallish room was really working against the sound.
When connected to the preamp+pwramp combo they were a different pair of beasts.

In my opinion they will make very good HT fronts with a matching center.
Confident these towers will perform well music wise if given enough separation and setbacks (a luxury you have).
Please audition the Paradigms with a decently powered AVR.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
kishanvkumar said:
While there are so many Dali Zensor fans here including yours truly :), I would like you to not remove the Polk Rti's either. The A7 is also too good for movies to be ignored. So if possible audition the Zensor 7 and Polk Rti A7.
Happy listening.
Click to expand...

Yeah i need to audition a7's and a9's to arrive at a decision, thank you :)
 
raghupb said:
Sam,

Today I heard Paradigm Monitor 11 v7 at a Bangalore FM's place (HFV handle: Jeanpher).
Very capable speakers.

When connected to Denon AVR it was not doing things right the first time.
After a little bit of tinkering on the AVR calibration levels we managed to make it sound good.
The purpose of the visit was to check how the speakers perform with an IA and dedicated power amps.
With the DAC and IA (70W) combo the speakers did come alive; the smallish room was really working against the sound.
When connected to the preamp+pwramp combo they were a different pair of beasts.

In my opinion they will make very good HT fronts with a matching center.
Confident these towers will perform well music wise if given enough separation and setbacks (a luxury you have).
Please audition the Paradigms with a decently powered AVR.

Cheers,
Raghu
Click to expand...

Will audition them :) but a pre and power amp would prove a little costly i guess:confused:
 
Not suggesting the pre/pwr route.
Please audition the Paradigms with a decently powered AVR and it should perform well.
Something similar to 7010 should make these speakers very happy.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Polk Rti A7s are very good. But with some conditions -
1. They need proper distance from walls.
2. They are power hungry i.e. not very sensitive.
3. Very few AVRs can drive them to the desired level.
4. Proper power amps can open them up to sound very good, which cannot be achieved by AVRs.
If you are planning for future investment on power amp, then it will be a worthy possession.
 
Audio Technica AT-LP60X Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Turntable
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