Polk RTi 6 for $140/pr new?

[toenail]

Anyone have any feedback about sound quality/pricing for these? I'm in the market for an inexpensive bookshelf. These are display model with slight blemish on one grill. They seemed a little hissy in the highs and had a bit of flat thud on kick drum, but I was only able to demo under non-ideal conditions (speakers on floor, lots of background noise etc).

The review link for Polk speakers isn't currently working and a search of the forums only yielded about 6 posts with any mention. A Google does show rpicing in the $350 range, not sure how current though.

[surgeandoj]

that seems really cheap. I picked the Rti4's over the 6's because of the sound quality, The rti4's just had a cleaner warmer sound to my ear. I think something was wrong with the 6's that were on the shelf though. I'd make sure you're getting a warranty with those speakers, you don't want to get jipped. At least take them home so you can really hear what they sound like in your environment with your equipment.

[toenail]

Yeah, since they're out of box demo's I'm not sure about a warranty. They definitely didn't sound warm to me when I listened to them in the store, but real tough to tell with background noise. I'll have to see if they'll let me do a home demo or purchase and return to try them in the proper listening environment.

I've got a line on a pair of JBL hls 610's that I may go for instead of the Polk's. They certainly get rave reviews on the internet and the price is right. I just hate to buy a speaker without the chance to listen to it.

[RGA]

Around my area they sell JBL Polk and Athena in the same store Future Shop - Give a listen to the Athena's - for a start they're cheaper and I actually found them much more enjoyable than either the Polk's or the JBL's. Interestingly JBL's floorstander resembled the Cheaper Athena's but they had more bad habits than the Athena...namely a hollow sounding boxy almost echo about them. Polk was the other extreme sounduing overly restrained and thin - but imaged better.

Still the Athena's I heard were less than half the price and sounded the best to me. What the hell worth a shot. More money does not mean better sound. A lot of folks have been very impressed with Athena and I see why. Athena is made by the same people who make Energy and Mirage.

[kexodusc]

Yes, the Athena's are actually a very surprising speaker considering how cheap they are (and look). The build quality of the Audition Series isn't anything to get terribly excited over, but it's better than a lot of other speakers in the price range. My understanding is that Athena is designed and operated in Canada, but made on the cheap in Asia, and that's how they're able to sell these things as cheap as they do.
Nothing wrong with cheap speakers that sound good! Definitely give them a listen, I prefered them to the Polks and JBL's as well.

[nightflier]

I tried the Polk RTi10's in my home to try and squeeze more bass out of a less expensive speaker. The RTi4 & 6 they had at CC just didn't cut it for me. All things considered I retruned the RTi10's as well. I compared them to my an old pair of Polk RTi600's I have in the gararage and my friend's RTi800's and they couldn't hold a candle to these older speakers (that you can get second-hand for $150-$300 online, by the way).

I did a little reading on the new Polk series before I auditioned them, and I have to say they just aren't as good as the older series. They tend to emphasize the higher frequencies as well as adding a lot of bass, probably to appeal to the teenage crowd. The problem is that the high frequencies and the bass don't blend well and the speakers loose a lot in the middle, where most of the sound in music typically comes from. That is what the older Polks did so well; they had better crossovers and deep extended bass. I'm actually surprised that Polk would do this. Also, the build-quality isn't comparable with the older models; they have more pastic and the inside bracing is different (although I couldn't tell you if that contributes or minimizes the sound differences (maybe someone else can chime in). If you have the money and want to stick with Polk, the gem of the brand is their Ls7 monitor, one of the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. You might be able to find it second-hand at a good price.)

I know you siad that the grill had a slight scratch on it, but that may be more seruious than it seems: was the speaker dropped? This often happens in showrooms when people want to see the back of the speaker and drop the unit on the floor or on somthing else. I have to agree with what the other posters said about the Athenas. They are a very good sounding speaker. Some other good minitors I've auditioned: Klipsch (even the RB-15 is a great sounding speaker), Axiom (M3ti is just $275 a pair), Polk Rti35/38 (I've seen these on eBay for $60), and Infinity Beta 20s. There are others, but I've had all of these in my home and found them to be excellent for the price.

[toenail]

I wound up getting a pair of JBL hls610's on e-bay for $60. For that money if I don't like them they'll wind up as bedroom/kitchen speakers. If they don't work out I well may go the DIY route. Since I like to fiddle and the quality vs $spent is pretty high, I'd be interested in seeing what I can do.

Those rti6's that I auditioned left me feeling like they weren't a lot of speaker for the money. I see them listed at $341 all over the place, but even at $140/pair I lost interest. The observation that they are lacking in the middle due to enhanced/unatural high and low end is right on. It's a shame that manufacturers are constantly migrating toward cheaper components/designs in the interest of higher margins (though it's obvious why). It used to be that a Brand name and a price point indicated what you would get for your money, not any more. It's happened time and again with many manufacturers. It does make a good case for buying used/vintage or going the DIY route though.