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I knew there was a problem as I was unpacking my speakers; there was rattling coming from inside both boxes. Roberts. I told them not to bother at this time; I need time to cool off before deciding where to purchase my speakers.
On the back of the other speaker a plastic cone had detached. They gave me the standard reply that they inspect every speaker, etc. My fears were realized: inside the bottom port of one speaker I could see where a cardboard tube had detached from the port.
I sent an email to Polk tech support. Is this a workmanship or quality asurance problem, or were they both damaged during shipping. Amazon customer service was good about returning the speakers and they were going to send me replacements.
However, note the 3-star review by W. He states that he had the same problem with his RTiA5 speaker (the port tube detaching).
I demoed a pair of rtia5's at a local dealer, and they did sound pretty good without a sub, but I'm guessing most people would want to implement a sub sooner or later, especially for Home Theater where a sub is a necessity. I bought a pair of RTIa5's to use as left and right front speakers in my home theater. I'm also enjoying music with these, they do an outstanding job there as well.I'm using a Polk Csia4 for my center channel. I have them paired up with an SVS subwoofer. They offer fantastic highs and mids, with my sub doing all the work down low. I find it's a good match for the Rtia5's to reproduce an accurately voice matched front soundstage.With these speakers, you won't have to worry about damaging them with too much power. The more power the better.
I am very pleased with these speakers. I replaced a 1990 set of Boston Accustic speakers with these and what a differance. It was nice to get into the digital age. Outstanding quality and grate sound.
The A5's do everything a speaker should do. It was fine. I tried out some hard rock and some jazz. That's what happened to my original speakers, and one of the downsides of the A5's is that they immediately highlighted another weakness in my 5.1 setup--the center channel.
It seems like they are in the room. They rage. So now I'm looking for a good classical SACD so I can push the limits on these babies even further.On the quality front, got my replacement center channel (CSi A4). I did some critical listening with all the effect turned off, routing CD stereo to just left and right. And of course you'll want a powered subwoofer to accompany the A5's.When it comes to cinema, these speakers are so capable and so sonically amazing. Even at very loud volumes, the sound remains flawless. All it took was one trip to the launch pad of Apollo 13, and the difference between the old and the new was obvious.
(The guy on the phone mentioned this was a common problem by the way).The A4 center channel had two screws protruding from the retaining ring on one of the drivers. They are made for the movies, and if you're passionate about cinema (as I am), then I think you'll be pleased by the A5's.You might be more pleased by the A7's or A9's. That's probably because the movie studios don't *really* use Polks when they're mixing the soundtrack, but it does give you an idea of the lineage of these speakers and their intended use. I haven't noticed any flaws in movie soundtracks at all, and I've watched about a half dozen "test" scenes and a half dozen movies. The Polk Audio RTi series will definitely sooth your home theater beast, but if you decide to go with them I'd recommend either purchasing them at a local store where you can inspect the merchandise before taking delivery (or at least save shipping costs when taking them back), or be prepared to send them back or repair them yourself.
Wow. So at least I didn't have to ship them back, but at 450 bucks apiece I think it's inexcusable to expect a customer to have to perform this repair on a brand new speaker. I might have been too, but the jump up from a pair of bookshelf speakers to a set of towers costing just under a grand was something of a quantum leap for me. So if you're serious enough about cinema sound to want to own a pair of quality speakers like these, be prepared to spend some more on upgrades to your center and surrounds. In the disappointment department, I'm very surprised that I have not read about quality issues with Polk Audio speakers in other reviews. They're great when they're new and you love them so much that you maybe don't notice over time that they are wearing out. Now a dozen years later, I've purchased a pair of RTi A5's and a CSi A4, and ALL THREE have had problems.The A5's have a forward firing bass port, and there's a tube that attaches to the port orifice that was dislodged in both of mine.
I bought my first loudspeakers a dozen years ago, and after listening to countless models I selected Polk RT's. Or have I just never had the right speakers. I had the appropriate allen wrench handy, having just used it to repair the A5's, but the holes in the A4 were stripped out and could not be tightened.The cherry cabinetry of the A4 and A5's was flawless and beautiful in all cases, and I really want to love these speakers, but the quality control issues are just inexcusable, costing this review 2 stars from what are otherwise 5 star loudspeakers. Fortunately the tech support at Polk said that I could remove the orifice and re-insert the tube myself without voiding the warranty. They weep. Years ago when I bought my first Polks, I had problems with them.
The jazz in particular really shines. They thunder. And I was not disappointed--mostly.Speakers are like a pair of comfortable shoes. I don't recall all the details, but I remember needing to replace both the surrounds and the center channel. And I don't even see the term spelled out in the literature for my latest acquisition, a pair of Polk Audio RTi A5's.
To be fair, I'm not sure if it was a speaker issue, my receiver (a Yamaha RX-V2095, which is pretty good, but could be better), or just the fact that I was hurting my own ears. They whisper. Come on Polk, what is the deal. I don't know all the terminology, but there is a clarity and sonic dimension to these speakers that makes you WANT to listen to them. I suppose "Reference Theater" is just marketing. Unfortunate in what is otherwise a stellar example of audio reproduction technology.UPDATE: A month in, and I am loving these speakers more and more each time I hear them. Just discovered Super Audio CD.
When pushed as loud as I could stand (which is pretty darn loud), both the rock and the jazz sounded just a bit harsh in the mid-ranges.
The live performance has a depth and a presence that no CD can reproduce.
At reasonable volume levels everything sounded great.
Then one day they just fall apart.
My classical (what little I have) is on MP3 and while I wouldn't say I've been unhappy with it, when you push the volume (something else these speakers make you want to do) the quality gets a bit dodgy.
Most of all, they satisfy--in abundance.So what about music.
The instruments are so clear.
It reminds me of the first time I ever heard a symphony perform live.
Except the screws holding in the drivers are rusty.
Got these for $282 each and they are worth every penny. From the outside these things scream quality. If you are running a subwoofer than these are perfect and have much more midrange than the RTi A7's for half the cost. The cabinet looks so rich and refined. And wait till you run some uncompressed audio from Blu-ray through them. You will be blown away.
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