Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

I am thinking if I should keep my RTi8 or get the Energy C500. I listen to both of them with HK AVR 247. I think the Polk is a bit too bright. They Energy has heavier bass, but the mid and high doesn't sound as good. And the frequency range is not as wide as RTi8 .. what's your opinion? Which one do you think is better (if they are at the same price)?

Re: Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

you are comparing apples to apples - maybe galas to macintoshes. they're similar but some people will prefer one over the other. so really it is a matter of personal taste.

as far as the range 1 - for all practical purposes they have the same range, and 2 - it's not going to matter much if you are using a sub.

in the end, i think i'd prefer the energy speakers, but if you already have the polk's and the main issue you have with them is the brightness, you should be able to knock the treble off just a click or two with your avr's tone controls, saving you a pretty penny. i know the purists might argue about loss of sound quality, but we're talking about essentially an entry level avr.

the only other question/ consideration is are you using this for surround for movies or just music? i have been assuming movies, but if it's largely for music, my answers might change. but as i said in the beginning, it's a matter of taste.

Re: Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

Thanks for your opinion. I am using them for music. Or I should say, I have a higher expectation on music than on movie. I pay more attention on the surround sound on movies because it gives me a feeling that I am in the scene. For music, I am looking for detail, clarity. I don't really required alot of bass, but I absolutely agree with you, I prefer the bass to be with the speaker instead of having a subwoofer. Maybe my subwoofer is just an entry level one (Polk PSW10), but it doesn't really blend into the music.

so, if it is for music, you will prefer Energy?

Re: Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

IMO I like the sound quality of the RTI8's.

FRYS.com*|*Polk

FRYS.com*|*Polk

Re: Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

gte357

I would consider upgrading your subwoofer. The Rti8's are not known for there bass, but are great speakers imo. Polk doesnt make very good subwoofers unless you buy there top of the line dsw which imo is still not that good for the money compared to svs/hsu/ed/epik. If u stick with the rti8 and use the upgrade money to buy a better sub, you wont even know where the bass is coming from and it will blend beautifly! SVS imo!

Re: Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

one can't assume everyone shares the same ideals when it comes to music listening. the predominant view amongst audiophiles appears to be that absolute transparancy is the ideal for music reproduction. that means from the recording to the player to the amplification to the speaker, one wants too interfere as little as possible. one wants the shortest, cleanest signal path possible. arguably every piece of equipment imparts some sonic character upon what you hear. every piece can be tested with test tones on a reference system to see how it alters the signals. i could go on but i'm getting off point...

i have 2 points - 1, as i said earlier, you can alter the sound you hear by using your tone controls. this goes against the aforementioned audiophile ideal as you are making the signal path longer and altering it directly. but if it rolls of the treble just enough to make your system sound better to you then do it and enjoy.

which brings me to point 2, the theoretically ideal is not always the most enjoyable in the real world. when i set up or buy stereo gear, i don't pull out a sound meter or other testing equipment, i listen. i have 2 stereos, an ht, a set of powered speakers and a table radio that i listen to regularly. they all sound quite different and i like them all. if you can make what you've got sound good to you, go with it.

so, assuming you do use this set up for movies occaisionally and it's polk speakers all around, if you went for the energy's you'd need the matching center too. so if you've got $500-600 to improve your sound, i'd say your best investment would actually be a better sub. i hesitate to suggest specific models without knowing your room size, but if it's small to medium, i think my martin logan dynamo is tough to beat for a tight, fast, musical sub. but if the room is large, you may be better off with something from svs or hsu.

so the purist might say get the energy's if you like their sound better, but then you'd want a dedicated 2 channel system feeding them too...

nice short answer, huh?

Re: Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

That's quite a good price - actually, I mean it's a GREAT price. I was toying around with their shipping rates. If you purchase one speaker individually, the shipping came up for me at $18.##. When I added a 2nd one, the shipping went to $56.##. When I added a 3rd speaker, the shipping jumped to $118.##. I'm sure I'm only 200 or so miles from their Jersey warehouse. However, to save on shipping rates, one might consider doing separate orders. Order one speaker via one order, then submit a 2nd order. To me $56.## is very cheap shipping considering what's being sent - for a pair. I know when I bought my first RTi8s from a B&M store, the two boxes barely fit in the back seat of my Taurus - and, that was with moving the front seats forward.

Re: Polk RTi8 or Energy C500?

I'm smack dab in the middle of the Bay Area (there must be a warehouse around here somewhere) and to ship one RTi8 it was $38! Two for $64. Seems kinda high to me though they are pretty big. But that is a real good price for a pretty good speaker. I've never heard the Energy C500 so I wouldn't know how they compare to the 8's. But if anyone is interested in the Polks, I say get the black ones. The cherry's look/feel like cheap 70's era formica. Just my opinion of course.