Polk RT55i vs Current Polk Class (1 Viewer)

[MickP]

I bought my fronts and center about two years ago and am finally adding in the surrounds - just bought a house.

I have an Onkyo TX-SR600 receiver
Polk RT55i fronts
Polk CS400i center

I have been very happy with all three speakers but may decide to upgrade the two fronts at this time and move them to the rear - or not.

Can anyone give me a rough estimate as to where in the current crop of Polk bookshelf speakers the RT55i speakers would best compare? It seems as though the RTi6 is at the price point to be the replacement for 2002's 55i BUT it only has one 6.5" woofer and the 55i's had two.

In fact, until you start looking at the LSi9 pair there are no Polk bookshelfs with dual 6.5" woofers - and the LSi9's are about $900 per pair and so about twice the cost of the 55i pair I have.

Would the single 6.5" driver RTi6 be an actual upgrade from the dual 6.5" driver RTi55?

Hell, moving up the ladder even further to $700 per pair would the LSi7 be an upgrade from RT55i? It would appear so from the price tag as the RT55i set were around $450 per pair IIRC. This would mean moving my dual 6.5" drivers to the rear in favor of a single 5.25" driver. . .doesn't add up to me.

Help?


Thanks for your time either way.

 

[GregCole]

Mike,

I have the 55's & 400 also. Polk did not replace the 55i when the went to the RTiX line. They are great speakers, and well respected. IMHO, I would recommend finding some used bipole/dipoles on e-bay or here. They are going to be better for surround duty, and much easier to place! Try F/X300i or the F/X500i. These would match great! You may also want to post at the Polk forum, they have some great people over there. Good luck- Greg

 

[Nick Hallett]

I have a pair of 55i's as well and I still love them. I think that polk may have chosen not to continue production of them because they were a little too popular, i.e. they were cutting into sales of their tower models.

 

[TylerZ]

Mick,
You have a great front soundstage there! Love those 55i's.
FYI the LSi line are 4 ohm speakers. With all due respect, your Onkyo might have a problem doing them justice. If you're interests are more into HT then I would look at a pair of bi/dipoles like Greg suggests. For music I would lean more toward a pair or direct firing speakers. You can find RT25i, RT35i, or even RTi28 or 38's on ebay. They will all work fine in the rear. Personally I like the sound of these over Polk's newer RT line.

 

[Dennis Gardner]

I found the RTi70 to be a great tower model for my fronts and moved my 55s to the rear. You can still find some new on Ebay regularly. You actually have some of the best home theater speakers that Polk ever made, and really don't need to upgrade from the RT line unless money is burning a proverbial hole.

Dennis

 

[MickP]

Thanks everyone.

I'm almost at a decision as to what to get for the rears. For a system being used equally between HT and music and with

Polk RT55i mains
Polk CS400i center

up front - would you:

A) Add another pair of 55i to the rear (~$350 perhaps on Ebay)

or

B) get a pair of dedicated surounds such as the FXi5 ($450 new J&R)?

Thanks again.

 

[GregCole]

If it was me, I'd would look for a pair of used RT35i's (music)for the rear or F/X 300i's (HT)(I use 3 RT25's and they do great!). I think the 55's would be overkill. JMHO.

Surrounds are designed (and processed by your AVR) to give effect, do as a direct source.

Good luck- Greg