$4000 budget

Out of those two brands, I would go with the Polk set-up, switch the fronts to the A7s (to save 500$) and choose better subs with the remainder of the budget. Would be a nice set-up. Spend time researching Internet direct subwoofers and speakers.

I have heard 2 Polk RTI setups (before the RTIa) and they were impressive. I'm Not a fan of Horn tweeters.

A Nice upgrade would be Dual SVS PB-12NSD.

I'm really happy with my Polk Audio RTi A system (Check at My Gallery), but like advanced101101 said would be better if you get a better sub. Also, the RTi A9s are power hungry so I would recommend you to consider an external amp. I drive mines with an Emotiva XPA-3 (2 x RTi A9 + CSi A6), then 4 x RTi A3 (SURR + SURR Back) with my Onkyo NR809. Just my 2 cents!!!

If your interested in Klipsch I would look at the Reference series.... Also no matter what speakers you get you don't and most times shouldn't buy a sub from the same company. Internet Direct Subwoofer Companies such as: SVS, Outlaw Audio, Hsu Research, Epik, Rythmik, etc... offer the best bang for the buck.

Using the pre-out connections on the back of the receiver. Power requirements are another reason to stick with the RTiA 7 instead of 9. Your 818 is rated at 135W per channel, that should be enough for a medium sized room with the A7, or give the A9 a try, you can always add an external amp later.

You get the signal from Pre-Out (RCA outputs in the back of your Receiver). Your NR818 has a 7.2 pre-out section (FL, FR, Center, SURR-L, SURR-R, SURRB-L, SURRB-R and two SUBs).

NR818 (same as NR809) is rated 135 watts but only TWO channels driven, so if you hook up 7 speakers the power drops more than 70%. With 7 speakers driven the max power on each channel is no more than 40 watts. That's not enough even for a RTi A7.

I have heard some older Reference, some newer iQ series stuff and their HTiB solutions back in my Circuit city days (We received accommodations on their stuff and a bunch of us took advantage). IMHO!!, they have a British sound that some people prefer for music, I liked their Reference stuff, didn't like anything else below that. In home theater dynamics are king, I think the Polk RTI series has that in spades. If you were building a two channel setup for music I would recommend that you look into Kef to see if you like their sonic signature.

A separate amp might not be necessary, he should try the setup with his receiver first, and purchase a separate amp if he feels the need. He hasn't even told us his listening style or room dimensions. Also, the Polk's are fairly efficient at 89db+.

If he has a set budget of $4000 he might be better of putting the extra money into the subs. But, an external amp would only make things better.
Edited by advanced101101 - 7/13/12 at 9:36am

I agree with dropping the A9's, going with A'7s getting an external amp and better subs. those polk subs are junk.

I have a 11.2 setup using a denon 4311ci receiver with xq 30's for LR and xq50c for center. They sound fantastic. I wanted something that sounded clean so I can understand what's being said and they sound extremely clear. The xq's are a model up from the q's, but they both use similar drivers. The xq's look a lot better IMO. I don't think the xq's are available any more. I have a klipsch system and kef's have a similar sound to klipsch.

Spending that much money on Polk or Klipsch speakers is wasting money.

There are SOOOO many GOOD speakers out there from PSB, KEF, and Monitor Audio that will sound much better....

For example---

PSB Image T6 towers with four Image B5 speakers and a C4 Center speaker (around $2400 total), plus two Rythmic FV12 subwoofers for $549 each (or two of the SW-112).

or----

Kef iQ9 towers plus four iQ30 speakers plus the Q200c Center (around $2300 total) with the above subs.

Either of those systems will deliver much better sound quality than either of the systems you listed; no comparison.

Blanket Statements like that are rough to make. Many love their Polk RTI and Klipsch Reference Set-ups.

Well for him to decide he should really listen to all the different brands and decide. It is subjective.

I've heard people say the rti A series if properly powered will outperform systems 2-3x as much for home theatre. Not as good for music though.

Always good advice.

By all means, listening IN YOUR OWN HOME is the only real way to compare and find out which sounds the best.

Listening in stores is useless because the acoustics and the associated equipment are so different as to make that kind of listening a waste of time.

So how many people will actually go to the work of taking two or more systems home and doing a real test that is of some use?

KEF and PSB speakers have repeatedly been tested by respected reviewers and rated outstanding, and my listening concurs with theirs. They have a track record of producing outstanding speakers in this price range.

As for loving something...some guys love women I wouldn't go within 20 feet of, so there is no accounting for statements like " some people just love their $49.95 XYZ 9.2 speaker system".
Edited by commsysman - 7/13/12 at 10:28am

Trouble is, there are probably proponents of 20 different vendors who would all make the same claim.

That is nonsense.

The power supply has about a 600-watt capability, and the actual power available for 7 channels fully driven is going to be around 60-70 watts. Besides that, all seven channels are almost never driven fully at the same instant, so realistically you might have 100 watts on peaks on the front channels at the some time as the other need 40-60 watts each, which is not a problem. It can handle it with no significant distortion.

Another member recently bought a 5.0 KEF Q set from Vanns for $2,200 shipped: Q900 x 2 L/R, Q600 x 1 C, Q800 x 2 Surrounds.

So adding another Q800 or just get Q100 x 4 surrounds would be even cheaper (instead of Q800 surrounds).

Give Vanns a call.

If not, give Onecall & Electronics Expo a call.

Another option is the Revel Concerta line. A pair of Revel F12 shipped new is $1260. So matching center + surrounds is probably under $3K.

Absolutely. Especially if the price were significantly less for the Q100 vs Q800. Surround speakers aren't as important as the front 3 speakers and dual subwoofers.

But let Vanns (or Onecall/ Electronics Expo) give you all the options and prices.

Q900 + Q600 + Q100 sounds good.

Check on this: http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article/test-report-onkyo-tx-nr1008-av-receiver?page=0,3

NR1008 has the same amp section as NR809 / NR818.

This is for NR5007 (145 watts for channel): http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article/onkyo-tx-nr5007-av-receiver?page=0,2

Interesting suggestions.
Edited by Del Cosmos - 8/7/12 at 3:04pm