In this review, we will be comparing RTi A9 and RP-280F, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Polk Audio and Klipsch.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk RTi A9 and Klipsch RP-280F first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk RTi A9 | Klipsch RP-280F |
|---|
| Brand | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1" Tractrix Horn |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 5.25" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 7" Polymer composite | 2 x 8" Cerametallic |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-26k Hz | 32-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 98 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-500 watts | up to 150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.09kg / 75lbs | 28.41kg / 62.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 48-1/16" x 10-11/16" x 21-1/2"
1221.0 x 272.0 x 547.0mm | 43-1/16" x 10-9/16" x 17-3/8"
1094.0 x 269.0 x 442.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Polk RTi A9 and Klipsch RP-280F speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Polk RTi A9 |
Klipsch RP-280F |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that RTi A9 is a 3-way design whereas the RP-280F is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Polk RTi A9Klipsch RP-280F
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Polk RTi A9 |
Klipsch RP-280F |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 7-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
RTi A9 features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 7" Polymer composite Woofer. On the other hand, the RP-280F features a 1" Tractrix Horn Tweeter and 2 x 8" Cerametallic Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1750 Hz.
Frequency Response
RTi A9 has a frequency range of 30-26k Hz whereas RP-280F has a frequency range of 32-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the RTi A9 can go slightly deeper then the RP-280F's min frequency of 32Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
RTi A9 and RP-280F have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. RTi A9 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the RP-280F's is at 98 dB. This 8 dB difference makes the Klipsch RP-280F a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk RTi A9, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
RTi A9 can handle a max power of 500 watts RMS, whereas RP-280F has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 350 watts less than the RTi A9.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both RTi A9 and RP-280F features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Klipsch RP-280F's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
RTi A9 has a front firing port whereas RP-280F has a rear firing ports. Polk RTi A9's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Klipsch RP-280F with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Polk RTi A9's and Klipsch RP-280F's external dimensions. Polk RTi A9 has external dimensions of 1221.0 x 272.0 x 547.0mm (48-1/16 x 10-11/16 x 21-1/2inch) whereas Klipsch RP-280F has external dimensions of 1094.0 x 269.0 x 442.0mm (43-1/16 x 10-9/16 x 17-3/8inch).
Polk RTi A9 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 3mm wider, 127mm taller and 105mm deeper than Klipsch RP-280F.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk RTi A9 and Klipsch RP-280F in scale.
Comparison image of Polk RTi A9 and Klipsch RP-280F Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Polk RTi A9 is approximately 1487.8cm2 / 230.6inch2 and base area of the Klipsch RP-280F is approximately 1189.0cm2 / 184.3inch2. The RTi A9 requires 25% more surface area than the RP-280F which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Polk RTi A9 weighs 34.09kg / 75lbs and the Klipsch RP-280F weighs 28.41kg / 62.5lbs. This makes the RTi A9 20% heavier than the RP-280F.
Here is a comparison of how RTi A9 and RP-280F's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Polk RTi A9?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of RTi A9:
- Floor-standing speaker
- Detachable black cloth grille
- 4 Screw-on spike feet
- Owners Manual
- Online registration sheet
- Polk Audio product brochure
What's in the Box of Klipsch RP-280F?
Here are the items that come with the RP-280F:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker (Ebony)
- Speaker base
- Detachable magnetic grille
- Four 1-inch #6 Wood screws
- 4 Spike feet
- 6 Rubber feet
- User Manual
- Warranty Information
- Important Safety Instructions
 Max Input Power |
500 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Sensitivity |
98 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
7 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
1094mm
vs
1221mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1189cm2
vs
1487cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1198USD
vs
1498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Polk Audio RTi A9 |
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-280F |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
Klipsch |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-500 watts |
up to 150 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
98 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-26k Hz |
32-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polymer composite |
Cerametallic |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Butyl Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
n/a |
Tractrix Horn |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
1750 Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1221.0mm (48.1") |
1094.0mm (43.1") |
| Width |
272.0mm (10.7") |
269.0mm (10.6") |
| Depth |
547.0mm (21.5") |
442.0mm (17.4") |
| Weight |
34.09kg (75lbs) |
28.41kg (62.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Real wood veneer |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Cherry |
Walnut, Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: Klipsch RP-280F is the newer design, against a 2008 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (30Hz vs 32Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | B | Klipsch RP-280F is more sensitive (98dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | A | Polk RTi A9 takes more power (500W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Klipsch RP-280F is easier to place; Polk RTi A9 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Polk RTi A9: bi-amping; Klipsch RP-280F: bi-amping. Klipsch RP-280F sits in a wider range (17 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Klipsch RP-280F is cheaper - $1,198 against $1,498, about 20% less. |
A Polk RTi A9 B Klipsch RP-280F
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. Match it to your room: we rate Polk RTi A9 the better fit for a very large room, and Klipsch RP-280F for a mid-size room. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Klipsch RP-280F is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.