In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Polk Audio. Polk Audio RTi A9 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the RTi A1 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk RTi A9 and Polk RTi A1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk RTi A9 | Polk RTi A1 |
|---|
| Brand | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 5.25" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 7" Polymer composite | 5.25" Polymer composite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-26k Hz | 60-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-500 watts | 20-125 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.09kg / 75lbs | 5.44kg / 12lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 12.0" x 7.3" x 11.5"
304.8 x 187.5 x 292.1mm |
|---|
RTi A9 and RTi A1 are members of Polk Audio's RTi series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the Polk RTi A9 and Polk RTi A1 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 |
Polk RTi A1 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| 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 RTi A1 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 A9Polk RTi A1
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 |
Polk RTi A1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 7-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
RTi A9 features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 7" Polymer composite Woofer. On the other hand, the RTi A1 features a 1" silk polymer composite Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Polymer composite Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1900Hz.
Frequency Response
RTi A9 has a frequency range of 30-26k Hz whereas RTi A1 has a frequency range of 60-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the RTi A9 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the RTi A1's min frequency of 60Hz.
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 RTi A1 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 RTi A1's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Polk RTi A9 a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk RTi A1, 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 RTi A1 has a max power handling value of 125 watts RMS, 375 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 RTi A1 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
RTi A9 has a front firing port whereas RTi A1 has a back and front firing ports. Polk RTi A9's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Polk RTi A1 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 Polk RTi A1'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 Polk RTi A1 has external dimensions of 304.8 x 187.5 x 292.1mm (12.0 x 7.3 x 11.5inch).
Polk RTi A9 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 84.5mm wider, 916.2mm taller and 254.9mm deeper than Polk RTi A1.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk RTi A9 and Polk RTi A1 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk RTi A9 and Polk RTi A1 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 Polk RTi A1 is approximately 547.7cm2 / 84.9inch2. The RTi A9 requires 172% more surface area than the RTi A1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
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 Polk RTi A1?
Here are the items that come with the RTi A1:
- 2 Cherry bookshelf speakers
- 2 Self-tapping screws
- 8 Self-adhesive rubber feet
- Owner's Manual
- Template
- Online registration sheet
- Polk Audio product brochure