In this review, we will be comparing RTi A9 and RTi A5, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk RTi A9 and Polk RTi A5 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk RTi A9 | Polk RTi A5 |
|---|
| Brand | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 5.25" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 7" Polymer composite | 2 x 6.5" Polymer composite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-26k Hz | 40-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-500 watts | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.09kg / 75lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 39-5/8" x 10-9/16" x 15-7/8"
1007.0 x 269.0 x 404.0mm |
|---|
RTi A9 and RTi A5 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 A5 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 A5 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* 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 A5 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 A5
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 A5 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 7-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
RTi A9 features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 7" Polymer composite Woofer. On the other hand, the RTi A5 features a 1" Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Polymer composite Woofer.
Frequency Response
RTi A9 has a frequency range of 30-26k Hz whereas RTi A5 has a frequency range of 40-26k 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 A5's min frequency of 40Hz.
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 A5 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 90 dB.
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 A5 has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 250 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 A5 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both RTi A9 and RTi A5 have front firing ports. front ported speakers offers more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls&surfaces compared to rear ported speakers.
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 A5'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 A5 has external dimensions of 1007.0 x 269.0 x 404.0mm (39-5/8 x 10-9/16 x 15-7/8inch).
Polk RTi A9 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 3mm wider, 214mm taller and 143mm deeper than Polk RTi A5.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk RTi A9 and Polk RTi A5 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk RTi A9 and Polk RTi A5 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 A5 is approximately 1086.8cm2 / 168.5inch2. The RTi A9 requires 37% more surface area than the RTi A5 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 Polk RTi A5 weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the RTi A9 88% heavier than the RTi A5.
Here is a comparison of how RTi A9 and RTi A5'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 Polk RTi A5?
Here are the items that come with the RTi A5:
- Cherry floor-standing speaker
- Detachable black cloth grille
- 4 Screw-on spike feet
- Owners Manual
- Online registration sheet
- Polk Audio product brochure
 Max Input Power |
500 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
7 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1007mm
vs
1221mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1086cm2
vs
1487cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
798USD
vs
1498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Polk Audio RTi A9 |
Polk Audio RTi A5 |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-500 watts |
20-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-26k Hz |
40-26k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polymer composite |
Polymer composite |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Butyl Rubber |
Butyl Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
front |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1221.0mm (48.1") |
1007.0mm (39.6") |
| Width |
272.0mm (10.7") |
269.0mm (10.6") |
| Depth |
547.0mm (21.5") |
404.0mm (15.9") |
| Weight |
34.09kg (75lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Real wood veneer |
Real wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
Cherry |
Cherry |
| 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 |
Siblings in Polk Audio's RTi series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Polk RTi A9 digs deeper - 30Hz against 40Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | A | Polk RTi A9 takes more power (500W vs 250W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Polk RTi A5 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; Polk RTi A5: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | Polk RTi A5 is cheaper - $798 against $1,498, about 47% less; arguably a different class. |
A Polk RTi A9 B Polk RTi A5
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?
The usual trade-off: Polk RTi A9 measures better, Polk RTi A5 costs about about 88% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 40Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Polk RTi A5 much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate Polk RTi A9 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
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.