Underwhelming sound from Onkyo 606+polk system

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by prerich

Solarrdadd, you're using very decent power (Emotiva power amp). You could drive a 2 ohm load stable just like I can, however the issue of the impedence dips repesented by some speakers is a real fact. Your setup wouldn't flinch at this - but an Onkyo 606 - running 7.1? Oh yeah, I think it would flinch. I don't believe the solution is taking off the jumpers. I think the OP should add power and look at his room positioning. It takes power to properly pressurize a room of that size (or extremely efficient speakers). I have 5 power amps that give me 11 possible channels of power (at apx 200 watts per channel - even more on some of the bridged ones). My room is roughly 15 ft wide by 19 ft long and 8 ft high, but I have openings to another room. The OP can't fill that entire space with sound, not with his current setup. That's why I'm suggesting reconfiguring the room and/or add power.
P.S. This comment is not ment to be argumentative. I'm just expressing my past experiences with audio - the OP needs dynamics - and the Onkyo can't supply it in that room - as currently configured, and I would go as far to say - with that speaker setup, its hungry.

ok, i agree with some of what you had to say. however, the poster was not talking about impedence dips he was talking about the actual impedence rating of the speakers not actually being what they are listed at; which is 8 ohms. do you and he think polk is lying about the rating of these speakers, I do not. I don't think it was an oversite on their part either. they state they are 8 ohms and i will take them at their word. also long before i bought my emo amp i powered all the speakers i have with the Onkyo 805 receiver i had. do the speakers sound and perform better with the amp, yes and of course. would i recommend to anyone to connect 4 ohm speakers to a receiver not rated to handle them, no i would not. until a statement comes from polk or from a class action suit against polk about falsly advertising their product (impedence ratings of the RTi 10 speakers) I/we must believe that they are what polk has them advertised at.

I also believe folks need to do more research on equipment, get more knowledgable about not only the equipment but the subject matter and how they intend to use said equipment. this way they will make much better choices on what they end up with the first time. i see that as a problem more than anything; folks buying stuff then saying it's not working right or "like they thought it would or should". those polks sounded good on my receiver but they sound great on my amp.

i do agree that if he want's more dynamic sound from those polks he will need a dedicated power amp, i don't believe that anything in the spec's about the speakers is wrong or mis-represented by Polk Audio. Also, that receiver he has will drive those speakers well, perhaps, just not as well as it would be liked in his space which goes back to that "homework" thing i mentioned earlier. that is the one thing i have learned not just about my HT hobby but about my profession, you've got to learn and keep learning and researching things to keep up and learn more all the time. he should do said homework to get an amp that will give him the proper power for those speakers in the given space he needs to produce the level and quality of sound he wants from them.