B&W LM1 vs RTi4

[Andy Katz]

Hello,

The gods of Stereo continue to smile, by and large, on this,
their most unworthy of subjects. The Yamaha AX 570 arrived today, in
beautiful condition. It got here so fast I didn't have hardware to
connect the speakers. I just doubled the existing 14 gauge wires.

The only bad thing what that in removing the Onkyo
butterfingers let it slip and fall onto the carpet. A few inches of
plastic side case broke off and the balance knob is thrashed, jammed
in and doesn't seem to work at all. I listed to FM for a few minutes,
however, and it sounds fine.

I'm going to use the Onkyo for the kitchen and therein lies
the dilemma. The speakers can only be placed high up on the wall,
about six feet apart. That's it. Naturally I'd like to direct them
downward, but I don't want Bose, and I just listened to some Polk
Atrium 45s and was underwhelmed. I really like the RTi4s. It's handy
that they have wall mount hardware. I'd compromise with directing them
down.

One problem, of course, is that the Onkyo has spring-loaded
connectors and only about 40 or 45 wpc. Of course that's enough power
for the space in question, but since the Polks have dual posts for
bi-amping I wonder if they'd be underpowered in this situation and
possibly damaged as a result of long-term use?

I've also been looking at the B&W LM1. Great configuration,
mounting brackets, extremely versatile, price is okay ... problem is
I'm positive I won't get a chance to listen to them prior to buying.
I've heard other other low-end B&W products such as the DM 303 and 601
and the impression is favorable. I wonder if anyone can say, are the
LM 1s more like the 300/600s, or more like Atrium?

TIA

Andy Katz
************************************************** *************
Being lied to so billionaires can wage war for profits
while indebting taxpayers for generations to come, now
that's just a tad bit bigger than not admitting you like
the big moist-moist lips of chunky trollops on your pecker.

Paghat, the Rat Girl

[Robert Morein]

"Andy Katz" > wrote in message
...
[snip]
>
> One problem, of course, is that the Onkyo has spring-loaded
> connectors and only about 40 or 45 wpc. Of course that's enough power
> for the space in question, but since the Polks have dual posts for
> bi-amping I wonder if they'd be underpowered in this situation and
> possibly damaged as a result of long-term use?
>
No.
The threat of underpowered amps is clipping, which can damage tweeters very
quickly, sometimes within afew seconds. Clipping is generally unpleasant,
except to some listeners to rock and metallica. Some of the effects used in
production resemble clipping.

If you like your music to sound sweet, and if you are sensitive to the
straining quality of an overdriven system, you need not fear that clipping
will damage your speakers. In any event, clipping causes either immediate or
nearly immediate damage to speakers. It's not a wait for long term
degradation.

[Andy Katz]

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 20:52:22 -0400, "Robert Morein"
> wrote:

>The threat of underpowered amps is clipping, which can damage tweeters very
>quickly, sometimes within afew seconds. Clipping is generally unpleasant,
>except to some listeners to rock and metallica. Some of the effects used in
>production resemble clipping.
>
>If you like your music to sound sweet, and if you are sensitive to the
>straining quality of an overdriven system, you need not fear that clipping
>will damage your speakers. In any event, clipping causes either immediate or
>nearly immediate damage to speakers. It's not a wait for long term
>degradation.

I see. Thanks for the clarification, Robert.

Should I infer from the dual set of posts that I don't have enough
power for the Polks?

Andy Katz
************************************************** *************
Being lied to so billionaires can wage war for profits
while indebting taxpayers for generations to come, now
that's just a tad bit bigger than not admitting you like
the big moist-moist lips of chunky trollops on your pecker.

Paghat, the Rat Girl

[Robert Morein]

"Andy Katz" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 20:52:22 -0400, "Robert Morein"
> > wrote:
>
> >The threat of underpowered amps is clipping, which can damage tweeters
very
> >quickly, sometimes within afew seconds. Clipping is generally unpleasant,
> >except to some listeners to rock and metallica. Some of the effects used
in
> >production resemble clipping.
> >
> >If you like your music to sound sweet, and if you are sensitive to the
> >straining quality of an overdriven system, you need not fear that
clipping
> >will damage your speakers. In any event, clipping causes either immediate
or
> >nearly immediate damage to speakers. It's not a wait for long term
> >degradation.
>
> I see. Thanks for the clarification, Robert.
>
> Should I infer from the dual set of posts that I don't have enough
> power for the Polks?
>
No, it's really just a marketing ploy. It makes the buyer fantasize about
possibilities he will never bother, and probably shouldn't, explore.