RTA-12 Original Project

I've done several 12Bs & Cs, but this was the first original RTA-12 I've tackled. The crossovers were in great shape. Sonicaps, and Mills MRA Resistors were chosen. Needless to say, fitting the larger caps on the existing boards was challenging. New, threaded nylon standoffs were installed, to stiffen things up. Came out great. Luckily, no clearance issues with the top hats either.

rd4ion5inwid.png
h28urdtrnt89.png
zgv2cq7tqod1.png
ubbetf2ez9x0.png
o1mffwi5ul5s.png
f83e0ia0a40m.png
7t5a2ui685wv.png
Home Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

dhsspeakerservice.com/

Comments

  • Jazzhead
    Jazzhead Posts: 520
    So, these are the crossovers from my RTA-12's. I just got them back from Westmassguy yesterday. His work is excellent, the crossovers are now rock solid rigid, and they display his skill and attention to detail. I re-assembled/soldered the Peerless tweeters back on and fired them up. I played some cuts I am very familiar with and even from the very start noticed better detail, particularly being able to understand lyrics, and detail in the lower bass. I played some bluegrass and was struck by how much better I could identify the various parts in a group of voices harmonizing. Voices and instruments sound more like the real thing. Strings have more of that "buzz" that is present when you hear them live. There is more information being conveyed related to the acoustic environment of the studio or venue itself. I need to put way more hours on these and am either playing them or running radio or FM hash through them 24/7. I've epoxied the magnets in these speakers, sealed the cabinets (Loctite Power Grab), installed the Dynamat on the drivers/passive radiator, and have replaced the binding posts with Cardas posts on thick aluminum discs. The next step is to install some Sonic Barrier or Black Hole 5 behind the drivers, install new driver gaskets, and I am also replacing the internal wire with Neotech14 gauge OCC wire. I'll be posting the results as I do these next steps. So far so good. These humble 36 year old speakers are becoming impressive.
    Polk Audio first generation RTA-12s; 12 inch Polk Stands; DHS Speaker Service upgraded crossovers w/ Sonicap/Mills; the "westmassguy anti-lobing mod" (hyperdamped outer drivers/mirror imaged); tweeter anti-diffraction mod; Cardas binding posts; Neotech UPOCC internal wire; foam-lined inner driver baskets; xschop phase plugs; deleted fuses; Hurricane nuts; Sonic Barrier; Dynamat Xtreme
    Ayre K-5xeMP preamplifier
    Cambridge Audio 840C CD player; Herbie's Audio Lab Super Black Hole CD Mat
    D-Sonic Custom Audio M3a-600M monoblock amplifiers
    NAD 4155 FM/AM tuner
    Silnote Audio Morpheus Reference II Series II balanced interconnects; Virtue Audio single-ended interconnects
    Kimber 12TC speaker cable w/Furez connectors; VH Audio Flavor 4 power cables w/Furutech connectors
    Herbie's Audio Lab system isolation: Tenderfeet, Big Fat Dots, Grungebuster Dots, Little Fat Gliders
    Dedicated 20A/10 AWG circuit; Furutech GTX-D (G) outlet; Furutech eTP80; Shunyata Research Venom Defender; Synergistic Research Orange fuses
  • Faustin
    Faustin Posts: 1,149
    Nicely done Dave. Definitely creative placement on a couple of the caps.
  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    Thanks Bruce.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
  • willwilly
    willwilly Posts: 185
    Impressive!
    Will I am
  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    willwilly wrote: »
    Impressive!

    Thanks you Sir.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/