RTi8 Updates
johnchabin
Posts: 29
Time to start a post of my own.
I added to the 'RTi8 XO Mod' thread, but I thought the current set of updates deserve their own thread.
So far, I've upgraded the crossovers to my RTi8s to all Sonicap Gen I and Mills resistors, and now have painted the speakers and installed better binding posts than the originals (Parts Express). I left the original binding posts in place, but this works better with my heavy speaker cables (PS Audio).
I painted over the silver and made the speakers and covers black. They look (and most importantly, sound) much better.
Some pics:
I added to the 'RTi8 XO Mod' thread, but I thought the current set of updates deserve their own thread.
So far, I've upgraded the crossovers to my RTi8s to all Sonicap Gen I and Mills resistors, and now have painted the speakers and installed better binding posts than the originals (Parts Express). I left the original binding posts in place, but this works better with my heavy speaker cables (PS Audio).
I painted over the silver and made the speakers and covers black. They look (and most importantly, sound) much better.
Some pics:
Post edited by johnchabin on
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Those turned out really nice.Polk Audio Surround Bar 360
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Ok, Ed, stop admiring his handiwork! You don't have to do this to yours. Even though it looks so dang nice. Real nice, actually. Don't be tempted. Your 10s are fine just the way they are.
Ok, nice job! Move on to the next thread. Now! -
Couldn't stay away... Do check in after you get some time on those crossovers. Curious to hear your thoughts down the road. And yeah, welcome to Club Polk!
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Those look really nice. What kind of paint did you use? And how do they sound? What changes/improvements did you experience?_________________________________________________
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Thanks!
The crossover mods are pretty well covered in this thread. Thanks to 'curved' for his information...
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81626
Painting was pretty straightforward. I removed the 3 drivers and the tube on the front with an allen key and removed the plastic cover at the bottom of the speaker. This cover on the bottom is two pieces that snap together with a tab on either side. Once the first part is carefully unsnapped, there are 4 screws to remove. Remove the Polk Audio decal. Mask off the chrome posts. Mask off all the silver and paint. I opted to not paint the removable parts (2 driver rings, the tweeter, and the tube end) as it looked good to me in silver. I used black 'RUST-OLEUM Specialty Plastic' paint from Home Depot. The directions are critical, especially the part about a second coat within an hour or over 48 hours. Do not put on your second coat in 24 hours, for example, or it will bubble and flake like crazy. If you follow directions and avoid dust and runs, the finish is actually quite nice. You can wet sand with very fine sandpaper in between coats if you like (or if you get dust).
I used some Scotch double-sided tape my wife had to reglue the Polk Audio decal in place.
For the binding posts, I drilled a single 2 1/8 inch hole with a hole saw in the bottom of the speaker, centered between the power port cover and the bottom edge of the speaker and centered left and right. Pre-drill the 4 holes for the corners of the binding plate and install. It's quite easy and it's ok that they stick out from the speaker, as the power port cover protects them from damage. I connected the binding posts to the original bottom posts internally using spade terminals. The binding posts (Dayton BPP-G) and plates (Dayton SBPP-BK) came from parts-express and are quite nice, IMO. They allowed my to use my PS Audio cables with spade connectors that wouldn't fit on the original Polk binding posts. FWIW, I think the cable upgrade was almost as dramatic as the XO mod (in my head, at least).
I liked the sound from the RTi8s before I started, but they are noticeably more detailed with music now. I have a modified and sealed external subwoofer which is also perfect (to me) for music. Also, CDs that were perfectly ok before show recording flaws that weren't so obvious before. Good CDs sound great.
I drew a schematic for the XO if anyone is interested. -
Much nicer, IMO...
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Those are some of the sleekest RTI-8s ever!
Congrats on setting new standards. The question remains. In what ways has the sound improved on the 8s. Because, I've never particularly liked that model much? Could you be more specific?
I've always found these too bright, for example. And particularly irritating with CDs even with somewhat better players that offer less obvious digital glare.
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Thanks CNH.
I've never found the RTi8s to be too bright for me. For me, I find the highs to be clear, but not in a harsh way. I have a Pioneer Elite BDP-05HD through a VSH-94TXH, and I've always liked the sound, so I thought they were worthy of an upgrade.
I think the sound is more realistic and detailed now. The biggest change is with acoustic music, especially my 'unplugged' CDs. I have Cat Power's 'The Greatest' on right now, and it sounds wonderful, like the piano or guitar is in the room with me.
As far as the paint goes, I just didn't like the silver. -
Ok, lived with these for almost a year. I have a particularly well recorded CD in at the moment, and they sound fantastic.
There are now some Rotel amps in the mix.
I'll have to post my subwoofer updates in another post in the future. Fairly radical! -
I have rti8 and yours look way better than mine does . You really did a great job there bud and I cant believe I have never found this thread before when I have been searching
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Nice work!