Good day all - New Member, just picked up some RTA 12b's

Escher
Escher Posts: 41
edited April 2011 in Vintage Speakers
Hi all,

I was referred here from the folks over at Audioasylum.com...

I picked up a set of RTA 12b's this afternoon for $130 in great condition. I've always wanted a set of vintage Polks - they were my dream speakers when I was a kid in the early 80's... I remember the pictures in magazines of the SDA SRS and Monitors, and the RTA's - and always told myself I would own a set one day.

So - I got lucky skimming craigslist today and jumped on these...

photo6.jpg


photo7.jpg

Sorry for the poor quality images - quick iPhone pics...

Loving the sound so far - my other speakers are a set of B&W 602 (series 1) and Magnepan MMG's. I had been frustrated with the MMG's - great sound, but I couldn't get a wide enough soundstage with them, very focused...

So far, these 12b's have a much wider soundstage to my ear and seem very flat in response (not in a bad way, just not what I'm used to)..

The tweeters have been swapped - the owner said they are peerless tweeters. They were swapped before he purchased them...

Anything I need to know about these speakers? Everything looks in great shape, but I'm not sure if the caps, etc would need to be swapped due to age.

Thanks in advance folks!
Post edited by Escher on
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Comments

  • danz1906
    danz1906 Posts: 5,144
    edited April 2011
    Welcome to the Club!
    Linn AV5140 fronts
    Linn AV5120 Center
    Linn AV5140 Rears
    M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
    Odyssey Mono-Blocs
    SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D
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  • Libertyc
    Libertyc Posts: 915
    edited April 2011
    Nice! You got a great deal.
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,244
    edited April 2011
    Great Deal!!!!

    Congrats!!!
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  • intangible
    intangible Posts: 262
    edited April 2011
    Those look very nice - I'd love a pair myself - and at a fantastic price. The only ones I've seen around here sold for $300 within an hour.
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,081
    edited April 2011
    Very nice! What kind of amp is that? The one the monitor sits on?

    Welcome to The Forum!
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    Thanks guys!

    The amp is a Marantz 140...
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited April 2011
    Good on ya, a properly time-aligned vintage Polk. They appear to be in really good shape. Do you have the hats too?
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • seeclear
    seeclear Posts: 1,242
    edited April 2011
    With speakers of that age, they probably would benefit from reworking the crossovers. They look nice, congrats, and welcome to the forum.

    Some of these guys/gals may give you some grief from having that equalizer in the loop! :wink: Don't let it get to you!
    "Don't forget to change your politician. They are like diapers they need to be changed regularly, and for the same reason."
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  • Oldfatdogs
    Oldfatdogs Posts: 1,874
    edited April 2011
    Welcome, nice speakers.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited April 2011
    welcome aboard--nice rig,,is that a MARANTZ power amp
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    seeclear wrote: »
    Some of these guys/gals may give you some grief from having that equalizer in the loop! :wink: Don't let it get to you!

    Yeah - I know the routine.... But my listening area isnt optimized, and it adds very little color to the sound... Maybe if I had all Mac gear and $1000 interconnects, then I could tell if it was degrading anything.

    Truth be told I'm looking into a Marantz Integrated vintage amp to replace the Kenwood preamp (my current weakest link)... If that ever happens, the EQ will likely go away.
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    george daniel wrote: »
    welcome aboard--nice rig,,is that a MARANTZ power amp

    Yup - one of my best finds... I had no knowlege of Marantz vintage gear until recently - but this baby is bulletproof!!! I dead shorted it by accident, and had the volume cranked - no problem.... didnt even phase it... I was stunned!

    Here is the amp (not my pic)..

    marantz-140.png

    I'm in the process of restoring the Turntable in the pic - nearly done... its a Technics SL-1200 MKII - former dj deck that was in rough shape. I bought both his turntables and am restoring them and selling one to fund more gear...
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    RuSsMaN wrote: »
    Good on ya, a properly time-aligned vintage Polk. They appear to be in really good shape. Do you have the hats too?

    Yup - hats and grilles are in perfect shape too...
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,081
    edited April 2011
    I love that amp and my guess is that it will be a nice match to the Polks...
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    Conradicles wrote: »
    I love that amp and my guess is that it will be a nice match to the Polks...

    By a happy accident, it turns out all my components (except the CD/MD deck) will be 70's and 80's vintage... once I get a Marantz integrated, that is. I like the idea that it will be a system that is representative of the timeframe...
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  • codyc1ark
    codyc1ark Posts: 2,532
    edited April 2011
    Sexy looking setup, from what I can tell it already looks like you have an angry wallet! Welcome to angry wallet central!
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    More like "Angry Wife"... ;P

    Nah - I buy and sell lots of stuff to fund my hobbies - A Denon turntable funded this purchase....

    Trying to decide what to sell next to fund that Receiver I want.. The B&W 602's in the pic may be on the chopping block soon....
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  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
    edited April 2011
    I have a pair of 12C's I bought new in 1984, and to which I just completed a xover upgrade (along with a few other tweaks! :tongue:)

    Until you get some good new caps and resistors in there you won't hear what those can do!

    The best tutorial I've seen is the one geoff727 created here:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116480

    He knows his stuff!

    I did most of what's listed and although it takes a while for the sonicaps to burn in, the 12C's are already showing improvement.
    "Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    drumminman wrote: »
    Until you get some good new caps and resistors in there you won't hear what those can do!

    The best tutorial I've seen is the one geoff727 created here:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116480

    Thanks for the link - I already have downloaded the schematic and started a spreadsheet for the caps I need to source.

    I looked a the sonicaps website - but don't see any electrolytic's as referenced in the schematic - only film... So, does it matter in this application?

    Also - those sonicaps are pretty expensive - Any chance going with something like orange drops or another nice but not "audiophile" level cap will still yield pleasing results?

    What have others used?

    Thanks for the help!!
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    Scratch that - Found it - using AXON caps from partsconnexion...

    I'll link to a spreadsheet with part numbers and costs for interested parties when complete....
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    Spreadsheet - here:

    https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en&hl=en&key=0AmYHnOLOvg8XdDhtb3N5Q3NTNGJUaVYta0FxUTE1d2c&output=html

    Please make suggestions as you see fit.
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited April 2011
    You are better off with Film caps. They sound better. That said I don't know anything about the Axon caps and those are film as well.

    I would still go Sonicaps or Clarity Caps.
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    I think I have everything figured out - same parts as the rebuild thread mentioned above - except for the small 750pF cap.... the only one I can find that is the right value is another silver mica on partsconnexion, but not in a clarity or sonicap... hmmm...
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  • intangible
    intangible Posts: 262
    edited April 2011
    I believe you can safely omit the 750pF caps. They are there in an attempt to compensate for the quality of the 4.4uF Mylars and are not necessary once you put a better cap in that slot.

    If you don't want to shell out for the Sonicaps, the 5% tolerance Dayton caps from Partsexpress are significantly cheaper. This post will be followed by five or six people telling you how awful they sound, but comparing side by side I cannot tell the difference between Daytons and Sonicaps. Your money, your call.
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited April 2011
    Intangible is right about the 750pf cap. It was only there to compensate for the other caps. Un-needed with new poly caps.

    I disagree on the Dayton's myself, having used them in a rebuild. They are 100% better than stock but not even close to Clarity or Sonicaps. I would bet the Axon's are as good as the Dayton's.

    One good thing is you have a forgiving tweeter in the peerless. So the grainy high's you may get from some caps may not be as present in those.
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  • Escher
    Escher Posts: 41
    edited April 2011
    Cool - thanks for the info guys about the 750's..

    Just priced the 27uF's alone as Clarity's - price went up $240 :shock:

    I'll stick with the AXON's.. ;)
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,450
    edited April 2011
    Escher wrote: »
    Scratch that - Found it - using AXON caps from partsconnexion...

    I'll link to a spreadsheet with part numbers and costs for interested parties when complete....

    you could call Jeff at Sonic Craft and ask for the prices on his Axon caps. He doesn't have them on the web site but last time i called to buy my caps he offered them to me for my SDA2a 130uf caps his prices at the time were cheaper than parts connection after you get giged on the import fees or whatever you want to call them
    my.02
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