I have RTA-12C's... now what?

HTguru1982

These are probably the best set of speakers I've owned up until this point. Would it be worthwhile to opt for matching surrounds and center speaker? As you can see in my sig I'm using a CSi30 center and RTi38's.

I know I said a long time ago that I wanted to upgrade to Wharferdale's but I can never make up my mind when it comes to this stuff :biggrin: .

I'm looking at replacing the 38's with possibly a set of RTA-8TL's or something like the Monitor 4 or 5. The reason I mention these specifically is because I can them locally. As for the center, I have no idea what to look at. Really need suggestions there.

And I certainly need a 2 channel amplifier. My budget is tight, probably around $200 for the amp. My current Yamaha seems to drive everything just fine for the moment but I really want to give these RTA's the best I can afford.

Thanks again for the help!

drumminman

Can't answer about your HT question about your set up, but I can tell you that I use my 12C's as front L-R mains in my 5.1, and they do an admirable job. In fact there is really no need for a center channel, though I have one.

Have you done any upgrades to the 12C's? There's lots of great info/how to threads on that, and you can truly take them to a level above what they were even when new.

The 12C's like power, lots of it! I'm using a Carver TFM-42 with mine (375 wpc), and they love it. I can get the volume high enough that I can't stay in the room :eek: and they're still clean and smooth. :cool:

RuSsMaN

Now what? Listen to them for a couple weeks, then sell them and join us in the current century.

Joe08867

The only center that would really match them well is the CS350. They can be found but you need to look around.

Monitor4's, 5's or 7's would match real well with your RTA's. The 8TL's would be the a nice speaker but it is not quite the best timbre match since it has the Tri-Lam tweeter and the RTA12's didn't.

If you can get the monitor 4's and 5's you would be set. Us the 5's as rears and the 4's as dual centers one below and one above the screen. I say use the 4's for a center since there footprint would be the smallest of the bunch in the Monitor line.

falconcry72

Joe08867 wrote: »

The only center that would really match them well is the CS350. They can be found but you need to look around.

Monitor4's, 5's or 7's would match real well with your RTA's. The 8TL's would be the a nice speaker but it is not quite the best timbre match since it has the Tri-Lam tweeter and the RTA12's didn't.

If you can get the monitor 4's and 5's you would be set. Us the 5's as rears and the 4's as dual centers one below and one above the screen. I say use the 4's for a center since there footprint would be the smallest of the bunch in the Monitor line.

I'm using a single Monitor 5 as a center, and it does a great job!

Joe is right about the 8tl not matching.

I have used a cs350ls in my system, and while I was suprised at how well it worked, the Monitor 5 blends in MUCH better. The best match for a vintage Polk is a vintage Polk. Just make sure the tweeters are all the same and you're golden!

Edit:

Get the largest monitor series speaker that you can stand for your center. A decent amount of bass goes to the center, so the bigger the better. I used a Monitor 10B as a center with RTA12C's as fronts and it was frickin sweet, but it is a large speaker, and may not blend with your decor, or WAF. The 5 is a good compromise for me.

HTguru1982

I'm thinking of running my set up without a dedicated center speaker. My receiver has an option for presence speakers with a feature called 'dialog lift' that I'm thinking of utilizing. I think the Monitor 4's would work perfectly for this. Please let me know if this is a waste of time, though.

I haven't put a whole of thought in upgrading them, at least not yet. They use the SL2000 tweeters. Would it be worthwhile to swap them out with the RDO-194's?

As for the crossovers, I wouldn't have the slightest clue on what to do. Are there any threads that cover this topic?

HTguru1982

Ok, did a little digging and found this thread:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116480&highlight=rta12c

drumminman

That's the best thread I've seen on upgrading not just the crossovers, but the whole speaker.

I followed it when I did mine - pretty straightforward. You need to be able to use a soldering iron. If you've never done this type of thing there is plenty of help on this board that can give advice and answer your questions.

One thing you should know is that the 12C's have two crossovers per cabinet: one the tweeter is attached to up top, and one below attached to the inside of the binding post cup.