Center Speaker Suggestions for RTA-12C

factorz
factorz Posts: 353
edited November 2011 in Vintage Speakers
Well I had orginally purchased my RTA's for a 2 channel listening area, but it turns out I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would have liked doing it. So I figured why not have them pull double duty and hauled them upstairs and put them in the TV area. At this point I am happy with them, but wonder if I were to do a center speaker what would work? Thanks!
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  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
    edited November 2011
    factorz wrote: »
    Well I had orginally purchased my RTA's for a 2 channel listening area, but it turns out I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would have liked doing it. So I figured why not have them pull double duty and hauled them upstairs and put them in the TV area. At this point I am happy with them, but wonder if I were to do a center speaker what would work? Thanks!

    I use my RTA 12C's in a home theather in a small room, and I'm running a Polk CS10. I wanted the CS20, but it was too tall for the spot I had.

    It works well with a little manual tweaking of settings in the AVR, doesn't call attention to itself and blends well with the 12C's, which have all the mods found in Geoff727's thread.

    Good luck.
    "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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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2011
    The best match for a vintage Polk is a vintage polk with the same tweeter. Most RTA-12C's used the SL-2000. This would mean that a Monitor 5B, 7C, or 10B would work perfectly. The bigger the better, so the monitor 10B is the best. The problem people have with using one of these is usually space constraints, though the Monitor 5B on its side is not too much harder to place than a conventional center channel speaker.

    The alternative is to use an older Polk center channel that, while not perfect, will still do a great job. The (2) that get recommended the most are the CS-350LS and the CS-400i. I like the 350LS. I feel that its midrange drivers are more similar to the old vintage MW's. Either of those centers will match your speakers better if your RTA's are using the upgraded RD0-194 tweeters instead of the original SL-2000's. Any modern Polk center will be off compared to an SL-2000. You should put RD0's in your RTA's anyway, though. They sound a lot better.

    I've used RTA-12C's as fronts as well as SDA-2B's as fronts. In both cases I preferred the sound of a vintage Polk (Monitor 5B or 10B) instead of a conventional center, but the CS-350LS does a very good job, and I didn't feel that I was missing much when I used it.

    Another reason why one of those vintage Monitors makes an awesome center is because of the natural bass extension from the passive radiator... just like in your RTA's. No center Polk has ever made can touch the bass extension of a vintage Monitor. The CS-1000p is decent, but that bass sounds very different than the natural, tight bass that the Monitors and your RTA's produce.
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited November 2011
    I will echo Falconcry on this. The best center match for any of the vintage series is the original monitor series of the same era. Timbre match is of utmost importance in HT.
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  • factorz
    factorz Posts: 353
    edited November 2011
    Sorry I should have noted that my speakers do have the RDO-194 tweeters. It shoulds like I should be on a look out for a CS-350LS then. Is this a common speaker on the used market?
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2011
    factorz wrote: »
    Sorry I should have noted that my speakers do have the RDO-194 tweeters. It shoulds like I should be on a look out for a CS-350LS then. Is this a common speaker on the used market?

    It's not particularly common, but not impossible to find either. I'd still use a Vintage Monitor with a 194 in it if I were you.

    I didn't mean that one of the modern centers would be better than a vintage Monitor if your using RD0s in your fronts, I meant that a modern center will match the RD0's better than it will match the SL-2000's , but a vintage Monitor with either an SL-2000 or RD0 (depending on your fronts) is still king.
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • factorz
    factorz Posts: 353
    edited November 2011
    falconcry72 wrote: »
    It's not particularly common, but not impossible to find either. I'd still use a Vintage Monitor with a 194 in it if I were you.

    I didn't mean that one of the modern centers would be better than a vintage Monitor if your using RD0s in your fronts, I meant that a modern center will match the RD0's better than it will match the SL-2000's , but a vintage Monitor with either an SL-2000 or RD0 (depending on your fronts) is still king.

    The only issue I have with using a vintage monitor is the space restrictions. The speaker I pick will have to be able to be placed on it's side to fit under the TV screen.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2011
    sizes:

    Monitor 5(on its side): 10"H x 10"D x 22"L

    350ls: 6.5"H x 11"D x 26"L

    400i: 8.625"H x 14"D x 18.75"L

    The Monitor 5 is smaller than the 350 in both depth and length. It's significantly smaller than the 400 in depth, and the 400 is less than an inch and a half shorter.


    Do any of these sizes work for you? Where are you located, BTW? I might have a 350 layin' around somewhere.... and also a pair of Monitor 5B's... if you're local you could try both.


    You don't mean "Gamehenge" like Phish's Gamehendge, do you???
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • factorz
    factorz Posts: 353
    edited November 2011
    I'll need to measure the front of my TV as I don't know if 10" would work. I have a older DLP model so the speaker needs to see in front of it.

    As for my location I am in WI so I do appreciate the offer, but unless the mockingbird is going to fly those speakers here I am out of luck!
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2011
    factorz wrote: »
    I'll need to measure the front of my TV as I don't know if 10" would work. I have a older DLP model so the speaker needs to see in front of it.

    As for my location I am in WI so I do appreciate the offer, but unless the mockingbird is going to fly those speakers here I am out of luck!

    See what will work.

    If you want the 350, I'll ship it, but I won't ship the 5B's.:smile:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • factorz
    factorz Posts: 353
    edited November 2011
    Anyone know what center this is?

    Attachment not found.
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,762
    edited November 2011
    factorz wrote: »
    anyone know what center this is?

    Attachment not found.

    cs350ls
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2011
    ken brydson wrote: »
    cs350ls

    yep! :smile:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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