Refinishing RTi A7's?
Mark_1042
Posts: 14
Hello all, as you can see I'm a noob on the forum here. The question I have is in regards to the Polk RTi A7's - does anybody happen to have any experience refinshing these speakers, or know if they can be refinished? Is the veneer on the A7 thick enough to accomodate refinishing, and can the old finish be effectively removed? I'm not an expert wood worker by any means, but I have done some refinishing projects in the past, and had decent results. Doesn't seem too complicated, but with such an expensive speaker I definitely want to know what I'm getting myself into.
I really love the natural wood look of the A7, and the finish is great too... the problem is that the cherry/red hue doesn't match the rest of my living room. My TV stand and endtables are both oak, with a light-ish brown finish - no red hue at all. I really would hate to put a piece of sandpaper to the beautiful finish on the A7 (especially given that they will be brand new), but if I can do it well I figure I will end up with something original that will really add to the rest of my living room. Any thoughts?
I really love the natural wood look of the A7, and the finish is great too... the problem is that the cherry/red hue doesn't match the rest of my living room. My TV stand and endtables are both oak, with a light-ish brown finish - no red hue at all. I really would hate to put a piece of sandpaper to the beautiful finish on the A7 (especially given that they will be brand new), but if I can do it well I figure I will end up with something original that will really add to the rest of my living room. Any thoughts?
Post edited by Mark_1042 on
Comments
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Not worth your time- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Re-finish the drab old brown oak furniture to that very pretty cherry.Main Family Room: Sony 46 LCD, Sony Blue Ray, Sony DVD/VCR combo,Onkyo TXNR 708, Parasound 5250,
Polk SDS-SRS with mods, CSI 5 center + Klipsch SC2, Polk RT2000P rears, Klipsch KG 1.5's sides, Polk Micro Pro 1000, Polk Micro Pro 2000, Polk SW505, Belkin PF60, Signal Cable Classics,Monster IC's, 2 15 amp circuits & 1 20 amp circuit.
Living Room: Belkin PF60, Parasound HCA2200, MIT ProlineEXP balanced IC's,Emotiva XDA-1 DAC/Pre,Emotiva ERC2 transport,MIT AVT2, Polk LSI 9's. -
michael1947 wrote: »Re-finish the drab old brown oak furniture to that very pretty cherry.
Quarter sawn oak = far from drab. Trust me.
But yeah, may not be worth my time. Or, perhaps something I'll wait to do until they actually need it... have read that some people had issues with them fading (though it may have been covered under warranty). Thanks for the replies fellas.
Cheers. -
Well, after talking to a salesman at the local shop, I think I'm going to go ahead with the A7's. What sucks is I can't actually look at the speakers until I put 10% down... they didn't have any speakers with that finish in house, and they're the only Polk dealer within 50 miles.
The salesman was very helpful though, he assured me they are more of a golden maple than a truly red cherry (which is what some of the pictures on the internet look like, but with pictures its always so hard to tell.) Golden maple-ish color might just work, and from some of the pictures I've seen the finish looks very classy.
Yeah, people probably think I'm crazy when it comes to matching wood finishes... I do get a lot of comments on my living room though. It doesn't seem like people are used to seeing real wood anymore.
I was very impressed with the sound from the Polk setup they had on the floor as well. Truly great speakers at an excellent price, I'm sure I won't be dissappointed. Will post an update when I get everything hooked up. -
Send photos when the project is finished. Also, the RTI line comes in black.Main Family Room: Sony 46 LCD, Sony Blue Ray, Sony DVD/VCR combo,Onkyo TXNR 708, Parasound 5250,
Polk SDS-SRS with mods, CSI 5 center + Klipsch SC2, Polk RT2000P rears, Klipsch KG 1.5's sides, Polk Micro Pro 1000, Polk Micro Pro 2000, Polk SW505, Belkin PF60, Signal Cable Classics,Monster IC's, 2 15 amp circuits & 1 20 amp circuit.
Living Room: Belkin PF60, Parasound HCA2200, MIT ProlineEXP balanced IC's,Emotiva XDA-1 DAC/Pre,Emotiva ERC2 transport,MIT AVT2, Polk LSI 9's. -
Order them in black as black goes with everything.
The cherry color is definitely NOT golden maple, it is cherry red/brown.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Order them in black as black goes with everything.
The cherry color is definitely NOT golden maple, it is cherry red/brown.
With tint of orange rust (depending on how the light hits). These speakers are gorgeous, but they don't match any furniture I've seen. Go with black.Full 8.2 with:
Onkyo TX-NR818
Emotiva XPA-3
Audiosource Amp One/A
Behringer EPQ2000 w/quietfan mod
Panny BDP310
3TB NAS
Ethereal ESP601R
Monster HTS 1650
Epson HC-3020
120" DIY 1.0 Gain Screen
Polk Rti A9 fronts
Polk Rti 6 surrounds
Polk Rt/Fx rear surrounds
Polk Rti 4 front heights
(Phantom center)
SVS 12's x 2 (DIY passive):eek:
ATS Acoustics DIY panels
Harmony 650
Nostalgia Electronics CCP-510 MovieTime Popcorn Cart -
I think I'm a little lost on what to do now....
Had called the local store yesterday, and told them to bring in their last pair of cherry A7's from their distribution center. Ten percent down was required but they said it is fully refundable and there is no restocking fee. Plus ordering the speakers locked me in at the sale price of $800 for the pair.
I'm thinkng I may have them change it over to black since the speakers won't come in until Tuesday anyway. Maybe they can bring in just the center channel in cherry so I can at least look at it, and go from there. Judging from what people have said here I don't think the cherry will match. I do think a lot of the pictures on the Polk website look more like a golden maple, but all of the home photos I'm seeing look like a dark red.
All of this would be easily resolved if they would just stock the damn speakers on their floor.
Cheers. -
Judging from what people have said here I don't think the cherry will match. I do think a lot of the pictures on the Polk website look more like a golden maple, but all of the home photos I'm seeing look like a dark red.
The renderings on Polk's site are not accurate. The color is darker and have a more red tint like the real photos you've seen.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Changed the order to black speakers yesterday, they are supposed to be ready for pick up tomorrow. Thank you everyone for your input, you probably saved me from having to send the speakers back / wait longer. (still a great salesman though who helped me)
I also upgraded the center from an A4 to an A6, I just hope I can make enough room for the beast under my T.V.
