Polk 11t monitors

colin808

I just picked up some old Polk 11t monitors. Can anyone let me know how much power I should give to these speakers? I know the recommended power range is 20-250. Ive been trying to search for some stereo and theater receivers and it hard to find something above 100 watts RMS without being over my budget. Any ideas are appreciated.

gwg_97

Welcome to Club Polk! I'd say the closer to about 200 wpc, the better. Check out used gear on Craigslist. Adcom, Carver, Parasound, and Rotel to name a few! Generally, the newer and less expensive AVRs sound pretty bad compare to the above. If you want a 5.1 system, get an AVR with pre outs and use a decent amp to drive the the fronts (when budget allows). Then you can add a monoblock amp to drive the center (Marantz, Outlaw, etc.). Then, when you get the bug, add the big HSU, SVS, or Epic sub :biggrin:.

deronb1

colin808 wrote: »

I just picked up some old Polk 11t monitors. Can anyone let me know how much power I should give to these speakers? I know the recommended power range is 20-250. Ive been trying to search for some stereo and theater receivers and it hard to find something above 100 watts RMS without being over my budget. Any ideas are appreciated.

The 11Ts are nice speakers. It would help to know your budget so we might be able to recommend something. If you are on a really tight budget, then looking at used AVRs is probably the way to go.

colin808

Not only am I new to Polk but Im new to home audio as well. Im trying to ask around and understand as much as possible when it comes to receivers, pre-amps, power amps, etc. I would like to get the most power for the least amount of money. I was going to pick up a Yamaha Rx v467 for $225. Its a home theater receiver that put out 105 RMS per channel for 5 channels. For right now I prolly cant afford much more than $300 right now but if its a really good deal then maybe $400 but I dont know. I do have a Niles SI 275 power amp (I think thats what it is).

gwg_97

In my opinion, pre outs on an avr are essential. You should be able to get a used Yamaha or onkyo AVR with pre outs for under $300. Then you could plug in your Niles and use the AVR's "pure direct" mode (or equivalent) for 2 channel. The AVR could drive the rears and center for movies and the Niles could still drive the fronts.

deronb1

That Niles is a very nice amp. Not super beefy but high current. Your 11Ts are 6 ohm so I am thinking the Niles should rate around 85 to 88 wpc when running the 11Ts. I would look for a used Pioneer Elite to use with this these speakers. I found a VSX-23(110 wpc) brand new for 300 bucks shipped. There are some great deals out there if you are patient and thorough in your search.

So yes, for the money you are willing to spend, I would look for an AVR w preouts and then listen to the speakers with the AVR running them and then with the amp. Also, it is a good idea to change out the caps on a speaker that old. It makes all the difference. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, there are people here that would probably do it for next to nothing. All you would have to do is pay for the parts and shipping.

gwg_97

Oh yeah, and Pioneer as well!

deronb1

gwg_97 wrote: »

Oh yeah, and Pioneer as well!

Lol, doesn't have to be a Pio. I think the preouts are more important. I ran my 8Ts on one before I got my amp and they had a good synergy together. How are you running your two Kenwoods in your rig?

gwg_97

I'm using one M2A for the rears (I know it's overkill). The other M2A is on reserve for a 7.1 when I get more space. The M1 is a kids rig with the monitor 5s. It works pretty well. I bought one of the M2As new back in the 80s.

deronb1

gwg_97 wrote: »

I'm using one M2A for the rears (I know it's overkill). The other M2A is on reserve for a 7.1 when I get more space. The M1 is a kids rig with the monitor 5s. It works pretty well. I bought one of the M2As new back in the 80s.

+

That is awsome you have kept it this long. I love mine. I think its an underrated amp and a great bargain when you can find one in good shape.

gwg_97

Sounds like we are both kenwood fans. Both of mine are pretty minty. My old friend has powered many fun times. I also bought my monitor 10s with kenwood :biggrin:

deronb1

I am using the "sigma" drive and powering the 8Ts with it. I originally bought it to power a pair of RTi12s and it did a great job, but I listen to a lot of music too, and I just could not get used to the 12s for music. It's hard to "quit" that old school Polk sound.

colin808

If you dont mind me asking. Instead of using the Niles, why not just use the Pioneer that you recommended to power the Polks since they are 110 watts per channel? Also, how did find that for only $300 new?

colin808

So you think 85 watts RMS to the 11t is enough power? Arent there alot of avr's that put out under 100 watts for good price?

deronb1

colin808 wrote: »

So you think 85 watts RMS to the 11t is enough power? Arent there alot of avr's that put out under 100 watts for good price?

The wattage ratings on AVRs is misleading in most cases. In two channel, it's pretty realistic, but in the case of 5, 7, or 9 channel, there is no way that kinda power is being produced. Anyway, your Niles is a high current amp which is what really powers the speakers. Not saying watts are not important, but you would be supprised what some pretty modest amps (watt wise) can do.

Just hear for yourself. No one can tell you what sounds good to you, so try it both ways.

I got my Pio from 6ave electronics last year. Was just looking at the site and there it was. So you never know what you will run into. 6ave is no longer around now, but there are some good sites out there. Saturday Audio, NewEgg, Vanns (sometimes) has great deals periodically. Also, this forum is a great place to pick up gear. The guys are knowledgable, take good care of their stuff and price it fairly.

gwg_97

Watts aren't everything. In fact, I can thnk of a few 50 watt tube amps that would sound amazing on your speakers. The vintage amps that I recommended and your Niles produce a higher quality sound than many of the less expensive modern avrs, ifvyou know what I mean. There are lots of people on this site that know a ton about quality gear. The search function is your friend.

colin808

For theater receivers, dont they say that their output is usually 75 x 5 with 2 channels driven? Do you think I should just go with a stereo receiver with pre-amps instead? That way I could maybe run 4 speakers? 2 through the receiver and connect the Niles to 2 other speakers? Or is having a multi channel receiver better to have?

I was thinking about picking up a Yamaha receiver. Maybe the RXv471. I saw the RX 467 but they ran out. I think that one had 3 pre amps and 100 watts per channel. What do you think of these choices? There could be a Sony STR DN1010. These are low in price so Im guessing not very good quality but would it be a start? For stereo maybe Onkyo 8050 or Yamaha RS700 but that might be too much. Maybe could go with a little cheaper with the RS500.

gwg_97

My Yamaha rxv665 is a few years old but works fine. You could probably find one for cheap. When I got mine it was the cheapest Yamaha AVR with pre outs for all channels (i.e., fronts, center, rears, sub, and more). My Carver drives the fronts, Kenwood drives the rears and Outlaw monoblock drives the center. All are controlled by the Yamaha via the pre outs. When I want to listen to two channel I run the AVR in pure direct mode. Pure direct let's me hear the two channel music (powered by my Carver) with the signal passing through the least amount of inexpensive AVR circuitry (and it sounds so much better). I hope this helps.

colin808

deronb1 wrote: »

That Niles is a very nice amp. Not super beefy but high current. Your 11Ts are 6 ohm so I am thinking the Niles should rate around 85 to 88 wpc when running the 11Ts. I would look for a used Pioneer Elite to use with this these speakers. I found a VSX-23(110 wpc) brand new for 300 bucks shipped. There are some great deals out there if you are patient and thorough in your search.

So yes, for the money you are willing to spend, I would look for an AVR w preouts and then listen to the speakers with the AVR running them and then with the amp. Also, it is a good idea to change out the caps on a speaker that old. It makes all the difference. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, there are people here that would probably do it for next to nothing. All you would have to do is pay for the parts and shipping.

When you say caps..you mean capacitors yeah? As far as receivers, I also looked into Harmon Kardon. At first I saw the 3490 which puts out 120 x 2 or the theater receiver thats 95 x 5. I forget where I saw but someone said that HK have good receiver and that the output they have for specs they actually put out maybe even exceed them.

I also tried looking at all the recommendations everyone is giving me but I feel like Im just basically looking at watts and prices lol. I dont know much of what Im looking at. Its also hard to buy something used cause I feel theyre just as expensive as buying something new.

colin808

I dont know if I have the 11T or the 11TL. How can I tell which model I have?

gwg_97

I don't know where you live but here is just one example of what you can find out there on CL. This and your Niles would probably make you pretty happy. It is also very expandable.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/ele/3081396007.html

colin808

gwg_97 wrote: »

I don't know where you live but here is just one example of what you can find out there on CL. This and your Niles would probably make you pretty happy. It is also very expandable.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/ele/3081396007.html

Im from Hawaii. I actually picked up the Niles and a Yamaha v795 but when I got the 795 it didnt work. I wasnt able to test but I did pick up the Niles and the 795 for $100. Anyways, do you think I should get a theater receiver or stereo?

I think someone said theater receivers dont really put the power output on all channels and Im assuming thats why everyone has extra amps to power rears and centers. Am I on the right track? If thats the case, should I just go with a stereo? To be honest at this point I think I might just get the Harmon Kardon 3390. Its high current 80 x 2 for $250. Or maybe the 1650 if I want theater 95 x 5 for $350-400.

Or Onkyo TX-SR703 for $400. Its 100 watts x7. High current low impedance design.

Am I on the right track or completely off track?

colin808

DSkip wrote: »

Are you going to be adding more speakers to your system?

I thought it would be good to get a theater receiver just in case I do decide later on to get more speakers but if they dont put out what they are rated then I dont know. If I have to buy more amps to power them I might as well go with a stereo receiver. As of right now I only have the Polk 11t or tl not sure. To be honest, I was going to also make a box for some car speakers that I have a put in my room as well..thats why I picked up the Niles since it was rated at 4 ohms. From what I hear thats not the best thing to do.

colin808

Any thoughts on using a Yamaha v467? Its 105 watts per channel with preouts for front and rear I think.

skrol

colin808 wrote: »

I dont know if I have the 11T or the 11TL. How can I tell which model I have?

Post pics with grills off. You can't always tell by the tag on the back. Some transitional models may not match the tag. We can tell though.

I have the RTA11TL and find them fairly easy to drive with my old Denon DRA-835R which is rated 100 watts into 8 ohms and is 4 ohm stable. The listening area is fairly large (about 15x32). I get a nice full sound even at low listening levels.
Stan

colin808

I just found these receivers for sale. its the Denon AVR 2307CI and a Onkyo TX ds676. Theres also a Sony STR De895. Anyone know if I should pick up either of them?

skrol

I am not really familiar with the Denon AVR 2307CI but I will say that my Denon AVR-888 (basically same as AVR 2308) doesn't hold a candle to my Denon DRA-835R for 2-ch with the RTA-11TL's. The 888 drives them ok but the sound seemed confined and lacking life. The DRA-835R seems more dynamic with a wider sound stage.
Stan

colin808

Should I try to get a Pioneer Elite VSX 56TXI for $200 used? Im hoping to talk this down a little lower but is that a good deal?

skrol

I assume that you want to do a home theater setup given the receivers that you have mentioned. I think, unless you send big bucks for an AV receiver, there will be some sacrifice in sound quality and that is OK. Even the Denon you mentioned above is not a bad AVR. It just has some compromise as it is a do-all component (7.1 channel amp, processor, pre-amp, etc.) vs something what is designed to do a specific task very well (2ch). This is why people go for separates.

As others have suggested, just make sure that whatever AV receiver you get has pre-amp outputs for future expandability if you want to go there. I don't believe that the Denon AVR-2307 has pre-outs.
Stan

colin808

skrol wrote: »

I assume that you want to do a home theater setup given the receivers that you have mentioned. I think, unless you send big bucks for an AV receiver, there will be some sacrifice in sound quality and that is OK. Even the Denon you mentioned above is not a bad AVR. It just has some compromise as it is a do-all component (7.1 channel amp, processor, pre-amp, etc.) vs something what is designed to do a specific task very well (2ch). This is why people go for separates.

As others have suggested, just make sure that whatever AV receiver you get has pre-amp outputs for future expandability if you want to go there. I don't believe that the Denon AVR-2307 has pre-outs.
Stan

Im seeing new offers every few days. There is a Pioneer Elite VSX56TXi for $200 and a Rotel RSX1057. I would like to actually pick up the Pioneer since its closer to my price range but Im a little skeptical buying things off craigslist since the last receiver I bought didnt work. The Rotel is from a shop but $400 for me is a little to high for me for something used even though it seems like a good receiver. Trying to buy a receiver gives me a headache.

gwg_97

colin808 wrote: »

Im seeing new offers every few days. There is a Pioneer Elite VSX56TXi for $200 and a Rotel RSX1057. I would like to actually pick up the Pioneer since its closer to my price range but Im a little skeptical buying things off craigslist since the last receiver I bought didnt work. The Rotel is from a shop but $400 for me is a little to high for me for something used even though it seems like a good receiver. Trying to buy a receiver gives me a headache.

Holy cow! That Pioneer receiver was $1,700.00 when it first came out. It also has pre-outs! I say go for it. It looks like a very nice AVR (except no HDMI, but what do you expect for $200). Also, bluerays may be an issue (others would know more about this than me). Ask lots of questions and test it before you take it home. If you have to, bring your own speakers and ipod, CD palyer, etc. Good luck!