RT16 center channel, other questions to.

quicksilvergts

Good Evening Fellow Polkies,
Recently I have acquired a pair of "mint" absolutely flawless RT16. Even came with
The receipt and a bunch of SRT,Ls, brochures( will post pics). Kept inside all their life.
The husband passed away, and wife just wanted it gone. I picked up the receiver that powered them(no amp though)
A Onkyo TX-866 purchased in 91' also. She said the neighbors did not like listening to his music and caused friction and he was a non confrontational person.
So the whole Onkyo/Polk setup sat for the remainder of its life (until Friday). I paid $45 for everything.

So I went home hooked them up to my Pioneer 823 AVR. Did a side by side comparison with my Monitor 70 SII.
Needless to say, the monitors are in my computer room now and RT16 in living room. The were absolutely stunning listening to them
I was in AWE on how clear and deep they go. For a pair of 23 yr old speakers JUST simply amazing. My buddy came over and thought I had my sub on lol. I can only imaging with a clean 200watts would do for them.

Here are my inquiries, any advice would be GREAT
I do realize the 7.5 drivers are extremely hard to come by if one does get damaged. I will be calling Polk for possible solutions if they ever do go.
Should I get a CS350 for center and make a gamble on using it daily?
What would be a decent amp to power these? Power, brand etc..?
I will be getting a Pioneer 1523 or 1223 very soon as my loyalty is with Pioneer. That way I will have preouts for these.or whatever I get now and later
Could I use a Csia6 for center? Polk's FAQ has it listed as a match for RT16 vintage speakers. That way if/when the RT16 driver gets damaged I could just go up to the RTIa line.
Or just resell them (lol) and get the new RTia line?
Any thoughts, advice, recommendations is greatly appreciated.
My current setup consists of
AVR-Pioneer823
Center -Cs2
Mains-monitor70 SSII
Rears-FXi3
Sun-Times PSW505 x2

Sincerely,
Richard

drselect

Were are you located because they are not worth the trouble and I am willing to come take them off your hands. That way I will have spare drivers when/if mine ever go out.
Actually very nice score. Enjoy them.'
Yes you should try to find a CS350 to match with them and yes I think it would be worth the gamble to use daily if you can find out one for a reasonable price. I am currently running the RT16's with a CS350 as a center using a Pioneer SC-27 to power them.

HTguru1982

There are some drivers on Ebay right now. This is stock: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Polk-Audio-RT-16-LF-Woofer-MW8103-Hard-To-Find-Drivers-/121342738154?pt=US_Speaker_Parts_Components&hash=item1c40973eea

From what I understand, this is a new driver made to exact specs(or very close) to Polk's original: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Polk-Audio-MW8100-MW8103-LS70-8-Copy-Woofer-8-ohm-Speaker-part-MW-8000-8-/151221891474?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item233586f192

"These are new current production stock. The unique size 8" Polk woofers have been discontinued, so we had these custom made for us designed from the Polk Audio woofers. The parameters were closely copied to ensure similar output level and sound. In comparison to the original, it is very close. Overall, it is a great reproduction for many of the Polk Audio 8" woofers."

The CS350 is the way to go for the center. Some RT/FX or LS/FX would work great as surrounds. Or if you have the space, some RT7's. I would stick with the smaller speakers in this case just so you don't risk having a lot of those 7.5" drivers go bad - 6 of them can be very costly.

I used to have the RT16's, CS350, and RT7's. I ran them with an Adcom GFA-6000 5 channel amp(100 watts x 3, 60 watts x 2) and it sounded great. If it hadn't been for those pesky drivers, I would still have them.

quicksilvergts

Thanks for your input lol.
Well I have some great news for anybody that is in need of the 7.5" mw8103 driver.
I called Polk about an hour ago. He said to use the company off of eBay, Midwestern speaker repair.
Them and Polk have been doing business for years and Polk worked with them to reproduce those drivers.
Exactly words " I would only use them, they are legit". The same ones you posted.
Pretty excited now for this setup.
So I made a offer on a cs350 hopefully he accepts.

HTguru- I was actually looking at that very amp lol

Only problem now is the preouts are limited to front only with the Pioneer 1223/1523 AVR.
Now I continue my search for a AVR on accessories4less lol.
Any recommendations?

Cheers,,
Richard

rooftop59

A CS400 or 400i would also be a fine match for those speaks. The exact match would actually be a cs300, but I would get either the 350 or 400, both are better centers and are close enough for jazz...

quicksilvergts

thanks all!
Well I purchased a Pioneer 1222 and a CS350. Both will be here today.
I actually looked at the 1996 Polk product catalog that came with the RT's lol
The cs350 is exact match fo RT16/RT20.

HTguru or anybody that can help.
According to sound and vision test The sc61/1222 will hold power very well a cross 5/7 channels very well.
109.0 5channels driven at 0.01%THD 8ohm.
Would that adcom gfa6000 or any amp(most likely I know please indulge) at 100 watts be better than the 1222?
should I just save my coin and get one at least 200+ watts?
The 1222 should be a big upgrade from my 823 excluding the network/4k features.
Thanks again.
You guys/girls rock.

rooftop59

First, I think that you will be very happy with your purchase, and I would definitely just listen for awhile before you make another purchase. Second, yes that Adcom would sound better, its not just about watts but current and every amp sound different. The bass from that adcom will be ballsier, and you will hear more details. BUT you will hear a bigger improvement with something rated at 150-200 wpc, so I would save my coin for a GFA-555 or something along those lines.

Congrats and enjoy!

quicksilvergts

Awesome!
I can't wait till I get home and kick the family out for a few hours
To get acquainted with it lol.
Thanks rooftop, made me feel even better lol.
Is there a spec I can keep a keen eye on for the "current"? I have read and keep reading
About different amps and the watts, characteristics so what current. But mostly search on here since the people who would know best about amp/Polk combos would be here. But I always get confused when trying to figure out
The "current"
I think adcom, parasound,maybe emotiva(might be to bright according to reviews),
B&K will be the ones I will be pursuing hopefully catch one by end of the year if I get the itch. But I have a feeling the 1222 will keep me rash free for awhile lol
Things always change in time though.
Cheers!