Polk Audio RTA-8 Speaker Problem

beachbound
beachbound Posts: 10
in Speakers
Hi,
I own a pair of RTA-8 speakers (my first Polks!) and I noticed tonight that one speaker, specifically the tweeter is not as loud and crisp as the other one. It still has sound but it is noticeably lower than the other speaker. It is the original silver dome tweeter. Not sure if it is another problem or just tweeter. I appreciate any suggestions on replacements or upgrades.

Thanks
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Comments

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,461
    Polk should be able to get you a pair of RDO-194's to replace your tweets. They are vastly superior to the originals and drop right in. Let them know you are a member here and they will get you a discount... that is the good news. The bad news is it will be about a month for new stock to show up.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • beachbound
    beachbound Posts: 10
    Thanks nooshinjohn. I checked and I meant to say silver coil domed tweeter. I was pretty bummed tonight when I noticed the problem. Are there any other upgrades to these that you would recommend? I've never really worked on speakers so any help would be appreciated.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,461
    There are some "TL" mods that can be done to the crossovers, but I am not well versed on these speakers. I own a pair I have never even listened to.

    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • Faustin
    Faustin Posts: 1,149
    There are a number of mods that can be done. The 194 tweeters that nooshinjohn suggested and a crossover refresh or upgrade would bring them back to life.
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  • beachbound
    beachbound Posts: 10
    I am new to the upgrade part but have been thinking about for some time. I like vintage equipment, especially speakers, and these polks are keepers. I appreciate the info, I'm excited to do this! Thanks Faustin
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,461
    We are here to help... welcome to CP.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,390
    I would suspect that the electrolytic caps in your crossover are going. Replace them with Sonicap or Clarity Cap. Do the resistors while you are at it.

    To see if it is your tweeter, try swapping with the one in the other speaker to see if the problem follows the tweeter. If it does, it is the tweeter. If not, it is the crossover. However, I would recommend the crossover upgrade regardless.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • beachbound
    beachbound Posts: 10
    Great to be here. Thanks!
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  • beachbound
    beachbound Posts: 10
    Thanks Skrol. I would like to do a total upgrade and make them sing again. I've always liked how they sound but really never compared them to newer Polks. Are there any good videos/tutorials that show these upgrades? Were do you recommend ordering the caps and transitors?
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  • agfrost
    agfrost Posts: 2,430
    edited February 2015
    You can mod them anywhere from mild to wild, your choice.

    Soniccraft has Sonicaps and Mills resistors, which is one of the most commonly-used cap & resistor choices. They have periodic 20% off sales if you can/care to be patient.

    Schematic for your speakers is located here:
    Looks like there are two schematics for the RTA-8t, you should compare to see which matches yours. Edit: Looks like the schematic is the same, only the mid drivers are different. So no difference to your purchasing.

    Welcome to ClubPolk. Lots of nice folks here who can assist your project, however it takes shape.
    Jay
    SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
    Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
    Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0
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  • Faustin
    Faustin Posts: 1,149
    You can also check with club member westmassguy (Dave). He rebuilds speakers and has done work for myself and many other club members.
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    There are some "TL" mods that can be done to the crossovers, but I am not well versed on these speakers. I own a pair I have never even listened to.

    So that's why I never heard back from you. You said you were going to hook them up to give them a turn on your rig. Why haven't you gotten around to doing this? What's the point of getting speakers if you aren't going to listen to them.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,461
    edited February 2015
    cfrizz wrote: »
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    There are some "TL" mods that can be done to the crossovers, but I am not well versed on these speakers. I own a pair I have never even listened to.

    So that's why I never heard back from you. You said you were going to hook them up to give them a turn on your rig. Why haven't you gotten around to doing this? What's the point of getting speakers if you aren't going to listen to them.

    Sorry about that Cathy. The man cave has taken up all my time. I got them to use as side surrounds when my wife shot down the idea of in-walls. She has since changed her mind and the in-walls have been installed, so now I have no need for them. I will be l=cleaning them up and giving them a go soon, so I can confirm they work as they should, then I will be offering them up for sale for the 100 bucks I have in them.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • beachbound
    beachbound Posts: 10
    Thanks agfrost for the link and info on parts. The more I read about these upgrades the more I'm excited to hear the difference once they are complete. By the way, what does one value these polks, or what would be the limit on spending on upgrades? Thanks again for the help!
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    edited February 2015
    Limit on spending for upgrades? Ask some of the people here who have double in upgrades of what the actual speakers are worth. ;) It's up to you, really.

    RTA-8T's? $100-150 range.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • agfrost
    agfrost Posts: 2,430
    If you're going to upgrade them, the value is in listening to them, not in what their $$ value is. You'll never get the money out of them that you put into them, but if your plan is to listen to them, then it's money well spent.

    One 'budget' plan is to buy a somewhat cheaper cap for the 34uF position, which is somewhat less critical. In a pair of RTA11TL's I recapped I put a Dayton 33uF there along with Sonicaps in the tweeter circuit.
    Jay
    SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
    Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
    Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    Good idea to replace the old Mylar caps. I replaced my 8T caps with Bennic caps for high and low. Nice improvement and didnt cost much. The RDO 194 replacement is a must.
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    agfrost wrote: »
    If you're going to upgrade them, the value is in listening to them, not in what their $$ value is. You'll never get the money out of them that you put into them, but if your plan is to listen to them, then it's money well spent.

    Yup, I agree with Aaron... I have RTA 11TL's... I bought them for 150. I have put some more money into Larrys Rings, and will eventually buy RDO-198's (+100) and do the crossovers (+150 IIRC)...

    All in I think I will be in about ~400 or more if I do all the upgrades, and thats before factoring in the 40 bucks in extra passives I've got banked in case mine go bad...

    That said, they sound great with their current tweeters and crossovers so I will wait to find the tweeters from someone here at a good price, and likely do the crossovers absolutely last, if at all...

    No way I could get 400 out of them if I went to sell. I'd likely just get my 150 back if I was lucky.

    But not a issue for me as I dont see these guys going anywhere anytime soon. They are easy to listen to and not "that" big compared to some other stuff I have, so they will just stick around for a long time and provide me enjoyment.

    If you're wavering on if you want to spend the money on the upgrades as you won't get it back, then its not worth it.

    Or put a better way... what "dont" they do you want them to? Or are you just curious as to how much "better" they might be able to sound?
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • beachbound
    beachbound Posts: 10
    edited February 2015
    I love them and think they still look good and modern for their age. I am curious how much better they would sound especially with your recommendations. Compared to the price of one new speaker, upgrading these is a steal and may sound just as good too. Pretty cool to finally be doing this. Thanks for the help!
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    I'm glad to see someone else rocking out to their RTA-8Ts, Mine have been going since 1990. All original parts, being powered by a Sunfire 405wpc amp.

    Every once and a while I think about upgrading, but then listen to a great movie or cd and say forget about it!

    Welcome to Club Polk BB!
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,668
    Put the RDO drop in replacment tweeters in & thank me later :smile: you will notice a big difference right off
    ..
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  • beachbound
    beachbound Posts: 10
    I completely understand cfrizz. When my wife and I first heard these Polks - we could both hear things in the music we never heard before, so they have been our main speakers. We also own ADS and Bose, the Polks still are the best sounding overall.

    Will do boston1450 - looking forward to hearing the difference.

    I'll keep everyone updated on the ordering and progress. Thanks again for warm welcome and all of the advice.




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  • agfrost
    agfrost Posts: 2,430
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    agfrost wrote: »
    If you're going to upgrade them, the value is in listening to them, not in what their $$ value is. You'll never get the money out of them that you put into them, but if your plan is to listen to them, then it's money well spent.

    Yup, I agree with Aaron...

    It's 'Jay' if you're referring to me! :o:pB)
    Jay
    SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
    Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
    Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    Ahhh I did it again lol.... I blame my blonde hair!
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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