Looking for advice on RTA11T's

pkquat

I recently picked up a pair. The have the SL2000's and no deflector. I think I need it, how do I get one, or make it? Is there a thread with good information on them, and recommended mods? I searched , but got a large list of discussions and I didn't find much after 8 pages. I swear there was one, that even included the deflector.

I'm not sure how much I want to put into them either. All the drivers look good, but the cabinets are rough. There are rings and scratches. A light stain or black shoe polish may work. One cabinet got dented / mashed at the top of one corner. About 2in from the corner starts sloping down about 1/8in to the corner. The particle board on the back is all messed up, but intact, and as best I can tell the cabinet is still sealed. I'll take a MW out this weekend or next week and investigate more.

The grilles are good, but a number of balls they snap into are broken off.

I've wanted a pair for a while, but they have been rare in my area. Always high priced and a long drive. These showed up for $150, but it was a parking lot exchange at night so not much exterior inspection. An not a great environment for a listening test other than making sure everything works.

The high end is mushy / slushy, and the imaging is not super. My M5's and 5jr+ are better. Its likely the crossover, or maybe the lack of a deflector. Right now they are right next to my 1C's with a little toe in. The bass is great, but uneven, its like there are two or three peaks and dips. The 1C bass is much smoother. I can't tell yet which goes deeper and has more punch. Both cabinets really seam to vibrate too. Nothing is buzzing or clanking, but you can really feel it.

I'm wondering how much of a rehab I want to put into these, and what has the greatest effect, or things to try. The TL mod is of course ideal. I'm not sure if I want to go full Sonicraft if I do the TL mod. What can I get by with for the cap across the resistor? On a budget, I have some smooth SL2000s in 5jr's that I could swap in. They sound closer to RDO's than my other SL2000's

F1nut

Those didn't come with the deflector. It wouldn't fix your problem anyway.

westmassguy

The RTA-11s have quite a bit of internal bracing. If the cabinets are that beat up, and vibrating, it's possible some of the bracing has broken loose. As for budget constraints, don't skimp on the High-Pass. Both 12uf caps should be the same quality.

codycatalist

I got some RTA11TLs that were in rough shape (missing tweets, frozen mid drivers and holes in the PR surrounds) but mine were free. I replaced the drivers, got new tweets, sealed the inside, power grabbed the drivers and got new grills. Granted I have not done any "mods" to them just got them working again, had them in my 2 channel for maybe a day before they got put on HT duty. I LOVE them in my HT system personally.


Music not so much as I didn't have that SDA experience...I preferred my M5s and a sub to them in music as well.

I don't have a world of experience with them but if you need any advice I am more than willing to offer mine.

codycatalist

http://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-small-speaker-grill-guides-12-pair--260-368

Used these to replace original grill guides. Popped right in.

pkquat

F1nut wrote: »

Those didn't come with the deflector. It wouldn't fix your problem anyway.

I didn't think the early ones did. Was it only added on TL models? I assume its needed or preferred for some reason. I am assume you're saying it needs a crossover refresh.

westmassguy wrote: »

The RTA-11s have quite a bit of internal bracing. If the cabinets are that beat up, and vibrating, it's possible some of the bracing has broken loose. As for budget constraints, don't skimp on the High-Pass. Both 12uf caps should be the same quality.

I'll look for that when I peak inside. That is probably the case.

I'll see what I do for the high pass. I may still keep it budget and maybe use them for HT mains or possibly HT rears and look for a better set. When I think about it I did spend $100 on a pair of 5jr's I plan on refreshing (although their crossover is much cheaper).

Just to be sure the bass is supposed to be pretty even? I have a room node around 50-60Hz, but the RTA's have a peak(s) and a valley in the 80-200 range I would guess and another peak around 35. I haven't dug out my sweep tones yet, so I am not positive. The SDA's are pretty smooth other than the room node.

codycatalist wrote: »

http://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-small-speaker-grill-guides-12-pair--260-368

Used these to replace original grill guides. Popped right in.

THANKS!

Popped right into the original cutout in the grille particle board, or did you have to place the cups into the the grilles?

westmassguy

You might want to consider Clarity Caps, ESAs for the High-Pass, and PX for the Low-Pass. They have a similar sound signature. Sonic Craft doesn't have a lesser grade Sonicap. Compared to my 2As, the bass on the 11tls I rebuilt held their own in my listening room. They Imaged extremely well, and were very smooth from top to bottom. They do have two PRs in each, which are tuned slightly different. Experiment with placement. They're on my bucket list.

codycatalist

pkquat wrote: »

Popped right into the original cutout in the grille particle board, or did you have to place the cups into the the grilles?

The cups didn't fit so I lightly tapped (with a hammer) the guides into the grill itself. They fit in the stock holes on the front baffle without issue.

heiney9

The deflector was used on the RTA-8 and 11TL which has a different tweeter. Not a big deal not to have it. Although I am curious as to why you think you need it?

Upgrade the x-overs, get the RD0 tweeters, seal the cabinets, make sure all the driver work and there are no tears in any of the surrounds (iincluding the passives).

They are a stellar speaker when working properly. If the sound is as you describe, they need some work and my guess, based on the care (or lack thereof) of the exterior these were probably abused.

Sure, it's going to cost you about $200 or so to get them refreshed (including the RD0 tweeters) but it will be worth it. They will never image like an SDA, but the D'apollito array can really make a nice soundstage and the bass is excellent. They can't be placed in a corner, they need to breathe.

The RD0's are a must. The SL2000 is a crappy tweeter and gets worse as it ages.

H9

K_M

^^^ What he said.
We own a pair and they sound very good!
The caps in tweeter are most likely bad. When we replaced ours, even a low cost one, very much so changed the sound of treble to better.

Any pics??

pkquat

I pulled a speaker and checked out the cabinet that was damaged. The inside appears fine. I think an attempt was alreadt made to fix the outside because I can't bend the corner back up and fill it. Pics to follow. The side braces feel solid, and the glue is fine front and back. I am not sure if there is supposed to be glue on the sides, or how or if the brace is glued to the side. I will use something to bond that. Liquid Nails? I am not a fan of Power Grab Express, and I just saw the All Purpose is no longer made.

I found the bass issue. The spider was no longer attached to the cone on one of the uppers. The surround is very off center too so it didn't grab the spider well. I might swap it with one of M5 series 2. I think they are both SW80's. The repair question is in another thread. I'll follow up though.

11tsteve

When I pulled my 11T's out of storage, the high was also mushy, the polyswitch protection were crap. They can be replaced with a jumper, or I used a 0.5 ohm Mills resistor.
Ended up redoing the crossovers with Sonicaft and Mills, replacing the tweeters with the RDO-194, and re-veneering the cabs.
They are rock solid imagers, dig pretty deep with solid bass, and look beautiful.
Not everything has to be done at once, but if you put some time amd money into them, the will reward you.

pkquat

Finally attaching the pics. I think I can cheat it or possibly re-veneer or wrap some day. At least everything is appears sealed well and internally they appear to be fine. The surfaces are still flat and sealed. If I re-build the crossovers well, then if I ever find s nicer pair of RTA 11's I could swap the crossover and use these for rear surrounds. I'm finding good low frequencies from behind can be addicting for HT.