What speakers are these?

maingey
maingey Posts: 631
in Vintage Speakers
Hi all, quick question. Would anyone be able to take a look at the included pictures and be able to tell me what Polk speakers these are and about how much they would pay for a pair working/non working?

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Comments

  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    RTA 12-B
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  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    I paid 250 for mine, working and with all 4 grills intact. Location and condition play a lot in the pricing.

    In good working order, these are fantastic sounding. Mods improve their already great sound.
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    Not RTA 12B if that is the oem tweeter. The 12b came with Peerless tweeters. I'm not 100% sure but I think the 12C had that tweeter oem. Look on the crossover board. Should say 12b or 12c.

    I love these speakers. They are the ones I will keep till I die.

    sg13gyc16vh7.jpg
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    If they work as they should and they are the rta12b I think I'd pay up to about $300 for the pair. Maybe a hair less for the 12b. There was also a 12 A, I guess it would be an A or just RTA12
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,440
    Was there ever an sl1000 tweeter in those?
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,151
    edited November 2018
    There was a set of those here in Wilm. NC. for 250.00 or 200.00 years ago and they were in great cond. too. I would've bought them if I had the money.

    I've heard and read good things about them over the years from this forum's members.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,440
    The high hats seem to be the most vulnerable casualty of them.
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  • delkal
    delkal Posts: 764
    edited November 2018
    That is one ugly speaker...............But the ledge to hold your beer could be handy.
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Was there ever an sl1000 tweeter in those?


    Actually I see the original 12c had that silver faced tweeter. I see a lot of pics with the 12c with SL1000 and the silver faced tweeter. The only thing I know for sure is that the 12b came with peerless with the pin hole in the middle of the dome.

    Either way, looking at thier condition on the OPs pictures I would not pay more that $220. Or so. That passive radiator looks almost like there may have been a water issue????

    Also, do they have the hats that cover up the tops?
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  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    I have 12b with the SL2K tweet from the original owner. 12s came with the peerless and those were rotated vertically with no shelf below.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,440
    edited November 2018
    CH46E wrote: »

    Also, do they have the hats that cover up the tops?

    Are you asking if the seller has the high hats?
    Post edited by pitdogg2 on
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    CH46E wrote: »

    Also, do they have the hats that cover up the tops?

    Are you asking if the seller has the high hats?

    Yes, wondering if he has them with the speakers. Makes for a better deal.
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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    CH46E wrote: »
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    CH46E wrote: »

    Also, do they have the hats that cover up the tops?

    Are you asking if the seller has the high hats?

    Yes, wondering if he has them with the speakers. Makes for a better deal.


    Yes, he got back to me with these below....

    g898d7oeax46.jpg

    75momtp5nvkr.jpg

    5ds1m8qjasq3.jpg


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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    I'm a little freaked out by what looks like fur on the top, but I'm assuming the top (high hat) can be recovered?
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,151
    :#
    A little rough I'd say.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    Also, before I forget, thank you to everyone that is writing in right now. I tend to like B&W speakers, and I have a pair of RT55 just sitting in the other room, but you guys keep talking about a lot of the legacy speakers and it has always made me wonder about them...
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  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    150 or less and you're doing ok, more than that plus the added work to bring them back, and I'm not sure it'd be worth it. IMHO
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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    The seller just told me that they haven't been played in a few years and he has no amp to play them, but if I were unhappy in any way he would refund me the $$
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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    FestYboy wrote: »
    150 or less and you're doing ok, more than that plus the added work to bring them back, and I'm not sure it'd be worth it. IMHO

    Is it just 'speaker' fabric pulled over the topper box?
    I'll look around the forums about mods....
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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    Sandy Gross, one of the co-founders of Polk, has stated the RTA-12s were the finest Audiophile Grade Stereo Speakers Polk ever produced during that era. Considering all the other models Polk made back in the day, that says a lot.
    The crossovers can be rebuilt, top-hats recovered, and the speakers themselves cleaned. Do a search, there are many RTA-12 projects, including re-veneering the cabinets. I did a pair for a customer, a few years ago. I was blown away by the sound quality.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,440
    edited November 2018
    Looks like pet hair vacuum them.
    I'm closer examination it looks like a cat used them for a scratching post
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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    la2vegas wrote: »
    I bought these 12C's about 4 months ago fo 50 bucks. u5up9z8k3dv6.jpg

    wow those look immaculate! I'm driving up to see them tonight so we'll see. I'm generally not big on anything that has been in a cat environment but...
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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    westmassguy wrote: »
    Sandy Gross, one of the co-founders of Polk, has stated the RTA-12s were the finest Audiophile Grade Stereo Speakers Polk ever produced during that era. Considering all the other models Polk made back in the day, that says a lot.
    The crossovers can be rebuilt, top-hats recovered, and the speakers themselves cleaned. Do a search, there are many RTA-12 projects, including re-veneering the cabinets. I did a pair for a customer, a few years ago. I was blown away by the sound quality.
    I've got a tonne of projects ahead of this... I'm hoping they just run to start with but now I've got to see what is available for these.
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  • JayMX
    JayMX Posts: 446
    I love my 12C's with RD0-194’s. Found them in a shed in rural Idaho for $195. Never regretted the purchase. Get them, clean them up, enjoy them. Fantastic! Good luck!
    4wpqylk44cz0.jpeg

    Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
    Pairs that have passed through: Monitor 4b (Peerless), Monitor 5a (Peerless), Monitor 5b (SL1000), Monitor 5b (SL2000) (4x pair), Monitor 7b (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7c’s (194’s), Monitor 10a (Peerless), Monitor 10b (5x pair), RTA8, RTA8TL, RTA 11T, RTA12c (194's), SDA CRS, SDA 2 (2x pair), SDA 2a, SDA 2b, SDA 1b, SDA 1c, SDA SRS 2 (2x pair), SDA SRS 3.1TL (198’s) (2x pair)...and more to come, it’s a sickness.
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  • JayMX
    JayMX Posts: 446
    Also, I have had really good luck cleaning up snagged grille cloth using my wife's fabric “fuzz remover” machine. Looks like those top hats need mowed...
    nbxe6u6t0t43.jpeg

    https://www.amazon.com/Conair-Fabric-Defuzzer-Battery-Operated/dp/B008I25368/ref=asc_df_B015RN9JME/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=176923074875&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1800602171644180195&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029756&hvtargid=pla-362865359487&th=1
    Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
    Pairs that have passed through: Monitor 4b (Peerless), Monitor 5a (Peerless), Monitor 5b (SL1000), Monitor 5b (SL2000) (4x pair), Monitor 7b (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7c’s (194’s), Monitor 10a (Peerless), Monitor 10b (5x pair), RTA8, RTA8TL, RTA 11T, RTA12c (194's), SDA CRS, SDA 2 (2x pair), SDA 2a, SDA 2b, SDA 1b, SDA 1c, SDA SRS 2 (2x pair), SDA SRS 3.1TL (198’s) (2x pair)...and more to come, it’s a sickness.
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  • maingey
    maingey Posts: 631
    edited November 2018
    Thanks for advice, guys. @FestYboy you win the prize, they are in fact 12-B! Thanks I just got home and picked them up. He was a very reasonable person and very nice. I generally just pick things up and go (bit anxious) but him and I spoke for a little bit. He said they were fuzzy because his cat used to sit on them. There is a ton of cat hair inside one of the tops. Also the crossovers are very dusty/dirty? The drivers move relatively easily and seem to be in really good shape. The large driver that looked as if damaged is actually just dust. @CH46E thanks for that picture showing the crossovers, I was able to identify them because of it. How would one clean off the crossovers - with pressurized air? Can I use an old dry toothbrush? Also, does the glue for the laminate bleed through? When I picked them up both had a weird film/stickiness to them. He claimed he wiped them down, but they could definitely use a cleaning. @JayMX thanks for the suggestion on the lint trimmer. That fabric his heavy duty stuff! Is it actually still sold?
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    edited November 2018
    Try to find a pair of the oem tweeters. I used the same tweeters that are in yours until I got some oem Peerless 5514 tweeters. The peerless are much smoother and sound a lot better.
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  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    edited November 2018
    Here is what they should look like. I'm pretty sure there is another that will work and I think it's a 7514. The only difference between the 5514 and 7514 was where they were made. IIRC the 5514 was US made and the 7414 was made in Denmark. Some please correct me if I'm wrong on the model number.

    ed7acol810f0.jpg
    zjn4jw2vmrtx.jpg
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  • JayMX
    JayMX Posts: 446
    @CH46E, I would bet his were original with the SL2000's. The versions that had Peerless (that I’ve seen) (RTA12A's?) had them mounted vertically and they didn’t have the black MDF mounting “bracket” or the metal HF deflector below the tweeter. The bracket is the same as on my C's and is built to fit the SL2000. I believe the Peerless are physically a little smaller. The RD0-194's should drop in.
    Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
    Pairs that have passed through: Monitor 4b (Peerless), Monitor 5a (Peerless), Monitor 5b (SL1000), Monitor 5b (SL2000) (4x pair), Monitor 7b (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7c’s (194’s), Monitor 10a (Peerless), Monitor 10b (5x pair), RTA8, RTA8TL, RTA 11T, RTA12c (194's), SDA CRS, SDA 2 (2x pair), SDA 2a, SDA 2b, SDA 1b, SDA 1c, SDA SRS 2 (2x pair), SDA SRS 3.1TL (198’s) (2x pair)...and more to come, it’s a sickness.
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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    No Peerless!. Get the RD-0194-1 tweeters. The vinyl is sticky due to years of wax (Pledge) buildup. Clean the cabinets with Purple Power (Auto parts store), or Fantastic/409. You may have to do it several times. Use real Windex and micro-fiber cloth on the Passive Radiators and Woofers. Use a small china bristle brush and compressed or canned air to clean the dust off the crossovers.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
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