RTA 15TL Maintenance

AlanH212

I have had a pair of RTA 15Ls since about '91 and am still extremely satisfied with them. I'd like to keep them in pristine operating condition.

I recently listened carefully to each driver and tweeter and they sound fine. I have a couple of questions, though:

The middle "dome" thing in each driver has a whitish ring near the edge; what is this, should I be concerned, can/should it be cleaned, etc.?

Is there a way to tell if each driver and tweeter (and crossover for that matter) is still operating "like new"? Are there aural and/or electrical tests I can perform?

Also, I see in some forum posts that the replacement for the SL3000 is RD0198-1 (silk instead of trilaminate) and is preferred by a lot of posters. Would this be a worthwhile upgrade? I do find the high end a bit harsh sometimes.

Thanks in advance ... Alan

F1nut

The white residue is nothing to worry about, but if you want it gone, some have reported success removing it with Windex.

The silk domes are worth every penny. The crossover components that Polk used were not the best and have some age on them by this time, so IMO upgrading them would be the way to go. You can get a schematic from Polk.

AlanH212

Thanks, F1Nut.

I'll probably go with the updated tweeters. For the crossover, is the BE1400-B listed in "Service and Parts" an updated model or the original? Are there other (better?) replacements? (It's been a long time since I've built anything like that from a schematic!)

Alan

F1nut

Alan,

No, you can't buy the crossover any longer, but it's easy to upgrade your current ones. Change the caps, resistor(s), silver mica cap (if it has one) and get new polyswitches from Polk. A decent and inexpensive cap is Solen. If you want to go higher in price and quality check out Sonicaps. Mills wire wound resistors are the prefered ones.

Solen and Mills, http://www.partsconnexion.com/partscomponents.php
Another Solen source,
http://www.madisound.com/chateauroux.html
Sonicaps and Mills, http://www.soniccraft.com/parts.htm
Silver mica cpas, http://www.justradios.com/mica.html

All parts will be much larger, so dry fit first to figure out the best way to mount everything. Do a search here to see examples of upgraded crossovers and if you need help, have questions, just ask.

Jesse

AlanH212

Hi, Jesse.

I checked out a bunch of crossover upgrade posts; looks like a lot of fun. Several problems though: I don't have a lot of time; I have a lot to learn; I don't know what I'd do with .98 pounds of expensive solder; when I get into something, I tend to go at it obsessively full-bore and don't know when to stop (I'm sure I'd get those expensive binding posts ... and hey, I'm still using 20-year-old heavy-gauge Monster Cable ... and all I've got is a NAD receiver, darn, I really ought to upgrade, and .. etc. etc.). I haven't used a soldering iron since the Heathkit days. Apart from just trying to take everything apart and replacing parts and putting it all back together again I'm afraid I'd get heavily into electronics; I had a General Class Amateur license at 12 but I've led three lives at least since then and I'm happy with my current time-consuming insanities!

I'll get the new tweeters ... I presume I just unscrew them from the front and pull off the wires and reattach them (any soldering or do they screw on?) ... and I'm sure I'll leave the whitish deposits on my midrange drivers. Even though you've whetted my appetite (thanks?) I think I have to pass on the science project for now.

Do let me know, however, if anybody does this stuff for a living or on the side on-site (I live in NYC), and if there is a better forum room for me to post such an inquiry.

Many thanks ... Alan

VR3

Cleaning the dust caps on the midbasses are easy dude...

Just take a Q-Tip and windex, spray the Q-Tip, then lightly* rub the residue away. Ez Pz Lemon Sque-Z

As for the tweeter replacement...

Its a switch em and plug em in.

AlanH212

Definitive Thanks, Sid ... I'll give it a go.

Alan

F1nut

I'd consider doing your crossovers in a couple of months from now. I've got way too much going on right now.

AlanH212

Hi, Jesse. Many thanks for the offer; I would really appreciate your finding time to do it whenever. I'm in no rush. PM comin' your way ... Alan

F1nut

PM received, email sent.

AlanH212

Hi, all.

I just got my RD0198-1 tweeters and what a noticeable improvement! I always thought the highs were great, if a bit edgy; they're smoother without losing definition or clarity and are much more musical now.

Many thanks to the Club for turning me on to the upgrade and for all your advice. My midrange drivers now look as clean as they sound. I look forward to upgrading the crossovers and gilding these lilies even more!


Alan

bronxer

I recently purchased the RTA15TL's and find them to be amazing -- but with the Yamaha RX V1. My older receiver (Technics) didn't have any of the clarity, power or punch that the RX V1 produced.

I listen to SACD's - Spyro Gyra, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan. On the Spyro Gyra, you can hear EVERYTHING!! Pristine sound thanks to the RX V!.
Did you know that xylophones make 2 sounds? The tone from the bar and the actual hitting of the bar. Chimes and cymbals go right out of hearing. Bass is clean, crisp and strong -- hits you in the chest. Pianos are in the room.

My suggestion -- Buy the following:
Yamaha RX V1
Pioneer Elite DV 45A SACD/DVD Audio player
Yamaha EQ 550 equalizer or equivalent (with pink noise generator)

I know they sound awesome because I own them as well.

AlanH212

Thanks for the suggestions.

I know from long and hard (and sometimes expensive) experience that there will always be something that can be done to improve your listening experience, right up until and probably past the time you've mortgaged your house to pay for the upgrades! There comes a point where you have to stop and resign yourself to just plain old great sound. I did find the silk-dome tweeter upgrade to be fabulous at very little cost and I highly recommend them to you. Beyond that, I expect I'll be very happy when I get my crossovers rebuilt (thanks for reminding me), but I think I'll stop there.

When my Nakamichi finally gave out, I listened to the Yamaha line but decided on a NAD, which is doing a terrific job. I tend away from EQ unless really necessary (and the tone controls on the NAD are pretty decent when punched in, plus I can run it through my mixer if I need a parametric on the mid-range), but my CD player is aging (and much of the music I listen to hasn't gone to SACDs yet), so I'll check out the Pioneer when I get a moment. I do know the various components of various instrumental sounds as I used to be a classical musician, currently play around with keyboard and soft synths and samplers, and have done a fair amount of recording (classical and jazz) since the days of tape right through today's 192/24. When I'm doing gear evaluation and placement I use a few reference tracks containing just such telling details.

Alan

thehaens@cox.net

Alan

I have the schematic of the 15TL's if you are, (or anyone else for that matter), interested just PM me your email address and I'll send it to you..

Scott

hqdb

Alan - did you get the xovers re-done? If so, by who and how are they? I think Im having a problem with one of my 15Tl crossovers - it sounds real poor and hollow.