RTA 12 Enthusiasts?

stubby

Anybody out there with a pair of RTA 12's? Tomorrow I'm going to go look at a pair to buy. Guy says he's the original owner. He couldn't tell me which tweeter it has so I don't know if they're B or C model. Supposed to be excellent condition and for $250 I figured what the hell. Have always wanted a pair of these unique speakers and was curious if anyone could or would recommend them. I'll probably buy 'em regardless! Thanks in advance.

Stubby

nascarmann

Well the 12C's sold for $479.95 each, so how could you go wrong in excellent condition for 250 bucks?

wangotango68

i owned the rta 15tl's and i think they lacked low end. and i even had a carver m4.0t running them.


scott:cool:

tjweeks

I still have my RTA 12 c's that I bought many years ago and they still sound great. Let us know how you like yours.

stubby

Under less than ideal conditions, I hooked up the 12C's to my bridged M1.0t's. I listened to some familiar CD's and I have to say they sound great for a pair of 17 year old speakers. They were diggin' all that clean power the Carver's were dishing out. Now, they couldn't keep up with my SRS 1.2's but they did hold their own considering their modest (!) proportions. They didn't have much in the way of far left or right stage extention like the SDA's, but depth was very good. Unfortunately, they will now have to go to the attic until our current space problem is addressed. We need a new (bigger) house.
Overall, money well spent. Can't wait to get them in a decent setup.

Stubby

goldtop6125

i'm new to this site/board. i bought the polk rta 12's in 1980 and haven't used them in about 15 years. they're still in my mom's basement collecting dust. when i was using them, i can't remember what was powering them, they sounded awesome. they are still in great shape, although the cloth housing brackets that covered the tweeter is not in the best of shape, but repairable. my question or curiosity is, are these speakers still that revered after all these years?! when i bought them, i paid almost $900 for the pair, at a shop in Buffalo NY called "the stereo emporium".

ohskigod

I wouldnt say revered, but they do have some fans. they should fetch about 200 or so on the bay or audiogon. maybe more if there in real good shape. I sold a pair real cheap to a friend of mine, I personally loved em. mine was the B with the Peerless tweeter.

dorokusai

I agree, it's not exactly revered, it's just not owned very much...as in underrated.

The RTA12 is a great speaker, but if it isn't utilizing an SL2000 tweeter, I'd pass unless it was cheap. I like the Peerless tweeter(RTA12/12A) but it's dated and hard to replace unless you carry spares. The SL1000(RTA12A/B/C) is useless and not easily replaced except with a Peerless. The SL2000, typically in an RTA12C, is easily replaceable with an RD0194 and is the pick of the litter.

wantRTA12's

Hello, I'm brand new here so have no clue how to do this...anyone know how I might get a pair of good/excellent RTA 12's?

Thanks!

dorokusai

wantRTA12's wrote:

Hello, I'm brand new here so have no clue how to do this...anyone know how I might get a pair of good/excellent RTA 12's?

Thanks!

Welcome to Club Polk.

What's your location?

www.ebay.com, would be my first suggestion.

ohskigod

ebay is about your only bet, I havent seen a pair for sale in a while. Never seen on audiogon, at least I havent.

Tour2ma

Somebody clearly knows how to search a forum...

Welcome... and good luck in your search.

wantRTA12's

Just got an absolutely pristine, mint condition RTA 12C's. I can't even see any signs of use or wear anywhere. Working on optimal placement - how far out from the wall, toe in etc. Any suggestions?

ohskigod

there is no rules etched in stone for placement. go with the standard 3 ft from back and side wall at minimum. if you cant for room constraints, then I wouldnt lose sleep.

if they got the sl2000 tweets (post pics if your unsure) you might want to consider swapping the tweet out for Polk's silk dome replacement, I find the SL2000 too sharp and bright. Dont have to change it right away if you like what you hear, but if you find them a little fatiguing down the road, keep that option in mind.

Fireman32

I got my pair from ohskigod at a really great price. Thanks Bud. -:) and i really love them. Hope your able to get them and you will enjoy

Tour2ma

Mine work fine about 4" from the back wall. No ports to consider so they can be that close with good results.

Side wall-wise... few direct radiators like corners, so general rule would be to keep the 12's out of them. How far from them? Depends on your room...

As for toe-in... I use zero.

Enjoy playing with their set up and listening to them...

MacLeod

OK, and now for a derail.

Any old timers know why wangotango got banned? That "Banned: Bad Bad Man" has piqued my interest.

mrbigbluelight

click on "View other posts by Wangotango68".

Read some of the threads, read some of the threads linked in those threads.

Caveat: set aside a couple of hours for interesting reading.

bigaudiopimp68

some people have toooo much time on there hands

TroyD

Hi Scott.

Bye Scott.

TroyD

Scott here is a a liar, cheat and a thief.

Any questions?

BDT

wantRTA12's

Thanks muchly for the advice. I'm enjoying the RTA12C's and yes, perhaps down the road I'll swap tweeters. I've got the sl2000 and like what I'm hearing. Thanks again!

danger boy

wantRTA12's wrote:

Thanks muchly for the advice. I'm enjoying the RTA12C's and yes, perhaps down the road I'll swap tweeters. I've got the sl2000 and like what I'm hearing. Thanks again!

I am just curious why you were looking for RTA12's? i don't have anything against them.. just wondering if you considered any others or specifically wanted a pair of 12's.

enjoy.

ohskigod

I'm still stunned by Scott's sick fascination with this joint. he obviously still reads on a daily basis

BlueMDPicker

wantRTA12's wrote:

Thanks muchly for the advice. I'm enjoying the RTA12C's and yes, perhaps down the road I'll swap tweeters. I've got the sl2000 and like what I'm hearing. Thanks again!

I picked-up, on a whim, a mint pair of 12-C from Doro. He'd already replaced the silver dome tweeters with the silk domes. Other than that, they are stock. To my ears they offer the best balanced presentation of any vintage Polks I own or have heard.

I don't toe them in at all and they're placed approximately 18" off the back and 3' off the side walls in a 16' x 28' room.

Enjoy!

wantRTA12's

I've owned Klipsch Forte's for about 20 years and my dad's had the original RTA 12's. We both wondered which sounded better, so I finally bought a pair, did a side by side and the Polks won. IMO, the Forte's have deeper bass and might portray voices and instruments a bit more clearly, but the trade off is that they can be a little bright, even harsh on the ears at times, have a small listening sweet spot and don't come close to the imaging capabilities of the Polks. The Polks really get the music out of the boxes and into the air. For me, it's a much more enjoyable listening experience. Unlike the Forte's, I can sit almost anywhere and enjoy what I'm hearing through the RTA's. I'm a happy convert!

wantRTA12's

Just purchased a mint condition set of RTA 12C's and have a new NAD C320Bee amp with a conservatively rated 50 wpc. I believe that the RTA12C's require 30-500 wpc, so I'm only feeding them just above the speaker's minimum daily requirement. The speakers sound great, but I'm wondering if I'll REALLY NOTICE an improvement in sound quality if I up the wattage. I'd love to read your comments and advice. Thanks!

BlueMDPicker

I power my 12Cs with a Dynaco ST-70 which is 35 wpc into 8 ohms (nominal - really probably much closer to 25 wpc.) They are very detailed, with a spacious soundstage, and amazing point source imaging. I've never powered them with solid state amplification. But, I have powered them with a very high quality 75 wpc tube amp--and, prefer the lower power amp in my listening space (which has high ceilings sloping to 16', is 18'x40', and opens to large adjoining space.)

The greatest improvement in sound quality with this setup came with the addition of a PSW650 sub run in speaker level configuration. It extracts the last bit of LF detail from the source.

ohskigod

more power could be nice, just remember, quality over quantity.

suffice it to say, my friend's (fireman32) rta12b' are being powerred with 8 watts of tube push pull and they sound surprisingly good. especially in his smaller room.

if you like how it sounds with the NAD, enjoy them for a while, then try something different down the road. its how you learn.

wantRTA12's

Thanks to you both - BlueMDPicker and ohskigod. I apprecaite your adivce. I'm pretty new to this world, so learning from vets like yourselves builds confidence in me. I also appreciate the balanced, non "hey-I-know-everything" approach that you both take. Thanks again.

ohskigod

no prob bud, enjoy those 12's