Can a RTA 11t be converted to a center speaker ?

Jose_L
Jose_L Posts: 52
edited February 2011 in Vintage Speakers
Hi everyone,

I probably will end up keeping my SDA setup. Had them for 17yrs., and they still sound great.

So I'd probably change the tweeters, that would change them a bit..

Now I'm thinking, I still want a large center to go down to about 50-40hz... AND match the upgraded SDA's.

So do you think a RTA 11t would be a good canidate to be converted to a center ?

I'd use the crossover and build a new cabinet the same size. etc. also I'd change the arraingement.

8"woof, 6.5", tweet, 6.5", 8" woffer

I could get a matching tweeter & mid-drivers & maybe find a pair of sheilded 8" woofers..

What do you all think ?

Regards,
Jose
Original SDA owner 1988 - 2006
Tyler Linbrook owner 2006
Post edited by Jose_L on

Comments

  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited December 2005
    ahhh... sounds familiar? I have no first hand knowledge but perhaps do a search or something.

    1/4twin
    ***WAREMTAE***
  • Jose_L
    Jose_L Posts: 52
    edited December 2005
    Or can I use 2 - center speakers ?

    My processor (AVM20v2) has 2 center channel outputs.

    I thought I read somewhere that having 2 seperate centers was bad.. You'd get some combing effect...

    Regards,
    Jose
    Original SDA owner 1988 - 2006
    Tyler Linbrook owner 2006
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited December 2005
    By your post I'm assuming you want the speaker to be horizontal. If not then why not just leave the speaker as is and use it. Unless you are extremely knowledgeable about speaker building characteristics altering an existing speaker is rarely successful.

    Timbre wise the 11t will be a great match for your SDA HT set-up, but I'd think long and hard before seriously altering that speaker. It's a TRUE D'appolito array (MTM) and it's designed to limit high-frequency dispersion on the horizontal axis. I'm not sure what results you will get turning it on it's side. Try it and report back :) .

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited December 2005
    Built this for a friend who has SDA1C's. Order two of the replacement 6.5" mid/woofs and the RD0194 tweeter from Polk. Wait for a Monitor 10 crossover unit to come up for sale on eBay. I built an exact copy of the tweeter & mid/woof array of the Monitor 10, and then experimented with total enclosure volume. About 1/2 of the total enclosure volume of the Monitor 10 seemed to work great. This wasn't a very scientific project, and someone with the right speaker enclosure design software might be able to tweak it to be even better.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
  • ESavinon
    ESavinon Posts: 3,066
    edited December 2005
    Perhaps what i have in mind might be useful to you.
    I'm using the drivers from a pair of monitor 5jr+ (1 tweeter,2 mid woofers and both passive radiators along with 1 crossover from a monitor 10c) to make a center speaker for my sda 1c setup.

    I'm going to have a custom enclosure built for these drivers.
    The enclosure will look like two 5jrs+ laying on their side minus 1 tweeter.
    If all goes well this should work nicely.
    SRT For Life; SDA Forever!

    The SRT SEISMIC System:
    Four main satellite speakers, six powered subs, two dedicated for LFE channel, two center speakers for over/under screen placement and three Control Centers. Amaze your friends, terrorize your neighbors, seize the audio bragging rights for your state. Go ahead, buy it; you only go around once.
  • Jose_L
    Jose_L Posts: 52
    edited December 2005
    That's exactly what I have in mind.

    I just want a larger center to match the SDA's..

    I'll see when an 11t comes up for sale.

    I'd pretty much copy the enclosure (11t) but just change the tweeter & woofers..

    Maybe my cabinet friend could add some end caps to look just like a SDA ... :)

    BTW Is a RPTV affected by un-shielded speakers ?

    Regards,
    Jose
    Original SDA owner 1988 - 2006
    Tyler Linbrook owner 2006
  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited February 2011
    Did anyone end up trying the 11t as a center? I had the same thoughts recently to match my 2.3 mains in a home theater setup...
  • audio_alan
    audio_alan Posts: 770
    edited February 2011
    audio_alan wrote: »
    Did anyone end up trying the 11t as a center? I had the same thoughts recently to match my 2.3 mains in a home theater setup...

    Ok, after doing some more reading, it sounds like the MTM placement of drivers would cause frequency cancellation and other nasty problems. However, the funny thing is, it appears that most low to mid priced center speakers have the exact same problem as a tower laid on it's side.... and we pay for those problems! :tongue:

    That makes me question as to whether it would still be a relative upgrade from a non-"tweeter matching" center (with MTM driver placement problems) to a tower laid on it's side, also having MTM problems, but with a tweeter that matches the mains. Hmmm....

    Or, what about a Monitor 5B laid on it's side to match the 2.3's? Same tweeter, but only one mid (which would avoid the mid cancellations). There is the wild card of the passive radiator, but I assume it has a somewhat different relationship to the mid because of how the pressurizing of the cabinet works?
  • kefranklin
    kefranklin Posts: 141
    edited February 2011
    I have used a 5jr for a center with mon 10 fronts and the result wasn't bad. I actually liked using both of them on their side more than just the one, but at that time i liked loud over good. I don't know, the mids problem I guess would not affect the monitors as bad as sda speakers. Or maybe it would. I don't know. I wanna play some vinyl.