My new RTA 11t's

Akhenaten818

Hi,

Great buy on the Polks. I bought my RTA11t speakers over a year ago about $300. These were my first Polks. I listened to them as original for about six months and tried the new RD0 silk dome tweeters for another six. The new tweeters sounded very nice, but on some acoustic guitar recordings I thought the original tweeter sounded more real. Believe it or not. I also prefer the original tweeters on brass. Could be the listening room acoustics. Maybe it's just me but I also get a better stereo image with the original SL2000 tweets. Try the new tweeters but save those originals just in case. During my search for a long term speaker relationship I had the 11t against the Infinity Kappa 8.1 and the Paradigm 9se mk3. I actually like the Polk 11t the best overall and sold the others.

davidfmartin

Akhenaten818,

I will probably do the tweet upgrade at some point down the road. Like you I want to get really accustomed to the sl3000's before I make the switch to see if it is worth it or not. I am still breaking my ear in to them as they sound different from my DCM CX-7's which the RTA11TL's replaced for now, and my B&W 601's which are part of my 7.1 HT setup using the 601's as FL & FR, an LCR60 for the center, four inwall equivalent 601's for surround, and an MK MX-350 subwoofer. The CX-7's have horn tweeters so they always sound different. So far I have noticed what I would call a fuller sound stage with kind of an "airy" or "wispyness" in the higher ranges. Almost like a concert hall setting on a multichannel receiver, but pleasant, not irritating like that is. The passive bass on these is tight and natural but I'm excited to hear the full bass potential once I have a more powerful amp. I really like the sound so far on acoustical and vocal stuff, my listening tastes swing to the Jazz side but I have thrown everything at them and don't have any complaints yet. I have a Pioneer VSX 47tx out for repair so right now I'm only running these on the Super T-Amp which will impart it's own feel to the sound as well. The jury is still out on what amp I will actually use to drive these once I move them to the basement as part of the gaming/music room, but it will be another multichannel amp for sure.
I may post to the club forum later for opinions on this.

MillerLiteScott

Mr. Davidfmartin. From my experience I can assure you that the RTA 11t(L) are not bass shy.

NeilGabriel

Mike Kozak wrote: »

Hello everyone. Polk sent me 8 Grill Pins for model RTi4, 6 or 8. I asked them to send me pins for my Monitor 7cs. I guess they got confused. Anyway I am giving them away to anyone who wants them, firts themst one to respond to this gets them. Polk is sending me the correct pins, (I hope).

Thanks

no segue?

lakesailor

davidfmartin wrote: »

Hello all!

I just purchased a pair of RTA 11T's last night for 200.00 in perfect condition. I currently have them hooked to a Sonic Impact Super T-Amp and they sound great but I'm now thinking they would make a great starter to a home theater/man cave. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on current or past polk products that would match well with these? I would like to add a center channel and two surrounds.

Thanks!

Hi David,

Congrat’s on your new RTA (Monitor) 11T(L) they are truly amazing speakers and in my humble opinion they are likely one of the most under-rated speakers and best speaker values that there is going. I never realized that there was a forum where I could share my long lasting enjoyment over the pair of 11T’s that I have had for so long thus I am happy to find Club Polk.

I purchased mine new many years from a long since gone dealer. It was at an invitation only after hours sound demonstration by the Polk rep who was showing off the then new SDA series. I was very taken by the SDA’s, however the rep. told me that the 11T utilized the same drivers as the SDA and were by far the best deal in the Polk lineup. I think the list was $ 1500 cdn at the time and I cannot recall exactly what I ended up paying for them. I special ordered mine in Black Ash and have hugely enjoyed them ever since.

Many times over the years I have purchased a fairly formidable set of speakers to replace the 11T’s in my primary 2 channel listening room and have moved the Polk’s into my secondary 2 channel system downstairs. Within weeks I find myself bringing the 11T’s back into my primary system because I miss the sound so much. Keep in mind I am talking abut other speakers that cost as much as 2-3 times more than the Polk’s did new and some have been regarded as “legends” in the industry. I currently cringe at what I will need to spend in order to find a speaker that will outperform the 11T

Getting back to your question at hand with the exception that these are obviously not shielded I think they would make an excellent H/T front end. They need a good quality AVR to work with their 6 ohm impedance rating; however they are fairly efficient at 94db which makes them AVR friendly with decent gear. That said as John in MA rightfully points out they can really sing if they are well fed. I run a good sized component SAE system on mine and am constantly amazed at just how good they sound. MillerLiteScott is indeed correct, the 11t’s are not lacking in low end in any way. In fact it is that nice tight low end combined with great imaging and phenomenal vocal presence that keeps me loving my 11T’s and a part of my primary 2 channel system.

Sorry for rambling on for so long…I have been waiting a very long time to share my love for these speakers with others who get them. In most vintage and hi-end audio enthusiast web sites these speakers never get the respect they deserve; hence why they are such a great deal on the used market. I can guarantee that if these had B&W’s on the grille’s they would have been “legends” selling at 5x the used price that they do now. I am happy that these remain a best kept secret and more so that I have finally found others who are in on the secret with me. Enjoy!

MillerLiteScott

Lakesailor. Well said. I am listening to mine as I write this. A speaker that is not leaving my house. Not to mention they look cool with the grills off and are pretty close in size to the current line up of Polk and other floor standers.

davidfmartin

Lakesailor and MillerLiteScott,

I'm listening to Gillian Welch on mine right now as I respond. Sweet! I am sill waiting to hear on how much the repairs will cost on my Pioneer Elite VSX-49TX and if that goes well this is what I am going to use to drive these. I just purchased a pair of used rti4's from the FS forum that I will use for the rears, now I just need to locate either a csi5 or a6 on the used market and I'll be good to go. The funny thing about this "Polk" thing is that it is kind of addicting! Beyond looking daily for my center channel on Craigslist and here on the FS forum, I find myself absorbed in reading about other folks experiences listening to their Polks! I just posted another question to this forum regarding a pair of SDA's 1.5 hours away from me that looked interesting. Remember the addictive thing I mentioned?

Hearing mine on the little t-amp makes me yearn for more power and dusting off my vinyl as some of my digitized stuff wasn't ripped at a good bitrate and these speakers reveal that. I'm sure I will post again once I can hook them to my Pioneer.