New RTA 11t Owner

dawsonswan

I just purchased a set of RTA 11t studio monitors off Craigslist and need some advice.

One of the passive radiator woofers (the 2.75" center disk dampened) rattles a bit, I have been looking everywhere and can't seem to find a replacement.

On another note, the speakers are certainly old (20 years with the same owner), and the tweeters (silver coil dome) sound a little harsh. I read on a thread something about changing from silver to silk for a smoother sound. Is this true? Either way, any idea where I could get the part?

I LOVE the sound. I upgraded from some bose bookshelf speakers and can't believe the clarity. I only hope I can nurse them back to their full glory.

Dawson

comfortablycurt

First off, welcome to Club Polk, and congrats on the new speakers!!:)


The rattling PR may just be a case of a loose screw. If you haven't already, make sure all of the screws holding the PR on are tight. They can come a little loose over time, through changing temperatures, and the wood drying out over time. You might as well check all of the drivers while you're at it. Make sure they're tight, but don't over tighten. Air tightness is essential with these speakers, due to the passive radiator design.

There's a possibility that one of the holes could be stripped out, so the screw won't tighten all the way.


Regarding the tweeter questions, there's a replacement tweeter available directly from Polk. You can get them by calling the customer service number located at the top right of this page. The tweeter you'd want is the RD0-194-1.


Many people have also upgraded the crossovers in their vintage Polks, with higher grade capacitors and resistors. This can bring some great improvements to the table. I'm planning on upgrading the XO's in my Monitor 7A's next year, and possibly my SDA 2A's.


What kind of gear are you running those RTA11t's with?

kcoc321

Welcome Dawson,
For the tweeter, Polk CS sells the RDO-198 that is a direct replacement in your speakers. They have a much better sound. Just do a search for the "RDO-198". You will find lots of info on them. Tell them you are a Forum member and they will give you a deal.

As far as the rattle on the PR, have you isolated what is rattling? Is it loose? I would try adding the Mortite to help seal the driver to the box, and see if it is still rattling. Also might try adding the Dynamat to the driver spider. If there is still a rattle, then I would look at replacing it.

LOL...duplicate posts with Curt...
Added: you do have the RTA-11TL's don't you? The RDO-198's are for the TL's (SL3000's tweeters) As Curt said, if you have the SL2000 tweeters now, then you need the RDO-194's

comfortablycurt

kcoc321 wrote: »

LOL...duplicate posts with Curt...
Added: you do have the RTA-11TL's don't you? The RDO-198's are for the TL's (SL3000's tweeters) As Curt said, if you have the SL2000 tweeters now, then you need the RDO-194's

He's got RTA-11T Studio's, with Silver Coil Dome tweeters(SL-2000), so the replacement would be the 194.

The RTA-11TL's had the SL-3000's(or did they have SL-2500's?), which would need the 198's.

kcoc321

I'm sure you are right..Just wanted to cover all the bases.

domflane

Welcome to the club Dawson and congrats on your new Polks. Its unbelievable how bad those Bose bookshelves actually are, and how many people still drink Dr. Bose's kool aid, lol. Enough Bose hating though . . . + 1 on making sure all the drivers are tight. After you do this, test how well everything is sealed by gently pushing in on one of the passive radiators. The other drivers should push out and then slowly return to their original position. If they don't move, or if they return to their original position quickly then you're losing air somewhere. Check the seams on the cabinets and some mortite might be in order. Those are awesome speakers, they should be fun to tinker with and especially to listen to. Enjoy them and good luck,

Dominic

skrol

Welcome to the club.

Another thought on the PR rattle is there could be one of the internal wires rattling against the metal basket. I had a wire rattling against one of the mid-woofers. Other than that and the screws, there isn't much else that can rattle on the PR's. All that would be left is the spider spring. I did have the spider separate from the basket on another Polk MW (car speaker). A little glue and it was good as new.

The tweeter upgrade is well worth doing. Also consider upgrading the capacitors and resistors used in the cross-overs.

Another note on the tweeter: Before you buy a RDO-198 or RDO-194 check to see what tweeter you have. While it is true that the RTA11T typically used the SL-2000, there were some late production models that were labeled RTA11T but are actually identical to the RTA11TL using the SL-3000. If you have trouble figuring it out we are glad to help.

Enjoy
Stan

micwills

I have a pair of Polk Monitor 10's which I really like the sound of. The only thing is I listen to a lot of different types of music. For Jazz, Radiohead, MGMT, 80's music, pop, classical, Floyd, hip hop and most rock they sound great. You know those records from the late 70's like Warsaw (pre New Order) and in this case The Wipers from Portland Oregon? Probably not those bands specifically but recordings that were very heavy on the low end? Problem is with those records my Monitor 10's seem to struggle signficantly with the lows. I found this pair of RTA 11T's which seem to have the same tweet and mid driver's as the 10's by the pics but have 2 woofers rather than one. My hope is that they are the same drivers and set up with the added bass. I can't find any information on these speakers anywhere except forums. No official reviews, no specs, nada! The guy is asking $300 for the pair. By the pics and from his claims they are in excellent condition both by appearance and function. I don't know if this is a good deal or if these speakers rate anywhere near the sound quality of the 10's or what. I am going to listen to them myself but I wont have my receiver with me to hear how they're going to sound with my gear in my space. So, in addition to that I was hoping that someone out here can tell me if they have any experience with the RTA's but preferrably someone who can tell me some comaprisons between the RTA 11T's and Monitor 10's.

seeclear

Mic, welcome to the club. You might have more responses by starting your own thread.

FWIW, I'd say $300 is a little high for the 11T's, but maybe some others can chime in on that as well.

zarrdoss

300 for those is to high, $100 to $150 seems to be the going price, I got mine for $150 in great condition. I replaced the tweeter big upgrade then caps and resistors in the cross over another big upgrade. you don't need a new passive, just see whats rattling and use a little Elmer's or Gorilla glue for the center disk, if its the spider coming loose from the frame just use a little super glue. Enjoy