Picking up RTA-12Cs
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On my RTA-12C’s I went with all Sonicaps, BH 5, and I rewired with OCC solid core copper wire. Also replaced tweeters with RD -0194’s. Totally worth it."Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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Parts are on the way. I've not tried hooking them up and getting a base-line test in as I want to glue the magnets before doing anything else. I am going to first jb weld the magnets, and since they'll be opened up, I'll also install hurricane nuts, install sound dampening on the drivers, install dampening behind the drivers, and redo the internal crossover. I'll then give them a listen before re-doing the external crossover. The nicer caps I wanted for the 4.7uF were not available, so I'll be installing 1% Daytons as a place holder until the ones I want are back in stock and I place my next order for various items as I do every few months.
I've also been thinking about what I want to drive these with. I've read that they need power to shine, and the biggest hammers in my tool box right now are a Yamaha CR-2020 (105W/ch), a Sony STR-7800SD (125W/ch), and an MCS 3125 (125W/ch). Will one of these do the trick, or do I need to go find a 250W/ch rack amp? I don't listen at very loud volumes. -
I would think that MCS would do pretty well on them.
Article I found on the MCS.
https://classicreceivers.com/mcs-3125
They dont need a lot of power to sound great at resonable levels. But if you want to drive them hard, a 250 watt amp would be ideal.
Thay all actually should drive them just fine for resonable levels. -
I used a Yammy 2020 on my 12's before I sold it. Now driving them with a Rogue Cronus Magnum II tube integrated at 100 watts/channel.
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Well, the parts arrived and the work was done. New caps, new resisters, hurricane nuts, sound dampening, magnets glued. All of it. Quite the project, took about 12 hours of work. The results? Only one way to answer that: I can't find these damn speakers! They're there in my living room, but the minute I throw some Chick Corea at them, they vanish! I've never experienced imaging like that. I swear, if I close my eyes I am front row at show. I can't wait for these to get broken in, as they sound quite nice already.
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Nice, careful work.
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Very cool man, glad you decided to do them. Of all the speakers I've owned these can disappear the best and the imaging is the best I've heard. I constantly look at the reciever to make sure the center channel is not on.
Enjoy!!
Oh, will the one cap hanging off the side of the board, does it interfere with the hats? -
Very cool man, glad you decided to do them. Of all the speakers I've owned these can disappear the best and the imaging is the best I've heard. I constantly look at the reciever to make sure the center channel is not on.
Enjoy!!
Oh, will the one cap hanging off the side of the board, does it interfere with the hats?
Thanks, no issues with the hats, they fit fine. I was going to put the large 56uf caps in the center of the board, but ultimately decided against it since the 4.7uf caps are small and overhang is minimal.
I did test all of the old caps I pulled and they all tested well. I didn't listen to them before the recap, so can't comment on how the new caps compare to the originals. Regardless, I am happy with the results. -
I've been wanting to start replacing the cross caps with superior caps.
I just ordered 14, 22 uf Jantzen Standard cap for my infinity RSII. This hobby ain't cheap that's for sure.
So glad you liked the 12s. -
A "helping" Polk Forum thread running at maximum potential.
I had not read this thread and it is a great thread.
Good job @bobdod!"Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"
Harry / Marietta GA -
They are truly great speakers, especially after Xover upgrades."Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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BlueBirdMusic wrote: »A "helping" Polk Forum thread running at maximum potential.
I had not read this thread and it is a great thread.
Good job @bobdod!
Thanks, I was definitely a bit hesitant to go forth with such a project, but am very glad I did. I've been running a set of Radiient speakers for a few years, which I've always liked. They're a modified version of an insignia model that won praise a while back. Now, after hearing the RTAs, the Radiients sound like they're trying to sing through a face mask. It's just wild how much more detailed and precise these Polks are.
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@bobdod - curious what your crossover updates set you back parts-wise? I’ve always hesitated to go down that path with my 12C's because there are so many caps to replace. Maybe it’s time to follow your example. Nicely done!Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
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Very nice speakers and setup. Try pulling them forward a bit so the speaker plane is in front of the stand/TV plane.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
@bobdod - curious what your crossover updates set you back parts-wise? I’ve always hesitated to go down that path with my 12C's because there are so many caps to replace. Maybe it’s time to follow your example. Nicely done!
It's definitely a bit of an investment, relatively speaking. I didn't go with the cheapest options possible, but I also didn't go very far up the price scale either. The caps were around $150 I think. The other odds and ends for the other upgrades were another $50 or so. I am into these for around $400 total, which is probably about $100 over what a stock set of RTAs goes for. I don't plan on selling these, so it's not an issue. In the grand scheme of things, I could have easily spent $700 on upgrades and wound up with a set of incredibly nice $1000 speakers. The problem is, I could get some very nice $1000 speakers that will still cost $1000 if I were to ever sell them. If I were to dump $1000 on a set of premium capped RTAs, I'd still be sitting on a set of $300 speakers, and that wouldn't feel quite right given other options.
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Very nice speakers and setup. Try pulling them forward a bit so the speaker plane is in front of the stand/TV plane.
Yeah, I've been playing around a little bit with positioning. The best results are with a listening location about 8 to 10 feet in front of the setup.
