Charity may not be its only reward
Give, and ye shall receive. A few years ago I was dropping off something of no significance but lots of size, so I drove to the back door. I spotted a pair of floorstanding speakers, freshly donated. A gaudy fake red oak finish pegged them as "dated," but I investigated anyhow. "Polk Audio," eh? A mass-market name, yes, but wasn't it on the high end of that market, I thought I recalled? The black-fabric boxes on top made them look like omnidirectionals, but inside there was just one lone tweeter, propped up outside the cabinet, perched atop a coiled crossover structure like something Tesla would have created. I asked for price, and the clerk wrote a ticket for $15, and I said thanks.
Lugging them home, I learned a few things:
- they were heavy as heck (always a good sign of premium gear)
- that the tweeters were out, but fuses were easy to find and fix
- that these Polk Audio RTA 12s are the best speakers I've ever heard. They just speak to me more clearly. Often they sound more realistic and present from a room or two away than does a normal speaker at optimum distance. They're big, dated-looking and odd, but none of that matters once the music starts playing. Except for the oddness, which is part of the attraction to me.
The other night I had them hooked up to a vintage, wood-cased Yamaha Natural Sound Model xx-650 receiver that I'd just purchased at the same thrift store in Denver. The sound, even from a distant FM station, was wonderful, rich, and satisfying. Made me marvel at the value of vintage gear. This pair was close to matching the best sound I've ever had in 30+ years of low-budget audiophile pursuits. But together the Polks and Yamaha cost me $30, making them the cheapest audio investment I've made in my life!
