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Polk RTA-12

EVBoy

EVBoy

Super Member
I bought these Polk speakers at a GW a couple of years ago. They were cheap because on one, both the woofers were frozen. I finally found another pair of woofers from another set of Polks and listened to them today. They don't have much for ID, but I believe they are RTA-12's. I'm not a big Polk fan but I was surprised at how good they sound. They have walnut veneer cabinets and are very well made.
Any opinions on them?
 

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Yep, look like the first generation RTA12a speakers. I have a pair and they're real keepers. Did yours come with the stands? You'll want them about 12" off the floor.
These have the preferred Peerless tweeters. The externally mounted crossovers remind me of a science fair project gone awry.
 
Agreed those look like the rta12a model. I have a pair of them also and mine have to sit on a shelf about 4' high. Lots of speakers that I've had over the years do not sound good in this setting but the polks seem to thrive on it.
Make sure your driver screws are all tight and your speaker gaskets are in good shape as well. Those polks will reward you with a surprising amount of good bass when they're functioning correctly.
 
I also have a pair of these and really enjoy them. I got mine with the stands and they help the sound and aesthetics. The peerless tweet is really nice imho. I have run them off from a marantz 2252B and a Luxman R-1055(?), and my most recent purchase a rega brio-r. Definitely keepers and the crossover on top is really cool.
 
Any Polks, and I do mean "any" from that period are a good to great speaker! Don't ever rule those Polks out. Those were some of the "golden years".

Nice speakers. I have some Monitor 5s, 10s and SDAs--all keepers!

Enjoy!

cnh2
 
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I have the rta 12c version. I like them a lot. Just dont let your cats sleep in the little hammocks on top. :)

Sent (and possibly poorly voice-to-text transcribed) on a mobile device. :)
 
Sounds like those 2 woofers could have had a case of magnet shift from being moved around in their past. There's been threads about making a jig to re-align the magnet and voice coil together. I bet that's tedious for sure. Those look great!
 
RTA 12C's are my living room main speakers, and my first 'real' speakers. As mentioned your RTA's have the sought after Peerless tweeters. Give that wood veneer a little love via some Howard's and you will love them even more.
 
Bringing this long, long dormant thread to say how much I enjoy my RTA12's. . I have the stands, but find that I actually like them just sitting on the floor. Because of where I sit the tweets are pretty much at ear level anyway, and I find the overall blend of the drivers works better than when they're on their stands.

Just wanted to throw it out there
 
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