Hey, just picked up a pair of RTA8T's

[dohcmark8]

First let me say hi everyone,

Now I got them from a garage sale for $10 bucks, I hooked them up and they sound perfect, not blown or anything. The guy I bought them from was clueless, but I took a chance since I saw the polk name.

Are these speakers any good?

[PolkWannabie]

Welcome to the club ...

Yes they're decent and should be worth ~ 250 - 450 ...

[HBombToo]

WOW 10 bucks is unbelievable. I own a pair and will never part with them... I like them so much I bought the 15TL and am in search of an 11's on the cheap so I can boast the whole line.

You will notice a stereo image to die for plus an accuracy that reveals detail in your favorite music each and every time you listen. They don't dig real low but then again were not designed to dig real low. I did call Ken at polk and replaced the original tweeters but the 8T itself cannot be beat by the most critical listener then or after the change IMHO.

GREAT BUY!

1/4Twin

[cfrizz]

Another RTA-8T owner here. Mine are 14 yrs old and still going strong, loud and clear.

[TroyD]

HBomb, did you bag a pair of 12's??


BDT

[HBombToo]

Originally posted by TroyD
HBomb, did you bag a pair of 12's??


BDT

Not yet but.....:D I'm listening!

BDT,... I hope all is well with your family and thanks for everything you are doing for our Nation!

Twin

[dohcmark8]

Thanks guys, these things do sound rather amazing.

Now I just need a better amp, for now I got them hooked up to an Aiwa mini-stereo and suffice to say it doesnt give enough oomph (duh).

Anyone have any recommendations for decent amps in the under $250 range, new or used, it doesnt matter.

Does anyone here know the power rating for the RTA-8T?

[cfrizz]

My specs are at home, but if I remember correctly it can handle
20-250 watts. The closer you get to giving them the 250 watts the better they will sound.

Get a receiver that has pre-outs so that you can add a separate amplifier later on down the line. Thats what I did thanks to advice on this board.

Welcome to the board & enjoy your speakers!

Cathy

[steveinaz]

You scored buddy, outstanding find!

[dorokusai]

Nice speakers, have fun.

[dohcmark8]

Originally posted by cfrizz
My specs are at home, but if I remember correctly it can handle
20-250 watts. The closer you get to giving them the 250 watts the better they will sound.

Get a receiver that has pre-outs so that you can add a separate amplifier later on down the line. Thats what I did thanks to advice on this board.

Welcome to the board & enjoy your speakers!

Cathy

Thanks.

BTW, I've been looking on ebay for a receiver and is "Onkyo" a repectable brand?

[VR3]

if u mean an amp...as in seperate amp...

Adcom GFA 545 will do...

If you mean stereo receiver, I recomend you save your money ;)

Get like 400 bucks to spend, get a seperate amp and a preamp....along with a good quality cd player....

IMO

[TroyD]

Amp? Did anyone say amp??

My friend, if you can wait about a month, I have a more than decent amp/preamp combo for, amazingly enough, 250 dollars. Full function preamp and a 150wpc Onkyo amp.

If it is surround that you are looking for, I have a 70wpc Denon receiver that will do a more than credible job and has preamp outputs for adding a separate amp at a later date if that's your wish.

BDT

[dohcmark8]

Thanks, so what the differnece between a tuner/amp and a receiver/amp?

Also, how can you tell if your speakers arent getting enough power? Do they distort some or what?

[TroyD]

Also, just a piece of advice....

Be careful with that mini-system. That thing is probably only good for 10wpc or so, if you go cranking it up that's a good way to do some damage to your speakers.

BDT

[dohcmark8]

Originally posted by TroyD
Also, just a piece of advice....

Be careful with that mini-system. That thing is probably only good for 10wpc or so, if you go cranking it up that's a good way to do some damage to your speakers.

BDT

I know its good for 15w/channel, now I have a questiion, I found this "thing" in my basement, I couldnt find any sites that had the specs and walla I found it on ebay,, now I already have it but I want your opinion on whether it would be useful or not. Onkyo TX-61

[cfrizz]

I wouldn't be bothered with it. It's over 20 yrs old. Take a look at the flea market to see if anything strikes your fancy. Figure out what features you want your equipment to have, and feel free to ask us lots of questions.

[TroyD]

Originally posted by dohcmark8
Thanks, so what the differnece between a tuner/amp and a receiver/amp?

Also, how can you tell if your speakers arent getting enough power? Do they distort some or what?

A receiver contains a tuner, preamp and amp all in one unit. The plus is, you get a lot of features for a reasonable price. The downside is that in order to get all that in one box, the quality is not as good as separate components, especially in terms of the quality of the amps. Plus, having the tuner in the same chasis as the amp can introduce unwanted noise.

Separate components are generally higher quality, offer greater flexibility as far as mixing an matching components. The trade off is that they tend to be more expensive.

BDT

[cfrizz]

1 1" dome tweeter
2 6.5" drivers

Frequency response is 30 Hz to 25 kHz with the -3dB limits of 42 Hz to 23 kHz.

Power handling is 250 watts/channel the impedance is compatible with 8 ohm outputs and the efficiency is 89 dB

All information obtained from Ken Swauger on 5-17-2002.

[dohcmark8]

Originally posted by cfrizz
1 1" dome tweeter
2 6.5" drivers

Frequency response is 30 Hz to 25 kHz with the -3dB limits of 42 Hz to 23 kHz.

Power handling is 250 watts/channel the impedance is compatible with 8 ohm outputs and the efficiency is 89 dB

All information obtained from Ken Swauger on 5-17-2002.

Thanks.

All I need is something with atleast 2 RCA inputs and stereo output, nothing fancy.

BTW, I just hooked up the TX-61, it may be 20 years old but it sounds just as good as my friends Sherwood receiver which im borrowing for the time being.

It's also reassuring to know that replacement parts are easily attainable for the RTA-8Ts. I'm also wondering if it would be a good idea to tighten the screws on the drivers and tweeter, and would I damage anything?

[smglbrth]

Cool!! Another happy 8t owner! Dang, you stole those things, hands down....;)

Tighten the screws, they're loose? Barely try to nudge them, if they don't budge then do no more! They'll shred the wood if you force them.

If you can, take the advice of many others and save for separates. I've owned 8t's for many years and the better amplification I bought the better they sounded. I'm still amazed at the sound quality for these speakers, especially on a design that's around 15-20 years old.

Have fun!

[danger boy]

congrats on your newly found Polk speakers... i'm sure they sound wonderful.

I"m all for buying used gear... i like the vintage componenets and speakers. They don't make em like that anymore.

[dohcmark8]

Thanks guys, BTW does anyone know of a decent guide that explains why/what components you need to build a decent stereo setup?

[dorokusai]

Why would you need a guide when you have us available to help you spend money? ;)

[HBombToo]

Originally posted by dorokusai
Why would you need a guide when you have us available to help you spend money? ;)

yup... ditto!

Twin