Calling all Polkies:Official Polk thread - Page 500

I see what you did there:



I'm in control of my own "Polks"............

Dang you Rob.... now you got me wondering pondering.......

Found the world's quietest fan!

A few weeks ago I was going thru this ordeal trying to squeeze my new Emo XPA-5 and Denon 3312ci into a 1970's era stereo cabinet. My prior Denon 790 worked pretty well in there, though I had removed the back panel to allow passive air flow. But the new equipment generates a lot more heat, and the amp itself was just a few inches too large to even fit inside the cabinet. So I ended up setting the Emo on top of the cabinet and moved the cable box to the inside.

The new Denon however continued to run hot even though it is not driving any of the five main speakers. So I went on a search for a cooling fan quiet enough that it wold not interfere with quiet music and movies. Even the small cooling fan in my Argosy HDD-equipped media player is noticeably annoying during quiet passages. I looked at a lot of fans on NewEgg but most were 20db or louder. I did not want to mess with speed controls etc. I work near Microcenter so I checked out their website. Their inventory was categorized only by brand. Something drew me to Enermax. I've used some of their power supplies in the past and they always had unusually innovative cooling solutions. So they had this one fan listed at only 11db, so I picked one up last week.

The fan is the 120cm Enermax T.B.Silence... http://www.enermaxusa.com/fan_uctb12.php
Click on the specifications tab to see how it stacks up. It has an interesting batwing blade design and at only 900 rpm is indeed very quiet.

Fortunately it draws only 1.8 watts, which I calculated - dusting off technical formulas I haven't used in decades - that it could be powered by the second 150MA trigger output on the AVR (one is used by the Emo). Additionally I added an 18 ohm resistor to slow the fan by 10% and also lower the current draw, just in case the specs were off by a little (the Denon is rated at 150ma and the fan draws 150ma, and I know from experience that there should be a little slack designed in).

Originally I intended to mount the fan using rubber grommets, which fortunately I have a small supply in my tool case, but that didn't work out as I could not force the grommet into the hole, even after drilling out the holes several sizes larger. So instead just mounted the fan directly to the back corner of the wood cabinet, using three screws. Everything worked perfectly first time I fired it up. I stapled a sheet of construction paper to the back of the cabinet to block air being drawn in directly adjacent to the fan and force airflow across the AVR.



In this photo the AVR is on so therefore the fan is on, though it appears to be still. The whole thing is a kluge but it works very well. After only one week I've even stopped constantly checking to make sure the fan is on... yes, it is that quiet!

I've been procrastinating listing all my 70's gear on eBay.
It's all in excellent condition and needless to say I am the original owner.

Tonite I was looking and some folks are asking upward of $1000 for a Thorens turntable in worse shape than mine. What I dread is having to box this stuff up. And there undoubtedly will be someone who would say it isn't what they expected (cripes, I've owned this stuff for forty years, I know what it is and what it's been thru).

BTW I assume the Sega worked okay?

Yup, sure did. Been playing some Sonic on and off when possible. Its been fun re-living my youth .

Good your killing me.

Do me a favor, PM me what gear your looking to unload and at what price. I might just snag some of it since I am looking to build up a little vintage system in my office. Mostly to run my Monitor 60's right now, but want some good looking vintage stuff and would like to be able to run some lower ohm loads speaker wise if you have anything along those lines amp wise.....

I am not seriously looking, but you never want to pass up an opportunity. Plus I prefer to buy from folks on the forums over ebay.

P.S. I will still need a phono pre for my system downstairs regardless, but like I said, it would be cool to get something sexy looking in the office.

P.P.S. I can also probably put you in touch with some folks that might be interested in your gear, but you would obviously need to ship to em, but if nothing else maybe I can help facilitate it going to some nice homes.

Darn, I couldn't play the video!!!!!!!! Thanks for the link to the XPA-2 but no thanks, I'm saving for the XPR-5 and then bi-amp with my current XPA-2 and 3 to my four towers.

I'll give you two pair of killer 3D glasses if you give me an Oppo 103

I could use a little advice on speaker selection please.

My room size is 15' X 26' with 9' foot ceilings. Hardwood floors with oriental carpets covering around 60% of room. Due to room layout, my TV set up has the viewing arrangement set up across the 15' width centered in the room, giving me about 12.5' from couch to TV on wall. I will be using the new setup for 70% HT and 30% music.

i originally planned on Monitor70 Series II floorstanding speakers, a CS2 center, Monitor40 S2's for rears and a Klipsch RW-12d Reference subwoofer. I have already purchased the CS2 (cherry) and the sub. I want all the speakers in cherry to match the woodwork in the room. I plan to run everything off of a Denon 2313CI (105W/ch) or, a Denon 3313CI (125 W/ch) receiver.

My problem is Newegg has been out of the Monitor70's and 40's for a while and they don't know when they will be back in. Here are my questions about my options. (It should be noted that due to where I live, I have very limited options to listen to the speakers below for direct comparison)

1. If I wait on the Monotor70's to get back in stock, is the Denon 2313CI wattage sufficient to effectively drive the speakers? Denon 3313CI? I know these go on sale for $149 at times which is quite appealing.......
2. I can get the RTi A5's right now from NE for $239 per with a 40% off coupon. Since I have the Klipsch RW-12d sub, would they be a better option than the Monitor70's? Better sound?
3. I can get the Polk75T's right now for $579/pair from NE. They should be sonically similar to the Monitor70 S2's. Thoughts similar to #1 above?

What would be my best option? What would sound best? Any other ideas?

Thanks, Habe

The RTiA5's are better speakers than the M70. I have both. The Rti's have much clearer highs and more well defined lows. The M70's are great bang for the buck but are much better for HT than they are for music. The Rti's seem to do very well for both. The smaller Denon should be fine. I used a 90wpc Denon 790 for several years on both the M70's and the RtiA5's, but recently moved up to the 3312. The 3312 is a STEAL at the closeout prices, but the 2112 and 2312 are priced well also. Good luck!

On the sub btw I've read that this particular product line has a power supply issue and it's best to switch off the power at the rear when not in use.

The RTiA5's might sound better than the M70's but you'd want to match your center with either an CSiA4 or 6. Keep the CS2 and go for the M70's. Either AVR will be okay but......make sure either one has pre-outs. The M70's love power, the more the better for the M70. I ran them with an AVR rated at 135w with 2 ch driven. Then drove them with an amp rated at 200w, they sounded much better. Then drove them with a 300w amp and the M70's sounded their best.

It's up to you, but in a room that big, what you want no matter what you get, is power to drive.

i just thought I should mention if anyone wants polk RTi ask around with your friends about newegg coupons, Newegg sends me 40% off coupons with stipulations all the time and you can randomly find RTi as an option. But oddly they do not send this coupon to everyone. Not sure what triggers it. other things like klipsch can be available too.

I got one of the 40% off promos. You could ask your friends but there is a catch:

**PROMO CODES ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE and may only be redeemed using the Newegg account attached to this e-mail address.

Looking over your "toys", all I can say is Wow - you've owned a lot of gear! Most of it I've never heard of.

BTW I used one of those 40% coupons to score a Polk DSW-660 for around $340 I think. Great deal imo.

That sub looks very interesting. Have you gotten it yet?
Congrats on the new toy.

With A5s...should I get A4 or A6? I saw A6 in-person and it's HUGE...A4 looks reasonably sized but the real quesiton is would A4 perform well with A5s?

On a separate issue...I am finalizing speaker wires and can't find a difference between in-wall vs regular transparent ones. Other than the fireproof shielding in-wall wires have, is there any benefit to transparent vs inwalls? I'm thinking about getting white in-wall wires so that they'll be somewhat less noticable next to the white baseboards?

The tranparent speaker wires you speak of are not rated for in-wall use and usually come in larger gauges. The in-wall rated wires are generally smaller gauge but have fire resistant insulatioin around the wires. There is no difference in the two different types of the same gauge.

I'm thinking of running 12AWG in-wall wires across the baseboard to the speakers...which are about 5-feet from the receiver. Transparent or black wires will be really prominent...and I am hoping white wires will flush nicely with the white baseboard.

Have you thought about using these?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10520&cs_id=1052005&p_id=8288&seq=1&format=1#largeimage

Yes - got it last month actually... plugged it in, tested it, packed it back up.
It's destined for our retirement home.


Answer: no, the A4 is undersized and IMO is appropriate only for use with the RTiA1's. Yes, the A4 is affordable, and yes, the A6 is huge, but well worth it. I have a CsiA4 and not using, but may use it in the bedroom someday.

You could save a little and buy a Csi5 from Polk on eBay. It's the same speaker, just a slightly different cabinet and performs just as well.

Since I'll be placing the center channel on my glass tv cabinet...Is there any padding of any sort available that I can place underneath...something made out of silicon or similar to a mouse pad...that way the weight will be distributed a bit evenly instead of a few pressure points.

I don't have an answer to that one, but oddly enough, I do use old mouse pads here and there for acoustic isolation. The Csi5/A6 is a huge, heavy beast, but the sound quality makes it well worth the inconvenience.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CSi5-BLACK-Center-Channel-Polk-Audio-RTi-Series-Speaker-/360504632120?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item53efc02338

I bought these silicon pads from home depot. There called Surface Gard vinyl bumpers. I used them for my amp resting on my cabinet. Should work fine for a speaker too.they are inexpensive...only like $5.

This is how they look.


Edited by freeyayo50 - 11/30/12 at 4:42pm

Just got my new SVS PC12-Plus. This thing is insane compared to my BIC PL200. I love this thing!!! I gotta say that I'm really happy with my system now.

Like Rob said, the CSiA6 is the better center and I agree, the CSi5 would save you some money, basically the same speaker and will go with the RTiA series, just not as purty.

Speaker wire, you could get Monoprice in wall, has the white sleeve and you can go as thick as 12awg. I use that myself but I spruced it up to try and give it that awe factor, you know, tech flex sleeving, heat shrink ends, banana plugs. Anyway, that should work for you.

If I were to get the bigger one...I'd get A6, instead of CSi5...because its a proper match with the RTi & looks better as well. I'm just concerned about the size of the center channel and whether my tv stand's glass shelf will survive 30lbs + cabinet vibrations due to bass. Does anyone have an A6 sitting on a glass shelf?

I have the same cable setup in mind except for the flex sleeving because I want the wire to be flush with the baseboards...but definitely 12 AWG oxygen-free cable with heat-shrink & banana plugs...overkill for A5s but would look really cool

Polk advertises the CSi5 to go with both series; RTiA and RTi, but I agree, the CSiA is way better looking.

Your stand is merely a vehicle for the sound maker, if the vehicle doesn't fit, get a different one, never compromise your sound due to a rebellious vehicle

The CSiA6 comes with attachable rubber feet, plus, you can always use other isolation material and not only that, the CSiA6 doesn't really offer that kind of vibration anyway

Thanks.

I've pretty much decided on selling the CS2 I have in cherry or returning it to Newegg (even if I have to eat the 15%) and getting the RTi A5's. I'd like to buy all the speakers from NE when they go on sale due to their great sale pricing. One issue with NE is they always seem to not carry any complete line. They have the RTi A5 floorstanding, CSi A4 & CSi A6 center channels and RTi A1 bookshelf but don't carry the RTi A3 bookshelf (or the RTi A7's which I would have like to have got)

This is what I'm planning:

Klipsch RW-12d subwoofer (already have)
RTi A5 floorstanding
Rti A6 center channel

Question? Will the RTi A1 bookshelfs be large enough or would I be better off to find and purchase the RTi A3's from some other place? Also, what about the matching F/XiA6 or F/XiA4 for the surrounds??

habe
Edited by habe - 12/1/12 at 11:05am

Hey guys on my monitor 30's does it matter top/bottom speaker connections I use?

I always use the bottom but it really doesn't matter as long as you don't remove the bridge between the top and bottom posts.

FWIW A3's show up on Polk's eBay site occasionally, though I haven't checked recently.
And of course NE recently had a blowout on RTi6's - same speaker as the A3, for $120/pr.

would the Pioneer SC-1222-K
be alright with
2 monito 60 floor speakers
2 m30s
Cs1
Psw505 12" sub.
I could get it for 599$ at newegg but need to know asap. Was going to get the onkyo 616 but they are sold out. Thanks.
Was also thinking of the Sony STR-DN1030. Or even the onkyo 515.
Edited by dizzyrapper18 - 12/1/12 at 5:57pm