Best Of
Re: Polk Monitor 10 Questions
Looks like "we" covered the damaged surround question pretty well, but @redsled asked another question, too.
Polk's choice to use a passive radiator to achieve the desired speaker system "alignment" was an interesting one. In essence, a passive radiator system is a bass reflex analogue, using the mass of the passive radiator as a substitute for the mass of air in the "port" of a bass reflex enclosure. The advantage of either bass reflex (BR) or passive radiator (PR) is better efficiency (or, more to the point, sensitivity - sound pressure level at a given distance from the speaker for a given amount of amplifier power input) compared to the then fashionable acoustic suspension alignment. Advantages of PR compared to BR include easy system tuning (just add, or remove, moving mass from the passive radiator diaphragm), no port noise ("chuffing"), and also no 'spurious midrange' emanating from the port.
Passive radiators are still seen sometimes in modern loudspeaker design.
The HPM-40 was a very old-fashioned bass reflex design using two cone drivers with a rather simple crossover and a "supertweeter" crossed in at a very high (nearly inaudible) frequency. Pioneer called it a three-way speaker, but it's really a two way with some ultra-treble augmentation. Yes, the midrange quality from the Polks should be substantially better than the HPM-40, although its bigger, more expensive siblings (HPM-60 and HPM-100) should fare a little better, since they do have separate midrange drivers. The hybrid cone woofers used in the Pioneer speakers were notoriously (mechanically) fragile, too.
Really not much comparison between the HPM-40,60,100, and the Polk Monitor 7 and 10. The original HPM family was designed by a team overseen by Bart Locanthi (designer of, among other things, the hugely popular JBL L100) and share the rough and tumble "West Coast sound" coloration of the L100 and its kin. The Polk Monitor 10 and (especially) Monitor 7 were much more refined and better sounding loudspeakers, voiced much more like the British loudspeakers of the same era (but selling at much lower prices). Bass from the Polks is better defined and, in the case of the 10, should go deeper than the HPM-40 as well. Sensitivity is probably comparable.
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/pioneer/hpm-40.shtml
EDIT: Per hifiengine, the crossover frequencies of the HPM-40 were 4000 Hz and 10,000 Hz. In other words, most of the midrange was handled by that big 10 inch woofer -- a far-from-optimal situation.
So... the use of two smaller drivers has advantages of lower moving mass and was actually rather popular in the 1970s (and remains so even today in many tower loudspeakers). Braun and their US cousin, ads, e.g., made some outstanding loudspeakers using two smaller woofers in lieu of a single large one. The price of those loudspeakers was considerably higher than the Polks, though!Just curious about the design of two smaller drivers and the large passive radiator vs. the single 10" driver of my Pioneer HPM-40's of the same era. Is there better, quicker bass response and better mids from two smaller drivers and the passive radiator ?
Does the passive radiator contribute to the bass that we hear ? Unfortunately I no longer have the HPM-40's to compare sound...
Polk's choice to use a passive radiator to achieve the desired speaker system "alignment" was an interesting one. In essence, a passive radiator system is a bass reflex analogue, using the mass of the passive radiator as a substitute for the mass of air in the "port" of a bass reflex enclosure. The advantage of either bass reflex (BR) or passive radiator (PR) is better efficiency (or, more to the point, sensitivity - sound pressure level at a given distance from the speaker for a given amount of amplifier power input) compared to the then fashionable acoustic suspension alignment. Advantages of PR compared to BR include easy system tuning (just add, or remove, moving mass from the passive radiator diaphragm), no port noise ("chuffing"), and also no 'spurious midrange' emanating from the port.
Passive radiators are still seen sometimes in modern loudspeaker design.
The HPM-40 was a very old-fashioned bass reflex design using two cone drivers with a rather simple crossover and a "supertweeter" crossed in at a very high (nearly inaudible) frequency. Pioneer called it a three-way speaker, but it's really a two way with some ultra-treble augmentation. Yes, the midrange quality from the Polks should be substantially better than the HPM-40, although its bigger, more expensive siblings (HPM-60 and HPM-100) should fare a little better, since they do have separate midrange drivers. The hybrid cone woofers used in the Pioneer speakers were notoriously (mechanically) fragile, too.
Really not much comparison between the HPM-40,60,100, and the Polk Monitor 7 and 10. The original HPM family was designed by a team overseen by Bart Locanthi (designer of, among other things, the hugely popular JBL L100) and share the rough and tumble "West Coast sound" coloration of the L100 and its kin. The Polk Monitor 10 and (especially) Monitor 7 were much more refined and better sounding loudspeakers, voiced much more like the British loudspeakers of the same era (but selling at much lower prices). Bass from the Polks is better defined and, in the case of the 10, should go deeper than the HPM-40 as well. Sensitivity is probably comparable.
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/pioneer/hpm-40.shtml
EDIT: Per hifiengine, the crossover frequencies of the HPM-40 were 4000 Hz and 10,000 Hz. In other words, most of the midrange was handled by that big 10 inch woofer -- a far-from-optimal situation.
mhardy6647
4 ·
Re: Post a picture... any picture
Dog Bark Park, front view 1, Route 95, Cottonwood, Idaho (LOC) by The Library of Congress, on Flickr
mhardy6647
3 ·
Re: Are you READY for some FOOTBALL!!!
Wow, what a bunch of crappy curmudgeons.
The game was awesome, they hardly showed Taylor Swift (really confused by the hate she gets) and the halftime show was actually entertaining and reasonably good.
Great game overall.
The game was awesome, they hardly showed Taylor Swift (really confused by the hate she gets) and the halftime show was actually entertaining and reasonably good.
Great game overall.
Upstatemax
5 ·
Re: Are you READY for some FOOTBALL!!!
Tied game with 2 minutes to go.
Which team wants it more!
Which team wants it more!
la2vegas
1 ·
Re: Reunited and it feels so good: Rotel RB1590 Amplifier
Yeah, change the thread title to "Shake Your Groove Thing". I'll go put on my rollerskates.Nice amp, Joey.
Can we please get this thread title changed? I'm sick of singing that damn song against my will every time I see this thread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz2Cv6Zb9a0
Viking64
1 ·
Re: Are you READY for some FOOTBALL!!!
This was a news Header "Super Bowl most-watched U.S. program ever, averaging 123.4 million viewers"
I figure 123 million of those were Swifties....
On a personal level, I'm stoked about her involvement in the NFL.
Both of my daughters have essentially ignored football completely.
My younger daughter is a fan of Taylor and my older daughter likes a few songs, but doesn't consider herself a "fan".
A lot of their female friends in school though are now into watching football and have been talking about it a lot in school.
So, now my daughters actually like to sit down and watch a game, even non Chiefs games.
It has been a lot of fun watching them get into the game.
Upstatemax
5 ·
Re: Polk Model 9 Tower Speakers
If you can confirm they were manufactured at Gallagher mansion, then you got beaucoup bucks baby.
xschop
2 ·