Another Polk in the house - Monitor 10A with Peerless. ;)

Mystery

As you all have noticed, I'm selling the tall n big ones but still have a lot of love for Polks.
Just last week when I got 12's, I was asking how they compare with 10's.
Funny how monitor 10A's turned up today for me to compare them. :biggrin:
Terminal caps are missing and one cabinet has small veneer damage on top corner but otherwise excellent condition.
Got them from original owner who looked for original receipt/paperwork but couldn't find them.
These are the darker cherry color unlike my 12's that are in oak.
Also, I have perfect 9" tall stands for them.

Now I have a pair of 7A and 10A with peerless and 12's with SL2500 in monitor series.
I also have some 4's but they are just filling surrounds for now.
Except Monitor 11 and few weird monitors, I have had all monitor series now.
Fun fun fun...

Oldfatdogs

Congrats,your rounding things out nicely.I have the same in my shop setup,there not going anywhere.
Dan

bored184

Congrats on your new speakers. I here a lot of good stuff about the peerless tweeter. Maybe someday a pair will cross my path .

Toolfan66

DSkip wrote: »

Looks like its time to start expanding your horizons, but your sig says you already have. Have you been able to try any new electronics? I ran the gamut of Polk gear, new and old, and eventually had to leave their product lines to find something that suited my tastes. I wish I still had one or two models to test them out on the new electronics though.

D10's - D20's??

LOL!!

Seriously that's what I want...

pglbook

Mystery, let me know how the Monitor 12s compare with the Monitor 10As.

I own two pair of Monitor 10s with the Peerless tweeter and absolutely love them and am curious how the Monitor 12s compare to the 10s.

Congratulations on your new speakers!

gdb

I think your vinyl color is "rosewood" and not cherry. I have some 10A's that do shop/outdoor duty really well.

ZLTFUL

Mystery...I seriously think you have a problem...LOL. But it's a dang good problem to have.

BTW, PM incoming.

zarrdoss

You remind me of................................me, lol about 5 years or so ago, at one time I had like 27 pairs of speakers at one time, and lost count of the pairs I have owned around 120 in my life. How do these compare to you to the sda 2b's or 3.1tl's? nice score BTW. Did you see the monitor 10 series 2 in the springs?

StantonZ

That's a rare find...

Mystery

Thanks for comments.
I have not hooked them up yet.
Last night got busy with other work.

DSkip wrote: »

Looks like its time to start expanding your horizons, but your sig says you already have. Have you been able to try any new electronics? I ran the gamut of Polk gear, new and old, and eventually had to leave their product lines to find something that suited my tastes. I wish I still had one or two models to test them out on the new electronics though.

Do you mean new amplifiers/receivers etc... or electrostatic speakers?

pglbook wrote: »

Mystery, let me know how the Monitor 12s compare with the Monitor 10As.
I own two pair of Monitor 10s with the Peerless tweeter and absolutely love them and am curious how the Monitor 12s compare to the 10s.
Congratulations on your new speakers!

Thanks. I'll compare them but need to wait few weeks.
I already have 6 pairs as fronts in living room so need to wait until few pairs are sold.

gdb wrote: »

I think your vinyl color is "rosewood" and not cherry. I have some 10A's that do shop/outdoor duty really well.

Rosewood it is then.

zarrdoss wrote: »

You remind me of................................me, lol about 5 years or so ago, at one time I had like 27 pairs of speakers at one time, and lost count of the pairs I have owned around 120 in my life. How do these compare to you to the sda 2b's or 3.1tl's? nice score BTW. Did you see the monitor 10 series 2 in the springs?

Let me count how many pairs I have right now: 41 not counting orphans, centers and subwoofers. :eek:
I saw those 10's but one is priced at $225 (I'm selling SDA-2B for that much) and another with SL2000 for $150.
So I'll pass on those plus the one I have are peerless so done with 10's for now unless they come dirt cheap.

cnh

Sure there are "better" speakers than classic Polk Monitors. But if you just want to lay back and chill, relax and have your ears massaged and recover from a rough day at work, almost NOTHING beats a classic Monitor with a set of Peerless on some good amplification. Liquid to my ears. And "resolution" freaks be damned (yeah, they're not the last word in "detail" but who cares?)! lol

cnh

Mystery

pglbook wrote: »

Mystery, let me know how the Monitor 12s compare with the Monitor 10As.
I own two pair of Monitor 10s with the Peerless tweeter and absolutely love them and am curious how the Monitor 12s compare to the 10s.
Congratulations on your new speakers!

Plan is to compare all 3 of them. 7A, 10A and 12B's.

I sold both 7C's and they were nice sounding speakers.
Last time I heard the Peerless 7's, they were horrible so I'm thinking they definitely need crossover upgrade.
Also, they are mismatched versions. One has grill peg another has hard plastic velcro type but both are peerless.

Hopefully, 10A's are not in that shape.
They sounded okay when I tested them at seller's place but that was just to make sure all drivers work.

Blacksoldier

Great find, I found a pair of 10B's on CL a few weeks ago for $20. They were pretty beat up and 3 of the MW are frozen. I am in the process of restoring them however with new wood veneer, as well as trying to reset the frozen magnets. Wish me luck.

Blacksoldier

Mystery

10A's are on 9" stands while 10B's are on their original 1"-1.5" feet.
Both original, no upgrade.
Both sound very similar but differences there are.
I may not describe what I hear exactly but here it goes...

Highs/mids:
10A's are brighter, more detail on highs, vocals pronounced and forward. Overall cleaner sound than 12B's.
12B's sound little bit noisy, vocals and highs blend together, nothing forward that makes them very slightly recessed than 10A's.

Lows:
Very similar but 10A's dig lower with soft bass thump.
12B's bass is louder but have slight bass boom/hump like bass is rather bouncy attack.
10A's bass resonate/reverberate like a sub with soft after note thump.
I think it's due to the passive radiator.
12B's have same cone type passive radiator like 3.1TL's that produce similar bouncy bass rather than soft thump while 10A's have flat PR similar to my CRS+ and 2B's that all have soft bass thump.
So, flat PR = softer/lower bass thump.
Cone PR = bouncy bass attack.

Overall, 10A's sound brighter but smoother but feel like there is a gap from highs/mid to lows as it's cleaner that suggest some of the mid/midbass range is missing or 12B's have more of that.
12B's sound slightly recessed/veiled due to not as bright highs as 10A's but slightly noisy due to more mid.
If I have to choose one, I prefer 10A's due to soft/lower bass and cleaner/brighter sound but very slightly.
Not a clear winner as both sound very similar.
It's surprising that peerless is brighter than SL2500.
Will listen further to get more impressions.

Here is the setup: don't mind the tilted CRS+.
I had to move 2B's out last night and not everything is setup correctly.

pglbook

Mystery, nice review and very nice speaker collection! I have not heard the 12Bs but I also own Monitor 10s w/Peerless tweeter and your review of the sound of the Monitor 10s w/Peerless is spot on. By the way, I really like the stands you have for the Monitor 10s. I am still looking for stands for mine so please let me know if there is anywhere I can get stands like that for my 10s. Thanks.
Enjoy your great setup!

Mystery

pglbook wrote: »

Mystery, nice review and very nice speaker collection! I have not heard the 12Bs but I also own Monitor 10s w/Peerless tweeter and your review of the sound of the Monitor 10s w/Peerless is spot on. By the way, I really like the stands you have for the Monitor 10s. I am still looking for stands for mine so please let me know if there is anywhere I can get stands like that for my 10s. Thanks.
Enjoy your great setup!

Thanks.
The stands are actually 10" high and 9" wide.
Very solid built.
10A's on the stands are about the same height as 12B's.
These are made in England by AVF company.
I saw few sold listings in UK ebay.
Here are few pics:

pglbook

Mystery, thanks for info on the stands. I'll have to look into them. I definitely need to get my Monitor 10s off of the floor.

Mystery

Change of mind after further listening...
I slightly preferred 10A's initially due to it's forward/brighter sound but after more listening and getting wife's opinion, 12B's are clear winner.

10A's sound very bright to the point of being shrill, ear piercing.
That bright highs should have been okay if it was complemented by enough mid but it feels hollow in the middle.
Has good soft bass but not everything blends together.
Overall, 10A's sound too forward, tinny, metallic, bright, hollow and thin. Not by themselves but in comparison against 12B's.
I didn't experience this fatigue even with silver dome tweeters on 7C's or CRS+ or 2B's.
We listened several songs and genres ranging from jazz, classical, modern pop, Indian instrumental and other songs from world travel albums.
10A's sounded better only on jazz type music when listening to very low volume as it brings the instrument/vocal forward without having to make volume high. Also, I like soft thump on bass on 10A's but that's not enough to prefer these over 12B's.

12B's sound more balanced, relaxed, not forward, not too bright.
Recapping both should bring/improve sound on both and will be a different comparison but as it is, 12B's are clear winner.
10A's will go out before 12B's.

cnh

What gear are you running those on? Or have I missed something above? Because I also have a set of 10As and the highs sound nothing like that! They certainly have detail and the mids are a little forward but much much "smoother" than you describe.

Looking at your sig. The only thing I would run them on is that Sansui. Those Pioneers can sound shrill and bright IMHO, except for the 424 which does NOT have the power to run them.

Perhaps it is a consequence of synergy because I've only run the 10As off of vintage integrateds (Kenwood, Sansui) and receivers (HK and Marantz, etc.). And there is no hint of shrill highs. None whatsoever. In fact, they are almost as smooth sounding as the Vifas in the Lsis?

I suggest you get them on some tubes or "warmer" vintage pieces. They are NOT really meant for "modern" in your face electronics.

cnh

Mystery

cnh wrote: »

What gear are you running those on? Or have I missed something above? Because I also have a set of 10As and the highs sound nothing like that! They certainly have detail and the mids are a little forward but much much "smoother" than you describe.

I was thinking the same think.
Peerless should not be that bright.
May be peerless is not for me.

I'm using a Yamaha RX-770 receiver (85wpc @ 8ohms, 100wpc @ 6ohms) that sounds very smooth, relaxed in other speakers but 10A's sound too bright and hollow. Sound has no depth or weight.

I can try Sansui 881 and Yamaha M-50 but the fact is 12B's sound better on the same receiver.
Unless 10A's need specific receiver/amp to sound good that don't work well with 12B's.

Mystery

Correct me if I'm wrong but it feels like Peerless are brighter than silver domes except they don't have silver dome's 13khz bump and SL2500's are less bright than silver domes and peerless both.
So brightness-wise: Peerless > SL2000 > SL2500.

cnh

Peerless are not brighter than silver domes! In fact, they compare favorably to RD-0194 replacement tweeters that are generally considered vastly superior to SL2000s! That does not mean that they have no detail/resolution up high, though.

I'd say try the Sansui. I had a similar problem with my Boston A. A100s until I put them on a Sansui 5000A. as well as an AU-517 (game changer on the highs/mids). I don't doubt that the 12Bs sound "good" on the sui, but the 10As should sound "good" as well. If not, I'd seriously question what's going on with your crossovers? Look into that. I've had three speakers with Peerless tweeters and all have had very "nice" sounding highs. I've run my 5As on the most diverse set of amps and receivers from a Marantz 2265, to a new Yamaha AX-497. NAD c325bee. JVC-R-S33, to a Technics New Class A integrated, etc., and the peerless was always "sweet" and well-behaved. Those Monitors 5s sound "good" on almost anything I put them on.

I have not heard a Yammie M-50? So I can't comment.

cnh

Mystery

cnh wrote: »

Peerless are not brighter than silver domes! In fact, they compare favorably to RD-0194 replacement tweeters that are generally considered vastly superior to SL2000s! That does not mean that they have no detail/resolution up high, though.
...
I have not heard a Yammie M-50? So I can't comment.
cnh

I'll try Sansui and also Yamaha M-50 that has 120wpc @ 8ohms and 200wpc @ 4ohms and is pretty well reviewed.

DSkip wrote: »

Mystery, don't take this wrong, but you can have all the speakers in the world, but if you don't have a quality chain leading to them, you will never hear what they are capable of.

So what amp/receiver do you recommend? I'm not going to buy high end ones for these so have to use what I have.

My comment may have sounded too harsh on 10A's but my comment was only on the comparison.
I don't mean 10A's sound bad if listened by themselves.
They are pretty good but when listening back and forth against 12B's, 10A's sound brighter, thin, metallic.
Had I just listened to 10A's and didn't have 12B's/other Polks to compare, I'd be happy with them.

I'll give another try with different amp/receiver and also check crossover but I really am trying to avoid crossover work just because I have so many speakers already.
As for amps/receivers, I have bunch of them but the following have enough power:
Marantz SR5500
Yamaha RX-730
Yamaha RX-770
Yamaha M-50
Yamaha CR-800
Sansui 881
Pioneer SX-880
Pioneer SA-1040
Kenwood KM-105
Speakercraft BB275

Anyone of the above better match with Polks?
I'll try couple of them and see if that changes/tames 10A's sound.

TennMan

Mystery I think you may be experiencing something similar to what I have run into going from 10Bs to 2Bs. I've not had the 2Bs but a few days and I really like them. They came with sl2000s. My 10Bs have 194s installed in them for a year or so. Whenever I put the 194s in the 2Bs I feel like they aren't bright enough. I've swapped them back and forth and always feel the same way even though I like the 194s just fine in the 10s. I know it's not a problem with the 194s.

Here is what I think is going on. I hope I can explain where it will make sense:

I'm use to the balance of the lows and highs with the 194s in the 10s. When I put the 194s in the 2Bs that balance changes because the 2Bs go a little lower and the mid-range is a little fuller in them. So, since I'm so use to the 10s with the 194s it seems the 2Bs with 194s don't have the sparkle to offset (or compensate for) the low end of the 2Bs. I think the problem is more what my brain is expecting to hear than it is a problem with the way the speakers sound. Once the 194s are left in the 2Bs for a week or two I think everything will be back to normal.

DON73

I'm very surprised at some comments on the Monitor 10. Mine are not at all shrill or bright no matter what amplification I'm using fron a Pioneer SA7500 to my Dared Tube amp. They are as smooth as butter at the top end with satisfying deep bass without being boomy. The Monitor 7s are tighter at the bottom but don't quite have the open airy soundstage of the 10s but they are very similar. My 10s are about 2 feet from the back wall and a bit more from the side walls. I have them on stands about 6" off the floor and tilted back a few degrees. Almost identical to the original stands. Anything larger than the 10s is too large for my house......but I have a pair of AR9s in the garage I'm working on:cheesygrin::cheesygrin:

Mystery

TennMan wrote: »

...Once the 194s are left in the 2Bs for a week or two I think everything will be back to normal.

Yes, ears may need some time to adjust to their sound plus crossover needs upgrade but I'm on a roll to cull the herd so anything I don't like, goes out. :eek:

DON73 wrote: »

I'm very surprised at some comments on the Monitor 10. Mine are not at all shrill or bright no matter what amplification I'm using fron a Pioneer SA7500 to my Dared Tube amp. They are as smooth as butter at the top end with satisfying deep bass without being boomy. The Monitor 7s are tighter at the bottom but don't quite have the open airy soundstage of the 10s but they are very similar. My 10s are about 2 feet from the back wall and a bit more from the side walls. I have them on stands about 6" off the floor and tilted back a few degrees. Almost identical to the original stands. Anything larger than the 10s is too large for my house......but I have a pair of AR9s in the garage I'm working on:cheesygrin::cheesygrin:

I'll give 10A's another chance if I find buyers for some of the other speakers soon.
I have 7A's as well with peerless. I may get new capacitors for both of them and decide to keep one pair.

cnh

Try the Sansui.

As far as other vintage pieces, I find the my 10As sound absolutely "amazing" on a Marantz 2265. Some weird "synergy" going on there, just "enough" power and smooth warmth.

I have a pair of Monitor 5A that sound pretty darned good on an old JVC-R-S33 (Super A), if you can believe that. Just can't figure out why you perceive the peerless highs the way you do: there are hundreds of posts on this site that say the exact opposite--especially SL 2000 vs Peerless (no contest, Peerless hands down!). Most guys here can't even listen to SL 2000s for more than 30 minutes or so without "complaining about the highs! And calling Polk for some RD-0194s.

cnh

TennMan

Update to what I posted previously (quoted below)

My ears weren't fooling me after all. It turned out that the reason I was thinking the 194s were not bright enough was caused by defective polyswitches, especially in the left speaker. The polyswitch in the left speaker had 21.4 ohms resistance and the right had 4.2 ohms resistance effectively attenuating the tweeters in my recently acquired 2Bs. The slightly brighter sounding (to my ears) sl2000 was helping offset that some. Once jumpers were installed across the polyswitches the 194s sounded the way I thought they should.

I just thought I would pass this on in case someone has the same problem in the future.

TennMan wrote: »

Mystery I think you may be experiencing something similar to what I have run into going from 10Bs to 2Bs. I've not had the 2Bs but a few days and I really like them. They came with sl2000s. My 10Bs have 194s installed in them for a year or so. Whenever I put the 194s in the 2Bs I feel like they aren't bright enough. I've swapped them back and forth and always feel the same way even though I like the 194s just fine in the 10s. I know it's not a problem with the 194s.

Here is what I think is going on. I hope I can explain where it will make sense:

I'm use to the balance of the lows and highs with the 194s in the 10s. When I put the 194s in the 2Bs that balance changes because the 2Bs go a little lower and the mid-range is a little fuller in them. So, since I'm so use to the 10s with the 194s it seems the 2Bs with 194s don't have the sparkle to offset (or compensate for) the low end of the 2Bs. I think the problem is more what my brain is expecting to hear than it is a problem with the way the speakers sound. Once the 194s are left in the 2Bs for a week or two I think everything will be back to normal.

Big Dawg

TennMan wrote: »

Update to what I posted previously (quoted below)

My ears weren't fooling me after all. It turned out that the reason I was thinking the 194s were not bright enough was caused by defective polyswitches, especially in the left speaker. The polyswitch in the left speaker had 21.4 ohms resistance and the right had 4.2 ohms resistance effectively attenuating the tweeters in my recently acquired 2Bs. The slightly brighter sounding (to my ears) sl2000 was helping offset that some. Once jumpers were installed across the polyswitches the 194s sounded the way I thought they should.

I just thought I would pass this on in case someone has the same problem in the future.

We have a bingo!

The truth is, in 30 year old speakers that never had the greatest electronic components, it is impossible to compare without first assessing the condition of the crossovers. My guess is that something is amiss..

The 10s will have fuses rather than poly switches, but I'd wager that more than one cap has crept out of spec. It may also be that one or more drivers are frozen, or a bad wire/connection, partially masked by the parallel design, or perhaps the polyfill has slipped out of position.

Really, any of those might be true. Or, just maybe, you prefer the 12s.

The only thing we know for sure, as CNH pointed out, is that Peerless tweeters are refined and smooth, and hold their own even against the RDO series.

If you open them up and look inside, I'm sure the truth will reveal itself.

On a different note, and aside from a collector's desire, why do you keep so many somewhat similar receivers? You might wish to rethink, and instead sell a few to reinvest in a couple higher quality pieces with minimal additional investment.

StantonZ

That's good to know about the (mis-match) in the Polyswitches, because I've really like the 194's after replacing my SL2000's in my 10B's. I'm still thinking about re-building my cross-overs, so I may check the resistance as another motivation.

Mystery

Polyswitch can be replaced with a .5 ohm resistor right?
That may be a quicker way to eliminate polyswitch issue.