Monitor 10 receiver question

TennMan

Hello everyone. This is my first post here although I have been lurking for some time. I really enjoy reading all the great information that can be found here.

I have wanted a pair of Monitor 10s for a long time. After some searching I have a pair on the way from an eBay auction. I believe they are Series II but I don't know for sure. Any way to tell for certain what they are?

I have an old Harman Kardon AVR 65 (65 watts per channel) home theater receiver that I want to use with the Monitor 10s for 2 channel listening. The room size is 20'x16' - 12' ceiling. Will the H/K receiver work well with the 10s or should I look for something else to drive them?

Also, I have been searching for a thread that would give details on basic tests I can do to determine if the Monitor 10s have any problems. Any tips on what to look for would be appreciated.

jimbo1421

Hi TennMan, welcome to Club Polk.

I have earlier versions of the Monitor 10 and like them very much. They use a passive bass radiator instead of a port. These are meant to work against a certain amount of back pressure; the cabinet should be somewhat airtight. Test this by pressing gently on the bass radiator and holding it in. The two mid-woofers should extend and then slowly return to their original position, taking 5-20 seconds to do this. If they pop right back then there is an air leak somewhere. New gaskets or Mortite behind the drivers and terminal cup might fix it.

Regards,
Jim

TennMan

Thanks Jim for your reply. I will check that. Is there a way to check the drivers for proper operation before connecting to the receiver? I read here the drivers should be checked for voice coil drag but I haven't found out how to do it. Any ideas?

DON73

TennMan wrote: »

Thanks Jim for your reply. I will check that. Is there a way to check the drivers for proper operation before connecting to the receiver? I read here the drivers should be checked for voice coil drag but I haven't found out how to do it. Any ideas?

Press in slightly on the passive drivers and the 6 1/2" drivers should move easily without any sounds or signs of dragging. Your receiver should be well suited for driving your 10s. More power never hurts though.

Tour2ma

TM,
First, I want to welcome you to the light...

When you do the PR test dragging of an MW may be apparent, even audible. If not do the test Don suggests. Be sure to spread your fingers/ thumb as evenly around the outer edge of the MW's cone and push gently.

As far as your model, there may be a tag by the posts. If not:

- A's are easiest to spot... they have black dome Peerless tweeters as seen here.

- B's have the SL1000... kinda fisheye-ish looking as seen here.

mhardy6647

Your receiver is probably very OK (no ears-on experience, but hk stuff has a long history of very decent performance, even to the present day).
But I've gotta say...
Vintage Polk Audio Monitor Series speakers like their contemporary (vintage) Yamaha amplifiers and receivers.
I opine... look for a CR-1020 or CR-2020 that's been freshened up :-)

TennMan

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. I'll have the 10s in hand in a couple of days and I will do the tests. I know very little about the speakers at this point but I will report back here when I find out more.

TNHNDYMAN

Welcome TennMan! I've had a pair of Monitor 10's w/ the SL2000 tweeter and really like them. Last week I was able to find a pair off of CL here in Johnson CIty that is an older pair w/ the peerless tweets and so far am liking the sound of the peerless even better. It's good to see another TN polkie.

intangible

If they are Series 2 as you think, then they will say so plainly above the serial number.

TennMan

TNHNDYMAN wrote: »

Welcome TennMan! I've had a pair of Monitor 10's w/ the SL2000 tweeter and really like them. Last week I was able to find a pair off of CL here in Johnson CIty that is an older pair w/ the peerless tweets and so far am liking the sound of the peerless even better. It's good to see another TN polkie.

Good to know there is another Polk fan just up the road. I live 40 miles West of Knoxville. I was told the 10s I have coming have the SL2500 tweeter. Is that a good one?

TennMan

intangible wrote: »

If they are Series 2 as you think, then they will say so plainly above the serial number.

I may be wrong about them being Series 2. I have a photo of the serial number and I don't see "Series II" anywhere. How can I tell for sure what they are when I get them?

Thanks

TNHNDYMAN

post the pics you have and someone should be able to help. On a side note it would be cool to oneday try to have a east tn polk gathering. I've seen some stuff on the forum for charlotte area but nothing closer.

TennMan

TNHNDYMAN wrote: »

On a side note it would be cool to oneday try to have a east tn polk gathering. I've seen some stuff on the forum for charlotte area but nothing closer.

Sounds like a good idea. Think there are many Polk fans around here?

I've attached a couple of photos. Maybe someone can identify these.

DON73

TennMan wrote: »

Sounds like a good idea. Think there are many Polk fans around here?

I've attached a couple of photos. Maybe someone can identify these.

Can't open link.

TennMan

DON73 wrote: »

Can't open link.

Maybe it's because I'm a new user? I'll try another way:





Did that work?

mhardy6647

nope. You might want to try a photo hosting service such as Photobucket.

TennMan

What's going on? I can see them just fine. Is there a rule against new users posting photos? I'll post links to the photos.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=55312&d=1296679455

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=55313&d=1296679455

intangible

I think Polk's server is having issues; I couldn't open the schematics from the other thread earlier either. Unless I am mistaken, their having SL2500 tweeters identifies them as series 2 like you thought.

mhardy6647

intangible wrote: »

I think Polk's server is having issues; I couldn't open the schematics from the other thread earlier either...

It does indeed seem to be the case.

TennMan

Thanks guys. I assume you were able to see the photos by clicking the links?

mhardy6647

nope, but the problem may be related.
I'll check again tomorrow!

Tour2ma

Since all the post-Peerless tweeters the 10's used have been mentioned, I thought I sum up the line-up...

Original 10A's - Peerless
Early 10B's - SL1000
Later 10B's - SL2000
Series 2 10B's - SL2500

There will be a quiz...

TennMan

Tour2ma wrote: »

Since all the post-Peerless tweeters the 10's used have been mentioned, I thought I sum up the line-up...

Original 10A's - Peerless
Early 10B's - SL1000
Later 10B's - SL2000
Series 2 10B's - SL2500

There will be a quiz...

Thanks! That explains a lot for me.

Can anyone see these photos?

http://myturnerfamily.net/polk_1.jpg

http://myturnerfamily.net/polk_2.jpg

SudsM5's

TennMan, I've powered my Monitor 10B's with 3 receivers... Nakamichi mid-80's 35 wpc was ok and sounded good. Technics 100 wpc ok but still not what I expected. About a month ago I took a chance on a vintage Sansui 8700DB to go with my vintage Polk's. 165 wpc and all I can say is get as much clean power into those speakers as you can find. The Sansui is perfect for the 10's and I couldn't be happier with the set up. If only my neighbors would leave town more. Jean luc Ponty never sounded better

erniejade

is that a dimple in the tweeter? can you get a close up of it?

TennMan

erniejade wrote: »

is that a dimple in the tweeter? can you get a close up of it?

That is the only photo I have. The speakers are still in the hands of Fedex but I should have them tomorrow. Will post better photos then. After looking at other photos of tweeters I'm starting to think they are sl2000s instead of sl2500s like I was told by the seller. Is that a bad thing if they are in fact sl2000s?

erniejade

NO actually if it is the 2000 you can upgrade them to the rdo 194!!

Tour2ma

erniejade wrote: »

is that a dimple in the tweeter? can you get a close up of it?

Seeing the same... a creased 2000. Never seen a creased one before...

The 2000 is probably the least appreciated Polk tweeter, but I own and enjoy them. If powered by smooth sounding electronics, they're fine, but if at the end of bright gear, e.g., Yamaha, not so much...

The tag in the upper right corner of the back should have the model info. More than possible that the seller interpretted "10B" as second series...

TennMan

I see something that could be a crease in the tweeter too. I didn't realize that it could be a crease. Does that mean it is defective if there is a crease? Will it effect the sound and should it be changed? Maybe a reason to change to the RDO-194s?

I appreciate all the responses!

Joe08867

I have seen creases in tweeters before. Not sure how it happens unless the tweeter was pushed in and when they tried to fix it it got creased.

Those are definitely sl2000 and not sl2500. They also look like 10B's. My first suggestion would be to replace the tweeters with the RDO-194 replacement from polk. Then we can talk about crossover upgrades and the like.

Your receiver should be fine just don't push the receiver to far as that can damage the tweeters if it clips. Those speakers can handle more than the receiver can or should give.

kefranklin

Yes, definitely 10b with 2000. I have two pair and several extra tweets. Some look pristine and some have the crease effect. Much to my surprise, I have never been able to tell a difference in sound between the two. As far as power, I started out with 40 watts of parasound then got rid of that amp for the a crappy ht receiver. Then an Onkyo tx-4500 which I think is 65 wpc. That sounded pretty well, but still wanted more. I then got an Audiosource amp three for 150 wpc and that made quite a difference. I now have two amp threes bridged at 400wpc and it truly makes these speakers sing. I love them as much now as I ever did and I can't wait to start modding them. So really, they don't have to have a lot of power, but it never hurts. Just don't go crazy with the gain knobs.