Monitor 5 or RT5?

iskandam
iskandam Posts: 704
edited March 2011 in Vintage Speakers
I have an opportunity to pick up either a pair of Monitor 5 or RT5 for roughly the same price to use as desktop speakers. They are both in excellent condition and have been well cared for by their current owners. I don't have any experience with vintage Polks so I'd like your opinion on which pair sound the best and what the differences in sound are. Thanks.
Post edited by iskandam on
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Comments

  • Bikerduck
    Bikerduck Posts: 43
    edited March 2011
    I love the M5's, never heard the RT's. I own M5's 7's and 10's. I like the 5's and 7's the best and my wife loves the M10's.
    The polk vintage monitor series was (is) a very good speaker line and affordable.
    MAIN:Kenwood M2a,C2,Sansui TU-517,Yamaha CDX-1100,Kenwood GE-1100,Nakamichi BX150,SDA 2a,Kenwood Ka-801,HPM-100
    DEN:Kenwood Basic M2,C2,T1,Yamaha CDX-1100,Parasound DHX 600,ADS 1090
    OFFICE:Kenwood Ka-8300,Technics SL-P770,Nakamichi BX150,Polk Monitor 7b
    BEDROOM:Kenwood Ka-7100,KT-6500,KX-1030,Teac Reference 500,Monitor 10b
    Yamaha CA 810,CT 810,Yamaha CDX-1060,Monitor M 5b
    Kenwood Basic M1a,C1,Yamaha CDX-930,KA-77,KT-313,KA-3500,KA-5700,Technics SU 8600,ST 8600
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    edited March 2011
    I have owned the M5s, and the rt3s and rt7s. I am NOT a big fan of he tweeter in the rt3s, and the rt5s have the same tweeter (the 7 uses the first instantiation of the tri-lam which I really like). So having said that I would go with the monitors. Also, the passive radiator in the monitors makes for some really smooth and tight bass, even if it doesn't go that deep (but about the same as the rt5s).
    Peace,
    Paul
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:     Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
    Bedroom 2.1     Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
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  • DON73
    DON73 Posts: 516
    edited March 2011
    I don't own the Monitor 5s but I do have the 5jrs and I like the RT5s better. The RT5s are very listenable little speakers but of course their bass isn't the deepest but they'll surprise you unless you need to impress the neighbors. I've never heard anything from their tweeter that bothered me.
    TO ERR IS HUMAN. TO FORGIVE IS CANINE.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited March 2011
    Desktop? Not sure I would bother with either, they are way too big to fit on a desk top and still sound as intended. Unless of course you have a HUGE desk.

    I love my 5B's but I'd never consider putting them on a desk.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    edited March 2011
    Yea I wasn't thinking about the desktop issue. I had my M5s on my desk fro a day to try out, and while they sounded pretty good they looked ridiculous. AS for the rt5s, I don't see them being too big. I have have a pair of rt25is on my desk for months and think they work great. The rt5s should only be slightly bigger.
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:     Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
    Bedroom 2.1     Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited March 2011
    I agree about the desktop. My M5s are temporarily on the floor (they should be on stands). If you have a set of M5's with the Peerless tweeter--I'd go with that. I know I like mine and at the moment they're running off a pretty low-end Technics Integrated from the 80s? And even that sounds good!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • iskandam
    iskandam Posts: 704
    edited March 2011
    It's a good sized desk. They will have to go on the second shelf, which would be a very tight fit but still works. I can get a perfect triangle with 4' tweeter-to-tweeter spread and 4' tweeter to ear distance. They will be angled 5 degrees downwards to point the tweeters towards my ear. They'll be played at low to medium volumes the whole time. No subwoofer. Just 2.0

    Another option is to get something smaller like the R15, or ditch the whole speaker idea altogether and go with headphones :biggrin:
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  • iskandam
    iskandam Posts: 704
    edited March 2011
    Okay scratch that. I just remeasured everything and I will only be able to get 29" between tweeters and 32" between the tweeter and my ears.

    What do you guys think, would they still work at this distance or should I just go with R15's, or cans?
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