Monitor 7's on their way!

jeffro67
jeffro67 Posts: 18
edited March 2012 in Vintage Speakers
Anxiously awaiting a pair of montor 7's, they appear to be the "7c" with the sl2000 tweeters and are in pretty good shape going by the pictures...(no fuse by the speaker terminal)

The concensus around here is that the sl2000's are a little too bright, and the "rdo-194" are the fix for that...Are those replacements comparable to the sl2500's?

I'm gonna give them a listen and formulate my own opinion first, but besides a possible tweeter upgrade is there anything else i should be concerned with? And what is this leak test? These speakers sat in a storage locker in california for 15 years so the seller doesnt really know much about them..Thanks for any advice you guys could send my way, Jeff.
Post edited by jeffro67 on
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  • Mystery
    Mystery Posts: 2,546
    edited March 2012
    Congrats!
    They never show up in this part of town.
    They are in high demand.
    How much did it cost you?

    Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
    Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited March 2012
    Welcome to Club Polk!

    Monitor 7s. Always good to start with the "best" of a line. Even with the old tweeter they'll sound pretty good.

    I still have to pick mine up (delays, delays)!

    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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  • jimbo1421
    jimbo1421 Posts: 772
    edited March 2012
    Hi Jeff, Welcome to CP.

    I use a pair of Monitor 7As in my office and I wouldn't part with them willingly.

    I have bought a number of vintage Polks and have found, if they have been sitting unused for a long time, that they need some break-in time before they sound their best. The passive bass radiator works against a certain amount of back pressure. Leaks tend to make bass response loose and poorly defined. You perform the leak or press test by pressing in and holding the passive bass radiator. The mid woofer will push out, then slowly return to center. If it takes less than 3 seconds to return then there is a leak somewhere. If needed, reseat the drivers. Mortite (rope caulk) or Armacell for speaker gaskets is popular around here. Other potential leak sites are the mitre joints. If the speakers have been left on a concrete floor for a long time the particle board can absorb moisture, swell and open the bottom joints.

    Let us all know how you like them. Others here will chime in with info about other mods and improvement you can make.

    Jim
    5.1 System:
    TCL R613 55" 4K
    Front: SRS-3.1TL
    Center: CS400i
    Surround: Monitor 10B
    PSW10 subwoofer
    Onkyo PR-SC886P Pre/Pro
    NAD T955 5 channel power amplifier
    Technics SL-1710 MK2 turntable
    Audio-Technica AT14Sa cartridge
    Parasound P3 pre-amp
    Oppo BDP-103 Blu-Ray
    2014 MacBook Pro 2.8 GHz

    2.0 Office System:
    Monitor 10A (Peerless)
    Outlaw 1050 receiver
    Parasound HCA-1000A power amp
    MacPro
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  • soundfreak1
    soundfreak1 Posts: 3,414
    edited March 2012
    I picked up my first pair of sevens about a month ago and was quite impressed with them considering the price I paid. I would definitely dynamat the drivers and consider recapping the crossovers due to their age. if I don't do well on the pressure test reseal the cabinets inside and as I mentioned above
    put new speaker gasket in. as far as the tweeters go I think it depends on what type of equipment you and whether or not you can hear the tweeter issues if not leave alone if you do go without r d 01 94 as you don't do not have to change the caps. however if you're going to change the caps then go ahead upgrade the caps so you can do the 198 tweeter as they are the same price. enjoy they are very nice speaker quite a bit underpriced especially considering the sound quality.
    Main Rig:
    Krell KAV 250a biamped to mid/highs
    Parasound HCA1500A biamped to lows
    Nakamichi EC100 Active xover
    MIT exp 1 ic's
    Perreaux SA33 class A preamp
    AQ kingcobra ic's
    OPPO 83 CDP
    Lehmann audio black cube SE phono pre, Audioquest phono wire (ITA1/1)
    Denon DP-1200 TT. AToc9ML MC cart.
    Monster HTS 3600 power conditioner
    ADS L1590/2 Biamped
    MIT exps2 speaker cable
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  • vstarkwell
    vstarkwell Posts: 328
    edited March 2012
    Congrats!!!!!
    Monitor 7C's With Tubes
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  • Hooby
    Hooby Posts: 8
    edited March 2012
    I also recently found some Monitor 7c's with the SL2000 tweeter. I can't comment on how they sound compared to other tweeters but I will say I think mine sound amazing as they are. I have heard many people say that recapping makes a huge difference, even more so than replacing the tweeter. Can anybody comment on which will improve sound more... recapping or tweeter replacement?

    Thanks!
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  • vstarkwell
    vstarkwell Posts: 328
    edited March 2012
    Hooby wrote: »
    Can anybody comment on which will improve sound more... recapping or tweeter replacement?

    Thanks!

    Here's a thread you might find interesting pertaining to your question.

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?115508-Tweeters-or-Capacitors-First
    Monitor 7C's With Tubes
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited March 2012
    Hooby wrote: »
    I also recently found some Monitor 7c's with the SL2000 tweeter. I can't comment on how they sound compared to other tweeters but I will say I think mine sound amazing as they are. I have heard many people say that recapping makes a huge difference, even more so than replacing the tweeter. Can anybody comment on which will improve sound more... recapping or tweeter replacement?

    Thanks!

    Both, in my experience re-capping made the sl2000 tweeter completely unlistenable. I tried to do caps first and then the RD0 tweeters, I immediately bought the tweeters.

    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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  • Oldfatdogs
    Oldfatdogs Posts: 1,874
    edited March 2012
    Jeffro67,Hooby,I hope you like your monitor 7s I liked mine so much I bought another set. Here is a thread on crossover upgrade with pictures.http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?97168-Monitor-7B-crossover-Up-grade-Pics I hope this helps,do a search of the forum there's allot on monitor 7s.I would give them a listen for a while and see if you like them as is,if not go for the upgrades.Dan
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,375
    edited March 2012
    Jeffro67
    Not knowing where you live, would these happen to be the ones listed in the Baltimore CL?
    Stan
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,081
    edited March 2012
    Wow the SL2000 really gets a bad rap...I don't think they are "that" bad.

    Wonder if Matt Polk gets tired of everybody janking on his tweeter...:eek:
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  • soundfreak1
    soundfreak1 Posts: 3,414
    edited March 2012
    I just finished a recap on a pair of 5Jr+ and the tweets are now a little harsh every thing else is incredible. The tweets will be next. it's definitely worth it
    Main Rig:
    Krell KAV 250a biamped to mid/highs
    Parasound HCA1500A biamped to lows
    Nakamichi EC100 Active xover
    MIT exp 1 ic's
    Perreaux SA33 class A preamp
    AQ kingcobra ic's
    OPPO 83 CDP
    Lehmann audio black cube SE phono pre, Audioquest phono wire (ITA1/1)
    Denon DP-1200 TT. AToc9ML MC cart.
    Monster HTS 3600 power conditioner
    ADS L1590/2 Biamped
    MIT exps2 speaker cable
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited March 2012
    JB Weld the magnets & pole plates to avoid shifting and failure. Bad glue jobs on the old drivers. (like yours):wink:
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  • Johannes123
    Johannes123 Posts: 1
    edited March 2012
    very Graeat !!

    http://handyortungen.org
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  • jeffro67
    jeffro67 Posts: 18
    edited March 2012
    I picked them up on ebay for 178 bucks, not the deal of the century but i think it is a fair price overall....They should be arriving today and i've already started building the stands that were drawn out on this forum..

    The stands i'm building seem a little "short", maybe more suitable for the monitor 10's, anybody have a ideal height to get these 7's off the floor? Cuz these stands are only gonna be about 6 inches tall..
    The floor is carpet, and i'm gonna put spikes underneath the stands.

    Anyone here played around with different heights off the ground? What gave the best sound?

    It's not too late to make them taller if needed! thanks, Jeff.
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  • Oldfatdogs
    Oldfatdogs Posts: 1,874
    edited March 2012
    I think your o.k. with the height for your stands.Once you spike them the tweeter should be close to ear level when you are sitting on your furniture.Here is the plans for the orignals.http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?24335-Polk-Audio-Monitor-Series-Stands-Reference&highlight=monitor%20stands%20original
    Enjoy your speakers Dan
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