How will the Monitor 70s work with my setup??

raucey

New here and this is my first post...

I'm upgrading my speakers and can get the Monitor70s for $200 in excellent condition.

This is for a 2.1 stereo setup. I play vinyl only with a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon TT and a Music Hall a15.2 integrated amp (75wpc into 8 ohms). I have a psw505 sub on the way and am looking to upgrade my speakers. Has anyone used the 70s in a similar setup? Will they be a good addition to the mix or should I keep looking? Is 75wpc enough power? I've read that the 70s are pretty efficient and offer good mids and highs.

I listen to mostly rock and reggae in a medium sized, carpeted room. Never too loud but occasionally I like to crank it.

Thanks for the help!

michael1947

WELCOME TO THE CLUB RAUCEY. Yes, they will power the M70's although they would feed nicely on 200 wpc. If you can adjust your crossover to 80 or 90 hz it will take the load off from your amp and your 505 sub will pick things up nicely. I use some M70's in one of my rigs and I think they sound just fine however they are kind of at the bottom of the food chain sonically speaking. Most use a more refined speaker and sub for 2 channel but you would have to spend 5 times the money you just have. For now you will have a nice rig, enjoy.:cool:

raucey

Thanks for the reply Michael.

I'm hoping this will give me a boost from my older setup and keep me happy for a few years until I can upgrade to something a little more superior. For the money, it seems like these speakers are pretty good.

cnh

Welcome to Club Polk!

What speakers are you "upgrading" from? A Music Hall 75 watt integrated should do a reasonable job powering those towers, BTW!

cnh

Geoff4rfc

Welcome indeed!

You're off to a great start! I too owned the M70's and although they were primarily used for H.T. I did enjoy some 2ch with them.

As Michael suggested, 200w would go along great with the 70's. I first had mine on my AVR, 135wpc in 2ch mode, when I upgraded to 200wpc, they sounded way better. When I ran them off a 300wpc amp, I could not believe how great they sounded!

raucey

I'm trading out the old Original Advent loudspeakers. They are bit hard to drive with my amp and lack solid bass and mids (my old Yamaha powered them better but had a few other quirks I couldn't live with).

Am I going to be unhappy with the 70s driving them with 75wpc? I know that more power would be ideal, but the Music Hall a15.2 is a decent little amp that I'm not ready to upgrade yet. Im hoping that with the PSW505 and the 70s, the full range will be covered a bit better than with the Advents.

michael1947

Hey there Biker Boy, forgot to show you my 4 wheel bikes.

I have discovered that staying on 4 wheels keeps me out of the ER.

hochpt21

raucey, my first pair of legitimate speakers were monitor 70's. I had them powered with an avr at 85w and they were a huge upgrade from my old college boxes. However, I ran some 50's through my system and was shocked to find that they sounded way cleaner and better IMO.

Once I added the B&K amp of course the 70's were better than the 50's.

I don't know what your budget is, but if I were in your spot after knowing what I know now with experience in the monitor and lsi line...I would look for a pair of lsi7's. Especially, since you already have a sub on the way. The lsi line is a huge leap in pretty much every aspect and your amp should do fine with the 7's.

hochpt21

And if the 7's and a pair of stands is out of the budget...I would honestly go with the monitor 50's over the 70's with your current gear.

raucey

yeah I'm starting to think the 70s may be more speaker than my amp can power.
I've also had my eye on these: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_108P163BK/Infinity-Primus-P163.html#details-tab
They're on sale and within my budget.

hochpt21

Havn't heard those infinities, and remember you'll need a pair of stands with any bookies.

raucey

I can at least return the Infinities if I don't like them. Buying used on CL is a gamble :rolleyes:

hochpt21

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAIR-Monitor-50-CHERRY-Tower-Speakers-Polk-Audio-/390419264665?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item5ae6cd3499

polk direct on ebay...$180...no stands needed. And they'll be as full range as you need with a sub.

raucey

good call! Thank you

I'm guessing those will perform better with the lower powered amp?

hochpt21

They will perform better than the 70's with the lower powered amp, won't sound quite as muddy in the mids and highs IMO. They cherry might not match your 505 on the way, however.

Geoff4rfc

michael1947 wrote: »

Hey there Biker Boy, forgot to show you my 4 wheel bikes.

I have discovered that staying on 4 wheels keeps me out of the ER.

The black one is definitely a looker, how 'bout you let me take'r for a spin

raucey

thanks for the help hochpt21

I don't mind the color mismatch - the sub will be away from them anyway.
Have you bought from Polk direct?

seabeerob213

raucey wrote: »

thanks for the help hochpt21

I don't mind the color mismatch - the sub will be away from them anyway.
Have you bought from Polk direct?

\
i have, brand new quality, good CS, awesome price

raucey

I just got the PSW505 and hooked it up with my old speakers. It sounds good but I'm definitely in need of a speaker upgrade.

I'm still debating on getting the Monitor 50s from Polk Direct but I've read reviews that say these are not so good for music.
I'm not an audiophile but these will be used ONLY for music - there's not even a TV in the room!
Should I get them or continue to look? My budget is $200 - 300 so I'm not expecting perfection - just a pair of towers that will sound good with vinyl!

Hopefully someone has some similar experience...

Msabot1

One thing I like about Polks is the fact that they can come alive with moderate rms put to em! Another is the durability! You won't be let down..believe it!

cnh

I think you're worrying about POWER too much. Your amp is a High Current integrated so that the 75 watts will trump most AVRs in the 75 to 120 watts per channel range. Probably "embarrass" them! I bet that amp has almost double that power into higher impedances!

I have a NAD C325bee around here. Weighs about as much as yours, only 50 watts x 2 into 8 ohms and it can handle a LOT of SPEAKER. I don't think it would have ANY problem driving my M-70s. It made my LSi-7s sing and they are a 4 ohm load. 50 watts of NAD power is NOT a normal 50 watts in an AVR. The amp has tons of headroom! I suspect your integrated has very similar capabilities!

Also,does the amp have pre-outs (YES IT DOES, I JUST CHECKED AND YOU'RE GOOD HERE!), because you can always use it as a pre-amp if you find you need more power in the future! Don't sell yourself short.

cnh

raucey

Thanks CNH.

I bought a pair of B&W dm610i bookshelf speakers not long ago (those are 4ohm with 8" drivers) and was really disappointed when I hooked them up - luckily I didn't spend much $$ on them. They sounded really stiff and weak in the mids. That's where the worry with the power came about.

So now it's between the 70s used on Craigslist or the 50s from Polk Direct. I'm going to see if the CL seller will allow me to bring my amp to test the speakers - I guess that will ultimately settle things...

hochpt21

If you can test them...then hell yes...that is the thing to do.

raucey

Ok - I sprung for the monitor 70s and have them paired with the PSW505.

I tested them before I bought them and they sounded GREAT in the sellers room. I even used my amp.
I got them home and realized my room is much larger than the room I demoed them in.
With my volume set at about 10-11 o'clock, the speakers started to come alive. They do not fatigue BUT they do leave a little to be desired at that level. I did notice that if I got closer to the speakers (about 4-5 ft in front), they sound more rich - especially in the mid-range. I'm working with their placement and the placement of the sub (so far, they seem to blend nicely with the sub).

I will work with them in the next few days at higher volumes but so far, they are about what I expected for this type of speaker. There's definitely something to be desired but they're not bad at all. I think a more powerful amp would help. I also think the size and shape of the room has a lot to do with them as well...

hochpt21

Congrats on the new speakers.