Vintage s10

nohalfstephen
nohalfstephen Posts: 24
edited April 2014 in Vintage Speakers
Hi I'm new to the forums here. I've been a long time fan of Polk audio, but car speakers only. I recently have the opportunity to purchase some vintage Polk audio s10 speakers and am seeking advice from those who have owned them. I guess my question is if they needed replacement drivers, does Polk still make them, or if not, do they have upgrades?
Post edited by nohalfstephen on
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  • Mystery
    Mystery Posts: 2,546
    edited April 2014
    Welcome!

    Why do they need replacement?
    If they need replacement, pass them and buy something that is in working condition.
    As soon as you start buying replacement, cost goes higher than what you can find something working for.

    Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
    Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze.
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  • nohalfstephen
    nohalfstephen Posts: 24
    edited April 2014
    Well, I haven't heard them yet. And basically I'm trying to decide whether it's worth the 100 bucks to buy them and, if needed, replace the drivers or spend that money elsewhere.
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  • Mystery
    Mystery Posts: 2,546
    edited April 2014
    If any of the drivers is not working, look for something else.
    Or better, pass on them and look for monitor line like 7 or 10.

    Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
    Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze.
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  • nohalfstephen
    nohalfstephen Posts: 24
    edited April 2014
    What makes the monitor line that much better?
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  • Mystery
    Mystery Posts: 2,546
    edited April 2014
    nohalfstephen wrote: »
    What makes the monitor line that much better?
    Much better sound makes the monitor line that much better than the budget S-line.

    Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
    Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze.
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  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,603
    edited April 2014
    I had S10's for a while and gave them away. I didn't care for the flabby/boomy bass they had. And for $100 you can usually find Monitor7's or 10's for that. Well in my area anyways. And imo the vintage Monitor speakers are much better than the S10's. The bass in the 7/10's are much tighter and better defined.
    --Gary--
    Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out.
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  • nohalfstephen
    nohalfstephen Posts: 24
    edited April 2014
    Now I am aware. Are you guys talking about the original monitor series or the series 2?
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited April 2014
    Any of the original Monitor 7 or 10 speakers will provide an enjoyable listening experience.
    Jake
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  • nohalfstephen
    nohalfstephen Posts: 24
    edited April 2014
    Ok. Thanks for the advice!
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,375
    edited April 2014
    The S10 are heavy in the bass. Of that series, the S8 is the sweet spot with the S6 a close 2nd. I find my S8's quite enjoyable and very easy on the ear. We all have our likes and dislikes but I prefer the S8 over the Monitor 5B (SL2000) for SQ. Build quality it is Monitor 5B hands down.
    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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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited April 2014
    nohalfstephen: all good advice here. And I will second mystery's recommendation about the Monitor 7s or Monitor 10s. They are fantastic speakers. Look for early ones (7A, 10A, for example) with the Peerless tweeters and you will have some great-sounding speakers.
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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    edited April 2014
    The Monitor 7s are arguably the best of the vintage monitors. Very smooth from top to bottom. Polk just did everything right IMHO.
    I just picked up a pair in my area for $100.00 with the original stands.
    The Early monitors with the Peerless are great, however the later models with the SL2000, and SL2500 can be easily upgraded to the new RDO-194/198 Tweeters. The newer tweeters are better than the Peerless in my opinion. Whatever you do buy, crossover upgrades are definitely in order, as are the multitude of upgrades that can be done to the drivers and cabinets. Keep in mind, the higher up the line you go, the wider the front baffle becomes in most cases, and the overall size of the cabinet increases.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
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  • nohalfstephen
    nohalfstephen Posts: 24
    edited April 2014
    Thanks for all of the advice guys. I found a set of monitor 5's for 140 on CL. Is that reasonable? And what about sda's? There's a set of sda 1A speakers for parts. But he still wants 500 bucks for them. Is that a good price or no?
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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    edited April 2014
    $140 is high for Monitor 5s, unless they're 5Bs is absolutely mint condition. The 1As are way overpriced.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
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  • Mystery
    Mystery Posts: 2,546
    edited April 2014
    Reasonable price...
    Monitor 5's $60 - $100
    Monitor 7's $75 - $125
    Monitor 10's $100 - $150
    SDA-2B's $200-$350

    Higher prices are for peerless or upgraded tweeters/crossovers.

    Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
    Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze.
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  • nohalfstephen
    nohalfstephen Posts: 24
    edited April 2014
    I went and listened to the S10s and to me they didn't sound all that great. They also were kinda beat up, which probably has something to do with how they sound. So I ended up getting the monitor 5s. They seem to be in pretty good shape and they sound crisp and loud. What amp/reciever should I use? I have a 10 year old Sony home theater reciever, will that work?
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