Monitor 10 for HT? (music too)

nathanexplosion

I am (maybe foolishly) considering some Monitor 10s I have found locally for HT and some music, but from a receiver. Some background: main stereo listening right now is RTA12s connected to a Sony STR-GX9ES, which is also connected to my PC via a external DAC. I really dig the sound, I could listen to this combination all day. Right now for HT I am using just two RTi6s that I found cheaply locally and a PSW110 sub connected to a Tascam PA-R200, which is internally an Integra DTR 30.4 (picked it because it has full 7.2 preouts and was dirt cheap). Initially I planned on getting more modern towers to match the RTi6s I already have, but these Monitors showed up in the same price range (about 2 bills). I do play music frequently over the network to the HT system if I am doing dishes or any other housework, so music is definitely important from this system, but I know with a AV receiver, I shouldn't set my music expectations too high.

edit: I should add, from what I can tell, I think these are original series, and have a peerless tweeter, or at least a tweeter that appears identical to the one on my RTA12s, black with the wires sloping "down".

So, on to the questions:
-Am I foolish for considering Monitor 10s for HT and essentially my "daily driver" speakers? Would I be better off with more modern RTi towers to match my RTi6s, or will any Polk be "close enough" to use the RTis as surrounds? Would the Monitors be a significant of an upgrade over the lowly bookshelves I am using now?

-Are these more likely to be 8 ohm or 6 ohm. My receiver says 6 ohm is fine, but I know these old Polks can dip pretty low. I do have a Kenwood integrated amplifier sitting in a closet I could also conceivably use, but it's kind of an unknown quantity.

-They don't have stands with them. I plan on making stands next weekend, but if I wanted to use them in the mean time (after gluing the speaker magnets, I'm assuming these are candidates for magnet shift as well) would I be better off with them on the floor, or the ~16" MDF tables I have the RTis sitting on. My couch is pretty low, so I have a feeling it will put the tweeter above ear level, but on the floor, I have a feeling it will be very low.

nathanexplosion

Is $200 a fair price for these with peerless tweeters but no stands?

Mystery

$200 is no deal but not bad IF they are in perfect condition.
I've used them for ht with monitor 4 or cs350 as center and worked great.

cnh

$200 is on the high side. I see these as $100-$150.

Would they work as fronts for HT and double as decent two channel sound. Sure!

Would they sound better than newer Polk RTi-As? That's something only your ears can tell. I prefer the Peerless tweeter for "music", myself!

cnh

nathanexplosion

As of today there is also a set of SDA-1Bs for $400. I don't think these would be a good match for my receiver, but would the Sony STR-GX9ES be sufficient? I've read it's stable to 2 ohms, though the back panel says 6-16 ohm. I've had no trouble with heat or anything with the RTA12s at any volume level over any length of time, but I understand the SDAs are very power hungry. I could also use a old Kenwood KM106 that I picked up for $5, rated at 110 wpc into 4 ohms according to the manual, but the back panel says 8-16. It is common ground, I verified with a multimeter. I'm not too worried about that amp, but I'd hate to damage the speakers with insufficient power.

Also, if the Sony is enough, they'll be in a room about 12x20, but they can only be 5-6ft apart. Is that enough for the SDA effect?

Sorry for so many noob questions.

voltz

I over paid for my 10's but I knew I wouldn't get another chance anytime soon so I grabbed them up, already have some M4's so someday I may try to use them in HT with 10's for front & 4's for rears, then just needing a center channel to match.

but SDA's are a different beast I don't know a good price but they make me smile! not sure what you need to drive them either.

Glad to hears you have some RTA12's

cnh

nathanexplosion wrote: »

As of today there is also a set of SDA-1Bs for $400. I don't think these would be a good match for my receiver, but would the Sony STR-GX9ES be sufficient? I've read it's stable to 2 ohms, though the back panel says 6-16 ohm. I've had no trouble with heat or anything with the RTA12s at any volume level over any length of time, but I understand the SDAs are very power hungry. I could also use a old Kenwood KM106 that I picked up for $5, rated at 110 wpc into 4 ohms according to the manual, but the back panel says 8-16. It is common ground, I verified with a multimeter. I'm not too worried about that amp, but I'd hate to damage the speakers with insufficient power.

Also, if the Sony is enough, they'll be in a room about 12x20, but they can only be 5-6ft apart. Is that enough for the SDA effect?

Sorry for so many noob questions.

Although somewhat dated. This site will give you ballpark figures on prices for vintage Polks as they sold on ebay a number of years ago:

http://www.polksda.com/ebay.shtml

I'd say you're going to need at least 200 watts x 2 into 8 ohms for 1Bs! So, NO you do not have enough power, but you could run them if you don't push it.

SDAs require a MINIMUM of 4 feet between the speakers, 6" from the wall, nothing in front of either speaker's plain to break up the sound, and at least 3' from each side wall. So, that's 10' plus the width of the SDAs which is a little less than 4' so you need at least 14' of uninterrupted space to have a proper SDA set up. I, myself, have problems finding ONE room that meets those criteria. The only space is a basement wall and that's problematic for me.

$400 might be OK, if they're in good shape?

cnh